A Giant Documentary for Ultraman's 60th Anniversary: 'The Origin of Ultraman' Arrives on July 3rd!
The greatest legend of the Tokusatsu world, Ultraman, is preparing to celebrate its 60th birthday with a massive project! Tsuburaya Productions has officially announced that the documentary titled The Origin of Ultraman, prepared to honor the series' sixty-year legacy, will be released in theaters in Japan on July 3, 2026. This documentary will not just be a journey of nostalgia, but also an in-depth examination seeking the answer to the question, "What is Ultraman?"
The names behind the documentary are truly a "parade of stars." The project's planning phase includes world-renowned director Hirokazu Kore-eda, who won the Palme d'Or for Shoplifters. Among the names interviewed for the documentary are giants such as Guillermo del Toro, known for his love of science fiction and monster genres, Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno, legendary game designer Hideo Kojima, and Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. These creators will explain firsthand how Ultraman shaped their own artistic visions.
The Origin of Ultraman will take viewers back to 1966, to those black-and-white days where it all began. The series, whose foundations were laid by Eiji Tsuburaya, known as the "God of Special Effects," became a social phenomenon in Japan upon its first broadcast, reaching an incredible viewership rating of 42.8%. The documentary will feature interviews with original series actors Susumu Kurobe (Hayata) and Hiroko Sakurai (Fuji), as well as never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage and the design philosophy of art director Toru Narita.
This massive project is by Tsuburaya Productions
