Ultraman is 55 this year – but the giant mecha doesn’t look his age, thanks to his shiny metal form. And tomorrow, July 10th, there will be an online event to celebrate his birthday.
The star of the much beloved ’60s TV show has never really gone away — especially in Japan where his TV show has more than 1000 episodes — but he’s getting a big global push this year from owner Tsuburaya Productions and Starlight Runner, which is developing the big guy’s latest reboot. That includes last year’s The Rise of Ultraman miniseries from Marvel, and the current The Trials of Ultraman series.
Tomorrow’s event Ultraman Connection Live: Ultraman Day will celebrate the 55th anniversary of the debut of the classic television series and stream around the world (except Japan and China). Tickets are $28.99 (with a commemorative Ultraman Day FanSets pin for the first 500 attendees) and $18.99 without the pin, and can be purchased at the above link.
The event runs from 8pm ET / 5pm PT to midnight ET / 9pm PT and includes several events of interest to ultra fans.
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An ultra-rare reunion of the original stars of the classic TV series, including Susumu Kurobe, the classic series’ hero Shin Hayata, Hiroko Sakurai, who played Akiko Fuji, and Bin Furuya, the original suit actor for Ultraman — their first appearance together outside of Japan. The panel is hosted by Sean Nichols, star of Ultraman Max.
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Live interviews with the creators of various Ultraman comic book series from Marvel Comics.
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Screenings of key Classic episodes with comments from the stars.
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Live chat will allow for attendees to participate directly in the action.
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Merchandise store featuring unique products and exclusive sales for attendees.
Last month, Tsurubaya, Iceberg Theory, Starlight Runner Entertainment, and The Licensing Group held a successful online event called Ultraman Connection Live: Sevenger Fight with an interactive screening of some rare footage, so this is an even bigger version of that.
The show debuted as one of the earliest and most famed examples of a “Tokusatsu” or “special effects show,” and was, perhaps, the original showcase for the “mecha vs kaiju” battle that thrills us to this day.
The newest show is the upcoming show Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga which will be given a same-day English subtitled stream on the Official YouTube channel, also starting July 10.
The character has returned to film and TV many, many times over the years, and is still massively popular in Japan — Ultraman goodies generate more than $100 million a year in licensing.
