In the 21st century Earth comes under attack by giant monsters. The Ultra-People of planet U40 in the Milky Way Galaxy (not from the Land of Light in Nebula M78) send their strongest warrior Ultraman Joneus (Urutoraman Jōniasu) to protect the Earth. He merges with Science Defense Squad officer Hikari, Choichiro. When Hikari asks Ultraman Joneus why he was the one choosen the alien only tells him that "someday you will understand". Eventually though Ultraman Joneus does explain that he watched the young man nearly die saving the lives of the crew of the space station EGG3 (flash backs in episode 15) and was impressed with his bravery and stamina. Hikari transfroms by touching star shapped "Beam Flasher" to his forehead. Ultraman Joneus first appears human sized then grows to giant form. After the first battle Ultraman Joneus tells Hikari that they must keep his beining inside him a secret, but not why. Initially the giant warrior is simply refered to as "Ultraman" the name "Joneus" is first used by the other Ultra People of planet U40 in episode 20. Originally there was no henshin phrase but after episode 20 like the Ultra People of U40 Hikari, Choichiro says "Ultra Change" as he places the "Feam Flasher" to his forehead.
Science Defense Squad, created by the Earth Self-Defense Army as a special elite squad to deal with monster attacks
General Sakurada - commander Earth Self-Defense Army, Far East, he appointed Science Defense Squad captains Akiyama & Gondo (episodes 1, 7, 14, 19, 26, 28, 29, 35, 36, 38, 45, and 47), tells Captain Gondo the Earth Self Defense Army command staff's decsion to not join the Ultra People in destroying the Heller Empire's base on Titan, but can barly hide a smile when the Captan disregards the order (episode 47).
Akiyama, Tetsuo - original commander of Science Defense Squad, he chose each human member, apparently did too good a job as SDS commander as he is promoted out of the Science Defense Squad to serve else where in Earth Self-Defense Army (end of episode 26)
Marume, Kei - first to be recruited, because he asked to join, very impulsive tends to act without thinking, starts to notice Hikari, Choichiro disappears before Ultraman Joneus appears but doesnt realize why until episode 48 when he notices Hikari and Ultraman Joneus have the same wounded shoulder
Tobe, Hiroaki - designer of Super Maddock, second member choosen, acts as SDS commander (episode 27) after Captain Akiyama's depature until his replacement arrives (episode 28). The last member of SDS (not counting PIG) to realize that Hikari is Ultraman Joneu (episode 49)
Hoshikawa, Mutsumi - eighteen years old, only woman on the team, choosen because she had been studing the strange phenomena that lead to the creation of the team, impersonated by a shape shifting alien who simply wanted to have some fun on Earth but who was the target of a hostile space monster Dragodos (episode 24), Mutsumi has her life saved by Ultraman Elec and Ultraman Loto (episode 35) but she doesnt know it. Mutsumi eventually comes to realize that Hikari, Choichiro is Ultraman (episode 46) but chooses not to reveal his secret, even if she wanted to Captain Gondo orders her not to (episode 47)
Hikari, Choichiro - Ultraman Joneus host, originaly assigned to Earth Self-Defense Army's Space Satellite EGG3, last member choosen by Captain Akiyama, romantically interested in Mutsumi, he takes her on date to an amusement park not realzing its not actually her but a shape shifting alien imperonsating her (episode 24), and the end of the series [episode 50] Hikari and Ultraman Joneus are seperated and Like Ultraman Taro's human host Hikari, Choichiro is never seen again after the finale episode, though a live action version of Ultraman Joenus appears in later programs
Pig (actual name: Computer Robot 78) and Monkey - one of a hundred robots used by the Earth Self-Defense Army assigned to Science Guard Party by them, interfaces with computers (patterned after Pigmon from the original Ultraman) and its pet Monkey, oddily Pig is programed with emotions inlcuding fear and the abilty to feel pain if struck, why I dont know, I also don't know why it has a pet monkey named Monkey
Gondo, Daisuke - new commaander [episodes 28-50], meets Hikari, Choichiro first and as both men are out of uniform Hikari does not realize this stranger is his new commander and he does not at this time identify himself to Hikari either, much more demanding as a commanding officer than Akiyama, Tetsuo was, because he believes the team has become over confident with their past successes and lax in disciple, the team intiailly tried to get him removed but they come to respect him even if he is harsher than Captain Akiyama, Captain Gondo likes to wear an SDS jacket over his uniform, indoors and out but unbuttoned, like a cloak, he also tends to wear sunglasses inside and out and smokes cigarettes, he does not approve of the SDS expecting Ultraman to always come to their rescue, though he clearly comes to suspect Hikari is the Ultraman. Disregarding direct orders from the Earth Self-Defense Army command council which is afraid of losing Giant Battleship Ultria which was gifted to them by the Ultra People in the first place, Captain Gondo orders the SDS to take the ship to Titan and join the Ultra People in crushing the Heller Empire (episode 47)
