What is New Generation ULTRAMAN? | A History and Overview 

Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the video! What are your thoughts on New Gen Ultra shows? And if you're not a fan, does Blazar feel like a step in the right direction for you? Please be kind to each other in the replies. That's what Mebius would want.

That statement on 2018... it felt jarring to me. Because that year, the show that was actually on Air, Taiga; it has a powerfull message about caring for the other ones and the different. That is nothing "spirit less" on my book.

I think no matter what, if the people working on the show are passionate, you can have a lot of corporate meddling before it becomes completely heartless. Ultraman is still Ultraman thankfully, and these concessions had to be made for the show to still exist. I’m glad Blazar is seemingly a trend back to more creator led series now that the franchise has good ground to stand on, especially internationally.

Honestly I never view this issue that deeply. My first Ultraman was Ultraman Tiga and from there, I've watched every Ultraman that was aired right up to new gen. If I like it, then I like it. If I don't like it, then I don't. Doesn't matter if it's new gen or not. It's honestly just a matter if you're having fun watching it or not.

I admit that the New Generation series is too gimmicky, but the gimmick concept isn't entirely a bad thing for the Ultraman franchise. And also, I like that the New Generation shows have a total of 26 episodes. Less is more sometimes.

New Generation Ultraman does have some detractors from older fans with very valid complaints. But, I can still see the heart in these series, and while there are gimmicks, Ultraman still continues to bring heart, passion, and love to the world, characters, and stories

Honestly, I feel like Blazar's kind of underusing its collectible gimmick, especially considering some of the crazy stuff his energy spear power's done so far, like doubling as a fishing rod, or as a joystick for one of those toy-grabber claw games. I really think some of Blazar's powers could be tied to his collectibles.

To be fair As a long time ultraman fan being here since the early 2000s I personally don't think the new generation of ultraman is bad Yes it's something different But the way I see it Ultraman is evolving to be more relevent to the times Which tor the long run I think it might be the best approach for tsuburaya prods and ultraman as a wholev So I shall continue supporting the ultra series with all my heart :3

Watching the New Gen Ultra in chronological order since Ginga really shows how much Tsuburaya has grown over the years. Like the miniature work felt flat, then it got really, really good. And by the looks of it, Taguchi will not get out of Tsuburaya's basement.

What made me like Taguchi even more as a director is that this guy can't be controlled by the higher ups and do whatever he wants and Bandai would not dare to intervene, it's all up to him.

Really excited to see if Blazad ends up being a sort of turning point for Ultra, kinda like how people look at Kuuga, or Zenkaiger now.

i love ultraman

The backstory to New Generation and the Tsuburaya family reaction reminds me of what happened to Gundam when Bandai took over to sell toys and made Tomino depressed.

It wasn't actually really the high budget of early heisei that sent Tsupro on their big downfall, it didn't help but there were other factors that had way more of an effect. Investors were fine with Tsupro from Tiga-Gaia, first issue really came with how there was no big show for 2000, sure we got Neos but that barely made a mark, a different company had been begging TBS for a programming slot for years, and eventually they just said fuck it and gave it to em, and that show became Zoids, thing is, the timeslot they gave Zoids was Ultraman's. Tsupro didn't just want a break, they were perfectly ok with just making another standard length mainline show for 2000, they actually just didn't want to taint their relationship with TBS so just waited for the slot back without airing on other networks, letting ultra fall a little out of relevancy. When a new show came out it was Cosmos, which, as amazing of a show as it is, wasn't received too well by the toku fandom of the time, and even by slightly older children who felt embarrassed to like Ultraman partially because of it, the fact Cosmos was Ultraman's brand for three years didn't help, oh and the actor scandal too just made things worse. Cosmos is an amazing ultra show and was fairly popular domestically at the time, but it didn't sustain Ultraman's appearance and brand like it was supposed to, Ultraman was falling out of the public's favor. Oh and Nexus wasn't just a timeslot thing, it's also a great show but it got scathing reviews from general people when it came out, people took one look, thought Ultraman was trying too hard to prove itself, and dismissed it. Sorry if this is really long but I just see the misconception that early heiseis budget was the main thing responsible for Tsupros 2000s downfall, again, it didn't help, but it was far from the main reason, Tsupro was actually consistently making back money spent during Dyna and Gaia Which, Dyna was actually the most expensive ultra show, Gaia spent more on it's pilot which lead to the misconception that it was the most costly ultra show, but it spent a lot on reoccurring sets and props that would keep appearing throughout, Dyna had like a bajillion new things to make every episode which made it most expensive by far. One of the main reasons Gaia was earth centric was cause Dyna's space theme was so expensive that TBS (who covered like 70% of TDGs costs) went directly to Tsupro and asked them to please just make the next show just on earth. Most of the TDG was always too expensive claims come from Hideaki Tsuburaya, who, Im not gonna beat around the bush, is just a massive ass. He hates all ultra after RoU and consistently complained about and despised TDG during its run, he also leaked all the family drama to the press after he got kicked off of being CEO which ruined Tsupros reputation for a bit, he is not to be trusted just in general. Again, this was way too long of a tangent, but I have to let the people know that the tale of Tsupros 2000s isn't as simple as most tell it.

