Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle is the first season of the Ultra Galaxy TV series and the 21st entry overall in Tsuburaya Productions' long-running Ultraman Series. It is an adaption of the arcade game Mega Monster Battle: ULTRA MONSTERS. The show released on BS11,[1] making it the first entry in the franchise to be shown on a pay-per-view service, from December 1, 2007 to February 23, 2008. On December 20, 2008, a second season titled Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey premiered. Both seasons later aired on TV Tokyo starting from October 1, 2009 to lead up to the film's release.[2]
On July 25, 2017, TOKU announced that the series and its second season would air in the United States on its channel with English subtitles beginning August 31, 2017.[3][4]
This show can be watched on Tubi and Roku.
Production
In 2006, the TV series Ultraman Mebius introduced its first online-exclusive spin-off, Ultraman Mebius Side Story: Hikari Saga, marking an early step into internet-based media for the franchise. After the series concluded, its universe was further expanded in 2008 and 2009 through original video releases, enriching its story beyond the main broadcast. This shift to exploring the Ultraman universe from multiple media angles outside of theatrical films set the stage for Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle, a series that strategically chose a non-terrestrial broadcast format to explore the potential of emerging media distribution.[5]
In 2007, due to Japanese television scheduling and sponsorship considerations, the Heisei Ultraman series entered a temporary pause following the conclusion of Ultraman Mebius. Nevertheless, Tsuburaya Productions was already preparing new projects to carry the franchise forward. Replacing Ultraman Mebius was Mega Monster Battle: ULTRA MONSTERS, an arcade card game launched in April 2007 by Bandai’s Card Division. This game allowed players to purchase monster cards at arcades throughout Japan and use them in battles. Thanks to the Ultraman series' monsters—well-loved for their rich history, distinctive designs, and unique character traits—the game quickly gained widespread player support and continued to operate successfully for four years.[5]
Given the substantial budget required, development on the game had actually started in 2006. Tsuburaya Productions had already begun considering ways to bring the game’s concept into visual media. If they could manage production costs, they saw the potential to draw audiences with the monsters' unique appeal, providing a new direction for post-Mebius projects by shifting the focus toward the monsters themselves rather than the traditional hero characters.[6]
As Hiroyasu Shibuya from Tsuburaya Productions was also involved in the development of the Ultra Galaxy Mega ULTRA MONSTERS game, he began planning the content for a related visual production in 2006. Following the conclusion of filming for Ultraman Mebius in January 2007, Shibuya initiated preparations for this new series. He worked to integrate the core attributes of the Ultraman franchise into the card game, while also reflecting the game's unique features in the upcoming show, thereby amplifying the monsters' allure. This approach aimed to elevate monster appeal by leveraging the game platform as a promotional tool.[6]
Due to budget limitations, the series adopted a streamlined production style, featuring a small cast and a sci-fi aesthetic set on the outer edges of the universe, combined with action and tokusatsu elements. The story introduced a mysterious cosmic force called "Reionics" and built suspense around secrets related to the protagonist, helping to maintain narrative coherence. Like the game, the show focused primarily on battles between monsters. Thus, the fights were depicted as brutal clashes between creatures on alien worlds.[6] The TV series' world, much like the game’s, was based on the Land of Light universe, set in a future timeline after Ultraman Mebius had left Earth.
Filming took place at Toho Studios, with Kenichi Araki as the series compositor and Yuichi Kikuchi, Tsugumi Kitaura and Hirochika Muraishi as directors. The series was not intended for terrestrial TV broadcast; instead, it opted for BS11 satellite channel and online distribution. After thorough preparation, filming officially began in early August 2007. The production team operated on a small, single-shift schedule, completing the main story sequences in just over a month and moving on to tokusatsu and monster action scenes between mid-September and October.[6]
A production announcement event for the series was held at Bandai’s Tokyo headquarters in Taito Ward on November 13, 2007.[8][9][10] After the series debuted in December 2007, it received positive feedback, paving the way for a second season, Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey, the following year.