Doctor Henry Nishiki - half British, half Japanese scientist stationed in Africa, always trouble! He's arrogant and rude and refuses to learn the Japanese team members names, his own actions repeteadly make him a target of monsters and he always assumes the SDS can somehow order Ultraman to save him, which they cannot though of course Hikari always does transform in time to save him anyway. He is so annoyin that Captain Gondo doesn't iddentify himself when the scientist asks where the new captain is and he's standing near by but pretends the captain is busy somewhere else (episodes 5, 17, 32, 44). Discovers, by randomly pushing buttons that Giant Battleship Ultria can actualy split into Alpa and Beta fighers, he also discovered the "warp" drive system and probably that Hikari is Ultraman though he doesn't tell anyone
Ulook - tiny robots onboard the Giant Battleship Ultria, when deactivated their arms are retracted and they appear to have no eyes. The first one activated introduces itself as "Ulook 2001", though there doesn't seem to be more than a dozen in this one room, its huge ship so perhaps there are another 2000 on board. Pig is jealous of it and its not fond of Pig either (episodes 38-42, 45-50)
Science Guard Party's primary aircraft is the Super Maddock which carries smaller jets: Beatamy an orange VTOL jet armed with a rotating cannon on its read and Bardy a red fighter jet armed with laser guns on its side. Besides flying Super Maddock can function underwater like a submarine. No machine is perfect and as weakness in Super Maddock's design are discovered Tobe, Hiroaki works hard to improve the vessel he created. Destroyed by the Heller Empire's first monster, Gumons (episode 37)
Other equipment can be loaded into Super Maddock when neccesary, such as Passanger (introduced in episode 5) or Passerger 2 (episode 33) for traveling underground
for traveling on the ground Shooter ASS vehicles are used.
Giant Battleship Ultria - built by the people of U40 and buried in Antarctica on Earth, to hide it from the Heller Empire, Amia gave it to the Science Defense Squad to replace Super Maddock after the Heller Empire invaded U40 and targeted Earth (episode 38). Ultria is armed with 510 proton cannons. Powered by a nuclear fusion reactor which will not need refueling or maintaince for one hundred years, it produces more than 10 times the energy of all the nuclear reactors on Earth. The ship can split into Alpha and Beta (episode 44) and it has "warp" drive which was discovered by Nishiki. Destroyed when fired upon by the Ultra Mind controlled by the U40 traitor Heller (episode 49).
Ultraman Joneus comes from the planet U40 and is their greatest warrior. U40 (and its people) appear more in this series than the Land of Light does in any live action series.
Ultraman Joneus and Hikari, Choichiro are killed (episode 19), Ultraman Joneus disappears, Hikari, Choichiro's body is taken to U40 and his revived (episode 20). When Hikari awakes with a blanket covering the lower half of his body and he finds a strange female looking at him he realizes he is naked and is embarrassed. Then two males teleport into the room. The female indentifes herself as Amia and the males as Elec (on the right) and Loto (on the left). They tell him he was revived from the dead and he is now on the planet 40. And some point the give a white tunic to wear and show him around. Other Ultra People he meets are surprised to find humans look very much like them. Amia takes Hikari to meet their leader the Great Sage, who is also their chief scientist and philosopher as well as . It is from the Ultra People that Hikari finally learns that Ultraman who has been defending Earth is named Joneus and that his body return to U40 were he may or may not recover. Hikari also learns that all Ultra People can turn into human sized Ultramen or Ultrawomen but only their strongest eight warriors (Joneus, Elec, Loto, Noa, Miguel, Melg and two unnamed warriors) can giant size. The first Reiwa era Ultraman series, the live action, Ultraman Taiga will add another male warrior from U40 who is capable of giant sizing Ultraman Titas.
While the Ultra People of U40 have advanced technology, including 9,000 underground cities and a fleet of spacecraft they prefer to dress in simple tunics and enjoy nature on the surface of their planet, where they can exercise their bodies as well as their minds. They were transformed from humans to Ultra People by a powerful device known as the "Ultra Mind" which for security purposes they hid inside a blackhole. But some how the Bader, inteligent alien repitles, gained access to it allowing them to transform normal sized repitles on Earth and on U40 into giant monsters of great strength. Both U40 and Earth are threatend by the Bader. Once he recovers Ultraman Joneus will reunite with Hikari to defeat the Bader invasion (episode 21). However, Hikari is returned to Earth in a space ship and sometime during the journey his memories of U40 were erased (later to be restored). Amia, Ultraman Joneus sister, cries when she has to leave him on Earth. A second invasion attempt of U50 by Alien Baladon is quickly thwarted by Loto, Elec and five other Ultra Warrriors so the hostile aliens target Earth instead using six monsters taken from the Monster Graveyard (episode 27). The Great Sage decides to send Ultraman Elec and Ultraman Loto (his second and third most powerful warriors of after Ultraman Joneus) on patrol searching the galaxy for evil to combat, their first stop is Earth (episode 29). Their color timers are literally pendents they put on in their human form which become part of their chests when they transform just as the Beam Flashers become part of their heads.
