The New Year has made its way onto the scene!
From the looks of it, it seems it is going to be a great year for Ultraman fans, as this year celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the creation of the Ultra Series! Starting with Ultra Q (with its first episode debuting on January 2, 1966), the franchise has provided audiences with a mix of incredible fights with great choreography, engaging storytelling with themes that can range from relatable to interesting, or showcasing so many great suits for Ultras and foes alike. Now the big question here is… what is there to expect for Ultraman this year?
Tsuburaya Productions has provided year-round Ultraman content ever since Ultraman Ginga back in 2013, and it seems to be still going strong! So, what is there to expect with the Ultra Series in its 60th Anniversary run? First off, we still have the final two episodes of Ultraman Omega coming later this month. Due to the past two weeks being special episodes, which are just recap events of the show,
Omega’s 24th episode will be live on YouTube for the United States on Friday January 9th, with the final episode the week after.
Ultraman Omega has been such an incredible run, especially with the more recent episodes. The show’s main story tries out interesting concepts that haven’t been tried out much in the franchise yet, and it has made the story all the more intriguing! I don’t want to give away spoilers, but I believe it has been going really well, and I would definitely recommend watching it or catching up before the finale so you can be invested and what the final two episodes have in store for us!
Unfortunately, although this is speculation, it seems probable that Ultraman Omega will not be getting a movie. Typically, if an Ultra show gets a subsequent movie, it would have had a teaser around November–December. Considering we are approaching the final two episodes in a week, the chances of an Ultraman Omega movie happening seem to be slim. I believe the main reason for this is because Tsuburaya has big plans for the 60th Anniversary, and an Omega movie wasn’t on that checklist. This is still just speculation, and nothing has been confirmed either way at this time.
Personally, I think Omega doesn’t need a movie, as I feel the finale is going to wrap things up nicely and hopefully it gives the audience a finale to remember. The last time I recall an Ultraman show that did not have a movie was Ultraman Z, which at the time felt shocking considering how loved that show was. However, Z fans won’t be disappointed with a lack of content this year!
Ultraman New Generation Stars will be airing its fourth season right after Omega finishes its run! These shows are recaps of previous entries, ranging from any show really. They are after the Ultraman Chronicle recaps, which are essentially the same. However, the New Generation Stars have more of a story to tell and advancing character growth rather than the direction the Chronicles had where they just showcased footage. In this season, Ultraman Zett is the main character and Ultraman Geed will be making an appearance, too! Geed will acquire a mantle this season, similar to Zett last year. Ultraman Omega will also be making his return in this season, where he is given a brand-new form. While these shows may not be for everyone, it does seem interesting to see what story they will tell here.
For Ultraman fans wondering where Ultraman Zero is during this New Generation Stars season, do not worry because Zero will be getting something big! A few months ago, an Ultraman Zero 15th Anniversary movie was revealed to be in production! We don’t know much about what the movie has in store for fans, so there could be a few directions the movie can go: Perhaps Reiblood will make a return and cause mayhem, the Absolutians could make a comeback and either continue or conclude the story with this movie, or maybe it’s something new that adds to the worldbuilding of the franchise! No matter what direction it takes, it is very interesting to see Zero get a big movie again! I am interested to see what they have planned for this new Zero movie, and hopefully, past Ultra heroes will get either a special or a mini-series dedicated to them, too, which is something similar to what fellow tokusatsu franchise Kamen Rider did for its 50th Anniversary.
And of course, I guarantee there will be big plans for the next Ultraman show. At the time of this piece, we do not know anything about what the show will be about. In recent memory, the next Ultraman show gets revealed in the month of April, with an early July release date. For instance, Omega was revealed on April 23rd, 2025, and the first episode premiered on July 5th, 2025. It sounds believable that this year’s Ultra show will be revealed around the same time, and will have a release date in a similar time frame. All we have to do now is enjoy Ultraman Omega’s final two episodes and wait for anything to be revealed!
There is also plenty of things coming out this year in terms of reading and merchandising. First of all, the Marvel Ultraman run will be concluding in the one-shot comic, The Fall of Ultraman, on February 11, 2026. With the release of The Rise of Ultraman on September 9, 2020, the Marvel Ultraman run has had a steady five year run, with three more comics coming afterwards. It will be interesting to see how this saga comes to an end and how everything will be resolved! We are also getting an Omnibus of not only the entire Marvel Ultraman run, but also the Harvey Comics run from the 1990s that adapted Ultraman: Towards the Future as well. The Ultraman Omnibus will be released on July 14, 2026, for $125.
Speaking of Ultraman: Towards the Future, Alliance Home Entertainment will be releasing the show and Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero on Blu-ray! Announced at G-FEST in 2025, it seems the deal between Tsuburaya and Alliance Home Entertainment is going strong. While no release dates have been revealed for either Blu-ray yet, they are expected to be released sometime this year, which will be something fans of both shows can look forward to! Ultraman and Ultraseven will also have 4K UHD releases coming out this year! Ultraman on 4k is set to be released on July 10th, 2026 and Ultraseven on 4K is set to release later in the year. If you are curious about how the quality the shows will be in 4K, you can purchase the Ultraman 4K Discovery that was released on November 18, 2025. Either way, there are many great releases to look forward to this year and I am excited to be checking these out, especially Ultraman on 4K!
Now of course, the party doesn’t have to stop with just the new content. There’s plenty of things you can do to celebrate Ultraman’s big year! Whether you love to collect, watch the shows/movies, or discuss with friends on the internet, there’s so much you can do for both your personal enjoyment and engaging with the community! For me, I plan on watching all of the past anniversary shows before the year ends. This includes Ultra Q, Ultraman, Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Mebius, and Ultraman Orb. I’m still in shock that Ultraman Orb was 10 years ago.
That’s basically a whole recap of what’s currently confirmed to be going on with Ultraman for its 60th Anniversary. From what Tsuburaya has shown us, I have a feeling this will be a fantastic year for the franchise, and hopefully it will help elevate the franchise to become even more popular! I have loved Ultraman since 2010, and want it to thrive for many years to come. Here’s to 60 more years of our Heroes of Light! Shuwatch!!
