New Ultraman Retsuden Announced, Introducing Ultraman Ginga

A new Ultraman series called New Ultraman Retsuden was announced to premiere July 10, introducing a new hero named Ultraman Ginga. Unlike the earlier Ultraman Retsuden, the new series would run 30-minute episodes with all-new footage and characters, set in present-day Japan around a group of high school students who become involved in fighting giant monsters alongside Ultraman Ginga.

The premise follows an ancient event in outer space in which an evil force turned all Ultra heroes and giant monsters into small dolls, which scattered across the universe before arriving on Earth via a meteor shower. In the present day, a young boy discovers the Ginga Spark, a device that lets him revert the dolls to their true forms and “UltraLive” to merge with them.

Takuya Negishi plays Hikaru Raidou, a 17-year-old high school student who transforms into Ultraman Ginga using the Ginga Spark, making him the youngest Ultra hero to date. He is joined by childhood friends Misuzu Isurugi (Mio Miyatake), Kenta Watarai (Mizuki Ono), and Chigusa Kuno (Kirara). Tomoya Ichijoji, played by Takuya Kusakawa, is introduced as a mysterious transfer student and Hikaru’s rival.

The series was set to be directed by Yuichi Abe, Tomo Haraguchi, Kengo Kaji, and Yoshikazu Ishii, and split into two parts: episodes 1-6 as a “Summer Break” season, and episodes 7-11 airing from November to December as a New Year’s holiday season. The first episode’s July 10, 2013 premiere date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of Ultraman’s first television appearance on July 10, 1966, with two additional special episodes planned for later events in the fall and the following spring.