This is just how fans are about everything It's not exactly how they remember it (read, it doesn't line up with the way that they felt about things when they were children or younger adults) so now it SUCKS This is exactly how Toei makes their shows and we all love it when THEY bring toys out, chillax, Ultra is still Ultra.

This is such a masterful video.

I’m glad they made the move to put Ultraman subbed on RU-vid, something I wish toei would properly do for kamen rider and super sentai

Ginga is my favorite. Even with its limited budget for the first half, it still is my favorite.

As how much how the whole “toys for forms thing” is something that a theme in new generation. And that it’s not original to before new generation style. I dunno why but I personally like it, it’s cool to see how that ultraman fight when it’s certain ability needed to grow or gain in order to fight that episode’s kaiju. And hey, they are colorful (so long as they don’t just stick to one color per form) and I like designs on them if done well. So I don’t think it’s entirely all bad and plus. More money for Tsuburaya to try and stay up float. Annnnd maybe leave some unused sounds in transformation devices so conept and future stage show forms can be used too.

Thank you very much for this. It truly was an insightful look into the state of Ultraman. I will confess I gained interes in Ultraman after Marvel Comics announced and released Rise of Ultraman and my first proper series were Trigger and Netflix's Ultraman, but seeing this makes me appreciate all the more the effort the Tsuburaya team puts out and I wish them the best.

Great video I’ll be honest I don’t really agree with everything but I do agree on some things like having an ultra show being longer like other toku shows like rider and sentai . I’m enjoying the new generation personally just as much as I enjoy the rest of ultra-man but I understand some don’t . Thank you for the great video again and for being fair .

I'm kind of new to Ultraman. But learning these history pieces is fascinating.

I have more faith in Tsuburaya than Toei, since watching a show made from them. You can feel the love and effort being put on their shows.

@MakoMattari this was a FANTASTIC video and props to you, Marcosatsu and Kezza for this! Extremely enlightening and educational. Ultraman Z rekindled my love for this franchise and though I've missed on Trigger and Decker, I am loving Blazar, and I daresay that I like it more than Z. I'm not the biggest fan of toy incorporations into toku but I understand that it's a necessary evil so that these franchises can survive, so I can deal with it. I've heard from many that Mebius is great so I will definitely check that out at some point. Thanks to everyone for your hard work on this video. This was GREAT!!!!!

Z is my hero. Trigger and Decker were ok. Blazar is strange but not in a bad way. He’s definitely an experiment. That first episode was out of control. Every episode since has been a bit more standard ultraman, minus all the transformations gimmicks.

This video was super engaging, great work Mako! I always enjoy hearing your perspective on the Ultra series

Fuck it I'm gonna defend Bandai here. Companies should always be called out for the shady shit they do, be it poor treatment of their employees or working with unsavory individuals. But there is a world of difference between calling them out for that shit and and acting like it's a crime for them to want to make money. It's also easy to forget that most people who have worked on shows sponsored by Bandai, have said that they are actually fairly hands off and so long as they include whatever toy they want selling, they were actually given creative freedom. Contrast to Takara who were so overbearing that it's a miracle that the Brave series was any good and had a tantrum when they realized on of the Brave shows was satirizing their mandates.

Tsuburaya did what they had to do with the New Generation, and even though I’m not a massive fan of it, I understand it. I’m just glad it gave them enough of a budget to return to form with Blazar, which from what I hear, is doing very well! Blazar has been the most fun I’ve had with Ultraman in years, and yeah it still has those toyetic (sp?) elements, but they managed to make it feel more seamless in Blazar imo. I look forward to seeing more of the Reiwa Ultras in the future.

Even if new gen can be very half-hearted at times, I'm still glad we have Ultraman. Also why is Tiga being used instead of Trigger 15:08😭

The New Generation Heroes continuity having toyline as a part of the plot is not that far off from their other competitors, and besides, it's still Ultraman, so of course it's the stories, its characters and its message that counts.

