Ultraman Nexus

Ultraman Nexus
English sales flyer
Created by	Kazuo Tsuburaya, Tsuburaya Productions Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting
Written by	Keiichi Hasegawa Kenichi Araki Masanao Akahoshi Murai Sadayuki Ai Ota
Directed by	Kazuya Konaka Miki Nemoto Tsugumi Kitaura Yuichi Abe Takeshi Yagi Naoki Ohara
Starring	Takuji Kawakubo Yusuke Kirishima Masato Uchiyama Yasue Sato Tamotsu Ishibashi Kousei Kato Keiko Goto
Composer(s)	Kenji Kawai
Country of origin	Japan
Original language(s)	Japanese
No. of episodes	37 (plus two DVD specials)
Production
Producer(s)	Takeshi Okazaki Hiroyasu Shibuya Tahei Yamanishi Tsuburaya Productions Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Dentsu
Running time	Approx. 24 mins per episode
Release
Original network	Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Tokyo Broadcasting System, GMA
Original release	October 2, 2004 – June 25, 2005
Chronology
Preceded by	Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy
Followed by	Ultraman Max
External links
Website

Ultraman Nexus (ウルトラマンネクサス, Urutoraman Nekusasu) was produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting (CBC), and Dentsu. It was the 20th entry in the Ultra Series. The series aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System, including TBS, CBC, MBS, etc. The show ran from October 2, 2004 until June 25, 2005, with a total of 37 broadcast episodes. Subsequent DVD releases from Bandai Visual saw a brand new 45-minute Episode EX and an extended 45-minute Director's Cut of Episode 29.

History

Ultraman Nexus was part of Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra N Project, an experiment in 2004 to re-invent Ultraman for a new generation of fans. Prior to this, however, Tsuburaya had begun a project called Ultra Collaboration 2 at the end of 2003, which involved a brand new radio-adaptation of Ultra Q called The Ultra Q Club. The project was also due to include a new TV series called Ultraman Noa in early 2004, which is presumably what Ultraman Nexus evolved into. Following the success of the new radio show, Tsuburaya forged ahead with a brand new season, Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy on April 6, 2004, a show which attracted top-rung directors such as Shusuke Kaneko (popular with fans for his work on the Gamera series and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack).

The first stage of the Ultra N Project was entitled Noa: Nostalgia. The project mascot, Ultraman Noa, was a rather radical change design - an all-silver Ultraman with protruding wings on its back. Ultraman Noa was mainly used for live stage shows and merchandising. The second stage of the project was Next: Evolution. This saw the creation of a new theatrical film, ULTRAMAN. The final stage was Nexus: Trinity - the piece that ties the entire project together. Unlike the previous series Ultraman Cosmos, which was strictly aimed at young children, Ultraman Nexus was the first Ultraman TV series specifically aimed at adults. The show abandons the traditional monster-of-the-week stories in order to be replaced with longer character-based story arcs. Tsuburaya Productions had intended the show to be run during prime time, but the CBC network gave the show a 7:30 AM Saturday morning slot once Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon ended its 49 episode run. The TV series received weak ratings which were attributed to the change in style and not being able to have the target demographic tune in, resulting in the series being cut short from around 50 episodes down to 37.

Three months after its initial run, it was re-run in a new time slot. This time the show aired at 2:30 AM on Tuesday mornings and the ratings met the expectations that were set for the Ultra N Project. Following the ULTRAMAN movie, Tsuburaya ran a teaser trailer for Ultraman 2 Requiem. Due to the performance of Ultraman Nexus the film was canceled, and Tsuburaya moved ahead with a theatrical version of the then-current television series, Ultraman Mebius.

Knowing that the Ultra N Project was intended to reboot the Ultra Series, it is worth noting that this is the third modern adaptation of Eiji Tsuburaya's Ultraman, with Ultraman Neos the second and Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero the first.

