Zone Fighter (1973) - Ultra Gaiden

Ойын-сауық

In this new spinoff of Ultra Retrospective, I take a look at an incredibly Ultraman-adjacent show starring a man of the Zone variety, as well as his best friend... Godzilla!?
Check out my Patreon for early access to more tokusatsu reviews.
/ zagorudan
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
1:49 - Premise & Production Details
3:41 - Characters & Villains
7:58 - The Hero
10:03 - GODZILLA
11:56 - The Original Kaiju
13:50 - Hoo boy, the rest of the show
20:58 - Music :D
21:30 - Uh oh!
24:10 - Zone Fighter's Legacy & Concluding Thoughts
27:07 - Patron readout.
Sources:
wikizilla.org/wiki/Zone_Fight...)
ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B5%...
wikizilla.org/wiki/Akihiko_Ig...
kaijukompendium.design.blog/u...
www.scifijapan.com/superheroe...
www.tohokingdom.com/tv/zone_f...
"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
For further reading, www.copyright.gov/title17/92c...

Пікірлер: 120

  • @ZaGorudan
    @ZaGorudan11 ай бұрын

    Check out the Ultra Retrospective playlist for more reviews like this on actual Ultraman shows. kzread.info/head/PLiLVzRuysz88wWUAy5XObQ0iQaEHLVGCw

  • @ethanreynolds3522

    @ethanreynolds3522

    9 ай бұрын

    Hi there ZaGorudan. Love your channel. Enjoy this video on Zone Fighter. I've been doing my own version of this series. It has a definitive beginning, a two parter. The first part involves Zone Fighter fighting Gigan in Tokyo. Takeru Jo, the Zone Family's friend and toy store owner, is now an undercover agent for Interpol who learns of their secret and helps them on occasion. Instead of Peaceland being the name of the planet from where they hail from, it's called planet Pax. I haven't figured out the second part yet. I added more episodes to the series, coming at about 38. from episodes 30 to 38, many of the toho monsters show up, like Rodan, Gigan upgraded with a new weapon, King Kong, and a two parter involving Jet Jaguar. Also Zone Fighters sister, "Zone Angel" is now able to transform into a giant form too. A few episodes involve monster sent by the Garoga call "X" that can shapeshift. In the last two episodes, Zone Angel and Godzilla save Zone Fighter from a robot monster Garugan.

  • @ConstantineFurman
    @ConstantineFurman Жыл бұрын

    Several U.S. companies have wanted to release "Zone Fighter" here in the States, but none of them were willing to pay the costs Toho was demanding for the rights.

  • @tf2godz
    @tf2godz Жыл бұрын

    The fact that Toho's official stance on the show is that it's in the same continuity as the rest of the showa Godzilla films just make this show even more of a fever dream. Like this happen for a year, there was no conclusion, and was never brought up again is fucking hilarious to me.

  • @ConstantineFurman

    @ConstantineFurman

    Жыл бұрын

    And there were a few times that Gigan was planned to return in 70s films that didn't get made, and every one of the scripts dealt with Gigan being resurrected somehow. King Ghidorah is the only monster not killed by Zone's Meteor Missile Might attack and that is explicitly because he had to still be alive in 1999 for "Destroy All Monsters."

  • @budgiecat9039

    @budgiecat9039

    7 ай бұрын

    My head canon says the Garagos just.....gave up. The last episode they used their top tier fighters that merged into one monster and they still lost. There's even an earlier scene where a Garage leader shows up and says it's odd you are caring so much for such a small planet, so perhaps they finally took that to heart and just gave up to focus on going after other planets. Don't forget Earth also has Godzilla which foils their plans. Plus, those aliens that came later with Mechagodzilla probably scared them off.

  • @LordGalvatronYT

    @LordGalvatronYT

    3 ай бұрын

    Yeah you think Zone Fighter would help Godzilla with Mechagodzilla here

  • @theycallmejojo6090
    @theycallmejojo6090 Жыл бұрын

    I like to to imagine Jet Jaguar watching from a distance with the “dumped” theme from SpongeBob playing in the background whenever Godzilla and Zone Fighter are together.

