MAGELLAN
Sending a powerful missile to Earth, the Magellan aliens send one of their own, Maya, to steal Dan’s Ultra Eye so he doesn’t interfere with their plans. After completing her mission, Maya soon discovers that her superiors don’t plan to pick her up before the missile hits…
While I can’t comment at all on the Magellan aliens design wise (the budget cuts in the latter part of the show contributed to just using an actress), I think the message of soldiers being expendable for these powerful groups is something that still is relevant in this day and age. Actress Yuri Yoshida does an excellent portrayal as the tragic character of Maya, and I feel like if it was a rubber suit alien instead, it would perhaps take away from the unique pathos on display here.
CRAZYGON
A giant robot sent by the unseen Banda aliens, Crazygon attacks Japan, stealing cars to be used for scrap, as the Bandas are currently suffering from a severe iron shortage.
There’s not a whole ton to Crazygon here, but in my eyes, he’s another great robotic foe for Seven. The design is nice and boxy, and I love how there’s not really an identifiable “face” on the robot. The larger right claw, inspired by crayfish, as well as a boxer with a larger glove on his right hand from the film Enoken’s Fighting Crazy One, is a nice visual touch, and it adds to the scavenger nature of the robot. Crazygon, as awkward as he looks, is actually a decent challenge for Ultraseven, and it takes some creativity in order to stop the robot on Seven’s part.
ARON AND GUTS
Showing up briefly at the beginning of episode 39, Aron has a brief battle with Ultraseven before meeting his maker. A throwaway monster, Aron isn’t too striking. The dragon design is fine enough I suppose, but Aron’s just here to be slaughtered in the episode’s intro.
Poor Aron was nothing more than a way for his masters, the Guts, to determine Seven’s combat prowess. After the gathering the information they need, they launch their attack, killing Windom as well as using their illusionary powers to gain the upper hand on Ultraseven. With victory in their grasp, the Guts aliens crucify the alien hero, intending to execute him to force the Earth into submission.
The Guts are famous aliens and rightfully so, introducing the concept of crucified tokusatsu heroes to the genre, a recurring theme throughout these sorts of shows. The tradition starts here with Guts and in all honesty, they’re not a bad foe to start it off. While their plan of studying the hero’s abilities and then basing their attack to counter it will become a well-worn plot in the Ultra Series, it’s effective here and I can only imagine how audiences reacted to it the first time. I think the only problem I can see with these guys is how easily they’re defeated by Seven in part 2 once he’s freed, though I guess you could chalk that up to them being caught off guard and panicking.
Design wise, I really do like how unique the Guts look. Bird aliens is a unique motif, and I like the stripes on the body, the star-shaped eyes as well as the coloration on the sides of the white head, it’s all really eye-catching. Originally, Ikeya’s design drawing gave Guts an exposed brain, but that was cut for being too morbid. Similarly, there were plans to give the aliens clear heads, but that was rejected due to the technical problems trying to conceive it. The only remainder of that idea are the patterns on the back of the head, which do help convey the idea of Guts’s superior intellect without going too over the top.
Guts would become one of the most famous of the various enemies seen in Ultraseven, and would go on to have may appearances in later shows fittingly enough.
TEPETO AND THE TEPETO ALIENS
Another alien race with eyes on the Earth, the Tepeto aliens make their base at a local lake. However, their operations get the attention of a “kappa club”, who mistake the aliens for the mythological creature.
I gotta say, the Tepeto are probably one of my least favorite monsters from Ultraseven. I think the idea of a monster derived from a kappa (a folkloric Japanese turtle monster with a dish on its head filled with water) is a decent concept, but I feel like the Tepeto just seem sort of cheap and forgettable, especially considering the other kappa monsters that’ll appear in later Ultra shows. We do get some information of what their home planet is like from magazines at the time, saying that they’re from a water-covered world where they live deep underwater where the sunlight can’t reach.
Their monster is also just sort of bland too, not really having much interesting to say about it either. It’s an unremarkable interpretation of a kappa that’s for sure.
Tepeto was one of two monsters that were from a fan-submission contest late in Ultraseven‘s run. Up above is the original drawing itself, depicting a monster known as Revolving Cyborg Decrossrazor. I wonder how the fan who designed this felt upon seeing the final product onscreen.
