GOSDON
A Minus Energy monster with no form, Gosdon materializes into the real world when he possesses a kite with a picture of a kaiju on it! Gosdon in my eyes perfectly embodies all the fun possibilities a Minus Energy beast can do story and design wise, and he’s just one of those monsters from 80 that I feel deserves some more attention. I’m a big fan of the design, especially the large horn he’s got for a head, and the flails and lightning bolt he has in place of hands, which feel very fitting for a supernatural flying monster. However, the most notable feature of Gosdon here has to be his rectangular wings, made from the kite he was born from. 80 even takes advantage of this by flying the monster around like a kite!
TETSUON AND SPACE PLANTS
A boy turned into a monster after swallowing a strange seed that he found inside of a tiny UFO, Tetsuon is a clear tribute to Kanegon, as well as Booska. In fact, Tetsuon’s name is derived from Tetsuo Yamamura, who was the monster Chamegon on Kaiju Booska and is actually playing Tetsuon here. We also have Booska’s original voice actress Kazue Takahashi returning to voice Tetsuon as well! While I can’t say I like Tetsuon as much as Kanegon, having a character such as this in an Ultraman episode proper is a nice change of pace from the usual rampaging behemoths, and we get to see some great moments of Tetsuon and his friends running around and doing things such as playing baseball, and even trying to make their own Ultraman 80 episode! It’s really too cute for words. Tetsuon’s design itself is a nice one, capturing the same vibe as Kanegon without being too close of an imitation. I’m quite fond of his large eyes going off of the sides of his head, almost like one of those stress toys that you can squeeze and have the eyes pop out. All in all, he’s a good mascot monster, and fits alongside the canon of cute kaiju like Booska, Kanegon and Pigmon perfectly.
We don’t get too much information on the mysterious Space Plant or the reasons why it turns a child into a kaiju, but we at least have a nice looking alien beast with those long claws, an inhuman face, and the shelled back that looks like a hood! Just looking at this guy brings to mind all sorts of gross, parasitic insects like fleas and bed bugs. This guy was designed by one of Yamaguchi’s assistants, and I’m a bit sad I was unable to find the guy’s name, since he did a good job and I was hoping that he may have designed more kaiju.
JIHIBIKIRUN
A friendly mountain spirit that awakens every 10-20 years to engage in 100 sumo matches, Jihibikirun is a jovial beast, but will transform into a monster if angered. Jihibikirun soon gets wrapped up with a pair of bumbling crooks who want to use the spirit’s strength for various schemes. However, an attempt to break into a mansion has Jihibikirun zapped by the electric fence around it, causing him to transform into his monstrous form.
Jihibikirun’s a quirky character that perhaps would feel a bit more at home in the more zany Ultraman Taro, but I’m glad we were able to get such a character here, since after the Showa era, these more fantasy oriented beings become much fewer and far between. Jihibikurun’s design feels really nails the sumo motif with the mawashi and the belly emblem he’s got. Fittingly of course, 80 defeats him by engaging him in a sumo match.
It’s only brought up briefly in a line of dialogue, but Jihibikirun isn’t just any ordinary spirit, but used to be a wood cutter’s incredibly strong, sumo wrestler son. The kid kept winning at sumo tournaments until his fellow villagers resented him to the point where they flung him off of a cliff and he became Jihibikirun…..pretty morbid origin for such a cutesy character if you ask me.
BALEBADON
A massive bird that visits the Earth every 50-60 years, Balebadon accidentally swallows a boy’s remote control Zero fighter, allowing the kid to control the monster! But when he takes Balebadon for a joyride, the space bird spits out the plane and he soon loses control.
Balebadon, by the nature of being a prop, doesn’t allow for any combat between her and 80 to really occur, but I like that. I think having the monster be involved in a problem where the solution isn’t Ultraman punching it is always novel. Balebadon herself isn’t even that much of a menace outside of being annoyed that a little kid was controlling her like a toy plane, so it’s good to have a story where everyone makes it out ok, even the giant space bird.
