Ultraman Leo

Ultraman Leo (ウルトラマンレオ, Urutoraman Reo) is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show and is the 7th show in the Ultra Series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Steve Krantz Productions, Ultraman Leo was aired between April 12, 1974, and March 28, 1975, with a total of 51 episodes. Tatsumi Nikamoto was the in-suit actor of Ultraman Leo.

Ultraman Leo
Title card
Genre
Created byTsuburaya Productions
Developed byShigemitsu Taguchi
Directed byTadashi Mafune
StarringRyu Manatsu, Kōji Moritsugu, Mieko Mita, Tomoko Ai
ComposersTōru Fuyuki, Makoto Kawaguchi
Country of originJapan
No. of episodes51
Production
Running time24 minutes (per episode)
DistributorSteve Krantz Productions
Release
Original networkTBS
Original releaseApril 12, 1974 (1974-04-12) –
March 28, 1975 (1975-03-28)
Chronology
Preceded byUltraman Taro
Followed byThe Ultraman

Plot
Main article: List of Ultraman Leo characters

Ultraman Leo comes from Nebula L77 (Leo constellation), and takes the human form of Gen Ootori. Ultraseven appears to fight a new foe, Alien Magma and his two "pets", the Red and Black Giras. Ultimately, Ultraseven is greatly overpowered and his leg is graphically broken by Black Giras. Ultraman Leo drives off the foes, but Ultraseven is confined to his human form because of his injuries and due to the Ultra Eye being damaged when he attempted to transform. Dan then maintains his role as Captain of MAC (Monster Attack Crew). Gen is a gymnastics teacher on the side and joins MAC to defend the Earth. Gen and Dan regularly train together, allowing Ultraman Leo to learn many moves in human form. In episode 34, Dan asks Ultraman Jack to take the Ultra Eye back to M78 to be restored while he heals on Earth. However, in Episode 40 MAC is destroyed by Silver Bloome, a saucer monster that belongs to Commander Black. During the attack Dan asks Leo to keep defending the Earth and disappears in the conflagration. It is later shown that he was taken back to M78 to be fully healed and restored as Ultraseven. Gen is now unemployed and spends most of his time training the kids to defend themselves as well as defending the Earth as Ultraman Leo. Commander Black and Alien Bunyo capture Gen when he cannot transform completely. Gen as Leo is then dismembered, only to be brought back to life by Ultraman King. Leo would then face Black's final monster, Black End, with the kids he trained, the latter of whom kill Black, and hand the sphere used to control Black End to Leo. Finishing his mission, Gen removes his Leo Ring and sets off to tour Earth, his "second home".

Episodes
  1. When Seven Dies! Tokyo Submerges!
  2. The Big Sink! The Last Day of the Japanese Archipelago
  3. Goodbye Tears...
  4. A Vow Between Men
  5. Don't Cry! You Are a Man
  6. You're a Man! Burn On!
  7. A Beautiful Man's Disposition
  8. Certain Kill! Monster Challenger
  9. Bridge of Friendship That Spans Space
  10. The Wandering Monster of Sorrow
  11. One Man Covered with Mud
  12. The Travellin' Dude Has Come!
  13. Huge Explosion! A Desperate Couple of Aliens
  14. Certain-Kill Fists! A Young Boy Who Calls Up a Tempest
  15. The Way to Kill in Darkness! The One Strike with Fighting Spirit
  16. The Woman Who Disappeared in the Middle of the Night
  17. Bride of the Wolfman
  18. Vampire! The Bat Girl
  19. The Revival of the Half-Fish Man
  20. The Strange Lad of Ursa Minor
  21. I Saw a Goddess in the Far North!
  22. The Leo Brothers vs. The Monster Brothers
  23. The Mischievous Alien Who Fell Out of Bed
  24. The Beautiful Woman of Virgo
  25. The Rhinoceros Beetle is a Space Invader!
  26. Ultraman King vs. the Magician
  27. You're Strong! Momotaroh!
  28. Return of the Bearded Captain!
  29. Reunion of Fate! Dan and Anne
  30. The Returning of a Monster's Favor
  31. The White Flower that Protects Earth
  32. Farewell, Princess Kaguya
  33. The Leo Brothers vs. the Evil Space Spirit Alien
  34. Ultra Brothers, Eternal Vows
  35. I'm a Monster General!
  36. Fly! Leo Brothers, Save the Space Base!
  37. Mystery! The Mirror in Which a Devil Lives
  38. Battle! The Leo Brothers vs. The Ultra Brothers
  39. The Leo Brothers and the Ultra Brothers, Time of Victory
  40. MAC Annihilated! The Flying Saucer was a Living Creature!
  41. A Flying Saucer Beast Came from an Evil Planet!
  42. Leo is in Danger! The Assassin is a Flying Saucer Beast
  43. Challenge! The Terror of the Vampire Saucer
  44. The Shooting Star from Hell!
  45. The Phantom Girl
  46. The Fighting Leo Brothers! The End of the Flying Saucer Beast!
  47. The Evil Stardust-Collecting Girl
  48. The Giant Monster Bird Saucer Attacks the Japanese Archipelago!
  49. The Red Assassin Who Beckons Death!
  50. The Life of Leo! The Miracle of King!
  51. Goodbye, Leo! Take off Toward the Sun

