Phew, what a trailer! The first look at Ultraman Arc just dropped, and the internet is blowing up over all the incredible information that’s been revealed! Between a solid minute of gorgeous action, and all sorts of exciting tidbits revealed in documents and press releases surrounding the trailer itself, we actually have a lot of information to go off already! Let’s piece it all together and see if we can’t come up with some compelling theories for what happens when the show starts on July 6th! (JST)
The Return… of Return?
Something that’s been talked about on social media around the trailer a lot is a number of thematic and aesthetic callbacks to 1971’s Return of Ultraman. From the similar title card (down to the spinning luminescent background!), to even adopting a fighting pose similar to Jack’s, there’s definitely a lot of nods to this beloved series. Most of these can likely be attributed to lead director Takanori Tsujimoto, a skilled filmmaker who has directed several episodes of multiple New Generation shows.
One element that fans may have missed, however, is a moment already shrouded in mystery. The moment after activating the Arc Cube that he uses to transform, Yuma Hize, the human alter-ego of Arc, crosses his arms, and a brilliant light emits from his chest. A moment later, he is holding the Arc Ariser, the other device he uses to transform. This idea of Yuma’s transformation literally coming from within seems to also be a callback to Goh Hideki, human host of Ultraman Jack, who transformed into his giant alter-ego through willpower and the light within him! Is this a direct reference? We can’t say, but it’s certainly interesting…
Heroism Beyond Imagination!
Speaking of Yuma’s transformation, what a cool design! Arc, coming directly after the exceptionally unique and asymmetrical design of Ultraman Blazar, is fascinating in its blend of Classic and New Generation aesthetics. From the collar down, it’s almost shocking how, well, classic Arc’s design looks like. Between his relatively muscular proportions and understated color and patterning, one could imagine this guy showing up in the 70s!
From the neck up, however, we get distinctly more modern, with a head shape that honestly can’t quite be compared to any other Ultras in the entire 57-year run of the show, mixing an aerodynamic head with luminous blue accents, and eyes that remind us of Ultraman Zero’s — who, coincidentally, is celebrating his 15th anniversary!
This design taking inspiration from multiple eras makes sense in-universe, however, when you realize that this form comes from Yuma’s own imagination. All of the elements Arc uses, from the Arc Cube and Arc Ariser, to Arc’s very own body, was designed as the elements of the “ideal hero” Yuma drew at a mere 7 years old, and made real by the union of him and the mysterious being of light, Rution.
A Past Full of Secrets
Rution, the being of light that bonds with Yuma to become Ultraman Arc, is one of the most cryptic elements of the show shown both far. Since the giant warrior that is Arc comes from Yuma’s own designs, the true form of this being remains a mystery. One thing we do know, however, is that the moment Yuma and Rution met was many, many years ago — 16 years ago, in fact, when Yuma, then-7 years old, found himself on Japan’s Mt. Shishio with his parents.
The details of that meeting are not yet known, but it is known that on that day, a nightmare became reality as Kaiju appeared all over the world, on “K-Day.” Yuma lost his family on K-Day, when the monster Monogelos attacked the mountain and nearby Hoshimoto City, the boy somehow surviving unhurt. Though the scars of trauma run deep within Yuma, he channeled that pain into becoming a Kaiju biologist, and in the modern day has joined SKIP (Scientific Kaiju Investigation and Prevention center) in their Hoshimoto branch.
This childhood meeting, mixing wonder and tragedy, brings to mind the meeting between young Musashi Haruno and Ultraman Cosmos in the movie Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact. It can be assumed that Rution is somehow related to Yuma’s survival in that tragic incident, and perhaps they also have to do with what happened to Monogelos.
You see, though the details have not been shown, Monogelos was seemingly defeated somehow, with its severed horn, now known as Monohorn, still embedded in the side of Mt. Shishio. Could Yuma and Rution have been tied in some way to the defeat of the Kaiju that threatened Hoshimoto?
A Clear and Present Battle
Though it has been 16 years since K-Day, the threat of Kaiju still clearly remain. We only get a clear look at a single Kaiju in the trailer, a brightly-colored creature with a rocky hide and a powerful jaw, but as Ultraman Arc has appeared in the modern era, so too have these monstrous threats!
We at Ultraman Connection aren’t worried, however — Arc seems more than prepared to battle — and win — against these mighty foes! The trailer the world saw watched Arc fire a mighty beam that shone with the colors of the rainbow, and we’re certain that there are many other tools in our hero’s arsenal — with Yuma’s boundless imagination and hope for the future, and the power of Rution, we’re confident that Ultraman Arc is capable of besting anything that threatens the future!
We promise to bring the latest news and interpretations of Ultraman Arc as they come in the leadup to the show’s premiere on July 6th JST, so until then, make sure you stick close to Ultraman Connection!