As a toku fan who are more focused on kamen rider and sentai, I recently picked up blazar as I see more and more clips and photos of it. I found it really fun to watch, the story is cohesive and fast-paced, lots of comedic moments that are actually fun. Though not following very closely with the new gen ultraman(The last one I finished was Orb) I am still aware of the news of the new gens. So I did notice as I watch blazar, it didn't have a lot of new form, which is becoming more and more obvious and a problem for all of the toku shows that are owned by bandai, like kamen rider and sentai, as the become a hindrance for creative freedom. I do hope that with the success of blazar(hopium) and zenkaiger/donbrothers, it would change the industry and give back toku writers the opportunities to make more banger shows.

I only started watching Ultraman recently like two months ago because I saw a picture of Tregear on twt after my anime lover friend RT it and thought 'wow that's a Momma with capital M' and jumped into Ultraman instantly! Haven't checked UGF yet but saw a pic of Tartarus and thought he's really hot so might check on it next. For sure I'm LOVING all ultras so far! Gen z ultras or boomer ultras or fossil ultras, I'm here to enjoy everything!

This was really interesting, thanks for making it!

Since I so use to Kamen Rider and their toy gimmicks that I don't mind New Gen with its focus on toy gimmicks but I understand why people won't like it

I've always loved Ultraman ever since I've watched Geed, and I can honestly say every era has their own ups and downs. I've kind of been a bit irritated by people who vehemently dislike and complain about New Gen and narrowing it down just to the toyetic aspects of them when there's much more to criticize about them and other older shows. Ultimately, I love Showa, I love Heisei, and I love New Gen, and even if some shows throughout this damn near 60 year old franchise I may be indifferent towards, or even dislike..... I can say I love Ultraman all the same and am excited to see what they do next after Blazar. And I know Tsuburaya will continue to not only improve, but hold every part of their history dearly to them, even stuff like Powered and Seven X get love, so even going forward I know the New Gens will too.

Ginga was my entry point and the new generation heroes don't always hit for me but i enjoy them

I judge an ultraman show base on whether if I have a crush on the ultraman and the ultraman's host or not. If I'm crushing hard on them, it's good. So far, I have a crush on every single ultraman except Zero (he reminds me of my pet hamster so it's a big no) and I have a crush on Kotaro, Leito, Gai, Yamato, and Gento for the hosts so every Ultraman show is good to me. Life is good and simple things make me happy. Father of Ultra is a dilf.

Ginga was my first true introduction into Ultraman and my favorite

While I grew up with Gaia and Cosmos, I actually quite like the use of gimmicks the New Gen Ultras have where they would utilize the powers of kaijus and other Ultras to grant them strength. It's not all that bad when you compliment them with a good storytelling direction which really helps when let's face it, New Gen Ultras fight against beings that tends to need powers beyond comprehension to defeat so the use of forms through Ultra Capsules or even Ultra Medals like Z works really well. It also introduced major villains certain Ultras may have that can actually level the playing field because they would usually have the kaiju variants of what the Ultra has. One certain thing I can appreciate about the New Gen era is expanding the complexity of Ultras that started with Moebius and creating what we dub as Dark Ultras that became genuine threats for a time before introducing the Absolutians. I do think of course it was a huge payoff creating Ultraman Official on RU-vid which has brought Ultraman to the world which expanded the fanbase heavily. I discovered Ultraman Official channel when Ultraman Taiga was airing and it was Ultraman Z where that channel really kicked up having the subtitles.

as a kid that watch only Ultraman gaia, the thing I love about ultraman is how the ultraman design even to the current generation all so cool

Amazing video, like, seriously.....brings a tear to my eye to know how much the ultraman series is loved even to this day

Mebius is my favorite ultraman

(sorry for the bad english) Despite all the bad things new gen have, I think is not that bad at all and watching Blazar feels like a glowing hope, because it's so different from the new gens and gives me good expectations for the new coming series. Not gonna lie, I feel awkward with the amounts of toys, but I still have fun watching, besides, I'm not a very critical person, so I just enjoy the good side of the whole thing Also, good video, Mako! :D

I LOVE ALL ULTRAMAN

Idk the Ultra series just hasn’t been the same since Ultra Q

I dont think new gen ultras are bad . Orb Z and geed are my favorite (funny all of them are fusion ultras)

It’s OK you don’t like New Gen. No one is forcing you to like it. But remember that heisei series were also blamed by some showa fans for being different from the past shows. At the time, they complained about type change, actors’ acting skills, and other aspects of the show, to treat the showa shows as superior. Moreover, “this is not Ultraman” shit has been actually around since showa series like Ace, so while I admit New Gen shows sometimes have some flaws, I don’t think controversy is a specific matter to New Gen.