  • @mrgodzillaraptors8632

    @mrgodzillaraptors8632

    Жыл бұрын

    Lol

  • @jf4132

    @jf4132

    Жыл бұрын

    Jet Jaguar: Godzilla?….. I THOUGHT WHAT WE HAD WAS SPECIAAAAAAALL!!!!

  • @otaking3582

    @otaking3582

    Жыл бұрын

    And yet ironically (mostly due to his popularity in America), Jet Jaguar has actually appeared in video games and that Netflix anime, something that Zone Fighter can't boast about. Seriously, why HASN'T Zone Fighter appeared in any Godzilla video games?

  • @anthonyboodram608

    @anthonyboodram608

    Жыл бұрын

    @@otaking3582Right? And what makes that even more sad is that apparently Zone Fighter ALMOST appeared as a playable fighter in the Godzilla PS4 game from 2014.

  • @hagfish4998

    @hagfish4998

    Жыл бұрын

    ​@@otaking3582Jet Jaguar should cross over with Zone Fighter

  • @godzillapark9075
    @godzillapark9075 Жыл бұрын

    find a crazy how this is the show where canonically Gigan dies, I mean it explains why he is not in destroy all monsters lol

  • @meltingmanfilms
    @meltingmanfilms Жыл бұрын

    When I was in Tokyo a couple of months ago, there were new Zone Fighter gashapon machines. I got an acrylic Godzilla keychain from it. So maybe Toho is testing the waters a bit?

  • @AlonzoTompkins
    @AlonzoTompkins Жыл бұрын

    I still love how Fighter can just fly through a TV and end up in the place being shown on screen somehow. When I first saw it I could barely breathe. I love how ungodly silly showa era super hero shows can be. It’s charming.

  • @budgiecat9039

    @budgiecat9039

    7 ай бұрын

    Ultraman Ace literally did that as well so they were copying that

  • @redcometharry
    @redcometharry Жыл бұрын

    Why doesn’t he fight any zoning disputes????? I feel like this is false advertising.

  • @anthonyboodram608
    @anthonyboodram608 Жыл бұрын

    Zone Fighter (along with Angel and Junior) did get a brief cameo in the Easter Egg filled credits of Godzilla: Singular Point, and I think they recently made some official keychains of him and some of the Terror Beasts.

  • @ZaGorudan

    @ZaGorudan

    Жыл бұрын

    OH YEA I FORGOR

  • @0H00C

    @0H00C

    11 ай бұрын

    @@ZaGorudan is it embarrassing that you also showed singular point footage?

  • @ZaGorudan

    @ZaGorudan

    11 ай бұрын

    @@0H00C No? That's what Goji has been up to these days.

  • @0H00C

    @0H00C

    11 ай бұрын

    @@ZaGorudan Thankyou for replying

  • @DarthZino93
    @DarthZino93 Жыл бұрын

    17:47 Ghidorah's Greatest Attack: Turning on the Breaking Bad Yellow Filter!

  • @iforgor8271

    @iforgor8271

    8 ай бұрын

    He’s the one who knocks.

  • @mattr75
    @mattr75 Жыл бұрын

    Zone Fighter's Godzilla crossovers were how I learned of this show's existence

  • @transformersrevenge9
    @transformersrevenge9 Жыл бұрын

    A good example of how much Godzilla carries this show, is that back in the day (early 00's) when I just got into Kaiju media, I had to use alternative ways to find godzilla and ultra shows. And well, the only 5 eps of Zone fighter that I ever saw, were the ones with Godzilla in it. Any other zone fighter footage I saw, was from a bunch of Zone fighter music videos, with Rob Zombie music in the background (gotta love old school youtube). Also, I really hope you cover Specterman one day. That show is one hilariously low budget, weirdly brutal, and somewhat anti-pollution adventure. I remember watching it back in the day in it's uncensored version (dubbed into some language I don't understand), and one two parter freaked me the hell out. Like one episode had some guys dog be turned into a Kaiju (and the dog kaiju caught a nurse, bit her head off, and threw the body at the main character), and Specterman killed tha kaiju despite the man begging for his dog not to be killed. And in the next episode, that man gets turned into a big headed vampire monster, he eats some random woman's brains, and then gets put out of his misery by Specterman. Man, Early 70's kids shows were brutal.