Cast
  • Gen Ootori (おゝとり ゲン, Ōtori Gen): Ryu Manatsu (真夏 竜, Manatsu Ryū).[1]
  • Tooru Umeda (梅田 トオル, Umeda Tōru): Tsunehiro Arai (新井 つねひろ, Arai Tsunehiro).[1]
  • Dan Moroboshi (モロボシ・ダン, Moroboshi Dan): Kohji Moritsugu (森次 晃嗣, Moritsugu Kōji)[1]
  • Shōji Ōmura (大村正司, Ōmura Shōji, 1-22): Yū Fujiki (藤木 悠, Fujiki Yū)[1]
  • Momoko Yamaguchi (山口 百子, Yamaguchi Momoko, 1-40): Kaori Okano (丘野 かおり, Okano Kaori)[1]
  • Takeshi Nomura (野村 猛, Nomura Takeshi, 1-40): Yukio Itō (伊藤 幸雄, Itō Yukio)[1]
  • Kaoru Umeda (梅田カオル, Umeda Kaoru, 1-40): Yoshiko Masumoto (増本 美子, Masumoto Yoshiko)[1]
  • Commander Black (ブラック指令, Burakku Shirei, 40-51): Takeshi Ōbayashi (大林 丈史, Ōbayashi Takeshi)[2]
  • Narrator: Tetsurō Sagawa (瑳川 哲朗, Sagawa Tetsurō)

Semi-regular
  • Akio Kuroda (黒田 明雄, Kuroda Akio, 1-8): Kenzō Kuroda (黒田 健三, Kuroda Kenzō)
  • Ichirō Aoshima (青島 一郎, Aoshima Ichirō, 1-11, 13-16): Yūichi Yanagisawa (柳沢 優一, Yanagisawa Yūichi)
  • Kiyohiko Akashi (赤石 清彦, Akashi Kiyohiko, 1-16): Kenji Ōshima (大島 健二, Ōshima Kenji)
  • Haruko Momoi (桃井 晴子, Momoi Haruko, 1-10, 16): Kyōko Aratama (新玉 恭子, Aratama Kyōko)
  • Junko Shirakawa (白川 純子, Shirakawa Junko, 1-40): Mieko Mita (三田 美枝子, Mita Mieko)
  • Atsushi Hirayama (平山 あつし, Hirayama Atsushi, 9-18): Nobuo Hirasawa (平沢 信夫, Hirasawa Nobuo)
  • Daisuke Satō (佐藤 大介, Satō Daisuke, 19-40): Shigeo Tedzuka (手塚 茂夫, Tedzuka Shigeo)
  • Jun Shirato (白土純, Shirato Jun, 6, 17-40): Masaharu Matsusaka (松坂 雅治, Matsusaka Masaharu)
  • Ippei Kajita (梶田 一平, Kajita Ippei, 17-19, 22-40): Takashi Asakura (朝倉 隆, Asakura Takashi)
  • Haruko Matsuki (松木 晴子, Matsuki Haruko, 26-40): Tomoko Ai (藍 とも子, Ai Tomoko)
  • Miyako Ōtsuki (大槻 美也子, Ōtsuki Miyako, 23 & 25): Midori Ōhara (大原 みどり, Ōhara Midori)
  • Commander Tatakura (高倉司令長官, Takakura Shirei Chōkan, 13, 36, 39): Takashi Kanda (神田 隆, Kanda Takashi)
  • Sakiko Miyama (美山 咲子, Miyama Izumi, 40-51): Masumi Harukawa (春川 ますみ, Harukawa Masumi)
  • Izumi Miyama (美山 いずみ, Miyama Izumi, 40-51): Fujiko Nara (奈良 富士子, Nara Fujiko)
  • Ayumi Miyama (美山 あゆみ, Miyama Ayumi, 40-51): Kaoru Sugita (杉田 かおる, Sugita Kaoru)