Praising Bandai is a way praising Writer,, please all fans aknowledge this

My fav ultraman is mebius, max, and nextus

Peeps mostly shit on it because of its gimmicky toys and henshin devices, i mean... yeah its a fair argument but come on man! Like if you look at the stories os some new gen thingies... it aint as bad as you think it is, its actually kind of good (Especially Z and Blazar in my opinion) so come on brush off the gimmick aspect a lil and see the bright side for once.

In my personal opinion, not all new generation Ultramen are bad. Ultra man Geed is one of my favorite Ultra’s and so is Orb though I will admit Ban dai’s need to sell toys does hold it back.

See, this confuses me a little as a new fan. Historically I'd never been a fan of Ultraman (I'd always preferred Kamen Rider), but the New Generation shows are what drew me in, and keep me in. A lot of the elements that longtime fans seem to hate are what I really like about it. And I've noticed that with newer fans I've introduced to the series. The strong inter-series continuity, the shorter episode counts (less filler), the toyetic elements granting powerups and different forms as the show develops. I've straight up tried watching some showa and heisei shows (Namely Leo and Tiga), and while they're not at all bad, they just feel a bit.... bloated and static, in comparison. I don't know. Maybe this is a tale of two fanbases, in a way.

What if the next installment is called “Ultramen” i think that’d be pretty funny (Hi Mako this is Del)

Ginga/Ginga S are underrated.

Fantastic video! I do believe the future is bright for Ultraman. Like you said, we just gotta trust and have faith in the people that truly care. 👍

Man my comment is over due, but better late than never to comment. So, New Generation Ultraman. As a long time fan, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I was incredibly indifferent to the “modern” content. I wasn’t a fan of how flashy things got, the ultras themselves looked too overly complex, and I especially hated the push for toys. I was one of those “change = bad” type of people for a while and always attributed anything new generation as bad. Over time, however, I have grown out of that mindset, and have slowly changed my views and warmed up to the new stuff. Only then did I realize just what was actually happening g within these shows, and even the moments of artistry that was on par or even better than what came before. Even if the gimmicks and reliance of past material can be a little obnoxious, I can look past them in favor of all the more important factors of a show (rich characters, well structured plot, overall good will, etc). I think a good “modern” Tokusatsu show is one that is able to weave those concepts to naturally enhance its narrative. Yeah, there are some stinkers in the pile that defiantly don’t give this era a good name (Ultraman Ginga + Ginga S and R/B just to call some out), but shows such as X and Orb have really managed to stand out as their own unique and enjoyable experiences and shows like Geed and Blazar now being some of my all time favorites. So while I have my fondness to the eras I grew up with, there’s no denying that when New Generation is good, it isn’t just good, it’s full on amazing, and if I was able to overcome my cynical view and stigma, then so can many other people.

No we don't need a 50 episode show. Did we not learn our lesson with Cosmos

Even when it was announced, I thought the N project was a bad (and risky) idea. The Next and Nexus (which I do like now) just didn't really work with the traditional Ultra concept and spirit. The grimdark style and approach was offputting to many. I love experimentation, but I think putting so many eggs in the N Project basket was a poor decision.

Bandai forced tsuburaya mebius was supposed to be the last but bandai said fak nah more

Light of hope....just remember wherever the Ultra series goes from here, it can't possibly get as low as it did with 'Powered'....well...actually 'Rising' looks like might be down there, too.....

Used to be a fan of Ultraman since kindergarten, now I wanna get back to it. However seeing the current era, everything seems very toyetic, all these cards or coins or capsules, been throwing around here and there, just doesn't seem fitting for the Ultraman as an alien. But Blazar seems to pique my interest, and that's only because of his design, which looks very much like an alien having those muscles act as a exoskeleton and all, so I wanna give Blazar a try. It might have that toyetic aspect, but it doesn't show a lot compare to other new generation.

I have no problem with toy gimmicks, that shit rakes in cash, but for the love of God cap that shit at 10 seconds at most.

My theory is the new gen of ultraman cosmos is ultraman cosmet

I love Ultraman and i will always have a place in me for nostalgia but now I feel like Gridman more than the current ultra series but Blazar is really amazing.

Nice video. Personally while it is true New Generation is more gimmicky and to me it will always rank below the older shows. I think it still has its own message and personalities in it

M

new gen manage pass the torch to reiwa

Can had ultraman in the us

If you wanted to make a biopic about taguchi kiyotaka then go for it. At least don't do it under the pretense of an abrige

E

Now if only this same methodology could be applied to Kamen Rider.

The only thing i dislike about New Gen from Ginga-Decker: - overusing Gokaiger and Decade concept - they replicate Sentai/Riders items except they haven’t replicate Mobirates and Ranger Keys - they never use Agul for power ups or fusion when Agul is still popular but not perfect rated like Tiga, Zero, Ribut, and Grigio😒

the worst era of ultraman