"If I wasn't from the Moon and remained on Earth, I might’ve grown old together with you like this. But I have no regrets, just like you, Seiji, have said: I always felt that you were close to me as well."
- ―Yuko to Seiji, after their decade-long reunion, Ace's Wish
Yuko Minami was once one of Ultraman Ace's two human hosts, along with Seiji Hokuto her close friend. The two became hosts for Ultraman Ace after they lost their lives trying to help a group of orphans get away from the first Terrible-Monster of Yapool, Verokron. When they bring their Ultra Rings together the two combined to form the giant of light, Ultraman Ace.
History
Pre-Ultraman Ace
Yuko is one of the few survivors of the Moon people. Entrusted with the mission to defeat Lunaticks, she has come to Earth.
Yuko Minami, is a Moon people, had lived on the Moon with her kin in the past. However, when a monster known as Lunaticks absorbed the lava on the surface of the Moon, it ultimately led to the Moon becoming a dead star devoid of water and air. Almost all of the Moon people perished in this catastrophe, with only a few survivors relocating to Pluto. Yuko, on the other hand, journeyed to Earth and took on the mission of exterminating Lunaticks.
Ultraman Ace
Yuko's first appearance.
At the beginning of the series, Yuko lived in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and worked as a nurse at a hospital. When Verokron appeared, the city was engulfed in flames, and the defending forces were nearly wiped out. Yuko attempted to help a girl in a wheelchair escape, but they were blocked by debris. Seiji Hokuto, a young man who noticed the situation, extended his hand to help. He decided to drive a tanker truck that was stranded there towards the approaching Verokron. However, he couldn't defeat Verokron and sacrificed himself on the spot. Tragically, even Yuko lost her life when the tanker truck exploded.
Yuko and Seiji were bestowed with new life by the Ultra Brothers.
The courageous sacrifices made by the pair were acknowledged by the four Ultra Brothers, along with Ultraman Ace. With their assistance, Yuko and Seiji were granted new lives and Ultra Rings as proof of their membership in the Galactic Federation. Resurrected with a renewed determination to defend Earth, Yuko and Seiji joined TAC, a newly formed team replacing the completely decimated defense forces.
Having successfully passed the admission test, Yuko and Seiji were formally inducted as new members of TAC. Captain Goro Ryu referred to Verokron as a "super weapon dispatched by invaders to destroy Earth's civilization", emphasizing that it wasn't merely a monster but a "Terrible-Monster". However, at this moment, Verokron reappeared near the Tokyo Tower.
TAC launched an attack, but their aircraft were sequentially shot down by Belokron's missiles. In desperation, the Ultra Rings of Yuko and Seiji emitted a radiant light. The two of them then merged to transform into Ultraman Ace, who engaged in combat with Belokron. Despite being troubled by Belokron's binding rays and flame attacks, they inflicted damage through close combat and ultimately defeated it.
Yuko becomes a member of the TAC.
Subsequently, Yuko and Seiji continued their dual roles as members of TAC and Ultraman Ace, engaging in a prolonged battle against Yapool. Among them, Yuko was primarily responsible for battle plans and operations within TAC but also actively participated in combat missions. She always approached problems with a calm mindset and repeatedly saved Seiji from crises. Shine! The Five Ultra Brothers
On a summer night, along the firefly-dancing Kyôbara Highway, a series of strange accidents occurred involving vehicles. The vehicles encountered a ghostly figure wearing a mask resembling a female demon, leading to drivers' mistakes and their vehicles tumbling off cliffs, leaving behind only skeletal remains. As this highway connects to the TAC base, the team launched an investigation.
During the investigation, Yuko encountered a girl named Damiko in a wheelchair while walking along Kyôbara. At that moment, Damiko's father happened to pass by and explained to Yuko about Damiko's condition, confined to a wheelchair for five years due to a traffic accident. With no witnesses to the incidents, the team returned to the base without any leads.
On the eve of transporting the V7 missile at TAC, Seiji's suggestion to investigate the scene was accepted. They arrived at the site at 2 am., and apart from the fireflies, everything was quiet. But Yuko heard singing and saw a white figure in the bushes, so she chased after it. However, she lost sight of it. When they got on the TAC patrol car, a huge light suddenly appeared before them, turning the fluorescent area into a She-Devil. They attempted to shoot her with TAC guns, but she agilely evaded. While under attack, Seiji urged Yuko to pursue the She-Devil, but she ended up following her all the way to Damiko's house.
