WILD AND NURSE
The episode Fly to Demon Mountain isn’t that strange if we base it on the title alone, but looking into the episode itself, things begin to unfold like a dream…
The episode starts off like no Ultraseven episode has at this point: Dan Moroboshi dies! Within the opening minutes of this episode, the title character bites it, and Ultra Guard has no idea why. Further investigation at the site where Dan kicked the bucket reveals a strange camera of alien origin, holding the souls of those whose image it has captured.
We soon discover who was behind the strange cameras-a Wild alien. The extraterrestrial explains that his people are dying of an “aging” disease, and that in order to save them, he needs to take the souls of the people he’s killed back to his home world.
Upon Wild’s plan being foiled, it’s revealed his flying saucer craft is in actuality, the robotic dragon Nurse, who does battle with Ultraseven before meeting his maker.
The idea of an alien race needing souls in order to prevent an aging virus has that same sort of dream logic that Ultra Q had in spades, and it’s really reminiscent of the Kemur-Man episode, albeit stealing souls with some futuristic camera is much stranger than just stealing organs like Kemur did. I have to be honest, I find Wild one of the creepier aliens on the program. The human face peering out from that yeti-like body brings to mind the Gremlin from the classic Twilight Zone episode, Nightmare At 20,0000 Feet. Narita designed the character to be reminiscent of an old alien, and I think it turned out really well.
Nurse is another puppet monster, and one of the more unique, being akin to a giant, robotic dragon, or a golden UFO. He’s fun in that way the quirker Ultraseven kaiju tend to be, and while his fight with Seven isn’t the longest, I can’t help but feel he’s quite impressive, even if it’s not the most convincing special effect. Nurse would gain a second lease on life as a CGI creation in 2009’s Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy where he would battle Ultraman Dyna in the film’s climax.
SPELL
While we’ve covered numerous famous kaiju here, this is probably the only time we’ll be tackling an infamous monster, one whose episode has been banned since the 70’s.
The episode isn’t too odd in and of itself. The Spell aliens, mutated from nuclear tests and suffering from blood poisoning, arrive on Earth to gather human blood using special wrist watches. They at first target young women, but soon find the blood of children is a better alternative. Their plot, while ghoulish for sure, doesn’t feel all too thought out. I mean, I’m sure if they asked, the human race would gladly donate blood to them in exchange for some advanced technology, but it’s clear the Spell aliens aren’t the brightest bulbs in the bunch if their watch plan is anything to go off of.
While the episode itself may not seem quite so controversial at a glance, but looking at Spell itself, it becomes clear: They’re atomic bomb survivors. Originally in the script, they were described as beetle-like creatures, but director Akio Jissoji made Tohl Narita draw up a keloid-scarred humanoid instead, something that Narita reportedly hated since it went against his principles for designing monsters. But like Jamila before him, I think it does work. The simplistic, all-white body that contrasts with the dark keloid scars make the alien truly unnerving, which is highlighted extensively by Akio Jissoji’s odd directorial style. The fact that the episode itself is banned adds another layer to the eeriness at play here.
Surprisingly, the ban wasn’t born out of the episode itself. It aired in reruns for several years with no controversy. What really caused an uproar however, was a trading card from 1970 gave the monster the subtitle of hibakusha alien, a Japanese term coined to describe people affected by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This didn’t fly with survivor groups, and the outcry lasted even when newer versions of the card labeled Spell a vampire. Because of this, episode 12 was banned for good from re-airing on TV, home video releases, and even reference books. Despite this, the episode managed to become a popular item for bootleggers, and has spread through fan circles on both sides of the Pacific. Interestingly enough, the episode was dubbed for TNT’s run of Ultraseven in the 1990’s. I do think in some odd way, the ban has sort of helped Spell in the long run. What may have just been another episode of Ultraseven has been elevated to near mythic status, a source of constant intrigue, controversy, and analysis for decades to come.
AYROS
Ayros here doesn’t really have much to what his character is, seeing as how the episode is mainly devoted to the human drama. As for his design, it’s kinda eh. I think the general concept isn’t too bad in and of itself, looking like some horrible hybrid of a moth, and a manta ray, but the execution is kinda off. The suit would be designed to be operated by the suit actor on his knees, which doesn’t work as well as I think they had hoped. It just makes Ayros look really awkward, and I can’t imagine the suit actor was comfortable wearing it.
