The latest hero, Ultraman Leo, is the last surviving member of the Ultras of L77, who were wiped out by the Magma aliens prior to the show. Disguising himself as martial artist Gen Ohtori on Earth, Leo saves the life of Ultraseven after the veteran hero was injured by Magma and their monsters. Unable to transform, Dan Moroboshi, now the captain of the Monster Attack Crew, trains Leo in combat in order to protect Japan from a series of ruthless alien invaders.
The last of the classic 70’s cycle, Ultraman Leo had a huge, uphill battle compared to it’s predecessors. Produced during the Oil Shock of the 1970’s, Leo as a show suffered from a vastly lower budget, resulting in cheaper special effects. Seeking to try and recapture older viewers, Leo would blend the traditional scifi heroics of the previous entries with elements of martial arts flicks and grimy 70’s horror film violence, to some very mixed results, leading to the franchise’s lowest TV ratings, eventually bringing a four year hiatus for the Ultraman shows. Leo‘s low-budget, while affecting the monster costumes and designs greatly, still manages to give us some imaginative creatures we’ll be looking at.
MAGMA
The alien race responsible for the destruction of Leo’s home planet and the deaths of all the other L77 Ultras, the Magma plot to do the same to Earth, and with the help of their monsters, the Giras Brothers, they manage to injure Ultraseven by breaking his leg. Only the timely intervention of Ultraman Leo is able to drive the alien and his monsters off. However, Magma sends out the Gilas Brothers to once again, in an attempt to sink Tokyo, joining them in the fray. When Leo defeats his kaiju, Magma retreats.
The villain behind the destruction of Leo’s homeworld reflects just how low-budget this show is, being not as intricate as past alien foes such as Baltan, Guts, Yapool, etc. But, I feel like that helps Magma stick out from the crowd, and in addition, the more plain Magma adds to the grittier nature of Leo as a show. As a design, I think he’s pretty great, and the unique features such as the gauntlet hook and sword weapons help make him a dangerous combatant for Leo. The most unique feature of Magma however, is the mask of the character, which allows the suit actor’s eyes and mouth to be visible. This allows more expressive emotions by Magma, giving the alien a stronger characterization, and the episode takes advantage of this showing the alien scowling quite a bit, and at one point, even whistling to summon his monsters. It’s a really cool effect, something that still works really well, even after the water in the battle scene washes away the silver makeup on the face. Tsuburaya Pro. mechanical designer Tetsuzo Osawa did a great job in creating a budget-friendly, but memorable alien.
While Magma escapes from Leo at the end of episode 2, the alien would surprisingly make only one more appearance in Leo, being absent for the rest of the series. It’s a shame, since Magma makes for a great villain in the first two episodes, and you’d think a villain who Leo has such a personal grudge against would be the show’s de facto main baddie. However, several magazines at the time imply the multitude of random alien invaders and kaiju Leo faces were sent by Magma, so you can sort of pretend that they were working behind the scenes.
Magma, despite much of his absence for the majority of Leo, would become the show’s breakout monster, and starting with Ultraman Mebius, Magma would become one of the franchise’s go-to alien invaders.
GIRAS BROTHERS
Red and Black Giras are a pair of brother monsters used by Magma in their conquest of Earth in the opening two-parter of Ultraman Leo. The two quickly show that they’re not your average kaiju, as they quickly overpower Ultraseven and break the hero’s leg, forcing him to remain as Dan Moroboshi for the rest of the series. The monsters’ most devastating ability however, is when they are able to join together to create a massive centrifugal force that is capable of creating devastating tsunamis, capable of submerging cities. The Giras Brothers almost succeed in destroying Tokyo, but with some training by Dan, Leo is able to slay the terrifying duo, by using his new Corkscrew Kick attack to decapitate the monsters.
Of all the monsters seen in the debut episodes, I find the Giras Bros. to be among the most imposing. They feel much different than your Bemulars or Arstrons, and the fact that they were responsible for an incredible amount of damage and devastation, as well as injuring Ultraseven to the point where he can’t even transform, elevates the two into the status befitting characters like Black King or Gomora in my eyes. These guys mean business, and the scenes of Tokyo being flooded underneath an overcast sky feels truly apocalyptic.
The Giras Brothers are also important in the way they introduce what would become the formula for the first chunk of the show. Much like the Kingsaurus III episode of Return of Ultraman, the earlier episodes of Ultraman Leo had a formula where the monsters and aliens would be too powerful for Leo to overcome on his own, forcing Dan to train him in various over the top ways for Leo to find a way to overcome their specific powers and weapons. While it’s unfortunately dropped, this angle provides quite a few interesting scenarios for our hero, even if it becomes a tad repetitive each time.