Story

The TLT is a covert international anti-monster unit established secretly to combat Space Beasts, mysterious monsters that are out to attack humans in the year 2009. One of the TLT's new recruits, Komon Kazuki, is attacked by one of them prior to reporting for duty. However, he is saved by a silver giant that he names "Ultraman". What no one knows is that the silver giant is an Ultraman—to be precise, Ultraman Nexus, ready to fight the Space Beasts to save the Earth.^[1]

Characters

TLT (Terrestrial Liberation Trust)

The Terrestrial Liberation Trust (地球解放機構, Chikyū Kaihō Kikō) or TLT (ティルト, Tiruto) is a top secret global, non-government organization set up to investigate, research and defeat the "Space Beast" (スペースビースト, Supēsu Bīsuto) threat. Japan’s TLT (TLT-J) branch is hidden under a hydroelectric dam found in the mountainous Kanto region (eastern Japan). The main teams of TLT are the Night Raiders, Memory Police (who erase the memories of civilians involved in any Night Raider missions or witnessing any Space Beast attacks) and White Sweeper, who are involved in clean-up.

Night Raiders

Night Raiders (ナイトレイダー, Naito Reidā) is the elite defense team united under TLT. The team responsible in eliminating Space Beasts.

• Kazuki Komon (孤門 一輝, Komon Kazuki)
  see here
• Nagi Saijyo (西条 凪, Saijō Nagi)
  see here
• Eisuke Wakura (和倉 英輔, Wakura Eisuke)
  The captain of the Night Raiders. He is a good leader and takes action effectively in any situation. He cares for his teammates and is well trusted by them. Although his motto is to follow orders, he will take necessary action if it means to protect others. He is a brother figure towards Komon who provides wisdom to the new recruit.^[1]
• Shiori Hiraki (平木 詩織, Hiraki Shiori)
  A female in the Night Raider team. Although she looks pretty and cute, she is an expert in weapons and can be very strong and helpful during missions. She has a good personal relationship with Mitsuhiko Ishibori. After Nagi becomes the fourth Dunamist in the final episode, Shiori is shot by Ishibori when he reveals himself as Dark Zagi to the team, but is later shown defending people with rest of the Night Raiders from Beasts in the closing scenes of the series.^[1]
• Mitsuhiko Ishibori (石堀 光彦, Ishibori Mitsuhiko)
  The analyzer and tactician of the team and an expert in computers.^[1] Unknown to everyone, he is Dark Zagi in disguise (see below). 18 years ago, Dark Zagi, in the form of a blue light similar to The One, possessed a man called Hajime Yamaoka to use him to execute his plan. First, he killed Nagi's mother to plant hatred into Nagi's heart. Then, he joined the Night Raiders so that he could see the progress of the plan more easily. Then, he used Mizorogi and Riko to deepen the hatred of Nagi and plant hopelessness into Komon's heart (this failed thanks to Himeya). Then, when Mizorogi is defeated, he deleted the data of the Ultraman to render the destructive beam useless. Finally, when Nagi became a Dunamist, every part of his plan come into place: the hatred of Nagi and the fear of Lethe towards Dark Zagi have resonated and turned all of the light of Ultraman Nexus into darkness, making the reviving of Dark Zagi successful.

The Dunamists

Dunamists (デュナミスト, Dyunamisuto) are humans who can bond with the Light to become Ultraman Nexus, using a wand-like device called the Evoltruster (エボルトラスター, Eborutorasutā).

The first Dunamist, First Lieutenant Shunichi Maki of the Japanese Air Force, can be seen in Ultraman theatrical feature and is mentioned a few times during the series run by both Matsunaga and Sara Mizuhara.

• Jun Himeya (姫矢 准, Himeya Jun)

see here

• Ren Senjyu (千樹 憐, Senjū Ren)

see here

• Nagi Saijyo (西条 凪, Saijō Nagi)

The fourth Dunamist, see above and below sections for information.

• Kazuki Komon (孤門 一輝, Komon Kazuki)

The fifth and last Dunamist, see above and below sections for information.

