Ultraman 80) was proceeded by Ultraman Leo (1974) and the first animated Ultraman series, "The☆Ultraman" (1979) (also the first Ultraman series set in alternate universe, feautring an Ultraman not connected to M78). Ultraman 80 is the last Show era Ultraman series and probably the least popular. Due to the energy crisis of the late 1970s tokusatso was replaced with anime and by 1980 live action science fiction/super hero series were not so popular, except for Super Sentai and Kamen Rider. After Ultraman 80 there won't be another live action Ultraman series for 17 years and Ultraman Tiga (1997) will carry on the idea of Ultramen who are not from the Land of Light in Nebula M78 but have different origins. There won't be another Ultraman from the same universe as the live action Showa era Ultras until Ultraman Mebius (2006). While he appears rarely with the others Ultraman 80 is considered the ninth Ultra Brother. Although a Tsuburaya Production, Ultraman 80 was filmed at Toho's sound studio. As is tradiational for an Ultraman series the first 30 episodes begin with the open credits sequence, then starting with episode 31 each episode begins with a prologue setting up the plot before the opening credit sequence.
New science teacher Yamato, Takeshi is actually Ultraman 80 the latest Ultraman from the Land of Light, Nebula M78, to come to Earth. Like Ultra Seven and Ultraman Leo (and later Ultraman Mebius) he created his only human form rather than merging with a human host, He believes monsters are empowered by "Minus Energy" which comes from feelings like anger and hatred. Allthough there haven't been any monsters on Earth since Ultraman Leo defeated the last invading space monsters five years ago, he believes it is only a matter of time before the negative emotions of humans create new Earth born monsters. At least that was supposed to be the premise of the series, but only first three monsters are actually a result of "Minus Energy", episode four stars the standard Ultraman story line of invading space monsters. Yamato, Takeshi transforms into Ultraman 80 using the "Bright Stick" while shouting "Eighty". Although the narrator regularly states that if anyone sees Yamato, Takesh transform into Ultraman 80 he will have to leave Earth (a restriction no other Ultraman has been under) his true indentiy is actually discovered by Tsukamoto, one of his students (episode 2), an archaeologist (episode 8), another young boy (episode 33). The UGM captain should have realized it when a monster causes their fighter planes to crash into each other an Ultraman 80 appears to save him (episode 13), but he doesn't say anything about it. A third young boy discovers Yamato, Takeshi is Ultraman 80 (episode 35) but he's actually one of three heads of a fire breathing dragon so I guess he doesn't count. And by UGM Communications Officer Jono, Emi (episode 43) and he does not leave. He does leave however when the entire UGM team reveals they've figured out that he is Ultraman 80 (episode 50) and they request that he allow them to fight the last monster without his help.
Utility Government Members (UGM)
UGM Captain Oyama, Kazuki (age 35), at first he is the only UGM officer to take his job seriously
While searching for evidence of monsters Yamato, Takeshi meets Oyama, Kazuki (in street clothes) who is doing the same thing. Later he will learn that Oyama, Kazuki is the commander of Utility Government Members (UGM) which replaced Monster Attacking Crew (MAC). The captain is the only member of UGM who believes the threat from monsters is not over. So when one does appear none of his team are ready, For this reason he recruits Yamato, Takeshi, to work on evenings and Sundays, as he know will not give up his career as a teacher. He does not know of course that Yamato, Takeshi is Ultraman 80, at first. Missing from episodes 19, 20, he's back in episode 21, apparently he was at some intenational meeting about alien attacks that were going on else where on the planet while the events of those two episodes were also happening. He admits (in front of a live TV audience as UGM was being interview by two "junior reporters" as part of a plan to educate children about UGM) that he suspect that Ultraman 80, who appears just when he is needed most, is hiding among them, he doesn't say whom he suspects (episode 37).