The designs of the Giras Bros. were by Tetsuzo Osawa, and he did a fantastic job here. They’re not too flashy compared to the past kaiju seen in Ace and Taro, and would feel very much at home in a show like Return of Ultraman or perhaps even Ultraseven. They’re just great dinosaur-lookin’ dudes, and I love how their red and black colors make their knobby skin stick out. Their back spines (apparently called blackjacks by some official sources), are an iconic feature, and look rightfully dangerous when the two are spinning around.
For two monsters that were that tough, it’s surprising to say that the two haven’t made anymore appearances in other Ultraman shows. Footage of their attack would be used as stock footage for Ururu’s dinosaur army rampaging in Tsuburaya’s Dinosaur War Aizenborg, and they would get a mention in episode 34 of Ultraman Mebius, where the island of Kuroshiro which they sank in episode 1 of Leo is revisited by Leo himself, paying his respects to the islanders who he failed to save from their tsunami.
TSURUK
A homicidal alien with blades for hands, Tsuruk first makes himself known by cutting down the father of Gen’s kid sidekicks Tooru and his little sister Kaoru. The two kids can’t catch a break when they later witness MAC agent Suzuki meet a gory demise by the alien.
At the scene of all of his murders, Tsuruk leaves behind a small relief of Leo’s face in an attempt to not only frame the hero from L77 of the crimes, but also goad Leo into battling him. Eventually, Tsuruk and Leo do come to a head, and Leo finds himself defeated, but special training by Dan allows Leo to slice the bladed arms off of the alien, where they are used fittingly to impale the murderous spaceman.
I’ve always had a bit of a soft-spot for Tsuruk here, mostly just due to how brutal he is as an alien compared to a great many of the previous invaders in the series. He isn’t bringing his own kaiju to conquer the Earth, there’s no grand evil speeches about what he plans to do once he completes some super weapon, nope. Instead, he is a voiceless character, and our first meeting with him is where he graphically kills off Mr. Umeda. While the series is no stranger to death, very rarely have we seen such gory demises of the monsters’ victims before, cluing us in that Leo is playing by a different set of rules. Not even the members of the defense team are safe either, as Suzuki is just the first among many MAC agents who meet their end by the monster of the week.
Aside from establishing that the show’s human deaths will be much gorier, Tsuruk also establishes an odd quirk with the aliens seen in the early episodes of Leo: different forms for their giant and human-sizes. I’m not sure why this was done, since there’s no justification behind the scenes or in the show itself, so I assume in the end, it was to get the attention of viewers and keep them guessing on what this week’s alien would turn into for the giant fights. I’m not the hugest fan of Tsuruk’s giant form, but I do like how it keeps the bladed arms.
Tsuruk was another creature designed by Tetsuzo Osawa, and it’s a really memorable alien design in my eyes, despite being so simplistic. The blade hands are super memorable, and the silver head and body contrast well with his red eyes. While it’s never been stated, I do kinda enjoy how Tsuruk’s head looks vaguely similar to Leo’s, and due to how fast the monster moves, it’s somewhat easy to mistake the two.
While it can be presumed that Tsuruk is just merely out to conquer the Earth like so many aliens before him, the fact he seems to be focused on just murdering people almost makes him come across as just an opportunistic serial killer than a world conquerer, something that a lot of aliens in Leo tend to feel like. While the episodes he appears in never truly state his motives, some magazine sources say that Tsuruk was hired by Magma to deal with Leo.
KANEDORAS
A space monster with the unique ability to fire off the horn on his head like Ultraseven’s Eye Slugger, Kanedoras gives Leo some trouble until Leo masters a blade catch technique and throws the monster’s horn back at him, bisecting the beast.
There isn’t a whole lot to say about Kanedoras, but I always felt he was one of the cooler monsters seen in the earlier part of Leo. I love the idea of a kaiju using their own version of the Eye Slugger, and Osawa gives this guy some cool features such as the bat-like wings and the pincher-like hands. He’s not too outlandish, but he’s very cool.
KARLY
Another alien that’s seemingly hell bent on causing as much death and destruction as possible, Karly kills the girlfriend of MAC agent Shirato, leaving the young man with a grudge against the alien.
Karly’s shoulder spikes prove to be a challenge for Leo, especially when the alien charges ahead, but Gen learns how to overcome the alien’s abilities after what is probably the most infamous moment in the series: Dan training Gen on dodging by trying to run him over with a Jeep.
