Ultra Series

"I ask that you chant my name - Ultraman Z!"

The long running Tsuburaya Productions property has featured in many crossovers with all sorts of media both in Japan and abroad, Ultraman has regularly served as a property adjacent to many of the themes of Super Robot Wars and the expanded universe. Of chief use to us, Ultraman Z presents a giant robots forward profile to base our Ultraman integration of. Like Hardcore Mecha, the best reason to integrate Ultraman came in 2020's Ultraman Z, so it was post-hoc integrated on the merits of the show and the continuing well of potential content through the lifetime of the game. SSSS.GRIDMAN's inclusion in SRW30 clued us in to look at it, too, and at around the same time, SSSS.DYNAZENON provided some more conventional robot action in the Gridman sub-series, making it hard to say no to.

Ultraman Z

Our core integration of the Ultra Warriors and the 'home universe' we are using, Ultraman Z's Special Tactical Operations Regimental Airborne and Ground Equipment (STORAGE) with all personnel slots simply into NERV as a monster-combatting arm with their Special Aerial Armors, including the SAA-1 Sevenger and the recently produced SAA-2 Windom.

THE STORY SO FAR: Genegarg has arrived, Haruki has bonded with Ultraman Z in defense of an evacuation center in SAA-1 Sevenger, and after defending the Tokyo Geofront from Kaiju attack, STORAGE was reinforced with the development of SAA-2 Windom. (Go figure, NERV fights giant monsters.)

Ultraman Orb / Orb Origin

Because Ultraman is an inherently multi-dimensional/multi-universal theme, elements of these shows are integrated into the greater multiverse. Zett is proof that these shows happened sometime, somewhere.

Gai Kurenai/Ultraman Orb himself, as with most Ultra Warriors, is off defending space from rubber suits across all universes.

Ultraman Geed

While the plot of Ultraman Geed takes place in another universe from the MOO, Ultraman Geed himself appears in Z, as does the recurring threat of Ultraman Belial and his legacy, and elements will be folded in as-needed.

"Devil Splinters," shards of Belial's corrupted body, have been scattered across the universes because of his repeated deaths and resurrections and are a source of many problems.

Ultraman (Misc)

While there are no plans to directly use Tiga, Dyna, or Gaia - the first three Heisei Ultras - the concept of Human Ultramen is very valuable and one that we will probably be using for later phases. All three of these characters present a human in control of their Ultra Warrior alter ego using transformation items without a direct secondary personality like Z or Zero, and without being created with the potential to be an Ultra Warrior deliberately like Geed.

SSSS.GRIDMAN

SSSS.GRIDMAN, the second (arguably third; even more arguably, fourth) entry in the Gridman sub-franchise, has been integrated alongside Ultraman.

Denkou Choujin Gridman has already happened, and we'd be open to a Takeshi Todo/Gridman Sigma apper using content from the photonovels and Boys Invent Great Hero. Gridman's last major foray into the Earth Sphere was some 25 years ago, placing the characters from that show as adults.

Integration Notes

General

• The Ultra Series Kaiju, broadly, are either present or nebulously about/in the wings. Many of the 'extremely big deal' King/Lord/Ultimate monsters of one show become part of a plot in another - this is great! In general, Kaiju are a normal part of life when one deals with giant robots and those who pilot them, and Ultraman provides an immense and quirky cast of large punchable faces.
• Ultraman Z's treatment of the Kaiju as a native part of Earth's ecosystem, and STORAGE's posture as a shield against monsters attacking humanity, is extremely helpful overall for establishing a clear, innocent reason for large robots: Giant, armored behemoths with laser eyes.
• The GAF has been folded into the Earth Federation; STORAGE answers to the Federation, the NERV cross-bloc infrastructure, and the Free Japanese chain of command, in roughly that order.
• Veteran Ultramen (and characters from their eras and universes, like Jugglus Juggler and Black Directive) have significant levels of theme knowledge that will be made available to an applicant. These elements touch on content from Banpresto Originals entries as well as themes currently open to post-hoc integration or which will open in later Phases.
• SSSS.GRIDMAN's Tsutsujidai is another realm from Earth, accessible via dimensional wobbliness around Japan or by characters with access to 'near dimensional' travel. Related characters can access the real world in turn through various means. Characters who originate from this space are Repli-Compoids, as in the show; details on what this means will be available to prospective applicants.

Phase 1 - New Generation Ultras

• Shota Hebikura, as Jugglus Juggler, and Cerebro, as a whole bunch of people (currently Shinya Kaburagi), are supplying BioNet and Amalgam with access to Kaiju fusion items to start problems on purpose and to create threats. Juggler's goal is to help balance the overwhelming scales and scopes of the Earth Sphere and, simultaneously, spur new advanced weapon development. Cerebro wants people to make over-weapons, which everyone is already doing, so it is a happy headcrab.

• STORAGE, as an arm of NERV, fills the role of general monster specialist support and defense teams of the Earth Sphere, and their arsenal is shared across NERV to serve as a crisis response team that does not have a limit like NERV's Evangelions (in theory: in practice they are just another team of 3, go figure).

• The arrival of Genegarg has happened, and with it the Ultra Medals from Z, which has kicked off the actual Ultra Warrior arrival. Ultraman Z is bonded with Haruki at start.

• Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Geed, and potentially selections of other New Generation heroes, are available for applications, though applicants would be expected to run an introductory plot for the character explaining what brought them to the current Earth.
• Original characters using persistent Ultra Series elements other than being new Ultra Warriors, such as seijin, kaiju manipulators, etc. are encouraged! New Ultra Warriors will open up in Phase 2.

Phase 1 - Gridman

• Gridman arrived in Tsutsujidai fairly recently, and has been split into five parts by Alexis*Kerib.
• The last time Gridman came around the Earth Sphere, he made the acquaintance of the Shuffle Alliance, and a Gridman applicant would be encouraged to app the character into this faction.
• Alexis*Kerib is supplying BioNet with a seemingly limitless array of kaiju. He has a particular eye toward causing stagnation in the Earth Sphere, for reasons he keeps to himself.
• Akane Shinjo is comfortably holed up in Tsutsujidai, making kaiju and generally being universally beloved within her tiny little realm. She likes the Tarabaman series a lot.
• Sakiru Tonkawa and the volleyball club are dead, and Akane's homeroom teacher is alive; we'll work with any applicants for Gridman characters on a hook to get them into the conventional IC grid (heh) swiftly.
• SSSS.DYNAZENON has had some degree of integration planned, as it directly follows up from SSSS.GRIDMAN and Denkou Choujin, but will most likely only become appable during Phase 2 or 3.
• Original kaiju users, Compoids, and Repli-Compoids are encouraged! We are also open to humanized Computer World kaiju in the vein of Anosillus II as characters. Other content from the Gridman sub-series is a little trickier to proliferate out to OCs but we're open to pitches.