Posted in: MLB, Sports, TV | Tagged: dodgers, ultraman

Ultraman Saves The Day (and First Pitch) at Dodger Stadium (VIDEO)

Ultraman made it out to Dodger Stadium to defeat his kaiju archenemy, Baltan, and save the day (and the game's first pitch).

During this past Labor Day weekend, Ultraman came to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to save the first pitch from his arch enemy kajiu, Baltan. Baltan was "menacing" the game and Tsuburaya Field Holdings chairman Hidetoshi Yamamoto. Ultraman – the classic version – stepped out, defeated Batlan, and Yamamoto-san proceeded to toss the first pitch of the game to kick it off, and all was right in the world. Tsuburaya Productions partnered with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the event. 

Most Americans might not know the character these days, but for the Japanese, this was a big deal. The Dodgers Stadium event was part of The Ultraman Series 60th Anniversary Project, celebrating the character's sixty-year history. As Tsuburaya Productions' official statement declared, "On July 10, 1966, Ultraman first appeared on television. Since then, the Ultra series has been alongside us, touching our hearts and delivering messages of "Courage", "Hope", and "Kindness". In 2026, the Ultra series will celebrate its 60th anniversary since its initial broadcast.

"The Ultraman Series 60th Anniversary Project is a grand celebration of the legacy of the Ultraman franchise, running from July 2025 to early 2028. This project aims to honor the impact and enduring legacy of the Ultra Series, which first appeared on television on July 10, 1966. The initiative is designed to make Ultraman's values and stories more accessible and impactful than ever, transcending cultures and generations. The project includes a new TV series, live shows, digital content, and global campaigns, all aimed at creating a space where everyone can feel connected to Ultraman. The official 60th anniversary logo features three stars symbolizing Courage, Hope, and Compassion, while the iconic silhouette of Ultraman rising from the number "60" expresses a leap toward a hopeful future."

Ultraman and Green Lantern were inspired by the same 1940s Science Fiction pulp stories, The Lensman by E.E. "Doc" Smith,  a space opera and multigenerational saga of galactic guardians from the same family. DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz took the idea of galactic cops for Green Lantern, and special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, who co-created Godzilla for director Ishiro Honda, created Ultraman from the notion of a family of benevolent superpowered aliens who protect space and Earth from dai kaiju and a kind of flip side of Godzilla. Every TV series, averaging a new one every year, follows the same trope: a young man dies during a kaiju attack and is merged with alien light to become Ultraman, who defends Earth against dai kaijus every week.

Japan has a decades-long superhero trinity in the form of Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Super Sentai, the latter a superteam series adapted in the 1990s by Saban Productions into The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. Every kid in Japan knows Ultraman and Kamen Rider. In 2023, Evangelion creator and lifelong fan Hideaki Anno co-wrote and produced the feature film Shin Ultraman (translation: "New Ultraman"), a reimagining of the original 1966 first series into a single movie that recreated the key plot and moments with political satire as a flipside to the political satire of his previous movie Shin Godzilla.

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