Ultraman 80 seems to just have an obsession with winged space monsters, but Balebadon manages to stick out from the pack due to the nature of her design, brought to life with a very impressive prop. It’s one of the more “realistic” kaiju we’ve seen in the show, and features some nice skin texture, but most notably the wings on the feet, which are very odd looking, but help sell the fantastic nature of the creature. After all, why wouldn’t a giant space bird have wings on their feet?
ZULASWIMMER
I recall when I first saw pictures of Zulaswimmer as a newbie fan way, way back, I was convinced that this guy must be some super important kaiju to the mythos of 80. Like perhaps some sort of midseason boss or even the show’s final opponent. Zulaswimmer isn’t any of those, instead just being a kaiju sealed underneath a statue of Kanon that is freed by some unwitting thieves who believe that underneath the statue is treasure. The monster itself is more of a goofier figure than anything truly threatening, and 80 even spares the monster and reseals it rather than blowing it to kingdom come. Because of that, you might think I’m disappointed in Zulaswimmer, but the fact that such a dangerous looking monster is a goofball is endearing.
Zulaswimmer was a design that was born from Tsuburaya soliciting designs from fans. While the name of the designer seems to be lost to time, I have to commend whoever came up with Zulaswimmer’s look, as the monster really feels like it captures the design aesthetic from Ultraman Taro. The long, whip arm and the snake head growing out of the top of his noggin just feels like the sort of goofy mismatched critter one would see in that particular entry, which I really dig.
KING GALTAN THE GREAT
Much like Zulaswimmer above, when I first came across a picture of Galtan, I was convinced this guy must be an important figure in 80, perhaps akin to this show’s equivalent of characters like Mephilas, Guts or Nackle. Galtan doesn’t quite hit the mark of those particular characters unfortunately, but his arrival does bring in some major changes to the show’s final few episodes.
You see, Galtan led an attack on M78 that cost him the death of his son. Seeking revenge, Galtan seeks to kidnap Yullian, a princess of the Land of Light and execute her. Yullian’s ship is shot down on Earth and she soon finds herself rescued by UGM, but poor agent Emi is kidnapped by Galtan’s foot soldiers, as they have mistaken her for the disguised princess. Takeshi and Yullian attempt to rescue Emi, but she’s killed by Galtan. After Galtan is vanquished by 80, Yullian joins UGM, disguised as a woman named Ryoko.
So while Galtan isn’t exactly on the level of Nackle or Commander Black, he does bring some change, perhaps a bit too late seeing how this is the show’s final stretch. Galtan himself has a very nice design, feeling very befitting for a space emperor with all those various details such as his cape, belt buckle and crown, he’s regal and has a commanding presence that makes me wish he was a bit of a bigger deal. One cool thing about the suit is that it’s light enough to allow some great fight choreography between him and 80.
Assisting Galtan are the Rattler aliens. As far as goons go, they’re serviceable enough themselves, but not too memorable in the pantheon of tokusatsu minions. As Galtan’s army, they feel quite threadbare, though perhaps that explains how Galtan suffered a loss when trying to invade the Land of Light. Their heads are alterations of the Phantas from earlier in the show, and I think the crew did a decent job in disguising them.
DELUSION ULTRASEVEN
Probably one of the most memorable of all the various monsters seen in this show, and perhaps even among the canon of evil doppleganger Ultras, Delusion Ultraseven is born when a boy is injured by a rowdy gang of bikers. After being hospitalized, the boy’s Ultraseven doll absorbs enough Minus Energy from his injured owner and materializes as a perfect double of the hero in Tokyo, vengefully chasing down those who injured his owner.
While I can’t exactly comment on Delusion Seven’s design since it’s just Ultraseven, I do really love the concept. The idea of Minus Energy transforming a toy into it’s likeness is very unique, even if this was obviously done as a cost-saving measure near the end of the show’s run. One thing that really helps sell the concept of Delusion Seven is just the way the character acts. Rather than mimicking Seven’s behavior perfectly, Delusion Seven growls and has his arms outstretched like a zombie as he chases down the bikers, and in addition, he’s fond of mainly using kicks for his melee attacks, seeing as how the kid whom he was born from was a soccer player. It’s touches like these that keep Delusion Seven really distinct.
