I was pleasantly surprised last year when it was announced that Ultraman Blazar the Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown would premiere in Indonesian theaters and receive a fan screening with cast members attending. But one would assume that it would be a special, one-off thing. After all, these kinds of fan events are rare outside of Japan.
Yet with the news that for the second year in a row, Indonesia would receive another fan screening of the latest Ultraman movie, this time Ultraman Arc the Movie: The Clash Of Light and Evil, the message by Tsuburaya Productions is clear: Ultraman is going global and will continue to soar as the franchise enters its 60th year. Why just this past month, the aptly named Tsuburaya Global social media account has been posting about Ultraman events in the United States, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia, and more. I’ve written how we’re truly in a golden age of accessibility when it comes to Ultraman media in my review of last year’s Ultraman Blazar movie, and I can’t be happier to think that there’s a high chance that I can look forward to seeing more of Ultraman in local cinemas next year. Not to repeat what I said in my previous review, but truly, what a time to be an Ultraman fan.
Unlike the Blazar movie which takes place post-series, The Clash of Light and Evil chronologically takes place between episodes 21 and 22 of the show. Yuma Hize (played by Yuki Totsuka) receives an unexpected visitor while preparing for a hotpot party at the Hoshimoto City branch of the kaiju-monitoring organization SKIP: a mysterious sage who introduces himself as Sascal (played by Naoto Takenaka, in a role that should feel like déjà vu to those who’ve watched Kamen Rider Ghost). He confronts Yuma with three trials to prove that Yuma is worthy to be a hero, which, should Yuma fail, means that he would lose the ability to transform into the titular Ultraman Arc. Yuma takes up the challenge, crossing through multiple timelines of possible futures to brave three very different situations.
While Ultraman movies usually has a linear plot & self-contained story, The Clash of Light and Evil presents an omnibus structure similar to other feature-length tokusatsu such as the Movie War series of movies from the Kamen Rider franchise, or the Satria Garuda Bima-X movie Satria Heroes: Revenge of Darkness. Director Takanori Tsujimoto has expressed how he had told everything he wanted to with the Ultraman Arc TV series, which is why the approach taken for the movie was to tell a new story that takes place in-between later episodes of the show. The result is an adventure that feels almost like A Christmas Carol, if the ghosts of Christmas were instead kaiju of all shapes and sizes. While it wouldn’t be a stretch to summarize the movie as being “just” three episodes of Ultraman Arc stitched into one movie, that certainly doesn’t take away from it if you consider yourself to be a fan of Ultraman Arc.
And the movie is even more enjoyable especially if you’re a fan. One aspect I consider to be a highlight of the TV series was all the imaginative cinematography plus downright clever uses of Ultraman Arc’s powers displayed in the show. I’m glad to say that the movie too showcases interesting ideas and set pieces, and uses the opportunity to present scenes that has likely never before seen in an Ultraman movie, ever. The end credits show a reel of scenes from the TV series, and having seen the series in full, this movie serves as both a nice capstone to send off the show, while also a reminder of the sheer level of creativity displayed in the production of Ultraman Arc. Even as we head into the latest Ultra series entry of Ultraman Omega that just started airing, I find the movie gives me a whole new level of appreciation to the show, its characters, its cast, and its crew. Ultraman Arc really lives up to the show’s tagline of “unleash your imagination”.
To again repeat a point in I’ve made in a previous review in favor of watching Ultraman movies in theaters, the sheer sense of scale displayed on the big screen makes for a world of difference especially compared to watching Ultraman on your TV or laptop. It feels like watching Ultraman just as how he was always meant to be seen: a fantastical and impossibly larger-than-life hero from the stars leaping straight from the wonderful world of imagination. And in a packed movie theatre filled with fans of all ages and genders all cheering for Ultraman, that sense of wonder wasn’t imaginary- it was real.
Ultraman Arc the Movie: The Clash of Light and Evil premieres in Indonesian theatres on 25 July 2025.
The Indonesian Anime Times | Review by Caesar E.S
