Ultraman Gaia

Ultraman Gaia takes place in yet another universe, one that is different from the world of the Shōwa era Ultramen (Ultraman to Ultraman 80), as well as the world of Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna. In a departure from most of the other series, there are two Ultramen as the main characters. They have conflicting philosophies in regards to defending Earth from a mysterious, malevolent and extremely intelligent cosmic entity.

The first half of the series explores the growing tension between them and their eventual clash. The second half has them reconcile their differences so they can defeat their common enemy.

The show is also different from past Ultra Series installments in that the support team, XIG, has more personnel than the defence teams in previous installments.

In this series, Ultraman Gaia is the lead, but Ultraman Agul is prominently focused on as well. They are often at odds with each other at the beginning of the series. Their philosophies are as different as their skin colors. Unlike Gaia, Agul is completely blue. Gamu Takayama, the human host of Ultraman Gaia, believes that Gaia is here to save Earth and humanity. On the other hand, Hiroya Fujimiya, the human host of Ultraman Agul, believes Agul to be Earth's natural defense mechanism. He is at first more interested in protecting just the planet itself, even at the expense of humanity (hence the occasional clashes with Gaia). However, this was discontinued after Gaia and Agul would work together as one to face more powerful monsters.

The story takes place in the year 2000. Chrisis, a supercomputer developed the Alchemy Stars (a global network of young geniuses born during the 1980s), predicts around 1996–1997 that Earth and humanity would be annihilated by something known as the "Radical Destruction Bringer". Technology developed by the Alchemy Stars is used to form an international defence organization known as Geocentric Universal Alliance against the Radical Destruction (G.U.A.R.D.). This is done secretly, so as to avoid causing a worldwide panic. The eXpanded Interceptive Guards (X.I.G.) is the combat wing of G.U.A.R.D, operating in a floating sky fortress known as the Aerial Base.

Gamu Takayama, a 20-year-old scientist and member of the Alchemy Stars, briefly encounters Gaia during some virtual reality experiments he performs with the secret purpose of discovering the will of the Earth, later merging with him in order to fight various monsters that threaten the safety of the Earth. During his battles, he encounters Ultraman Agul, whose human host is Hiroya Fujimiya, a former Alchemy Stars member. Both clash because of their ideals regarding the protection of the Earth but eventually resolve their differences to battle their common enemy.

