(First Aired: April 9, 1967)
Screenplay by: Tetsuo Kinjo
Directed by: Hajime Tsuburaya
A vast fleet of flying saucers surrounding a mothership makes its way to Earth with planetary domination in mind. Fortunately, satellites across the globe detect them and report it. Science Patrol receives the information and the world enters a state of both fear and military preparation. At HQ, Fuji informs that Paris HQ’s analysis indicates the invasion armada will arrive at 12:24 AM Japan Time, though its exact destination is unclear. Realizing they only have 40 minutes until arrival, Muramatsu instructs the team to alert the JSDF. Soon, the JSDF’s pilots are patrolling the Japanese skies, while Science Patrol anxiously awaits alongside Dr. Iwamoto. The saucers enter Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean minutes later and move towards the Asian side of the Pacific. They are making a beeline for Japan, where they encounter the JSDF. The saucer fleet easily eradicates the opposing forces, despite the JSDF’s best efforts. Science Patrol soon receives the news, as well as a command from Paris HQ to attack. The world’s fate is in the hands of the team.
Muramatsu, Hayata, Arashi, and Ide head out on their Jet V-TOLs while Fuji and Dr. Iwamoto remain at HQ. However, Dr. Iwamoto remembers that he has an important weapon for Science Patrol to utilize on the alien invaders, which the team has not been given yet. As he heads downstairs, a pair of cold green hands grab him. They throttle the scientist into unconsciousness before dragging his body behind a door and leaving it there. Dr. Iwamoto soon returns with no mystery weapon. He knocks Fuji unconscious and then sabotages the HQ. Meanwhile, Science Patrol and their Jet V-TOLs are having a smoother time destroying the saucer army than the JSDF did. Hayata and Muramatsu then spot the mothership slipping away from the dogfight, so they pursue it in their Jet V-TOL. They chase the mothership through mountain passes and chasms, but lose it. Fortunately by this point, Ide and Arashi have eliminated all the invading ships. Muramatsu tells them to go back to HQ while he and Hayata continue to search for the mothership, unaware that the ship has hidden in a cavern and is beginning to burrow through the earth.
As Ide and Arashi fly home, Ide notices that HQ isn’t responding to his calls. Concerned, the two call Muramatsu and Hayata, who give up their mothership hunt and accompany Ide and Arashi. At HQ, they find the building’s systems have all been destroyed by someone and Fuji is still passed out on the ground. They wake her up, and she tells them that Dr. Iwamoto was responsible. Ide takes Fuji outside while Arashi, Muramatsu, and Hayata hunt Dr. Iwamoto through the HQ. They soon find the scientist and chase him outside. Arashi catches up to Dr. Iwamoto and punches the man in the face, sending him to the ground. When Muramatsu rushes up to check on Dr. Iwamoto, he finds a one-eyed humanoid with blackish-green skin and a single antenna on its head. Dr. Iwamoto had been replaced with an extraterrestrial agent sent as a scout by the invasion fleet. The alien stands up and looks at the shocked men before Hayata shoots it with his ray gun. In its dying breath, it utters one cryptic word: "Zetton".
While Arashi pieces together what happened, Hayata wonders out loud what Zetton is. Suddenly, the mothership bursts out the grounds near HQ. It flies towards the base and lands safely. Then, its hatch opens and a giant blue orb begins to rapidly expand from it. Eventually, the orb explodes, destroying the mothership and unleashing the answer to Hayata’s question. Where once stood the mothership is now Zetton, a bizarre monster resembling a humanoid beetle with a flashing yellow patch instead of a face and two more on its chest. Zetton walks towards Science Patrol HQ in an almost robotic fashion, ignoring the team’s futile attempts to stop it. Inside HQ, Dr. Iwamoto regains consciousness from his impostor's assault. Luckily, he has been given a communication badge by Muramatsu, so he contacts the team and requests a rescue. Muramatsu instructs Hayata and Arashi to take Dr. Iwamoto out to safety while he continues to fire upon Zetton. Zetton has already started attacking HQ though, so Hayata leaves Arashi to find Dr. Iwamoto. Instead, he pulls out the Beta Capsule and becomes Ultraman!
Ultraman begins the battle by binding Zetton in rings of energy to keep the alien monster in place. Zetton turns its attention to Ultraman and shows off its incredible strength by simply breaking out of the energy rings like they were made of paper. Zetton continues to display its formidable power through teleportation, hails of fireballs from its yellow facial patch, and a projected force field that shatters the Ultra Slash like glass. Even Zetton’s kicks and punches prove overwhelming for Ultraman. Eventually, Ultraman decides to finish the fight with a Specium Ray, but the most shocking event happens. Zetton catches the Specium Ray with its bare hands, absorbing the beam into its body. Then, it converts the Specium Ray into its own energy, which its fires back from its hands, striking Ultraman straight into his flashing Color Timer with unbelievable strength! Ultraman’s eyes begin to darken as his Color Timer breaks and fades. The hero falls over with a thundering crash. Ultraman is dead.
