(First Aired: September 4, 1966)
Screenplay by: Tetsuo Kinjo and Shozo Uehara
Directed by: Hajime Tsuburaya
The episode begins when Science Patrol is asked to head to Tatara Island in the South Pacific. A group of scientists had been sent to the island several days ago to study the flora and fauna there, but contact was lost with them. So, Science Patrol goes out on the rescue mission. In the first view of Tatara Island, viewers are treated to a giant monster battle between the dinosaur-like brute known as Red King and the bat-like Chandler. Red King defeats Chandler in a quick scuffle that ends with one of the latter's wings torn off, forcing it to flee. Science Patrol arrives just in time to see Red King screeching in victory and wisely decide to keep out of the monster's way. Red King, on the other hand, takes a dislike to their intrusion.
On the ground, Science Patrol finds a small research station and enters to see if they can find clues on the scientists' whereabouts. They get nothing out of it, so Science Patrol splits into two groups to search over the island. Ide, Fuji, and Arashi will be exploring the forested regions while Captain Muramatsu and Hayata will check on the rockier areas. The former group find the belongings of one of the scientists, Mr. Kawada, lying by a tree covered in large vines. Among them is a bloodied shirt, begging the question of who killed Kawada. The group's questions are answered when the vines become animate for these are no normal vines, but carnivorous Sunflan. The Sunflan coil around Fuji and Ide in an attempt to strangle them, but Arashi destroys the vines by starting a small fire with his ray gun.
Meanwhile, Hayata and Muramatsu find that they are unable to communicate with Arashi, Ide, and Fuji due to intense geomagnetism on the island shorting out their communicators. This also means that their compass doesn't work, so the two are effectively lost. Their problems grow when a monster burrows from the earth to attack the duo. The creature is Magular, a quadrupedal reptile resembling a black thorny devil. Hayata and Muramatsu head for a safe spot and strategize what to do against Magular. They split up with napalm bombs in their hands and chuck them at the monster. Magular is killed by the bombs, but Hayata is swatted by the monster's tail, knocking him unconscious and knocking the Beta Capsule out of his pockets.
Returning to Arashi, Fuji, and Ide, the trio find a hat belonging to another scientist, Matsui, hanging from a bush. It seems it had been placed there by somebody as a clue. So, the trio head forth, but Fuji grows exhausted from the non-stop trekking. They stop by a pond for a rest and notice something curious. A small red creature stands upright across the pond and runs off when they notice it. Arashi chases after it and finds a handkerchief with Matsui's name on it hanging from another bush. Arashi speculates the little monster had been leaving clues for them, so the team follow after the creature in hopes of finding the scientists. Having trouble catching up with the little red monster, the team fires a balloon from one of their balloon bombs to attach to the monster to act as a marker. Soon, they find, at the rocky edge of the jungle, Matsui, who reveals that he is the only surviving scientist and has been cared for by the little red monster known as Pigmon. He and his team were forced to flee their research station when Red King attacked. Red King then shows up and begins smashing its surroundings to create boulders to use on the humans. Science Patrol takes Matsui to safety while Pigmon gets Red King's attention. Red King responds by killing Pigmon under an avalanche of rock. Science Patrol then begins to fire on Red King. Red King is momentarily distracted by Pigmon's balloon bomb detaching and flying into its face, giving Science Patrol an opportunity to blow it up. It forces Red King to drop a particularly big boulder on its feet, causing a great deal of pain and allowing Science Patrol to use an S.O.S. flare.
Elsewhere, Hayata has recovered and is now continuing to trek with Muramatsu. The two notice the S.O.S. flare. Realizing their comrades are in danger, Hayata and Muramatsu get moving, but Hayata realizes he has lost the Beta Capsule in the Magular encounter. Hayata heads back past Magular's corpse and retrieves the capsule, once again becoming Ultraman! Ultraman flies in and battles Red King, overpowering the monster quickly. He eventually knocks Red King out, allowing Science Patrol to get out safely. Before they leave though, Science Patrol and Matsui stop to make graves and pay their respects towards the late scientists and Pigmon.
Tropes:
- Bittersweet Ending: Science Patrol managed to rescue Matsui, but all the other scientists were dead and Pigmon sacrificed himself to save the team.
- Grievous Harm with a Body: Red King tears Chandlar's wing off and throws it back at him.
- Isle of Giant Horrors: Tatara Island, an island in the South Pacific populated by many monsters and hostile wildlife.
- Uncertain Doom:
- Chandlar flees from Red King before he can deliver the killing blow. Given its grievous injuries, it's likely Chandlar died offscreen.
- It's not made clear if Ultraman killed Red King with his shoulder throw, or merely knocked him out to allow Science Patrol to escape.
- The Worf Effect:
- Red King demonstrates his power by tearing Chandlar's wing off, forcing him to flee.
- Red King finds himself on the receiving end of this trope when Ultraman quickly overpowers him and knocks him out with a single shoulder throw.