That being said, there is something I do find interesting about this alien. During the making of the episode, Ayros was originally the monster servant of the aliens, but in the final episode, the UFO Ayros arrives in places a small capsule onto the ground, which releases the alien, so I suppose you could make the case that Ayros is actually a kaiju, something the staff on the episodes purposefully did. Personally, since we don’t see a smaller version of this guy piloting the saucer, I like to imagine the Ayros race is one that doesn’t have a true body, but they’re able to transmute themselves into the monster we see above.
KING JOE AND THE PEDANS
While King Joe isn’t the first robot monster of the franchise, I think if there’s any to claim the title of the most memorable robot of the thousands of Ultraman monsters, King Joe would be the reigning monarch.
Mistaking several exploratory probes as an invasion attempt, the Pedans launch an invasion on Earth, spear-headed by their super robot, King Joe. Formed from a series of UFOs, King Joe proves to be a challenge for Ultraseven, and the Ultra Guard.
King Joe is truly a magnificent design. I’ve always been fond of retro scifi styled robots ever since I was a tyke, and I’m sure had I known about King Joe when I was a kid, I would’ve positively been enamored with it. The fact that King Joe gives Seven so much trouble during the course of the two-parter really makes Joe feel like the strongest enemy up to this point, fitting for an alien war machine. The design is another masterful one by Narita, and I enjoy how King Joe here has all these great aspects to it such as the large nodes on the head, and hips, the gold color scheme, the rainbow-chest lights, and of course, the lack of humanoid face as well. It’s all in all, an iconic, well defined villain.
Originally, King Joe was to be born from springs, screws, and other technological bits, and pieces coming together to form the robot, but this was changed to the four UFOs after the sequence was deemed impossible. The original design by Narita gave the robot a face similar to the ones seen on the back of the Heikegani Crabs. The robot would be unnamed in the episode itself, and would so until February 1968, where it would be named after Tetsuo Kinjo, among the most influential writers for the original 60’s Ultra series. Not a bad legacy to leave behind.
The Pedans themselves are a very effective alien threat, and the fact that they invaded Earth due to the fear we’d invade them first is an interesting idea, albeit undercut by the fact that they were planning an invasion the entire time. We never see what they truly look like in the episode, but various merchandise would reveal they were green skinned, faceless aliens in black clothing…which would be retconned to them looking like humans in future installments disappointingly.
King Joe would go onto become one of the most popular Ultraseven enemies, and would appear in numerous shows, and films, and spawn enough newer models, variants, and customs to make Bandai blush. The Pedan wouldn’t make as many appearances as Joe themselves, but they’d remain a reoccurring alien race throughout the Heisei era.
ANNON
After the space probe Sakura 9 returns back to Japan with a rock sample from the planet Annon, the stone in question falls into the hands of a young boy. The rock, actually one of the Annon aliens, has mistaken Earth’s exploratory attempt as an invasion, and seeks to destroy humanity in order to prevent them from attack his planet.
Annon is honestly pretty low in terms of the vast array of aliens seen in Ultraseven. The idea of a space probe being mistakenly seen as hostile was just done in the King Joe episodes that came before this one, and the design itself just feels very plain, and slapdash, like they just kinda made it in an afternoon. I will commend some aspects of Annon, using gigantic, disembodied eyes to communicate with the boy, which is a really creepy touch, as well the fact that Ultraseven actually convinces this guy to give up the ghost and go home, which is a very different fate compared to all of Seven’s opponents in the show.
U-TOM
We don’t get much explanation from the U-Tom robots, seeing as how the bulk of the episode is devoted to the human drama at hand, but what we do get out of them is incredibly fascinating. The U-Tom are the defenders of a secret, high-tech city deep within the bowels of the Earth. We’re not given much insight to exactly what they are, but the episode implies that rather than being alien invaders, they’re the leftovers from some advanced, ancient society. Were they the creators of this city? Or where they the security system of some long dead race, still running off of their old programming? Perhaps if we’re playing around here, they’re from the same civilization the Underground People from Ultraman hailed from, or hell, perhaps they’re even older? As for It’s just a fun concept ripe with a lot of potential for storytelling. Sadly, the Ultra Guard destroys the city with all the U-Toms in it. You think they’d at least attempt to communicate with these strange beings before just blowing them all up.