Karly’s an ok monster. Not quite as cool as some of the previous Leo opponents, but a decent one nonetheless. The human-sized form doesn’t look too bad with the huge, bladed shoulders, and the face he has is both simultaneously cheap as hell, but also hits the uncanny valley aspect. There’s something about him that gives me the creeps. His giant form looks a bit better, reminding me of a cheaper version of the various reptile kaiju in Mirrorman.
KENDOROS
A strange space monster, when Kendoros arrives on Earth, he spawns a species of space flowers that can fly through the air and grow giant to act as a propeller for the monster. Kaoru finds the flower and Gen fails to confiscate it, allowing Kendoros to get to full strength and defeat Leo. Only special boomerang-based training by Dan gives Leo the edge in the rematch.
On a visual level I really like Kendoros since he really feels like a weird mix of Takkong from Return of Ultraman and an artichoke, which makes for a really fun monster. His propeller-flower feels a bit over the top, but it adds to the absurdity of the monster and makes for a dangerous weapon.
You’d expect Kendoros to fly using that propeller he has and you’d be right, but the monster shows off an alternative form of flight a couple times by having his arms shoot out rockets and boy does it look ridiculous.
VEKIRA
A monster with incredibly tough skin, Vekira proves to be a challenge for Leo until our hero masters a technique that allows him to attack the monster’s weak back.
Vekira here is alright. The design is simple and doesn’t feel wholly fleshed out, but I like his spines and round eyes. While the monster isn’t given too much of an origin in his debut episode, the 1988 TV program Ultra Monster Encyclopedia would state that he was a space monster that got past MAC. Well, good on you Vekira I guess.
GUIRO
A strange space monster that appears at a local amusement park, hanging out with all the other costumed monster characters. Guiro becomes friends with Tooru who is visiting the park, and the creature spirits him away. When Gen tries to intervene as Leo, the monster manages to escape.
MAC manages to track the creature and Tooru back at the amusement park and are able to rescue the hypnotized kid. While Gen believes Guiro might be a harmless alien, Dan isn’t so sure, and has Gen train himself in order to counter the liquid Guiro fires from his antennae. This proves to be a wise idea, as Guiro abducts Tooru again, forcing Leo into battle. Leo’s rematch with the creature ends in Guiro’s demise, but with Tooru’s pleading, Leo revives the space monster, and returns him to the cosmos.
Guiro is…an odd one. While at first glance he might seem to be cut from the same cloth as characters like Pigmon and Kanegon, the monster’s abduction of Tooru might make him seem like he has much more sinister designs at play…but he doesn’t. Aside from aggressively wanting to be Tooru’s friend, Guiro doesn’t melt anyone, eat any brains or plan to hypnotize people through TV screens. The episode really wants to do both angles, but doesn’t quite succeed. Ultra Monster Encyclopedia would attempt to reconcile this behavior by stating Guiro was using Tooru as a bodyguard which why not, I buy it.
While Guiro has a giant form much like the other aliens in Leo, his is somewhat unique since it looks super close to his regular sized form, which just adds to the oddness. The design of Guiro itself is okay. It’s not as charming as Pigmon, but I like the overlapping scales and the large antennae that fire off his suds based attacks.
As one last bit of trivia, the background in the scenes with Guiro and hypnotized Tooru at the carnival are taken from the opening titles of Ultraseven.
RON
While Ron may seem like another ordinary dinosaur monster, his appearance on Earth causes a flurry of emotions in Gen that makes him initially hesitant to battle him.
You see, Ron actually is one of the few surviving life forms from L77, and by a massive coincidence, was the former pet of Leo himself. After being separated from Leo when the planet exploded, Ron wandered the universe, growing to an immense size and finally appearing on Earth as a kaiju.
Thankfully, Leo isn’t forced to slay his beloved pet, and is able to convert Ron back to his original size. At the end of the episode, Gen gives Kaoru a puppy named Ron, heavily implied to be the disguised L77 space lizard.
While Ron’s design is fairly simplistic, I love the idea of Leo being forced to fight his own childhood pet, and it gives the episode quite a lot of drama, especially if you have a beloved pet of your own. And I have to say, as dark as Leo can get as a show, I’m really glad they were able to give Leo and Ron a happy ending, albeit I do think it’s disappointing that Ron is never seen after this episode. That being said, seeing how Kotaro’s dog got eaten by numerous monsters before finally being melted in Taro, as well as what will happen down the line to many of the side characters in Leo, perhaps Ron lucked out in not showing up after his debut.