UGM Communications Officer Jono, Emi (age 20), possesed by a space monster Devilon (episode 16), visits class of young women training to be UGM officers and discover they all dream of being her, particulary Jun who's brother was killed by a monster (episode 25), Jono, Emi learns of Yamato, Takesh's true idenity when she is aducted by Alien Galagala and dies bravely hurling herself in front him as an alien hurls a spear, at him (episode 43), UGM science division creates an android Emi (episode 50)
UGM officer Tajima, Hiroshi (age 23), nearly killed by a giant monster Okorin Ball (episode 20), leaves for UGM Australia with Harada, Tokihiko (episode 27)
UGM officer Harada, Tokihiko (age 26), shockingly the first team member in the history of Ultraman to actually ask where the Ultraman's human form keeps disappearing to, Tajima and Harada are often partned together on missions, so not surprising he leaves for UGM Australia with Tajima, Hiroshi (episode 27)
UGM officer Yamato, Takeshi, science teacher turned UGM member, on evenings and Sundays, trying to maintain two jobs he is always late for both (until episode 13 in which the series seems to forget Yamato, Takeshi has a day job), human form of Ultraman 80, unware that his dissapearing just before Ultraman 80 shows up and reappearing after he has flown away has not gone unnotced by other UGM members, he also occasionaly speaks wihout thinking like when an alien from L85 is accused of attacking different cities on Earth he jumps to the peaceful aliens defense (episode 21) and cannot of course explain how knows its peaceful just says "intution"
UGM Chief Ito, Junkichi, second in command, an old friend of Captain Oyama, arrives from Europe to train UGM Japan in new flight technology (episode 14), gets turned into a monter Lavras (episode 17) and dies when Ultraman 80 kills the monster, but is revived by his girlfriend who is actually an alien (episode 18), leads the team in the captain's abscence (episodes 19, 20)
UGM officer Ikeda, Noboru, from UGM Section 6, replaces Harada, Tokihiko (episode 27) when he transfers to UGM Australia, often partnered with Yamato, Takeshi,
UGM officer Fujimori, Shinpachiro, from UGM Secton 3 comes to UGM Japan to replace Tajima, Hiroshi (episode 27) when he transfers to UGM Australia
Trainee Communications Offficer Hoshi, Ryoko, replaced Jono, Em after she sacrificed herself to save Yamato, Takeshi, human fom of Princess Yullian of the Land of Light, she and Yamato, Takeshi, can communicate telepathically, but he asked her not to because he doesn't want UGM to realize she's an alien, and in fact the Chief sees her staring off into space and makes a joke about her using telepathy (episode 44), later she tells UGM Captain there are beta waves which none of their equipment registered and just looks down at the floor when he asks how she knows (episode 45). She heals a cut on Yamato, Takeshi (and repears his torn pants) with a device from home (episode 46) he tells her they shouldn't use such techonology while living among humans. She starts to tell UGM about a planet destroyed by Ultra Violet Rays as has to say it was a story she read. Later she helps Ultraman 80 battle the UV based monster by firing an infrared beam from her finger (episode 48) . When it appears that Ultraman 80 my finally lose two a pair of monsters she finally reveals her true form (episode 49).
UGM aircraft include "Silver Gul" VTOL plane, which can split into "Silver Gul Apha" (laser cannon, fire stream, laser shock gun, air to ground missiles) and "Silver Gul Beta".(missle launcer, laser gun). Of ocurse UGM has more than one "Silver Gul".
"Sky Higher" VTOL fighter jet (nuclear powered engine, armed with a laser cannon, episode 13 introduces a scanning ray for determing a monster's weak points) and finally a huge carrier ship, "Space Mammny" (a ship originally built for use in space, it can carry smaller aifcraft such as Silver Guls and is armed with laser missles and rocket launchers (introduced in episode 11, flown on autopilot in episode 13, actually travels into space for six months in episode 15).
UGM land vehicle is Scooter S7 (S=Secret)
United Nations Defense Army
Utility Government Members (UGM) was under then United Nations Defense Army, Captain Oyama, Kazuki's superior from the United Nations Defense Army is Secretary (of Defense?) Nangou, when the captain is framed for murder the secretary places the captin under arrest but merely confines him to, the command center, until he is cleared (episode 13). Everyone else in the United Nations Defense Army is incompetent and inept. Whenever they send their fighter jets against a monster, instead of leaving it to the UGM, their fighters are shot down and their men killed because eiher they forgot to install ejector seets with parachutes or to train their men to use them. United Nations Defense Army soldiers firing laser rilfes at a humansized monster give it the energy boost it needed to giantisize (episode 16), when UGM statelitte detected something strange on an island a United Nations Defense Army officer claimed their's found nothing strange and to forget it, a space monster had of course landed there (episodes 17 and 18), the Secretary had the good sense to recommend that UGM officers take a vaction at the island's recreation center, as a way of giving them the okay to investigate without embarrsing his subordinate officer with a direct override.