Yuko asked Damiko if she had seen the She-Devil, but Damiko claimed not to have seen anyone. Concerned for Damiko's safety alone in such a place, Yuko suggested that they sleep together that night. However, when Yuko woke up in the middle of the night, Damiko, who should have been beside her, was nowhere to be found. Amidst strange singing, Yuko cautiously wielded the TAC gun, traversed the house, and encountered the She-Devil-like entity once again.
Yuko is attacked by She-Devil.
TAC carried out the transportation mission of the V7 missile as planned. Just like the previous night, Yuko remained vigilant beside Damiko. However, Yuko suddenly fell asleep beside Damiko and was unexpectedly attacked by a large number of fireflies. In her dream, she called out to Seiji for help, but the She-Devil appeared again and choked Yuko. It wasn't until Seiji heard the noise and rushed over that Yuko narrowly escaped danger. From Seiji, they learned that Damiko's mother died in a traffic accident five years ago, at the same location and time as the accidents that had been occurring at Hotarunga. They believed there was a connection between the She-Devil and Damiko that couldn't be ignored, possibly involving Yapool.
When Hotarunga appeared on the road, Yuko tried to protect Damiko, but they were both swallowed by Hotarunga. TAC then used the V7 missile to hit Hotarunga. Yuko successfully escaped and, in the midst of the crisis, transformed with Seiji into Ultraman Ace to fight, ultimately defeating Hotarunga. After the event, Yuko played with Damiko, who could now run, and the members of TAC smiled as they watched the "hero of the day". Summer Horror Series: Scary Story of the Demon Woman of Hotarugahara
On a beautiful autumn night illuminated by the full moon over the city, Seiji and Yuko patrolled in TAC's specialized vehicle, the "TAC Panther". Suddenly, Yuko saw the moon seemingly calling out to her and ran towards it. She appeared to receive some sort of message from the moon. Shortly after, seismic sensors detected anomalies. The Lunaticks appeared. Seiji drove the TAC Panther to the scene while Yuko urged him to go faster. Meanwhile, TAC members had already begun battling the Lunaticks. The creature unleashed missile-like attacks through its eyes. Despite members being knocked down, Captain Ryu's attack still managed to hit the Lunaticks, causing it to flee underground.
The Lunaticks lurked in the magma beneath the Earth's crust. Seiji and his team rushed to the scene, but Yuko proposed transforming into Ultraman Ace, even though the Lunaticks had vanished. According to Yuko, the Lunaticks appeared once a year, on the night of the October full moon, emerging from the Earth's core. If not stopped, the Earth would become a dead planet like the moon.
Yuko gives her ring to Seiji.
The two transformed into Ace and delved into the depths to battle the Lunaticks. Suddenly, a volcano erupted. Ace and the Lunaticks moved their fight to the surface. Ace endured severe blows from the Lunaticks' eye missiles and flame attacks but fought back fiercely, ultimately triumphing by hurling the Lunaticks into the magma. After reverting to their original forms, when Seiji called for her to return with him, Yuko said to him, "It's time to part ways", and began to cry. She revealed to Seiji her true identity as a member of the Moon people and her mission on Earth, which was to protect it from the invasion of Lunaticks. Once her mission was completed, Yuko couldn't stay on Earth anymore. She entrusted the Ultra Rings to Seiji. Seiji wore a worried expression, unsure if he could transform into Ace alone and continue the fight.
Ultraman Ace bid farewell to Yuko for the final time.
Yuko put on the attire of the Moon people, bid farewell to her TAC comrades, and took off into the sky. Watching Yuko fly off alone, Seiji transformed into Ultraman Ace by himself and watched her embark on her journey. Goodbye Yuko, Sister of the Moon
During Christmas, Yuko responded to the call of the Father of Ultra and flew to Earth. As a gift to TAC, Yuko rode on a sled driven by the Father of Ultra and emitted rainbow-colored light, restoring the vision of the residents who had lost it due to the Snowgiran incident. Resurrection! Father of Ultra
Yuko appeared before Seiji prior to the final battle.
Before the final battle with Jumbo King, Seiji had sworn to transform into Ultraman Ace and fight the next day. At that moment, Yuko appeared in the form of an illusion, appearing in the aurora in the sky, warning Hokuto that if his identity as Ace were to be known by others, he would never be able to return to his human form again. You Are the Ace of Tomorrow!
Ultraman Taro
Yuko returns to Ultraman Taro.
