We’ve been traveling through Ultraman Zero’s greatest hits and battles for the last several weeks, and as he turns 15, it’s fascinating to realize just how much the Son of Seven has actually DONE! Before we get to perhaps Zero’s greatest adventure, however, there’s one more story, often missed by fans, that introduces a beloved member of the Ultimate Force Zero. Let’s cover that story now…
The threat began before the Ultimate Force Zero could even react, with the group’s member Jean-Bot, and his liege, Princess Emerana, being kidnapped by a mysterious force that Zero and his friends had difficulty tracking. The ones that found them, ironically, were Zero’s old ally Rei, the Reionics warrior, and his captain Hyuga from ZAP SPACY, completely by accident. The two had been on vacation, of all things, on the tropical world of Planet Bram, when they discovered a titanic metal sphere on a collision course with their vacation spot!
Infiltrating the sphere, they found an army of robots within, chasing Emerana. Though Rei and his Gomora partner fought valiantly, it looked as though the metal hordes would win the day — until Zero and his allies arrived, saving Rei, Hyuga, and Emerana! Of course, this was not the true threat — that was Jean-Bot himself, brainwashed to turn against his friends, and joined by a mysterious new robot: Jean-Killer!
The battle was fraught, with Jean-Nine proving to be capable of fighting the entire Ultimate Force Zero, while Jean-Bot attempted to crush his former master and Rei. Thankfully, Emerana’s voice was able to reach Jean-Bot, and he shut himself down long enough for Emerana, Rei, and Hyuga to return him to his former self. Now free, Jean-Bot was able to reveal the truth of this threat’s mastermind — an AI from another universe, Beatstar.
The sphere had been the “life boat” of an entire universe destroyed by a mysterious, vicious invader, containing all the survivors left after their rampage. However, the survivors had been unable to get along and had destroyed each other, leaving Beatstar alone, convinced that the only way to secure everlasting peace was the complete annihilation of organic life. To this end, Beatstar had captured Jean-Bot, using his blueprints to create a “brother” to lead its armies in Jean-Killer.
Thankfully, by reproducing Jean-Bot so perfectly in Jean-Killer, Beatstar had unintentionally built into him the same natural loyalty to Emerana, and she was able to turn him to the side of good! Zero himself entered Beatstar’s chambers to battle the AI in its own robotic shell, and was able to win, with Ultraman, Zoffy, and Ultraseven keeping the sphere from colliding with Bram. With Beatstar’s final defeat, the entire sphere and robot army self-destructed, leaving the multiverse safe from its anti-organic threat. Emerana decided to “adopt” Jean-Killer, renaming him Jean-Nine, and having him join the Ultimate Force Zero. All was well again.
The question remained, however — Who was the terrible invader that destroyed an entire universe? We’ll find that out next week, when the Saga of Ultraman Zero comes to a close.
