Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 15: Adventure Called Life

September 23, 2026September 21, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Koichi Sakamoto. Written by Hirotoshi Kobayashi. Airdate Dec. 19, 2013.

We launch into the final two episodes of Ultraman Ginga S with the biggest action spectacle yet in the New Generation Heroes era. Ultraman Ginga and Ultraman Victory, their abilities to transform almost depleted, take on “Vict Lugiel,” Alien Chibull’s monstrous tool created from Dark Lugiel’s body. Their big-city battle looks like it cost more than the entire budget of the first season.

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 14: Resurrection of Lugiel

September 9, 2026September 23, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kazuya Konaka. Written by Yuji Kobayashi. Airdate Dec. 9, 2013.

As the title proclaims (spoilers, Tsuburaya Pro!), this is the episode where Alien Chibull has finally collected enough Victorium to resurrect the body of Dark Lugiel. Except the episode isn’t about that until the coda. This is really the “Resurrection of Zetton,” a classic kaiju trotted out as a stopgap measure so the show can do a rehash of several earlier scenes and conflicts before moving into its finale. It’s moderately exciting — Zetton, even as a plot device, is a fun adversary — but most of it is jogging in place.

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 13: Split! UPG

August 19, 2026September 9, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kazuya Konaka. Written by Aya Takei. Airdate Dec. 2, 2013.

After two episodes of nutty, wonderful fun, Ultraman Ginga S switches to a story about UPG politics to set up the final stretch of episodes. The Defense Organization governing the UPG steps in to seize control of operations. They kick out all the members (with one important exception) and escalate UPG’s anti-alien measures by unleashing a secret weapon that’s been in the base the whole time: a Victorium-powered laser cannon.

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 12: To Meet You

August 5, 2026August 27, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi. Written by Sotaro Hayashi. Airdate Nov. 25, 2013.

Ultraman Ginga S follows an excellent standalone episode driven by bizarre comedy and a sweet story with … another excellent standalone episode, one that pokes into the weird corners of Ultra history while also telling a sweet story. I’m not certain what was happening in the show’s creative department that led to this explosion of terrific episodes honoring the finest Showa-era programs. But I’m thrilled it happened. Kiyotaka Taguchi directed both episodes, and he clearly wanted to honor the legacy of the franchise.

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 11: Gan-Q’s Tears

July 8, 2026August 27, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi. Written by Takao Nakano. Airdate Nov. 18, 2013.

The New Generation Heroes era gets its first genuinely fantastic episode. Recalling some of the great one-off episodes of the series, “Gan-Q’s Tears” steps away from the usual world of defense teams and Ultra warriors. It finds new characters to make into the protagonists of a story that’s both comically weird and quietly heartfelt.

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 10: The Holy Sword of the Future

July 1, 2026July 8, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Yoshikazu Ishii. Written by Akio Miyoshi. Airdate Nov. 11, 2013.

Watching this episode brought into focus a recurring problem with the New Generation Heroes shows: they frequently struggle to deliver major emotional payoffs in stories with big stakes. This issue isn’t as noticeable or grating as the prolonged, numbing fight scenes or the glut of transparent merchandising. But it’s still a major stumbling block that keeps me from feeling fully engaged with this phase of the Ultra Series. “The Holy Sword of the Future” is the first of the New Gen episodes that sets up a shattering moment — a significant story event in a semi-serialized narrative — only to then settle for a six-out-of-ten execution. For a story this important, that’s far too low.

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 9: A Life to Regain

June 20, 2026July 1, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Yoshikazu Ishii. Written by Hisako Kurosawa. Airdate Nov. 4, 2013.

Ultraman Ginga S returns after a two-month break to start its second half, and it has plenty on its agenda. One of the leads from Ultraman Ginga, Misuzu Isurugi (Miyatake Mio), drops in as a guest star. Alien Chibull openly plots to animate and control the corpse of Dark Lugiel on the Moon. Most importantly, Android One Zero is now liberated from Alien Chibull’s control after her master rejected her as a “useless piece.”

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 8: Desperate Battle in the Sunrise

June 10, 2026June 22, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi. Written by Yuji Kobayashi. Airdate Sep. 2, 2013.

The mid-show finale is a tradition in the New Generation Heroes era. Since these shows are semi-serialized, with ongoing villains and subplots, it’s natural to build to a peak midway through the run to shift the status quo, retire some characters, introduce others, and deliver a major revelation or two. Ultraman Ginga established this with a two-parter that was only a modest increase in spectacle. Ultraman Ginga S goes bigger, resulting in one of the most enjoyable action installments in the New Gen era so far. Best of all, it opens up a new avenue for a character who, until now, has been a literal device.

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 7: Activate! Operation Magnewave

June 3, 2026July 8, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi. Written by Sotaro Hayashi. Airdate August 26, 2013.

Ultraman Ginga S ramps up toward its mid-season finale (followed by a two-month hiatus) with an action-filled episode that introduces a seemingly unbeatable kaiju and promises a reveal about the scheme driving Alien Chibull’s theft of Victorium Crystals.

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Ultraman Ginga S Ep. 6: The Forgotten Past

May 23, 2026June 3, 2026 ~ Ryan Harvey

Directed by Kiyotaka Taguchi. Written by Hisako Kurosawa. Airdate August 19, 2013.

Shepardon, the giant monster defender of the Victorians, gets its first major role in the show. Shephardon has already taken part in several battles, but now it displays real personality as a pivotal part of a story about the history of the Victorians. Since Shepardon is one of the best parts of Ultraman Ginga S — a fantastic kaiju design that combines the friendliness of a cute dog with genuine dinosaurian menace — I approve of it getting more attention. I’m also glad to have more backstory on the Victorians, though the episode doesn’t go deep enough into what may have been an extremely dark epoch in their history.

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