Ultraman: the Heisei era

The twenty three years between Ultraman 80 and Ultraman Ginga, five hundred and eighteen episodes, and the stretch where the franchise kept starting over.

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Where to start with Ultraman: the Heisei era

Start with Ultraman Max from 2005. Almost nothing on this page follows on from anything else, so the question is which one to spend a season on rather than what order to go in, and Max is the one every published guide names: it has the energy of the Heisei writing with the shape of the classic show, thirty nine episodes, and it needs nothing before it.

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    Ultraman Max, from 2005 Ultraman Max

    Thirty nine episodes, one monster a week, and made deliberately as a correction after Nexus went too dark for its own timeslot. It is the most consistently recommended entry point for this era, and it assumes nothing.

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    Ultraman Tiga, from 1996 Ultraman Tiga

    The revival that brought the franchise back after fifteen years off, and the best long commitment here at fifty two episodes. Its own universe, no Showa knowledge needed. If you like it, Dyna follows on directly.

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    Ultraman Mebius, from 2006 Ultraman Mebius

    The fortieth anniversary series and the first since 1981 set in the original Land of Light universe, with the surviving actors back as their real characters. It works cold, but it is much better if you have seen Ultraman, Ultraseven and Ultraman 80 first, which is why it is third here rather than first.

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    Ultraman Nexus, from 2004, if you want the dark one Ultraman Nexus

    Serialised, bleak and made for adults. It is the most interesting thing on this page and the most compromised: it was scheduled at 7:30 on a Saturday morning, ratings collapsed, and it was cut from about fifty episodes to thirty seven, so the ending is rushed. Watch Ultraman: The Next first, because it is the prequel.

Then what? One hard rule and one soft one. The hard rule: Ultraman Dyna is a direct sequel to Ultraman Tiga, set seven years later, so watch Tiga first. Gaia follows Dyna on the schedule and is a completely separate universe, so it does not continue anything. The soft rule: Heisei Ultraseven is a sequel to the 1967 Ultraseven, not a new series, and Never Ending Odyssey follows the first Mega Monster Battle. Three films are not optional. Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact is a prequel set eight years before episode one. Ultraman: The Next is the prequel to Nexus, and it came out eleven weeks after Nexus began airing, which is why so many people watch it in the wrong place. And Ultraman Mebius & Ultraman Brothers slots in after episode 15 of Mebius rather than after the series, because episode 24 refers back to it. Everything else in the film list can wait.

A suggested way in, not an official one. The full list is below: tick anything off in either place.

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Made abroad

  • Ultraman: Towards the Future 1990, 1 season, 13 episodes
  • Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero 1993, 1 season, 13 episodes

Heisei Ultraseven

  • Heisei Ultraseven 1994, 1 season, 16 episodes

Tiga, Dyna and Gaia

  • Ultraman Tiga 1996, 1 season, 52 episodes
  • Ultraman Dyna 1997, 1 season, 51 episodes
  • Ultraman Gaia 1998, 1 season, 51 episodes

Neos and Cosmos

  • Ultraman Neos 2000, 1 season, 12 episodes
  • Ultraman Cosmos 2001, 1 season, 65 episodes

The dark years

  • Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy 2004, 1 season, 26 episodes
  • Ultraman Nexus 2004, 1 season, 37 episodes

Back to basics

  • Ultraman Max 2005, 1 season, 39 episodes
  • Ultraman Mebius 2006, 1 season, 50 episodes

Late night and spin-offs

  • Ultraman Nice 1999, 1 season, 20 episodes
  • Ultraseven X 2007, 1 season, 12 episodes
  • Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle 2007, 1 season, 13 episodes
  • Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle: Never Ending Odyssey 2008, 1 season, 13 episodes
  • Ultra Zone 2011, 1 season, 23 episodes
  • Neo Ultra Q 2013, 1 season, 12 episodes

The films

  • Ultraman Zearth 1996
  • Ultraman Zearth 2: Superman Big Battle, Light and Shadow 1997
  • Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light 1998
  • Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna & Ultraman Gaia: The Battle in Hyperspace 1999
  • Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey 2000
  • Ultraman Tiga Gaiden: Revival of the Ancient Giant 2001
  • Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact 2001
  • Ultraman Cosmos 2: The Blue Planet 2002
  • Ultraman Cosmos vs. Ultraman Justice: The Final Battle 2003
  • Ultraman: The Next 2004
  • Ultraman Mebius & Ultraman Brothers 2006
  • Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers 2008
  • Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend the Movie 2009
  • Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial 2010
  • Ultraman Saga 2012

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