Plot
50 years after the extinction of monsters, humanity had finally advanced to outer space.
The crews of Space Pendragon were tasked to investigate Planet Boris after communications on that planet were mysteriously halted. Arriving on the planet, the crew was astonished to find it inhabited by monsters, with every nearby city destroyed. While forced to wait for reinforcements, the crew must solve the mystery of this planet's background as a monster tamer named Rei, whose past remained mysterious, joined ZAP SPACY in order to learn his past.
Characters
ZAP SPACY
Antagonists
Others
- Hiroki Haruna
- Ato
- Karen Mikura
Ultras
Kaiju
Rei's Kaiju
Kate's Kaiju
Ordinary Kaiju
- Telesdon
- Sadola
- Red King
- Peguila
- Mukadender
- Juran
- Golza
- Gudon
- Neronga
- Bemstar
- Banpira
- Twin Tail
- Bullton
- Froguros
- Kelbim
- Arstron
- Angross
- Gromite
- King Joe Black
- Arigera
- Zoa Muruchi
- Nova
- Saramandora
- Lunaticks
- Verokron
- Doragory
Cast
- Rei : Shota Minami
- Jun Haruna : Saki Kamiryo
- Koichi Oki : Toru Hachinohe
- Masahiko Kumano : Mitsutoshi Shundo
- Hiroshi Hyuga : Hiroyuki Konishi
- Kate : Mayu Gamo
- Karen : Natsumi Yamada
- Hiroki : Shigeki Kagemaru
- Ato : Hideaki Ishii
Suit Actors
- Gomora: Kazunori Yokoo
- Daisuke Terai
- Rou Nishimura
- Hiroshi Suenaga
- Junya Soma
- Tomomi Ota
- Shinya Iwasaki
- Daisuke Fukuda
- Satoshi Yamamoto
- Reimon: Hideyoshi Iwata
- Ryusei Fukushima
Staff
- Directors: Yuichi Kikuchi, Tsugumi Kitaura, Hirochika Muraishi
- Series compositor: Kenichi Araki
- Screenwriters: Kenichi Araki, Keiichi Hasegawa, Takahiko Masuda, Masanao Akahoshi
- Supervisor: Kazuo Tsuburaya
- Production supervisor: Shinichi Ooka
- Planning: Naoyuki Eto, Tadataka Maehata
- Producers: Hiroyasu Shibuya, Sei Okazaki, Satoshi Kono
- Production producer: Nobuyuki Koyama
- Music composer: Toshihiko Sahashi
- Music producer: Shizuka Tamagawa
- Cinematographer: Takehiro Kuramochi
- Action choreographer: Hiroyuki Okano
- Assistant director: Yoshiaki Kondo
- Production cooperation: Bandai Namco Group
- Production: Tsuburaya Productions, BS11
Music
- Opening Theme
- eternal traveller
- Lyrics/Composition/Arrangement: Kazuya Daimon
- Artist: Project DMM
- Ending Theme
Home Media
In Japan, the series released across 7 DVD volumes in 2008. On June 15, 2021, Mill Creek released both seasons and the film on a single Blu-ray in the United States.[11]
Gallery
Trivia
- Among the modern Heisei era (Mebius-onwards) series, Ultra Galaxy has the distinction of the highest toy sales, about 5.7 billion yen.
- This is the first Tsuburaya series to be shown in widescreen format.
External Links
References
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-593
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-800
- ↑ TOKU Announces U.S. Premieres of Three New Ultraman Series Titles
- ↑ TOKU Premieres 3 Ultra Tokusatsu Series in August
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 08: Ultraman Zero / Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle, pg 4
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 08: Ultraman Zero / Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle, pg 5
- ↑ https://x.com/minamijuji327/status/1786022446539387344
- ↑ https://www.toyjournal.or.jp/NEWS200711.html
- ↑ https://animeanime.jp/article/2007/11/15/2456.html
- ↑ https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20071113/bandai.htm
- ↑ https://twitter.com/MillCreekEnt/status/1372602604799328256