Los Angeles, CA  — Get Ready for Ultraman Day. The iconic and celebrated classic Japanese superhero ULTRAMAN will be celebrated this Friday, July 10 with a series of major virtual activations and talks with the leaders behind the Ultraman revival live on Shu.Watch. Ultraman Day will also feature the launch of the official online Ultraman Galaxy Store, which will display exclusive collectible Ultraman merchandise featuring the poster artwork of Marvel’s Alex Ross cover created for The Rise Of Ultraman issue #1, on sale this September.

Ultraman Day  kicks off on Shu.Watch at 10am PST on Friday and will feature a slew of celebrities, special guests, live artwork, giveaways, unboxing videos and more as the world celebrates 54 years of Ultraman.

Ultraman, created by Eiji Tsuburaya, the father of the Japanese monster movie genre, was born on July 10, 1966 when Tsuburaya Productions broadcast a memorable stage event called “Ultraman Eve: The Birth of Ultraman,” which was filmed before a live audience in Tokyo. The following week, the TV series Ultraman aired on Japanese TV. With Ultraman’s recent return to North America, Ultraman is being honored with an all-day celebration sponsored by Tsuburaya Productions, Elevated Games, and Mill Creek Entertainment. Also supporting the event is Ultraman Galaxy, the official North America groundbreaking Ultraman platform spearheaded by Tsuburaya, with support by The Licensing Group and Starlight Runner Entertainment. The Licensing Group Ltd represents Ultraman for licensing, while Starlight Runner is supervising the new creative in America across all media.

Ultraman Day will feature the following activations on July 10:

• A 4-hour live show, comprising a number of special events streaming on Watch (full schedule below), produced by Ultraman licensee Jaron Hinds, CEO of Elevated Games, creators of the exciting new Ultraman: Kaiju Kombat video game.
• Bin Furuya, well known as the first actor to portray Ultraman, will demonstrate the correct way to do the Spacium Beam, recognized around the world as Ultraman’s signature move.
• There will also be conversations with Marvel Comics editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski, editor Tom Brevoort, and writers Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom, the team behind Marvel’s upcoming The Rise of Ultraman comic series launching in September; a chance to hear legendary toy manufacturer Marty Abrams of Mego Figures; contests, drawings, special merchandise, unboxing videos, and a sneak peak of the BETA CAPSULE!
• Special guests will appear throughout the day, such as Director of Ultraman Z Kiyotaka Taguchi and Koichi Sakamoto Director of Ultra Galaxy Fight, plus ULTRAMAN actors Hiroko Sakurai, Susumu Kurobe, and Bin Furuya.
• The launch of the official North America Ultraman Galaxy Store, an opportunity for fans around North America to purchase exclusive Ultraman merchandise online. The store will offer July 10th products with special Ultraman designs and artwork available for a limited time.
• A look at Mill Creek Entertainment’s The Birth Of Ultraman on Blu-ray, which features the best episodes of the original Ultraman series, in Japanese with English dubbing, and the special and rare Pre-Premiere Special which is the filmed event that took place on July 10, 1966.

HISTORY

For more than 50 years, the most famous and celebrated Japanese superhero of all time, Ultraman, has joined the ranks of the most iconic characters in global popular culture. A silver Giant of Light who stands over 100 feet tall, Ultraman hails from the distant Nebula M78, arriving on Earth to protect the human race against an endless array of invading aliens and giant monsters (Kaiju). Ultraman and his human friends join forces in defending the world using advanced high-tech weapons and vehicles. Having melded with human Shin Hayata, Ultraman only appears when he is most needed.

Tsuburaya Productions filmed a memorable event called “Ultraman Eve: The Birth of Ultraman” before a live audience at Suginami Koukaidou Hall in Tokyo and broadcast it on TV throughout Japan on July 10, 1996. Ultraman, several of his Kaiju opponents, and members of the Special Science Search Party all appeared along with Eiji Tsuburaya, the father of the Japanese monster movie genre and the creator of the Ultraman series.

The classic Ultraman TV series aired in Japan beginning in 1966, and continues through today, boasting nearly a thousand episodes. It has spawned dozens of movies, live shows and a robust licensing program throughout Asia that generates over US $50 million per year. Tsuburaya Productions’ Ultraman franchise is still going strong with the most recent series Ultraman Z, the YouTube series Ultra Galaxy Fight, and the Ultraman manga, which is the basis for Netflix’s number one CG animated, Anime ULTRAMAN series, which will enjoy a second season.

Upon its return to the U.S., Ultraman has captured the excitement of older fans who remember watching it on U.S. TV from 1966 through the 1980s; but younger fans are rapidly joining the base. A North America licensing program was created, headed by The Licensing Group’s Danny Simon, and it has grabbed the attention of dozens of new licensees, including Marvel Comics, which will put out its The Rise Of Ultraman series in September, and makers of collectibles, apparel, publishing and games.