Release Date: July 2025 RRP: 19,800 yen The Ultraman franchise has lots of legacy aliens and kaiju that first debuted during the Showa era and have continue to appear to this day, but arguably most of its newer offerings haven't reached the same iconic status. However if there's one kaiju that's come close, it's undoubtedly Galactron . First debuting in some of Ultraman Orb 's strongest episode, variations of the robot superweapon have gone on to fight numerous other Ultras in the New Generation - including Geed , Taiga and Decker . Its origins were even explored in the Orb/Geed crossover movie Connect the Wishes! , where we learned they were created by the artificial intelligence Gillvalis . Put simply, Galactron is a pretty big deal as far as modern Ultra kaiju go. And at long last Bandai Tamashii Nations have FINALLY recognised this with the release of  S.H. Figuarts Galactron , based on the orginal MK1 model that appeared in Orb . Galactron is a Tamashii W...

That time of year where the wallets of toy collectors all over the world cry out in pain has rolled around again, with Bandai Tamashii Nations holding their annual Tamashii Nation showcase event in Tokyo. The event saw the usual array of reveals and announcements for their various toy lines, with a wide selection of anime, tokusatsu, video game and Western media products. While my personal hopes/predictions for the event were a bit off this year, that didn't stop Bandai from revealing a whole host of great items that'll tide me over into 2024. As usual here are my five favourite reveals from the event, as well as hopes and prayers that none of these will end up in Bandai purgatory. Though truth be told, they've gotten much better at "announce less, release more" in recent years.

Although for the most part heroes never fully retire in the world of tokusatsu , it can often be a bittersweet moment when one series comes to an end and the baton is passed onto a new hero. However there's always one last farewell in the form of a movie, and Ultraman Geed's story is no exception as the 2017 Ultra returns in Ultraman Geed the Movie: Connect the Wishes! . As per previous entires  Tsuburaya Productions' latest Ultra Series film instalment also acts as a crossover with 2016's Ultraman Orb - a hero that has continued to stay in the spotlight since his original series thanks to an Amazon Prime exclusive prequel series, a biography-style recap series and more recently a dark version of the titular character's powers appearing in the currently airing Ultraman R/B .

Release Date: January 2018  RRP: 7020 yen  Not content with simply exploring the early years of Tsuburaya Productions ' legendary franchise, Bandai Tamashii Nations kicked off their range of modern-era Ultraman S.H. Figuarts last year with a number of releases from Ultraman Orb . Of course no Orb display would be complete without Gai's friend turned enemy turned usually-begrudging ally (it's a fairly complicated relationship to say the least), which is why they've kicked off what will hopefully be another great year of Ultra releases with S.H. Figuarts Jugglus Juggler . Based upon his monster form which made its debut in episode 10 of the series, the figure is a Tamashii web exclusive item as well as the first Ultraman Orb Figuart to not simply be a remould of the titular character.

Since the debut of Ultraman X in 2015 and the introduction of Crunchyroll’s worldwide simulcasting the Ultra Series has gone from strength to strength, and the popularity of last year’s Ultraman Orb only further solidified this new generation of Ultraman as a franchise to be reckoned with once more. Not content with just returning in the form of Amazon Prime prequel series Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga , the cast also returned for one last hurrah in this feature-length film, entitled Ultraman Orb the Movie: Lend Me the Power of Bonds ! As well as crossing over with other new generation Ultras X, Ginga and Victory, Lend Me the Power of Bonds! also celebrates the 50th anniversary of Ultraseven – much like how X movie Here It Comes! Our Ultraman celebrated the same milestone for the original Ultraman the year before.

Release Date: August 2017 RRP: 5940 yen The biggest downside to the Ultra-Act line coming to an end and the Ultra Series being incorporated into S.H. Figuarts is everything began afresh. With Ultraman Ginga the last “new” Ultra-Act and Figuarts going all the way back to the original Ultraman , newer Ultras such as Victory or X have sadly gone without high-quality articulated figures. However things are about to change, as Bandai Tamashii Nations launch a number of Figuarts releases from 2016’s Ultraman Orb and start a new wave of modern Ultraman figures. Kicking things off were a double bill of figures based on Orb’s true form – S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Orb Origin released as a general retail figure, while S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Orb Origin The First (based on his appearance in the Amazon Prime exclusive Ultraman Orb The Origin Saga ) was unsurprisingly released as an Amazon exclusive.

2016 inexplicably marked big anniversaries for all of Japan’s still-airing tokusatsu hero franchises, but undoubtedly the most monumental of all was Ultraman ’s. Last year the silver giant of light turned 50 years old, and with the franchise having gained new footing in the past few years Tsuburaya Productions did plenty to celebrate. Ultraman X kicked things off in 2015, leading into a movie which also featured appearances from both the original Ultraman and Ultraman Tiga . However the main event was Ultraman Orb – a brand new anniversary series which once again saw worldwide distribution via Crunchyroll   simulcasting . Although this main series only ran for a total of 25 episodes, it’s been immediately followed up with an Amazon Prime-exclusive prequel series as well as a movie due for release later in the year.

2016 is a pretty big year for tokusatsu anniversaries. Kamen Rider turned 45, Super Sentai hit the big 40 (though technically last year, the celebration comes with the 40th series) and GARO  is also celebrating 10 years on the scene. But there's one anniversary this year that's even bigger, as July 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Ultraman - arguably Japan's leading toku hero. Of course such a milestone can't go by without a party, so Tsuburaya Productions are celebrating with Ultraman Orb , the latest Ultra Series instalment. Western fans will also be pleased to hear that Crunchyroll are simulcasting the series with English subtitles, expanding their rather impressive Ultraman back catalogue all the more. With the site expressing a further interest in toku AND plans to move into the home video business, things could get very interesting in the future should these simulcasts continue to be a success.