Theory and Analysis:Ultraman and Ultra Series influences
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"We've seen it. The proof of its construction was very useful." |
The Ultraman franchise, also known in Japan as the Ultra Series, is one of the most popular Science Fiction franchises in Japan and a known favorite of Evangelion director Hideaki Anno. Anno played Ultraman in the 1983 fan film Return of Ultraman and was heavily involved in the production of Shin Ultraman, playing the title character again (along with original suit actor Bin Furuya). The Ultra Series appears to have been a key influence on the growth of Evangelion.
One of the key Ultra Series episodes appears to be Episode 42 of Ultra Seven, "The Return of the Nonmalts" where the adversaries claim to be the original inhabitants of the Earth, with humanity being invaders from outer space. This reflects the scenario in the Classified Information revealing that the Angels were originally meant to inhabit the Earth, but collision of the primordial moon with Lilith on board led to the creation of the Moon and forced the Angels into dormancy, leaving Lilin (humans) as Earth's inhabitants after First Impact.
The extraterrestrial origins of the Ultramen themselves seems to connect to themes present in Evangelion, since the Ultramen are described as coming from the M78 nebula and having evolved from human bodies into their "giant of light" forms through the creation of the Plasma Spark, which replaced their homeworld's sun.
