Hello and welcome, Ultraman Connection readers! Wait a second, I need to go scream into a pillow for a second.
…Okay, we’re back! It should go without saying, but this article will involve open spoilers for episode 23 of Ultraman Arc. If you haven’t seen it yet, go do that, go scream into a pillow, and then come back for the rest of our analysis this week.
Our story opens up with Yuma seemingly suffering from a bout of unusual weakness or illness at the SKIP headquarters. This is nothing unusual for Ultraman heroes, although it is definitely something to be worried about regardless. In last year’s series, Ultraman Blazar, Captain Gento Hiruma suffered from something similar after fighting while joined with Blazar for so long. The immense physical strain of their numerous battles, injuries and near-death experiences took their toll over the season and left Gento weakened to the point that even transforming might risk fatal consequences.
At first glance, it seems like Yuma is suffering from something similar. As the episode goes on, however, the situation might be even more dire than expected. The reappearance of the mysterious “eye” in the sky which heralded the arrival of Monogelos, Digelos, and the destructive power of the “Onyx” itself certainly doesn’t help.
It’s not all bad news though. Arc and Yuma receive a heartening message from a friend, sent beyond our world from Arc’s home. It turns out that he’s not alone in his desire to protect the Earth, and has supporters from that star system. One of them, who gives his name as “Biorno”, makes contact with the pair thanks to YouPi’s “electronic brain”.
Unfortunately, Biorno doesn’t have good news to deliver other than the assurance of support. The scientist “Ze Su” who was responsible for the Onyx, in order siphon off the destructive energy of a supernova towards the Earth, refuses to change the plans for our planet’s destruction. Biorno’s faction claims to have a solution to save their own world without annihilating ours, but it’s uncertain, a long shot chance that Ze Su disregards in favor of the surefire method.
Does Ze Su actually hold such a dispassionate cost-and-benefit analysis of this situation and only seek the most pragmatic way of saving the most lives possible? Or is this more about saving face, and refusing to admit a mistake? There’s so much that goes unexplained in this brief conversation, but I’m fascinated by the unspoken possibilities of this huge intergalactic conflict going on at the same time as the – comparatively – smaller concerns of the human characters on Earth right at this moment.
And double-unfortunately, Yuma is the only one aware of this new evolution of an older, familiar threat against Hoshimoto City – and with it, the world. Even though he’s been ordered to stay at headquarters, away from the scene of disaster as Trigelos arrives through the wormhole gate, he knows that the power of Ultraman Arc is the only thing that can stand a chance of defeating the Kaiju.
Up to this point, even in situations when Yuma has to hastily transform into Arc to fight, he has always come up with some convenient excuse to deflect the questions of his teammates. There’s always been something that has distracted them, or some way he’s covered up the events in the subsequent paperwork. But now that Yuma is carrying the Onyx literally inside of himself, after he and Arc used it to create their Galaxy Armor, he’s got a big red bullseye literally painted on his chest.
One that Shu can see too.
To Shu Ishido, the experienced, canny, and somewhat jaded GDF agent, this probably made several things snap into place in his mental case files. For the audience, this also explains the sudden onset of weakness – the energy from the Onyx is most likely damaging him as much as it’s helping fuel Arc’s abilities.
This may seem like a betrayal to Shu at first though. Yuma’s straightforward example of optimism and courage has inspired him to rethink his role as an agent, and how he deals with his teammates, his friends, and even the unknown threats they face together. The scene between him and Yuma, while they try to escape Trigelos’ rampage, powerfully illustrates how deeply he trusts Yuma’s heart despite this new realization.
At first, Shu asks for answers. But when Yuma hesitates to give them, Shu doesn’t double-down. He doesn’t get angry or threaten Yuma. Instead he trusts his teammate enough that he simply allows Yuma to stay silent. After all, Yuma has already demonstrated – many, many times over – how deeply he cares about SKIP, about the civilians they protect, and all the other lives they’ve encountered. Finding out that he’s Ultraman Arc doesn’t seem to change that fact.
Shu isn’t the only one who has been swayed by Yuma’s example, and the example of Ultraman Arc in his many battles throughout the series. When Trigelos gets the upper hand in their battle, immobilizing Arc in a helpless position to deliver the final blow, the GDF shows up to rescue Ultraman! The defense force had been portrayed as a shadowy, ambiguous organization up to this point, so seeing them come down definitively to lend their strength to Arc made for an exhilaratingly happy moment during this tense battle.
Once freed, Arc summons the strength from the Onyx itself, and uses the Galaxy Armor to defeat Trigelos in an awe-inspiring detonation.
Only… this detonation is different. It’s not the shower of sparks and smoke that usually accompanies the defeat of Kaiju. It’s not a bombastic fanfare meant to deliver the finale of a hard-fought showdown. Trigelos seemed to almost absorb the energy and then explode in a massive shockwave, taking out entire blocks of the city with it.
At the end of the episode, with the remaining members of SKIP staring horrified at a literal crater where rows of city streets and buildings once stood… I can’t help but wonder if this was the true threat that Biorno tried to warn us about.
To find out for yourself, join us in the New Year for the next episode of Ultraman Arc. Until then, I’m going to find another pillow to scream into again.
