Netflix’s Ultraman: Rising follows Ken Sato in his journey of honoring the Ultraman mantle while protecting a baby kaiju from the KDF. One of the longest-running franchises of all time, the Ultra series began in 1966 and continues to release new shows and films to this day. The Netflix original movie is the latest entry in the saga and works as a standalone story, although it is full of references to Ultraman history.

Considering just how many Ultraman series and films there have been since the franchise’s inception with Ultra Q, it can be difficult to keep track of all the heroes and their stories. Fortunately, Ultraman: Rising does not require audiences to be familiar with any previous Ultraman stories. That said, Ken Sato’s journey ties into previous lore, especially during Ultraman: Rising’s ending credits scene.

Ultraman: Rising’s Ken Sato Is An Original Character

Ken Sato is the son of a previous Ultraman

Ken Sato, the main Ultraman in Ultraman: Rising, is an original character created for the movie. All main Ultraman: Rising characters were created for the film and had never appeared in any Ultraman movie or TV show. Ken was not the only Ultraman in the Netflix giant monster movie, though. Ultraman: Rising is about familyhood, particularly the relationship between fathers and their children. Therefore, it was no surprise that Ken was the son of the previous Ultraman in this universe, Professor Sato. Ken grew up watching his father save the city over and over.

Ken moved to Los Angeles with his mother when he was still a child while his father remained in Tokyo acting as Ultraman. There, Ultraman’s son pursued his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. Still, Ken inherited his father’s abilities, and when Professor Sato could no longer be Ultraman, his son took on the mantle. It is unclear if there were any other Ultramen before Professor Sato in this universe. Ultraman: Rising begins with Ken abandoning his life in America and returning to Japan, where he has to live up to his father’s Ultraman legacy.

Netflix’s New Ultraman Continues A Long Franchise Tradition

Ultraman: Rising introduces a brand-new Ultraman

Multiple characters have been Ultraman since 1966. With hundreds of spinoff series and movies, the Ultra franchise features a vast lore that includes multiple heroes and villains. Most versions of Ultraman are the combination of a human with a celestial power, which appears to be the case for Professor Sato in Ultraman: Rising. Although the Netflix movie does not focus on Ultraman’s origins, it continues the franchise’s long tradition of introducing new versions of its titular hero.

It must be noted that Ultraman: Rising is not connected to the 2019 Ultraman CG-animated series, although they are both Netflix originals. Interestingly, Netflix’s Ultraman show also told a story about the son of a previous Ultraman inheriting his father’s superpowers and eventually becoming his successor. Most Ultraman projects are standalone and can be watched on their own, which applies to Ultraman: Rising. Whether Ultraman: Rising 2 will happen remains to be seen, but the movie does set up a sequel.