Ultraman

Ultra Series
Official logo
Created by
Original workUltra Q (1966)[4]
OwnerTsuburaya Productions[5]
Years1966–present
Print publications
Book(s)List of books
Films and television
Film(s)List of films
Television seriesList of television series
Games
Video game(s)List of video games

The Ultra Series (Japanese: ウルトラシリーズ, Hepburn: Urutora Shirīzu), also known as Ultraman, is a Japanese science fiction media franchise owned and produced by Tsuburaya Productions, which began with the television series Ultra Q in 1966 and became an international pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into many television shows, films, comic books, and other media publications, becoming one of the most prominent productions in the Japanese tokusatsu and kaiju genres and pioneering the Kyodai Hero subgenre. The Ultraman series is centered on a fictional alien race of superheroes who often combat kaiju or other aliens.

In Japan, the Ultraman brand generated $7.4 billion US dollars in merchandising revenue from 1966 to 1987.[6][7] This makes it one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. Ultraman was the world's third top-selling licensed character in the 1980s, largely due to his popularity in Asia.[8] References to Ultraman are abundant in Japanese popular culture, much like references to Superman in Western culture.[6]

  1. ^ a b Ragone 2007, p. 114.
  2. ^ Ragone 2007, p. 117.
  3. ^ Kawaguchi, Judit (13 May 2008). "Ultraman creator Kazuho Mitsuta". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  4. ^ Vlessing, Etan (11 December 2018). "Japanese Superhero 'Ultraman' Reboot in the Works (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  5. ^ Muncy, Julie (23 November 2019). "Tsuburaya Productions Is Teaming With Marvel to Produce New Ultraman Comics". Gizmodo. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 4kids was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Brand News" (PDF). 4kidsentertainment.com. 2003. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Warner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).