  • @livingcorpse5664
    @livingcorpse56647 ай бұрын

    Thank you for making this. Even if Zone never comes back, he is a part of Godzilla history and to a lesser extent kaiju history.

  • @Kepin151
    @Kepin151 Жыл бұрын

    7:50 consider the planet is called "peaceland", I won't be suprised if its people didn't fight back until their planet literally blew up.

  • @diegodankquixote-wry3242
    @diegodankquixote-wry3242 Жыл бұрын

    All I know about this show is that Showa Gigan fricken died in this show. Forever. What.

  • @ConstantineFurman

    @ConstantineFurman

    Жыл бұрын

    In several of the scripts that didn't get made for more 70s Godzilla movies, Gigan was planned to return and the stories all had to deal with him being resurrected in some way.

  • @otaking3582
    @otaking3582 Жыл бұрын

    I look forward to you one day covering Iron King, easily one of the best Ultraman clones out there.

  • @ZaGorudan

    @ZaGorudan

    Жыл бұрын

    Currently ten episodes into it. I'm inclined to agree so far!

  • @sigmundschwartz6434
    @sigmundschwartz6434 Жыл бұрын

    OH boy, we now have an excuse to talk about the fever dream that is Redman.

  • @JarJarBinks4ever
    @JarJarBinks4ever Жыл бұрын

    Zone Fighter, aka the origin of those weird clips of Godzilla boxing Gigan to death in the Godzilla Numa Numa video

  • @SHINOBI-03

    @SHINOBI-03

    Жыл бұрын

    Talk about a very deep cut

  • @JarJarBinks4ever

    @JarJarBinks4ever

    Жыл бұрын

    @@SHINOBI-03 That video was my gateway to kaiju and toku stuff in 2006 or 2007

  • @ZeroBusterXX
    @ZeroBusterXX Жыл бұрын

    When you get to Spectreman, don't forget to watch the live action Cromartie High movie. Where Dr. Gori shows up. And it's not like a little cameo, he's just in it for like most of the movie. It's great.

  • @RNMyoutoobs
    @RNMyoutoobs5 ай бұрын

    “You want a Godzilla themed hot sauce right?” Me: fuck yes I do.

  • @Ultramadden
    @Ultramadden Жыл бұрын

    1:06 man...... that didn't age quite so well.

  • @christopherwall2121
    @christopherwall2121 Жыл бұрын

    13:00 "Draw, you varmint!"

  • @GUSYROSA-qj2pk
    @GUSYROSA-qj2pk Жыл бұрын

    Now that’s a video series I totally support !!!

  • @Yonggary1999isamasterpiece
    @Yonggary1999isamasterpiece Жыл бұрын

    The Garogas are the stormtroopers of tokusatsu

  • @SantiagoNguyen-vk3fo
    @SantiagoNguyen-vk3fo17 күн бұрын

    "They filmed in someone's backyard." Imao I love that line💀

  • @godzilla_fan_13
    @godzilla_fan_134 ай бұрын

    I really do wish they revisit Wargilgar and Spyler, they're arguably some of the best kaiju from the Zone fighter series and would be great to see return in some form for some Godzilla media, be it comics, a show, or even by some massive leap of faith, a film.

  • @ShinGoji1987Official
    @ShinGoji1987Official Жыл бұрын

    Great review! I remember I went absolutely bonkers when I first heard about this series in 2003 lol. I was so excited to find out that there was more showa Goji stories out there with a Ultraman like character and Gigan plus Ghidorah to top it off. I had a absolute blast watching it. I hope that the series gets a proper official US release one day

  • @PlatinumRoseLady
    @PlatinumRoseLady8 ай бұрын

    "Monster of Justice" ... I need to go lay down now.

