Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man chapters five and six are currently available on the VIZ Manga app and the VIZ website for free and we cannot get enough! With themes of prejudice, mob-mentality, exploitation, acclimation, and perseverance, these latest chapters get into the juicy stuff while staying fun and exciting the whole way through.
Now, Spider-Man is officially part of the SSSP, and we get to gleefully watch him navigate his new life in Tokyo. As Spider-Man discovers the novelty of raw fish, we can’t help but wonder… Didn’t they have sushi in New York? Maybe he couldn’t afford it — New York sushi is really expensive…
Sushi isn’t the only fish Spider-Man must face, though. The SSSP introduces him to the Ragons, an endangered, intelligent, socially evolved deep sea Kaiju species that are contained at the SSSP headquarters for their own protection.
Our hearts can’t help but flutter as the finned-humanoid creatures dance hand in hand with their partners and children. The Ragons are a perfect allegory for the feeling of empathy we get when we realize something foreign is more like us than we thought- A theme we see throughout the manga, even between Ultraman and Spider-Man.
Unfortunately, when something is foreign, it is easier to manipulate the general public’s perception of it. Fear of the unknown is primal, therefore an easy thing to access in humans. Anti-Kaiju demonstrators take advantage of this, hunting the benevolent Ragons on the basis of false information.
The polarizing chaos created by the Kaiju-hunt creates the perfect climate for Doctor Doom and Alien Meflias to capitalize on. When humanity is turned on each other, and turned on innocent scapegoats, it is far easier for them to be exploited by even greater threats.
Doctor Doom and Alien Meflias meet in the Monster Graveyard amongst the souls of dead Kaiju who exist outside of the confines of time. Meflias shows Doom that he can regenerate the Kaiju and send them to earth to do his bidding before they regain consciousness.
While Meflias wants to utilize the most obvious threats, Doom is able to think in ways Meflias isn’t. Meflias is far more removed from humanity whereas Doom is more familiar with the social mind. While Meflias dismisses the Ragon as too weak and kindhearted, Doom knows that their kindness is an exploitable asset.
Charged with evil power, the chosen Ragon is sent into the ocean, moving so fast the water become a vortex, swallowing every boat in its vicinity. In a whirlpool of satisfying artistic detail, every bubble gleams and the light shimmers through the water as the Ragon speeds through.
Spider-Man rushes to defense, attempting to restrain the Ragon, however, he is now in the world of giant monsters. Spider-Man is outside of his comfort zone, faced with obstacles on a scale he’s never dealt with. Like Doctor Doom, Spider-Man must also think outside of the box and refuse to be stunted by his perceived limitations.
Using his comparatively small size to his advantage, Spider-Man uses his webs to tie the Ragon’s thumbs together, constraining him long enough to be temporarily neutralized, but not for long…
Both Doctor Doom and Spider-Man are acclimating to their new environments, using what they already have in new, innovative ways to get what they want. Tension rises as their journeys follow paralleling paths. Who will master the logic of Ultraman’s Tokyo first?
Be sure to stay updated on the VIZ Manga app or the VIZ website for new chapters of Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man every week and stay tuned here on Ultraman Connection for more!
