'Ultraman' Trailer: The New Ultraman Battles Monsters And Legacy

A new generation of Ultraman is coming to Netflix. But he'll have to contend with some monsters, villains, and even rivals vying for the Ultraman title in the upcoming anime series from the streaming giant. Based on based the recent Ultraman manga by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi that was published in 2015, Ultraman reintroduces the iconic sentai hero to the modern age, transforming the once-cheesy armored hero into a cool CGI warrior.

In 1966, Ultraman launched the tokusatsu TV genre, the live-action sci-fi genre characterized by cheesy effects and heroes in metal armor (which would later serve as the basis for things like Power Rangers). The show became a phenomenon, spawning dozens of sequels, spin-offs, rip-offs, imitators, parodies, and tributes, and turning Ultraman into a Japanese pop culture icon. Now a new generation of Ultraman is here to usher the character into the modern age.

A spiritual sequel to the original series, Ultraman follows Shinjiro, the son of the original Ultraman, who must take up the mantle of his aging father to fight an evil force impersonating the superhero. The series is animated in the style of Netflix's previous anime hit, the Godzilla series: in sleek CG animation. It's eye-popping for sure, but is also slightly headache-inducing for fans of traditional hand-drawn animation. Hopefully this won't be the exclusive animation style of Netflix's growing 2019 anime line-up, which include new and old series, including the lauded streaming debut of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Here is the official synopsis for Ultraman:

Ultraman's next generation is here and its larger than life! Years ago, the famous giant of light Ultraman worked to protect peace on Earth. Now, a new champion arises: Shinjiro Hayata, a high-school student who must don the Ultra Suit and the worries that come with it. The son of the former Ultraman, he will become this generation's new hero! Netflix Original Anime Ultraman starts streaming worldwide April 1st, only on Netflix.

Ultraman will be available to stream on Netflix starting April 1, 2019.