Science Patrol and Dr. Iwamoto have now gathered back together, just in time to be horrified by the sight of their fallen hero. Zetton turns its attention back towards HQ, intent on smashing it to pieces while Science Patrol can only watch and despair. Thankfully, Dr. Iwamoto has finally gotten the mystery weapon he had made for Science Patrol. It’s a small missile-like bullet of immense power, but it is the only one of its kind. He gives it to Arashi, who rushes towards Zetton. He shoots Zetton, hitting the monster and levitating it into the air, where it is blown to pieces by the projectile. Although everyone is now relieved at the defeat of Zetton and the alien fleet, this is not the time to celebrate. The HQ is still in shambles from the alien saboteur and Zetton's rampage, while Ultraman’s body lies in the fields outside the building, cold and stiff. Fortunately, Science Patrol puts out the fires and fixes their HQ with ease. As with Ultraman, things would never be the same.
Dr. Iwamoto spots something flying to Earth. It is another Ultraman! This Ultraman creates a red orb of energy, just like the one Hayata first met the first Ultraman in. The sphere floats Ultraman’s body inside and its occupant speaks to Ultraman’s spirit. The second Ultraman looks just like the one we know and love but with many studs on his chest. The second Ultraman introduces himself as Zoffy, a high ranking space patrol officer, and instructs Ultraman to return to the Land of Light in Nebula M78note . Ultraman explains that Hayata will die if he separates and heads home, so he will stay on Earth. Ultraman then tells Zoffy that he would like to give his life to Hayata and die in the human's place for it would be unjust to let a comparatively short-lived being die as a victim of Ultraman’s battles. Understanding Ultraman’s compassion, Zoffy decides to give some of his life to Hayata and Ultraman for revival before separating the two. Zoffy then takes the Beta Capsule and reverses it, splitting Hayata and Ultraman back into two separate beings.
Science Patrol watches as the red orb with Zoffy and Ultraman floats away, while Hayata reappears on the ground some distance away. The team realizes that Ultraman is leaving, meaning that protection of the Earth is now in humanity’s hands. Zoffy then splits from the red orb and takes the weakened Ultraman resting inside to space. Hayata rejoins his teammates while they all say goodbye to Ultraman. When they ask him where he was the whole time, Hayata simply tells them that the red sphere was the one he saw and collided into at Lake Ryugamori, before realizing he doesn’t remember anything that happened afterwardsnote . Still, he and the team watch Zoffy and Ultraman disappear into the sky. In space, Ultraman exits the orb with renewed strength and begins to fly alongside Zoffy. The final scene is Ultraman and Zoffy soaring through space with the Land of Light in M78 in their sight.
Tropes:
- Back from the Dead: Zoffy revives both Ultraman and Hayata.
- Bookends: The show begins and ends with Ultraman flying with a red sphere.
- Crazy-Prepared: Zoffy can’t possibly have known that Ultraman had fused with a human, or that both had died, but he bought two revival devices with him.
- Early Instalment Weirdness:
- The quickly-killed alien controlling Zetton remains unnamed here. Later instalments would identify the species as Alien Zetton.
- Zetton’s No-Sell of Ultraman’s Spacium Beam is portrayed as a Bullet Catch. Later entries instead have it erect a barrier.
- While the first appearance of a new Ultraman besides the titular character, Zoffy notably shows up after the battle is over, as opposed to the Big Damn Heroes moments of later such appearances.
- This is notably the only time the Ultra and host separate at the end of the series and the only time amnesia is involved. Later separations are either temporary or only in movies, while no other case has led to amnesia.
- Exposition of Immortality: Ultraman mentions to Zoffy that he has lived for 20000 years.
- The Hero Dies: Zetton manages to beat Ultraman to death in battle.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Ultraman is quick to give up his chance at being restored in favour of saving Hayata. Luckily, Zoffy bought two revival devices.
- Informed Species: Zetton is described as a “Space Dinosaur”, but doesn’t look much like the Earth dinosaurs.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Hayata loses his memories of everything since the crash after separating from Ultraman.
- Really Dead Montage: After Ultraman collapses in battle, a montage of his battles from previous episodes is played.
- Wham Line: “Stand up, Ultraman”! With that, you know that the hero isn’t going to do so.
- Wham Shot: Zetton catching the Spacium Beam tells us this isn’t going to be your standard battle.
