Ultra Q‘s spinoff, Ultraman, would prove to be an even bigger smash hit than its predecessor and become incredibly influential in terms of Japanese pop culture. Due to this, there are tons of monsters found in this show that would become recurring faces in the franchise, with lots of different variants to boot. Because of this, we’ll only be looking at how the monsters appear in the original show! But even then, there’s still going to be plenty to talk about here! The original show was my gateway to the franchise and tokusatsu TV in general, so it and the monsters in it are held dear to my heart.
BEMULAR
The one that started it all. The very monster that would bring Ultraman to Earth and serve as his first opponent. While he doesn’t seem like much at first, there’s quite the backstory to Bemular here, out of universe.
During the development of Ultraman, several different designs were floated about for the show’s heroic alien. One iteration of the program had a heroic, tengu-like monster named Bemular as the protagonist. However, executives were afraid that viewers wouldn’t know which monster was the heroic one if they were flipping through channels and thus, this version of Bemular would be relegated to the dust bins of history and his name recycled for the first Ultraman monster.
The Bemular depicted in the show is a far cry from the heroic one. The design for the final version of the character scraps the tengu aspects and more or less bases itself off of Japanese Lion statues. Bemular here is now a deadly space monster that Ultraman was taking to the Monster Graveyard for disposal. However, Bemular was able to escape to Earth and hide out before his final battle with Ultraman. We never get a good explanation of just why Ultraman has to kill Bemular in the show, but the monster doesn’t really look too destructive with those tiny arms. There is a manga that explains that Bemular was responsible for killing Ultraman’s friend, Ultraman Krod, but it’s something that kinda hovers in the area of being dubiously canon.
I’ll admit that for a bit of time, I did not like Bemular at all. I thought that the monster looked really poorly put together and a terrible foe to start off such a great show. But as time has gone on, I can’t help but have some affection for him as of now. While the suit execution isn’t the best, I do think there’s a good design there, and I like it when Tsuburaya experiments with ways of hiding the human form in a monster suit. Plus that off kilter eye gives the monster loads of personality.
While Bemular hasn’t had the same amount of exposure as his peers, he has popped up quite frequently during the 2010’s.
BALTAN
Once again, we’ve hit one of my all time favorite monsters and arguably perhaps the one monster to be considered the arch-nemesis to Ultraman himself.
The Baltans seen in episode 2, are a race who accidentally destroyed their home planet during a nuclear test and have set their sights on Earth for colonization. However, their weakness to the element of Specium is the basis for Ultraman’s Specium Ray attack and our hero is able to defeat the invaders.
Tohl Narita is said to have really hated his Baltan design due to the production staff asking him to base it off of the Cicada Man suit they were planning to recycle. While Narita is entitled to his feelings of course, I can’t help but feel like he’s in the wrong. Even if Baltan is nothing more than a kitbashed suit, I do think he really hit upon some lightning in a bottle with him. The huge claws, insectoid head and curved feet akin to elf shoes really come together to create a memorable monster and the usage of the illusionary effects and the haunting laugh borrowed from Toho’s Matango tie it up together into a really iconic and eerie foe. It’s no wonder that this guy is considered Ultraman’s arch-nemesis.
Baltan would go onto have several other appearances through the Showa and Heisei era, but the last one we’ll cover for now will be Baltan II from episode 16, The Science Patrol into Space. Here, the Baltans are given a newer, more streamlined design that I have to say, is even cooler than the original incarnation. This version of Baltan would even be equipped with special mirrors on its chest to reflect Ultraman’s Specium Ray back at him! This suit would later be utilized for the Baltan illusion conjured up by Mefilas in episode 33.
NERONGA
Neronga is yet another creature born from the modified Baragon costume and of the lot, he’s probably my favorite. He’s not as good looking as say, Pagos, but I think the monster has a lot of charm to him.
Neronga himself is a monster from Edo era Japan that laid dormant until modern day. Neronga feeds off of electricity and utilizes it as his main weapon of choice, coupled with his ability to turn invisible.
While he’s kinda dumpy looking, I like Neronga for what he is. The yellow coloration on his back spines, based on the stripes of a tiger, give him a nice bit of flair. In addition, when the monster uses his electricity based attacks, his antlers on the front flip forwards which is a really cool feature. Lastly, Neronga’s face, along with the pudgy proportions of the Baragon costume at the time remind me of a big bulldog-cute in an ugly way. Makes me kind of sad when Ultraman blows him to bits. While not as prolific as a lot of the other monsters in the original show, Neronga would go on to make several appearances in the tail end of the Heisei era.