After Ultraman Taro arrived on Earth, Yuko on the moon continued to monitor Taro's actions. However, Mochiron, who lived on the moon, came to Earth. Taking advantage of the Mochi Day celebration held by humans, Mochiron devoured all the freshly made Mochi hung up around Japan.
That night, Kotaro Higashi heard piano music coming from somewhere. It turned out to be Yuko, who descended to Earth from the moon, playing the piano. Yuko knew Kotaro's identity as Ultraman Taro and informed him about Mochiron. Mochiron was a monster born from the legend of "the rabbit pounding Mochi on the moon," where people offered dumplings to the moon, and their emotions formed the monster. Yuko hoped that Kotaro could take Mochiron back to the moon to restore peace on Earth.
Yuko flew into the sky with Kotaro, heading towards where Mochiron was. However, Mochiron expressed his desire to eat all the Mochi on Earth and refused to leave. When Kotaro revealed himself as Taro, Mochiron proposed a "strength competition." Kotaro reluctantly transformed into Taro and began a sumo wrestling match. Although Taro overwhelmingly dominated Mochiron, Father of Ultra appeared at that moment. Father of Ultra loudly reprimanded Mochiron, demanding him to stop his stubborn behavior and return the Mochi he had eaten on Earth. Then, Yuko appeared in giant form. Taro and Yuko cooperated and began a grand Mochi-making process.
In the end, the freshly made Mochi was distributed to the children of Japan, and Mochiron was sent back to the moon by Father of Ultra and Yuko. The Father of Ultra and Son Big Mochi-Making Strategy
Ultraman Mebius
Seiji reunites with Yuko
34 years after their separation, the elderly Yuko Minami appeared once again before Seiji, who was on the moon.
When Seiji conveyed his wishes to GUYS, he heard Yuko's voice. As he turned around, Yuko stood before him. She expressed to him that if she weren't a Moon person but had lived on Earth, perhaps they could have spent more years together. However, she didn't regret this. She also mentioned the feelings Seiji had when he continued to fight as Ultraman Ace, carrying the spirit of their companionship.
In the end, the two of them transformed once again using the Ultra Rings, surrounded by a radiant light. Ace's Wish
Counterparts
Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers
Seiji and Yuko with their daughter Nanami.
In this film, Yuko is portrayed as an ordinary woman living in Yokohama. She lacks any Moon people ancestry. Yuko is married to another Seiji, and together they operate a bakery while raising their daughter, Nanami. Additionally, Yuko holds a nursing license."
When Daigo Madoka brought Mirai Hibino to search for the human forms of the Ultra Brothers, Mirai recognized Yuko and Seiji. However, the couple claimed not to know Mirai. Nevertheless, Mirai referred to their wedding rings as Ultra Rings and urged them to merge transform, leading to an awkward situation. As monsters began attacking Yokohama, Yuko and her daughter Nanami went to a temporary shelter, where Yuko, as a nurse, helped care for the injured.
When Seiji gained the power of Ultraman Ace through resonance, Yuko began to vaguely recall memories of coming from another world. In the end, she witnessed the moment when the eight Ultras joined forces to save the world.
Several years later, at the commissioning ceremony of the Nippon Maru space vessel, she and Seiji boarded TAC Arrow, embarking on a journey to explore the M78 Nebula in space with other friends. Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers
Profile
- Stats
- Height: 160 cm
- Weight: 55 kg
- Age: 19 years
- Date of Birth: July 7, 1953
- Blood Type: O[1]
- Transformation
Ultra Rings: Seiji and Yuko are each given a ring to summon Ultraman Ace. When the rings touch, both hosts combine to form Ultraman Ace. After Yuko left back to the moon, Seiji wore both rings and was able to transform into Ace on his own.
- Powers and Weapons
- Combat Training: Like any defense team member, Yuko is a trained pilot and marksmen.
- Flight: Due to her extra-terrestrial origins, Yuko can fly under her own power, perhaps even interstellar distance.
- Size Change: Yuko can grow to giant proportions in desperate times.
- Telepathy: It is implied during her reunion with Ace and Seiji during the time of Mebius that she had contacted them telepathically.
- Healing Light: Yuko once released a ray of light from her hands, which healed the victims of Snowgiran of their blindness.
- Ultra Ring: Yuko and Seiji can transform into Ultraman Ace by touching the rings together.
