by Alex Billington
May 14, 2026
Source: YouTube
“Children need to be shown something real.” Toho Next & Tsuburaya Productions have unveiled the official trailer for a documentary film titled The Origin of Ultraman, retelling the history of this iconic Japanese franchise. This is opening in cinemas in Japan starting in July, though we’re not sure when it’ll show up in the US. This masterful film explores the origins of the legendary Japanese Tokusatsu series, Ultraman. Through the eyes of today’s most influential visionaries, the truth behind Ultraman is finally unveiled. The doc brings together leading voices in cinema, Tokusatsu, and design. Plus interviews with world-renowned directors/creators: Guillermo del Toro, Hirokazu Koreeda, Hideo Kojima, Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi, Nicolas Winding Refn. As their perspectives intertwine, the true essence of Ultraman begins to take shape. This explores the series’ one-of-a-kind worldview: where Kaijus are given complex backstories as meaningful as the hero’s, and uncovers the enduring visual appeal of both the giants and the creatures. There was an awesome new animated Ultraman movie a few years ago. Yep, this sounds like a blast! Even if you’re not an Ultraman fan already, you will be one by the end of this film. Enjoy the first look trailer below.
Here’s the full trailer for Yu Nakamura & Kazuki Yoshida’s doc The Origin of Ultraman, via YouTube:
A commemorative documentary celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Ultraman series. The landmark Japanese Tokusatsu TV series Ultraman became a massive social phenomenon upon its debut in 1966, reaching a staggering peak viewership of 42.8%. Six decades later, and Tsuburaya Productions continues to introduce new entries into the Ultraman series, expanding its unique universe out to a global audience across generations. Furthermore, the film retraces Ultraman’s journey to the global stage, shedding light on the visionary concepts and craftsmanship of Eiji Tsuburaya and his original production team. The Origin of Ultraman is a documentary film co-directed by filmmakers Yu Nakamura & Kazuki Yoshida. Supervised by Takayuki Tsukagoshi & planned by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Produced by Masahiro Onda, Tomoko Izuta (Slow Hand). Toho Next & Tsuburaya Prod. will debut The Origin of Ultraman doc film in Japanese theaters starting on July 3rd, 2026 this summer. No US release is set – stay tuned. Who wants to watch?
