Hello and welcome, Ultraman Connection readers! In this episode, we enter into the second half of Ultraman Omega, along with our main characters after facing a tumultuous battle with a dangerous Kaiju – and also with their own doubts and shortcomings facing their roles as heroes. In the fight against Eldeghemira, Kosei rediscovered his own passion for that heroism, using his own talents, his bond with the Meteokaiju, and that passion to help protect other lives. Ayumu, the Kaiju Biologist, rededicated her work investigating the unique aspects of Kaiju alongside the newly formed defense team.
So where does that leave Sorato? He is Ultraman, in a literal way, but also regarding his mission which landed him on Earth in the first place. Even if he doesn’t know the full story of how he got here, he knows he is meant to fight against Kaiju to protect humanity and other lives on the planet. During the challenges he faced in the previous episodes, he has also come to realize that he doesn’t have to face them alone, now that he has Ayumu and Kosei to back him up in different ways.
But will his amnesia last forever? Will he just remain an alien working at a warehouse and occasionally fighting Kaiju for the rest of his life? Sorato might be happy with his current situation, however there are still plenty of other threats out in the wider universe. This week, one arrives on Earth, specifically to hunt down Ultraman Omega and eliminate him.
The opening scene of this week’s episode featured a darker twist on Sorato’s own arrival on Earth. In the first episode, Sorato turns up in human form without his memories – and without clothes – but only goes looking for a good hot meal after finding something to wear. Our new antagonist, who calls himself Zovaras, immediately murders the first human being he comes across. He didn’t even ask him for his boots or motorcycle first!
Like Sorato in the first episode, Zovaras also doesn’t seem to have a grasp of human languages yet, but also doesn’t seem interested in learning a new language to communicate with them. Neck-snapping appears to be his primary way of introducing himself to these new beings on Earth. Interestingly, Sorato can understand his speech, and kindly translates for us viewers at home. Even if we don’t know who the “Geness” are, or exactly what Zovaras’ connection is to them, it seems that they’re both related to the aliens Omega fought against in the first episode, and subsequently how he lost his memory.
In fact, it seems like Zovaras was the one who attacked Omega in that battle, and caused his amnesia as a result of the injuries he sustained. I can only assume he’s tracked down the Ultraman to Earth in order to finish the job in gruesome fashion.
This isn’t the first time an alien threat has arrived on Earth specifically targeting an Ultraman hero, or the first “elimination plan” in the franchise’s history. Ultra heroes fight to protect other lives, but their mission also puts them in the crosshairs of many villains in the universe who wish to conquer the Earth, or other planets, with unchecked impunity.
One of the most memorable comes from Ultraseven. Episode 39 and 40 of that series feature not just an “elimination” plan, but an “assassination” targeted for Dan Moroboshi, Ultraseven himself!
By this point, Seven and the Ultra Guard had faced many threats against the Earth, and even threats that humanity had unwittingly unleashed on the planet through their own misguided actions. Seven had been beaten down, injured and even defeated in many other battles – but never for good. The plot of the Alien Guts, however, nearly put the final nails in his coffin.
How did the Guts succeed where so many other alien invaders had failed? Simple, they realized that Seven had never been defeated for good because he had the help of the Ultra Guard and the trust of human beings on Earth. Their “assassination” plan would have Seven face a grueling gauntlet of simulated battles to drain his energy, but rather than just killing him, they decided to quite literally crucify him and make an example of his corpse.
If your goal is to completely and utterly conquer the inhabitants of Earth, then I suppose killing their strongest advocate and protector, and leaving his body as a warning to the rest of the planet would probably do the trick.
In the present day, Zovaras’ plan to defeat Omega doesn’t seem quite as thoroughly plotted out, but has the same apparent goal. Zovaras either doesn’t care about collateral damage, or actively desires it, since he picks a fight against Sorato in broad daylight on a busy street. Sorato, for his credit, is mindful of the stages of his battle and tries to draw Zovaras away from innocent bystanders.
Zovaras also seems to be mindful of the assistance Omega has from his friends, and even the Meteokaiju. When they both transform to fight, Kosei’s backup seems to turn the tides in the Ultraman’s favor… for a brief moment. Zovaras has one more trump card up his metaphorical sleeve. Just like the Alien Guts, who wanted to draw Ultraseven’s defeat into a public spectacle that would destroy humanity’s faith in him, Zovaras seemed to want the Meteokaiju to join the fight, in order to take control of them and use those same weapon forms to attack Omega instead!
Luckily, Zovaras appears to run out of energy, and retreats before landing the final blow. Regardless, Sorato, Kosei and everyone watching at home can count on him returning sooner rather than later. Will they be able to come up with a counterattack to stand against Zovaras a second time? Will this new opponent return with even more strength in their rematch? And just how much Yakisoba will Sorato need to get himself back in fighting shape before then?
We’ll have to just wait and see. Until then, stay tuned right here to Ultraman Connection for more!