GIANT RAGON
Ultraman’s fourth opponent in the show would be a returning Ultra Q kaiju, Ragon! Having been exposed to a nuclear bomb, a Ragon grows to kaiju size and begins a rampage, now armed with atomic breath. To make matters worse, Ragon has an atomic bomb stuck to it which could go off at any moment!
It’s kind of a quirky move to scale up a human-sized Q monster as an Ultraman opponent, especially compared to the number of giant monsters they already had from Q, but it is fun. I do feel the atomic bomb aspect was added to this version of Ragon to help sell him as a genuine opponent for Ultraman. Again, I find the idea of a giant Ragon fun for sure, but he’s sort of lost in a sea of more out-there monsters seen in this particular show.
GREENMONS
After quite a few really cool monsters, we hit our first dud of the series, but a dud with some merit nonetheless.
Greenmons was formerly a rare plant known as the Miloganda. After being exposed to gamma radiation, it becomes a monster and begins stalking and killing the research team who brought it to Japan. It then super-sizes after being hit by the Science Patrol’s ray guns for the predictable fight with Ultraman at the end.
Honestly, I think Greenmons is the perfect example of the kind of growing pains the original show had to endure in the first few episodes or so. The story in and of itself has potential, as I think a gross, lumpy looking plant like Greenmons stalking someone in the dead of night has enough merits to work as a horror story, but I feel like as an opponent for Ultraman, Greenmons doesn’t really allow for any really interesting fight choreography.
I will say though, as a design, I do think Greenmons does work. The lumpy, asymmetrical nature to Greenmons is truly vile and the glowing spots near the bottom look like a pair of unnatural eyes. Tohl Narita supposedly based Greenmons off of a cactus, but it’s that classic sort design where it can stand on its own without instantly reminding you of the inspiration it draws from.
GUESRA
Guesra, much like Neronga preceding him, is another monster that eats resources. But rather than snacking on precious metals, oil or the like, Guesra instead feeds on cacao beans. Guesra is a naturally occurring species of lizard native to South America and while that normally wouldn’t be too big of a deal, one stows away on a boat headed to Japan, and upon falling into Tokyo Bay’s polluted waters, mutates into a gigantic size much like you’d expect. It’s kind of a wacky, semi-convoluted origin story for a big sea monster, but that’s what I like about kaiju: Their origins are stupidly specific if they have one.
Guesra is another suit reuse, this time being Peter from Ultra Q, but originally the production team was planning on borrowing the Mothra Larva utilized in so many Toho films as the basis for the monster. While the idea is a neat what-if, I think they made the right choice in the end. The big eyes really work alongside the large fins and spines in making a really memorable, but simple monster. If I had to really pin down what Guesra reminds me of, it’d be those cheap rubber dinosaurs I had as a kid that weren’t scientifically accurate at all, and any monster that gives off that vibe is cool in my book.
ANTLAR
Only seven episodes in and we get a bombshell of a monster. Antlar up to this point, is the toughest monster Ultraman has faced, shrugging off every attack thrown at him. But there’s a lot more to the monster itself than just his fighting prowess.
It’s revealed in the episode that Antlar has been blocking trade routes to the city of Baraji in the Middle East for 5,000 years and has only been kept away from destroying Baraji itself thanks to a mysterious blue stone given to them by an Ultraman named Noa who visited long ago. It’s a really cool piece of world building that gives Antlar a sense of history as well as adding another dimension to the fight between him and Ultraman. Albeit, it doesn’t make much sense that if the stone was the monster’s weakness, why didn’t Noa just defeat Antlar instead of handing off some fancy bug repellant to the people of Baraji, but I suppose we wouldn’t have an episode then if that was the case.
I feel like Antlar’s design is another simple yet solid one and the choice of a stag beetle makes for a really interesting opponent for the series and it complements the desert setting very well.
RED KING
Arguably one of the most iconic of all the Ultra monsters. Even after appearing in an episode with 4 other monsters, he’s the one that has endured through half a century.
And it’s easy to see why, Red King’s another example of a great design paired with a personality that fits him best: Red King is the epitome of a heel and he lets us know that by just being a bad guy. While I do like his design, I don’t think he’d be as beloved or remembered if he wasn’t just an all around bastard.
Design wise, Red King is deceptively simple. I’ve seen him compared to the Michelin Man and even corn on the cob, but there’s some genius to his look. Tohl Narita reportedly based the monster’s strange, ridge covered body on an ascending staircase, highlighted by how tiny his head looks in comparison to the rest of his body. It really helps sell the idea of him being a belligerent goon. And yeah, I know what you’re thinking: Why isn’t he red? Truth be told, I haven’t been able to find a definitive answer, but I’ve heard various theories as to why such as being colored with the wrong paint, that blue and yellow photographed better than red and so on. However, I will make note that one of the titles pitched around for the show and it’s hero was Redman and at this stage, Red King was supposed to be the arch-nemesis of the title character before the show got shifted around.
