Summary
With the release ofUltraman: Rising, Netflix just schooled all ofGodzilla’s recent Monsterverse movies and shows by doing something most kaiju stories struggle to do. Based on Tsuburaya Productions' storiedUltramanfranchise, the new Netflix movie follows Kenji “Ken” Sato (Christopher Sean), a pro baseball player in the US who returns to Japan after years away to play for Tokyo’s down-on-their-luck Giants. The egotistical athlete has long beentorn between his desire to be a championship-winning ballplayer and inheriting his father’s role as Ultraman— the gigantic superhero who protects the city from rogue kaiju.
Feeling frustrated by his Ultraman-baseball-player balancing act, Ken vents about missing his mom, Emiko, who’s gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Unwilling to lean on his father, Ken struggles to navigate the increasingly violent Kaiju Defense Force (KDF). After hitting a grand slam during his first at-bat for the Giants, Ken’s luck seems to be looking up until his Ultraman duties soon derail things. A bird-like kaiju, Gigantron, chases down its unhatched egg, which was stolen by the KDF. Although Gigantron is killed,Ken is able to save the young kaiju, which believes Ultraman is its parent.
Ultraman: Rising’s Human Characters Are Great (Including Ultraman)
Ken Sato & His Family Dynamics Are Ultraman’s Most Interesting Threads
In movies likeGodzilla(2024) andGodzilla vs Kong— and in almostall versions ofGodzilla— the human characters aren’t very interesting. Although some Godzilla films have tried to remedy this issue by casting well-known movie stars,recognizable faces don’t change the fact that human characters are often set dressing in kaiju films. It’s easy to knock these monster movies for employing stock characters who feel boring and derivative. After all, compelling characters aren’t exactly the main reason audiences flock to kaiju movies. Excitingly,Ultraman: Risingis a massive exception to the boring human characters rule.
Instead of getting caught up in the lore,Ultraman: Risingputs its human characters first.
AlthoughUltraman: Risingopens with a solid dose of action (and Ultraman),it’s also grounded in the Sato family’s complex relationships. A young Ken is already torn between playing Ultraman with his father, Professor Sato (Gedde Watanabe), and watching baseball with his mom, Emiko (Tamlyn Tomita). While Ken is amazed by Ultraman at first, he quickly becomes disillusioned with the hero, and, as a result, his father. Instead of getting caught up in the lore,Ultraman: Risingputs its human characters first. More importantly,Ultraman: Risingfocuses more on family than heroics.
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Why Monster Movies Usually Struggle With Human Characters
Action Often Trumps Character Development In Kaiju Films
For the most part, monster movies struggle with their human characters because the building-smashing kaiju are of the most interest to viewers. After all, evenunderrated kaiju moviesare beloved because of their action set-pieces. Instead of getting too caught up in its kaiju and lore,Ultraman: Risingbuilds its narrative around the human characters. Ken, for example, becomes the adoptive father to a baby kaiju, all while balancing his superhero responsibilities. Thisallows the movie to further explore Ken’s strained relationship with his own fatherin a way that works with the movie’s larger plot and themes.
Ultraman: Risingcarefully considers its characters.
Ultraman: Rising’s cast of characters also isn’t extensive. In a monster movie, that’s another huge advantage. At times,it can be enticing to beef up the cast of a kaiju movie with characters who are merely there to be killed offin robust action set-pieces. Instead of leaning into that trope,Ultraman: Risingcarefully considers its characters. Aside from contemplatingwho Ken Sato really is,Ultraman: Risingcenters on reporter and mother Ami Wakita (Julia Harriman). EvenUltraman: Rising’s antagonist, Dr. Onda of the KDF, has a fully-realized backstory.
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Ultraman Is A Huge Superhero - But He’s Also Deeply Human
InUltraman: Rising, the titular hero is a giant being — not unlike the kaiju. On the other hand, he’s also a human. Without Ken Sato, there’s no Ultraman, sothere actually can’t be anUltramanstory that’s divorced from that deeply human element. As evidenced byUltraman: Rising’s ending, this core difference gives the franchise a huge advantage over other kaiju films, which often position humans as mere observers of the clashing giants. The decision to have Ken raise a baby kaiju, Emi, takes that notion a step further, allowingUltraman: Risingto even humanize its city-stomping creatures.
Ultraman: Rising
Ultraman: Rising is an action-adventure film and is a new entry in the Ultraman franchise. Directed by Shinji Higuchi, this film returns to the series roots and centers on a new hero, Ken Sato, who takes on the mantle of Ultraman to protect Earth from monstrous threats.
