WARNING: BY READING THIS ARTICLE, YOU WILL SEE SPOILERS FOR SHIN ULTRAMAN. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, DO NOT CONTINUE FURTHER.
If you’ve come this far, then you’re a curious soul. The world of Shin Ultraman diverges greatly from the settings of any previous Ultraman series, and yet, unfortunately, it seems that the threat of Kaiju is a constant. These creatures are certainly familiar in design, with most of them resembling the myriad threats from Ultra Q. However, a certain subset has uncanny similarities to one another, and a sinister intent. Let’s examine these mysterious Kaiju — these S-Class Species — and delve into what their secrets may be…
PAGOS
Pagos was one of the last S-Class Species encountered before Ultraman appeared on Earth. Consuming nuclear substances, the greatest threat Pagos presented was not its considerable offensive bulk, but rather the radiation that its body emitted, endangering civilians, and leaving a toxic path wherever it went. When it was finally killed, its body calcified and crumbled, leaving one final radioactive disaster to be cleaned up.
NERONGA
This electricity-eating monster was the final monster to threaten humanity before Ultraman made landfall on Earth, and the giant’s first opponent. Neronga could make its body completely transparent — though curiously, this invisibility did not disguise its body heat or the like, making it an odd quirk of the creature’s biology. More effective for defense was Neronga’s ability to emit electricity from its horns in the form of lightning that could destroy whatever projectiles were aimed at it. However, these defenses were not enough to save it from the destructive power of Ultraman’s Spacium Beam, which annihilated its body (and a chunk of the mountainside through which it was attempting to retreat).
GABORA
Gabora was the final Kaiju to attack before more… deliberate foes appeared to humanity. Nearly identical to Pagos, but with an organic drilling system suited for underground travel, Gabora bored under fields and through a mountain attempting to reach a nuclear waste dump to feed. Human weapons being useless against it, Ultraman arrived to battle the creature, tanking through an unending barrage of its radioactive breath to kill the creature with a single punch. The mysterious giant then flew away with Gabora’s body to prevent its toxic radiation from infesting the countryside.
THE TRUE NATURE OF THE KAIJU
As each of these oddly similar Kaiju menaced the people of Japan, the SSSP began to theorize that they may be of related species, a sharp contrast to the deeply varied creatures that had emerged previously. However, the truth was something far more sinister: These three creatures were part of a series of biological weapons, purchased by the mysterious Extraterrestrial Number 0 for the sake of putting humanity’s back to the wall, and to make them eager to accept his offer. Of course, Ultraman’s appearance complicated this plan…
Who is Extraterrestrial Number 0, you may ask? That’s a question to be answered another time when we look at the aliens of Shin Ultraman! For an overview of the original Kaiju from the 1966 Ultraman that inspired the monsters of Shin, check them out in Tsuburaya Productions’ Ultra Kaiju: Kaiju Encyclopedia located at this link: https://tsuburaya-prod.com/encyclopedialist
The movie is currently making the rounds through film festivals all over the world, and more news is set for the coming months. Stay close to Ultraman Connection to find out all regarding future release information!