The Dark Side

• Riko Saida (斉田リコ, Saida Riko)/Dark Faustus (ダークファウスト, Dăku Fausuto)
  Komon's kind-hearted artist girlfriend. It was later revealed that she had actually died at the day she met Komon, when her family was attacked by the Space Beast Nosferu. Mizorogi arrived on the scene, but turned around and shot her instead. She was resurrected to become a pawn of the darkness, unwittingly serving as the human host for Dark Faust, Nexus' first enemy. However, in the end, Riko's consciousness won out during a battle with Nosferu where Komon became trapped in the Meta Field, and she shielded him with his/her body against an attack. The revelation that Riko was Faust and her demise shocked Komon considerably, and he took a long time to recover.
• Shinya Mizorogi (溝呂木眞也, Mizorogi Shinya)/Dark Mephisto (ダークメフィスト, Dāku Mefisuto)
  The former deputy captain of the Night Raiders, who went missing in 2008 during a mission with Nagi, also his former girlfriend. In reality, Mizorogi had merged with the Dark Giant known as Dark Mephisto. He is portrayed as cruel and manipulative, playing mind games with Komon and other people and seeming to take delight in antagonizing Nagi, his ex-girlfriend, as well. Using the Dark Evolver, Mizorogi can transform into Dark Mephisto as the most frequently appearing enemy of Nexus. Dark Mephisto is able to generate the Dark Field, which neutralizes the effects of the Meta Field and gives him an advantage in battle. In Nexus' climactic battle with Mephisto, it is presumed that both perished, but Mizorogi is found alive, although wounded and with absolutely no memory about Faust and his battles with Nexus. Eventually he discovers that he has been nothing but a pawn himself, manipulated by the Unknown Hand to become Dark Mephisto just as he manipulated Riko to become Dark Faust. He had also lost the ability to become Mephisto, but when the Unknown Hand sends down Dark Mephisto Zwei against Junis Blue, Mizorogi gets his chance at redemption, transforming by force of will back to Mephisto, and holds Zwei down so that Nexus can destroy him. Both Mephistos perished, and Shinya dies in Nagi's arms, and he reminded her that the traitor (Dark Zagi) is among them.
• Hiroyuki Misawa (三沢広之, Misawa Hiroyuki)/Dark Mephisto Zwei (ダークメフィストツヴァイ, Dāku Mefisuto Tsuvai)
  He was part of the Memory Police that fell under control of the Unknown Hand. He has the same powers as Dark Mephisto and only differs in eye color with Zwei being red instead of black. Thanks to the interference of the original Dark Mephisto, now on the side of good, Zwei is destroyed by Nexus.
• Unknown Hand (アンノウンハンド, An'nōn Hando)
  It is described as the unlimited darkness which controlled the Dark Giants and Space Beasts behind the scenes. It has the ability to generate a Dark Field G and it can power up Space Beasts. In the end of the series, its identity was revealed as Dark Zagi (ダークザギ, Dāku Zagi), Mitsuhiko Ishibori of the Night Raiders. Dark Zagi eventually took his true form and assaulted the city before being confronted by Nexus. While Zagi was able to hold off Nexus' physical attacks and even deflect all his finishing attacks with his bare hands, Ultraman Nexus eventually evolves into Ultraman Noa. Noa proves to be too powerful for Dark Zagi to contend with and Zagi is literally blasted into space. Noa fires his Lightning Noa attack and Zagi attempts to counter with his own beam but is overpowered and finally killed in a huge explosion.

Others

• Yu Kirasawa (吉良沢 優, Kirasawa Yū) called the "Illustrator" (イラストレーター, Irasutorētā)
  He is the TLT's strategist, usually coordinating the Night Raiders' operations against the Space Beasts as part of the CIC (Combat Information Center) Appearing in the form of a hologram, he knows more about the Space Beasts and Nexus than he seems to. It is eventually revealed that he is also a son of Prometheus, like Ren, and lived in the same facility with him in Dallas. When Ren was caught trying to run away from the place, he gives Kirasawa a rope necklace.
• Yōichirō Matsunaga (松永 要一郎, Matsunaga Yōichirō)
  The director of TLT. It was revealed later in the series that his wife was one of the casualties during the battle between Ultraman and The One 5 years ago. In order to better protect the planet from the threat posed by the Space Beasts, he wishes to know the secrets of the Light, Ultraman, and the Dunamists.
• Sara Mizuhara (水原 沙羅, Mizuhara Sara) (32-35)
  An investigator from United States' TLT, she witnessed the battle between Ultraman and The One (formerly her fiancée) 5 years prior to the series and comes back to Japan to investigate the true origin of Nexus.