  • @KyojinKaiju
    @KyojinKaiju Жыл бұрын

    My feelings are pretty much in line with yours; it's a potentially entertaining show bogged down by too much story/character/pacing issues to fully recommend. Which is a shame, because as you said, there was a mythical quality to it back in the early days of this "mysterious chapter in the Godzilla series" that was very appealing. While I do have a soft spot for the show, it's plagued with cramming too much that detracts from the experience. Still, at least it isn't Godman. ;)

  • @jacksonknightproductions8697
    @jacksonknightproductions8697 Жыл бұрын

    Ugh god it frustrates the hell out of me how Toho seemingly refuses to release this series.

  • @waffletime939
    @waffletime939 Жыл бұрын

    Zone Fighter in the Scarlet Mist Incident

  • @Skaramine
    @Skaramine Жыл бұрын

    I jumped on this video thanks to recognition of it from the Encyclopedia Godzilla by Ed Godziewski.(sp?)

  • @seanwtfgamer
    @seanwtfgamer Жыл бұрын

    Keep truckin’ brother!

  • @joutakujo2366
    @joutakujo2366 Жыл бұрын

    can't wait for the inevitable gridman universe videos

  • @loganmurray8810
    @loganmurray8810 Жыл бұрын

    God I love the humor in your videos... you funnny :3

  • @DanTheMan2150AD
    @DanTheMan2150AD Жыл бұрын

    This was such a weird show but honestly could have gone to even wackier places had it had more episodes.

  • @DorroroEXE
    @DorroroEXE Жыл бұрын

    Mitsuko who played Minami had a horri ble time on set. They bullied her and would hide her costumes from her and she said her props would literally be thrown at her sometimes. They did basically end up firing her. They told her that her stepping down from the show would be a step up for the production.

  • @pebuh6706

    @pebuh6706

    6 ай бұрын

    fuck really????????? FUCK THAT SO MUCH

  • @cheepmovprod

    @cheepmovprod

    11 күн бұрын

    You commented on the wrong video, but wow that’s sad. I know a lot of the reason she left has because kids couldn’t insert themselves into the role when playing games with Ace.

  • @ethanreynolds3522
    @ethanreynolds3522 Жыл бұрын

    I would have loved to have seen jet jaguar making a cameo in this series.

  • @kalvingoodlaxson
    @kalvingoodlaxson Жыл бұрын

    I do think during Zone Fighter was running and all the copycat shows and giant monster movies going down, I think it could be the popularity of Kamen Rider was rising at that time, and was more successful than those genres of Toku that were airing that time.

  • @vustvaleo8068
    @vustvaleo8068 Жыл бұрын

    and then Toho made their own take on Toei's Metal Hero with their Cyber Cop and their own take on Super Sentai with their Chouseishin series (Gransazer, Justirizer, and Sazer-X).

  • @dinoxels
    @dinoxels Жыл бұрын

    24:53 Zone Fighter Hot Sauce when 26:51 yeah…I get that lmao

  • @jackhamilton9604
    @jackhamilton9604 Жыл бұрын

    You when going over how I would have done the Godzilla series I’ve thought I would have made this, Godman and Green Man a Jet Jaguar TV show, how would any of you felt about that?

  • @RaptorBo
    @RaptorBo Жыл бұрын

    Johnny Sokko and his giant robot

  • @micshork
    @micshork7 ай бұрын

    Amazing work! Keep it up. I hope you eventually talk about Godman and Greenman.

  • @qtcash3498
    @qtcash3498 Жыл бұрын

    I always loved Brain Tank Claw Guy. And the ball dude

  • @voronOsphere
    @voronOsphere Жыл бұрын

    Excellent Documentary!

  • @johnnycee5179
    @johnnycee51795 ай бұрын

    Man has Godzilla changed since then.

  • @Ultramadden
    @Ultramadden Жыл бұрын

    Interesting series.

  • @Ghako_Janry
    @Ghako_Janry Жыл бұрын

    zone have slaps opening

  • @SciFiLOLproductions
    @SciFiLOLproductions4 ай бұрын

    22:40 IRON KING MENTIONED

  • @hankmessaros6700
    @hankmessaros67008 ай бұрын

    THE SPACE GIANTS AND JOHNNY SOKKO were great giant robot tv shows. I was very lucky to watch these

  • @trooper9249
    @trooper92494 ай бұрын

    7:48 I can only assume that people of Peaceland let the Garoga destroy their planet out of pity for them. They just wanted to give them a win, you know?

