Ultraman: Along Came A Spider-Man chapters seven and eight are out now on the VIZ Manga app, and the action is full throttle! With some of the highest-stakes moments we’ve seen in this installment thus far, I don’t think we’re alone in saying that these latest chapters have been some of the most emotionally conflicting.
The people of Tokyo are suffering in the aftermath of the Ragon’s destruction. Depleted of money, shelter, and rest, civilians are rallying against the SSSP’s protection of Kaiju. Of course our hearts are torn in two directions- Protect the people, or protect the fish-people?
The choice might seem obvious at first, humanity has always been the priority… And yet Shin Hayata and Peter Parker both grapple with the prospect of sacrificing any individual from either species to save the other. Ultimately their goals are to protect life, but how do you weigh whose life matters more?
Ultraman has always been about reacting in the moment. When humanity has tried everything and there is no other chance of survival, Ultraman steps in. Now, when you introduce premeditated morality, we start to see Shin deal with similar moral quandaries as Peter. What does it mean to be a hero? Is it possible to save everyone? Is it safest to save everyone? Who deserves prime concern?
The boys’ decision is made for them when the Ragons gather in the sea, singing a song of hope for their fellow lost Ragon. Both Shin and Peter return to their core intuition and double down on their instinct to save the Ragon species. Neither Spider-Man or Ultraman are known for overthinking, they’re known for their bleeding hearts and willingness to take on whatever is necessary.
Alien Meflias and Doctor Doom, on the other hand, interrupt the Ragon-serenade and take control of the lost Ragon again, possessing him with Doom’s power, charging him with unprompted rage. Exploited, confused, and against his own will, the Ragon is forced to continue wreaking havoc.
Spider-Man understands that this is not the natural way of the Ragon. That the powers that be will do anything for their own gain, including corrupting the innocent and scapegoating an entire species. Peter refuses to give up, or let the Ragons give up, but a part of him is still held back by his own fear of failure. The question that’s been haunting him since the beginning of this journey rings in his head once again, “Am I going to fail to save lives again?”
And he almost did fail. When a little girl is in the Ragon’s direct line of destruction, on the verge of being crushed by a foot fifty-times her size, Peter freezes. Is this a result of self-sabotage? Self-doubt? Proof that one person can’t save everyone? Peter is contemplating all of this as he resigns himself to not being able to make it.
As solitary as he feels in this moment, Peter is not alone. With not a second left to spare, Ultraman swoops in and prevents the Ragon from crushing the small girl, using his Spacium Beam to obliterate the Ragon once and for all.
This Kaiju defeat does not leave us with the same satisfaction as the many battles that have preceded it. There is relief and there is betrayal. There is the victory of beating Doctor Doom and Alien Meflias but there is also tension in the bitter truth that not everyone can be saved.
A choice was made and in Hayata’s own words, “Once a life is lost, those connections are cut forever.” Somehow there is a palpable pain behind Ultraman’s neutral expression. Despite the Ragon’s similarity to humanity, despite his lack of sovereignty, he was going to hurt a human and Ultraman could never let that happen in good faith.
Peter is devastated. His fear is confirmed. Maybe it is impossible to save everyone. Where do you go with that knowledge? How do you continue being a hero? He is disappointed but he does not take it out on Shin. He understands him better than anyone, and maybe that makes it hurt even more.
“Do you think fish sing for their friends too, but we just can’t hear it?” Peter ultimately asks. So innocently questioning the levels of sentience, the capability of love in different creatures. How do you measure life against each other? Should you? For the people in this world who interfere when no one else knows how, there aren’t any blueprints for how to maintain morality.
And really, we are all people in this world who must interfere, even when we don’t know how. We all must navigate moments we’ve never been in and wrestle with the confines of our moral code. Nothing is black and white, not even for heroes whose whole driving force is to protect good from evil. We can’t beat ourselves up for every imperfect action, but we can always take the time to wonder about the world through the eyes of others.
Doctor Doom writhes in frustration at the foiling of his plans but he has learned something of Ultraman along the way, “Ultraman’s kindness, his desire to protect lives. That is his weakness.” We’re left wondering, will Peter be able to find the confidence in himself to help Ultraman escape Doom’s plans of using his own altruism as a weapon against him?
We’ll find out next time, but for now be sure to subscribe to VIZ Manga through the website or app and stay tuned for new chapters posted every week!