GUYROS AND NONMALT
The supposed original inhabitants of the planet Earth, the Nonmalt claim that humanity had driven them into the oceans. Living undetected at the bottom of the sea, they view humanity’s undersea bases as an intrusion, and they soon come into conflict with Ultra Guard.
The story of the Nonmalt is a tragic one, bringing to light how native peoples are forced off of their homeland by invaders. This was another story by Tetsuo Kinjo, who often found inspiration he faced from the Japanese by being Okinawan to use in his stories, and of the ones he’s penned, this one might be the finest. With humanity’s bloody history in treating cultures who are different from us, it’s no surprise that if there was a non-human culture native to Earth, that they would face the same sort of discrimination. And, like many instances of this stuff in the real world, the Nonmalt are exterminated by the TDF after fighting to protect their homes. In terms of design, they’re similar to the Tepeto, but I feel like they seem to evoke more emotion overall compared to their kappa predecessors.
Their monster, Guyros, ain’t too shabby either. The suit looks a little on the cheap side, but overall I find it a decent octopus derived monster, and the blue skin looks real nice with those yellow suckers and eyes.
Like Tepeto, Guyros was another monster submitted by the fans. The original idea was that Guyros was actually an alien, and rather than suckers on it’s limbs, it was covered in eyeballs! While I like the final Guyros, I think the original concept is much more interesting, and it makes me wonder why the two contest winners were put into two similar aquatic based stories.
THE ROBOTS OF PLANET 4
After being awakened from their suspended animation on an exploratory rocket, Dan and Soga find themselves on a planet that looks like Earth..but there’s something off here. They soon discover that this mysterious world is one run by robots. Having been built by the original human inhabitants, the machines eventually took over. Now they have eyes on Earth…but is it just a dream?
While there’s no rubber suit monsters at play here, the mechanical rulers of Planet 4 are probably the most frightening of all the aliens in Ultraseven. Masahiko Naruse is back again playing the robot commander, and he does such a wonderfully insidious job here, and I dare say, it might be my favorite villain roles in all of Ultra. Shozo Uehara, the scriptwriter for this episode, stated that the main theme of the story was regarding how frequently humanity is lost in different societies. Seeing as how various bloodthirsty dictatorships flourished only a short twenty years before Ultraseven‘s airing, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was on Uehara’s mind when writing this episode.
The story was one conceived by Akio Jissoji, who initially had some kickback from the executives when he submitted the idea. The concept was rejected due to a lack of any monsters and in its place, Jissoji submitted a story concept featuring a whopping 51 monsters. The second script was rejected due to how nightmarishly high the projected budget would be, and the executives told Jissoji that he could choose any other script to direct as long as it wasn’t absurdly expensive, and he chose this one. I’m incredibly glad Jissoji was able to get this one to screen, as it’s among the best of all of Ultraseven.
GORON
Hiding out at a zoo, Goron’s plot to conquer Earth involves him transforming humans into apemen in order to subjugate mankind.
I never could really jive with Goron here. The plot to turn people into apemen is straight out of a 40’s Poverty Row horror flick in terms of hokiness, and while I can dig the fact that they went with a golden lion tamarin instead of the usually cliche gorilla for the design of Goron, the suit itself just feels cheap compared to a lot of the other monsters seen in the show. A shame, since I think the zoo setting, as well as just how strange the plot is, could’ve made for an effective story right out of a 30’s pulp magazine.
PEROLYNGA
Disguised as a young boy, Perolynga befriends a man who’s obsessed with astronomy. When the man calls Ultra Guard after spotting the Perolynga’s invasion fleet, nothing is found. The alien tells the young man that due to calling in so many times, that no one will believe him, and offers the lad a chance to come with him to the stars.
Perolynga’s always been one of my favorite aliens from the show, and I think it comes down to such a fun story. The idea of aliens hiding their invasion fleet in plain sight, with the only person who knows the truth derided as a liar is a great concept for a story. Perolynga’s design is quite good too in my opinion, looking akin to a psychedelic, skinned chicken. Director Akio Jissoji wanted a flashy, dizzying color scheme to Perolynga, and I think the crew here hit that concept very well
The suit was originally intended for an aquatic alien named Pinya, but was changed when the episode was scrapped. While Pinya has never made it into any Ultra show since, he has had several toys and models made in his likeness.
Perolynga would make a surprising return in 2019’s Ultraman Taiga. What’s notable about this appearance though, is that Perolynga’s human form is played by Hiroyuki Takano, the same actor who played the same role 51 years prior to the episode’s airing.