While not stated in the episode, a 2001 magazine would elaborate on Ron’s species. They were domesticated by the L77 Ultras to deal with mole-like creatures that were pests on that world.
KETTLE
An alien invader with some amazing hair, Kettle arrives on Earth and wastes no time just beating the tar out of MAC. During one of the alien’s rampages, the uncle of a young boy is killed, prompting Gen to try and avenge his death for the tyke.
Kettle is one of the odder looking aliens seen in the show, but that makes me enjoy him quite a bit. He doesn’t look too weird, but those long, white locks he has makes him super memorable as he looks downright ridiculous beating people up. But I dig it, it’s the right kind of ridiculous for a 70’s Ultra show. And the fact he’s able to bend metal and punch right through concrete does give him an appropriate level of danger.
Kettle’s giant form looks quite cheaper sadly, almost unfinished with the body, which makes me wonder why they didn’t let him keep his tacky 70’s space clothes when fighting Leo. I’m very glad he’s got his hair though.
Like many of the other aliens in Leo, we’re never given a reason why this guy wants to run around and beat people up, but different magazine sources would claim Kettle is one of the oldest living beings in the universe and is angry at the youthful Earth who will outlast his race’s dying home planet. Gee grandpa, that’s like, your problem.
Kettle would never appear in the shows again proper, but male and female Kettles would appear in the 2003 show Ultraman Boy’s Ultra Coliseum, a show aimed at younger audiences that had different skits and footage from old episodes as a way to introduce new fans to the older Ultramen and monster characters.
BANGO
A humorous monster compared to the alien serial killers we’ve seen so far, Bango’s hunted by MAC recruit Saburo, who fancies himself a big game hunter and adventurer. Gen and Saburo try to capture the creature and discover Bango has begun to imitate the comedic explorer. They attempt to get Bango to inflate himself and float away by inflating Saburo’s MAC uniform, but when this fails, Leo blows air into the monster’s tail, causing the blown up beast to float away.
Bango is alright, but feels very out of place in Leo, almost as if this was a Taro script that got refitted for this show. I don’t mind sillier episodes in Ultra, but this feels like something that doesn’t really fit with the tone and style we’ve seen so far.
Bango was another design by Tetsuzo Osawa, and it’s decent enough, I like the red chest plates that when inflated, are evocative of balloons. The original design featured a balloon tail for the monster, but this was dropped for the final suit, instead giving him a hole in his tail Leo uses to pump him full of air.
VIBE
An alien with the ability to turn himself invisible, Vibe frames Gen for several murders when our hero is in pursuit of him. Not wanting Gen to fall into the alien’s traps over and over, Dan forces Gen to train himself against the alien’s strange ability.
Vibe is a really odd duck. The character looks like he should be the host of a children’s show, and which makes it all the more horrific when this guy goes around stabbing people when he’s invisible. Can you imagine that you met your end at the hands of some invisible, evil Teletubby who finds this whole murder business hilarious?
Vibe, like his contemporaries has an alternative giant form, which I’m torn on. It’s not a bad monster design, but the clear feathers on this guy come across too cheap-and plasticky. Vibe was another designed by Osawa, and while his giant form doesn’t share too much with his smaller alter-ego, there was an attempt to link the two by giving them similar ears and chests. The name Vibe comes from the alien’s invisibility powers, which he gains by vibrating his body incredibly quickly.
Vibe is also one of the few aliens to not meet his end at the hands of the title hero, but rather is killed by Dan Moroboshi, who kamikazes Maccy 3 into the monster’s mouth.
ANTALES
A scorpion-like space monster, Antales heads to Earth and transforms himself into a hot-shot martial artist, committed to killing Gen at his own dojo while in human form, using his tail as a finishing move. While he initially gets the best of Gen, Dan and MAC’s special training helps Leo in his final battle, whereupon the Ultra slices off the appendage and uses it to decapitate the insect terror.
Antales is a weird monster, but in a really fun way. The idea of a kaiju deciding to take a page out of a martial arts film and try to kill our hero in his own dojo is delightfully weird, and it makes me wonder just how intelligent Antales is, or if he’s some sort of metamorphic being. Is he perhaps a hired gun sent by Magma, or is he just some sort of jerk?
The design by Osawa is pretty damn cool, and I love a lot of the little details by it such as the segmented body with the suckers on the chest, and of course, the long tail that ends in a huge, serrated claw. The suit would later be recycled for Liter a few episodes later.
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