• Gamu Takayama (高山 我夢, Takayama Gamu): Takeshi Yoshioka (吉岡 毅志, Yoshioka Takeshi)
• Hiroya Fujimiya (藤宮 博也, Fujimiya Hiroya): Hassei Takano (高野 八誠, Takano Hassei)
• Akio Ishimuro (石室 章雄, Ishimuro Akio): Hiroyuki Watanabe (渡辺 裕之, Watanabe Hiroyuki)
• Tatsumi Chiba (千葉 辰巳, Chiba Tatsumi): Sei Hiraizumi (平泉 成, Hiraizumi Sei)
• Seiichiro Tsutsumi (堤 誠一郎, Tsutsumi Seiichirō): Takashi Ukaji (宇梶 剛士, Ukaji Takashi)
• Atsuko Sasaki (佐々木 敦子, Sasaki Atsuko): Ai Hashimoto (橋本 愛, Hashimoto Ai)
• Georgie Leland (ジョジー・リーランド, Jojī Rīrando): Maria Theresa Gow (マリア・テレサ・ガウ, Maria Teresa Gau)
• Saika Ukai (鵜飼 彩香, Ukai Saika): Saika Tanaka (田中 彩佳, Tanaka Saika)
• Katsumi Kajio (梶尾 克美, Kajio Katsumi): Masami Nakagami (中上 雅巳, Nakagami Masami)
• Yasushi Kitada (北田 靖, Kitada Yasushi): Katsuhiko Hasegawa (長谷川 勝彦, Hasegawa Katsuhiko)
• Satoshi Ohgawara (大河原 聡志, Ōgawara Satoshi): Yusuke Sawaki (沢木 祐介, Sawaki Yūsuke)
• Tatsuhiko Yoneda (米田 達彦, Yoneda Tatsuhiko): Kuronosuke Kagawa (賀川 黒之助, Kagawa Kuronosuke)
• Koichi Hayashi (林 幸市, Hayashi Kōichi): Shogo Shiotani (塩谷 庄吾, Shiotani Shōgo)
• Toru Tsukamoto (塚守 亨, Tsukamoto Tōru): Shin Ishikawa (石川 真, Ishikawa Shin)
• Miho Inagi (稲城 美穂, Inagi Miho): Tomoko Kawashima (川嶋 朋子, Kawashima Tomoko)
• Julie Mishima (三島 樹莉, Mishima Juri): Izumi Matsuda (松田 いずみ, Matsuda Izumi) (Played by Izumiko Matsuda (松田 泉子, Matsuda Izumiko))
• Kei Tadano (多田野 彗, Tadano Kei): Kei Ishibashi (石橋 けい, Ishibashi Kei)
• Satoru Yoshida (吉田 悟, Yoshida Satoru): Masaru Matsuda (松田 優, Matsuda Masaru)
• Mitsugu Shima (志摩 貢, Shima Mitsugu): Kei Kagaya (加賀谷 圭, Kagaya Kei)
• Takanobu Kuwabara (桑原 孝信, Kuwabara Takanobu): Koji Nakamura (中村 浩二, Nakamura Kōji)
• Atsushi Koyama (神山 篤志, Kōyama Atsushi): Shunsuke Gondo (権藤 俊輔, Gondō Shunsuke)
• Renji Matsuo (松尾 蓮二, Matsuo Renji): Tomu Saeba (冴場 都夢, Saeba Tomu)
• Michael Simmons (マイクル・シモンズ, Maikuru Shimonzu): Samuel Pop Aning (サムエル・ポップ・エニング, Samueru Poppu Eningu)
• Ryuichi Senuma (瀬沼 龍一, Senuma Ryūichi): Hiroshi Ishii (石井 浩, Ishii Hiroshi)
• Higuchi (樋口): Ryōsuke Kaizu (海津 亮介, Kaizu Ryōsuke)
• Kōsuke Ranbashi (乱橋 巧介, Ranbashi Kōsuke): Mitsuo Hamada (浜田 光夫, Hamada Mitsuo)
• Catherine Ryan (キャサリン・ライアン, Kyasarin Raian): Debbie Regier (デビー・リギアー, Debī Rigiā)
• Daniel McPhee (ダニエル・マクフィー, Danieru Makufī): John O'Connor (ジョン・オコーナー, Jon O Kōnā)
• Ritsuko Sasaki (佐々木 律子, Sasaki Ritsuko): Azusa Sawamura (沢村 亜津佐, Sawamura Azusa)
• Kyoko Inamori (稲森 京子, Inamori Kyōko): Makiko Kuno (クノ 真季子, Kuno Makiko) (Played by 久野 真紀子)
• Megumi Kuroda (黒田 恵, Kuroda Megumi): Tomoko Ōtakara (大寶 智子, Ōtakara Tomoko)
• Yuki (ユキ): Ai Hasunuma (蓮沼 藍, Hasunuma Ai)
• Shimizu (清水): Kazuya Shimizu (清水 一哉, Shimizu Kazuya) (Played by Kazuhiko Shimizu (清水 一彦, Shimizu Kazuhiko))
• Kenji Tabata (田端 健二, Tabata Kenji): Hiroshi Tsuburaya (円谷 浩, Tsuburaya Hiroshi)
• Reiko Yoshii (吉井 玲子, Yoshii Reiko): Yukari Ishida (石田 裕加里, Ishida Yukari)
• Michifumi Inoue (井上 倫文, Inoue Michifumi): Eisuke Tsunoda (角田 英介, Tsunoda Eisuke)
• Sato (サトウ, Satō): Togo Okumoto (奥本 東五, Okumoto Tōgo)
• Makoto (マコト): Hiroaki Nishijima (西嶋 大明, Nishijima Hiroaki)
• Nakaji (ナカジ): Masashi Kagami (加々美 正史, Kagami Masashi)
• Shigemi Takayama (高山 重美, Takayama Shigemi): Aki Mizusawa (水沢 アキ, Mizusawa Aki)
• Yuiichi Takayama (高山 唯一, Takayama Yuiichi): Sen Yamamoto (山本 亘, Yamamoto Sen)
• Narration: Hiroshi Isobe (磯部 弘, Isobe Hiroshi)

Opening theme

• "Ultraman Gaia!" by Masayuki Tanaka (田中 昌之, Tanaka Masayuki) & Kazuya Daimon (大門 一也, Daimon Kazuya)

Ending themes

• "Lovin' You Lovin' Me" by B.B. WAVES
• "Beat on Dream on" by Tomohiko Kikuta (菊田 知彦, Kikuta Tomohiko)

Insertion songs

• "LOVE IS ALIVE" by Sudo Hitomi
• "Gaia No Chikara" by Tanaka Masayuki & Daimon Kazuya
• "Blue rose" by Kikuta Tomohiko

In 2016, the series was released on Crunchyroll and later released on the streaming service Toku in 2018.[1][2]

In July 2020, Shout! Factory announced to have struck a multi-year deal with Alliance Entertainment and Mill Creek, with the blessings of Tsuburaya and Indigo, that granted them the exclusive SVOD and AVOD digital rights to the Ultra series and films (1,100 TV episodes and 20 films) acquired by Mill Creek the previous year. Ultraman Gaia, amongst other titles, will stream in the United States and Canada through Shout! Factory TV and Tokushoutsu.[3]

• Tsuburaya Productions - The Official Home of Ultraman (Japanese)
• Japan Hero - Webpage devoted to Japanese superheroes