While Red King’s future appearances would mainly use the original design, we would get a new variant later on in this season. Red King’s suit would be altered for another of the show’s monsters, Aboras, before being converted back to Red King hastily for episode 25. I’ll admit, I do think I prefer Mr. Bad the second Red King over the first as I find the new head to look cooler with the curved neck and yellow eyes, since it makes Red King II come across like an almost snake-like monster. Surprisingly, Red King II would show up again alongside the normal variation in 2019’s Ultra Galaxy Fight: New Generation Heroes.
CHANDLER, SUFLAN AND MAGULAR
Another trio of monsters! I felt this was appropriate since Red King’s debut episode featured so many monsters in it.
First up is Chandler, a monster born from an altered Peguila suit. Chandler sadly doesn’t do much in the episode aside from getting his wing torn off by Red King and I feel like I can’t comment too much on the character since it is just Peguila, but with ears added on. There’s some Japanese references I’ve found that imply some sort of connection to Peguila such as Chandler being the offspring or sibling to Peguila which I think is kind of fun, connecting the behind the scenes elements to explain stuff in the world of the show.
The Suflan Plants aren’t worthy of not much mention either and there’s not much to really talk about design wise since they’re nothing more than vines. I do think it’s a fun way to add texture to the setting of Red King’s island by adding carnivorous plants for an extra threat for the heroes though.
There’s also Magular, who is another Baragon suit alteration. Kind of a shame he’s in such a minor role here since I do find this design to be a pretty solid one. The black, spiky scales once again remind me of inaccurate rubber dinosaur toys or old school Dungeons and Dragons enemies. Magular would later pop up in some minor roles through the Heisei era, but my favorite of his is his cameo at the start of Ultraman X, where he emerges from the Arc de Triomphe, a location Baragon was supposed to attack in Destroy All Monsters before the final film where Gorosaurus demolishes it instead.
PIGMON
While most of Red King’s costars have become obscure in recent years, only one has kept the staying power that Red King has had: Little old Pigmon.
While Pigmon is a reused and altered Garamon costume, Pigmon himself is a completely different beast than the alien robot. Pigmon is a child-sized and completely friendly native to Red King’s island and actually helps our heroes before getting himself squished for his troubles.
While the design here is just Garamon’s, I do think it works quite well for Pigmon too as it makes him seem a lot more strange and even pathetic compared to all of the other monsters that inhabit the island. Pigmon, like Neronga is the epitome of ugly cute. We never actually do get an answer of why Garamon looks like Pigmon, but I suppose that perhaps the Cicada People based their robots’ designs on Pigmon, which is as good of an answer anyone is probably gonna get.
Pigmon, despite dying, would later return in episode 37, where he assists the Science Patrol in helping them stop Geronimon, the monster responsible for reviving him and several other kaiju. I think it was a stroke of genius to remember that a friendly monster existed and bring them back for such an episode. His two deaths in the series would solidify a tradition in later shows where Pigmon gets killed at the end of his appearances, but as of recent years, that trend seems to have been bucked. Pigmon would make many appearances through the franchise and also inspire monsters such as Pigu, Gara-Q, Bretheren and Mienin. All in all, Pigmon’s a swell little guy and has earned his spot as an iconic monster.
GABORA
Here it is, the very last Baragon modification! Hard to believe we’ve had so many monsters from that one suit so far. Gabora is kind of an interesting one due to the fact that the petals around his neck give us two different looks for one creature. Above is when they’re opened up, which brings to mind a maple leaf in my eyes thanks to the red coloring.
However, Gabora usually has the petals closed up, forming armor around the head. It’s a fun concept as it allows suspense to build until we see what Gabora’s face looks like during the final fight. Plus, it just looks really bizarre in general. I can easily see the petals being on a real animal hypothetically to help it burrow through the ground.
Oddly enough, despite this being Gabora’s debut episode, all of the characters seem to recognize the monster and know it by name. If you recall my entry on Pagos on the Ultra Q page, I mention that Pagos was originally intended to be in an episode of Ultraman before being replaced. Gabora was his replacement and the characters recognizing him is a remnant from the earlier draft of the script. From what I’ve heard, the head used for Pagos deteriorated between shows and they were forced to come up with Gabora in it’s place. While it’d be fun to see Pagos back and fighting Ultraman, I am glad we got to see a brand new monster with such a unique gimmick.
Easter's Kaiju Kompendium 