  • @TalesZilla
    @TalesZilla Жыл бұрын

    I would like it if the Ultra series had some monster ally to help in fights, like with Godzilla in this show. Edit: Since in this Ultra Gaiden you will talk about shows that resemble the Ultra franchise, will you talk about Redman?

  • @ConstantineFurman

    @ConstantineFurman

    Жыл бұрын

    Gomora has played that role semi-recently.

  • @christopherwall2121

    @christopherwall2121

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ConstantineFurman Not to mention Miclas, Jean Nine, and Sevenger, among other friendly monsters.

  • @chudcel99
    @chudcel99 Жыл бұрын

    any chance you'll cover spectreman? great video btw!

  • @ZaGorudan

    @ZaGorudan

    Жыл бұрын

    It's a looooong show, but I guess it's in the cards since I showcased it. I only feel comfortable doing reviews of shows I've already seen, so it may be a while before I cover Spectreman.

  • @WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS
    @WeWillAlwaysHaveVALIS Жыл бұрын

    Zone Fighter is the absolute best, well not quite but I certainly find it fun.

  • @beatsbyjiro8291
    @beatsbyjiro82916 ай бұрын

    This show is perfection perfected.

  • @Manowar458
    @Manowar458 Жыл бұрын

    Cool

  • @MaxAutoAttack
    @MaxAutoAttack Жыл бұрын

    Metron neck snap 8:27

  • @yokitikun
    @yokitikun Жыл бұрын

    Why didn't you mention the fact that the father is portrayed by the same actor of captain Kiriyama from Ultraseven?

  • @ZaGorudan

    @ZaGorudan

    Жыл бұрын

    I forgor

  • @TheWolf-ci1cm
    @TheWolf-ci1cm25 күн бұрын

    It has potential and someway it really does how about instead of a TV show an hour long movie short delved in English on Netflix movie he hasn’t been really does have potential I wish people would pay more attention to this thing❤Says the Wolf

  • @keeyinic9297
    @keeyinic9297 Жыл бұрын

    PLEASE, ON GOD OR HIS DEATH ANGEL GOJI do iron king

  • @bluebaron6858
    @bluebaron6858 Жыл бұрын

    I hope you can cover super human samurai syber sauad and 4kids Ultraman Tiga dub

  • @frankwhite2072
    @frankwhite20725 ай бұрын

    Maybe the Zonians are naturally mild, and the the zone family were outliers in their capacity to do anything. They're probably very flavorful for zonians, but terribly bland compared to humans.

  • @diegodankquixote-wry3242
    @diegodankquixote-wry3242 Жыл бұрын

    Why does the transformers character Powerhug have the same color scheme as that cursed ball kaiju?

  • @goimei
    @goimei9 ай бұрын

    Rumors were that more Toho monsters were going to appear like Angurius and a two Parter with the Garoga taking control of Jet Jaguar at a robotics fair with a Zone Fighter vs Jet Jaguar fight

  • @ethanreynolds3522

    @ethanreynolds3522

    Ай бұрын

    That was an April fools joke made years ago on Toho kingdom website.

  • @goimei

    @goimei

    Ай бұрын

    @@ethanreynolds3522 it was?

  • @ethanreynolds3522

    @ethanreynolds3522

    Ай бұрын

    @@goimei Yes. Just go onto google and type in Toho Kingdom April Fools Day 2018 page. You will see.

  • @ethanreynolds3522

    @ethanreynolds3522

    Ай бұрын

    @@goimei Just go onto Google and type in Toho Kingdom April Fools Day 2018, read the article and you'll see.

  • @mrgodzillaraptors8632
    @mrgodzillaraptors86322 ай бұрын

    The villains suffer the same issue that all villains like them have: they can’t be effective against the main cast or the show wouldn’t work.

