Netflix brings back the Japanese superhero for a kaiju-sized adventure this June.
The Big Picture
- Ultraman: Rising follows Ken Sato as he steps into his father’s shoes, struggling with powers and unexpected parenthood of a baby kaiju.
- The animated film delves into Ken’s journey of balancing hero duties, work, and protecting the baby kaiju from sinister forces like Dr. Onda.
- Produced by a talented team, Ultraman: Rising streams on Netflix June 14, promising action, heart, and a new chapter in the heroic saga.
Netflix is set to welcome the next generation of a fan-favorite Japanese superhero with the arrival of Ultraman: Rising. Releasing in June, the animated film follows Ken Sato (Christopher Sean), a baseball star who returns home as Tokyo faces a new wave of monster attacks and takes on the mantle of Ultraman in his father’s place. The challenges for the newly-minted hero keep mounting, however, as he becomes the unlikely adoptive parent of a baby kaiju. A new trailer shared today shows him wrestling with the responsibilities of protecting and nurturing the infant while also trying to live his life and keep the city safe.
Ultraman: Rising features an iteration of the beloved hero who’s still getting to grips with his powers. As Ken takes over for his father, he wrestles with a feeling that his abilities are inadequate, struggling mightily with each monstrous threat he faces. When he battles a massive dragon-like kaiju over a stadium, he’s saddled with even more pressure when he retrieves the beast’s egg just as it hatches. The trailer sees him embracing his new role as its “mother” and using his powers as Ultraman to corral the rowdy baby kaiju, with mixed results. As the stress begins eating away at him, he’ll put his ego aside and turn to his friends for guidance throughout the film, learning that juggling everything in life at once can be challenging, but extremely rewarding in the long run.
While much of the movie revolves around Ken learning to balance his work and the kaiju kid, he faces a shadowy threat seeking to exploit the baby for their own gain. Ultraman will combat a private military under the sinister Dr. Onda (Keone Young), who will go to any lengths to capture the child, including sending armed aircraft into the middle of busy city streets. The bond between Ken and his newfound family member, however, will be what helps power them through a bevy of fearsome foes, from other monsters to a colossal sword-wielding mech.
Who Worked on ‘Ultraman: Rising’?
Netflix’s latest foray into the Ultraman franchise is the product of a talented team including Emmy winner and Kubo and the Two Strings co-writer Shannon Tindle alongside her co-director John Aoshima and co-writer Marc Haimes. Collaborating with the streamer to help produce and animate the feature were Tsuburaya Productions and Industrial Light & Magic, the latter of which also has the star-studded Transformers One on the horizon. Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, and Julia Harriman round out the cast.
Ultraman: Rising streams on Netflix on June 14. Check out the new trailer below.
Ultraman: Rising (2024)
The legacy of a colossal hero is passed down to his unsuspecting son in a futuristic city besieged by giant monsters. Struggling with his new-found powers and the weight of expectations, the young hero learns to harness his abilities under the guidance of a veteran warrior to defend humanity from impending doom.
- Release Date
- June 14, 2024
- Director
- Shannon Tindle , John Aoshima
- Cast
- Christopher Sean , Gedde Watanabe , Tamlyn Tomita , Keone Young , Julia Harriman
- Runtime
- 117 minutes
- Main Genre
- Animation
This article was originally published on collider.com