With the release of Ultraman: Rising, Netflix just schooled all of Godzilla‘s recent Monsterverse movies and shows by doing something most kaiju stories struggle to do. Based on Tsuburaya Productions’ storied Ultraman franchise, the new Netflix movie follows Kenji “Ken” Sato (Christopher Sean), a pro baseball player in the US who returns to Japan after years away to play for Tokyo’s down-on-their-luck Giants. The egotistical athlete has long been torn between his desire to be a championship-winning ballplayer and inheriting his father’s role as Ultraman — the gigantic superhero who protects the city from rogue kaiju.

Feeling frustrated by his Ultraman-baseball-player balancing act, Ken vents about missing his mom, Emiko, who’s gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Unwilling to lean on his father, Ken struggles to navigate the increasingly violent Kaiju Defense Force (KDF). After hitting a grand slam during his first at-bat for the Giants, Ken’s luck seems to be looking up until his Ultraman duties soon derail things. A bird-like kaiju, Gigantron, chases down its unhatched egg, which was stolen by the KDF. Although Gigantron is killed, Ken is able to save the young kaiju, which believes Ultraman is its parent.

Ultraman: Rising’s Human Characters Are Great (Including Ultraman)

Ken Sato & His Family Dynamics Are Ultraman’s Most Interesting Threads

In movies like Godzilla (2024) and Godzilla vs Kong — and in almost all versions of Godzilla — the human characters aren’t very interesting. Although some Godzilla films have tried to remedy this issue by casting well-known movie stars, recognizable faces don’t change the fact that human characters are often set dressing in kaiju films. It’s easy to knock these monster movies for employing stock characters who feel boring and derivative. After all, compelling characters aren’t exactly the main reason audiences flock to kaiju movies. Excitingly, Ultraman: Rising is a massive exception to the boring human characters rule.

Although Ultraman: Rising opens with a solid dose of action (and Ultraman), it’s also grounded in the Sato family’s complex relationships. A young Ken is already torn between playing Ultraman with his father, Professor Sato (Gedde Watanabe), and watching baseball with his mom, Emiko (Tamlyn Tomita). While Ken is amazed by Ultraman at first, he quickly becomes disillusioned with the hero, and, as a result, his father. Instead of getting caught up in the lore, Ultraman: Rising puts its human characters first. More importantly, Ultraman: Rising focuses more on family than heroics.

Why Monster Movies Usually Struggle With Human Characters

Action Often Trumps Character Development In Kaiju Films

For the most part, monster movies struggle with their human characters because the building-smashing kaiju are of the most interest to viewers. After all, even underrated kaiju movies are beloved because of their action set-pieces. Instead of getting too caught up in its kaiju and lore, Ultraman: Rising builds its narrative around the human characters. Ken, for example, becomes the adoptive father to a baby kaiju, all while balancing his superhero responsibilities. This allows the movie to further explore Ken’s strained relationship with his own father in a way that works with the movie’s larger plot and themes.

Ultraman: Rising‘s cast of characters also isn’t extensive. In a monster movie, that’s another huge advantage. At times, it can be enticing to beef up the cast of a kaiju movie with characters who are merely there to be killed off in robust action set-pieces. Instead of leaning into that trope, Ultraman: Rising carefully considers its characters. Aside from contemplating who Ken Sato really is, Ultraman: Rising centers on reporter and mother Ami Wakita (Julia Harriman). Even Ultraman: Rising‘s antagonist, Dr. Onda of the KDF, has a fully-realized backstory.

Ultraman: Rising Had A Major Advantage Over Other Kaiju Movies

Ultraman Is A Huge Superhero – But He’s Also Deeply Human

In Ultraman: Rising, the titular hero is a giant being — not unlike the kaiju. On the other hand, he’s also a human. Without Ken Sato, there’s no Ultraman, so there actually can’t be an Ultraman story that’s divorced from that deeply human element. As evidenced by Ultraman: Rising‘s ending, this core difference gives the franchise a huge advantage over other kaiju films, which often position humans as mere observers of the clashing giants. The decision to have Ken raise a baby kaiju, Emi, takes that notion a step further, allowing Ultraman: Rising to even humanize its city-stomping creatures.