Ultraman Nexus

Episodes

1. Episode.01: Night Raid (夜襲－ナイトレイド－, Yashū -Naito Reido-)
2. Episode.02: Space Beast (異生獣－スペースビースト－, Iseijū -Supēsu Bīsuto-)
3. Episode.03: Ultraman (巨人－ウルトラマン－, Kyojin -Urutoraman-)
4. Episode.04: Meta Field (亜空間－メタフィールド－, Akūkan -Meta Fīrudo-)
5. Episode.05: Dunamist (適能者－デュナミスト－, Tekinōsha -Dyunamisuto-)
6. Episode.06: Relic (遺跡－レリック－, Iseki -Rerikku-)
7. Episode.07: Faust (魔人－ファウスト－, Majin -Fausuto-)
8. Episode.08: Memory Police (M・P－メモリーポリス－, Emu Pī -Memorī Porisu-)
9. Episode.09: Warning (警告－ワーニング－, Keikoku -Wāningu-)
10. Episode.10: Strike Formation (突入－ストライク・フォーメーション－, Totsunyū -Sutoraiku Fōmēshon-)
11. Episode.11: Marionette (人形－マリオネット－, Ningyō -Marionetto-)
12. Episode.12: Lost Soul (別離－ロスト・ソウル－, Betsuri -Rosuto Sōru)
13. Episode.13: Illustrator (予知者－イラストレーター－, Yochisha -Irasutorētā)
14. Episode.14: Mephisto (悪魔－メフィスト－, Akuma -Mefisuto-)
15. Episode.15: Nightmare (悪夢－ナイトメア－, Akumu -Naitomea-)
16. Episode.16: Labyrinth (迷路－ラビリンス－, Meiro -Rabirinsu-)
17. Episode.17: Darkness (闇－ダークネス－, Yami -Dākunesu-)
18. Episode.18: Apocalypse (黙示録－アポカリプス－, Mokushiroku -Apokaripusu-)
19. Episode.19: Cross Phase Trap (要撃戦－クロスフェーズトラップ－, Yōgekisen -Kurosu Fēzu Torappu-)
20. Episode.20: Chrome Chester δ (追撃－クロムチェスターδ－, Tsuigeki -Kuromu Chesutā Deruta-)
21. Episode.21: Sacrifice (受難－サクリファイス－, Junan -Sakurifaisu-)
22. Episode.22: Cure (安息－キュア－, Ansoku -Kyua-)
23. Episode.23: Satisfaction (宿命－サティスファクション－, Shukumei -Satisufakushon-)
24. Episode.24: Hero (英雄－ヒーロー－, Eiyū -Hīrō-)
25. Episode.25: Prophecy (予兆－プロフェシー－, Yochō -Purofeshī-)
26. Episode.26: The Third (憐－ザ・サード－, Ren -Za Sādo-)
27. Episode.27: Prayer (祈り－プレイヤー－, Inori -Pureiyā-)
28. Episode.28: Reunion (再会－リユニオン－, Saikai -Riyunion-)
29. Episode.29: Calling (幽声－コーリング, Yūsei -Kōringu-)
    • Episode.29: Calling - Director's Cut (幽声－コーリング－ディレクターズカット, Yūsei -Kōringu- Direkutāzu Katto)
30. Episode.30: Watcher (監視者－ウォッチャー－, Kanshisha -Wotchā-)
31. Episode.31: Bird (鳥―バード－, Tori -Bādo-)
    • Episode.EX: Lost Memories (詩織－ロストメモリーズ－, Shiori -Rosuto Memorīzu, DVD Volume 9/BCBS-2099)
32. Episode.32: Unknown Hand (影－アンノウンハンド－, Kage -Announ Hando-)
33. Episode.33: AD 2004 (忘却－Ａ．Ｄ．２００４－, Bōkyaku -Ē Dī Nisen Yon-)
34. Episode.34: AD 2009 (封鎖－Ａ．Ｄ．２００９－, Fūsa -Ē Dī Nisen Kyū-)
35. Episode.35: Revolt (反乱－リボルト－, Hanran -Riboruto-)
36. Episode.36: Farewell (決戦－フェアウェル－, Kessen -Feaweru-)
37. Episode.37: Nexus (絆－ネクサス－, Kizuna -Nekusasu-)