Much like King Joe, I find U-Tom to be a really fun retro robot design. I find the clear face revealing all the working gears to be my favorite aspect of the robot, as it’s certainly eye-catching. While they only had one U-Tom costume, they’d switch the chest insignia to give off the impression of multiple ones running around. Makes me wonder if the insignias displayed rank among these guys, but like many aspects of this episode, it probably will never be answered.
BELL
One of the freakier opponents seen in the show, Bell creates a virtual space, trapping Ultra Guard members Amagi and Soga in a surreal hellscape that they can’t escape from, and tormenting them with a shrill bell-like sound.
Bell is definitely one of those odd, one-off monsters I find really fascinating. The idea of an alien creating a pocket dimension to trap people in is certainly a terrifying concept. We never really get a good explanation of why Bell is trapping people in such a place, but the original script gave the explanation of Bell seeing whether or not humanity would make for good prey, an idea I wish was kept in the final version. The Bell design, while not Narita’s best, is a pretty good one. I like how it’s reminiscent of insects without just being a guy with a bug’s head, and I like the cracked, stone-like skin too.
Bell’s virtual dimension would feature various other hazards for the victims trapped in there, such as space ticks, a giant spider creature named Gumonga, and even some Suflan! I’ve always wondered whether or not the other monsters living in Bell’s world where the real deal or just as virtual as the space they occupied.
BADO
Claiming to be the emperor of the universe, Bado torments a scientist working on “Project Blue”, a forcefield being developed that’ll prevent future alien invasions to coerce him into sabotaging the project.
Bado’s another alien I think isn’t as appreciated as they should be. I think the design is pretty stellar here, taking inspiration from various American science fiction shows and films, more akin to something from The Outer Limits, or even the Ferengi from Star Trek. That sort of retro scifi vibe really makes Bado come across as genuinely creepy in the scenes where he’s tormenting the scientist and his wife, as well as comedic during his final battle with Ultraseven.
What’s sort of a neat thing to ponder is Bado’s claim of being one of the oldest beings in the universe, even being responsible for the death of the original inhabitants of Pluto millions of years ago. It’s never really known if Bado was telling the truth, but I do like to sort of go with the idea that these guys are just talking a good game to make themselves seem more important.
SHAPLEY AND GIRADORUS
Shapley arrives on Earth in order to remove the planet’s Ultonium, an element found deep within the planet’s core. Disguising himself as the assistant to Dr. Iwamura, Shapley is behind the recent spate of earthquakes, using his monster Giradorus to dig beneath the Earth to collect the Ultonium.
Shapley is another really good design in my eyes, the large compound eyes feel appropriately alien and the gold clothes feel like an appropriate touch for an alien whose goal is stealing a rare and precious element. He ain’t bad.
The original Shapley design by Narita was quite different, giving the alien a large, bulbous head. It really seems like something you’d see in The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone as opposed to Ultraseven, and while I like the Shapley we got, this one could’ve been fun too. I imagine it would’ve been a prosthetic, and left the actor’s mouth free.
His monster partner however, I don’t have as much love for. I think it’s a really clunky design on there with the red horns as well as the fact that much like Ayros, it’s another actor walking on their knees. Narita was supposedly going for a walrus inspired beast here, but I think overall it just does not come together. In addition, I find the fact that Giradorus, a burrowing monster, has inexplicable weather powers just seems sort of slapped together to make it more of a threat for the episode’s climax and just doesn’t gel with what we’d anticipate.
The original Giradorus design by Narita is one I think I ultimately prefer. While I can’t fault the team for experimenting for how the suit actor would portray the monster, I feel like this initial design feels a lot better conceived, and it’s easy to imagine how it’d work in the show. While this version of Giradorus missed his chance to shine on TV, he has appeared in several model kits, so good for him.
