Ultraman Dyna's Takeshi Tsuruno Slams Unauthorized Chinese Ultraman Villain

Announcement of Dragon Force: So Long, Ultraman, a sequel to China’s animated Dragon Force film, drew swift backlash from the Ultraman fan community after promotional material revealed the film would feature its own version of the red-and-silver hero, cast as a villain, and without authorization from Tsuburaya Productions, the character’s Japanese rights holder.

Tsuburaya, already engaged in long-running litigation over international Ultraman rights, wasn’t the only party to object. Takeshi Tsuruno, who played lead hero Shin Asuka in 1997’s Ultraman Dyna and later appeared in Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends and the prequel series Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga, posted a pointed message on Twitter condemning the film, writing that the “fake Ultraman” had finally shown itself and that he wouldn’t forgive a villain who deceives children in a fake mask while claiming to stand for justice.

Dragon Force director Wang Wei maintained publicly that the project was legal and that six films using the Ultraman brand were planned. Tsuburaya responded by releasing official Chinese-language dubs of Ultraman Orb on its own YouTube channel, an attempt to reassert its version of the character in the same market the unauthorized film was targeting.