UNDA Public Relations officer Sera, Teruo (a role you would never have seen in 1960s or 1970s tokusatsu), he takes photographs and writes arrtilecs for "UGM Magazine", sent into space for 6 months with UGM scientists he returnes with a tiny alien a creature which of course gets turned into a monster (episode 15), asks the captain to let him go with him on a dangerou mission in order to get the real story on how it feels to face death to save the Earth (episode 18) of course by the time they arrive on the island Ultraman 80 has killed the giant monster so he never actualy experiences combat, stowes way on "Space Mammy" during a vitlal mission into space [in real world they would have cancel the mission or toss him out of the airlock because of fuel restrictions as his extra weight would endager the mission and their lives] (episode 19), the mission was a success but the higher ups decided to keep the mission classified "top secret" so he could not publish anything about it. When Yamato, Takeshi and Jono, Emi's Silvegul vanishes from radar he is relieved he won't have to publish his first sad story after they are found alive (episode 26). Releaved his childhood friend, now a reporter and his photographer missing in Africa returned to Japan safe and sound until it was revealed the two men were actually hostile aliens who had murdered his friend (episode 30). After not being seen much except in cameos, Sera returns in episode 37 with two chldren, a boy and a girl, who won a contest to tour UGM as "junior reporters". A third jealous child is later promised a tour too but he turns out to be disguised Alien Baltan V (I-III dealt with by the original Ultraman Baltan Jr by Ultraman Jack, and IV by Ultraman Joneus the first anime Ultraman, Ultraman 80 will face VI later).
UNDA Meteorolgy Divsion Newscaster Kosaka, Yuriko meets Yamato, Takeshi meets who mistakes her for one of his students Non-chan (episode 21), [the mistake is an honest one as they are the same actress]. She keeps appearing to tell him the weather forcast for the day. When seeminginly friendly aliens arrive she warns him of "stormy weather" (episode 24). I guess this character was created because they wanted another regular woman character but they didn't really have a place for one on the UGM team, but the character doesn't actually add anything. she just appears to speak her throw away lines than is gone again until the beginning of next episode. Though UGM Communications Officer Jono, Emi does in one episode (25) mistake her for Yamato, Takeshi's girlfriend, an idea he's shocked at (after all she looks like one of his students and he would never go there). Since we don't see him as a teacher anymore we no longer see him trying to win the affection of one of the other teachers. One day Kosaka, Yuriko meets and greets new UGM officers Fujimori, Shinpachiro and Ikeda, Noboru insead of brining Yamato, Takeshi the weather report (episode 27). She give a weather report to all of UGM (episode 36).
Sakuragaoka Junior High School
For the first 12 episodes Yamato, Takeshi struggles with trying to be a school teacher and working with UGM. He arrives late his first day, before he's even working with UGM and is late every day after joing UGM, and although Principal Hayashi (who agreed to let him work with UGM) never says a harsh word about it, Head Teacher Nozawa (who does not know he works with UGM) never forgives him for being late the first day and constantly trying to get him fired for being late every other day. Yamato, Takeshi has fallen for gymn teacher Aihara, Kyohko who is always busy with a "swimming lesson" whenever he tries to get her to spend time with him outside of school. Although Aihara sensei doesn't go out with him she still stands up for him against the Head Teacher. One of his students a boy who skips school Tsukamoto, Yukio, realizes early on that he is Ultraman 80 (episode 2). another student Nakano, Shinichi comes to despise his girlfriend for dumping him and this creates a monster (episode 3), Susumu nicknamed "Super" has a fight with his father and is nearly crushed when a mother and son monster also have a fight (episode 4). Yamato, Takeshi forms a band with four boys in which he plays electric guitar(episode 7), a monster actually likes the music the boys play. Aihara, Kyohko and Yamato, Takeshi take some of the students on a field trip to a mountain, not realizing a monster is hibernating under it (episode 8). When Head Teacher Nozawa tries to play match maker with Aihara, Kyohko and a professor from France, the principle advises Yamato, Takeshi to fight for her and four of his students, 3 boys ("Super", "Professor" , "Rakugo) and 1 girl ("Fashion") decide they will help him to win her, he does manage to get a date with her, but a giant monster intervenes, forced to transform in front of the children and Aihara, he tells them goodbye and runs towards the monster but it sprays fire and smoke obscuring him so they don't actually see him transform so he doesn't have to leave Earth after all (episode 9). However Takeshi is heartbroken to hear Aihara says she's fallen in love with Ultraman 80, because if he reveals to her that he is in fact Ultraman 80 he would then have to leave Earth. (I think she was kidding though and just said that to get the head teacher to stop trying to find her a husband). "Professor" falls for a girl Milly, who is actually an alien sent to kill Ultraman 80 and conquer the Earth. When Ultraman 80 kills the monster and the alien girl leaves, Yamato, Takeshi lies to the boy telling him she went to the Netherlands because thats where her parents are (episode 12). This is the last episode to focus on Yamato, Takeshi as a teacher.