Delusion Ultraseven never returned in the shows proper, but the character did pop up in 1994’s Ultra Super Fight, battling Ultraman and Ace. Additionally, the concept of dolls becoming kaiju and Ultras is a bit of a precursor to Ultraman Ginga, which utilized that as it’s primary merchandising gimmick.
MARJIN
A friendly genie freed by some kids, Marjin grants their wishes in return for letting him out of the vase he was trapped in for so long. However, trouble occurs when the kids tire Marjin out with so many wishes and when some bullies wish for a toy Red King, the exhausted Marjin misunderstands the wish and summons the real deal instead. Marjin is definitely a character that could only really occur in the Showa era, but that’s why I dig him since we hardly get any of these more whimsical fairytale characters in the series anymore. He’s definitely on the cheaper side, looking akin to a magician you’d hire for your kid’s birthday party, but it’s part of the charm for sure. A genie that obeys your every command is such a universal childhood fantasy that it fits like a glove for the whimsical world of Ultraman 80.
The Red King that’s summoned, Red King III (guess the one from Jonias is chopped liver) is a great update to the character, even if there isn’t too much different from the past incarnations aside from the thicker neck, pointer head, and dark, almost copper color scheme. This Red King manages to get 80 on the ropes for a bit before meeting the fate of all other Red Kings, which is fairly impressive. While it might be surmised that Marjin revived the either two Red Kings, Ultra Monster Encyclopedia mentions that this is no flesh and blood monster, but rather an imitation made of magic that’s as close to the original as possible. Does this make a huge difference and should we care? Nah, prolly not.
GLOVUSK
This damn thing annoys the hell out of me.
No, it’s not due to it’s concept. The idea of a child’s baseball glove becoming a monster is a fun idea for a creature and perfectly fitting for this show. There is nothing wrong with a baseball glove turning into a monster conceptually.
And it’s not due to it’s design either. We’re given a great small form and an utterly fantastic giant form that use the hand shape of the monster to it’s advantage in creating a bizarre-looking and memorable beast. The giant form itself feels quite eerie and it’s dark coloration and feelers hanging off it’s body makes it among the strangest monsters seen in Ultra Kaijudom. Glovusk should be applauded in how to make a weird looking creature. So, you may ask yourself as you read this “Easter, you bastard, why are you annoyed by this perfect specimen?”, and I’ll tell you this:
It’s origin is stupid as hell.
Oh sure, you’d expect a baseball glove that a child threw away to be born of Minus Energy much like the majority of such similar creatures in this show, but nope! Glovusk is born from, get this: UV Rays. That’s right, goddamn UV Rays hit this damn glove and turned it into a giant monster. The show set up a perfect explanation for it’s weirdest monsters, and yet, the episode decides that a weirder variation of UV Rays are the cause of a baseball glove becoming the latest behemoth to threaten the world. I can overlook a lot of the questionable science these shows can put out, but this one is among the dumbest I’ve ever heard. And it begs the question, if these UV Rays created Glovusk, why didn’t Japan see an army of baseball glove monsters appear suddenly in Japan?
This episode was penned by Toshiro Ishido, the same guy who wrote the Oxter and Cowra episodes of ROU and Ultraman Ace, and seeing as what these kind of gloves are made of, this just feels like a continuation of this man’s bizarre fixation on bovines.
IDATENRAN
Idatenran’s story is very similar to Jihibikirun’s from a few episodes before. Much like his sumo-wrestling counterpart, the mountain dwelling Idatenran appears as an oddly dressed youth, obsessed with one particular athletic activity (running for Idatenran’s case), and the monster is relatively friendly, until humans seeking to exploit his talents anger him enough into becoming his kaiju form. It just feels tired and like the writers were running out of steam near the tail end of the show. That being said, I will give credit in at least making the reason why this guy goes berserk is his innate fear of dogs, which helps add some originality to his story.
