AMONG superheroes, Ultraman is just as well known as his cape-wearing, wall-crawling and armour-wearing Western counterparts.
Produced by Tsuburaya Productions since 1966, the popular Ultraman series of live-action and practical effect-centric (tokusatsu) media features the titular silver and red giant (and his ilk) dealing with monsters, aliens and other fantastical creatures, usually by blasting them into non-existence using beams.
While the series is from Japan, it is very popular, especially in Southeast Asia, so much so that there is said to be an official Malaysian Ultraman.
Is this true?
Verdict:
TRUE
Created by a joint collaboration between Les' Copaque Productions and Tsuburaya Productions, Ultraman Ribut made his first appearance in the 8th season of the Upin and Ipin animated series (2014).
However, he only made his first canonical appearance in the Ultraman spin-off mini-series, Ultra Galaxy Fight: New Generation Heroes, five years later (2019).
In the Ultraman universe, Ultraman Ribut stands 40m tall, weighs 40,000 tons and is 5,700 years old.
While he hails from Nebula M78 Land of Light like the first Ultraman and looks like the original Ultraman, Ribut has a unique body pattern, blue crystals on his arms and legs, and a shield called the Ribut Blocker on his left arm.
He also uses a unique "silat-inspired" fighting technique and the Galaxium Blaster to "solve" problems.
Just like Zoffy, Ultraman Ribut does not have his own series. But he often appears as an important member of the Galaxy Rescue Force, a side group to the Inter Galactic Defense Force, which most Ultraman belong to.
Ultraman Ribut does have a human form, which debuted in 2022's Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga series. He goes by the name Ribut and was played by Shimba Tsuchiya.
References:
1. https://x.com/TsuburayaGlobal/
2. https://tsuburaya-prod.com/
3. https://www.thestar.com.my/
