(First Aired: January 8, 1967)
Screenplay by: Tetsuo Kinjo and Bunzo Wakatsuki
Directed by: Hajime Tsuburaya
One fine day at an apartment ground in Osaka, Japan, a group of young boys are arguing whether a monster really is going to be displayed at the Hall of Antiquity at the World Fair being held in Osaka. One side insists they're just going to display fossils, while the other side, led by Osamu, or the Monster Prince for his knowledge on monsters, says they will display a live prehistoric monster. Miles away on primeval Johnson Island in the South Pacific, a research team led by Dr. Nakaya is accompanied by Arashi as a guard. They are searching for a live Gomorasaurus, which may survive on Johnson Island if the legends and a bellowing roar heard in the middle of the night are anything to go by. In the morning, the team brave carnivorous Sunflan vines and find an exploding cliff face. From inside the cliff comes the creature they've been looking for - Gomora, a three-horned dinosaur monster. Understanding the value it holds to science, the team intends to capture Gomora alive and put it on display.
Back in Japan, Osamu is showing off a picture of Gomora from the newspaper to his classmates, gaining their respect and proving his beliefs. Meanwhile on Johnson Island, a giant tranquilizer missile is delivered to the team by scientists from the United States. Gomora is successfully knocked out with it, and Science Patrol airlifts Gomora with a gigantic net. Back in Osaka, Osamu and his friends are itching to see the live monster at the World Fair grounds when Fuji arrives at Dr. Nakaya's laboratory by the fairgrounds to inform the JSDF (who have been placed to keep an eye on Gomora) that the dinosaur monster will arrive soon. Overhearing her, the kids decide to sneak out and see the airlifted Gomora.
Back in the sky, Gomora's sedation has worm off earlier than expected. The monster struggles violently, forcing Science Patrol to drop their net and cargo hundreds of feet from the air. Osamu and his friends arrive in time to witness Gomora's crashlanding. Curious to see if it's still alive, the kids move in. Gomora turns out to be alive and very angry, so Science Patrol land their planes and proceed with attacking the monster with JSDF support. In the fight, Hayata stumbles across Osamu and his friends and has the police take them back home. At Gomora's landing site, the combined firepower of the JSDF and Science Patrol is unable to scratch Gomora's hide, and the monster escapes by burrowing underground. Now, Japan is left to fret over when and where Gomora will surface.
Science Patrol, Dr. Nakaya, and JSDF gather at Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka to use it as a base of operations and determine their next course of action against Gomora. Elsewhere, Osamu and a friend play at an abandoned construction site near their apartment grounds, pretending to be Ultraman and a monster respectively. That's when Gomora surfaces not too far from them. Osamu's friend leaves to warn everyone while Osamu stays to watch Gomora. As Gomora marches forwards, Osamu calls for Ultraman's help, and as if responding to his cries for help, the hero arrives as Hayata transforms offscreen!
Ultraman and Gomora proceed to battle each other. The fight is long and tough, with Gomora proving to be a serious challenge for Ultraman. During the fight, Hayata's Beta Capsule falls from Ultraman's body and lands by Osamu, who picks it up. Ultraman's Colour Timer soon begins to blink, but Gomora shows no signs of stopping as it unrelentingly pummels a rapidly weakening Ultraman. After managing to leave Ultraman weakly sprawling in the dirt, Gomora heads back underground again. Ultraman, for the first time ever, has been defeated! Running critically low on energy, Ultraman leaves. However, Osamu is still left with the Beta Capsule that the world will need if Ultraman is to return and stop Gomora...
Tropes:
- Breakout Character: Being the first Kaiju that handed Ultraman his ass, Gomora has become this among fans.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Gomora having defeated Ultraman and Osamu picking up the Beta Capsule that fell from Ultraman's body, setting up the plot of the next episode.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: While Ultraman manages to land good hits on him, the moment Gomora uses its tail, is the moment the ultra has no hope of winning.
- Dynamic Entry: Ultraman enters his battle with Gomora this way.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: A monster variant. Up until this point Ultraman has managed to defeat any monster he faces before facing his first defeat here.
- Non-Malicious Monster: Gomora isn't a violent monster and only started rampaging when it was forcibly removed from its home and dropped from a great height.
- Tail Slap: Gomora's specialty. This is what actually do more damage to Ultraman compared to its other attacks.
- Wham Shot: Gomora stomping on Ultraman before leaving him helpless at the end of their battle.
