When considering the fact that the Ultraman franchise has consistently been producing new content since 1966, it’s hard to call Netflix‘s Ultraman anime a reboot. However, when considering the original series continuity, the Netflix show updates the story for the contemporary audience and establishes a firm basis for the ever-expanding Ultraman universe to revolve and integrate with.
Initially, Ultraman (1966) was slated to be a one-shot series. In the show’s last episode, Ultraman defeats the evil Kaiju leader, separates from Shin Hayaka – the human he fused with when he first arrived – and flies away, back to his home world, end of the story. The popularity of the series, however, convinced the creators to renew it, first with Ultraseven (1967), then later with The Return of Ultraman (1971). But neither brought back the first Ultraman nor Hayaka.
Since then, subsequent iterations of Ultraman continued the original “alien hero comes to Earth to save the day” concept, but none have starred the original series’ protagonists. Interestingly, the way the Ultraman mythos developed over those first few seasons, with separate Ultras and their human hosts protecting Earth, reduced the need to have one continuity. To be sure, while the Ultraman universe might occupy the same canon, each show establishes its own continuity – and no continuity gives many hat-tips to the version that started it all.
Netflix’s Ultraman Series Respects The Old And Acknowledges The New
The series keeps the spirit of the original while adapting it for modern times
Netflix’s Ultraman anime series occurs nearly 40 years after the original arrival of Ultraman. With Earth no longer under threat of an alien invasion, Hayaka and the rest of the team that assisted Ultraman have gone on to work in other areas of security and defense. However, when a new alien threat returns, Hayaka’s teenage son Shiro is called into action to help protect the world. Shiro has inherited superpowers from Ultraman through a residual gene passed on by Hayaka who obtained the gene during his countless transformations into Ultraman.
Rather than follow the Ultraman tradition for a new series, the Netflix anime show brings the story back to the original continuity – with a twist. It starts with the original series as its source material but then updates the plot to appeal to modern anime fan sensibilities. Moreover, it does so while providing a plausible answer to the question that’s hung over the franchise since the first series ended, namely why the original Ultraman never returned to the Earth. The show has the promise of attracting new fans while getting older fans to come back to the franchise.
Netflix’s Ultraman Updates The Franchise In The Right Way
Having a new Ultra in every new series has undoubtedly helped build and expand the franchise for successive generations of fans. Indeed, Ultraman is one of the world’s most popular characters. However, over the years, the many iterations of the warrior from the Land of Light, have also led to the dilution of the Ultraman idea. Indeed, Ultraman has even appeared as a character in the Marvel Universe.
As the franchise continues to produce as much Ultraman content as possible – the overall Ultraman canon gets so extenuated that it lost its original appeal of a super-powered alien putting his life on the line for Earth – and in the process, positively impacting the world and influencing people he interacts with to become better versions of themselves. Accordingly, the Netflix series serves as an important chapter in the Ultra-Verse. Rather than dilute, it strengthens the brand by going back to its basics.
Indeed, the show serves as a perfect interim piece between the older Ultraman iterations and the New Generation Heroes, such as Ultraman Geed, Ultraman Orb, and the new Ultrawoman Grigio. Indeed, its use of multiple Ultras and female warriors makes the existence of the New Gen more plausible. Most importantly, the show combines the past with the present in a way that is attractive to all groups within the Ultraman fanbase. It’s a series that old and new fans can watch together and both will find it enjoyable. Netflix‘s Ultraman is both a refresh, reboot, and sequel at the same time.
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