Shapley’s suit would go onto be used for the alien ninja Delon in Tsuburaya’s Fight! Mighty Jack! and the alien itself would quickly become one of the many stock aliens in the newer Ultraman shows and films. Giradorus however, has been absent since 1967.
MIMY AND IRON ROCKS
Our next monster could maybe not be called a “monster”, but I suppose a bunch of WWII battleships combined into one big battleship by aliens would fit in the definition of monster I suppose.
I’ll admit, I originally didn’t find Iron Rocks too interesting at first, but I do think there’s something really fun and quirky with Ultraseven battling a giant battleship. It’s an impressive miniature, I’ll definitely say.
Iron Rock’s journey to the screen is quite the tale. Originally conceived for the unmade precursor to Ultraman, WOO, the concept of a battleship monster became Yamaton, a monster intended for Ultraman, but never used ultimately, but the monster would live on in manga and toys. A shame, since I find Yamaton a really cool monster concept, and I feel like it could’ve easily been Iron Rocks without too much trouble, but I digress.
The battleship concept would eventually make it to Ultraseven as Iron Rocks. The script originally called for Iron Rocks to be a massive robot, but the idea was scrapped. However, much like Yamaton, the idea would be reused in manga version of the story.
We don’t learn much as to the regards to the Mimy aliens, let alone what they look like, but I do dig their star-shaped UFO with those black stripes, it’s a sick as hell ship.
Much like the Iron Rocks’s legs and Yamaton, manga would once again provide us with an image of what the Mimy look like. Overall it’s nothing special, but I could see it easily working in the context of the show.
BRACO
I don’t have too much to offer for Braco here in terms of commentary. The aliens plot to use women to host their foodstuff, glowing red spores, which is a freaky concept I’ll admit, but it just doesn’t feel as fleshed out as a lot of other ideas seen in Ultraseven. The design is alright, definitely not Narita’s best, but the blobby texture of Braco’s body really sells these guys as being loathsome parasites, and the head at the bottom of the body is an interesting feature, albeit future monsters would improve upon that design element in better ways.
SHADOW AND GABURA
Targeting a fortune teller for his precognitive abilities, the Shadow aliens come across as fairly effective antagonists, despite not being fully fleshed out. It’s another one of those designs by Narita that I think is masterful, and their faces look like a strange art pieces instead of anything alive, which brings them nicely into the uncanny valley. The inverted human features look really spooky when they’re stalking the fortune teller in their giant, chain-covered truck, or electrocuting him in their ship.
Their monster, Gabura, is another winner in my book and is a design I think is among the pantheon of unsung Ultra monsters. While Narita took inspiration from caterpillars for the design, I feel like it conveys the image of a lion with the mane and golden color. I do like how how alien a lot of those features are, like the tiny eyes and the indented rivets along its’ body. One last thing to help set Gabura above the rest is that he keeps fighting after being beheaded! You gotta admire a monster that’s gonna just keep going at it when others would’ve stopped there. Eleking’s super famous, but his severed head wasn’t flying around and attacking Seven like Gabura was, why isn’t he showing up show after show, huh?!
While Gabura wouldn’t make it out of his episode of Ultraseven, the Shadow aliens would make a surprising reappearance 50 years later in 2017’s Ultraman Geed, where one individual, Zena, would be one of the major allies for the titular Ultra, something I’ll cover more in-depth once we get to Geed.
CANNAN
Operating out of a lighthouse base at the North Pole, the Cannan aliens begin attacking air traffic that arrives near their base, prompting Ultraseven to investigate. However, after becoming aware of his presence, the Cannan take control of Windom, sending the robotic monster to battle Ultraseven.
I used to overlook the Cannan for the longest time, but I’ve grown more fond of them over the years. I like the look of the aliens, with their head and large eyes reminding me of various insects as well as chameleons. I think the pairing of gold and purple makes them hit that nice retro scifi feeling and make them really eye-catching. In addition, I do like the idea of them forcing Seven to battle one of his own capsule monsters, it’s a great excuse to have a matchup that normally wouldn’t happen within the show.
Easter's Kaiju Kompendium 