Amia against orders goes to Earth to visit Hikari, Choichiros whom she has fallen in love with, and temporaily merges with a sick young woman Kodaka, Kyoko (episode 31). When Kyoko is badley wounded in a monster attack Joneus restores Hikari's mememories and through Hikari he releases energy into Kyoko to heal Amia, which leaves him weakened in the fight with the monster Garbados. When Kyoko awakens and transforms into Ultrawoman Amia it turns out she has learned to giant size. When Amia leaves Kyoko and returns to U40, the young woman who had been paraylized before can now walk. Ultraman Joneus and Hikari are once more seperated but this time Ultraman Elec and Ultraman Loto come to Earth a space ship to heal Ultraman Joneus so he can remerge with Hikari and at Hikari's insistance they heal a dying Mutusumi as well, but she has no knowledge of this as the Ultra People erased her memories of the exprience as well as those of Mutusumi and Tobe and two soldiers they rescued, its unclear whether they did it to Hikari again as well (episode 35). U40 is invaded by the Heller Empire, rebels banished from U40 10,000 years ago. Amia escapes to Earth where her people have hidden a secret "Ultria", for just this occurance (episode 37). She arrives on Earth with no knowledge of the fate of the Great Sage, Elek or Loto or the rest of her people. Even the Great Sage what not able to tell her what exactly "Ultria" was only that she must find it to save U40 and Earth. When she finds "Ultria" she gives what turns out to be an ancient battle ship to the Science Defense Squad (episode 38). In the process she tells the other members of the Science Defense Squad what she already told Hikari so now they know the Ultra People's darkest secret, the existance of the traitor Heller and his followers. Hikari doesn't want Amia to return to U40 but she tells him she must fight for her world and that Joneus wants to go as well, Joneus tells Hikari that is true but he has his mission to defend Earth as well. Forgetting she can telepot Hikari tries to lock Amia in a room in the SDS base when she insists on stealing a Heller Ship to attack Heller's Titan Base, she teleports onboard Ultria (episode 47), then Hikari's Bardy and finally the Heller flagship, forcing Ultraman Joneus to have to rescue her. She informs the Ultria crew they have arrived at Saturn 24 hours before the Ultra People's planned attack on Heller Empire's Titan Base (episode 48) which will give them time to pinpoint the exact location of the base on Saturn's moon. As Hikari is assigned to go with Amia to infiltrate the base, he cannot understand why the Captain choose him, neither can Marume who stowaway in the back of their Bady. Amia tells Hikari that Captain Gondo has probably figured out that Hikari is Ultraman Joneus. Marume feel asleep in the back of the ship an didn't hear the discussion nor witness Amia and Hikari doing "Ultra Change". Once inside the Heller base where there is oxygen they refer to human forms and Marume catches up with them, he does wonder how they got their not wearing a spacesuit with a helmet. When he sees Ultraman Joenus has the same wounded shoulder which Hikari was shot in he finally begins to get it [this goes against the rule that Ultras who take a human host (Ultraman, Jack, Ace, Taro) do not suffer the host's wounds and the host doesn't suffer the Ultra's wounds, but Ultras who create their own human body (Seven, Leo, 80, Mebius) do share wounds between both forms as they are the same person). Afte the battle to over Titan is over Marume is about to comment on Hikair's wound when he is interupted by 7 Ultramen in human form teleporting onboard Ultria, Elec asks the SDS to join his people in liberating U40 and Captain Gondo agrees and shakes hands with Elec. When Pig wonders how Ultraman Joneus can catch up with them at U40 which they need Warp Drive to reach, Captain Gondo says not to worry that Ultraman is always with them, Marume and Mutsumi agree, Pig is not convinced and Tobe says nothing.
Once Hikari arrives on U40, Ultraman Joneus seperates himself from his former host, which leaves the other SDS memebers (exceot for Pig) dumbfounded when Hikari does not become Ulttramn Joneus to save the Great Sage. Later, Joneues will remerge with Hikari and Hikari will transform in front of the entire SDS, including Pig, Monkey and Ulook. After U40 is liberated and Heller is dead, Ultraman Joneus will reveal his true human form to Hikari and all the SDS. Joenus and Amia return the humans to Earth (this time without erasing anyones memories) and spend several months among them before they return home to U40. Before the Ultra People leave Mutsumi tells Amia that she knows Amai loves Hikari but Amia tells Mutsumi who also loves Hikari to be happy.
Episode Titles & Monsters
The☆Ultraman was the first Ultraman series to have an Ending Theme
The☆Ultraman (1979) was proceeded by the live action series Ultraman Leo (1974) and followed by the live action series Ultraman 80 (1980)
In 1979 "Ultraman: Great Monster Decisive Battle" included a live action version of Ultraman Joneus (with a silver head)
In 2021 the mini series "Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy" featured a new live action version of Ultraman Joneus (with a white head)
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On September 14, 2021 The☆Ultraman was released ob DVD (not Blu-ray) by Mill Creek Entertainment (Ultraman 80 was released on the same date)
(The☆Ultraman has probably the worst English subtitles of any Mill Creek release, the set does do not have English subtitles at all for the episode previews)
The☆Ultraman © 1979 Nippon Sunrise (now: Bandai Namco Filmworks)
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