Voice actors
  • Astra (アストラ, Asutora, 39), Imit-Astra (にせアストラ, Nise Asutora, 39): Junji Maruyama (丸山 純二, Maruyama Junji)[3]
  • Ultraman King (ウルトラマンキング, Urutoraman Kingu, 39, 50), Dark Alien Alien Babarue (暗黒星人 ババルウ星人, Ankoku Seijin Babarū Seijin, 39): Motomu Kiyokawa (清川 元夢, Kiyokawa Motomu, 39), Hiroshi Masuoka (増岡 弘, Masuoka Hiroshi, 50)[3]
  • Zoffy (ゾフィ, Zofi, 39): Satohiro Sakai (酒井 郷博, Sakai Satohiro)[3]
  • Original Ultraman (初代ウルトラマン, Shodai Urutoraman, 39): Shinya Nazuka (名塚 新也, Nazuka Shinya)[3]
  • Returned Ultraman (帰ってきたウルトラマン, Kaettekita Urutoraman, 39): Takashi Takeuchi (竹内 喬, Takeuchi Takashi)[3]
  • Ultraman Ace (ウルトラマンA, Urutoraman Ēsu, 39): Shingo Toyokawa (豊川晋吾, Toyokawa Shingo)[3]
  • Ultraseven (ウルトラセブン, Urutorasebun, 51): Kenji Nakagawa (中川謙二, Nakagawa Kenji)

Guest actors

Songs

Opening Theme Songs
  • "Ultraman Leo" (ウルトラマンレオ, Urutoraman Reo)
    • Lyrics: Yū Aku (阿久 悠, Aku Yū)
    • Composition & Arrangement: Makoto Kawaguchi (川口 真, Kawaguchi Makoto)
    • Artist: Ryu Manatsu, Mizuumi Boys and Girls Choir (少年少女合唱団みずうみ, Shōnen Shōjo Gasshōdan Mizuumi)
  • "Tatakae! Ultraman Leo" (戦え! ウルトラマンレオ, Tatakae! Urutoraman Reo, episodes 14 - 51)
    • Lyrics: Yu Aku
    • Composition & Arrangement: Kawaguchi Makoto
    • Artist(s): Yuki Hide (credited as Hideyuki ), Lake Boys and Girls Choir (Tokyo records )

Insert Songs
  • "The March of MAC"
    • Lyrics: Yu Aku
    • Composition & Arrangement: Makoto Kawaguchi
    • Artist: Ryu Manatsu, Shonen Girl Choir Mizuumi (Tokyo Records)
  • "The Ballad of the Starry Sky"
    • Lyrics: Yu Aku
    • Composition & Arrangement: Makoto Kawaguchi
    • Artist: Ryu Manatsu (Tokyo Record)

Other appearances

Besides the Shōwa period, Ultraman Leo's popularity and fighting ability enabled him to make guest appearances in the following Ultra Series after the end of the original TV series.

International broadcast

In Thailand, Ultraman Leo first aired in 1995 on IBC7 (now called TrueVisions).

Home media

Japan

In December 2018, Tsuburaya Productions and Bandai Namco Entertainment released the series on Blu-ray.[5]

North America

In November 2014, the series, along with Ultraman Max and Ultraman Mebius, began streaming on Crunchyroll.[6] In December 2017, the series was released on the streaming service Toku.[7][8] In April 2018, Shout! Factory hosted a marathon event of the series on their streaming service Shout! Factory TV.[9]

In July 2020, Shout! Factory announced to have struck a multi-year deal with Alliance Entertainment and Mill Creek, with the blessings of Tsuburaya and Indigo, that granted them the exclusive SVOD and AVOD digital rights to the Ultra series and films (1,100 episodes and 20 film) acquired by Mill Creek the previous year. Ultraman Leo, amongst other titles, will stream in the United States and Canada through Shout! Factory TV and Tokushoutsu.[10]

References
  1. "充実の特典映像は必見！「ウルトラマンレオ Blu-ray BOX」発売！" (in Japanese). m-78.jp. 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  2. "1/20(土)～28(日)のウルトライベント情報！" (in Japanese). m-78.jp. 2018-01-19. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  3. 円谷プロ画報. 第1巻. 竹書房. 2013. p. 231. ISBN 978-4-8124-9491-2.
  4. "ウルトラマンメビウス Ｍ７８星雲「光の国」". hicbc.com. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  5. Keith Aiken (June 28, 2018). "Ultraman Leo Blu-ray Box Set Japanese Release This December". SciFi Japan. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  6. Patrick Macias (November 12, 2014). ""Ultraman Leo" Begins Streaming on Crunchyroll". crunchyroll.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  7. "TOKU to Air Ultraman Leo TV Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  8. "Ultrama Leo Now Airing On Toku". SciFi Japan. December 1, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  9. "Shout! Factory TV to Host Ultraman Leo: The Complete Series Marathon on Twitch April 18". SciFi Japan. April 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  10. Patrick Frater (July 10, 2020). "Shout! Factory Strikes 'Ultraman' Digital Distribution Deal With Mill Creek". Variety. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
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