Ultraman Regulos Episode 1 Review

Ultraman Regulos Episode 1 Review

Regulos is here! A special first episode of Ultraman Regulos, two years in the making, has arrived to widen the depth of story first introduced in Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Absolute Conspiracy and Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad. The episode is available to registered members of Ultraman Connection in the Exclusive Videos section of this site!

Regulos is a very popular hero, but up to now we have lacked a full understanding of his history. This series is a chance to discover the secrets of this new character, and his place in the greater Ultraman continuum. So how did Episode 1 actually do?

The show starts with some badly-needed context as to what the legendary Cosmo Beast Style actually is — a martial art that grants incredible power due to the practitioners’ symbiosis with the aptly named Cosmo Beasts. These energy creatures are reflected in the shape of the symbols that adorn their bodies. It is through the forms and movements that practitioners of this style adopt that allows for incredible power.

We then find a younger Regulos — before he is emblazoned with the Red Dragon and White Tiger that he is known for in the modern day — engaging in a spar with an unexpected appearance: Ultraman Leo, back during his days as one of the twin princes of the still-existing Planet L77! L77 and the planet that Regulos calls home, D60, are brother worlds, and Leo and Astra often come to the world to test their mettle and train with the practitioners of the Cosmo Beast Style.

Regulos is defeated in his spar with Leo, but the more experienced Ultra praises his improvement. Regulos jovially swears that next time, Leo should bring Astra so that Regulos can defeat their brotherly combination.

This scene is honestly a very emotional one for longtime Ultraman fans, as there has rarely, if ever, been a depiction of Leo’s happy life before the loss of his homeworld and death of his people. He is far different here than the taciturn warrior we know him as today, not yet shouldering the weight of tragedy.

This spar, and the exchange afterwards, introduces us to a number of the warriors of D60 — Alude, wise grandmaster of the Cosmo Beast Style who uses the Juggernaut Charging Buffalo Strike, and Regulos’ instructor Phoros, who wields the White Tiger Regulos would eventually inherit in this moment. 

We also learn that, despite his size and relative similarities to the other warriors on D60, Regulos is not a native. He is an amnesiac who arrived on the world and was taken in as a student. This is expanded on during a conversation with Spica, the practitioner who first found Regulos after he crash-landed on D60.

Still unnerved by his memory loss, Regulos finds comfort in D60, the Cosmo Beast Practitioners, and his fellow student Dias. Dias is a martial artist who managed to convince D60 to take Regulos in. Dias, a horned warrior with flashes of gold in his armor (Hmm, that seems… familiar) is a good friend to Regulos, and the two of them, as well as Spica, have a lot of natural chemistry.

The episode ends in the middle of a training session — and with that end comes the end of peace, as the Cosmo Beast Practitioners learn that L77, Leo’s homeworld, has been annihilated by the Alien Magma. This is one of the best-known and most tragic events in the entire Ultra Series, and it tells us exactly when Regulos takes place — just before and parallel to the beginning of the showa era Ultraman Leo.

This was an excellent start to the series. Though Regulos is a more focused and character-driven story than the mega-crossover style of Ultra Galaxy Fight, it contains just as many notes and references for fans to catch, and weaves them perfectly into the story itself. The characters feel natural and friendly, drawing viewers into their lives even though fans who watched The Destined Crossroad know tragedy is sure to come. Ultraman Connection highly recommends Ultraman Regulos Episode 1, and we look forward to seeing more of Regulos in the months to come. 

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