  • @Zilla.X
    @Zilla.X Жыл бұрын

    26:51 what

  • @triplehate6759
    @triplehate67598 ай бұрын

    If one wants a watch guide for this show, frankly I would just stick to the episodes with Godzilla or other Toho kaiju: 4 (Godzilla), 5 & 6 (King Ghidorah), 11 (Godzilla & Gigan), 15, 21, and 25 (Godzilla). Not only are those the only episodes with actual decent kaiju (the original Terror Beasts frankly kinda blow), those are among the only episodes to get even SLIGHTLY interesting with the characters and plots, as if they were the only ones Toho cared about enough to actually TRY, at least.

  • @jf4132
    @jf4132 Жыл бұрын

    ….. aw

  • @MXF_0712
    @MXF_0712 Жыл бұрын

    24:17 U trying to say something???

  • @AThing-qp5gy
    @AThing-qp5gy8 ай бұрын

    Is that purple atomic breath in the showa era? Is this like a Showa version of his red spiral beam or is this just an animation error. 20:30

  • @ZaGorudan

    @ZaGorudan

    8 ай бұрын

    100% an error

  • @AThing-qp5gy

    @AThing-qp5gy

    8 ай бұрын

    Ya I assumed so

  • @budgiecat9039
    @budgiecat90397 ай бұрын

    My discovery of Zone Fighter ranks up there with Japanese Spider-Man, basically a..."wtf this exists? How did I not know about tnis??" initial reaction 😂 As well as finding out the villain Hakkaider from 1972's Android Kikkaider served as one of the inspirations behind the creation of Darth Vader.

  • @ZaGorudan

    @ZaGorudan

    7 ай бұрын

    The last one is misinfo. Vader's design takes more after samurai.

  • @budgiecat9039

    @budgiecat9039

    7 ай бұрын

    @@ZaGorudan it's both. The triangular mouthpiece, the all black attire, the cybernetic parts, the once hero turned villain then redemption arc back to hero but dies in the process, the father son angle etc. That show was released in the US. (Hawaii) in 1974, two years after its debut. Also it's not just the design it's the story too. Professor Gill is basically Emperor Palpatine with his legion called DARK, Hakkaider is his unfortunate controlled warrior who turns on him and dies in the process and Kikkaider is Hakkaider's "son". Darth means Dark in German etc It's all there.

  • @SHINOBI-03
    @SHINOBI-03 Жыл бұрын

    Fans are putting this show on a very high pedestal just for the Godzilla connection but take him out of the show and it's a pretty average series that would've gone to obscurity if it weren't for Godzilla.

  • @user-qk7we3iu8b
    @user-qk7we3iu8bАй бұрын

    Can you do a video of redman.spectreman and fireman

  • @techno-kuno9922
    @techno-kuno992211 ай бұрын

    Will you be doing Jumborg Ace anytime soon?

  • @ZaGorudan

    @ZaGorudan

    11 ай бұрын

    Not any time soon, but it will happen. The sooner it gets proper English subtitles, the better.

  • @techno-kuno9922

    @techno-kuno9922

    11 ай бұрын

    @@ZaGorudanGood point lol. Let’s hope it does.

  • @Bigboy4627
    @Bigboy462711 ай бұрын

    Godzilla and zone fighter are best friends since the showa era then zone fighter disappeared from existence many years later zone fighter is now nothing more than a cult classic show ripping off ultraman ace both good and bad including sharing continuity with showa godzilla.

  • @Chokun1
    @Chokun111 ай бұрын

    Cake

  • @fletchkeilman2205
    @fletchkeilman22058 ай бұрын

    Can I just ask why most tokusatsu/Kaiju channels never really talk about Spectreman in anything other than a passing reference? I have my suspicions as to why, but I would rather hear it from them. One guess....and it's probably the most reasonable...is that they just don't like the show.

  • @Gman1972-fh7xw
    @Gman1972-fh7xw6 күн бұрын

    Day 28272926282629262826566 of asking for you to make a retrospective of Ultraman gia

  • @kaijukidsam
    @kaijukidsam Жыл бұрын

    Well if by chance you're showing up to G-Fest this year, come say hi, I'll be wandering around in my Zone Fighter cosplay, figured the big guy deserved it for his 50th anniversary. I can't help but love the show, but I tend to love the goofier end of the fandom anyway.

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