Cast

• Kazuki Komon - Takuji Kawakubo
• Jun Himeya - Yusuke Kirishima
• Ren Senjyu - Masato Uchiyama
• Nagi Saijyo - Yasue Sato
• Eisuke Wakura - Tamotsu Ishibashi
• Mitsuhiko Ishibori/Hajime Yamaoka - Kousei Kato
• Shiori Hiraki - Keiko Goto
• Yu Kirasawa - Nobuhiko Tanaka
• Riko Saida - Shion Nakamaru
• Shinya Mizorogi - Mitsutoshi Shundo
• Mizuo Nonomiya - Tomomi Miyashita
• Youichirou Matsunaga - Masami Horiuchi
• Jinzou Negoro - Hiroshi Okouchi
• Saya Shutou - Hitomi Hidaka
• Hayato Kaimoto - Hisataka Kitaoka
• Hiroyuki Misawa - Yoshito Takeuchi
• Tougou - Kenji Sahara

Songs

Opening themes

• "Eiyū" (英雄, "Hero")
  • Lyrics, Composition, & Arrangement: Akihito Tokunaga (徳永 暁人, Tokunaga Akihito)
  • Artist: doa
  • Episodes: 1-25
• "Aoi Kajitsu" (青い果実, "Unripe Fruit"/"Blue Fruit")
  • Lyrics: Daiki Yoshimoto
  • Composition & Arrangement: Akihito Tokunaga
  • Artist: doa
  • Episodes: 26-37

Ending themes

• "Itsumo Kokoro ni Taiyō o" (いつも心に太陽を, "A Sun is Always in My Heart")
  • Lyrics & Composition: U-ka Saegusa
  • Arrangement: Masazumi Ozawa (小澤 正澄, Ozawa Masazumi)
  • Artist: U-ka Saegusa in dB
  • Episodes: 1-13
• "Tobitatenai Watashi ni Anata ga Tsubasa o Kureta" (飛び立てない私にあなたが翼をくれた, "You Gave Me Wings When I Couldn't Fly")
  • Lyrics: U-ka Saegusa
  • Composition: Aika Ohno (大野 愛果, Ōno Aika)
  • Arrangement: Masazumi Ozawa
  • Artist: U-ka Saegusa in dB
  • Episodes: 14-25
• "Akaku Atsui Kodō" (赤く熱い鼓動, "Red Burning Pulse")
  • Lyrics & Artist: Rina Aiuchi
  • Composition: Masaaki Watanuki (綿貫 正顕, Watanuki Masaaki)
  • Arrangement: Masazumi Ozawa
  • Episodes: 26-36
• "Eiyū" (英雄, "Hero")
  • Lyrics, Composition, & Arrangement: Akihito Tokunaga (徳永 暁人, Tokunaga Akihito)
  • Artist: doa
  • Episodes: 37

Video game(s)

A video game based on the series was produced by Bandai for the PlayStation 2, under the name Ultraman Nexus.

Media

Cameo

• Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial (2010), Ultraman Noa brought forth and revived to Zero, who bestows the Shield of Baradhi onto Zero, transforming the Ultra into Ultimate Zero.
• Ultraman Ginga S: Showdown! Ultra 10 Warriors!! (2015), Nexus is one of the Heisei-era Ultra hero to fight along with other 9 Heisei-era Ultra Heroes.
• Ultraman X (2015), Nexus helps X to fight the Space Beast on episode 20.
• Ultraman X: Here It Comes! Our Ultraman (2016), Nexus is one of the Heisei-era Ultra hero to fight along with other 7 Heisei-era Ultra Heroes.

Related websites

• Official Website (CBC)
• Official Website (TBS)
• Official Ultra N-Project Website
• Tsuburaya Station Web

References

External links

• Official website
• Ultraman Nexus at the Internet Movie Database