After the 12th episode the series forgets Yamato, Takeshi is a school teacher duriing the day and concentrates on him with UGM fightning monsters. Ultraman 80 himself comments on this in Ultraman Mebius when he thinks he's failed his students in having to concentrate on defeating the monsters, but the now grown up students tell him how as Yama*to, Takeshi he inspired them: Tsukamoto is now a school teacher, Shinichi is happily married, "Super" runs is father's store, Uenom, Hiroshi aka "Professor" is a lab researcher; Tashiro, Junichi aka "Rakugo" works in a bank (episode 41). At no time in Ultraman 80 is Yamato, Takeshi actually shown to have resigned as a teacher they just don't show the school or his students and in episode 31 he tells a young girl not to be late for school then instead of going off to his science class he runs off to UGM. Later, near the end of the series they apparently decided they needed to bring children back into the stories, do they bring back his students (who had more character development that the UGM officers)? No, a bunch of random, one episode children start appearing instead. And the episode start focusing more on this one off characters than on one UGM.
The monsters change from "Minus Energy monsters" in the first three episodes to mostly space monsters until the end when more Earth based monsters start appearing again and although several of these monsters are created by the negative emotions of children "Minus Energy" is never again mentioned after episode three. Which makes no sense at all.
Other Ultras
While none of the Ultra Brothers guess star in this series (as far as we know), a mysterious "Warrior of Light" appears on Earth 3,000 years ago (episode 8). Apparently in 1980 Tsuburaya hadn't decided how long the people from M78 live or what Ultraman 80's age is because Yamato, Takeshi thiinks this warrior might be one of his ancestors, however the Ultras are now said to live for many thousands of years and Ultraman 80 is supposed to be 8,000 years old, so calling it his ancestor no longer fits. The Father of Ultra make a brief appearance (episode 38), to spur Ultraman 80 on to victory, without actually leaving the Land of Light. There is a fake Ultra Seven (episode 44) but the real one does not make an appearance. The best guest appearance by the Show era Ultras are in Ultraman Mebius, which is a Heisei era series.
Ulrraman 80 is joined by Princess Yullian, a female Ultra. A childhood friend of Ultraman 80 and royalty from M78, Princess Yullian has no combat training or experience. She fled to Earth after escaping from alien kidnappers, to warn Ultraman 80 the Alien Galagala were coming to kill him in revenge for their prince being killed when they tried to conquer the Land of Light (episdoe 43). Only after her ship (which Yamato, Takeshi recognizes as being from the Land of Light) is shot down by alien fighters, she suffers from amensia, Captain Oyama gives her the name Hoshi, Ryoko, Later she regains her memory and warns Yamato, Takeshi that the aliens have come to kill Ultraman 80. Interestingly Yamato, Takeshi says the last time he saw her she was just a little girl, so either Ultras grow up fast, or he's been gone from the Land of Light for longer than he's been on Earth. With her arrival they don't need another woman in the series so UGM Communications Officer Jono, Emi has to die, she takes a spear in the back to save Yamato, Takeshi from a spear to the chest, just having learned he's Ultraman 80. Despite her lack of combat experience Hoshi, Ryoko, transforms into her true form to assist Ultraman 80 fight two monsters (episode 49).
Ultraman 80 is the first Ultraman series to end with the final monster Margodon, killed by the humans without the help of the giant warrior from the Land of Light. It turns out Captain Oyama, Kazuki and Chief Ito, Junkichi figured out that Yamato, Takeshi is Ultraman 80, and though the Captain thanked him for his help in the past, he believes its time humans defended the Earth without the aid of aliens, besides which Ultraman 80 was wounded in the last battle so he should go home to heal and rest. After UGM Japan defeats the monster, with some assistance from two men from UGM Australia, the Captain reveals to the entire group that Yamato, Takeshi is Ultraman 80 and that Hoshi, Ryoko, is Princess Yullian so that UGM can say their goodbyes. Yamato, Takeshi and Hoshi, Ryoko enjoy once last day on Earth before transfoming into Ultraman 80 and Princess Yullian and departing for home, the Land of Light in Nebula.M78.
It will be another 25 years (and 2 weeks) before Earth will be threatened again by monsters and will need the help of Ultraman Mebius (2006). There will be other Ultraman series and films before Ultraman Mebius but they will be set in alternate universes on Earths that have never been visited by the inhabitants of the Land of Light in Nebula M78.. Ultraman 80 will appear in Ultraman Mebius episodes 41 and 50. In episode 41 Yamato, Takeshi will have a reunion with his former students, now all grown up.
Ultraman 80 was proceeded by the anime series The☆Ultraman (1979) and the live action series Ultraman Leo (1974). Ultraman 80 was the last Showa era Ultra series.
Ultraman 80 (1980-1981) was the last Showa era Ultraman series. The Hesei era had other series set in alternate realities in the 1990s and 2000s wouldn't be until 2006 that a new series would be set in the same universe as the Showa era series: Ultraman Mebius.
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On September 14, 2021 Ultraman 80 was released ob DVD (not Blu-ray) by Mill Creek Entertainment ("The*Ultraman" anime was released on the same date) (if a series has not been released on Blu-Ray in Japan it wont' be in the USA. only DVD).
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