Anime Expo 2022 has been awesome for many reasons, but the best part has undoubtedly been… You! For the first time in Ultraman history, the Ultras have come all the way from Japan to North America to meet their beloved fans in the flesh and the results have been truly heartwarming.
It all went down at the Bandai Namco booth beneath massive Ultraman banners in the section featuring Tamashii Nations S.H Figuarts Anime Ultraman collection.
If you don’t already know, Bandai Namco Entertainment is one of the biggest video game companies in the world and has collaborated with Tsubaraya Productions in the past on Ultraman games, figures, stickers, and all kinds of unique merchandise.
The figures are truly something else! These collector’s items are fully articulated, highly detailed recreations of the Season 2 Anime ULTRAMAN suits. With rich metallic color and extremely versatile posing capability, they highlight all the most impressive aspects of these character designs. Whether you’re an Ultraman fan or not, it’s pretty much impossible not to stop and stare.
Between the merchandise, the statue, and the live in-person Suits themselves themselves, people were swarming the Bandai booth like aliens and Kaiju swarm the earth (with far fewer casualties).
Countless fans moved through the sprawling booth each day of the Expo to see the armored Ultraman, Ace Suit, Seven Suit, and the brand-new Taro Suit. This is the first time any of these suits have been exhibited in the US and the first time Taro suit has been seen anywhere!
There’s nothing like watching people meet their heroes, and we here at Ultraman Connection are honored to have the opportunity to experience that.
Smiling faces, nervous approaches, iconic poses, firm handshakes, and some genuinely vulnerable moments all stirred a whirlwind of excitement at the Bandai booth. We believe the meet and greet encapsulated everything Anime Expo is all about.
All the featured suits can be found in Anime Ultraman season 2, streaming now on Netflix, and we are looking forward to seeing more amazing Ultra Suit designs in the future. Stay posted on all the latest Ultraman info here on UltramanConnection.com!
