Ultra Fight
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese tokusatsu
television
series which ran from September 1970 to September 1971 on the TBS
network.
Following the end of Ultra Seven
's run on television, production company Tsuburaya
suffered low viewership for its two follow-up series, so in a last-ditch effort, conceived a "zero production cost" program consisting simply of battle scenes from the first Ultraman
and Ultra Seven series. The episodes ran a mere five minutes, and there was virtually no plot to these battles, they simply involved Ultra Seven fighting (or more often than not, being beaten by) various monsters including ones he did not face in his series, such as Baltan. The initial plan was to use nothing but recycled footage. However, it became apparent that there was insufficient material for the planned 130 episodes, so Tsuburaya decided to shoot new scenes using existing costumes, shot on a minimal budget in nondescript outdoor locations, with no special effects at all. As a result, 196 episodes were eventually produced.
In keeping with the "fight" theme, the battles were accompanied by a boxing-style play-by-play provided by TBS professional sports announcer Jiro Yamada.
Among notable episodes include one where Ultra Seven rips the wings off a monster and beats it to death with them. Another has Ultra Seven blundering about a hilltop and accidentally causing a rockslide that awakens a slumbering Eleking
who (predictably) is less than pleased to have rocks tumbling onto him. What follows is an amusing one-sided battle where Eleking takes his anger out on Seven while the hero, completely accepting that it was his own carelessness that caused the mess, tries desperately to apologize.
While far from epic, the Ultra Fight series rekindled interest in the Ultras, enough that shortly after, the Return of Ultraman was aired. This would begin a series of sequels that carries on to this day.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series which ran from September 1970 to September 1971 on the TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
network.
Following the end of Ultra Seven
Ultra Seven
is tokusatsu SF TV series that aired on Japanese TV in 1967. Created by Eiji Tsuburaya, this follow up to Ultraman went on to become one of Japan's greatest fantasy TV series...
's run on television, production company Tsuburaya
Tsuburaya Productions
is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is best known for producing the original Ultraman TV series, as well as the Ultra...
suffered low viewership for its two follow-up series, so in a last-ditch effort, conceived a "zero production cost" program consisting simply of battle scenes from the first Ultraman
Ultraman
is Japanese television series that first aired in 1966. Ultraman, the first and best-known of the "Ultra-Crusaders," made his debut in the tokusatsu SF/kaiju/superhero TV series, , a follow-up to the television series Ultra Q...
and Ultra Seven series. The episodes ran a mere five minutes, and there was virtually no plot to these battles, they simply involved Ultra Seven fighting (or more often than not, being beaten by) various monsters including ones he did not face in his series, such as Baltan. The initial plan was to use nothing but recycled footage. However, it became apparent that there was insufficient material for the planned 130 episodes, so Tsuburaya decided to shoot new scenes using existing costumes, shot on a minimal budget in nondescript outdoor locations, with no special effects at all. As a result, 196 episodes were eventually produced.
In keeping with the "fight" theme, the battles were accompanied by a boxing-style play-by-play provided by TBS professional sports announcer Jiro Yamada.
Among notable episodes include one where Ultra Seven rips the wings off a monster and beats it to death with them. Another has Ultra Seven blundering about a hilltop and accidentally causing a rockslide that awakens a slumbering Eleking
Eleking
is a fictional kaiju from the tokusatsu TV series, Ultra Seven.Subtitle: .- History :Eleking was a monster born and raised by two twin sisters, who let him loose on the earth after stealing Dan's Ultra Eye, which prevented him from assuming his Ultraseven form. With Ultraseven nowhere in sight,...
who (predictably) is less than pleased to have rocks tumbling onto him. What follows is an amusing one-sided battle where Eleking takes his anger out on Seven while the hero, completely accepting that it was his own carelessness that caused the mess, tries desperately to apologize.
While far from epic, the Ultra Fight series rekindled interest in the Ultras, enough that shortly after, the Return of Ultraman was aired. This would begin a series of sequels that carries on to this day.