SALOME AND ROBOT ULTRASEVEN
Figuring there’s no better way to beat Seven than at his own game, the Salome construct their own robotic version of the alien hero in their attempt at conquering Earth.
I don’t have too much to say on the Salome design wise, seeing as how they’re human looking, but I dig their getups, and the idea of creating a robotic clone of the hero while cliche, is one that never gets old.
Likewise, I can’t comment too much on their Seven robot, as its just Ultraseven with some extra doodads attached to it. The suit used for the robot was actually the older Ultraseven suit, and the bits added onto the robot were to disguise the wear and tear it had received over the course of the show. Not a bad way to reuse an older suit already on it’s way out.
Salome and their robotic Seven would return in the 2010 direct-to-video special Ultra Galaxy Legend: Ultraman Zero vs. Darklops Zero, alongside the titular Darklops, as well as a whole gang of robotic Ultra Bros.
HUK
Hiding their invasion attempt at an apartment complex, the Huk hide the real apartments underground at night. They go unnoticed until one day, a drunken man stumbles home late at night and accidentally runs afoul of the plot.
While the Huk’s plan is questionable to say the least (why not just hide your base the entire time?), the idea of coming home to a place that claims you don’t live there is the kind of surreal nightmare the Ultra series often deals with. While their name and nocturnal nature is based on owls, I always felt like these guys in terms of design, looked more like bats or even pigs. Their silver aprons even remind me of one a butcher would wear. I like the face covered in nothing but grooves, it’s simplistic sure, but it works nicely and is reminiscent of old, earthenware pottery. Surprisingly, the Huk would go onto become one of the series’ stock aliens throughout the 2010’s, a bit unexpected, but it’s cool to see them in a role such as that.
GHOSE AND PANDON
Yet another race of marauding aliens, the Ghose’s invasion couldn’t come at a worse possible time: Dan Moroboshi has discovered that he is weakening, and if he doesn’t return home to M78, he will die.
Barely surviving his battle with the Ghose’s monster, Pandon, Seven is pushed to exhaustion. To make matters worse, the Ghose capture Amagi, and use him to relay their message to the Earthlings: Surrender, or face annihilation. To show how serious they are, the Ghose launch several underground missiles, utterly destroying New York, London, Moscow and Paris. Tokyo is spared thanks to Ultra Guard and Seven, but after destroying the Ghose’s base, he’s forced into a final rematch with a cybernetic Pandon as his energy continues to dwindle.
I’m sort of surprised Ghose and Pandon aren’t as used as much as Zetton and co. from Ultraman considering the quality of the Ultraseven finale (it was recently voted upon by Japanese fans in 2016 as the best episode of Ultraman overall and I can’t disagree), as well as just how much damage they do in those two episodes they’re in. By the time we wrap, four major cities are in flames, and Seven is at death’s door. They’re no pushovers for sure.
In terms of design, I think both are pretty great. Ghose is simple, but I think it’s a design that works. I think the strange, inhuman face they have, and the fact they need to posses Amagi to translate for them sets them apart from so many prior aliens who just knew how to speak Japanese right off the bat. Pandon is a monster that I think should just be as popular as Zetton in my book. I love the red, spiky body, which works really well with the two conjoined heads he’s got going on there. Pandon just feels alien and ruthless, the perfect final opponent for Ultraseven. The moment when Pandon emerges from the ground for one final battle with Seven just helps sell how relentless he is.
Pandon was initially conceived as having two separate heads, a concept that made it into suit form actually. This was scrapped early on due to the inability to move both heads at the same time. While it’s been said that Ikeya was disappointed with the revamped Pandon, I’m honestly of the opinion that the right decision was made in the end, and I feel like the original design isn’t nearly as alien or menacing.
Similarly, Ghose was going to have a giant form as well, but that never made it past this piece of concept art. Like what happened with Pandon above, I think in the end, the right decision was made. I don’t mind the giant Ghose concept art, but it doesn’t feel at all connected to the Ghose we see in the episode, and it’s inclusion probably would’ve cluttered an already perfect episode.
While Pandon would go on to have several different appearances in the franchise, most of them utilizing designs based on the original concept of the monster. The Ghose suits would be repurposed for the friendly Monoron aliens in Tsuburaya’s Fight! Mighty Jack!. The duo would have to wait about 51 years until Ultraman Taiga would reunite the two once more.
Easter's Kaiju Kompendium 