Idatenran’s design isn’t too bad though, feeling reminiscent of various yokai, and I love how the texture on his back looks like a depiction of a gust of wind you’d see in older Japanese art. The suit itself gives the monster a bit of an oddball shape, but the more human-esque legs make a lot of sense for a running monster, and I love how his feet are a take off from Hermes’s winged sandals! Fittingly, in addition to running prowess, Idatenran has the ability to blow a powerful gust of wind from his mouth, and the special effect used to represent that are balloons in the suit’s cheeks that inflate, much like Wutan from Jumborg Ace.
PLAZMA AND MINAZUMA
Two powerful monster brothers, Plazma (right) and Minazuma (left) are the source of mysterious radio waves detected by UGM. Incredibly intelligent compared to many of the creatures faced by UGM, Plazma and Minazuma use these radio waves at first to deceive UGM into thinking an army of 14 kaiju will attack Japan. When the two monsters finally emerge, their unique ability to join themselves together like a magnet puts 80 on the ropes, until Yullian arrives to even the odds.
Essentially the show’s final bosses, Plazma and Minazuma perhaps don’t carry the amount of weight or dread like Zetton or Black End, but I like to think they’re the perfect final foe for a more relaxed show like 80, and I think it was a smart idea to give 80 two opponents he couldn’t tackle on his own to justify a really fun team-up with him and Yullian. Of the two, I think I like Plazma a bit more, due to having some more monstrous features like all those mouths and all those spiky protrusions all over his body, he truly embodies the definition of a kaiju. Minazuma himself isn’t bad though, feeling quite cute for such a dangerous monster with his goofier face and hunchbacked body, but I think the Ultra kaiju shine when they have monsters that manage to be ugly and cute at the same time, and Minazuma is no exception.
MARGODON
While the show already sort of gave us a final boss, 80‘s final episode gives us one more kaiju in the form of Margodon. A space monster that is able to absorb heat and emit a frozen gas, Margodon threatens to transform the Earth into a ball of ice. However, UGM, having discovered Takeshi and Ryoko are 80 and Yullian respectively, decide to take matters into their own hands to show humanity can protect itself without always having to rely on the Ultras. UGM manages to shatter Margodon’s world by using a special chemical to freeze the creature’s body, and then use a huge wrecking ball to finish him off. With the Earth saved and humanity able to protect themselves, 80 and Yullian return to the Land of Light, knowing that their mission is over.
As I’ve stated before in other articles, I love kaiju based off of pachyderms and Margodon is no exception, being this wonderful monster whose white fur and blue skin really convey the cold theme he’s got going on really well, and the scene where he makes landfall and quickly freezes a zoo is among the most memorable moments in the show.
One might dismiss Margodon at first due to him being defeated by UGM instead of 80, but I think it’s perfectly fitting in all honesty. The lesson that Ultraman is here to help humanity learn how to defend itself is one that goes all the way back to the original show’s finale, and I think it’s incredibly fitting that the final major Showa entry touches upon this again. In addition, due to Margodon’s freezing powers, he definitely would pose a danger to 80 and Yullian if they went out to fight him.
Margodon was originally meant to be a much more grandiose final boss and spread across a two-part storyline. This iteration of Margodon was a large, rhinoceras-lizard hybrid that made landfall in Southern Africa and would’ve had abilities such as firing a large needle of ice from his mouth. However TBS wanted this two-parter to be shortened to just one episode, and budgetary constraints forced the African location to become Minamihara. While this version of Margodon sounds like a very fitting final boss, I must say, I am at least glad we got ourselves a monster that at the very least, looks a lot more unique.
Margodon was scheduled to appear again in 2007’s Ultra Galaxy, as a corpse, but due to no suit existing at the time, Peguila was utilized instead (they did my boy dirty there). Hopefully we’ll see Margodon again in a much more substantial role.
Easter's Kaiju Kompendium 