When it comes to the Ultraman Series, there are some that believe humanity relies too heavily on Ultraman. It’s been argued that, in order to be the best hero possible, Ultraman owes it to earth to impart his intergalactic wisdom onto us, enabling us to save the day for ourselves when the going gets rough. Ultraman 80 attempts this approach beginning with Ultraman 80 episode 1, ‘Ultraman Teacher.’
It is spring of 1980, and unbeknownst to the general public, strange Kaiju related- instances are beginning to occur throughout Japan. New science teacher Takeshi Yamato is tardy, clumsy, and a bit hard to take seriously, but one thing he doesn’t play about is his ability to sense incoming Kaiju when no one else can.
Due to his goofy, almost manic demeanor, the students and administration alike dismiss Yamato’s warnings of an oncoming Kaiju threat. Despite this, Yamato tries his best to teach his new students the value of place-time commitment versus lifetime commitments, emphasizing the importance of doing your best in the moment to build towards an ultimate goal.
We soon find that this is not just an average lesson plan, but the wisdom of an Ultra! Yamato has learned the value of putting your all into everything life throws at you in pursuit of happiness and peace, whether that be on a personal or global level.
However, his beloved students cannot find out that Yamato is secretly Ultraman 80. As much as he tries to encourage students to take notice of signs of Kaiju outside, or to internalize the values that are needed to face Kaiju head-on, Yamato cannot convey the gravity of his words without giving away his secret identity.
Ultraman can try his best to teach the children directly, but he cannot reveal his alien identity and therefore he is stuck in a stalemate. Instead he must try his best to warn everyone through his human identity, and protect everyone in Ultra form.
Helping out the newly-formed UGM (Utility Government Members), Yamato transforms into Ultraman 80 and faces the Kaiju, Crescent head on. Crescent wreaks havoc on Japan, destroying fighter jets, crushing buildings, stomping out entire streets, and causing fires wherever he goes.
Terror ensues as Crescent relentlessly beats 80 over and over again. It isn’t until 80’s color timer is blinking red that he kicks into gear, and he wouldn’t be able to keep going if it weren’t for the crowd of hopeful school children chanting their encouragement to keep him going, reminding him what he’s here to do.
With a final blast of his Succium Beam, Ultraman defeats Crescent, and Japan is saved. The UGM even offers Yamato a part-time job working alongside them, truly testing his ability to put his all into his responsibilities in favor of the greater good.
Ultimately, humanity tends to be skeptical and attention-deficit, however we are never devoid of hope. While Ultraman is rarely able to simply speak to humanity directly, he can always count on us to support him in times of need.
Yamato’s effort to educate the children of Earth is aligned with most Ultra hosts’ goals to make the world a better place in every form they take. Whether he’s inspiring civilians with his heroism as Ultraman 80 or teaching reluctant students the importance of personal effort in school, he is working as a vessel to offer Earth alternatives to fear and violence, and what more could we ask for?