Gallery
Ultraman Ace
Ultraman Taro
Ultraman Mebius
Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers
Miscellaneous
Trivia
- Yuko is the first female to serve as an Ultra's host.
- Yuko is the first alien Ultra host, though biologically she is descended from humans.
- Yuko and Seiji's surnames have the kanji for geographical directions: Seiji's surname, Hokuto has North , and Yuko has South .
- Her initial proposed name was Nanako Minami .
- A similar case to Mitsuhiro Ide and Anne Yuri, the role of Yuko Minami was originally given to another actress named Kaori Seki. However, Seki suffered an accident before the series' filming. Thus, Mitsuko Hoshi was chosen to replace her. Seki later appeared as a guest character in one episode.
- Yuko is a big eater, as seen in episode 19, where she ordered an oversized ramen.
- After the episode 28 of the series, Yuko Minami exited the main role. There are considered to be various reasons for Yuko's departure from the series, and there is no unified explanation:
- In the first half of the series, Yuko and Seiji were depicted utilizing the setup of combining to transform, but due to various factors, it became increasingly difficult to fully utilize Yuko's setup. This included feedback from the audience regarding the show's reputation, difficulties in children imitating the combined transformation, and it's been said that script demands for developing separate storylines for both Seiji and Yuko also added to the complexity. One of the writers, Shozo Uehara, believed that the setup of the male and female combining for transformation complicated the relationship between Ultraman and the main characters. Feeling overwhelmed, he decided to step down after the episode 22.[2] As for Shinichi Ichikawa, who was responsible for the series composition, he resigned from the position of main scriptwriter after only producing episode 14.[3]
- According to Mitsuko Hoshi's testimony during interviews conducted between 2004 and 2005, she had no idea about her exit until she received the script. Upon reading the script, she felt confused, but her goal was to portray Yuko perfectly, so she had to accept the situation. After returning to the filming site, she didn't meet anyone and quietly left, feeling unhappy about the experience. Therefore, she hardly revisited this experience within the 30 years of portraying the character Yuko. In 2009, she mentioned some factors contributing to her departure from the series through her daughter's Ameba blog, including the influence of ratings.[4]
- In 2012, during the 40th anniversary commemoration event of Ultraman Ace, Hoshi expressed that her exit from the series came as a complete shock to her, and she felt deeply affected by it. She blamed herself, saying, "I didn't have charm, and my acting skills were poor. So I was canceled because the ratings weren't good enough. But even so, in order to have no regrets, I tried to forget everything and just do my best in everything. Whether it's the arrangement or the perspective, it doesn't matter. I just want to do my best".[5]
- Also at the 40th anniversary commemoration event in 2012, Keiji Takamine, who portrayed the role of Seiji Hokuto, expressed, "I had absolutely no idea. I was suddenly informed [about Yuko's final performance], so this is the first time I've heard about Yuko's final feelings. I hadn't considered this, and I feel very regretful. I realize that I haven't been attentive enough to her".[5]
- In 2014, Hoshi stated that the primary reason for being removed from the leading role included "the difficulty for the production side to maintain the storyline with two main characters." According to information disclosed on the TBS program BAKUHO Friday, and as mentioned in a letter sent to Hoshi by the series' producer Ken Kumagai, the decision to only feature one protagonist in the later stages was not due to any issues with Hoshi, but rather because the production found it too challenging to continue with the two-lead format.[6]
- According to the original series composition by Shinichi Ichikawa, his conception of the series and Yuko's initial ending was as follows: "I didn't intend for Ultraman Ace to continue existing. Yuko and Seiji became ordinary civilians, unable to transform into Ace anymore. In other words, they chose to love each other as humans, giving up their transformations. Through genuine love, they no longer needed the power of the gods (the power of Ultraman Ace), so Ace disappeared. Eventually, they resigned from TAC, started a life on a farm in the countryside, or returned to their hometown of Hiroshima, and then had a child... I believe that's how such an ending would be".[7]
- The song Yuko was playing during her return in Taro was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
References
- ↑ Ultraman Ace episode 5 "The Giant-Ant Terrible-Monster vs. the Ultra Brothers"
- ↑ "Spaceship Vol.168" pg 112
- ↑ https://magmix.jp/post/182280
- ↑ https://ameblo.jp/shikostyle212/entry-10222099648.html
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0041581
- ↑ https://yonta64.hatenablog.com/entry/bakuhou/2014-06-06_Mita-Akira
- ↑ https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASQ7H4TWCQ7GUCVL064.html