Ultraman: Rising

A star athlete living abroad is called back to Japan to take up a role he never wanted: his father's place as Ultraman, the giant defender of Tokyo against enormous monsters. Balancing a sports career with secret heroics proves difficult, and his return home forces him to confront a strained relationship with his father.

Shannon Tindle directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Marc Haimes, with Tom Knott and Lisa M. Poole producing. The film is a collaboration between Netflix Animation and Tsuburaya Productions, the company behind the long-running Ultraman franchise, and it was released in June 2024. Christopher Sean voices Ken Sato, the reluctant hero, alongside Gedde Watanabe as Professor Sato, Tamlyn Tomita as Mina, Keone Young as Dr. Onda, Julia Harriman as Ami Wakita and Hiro Nakamura as Kenji. The production credits list 26 cast members and 76 crew members.

Audience response has been positive, with an 8 out of 10 average on TMDB from a relatively small number of votes and a 6.9 out of 10 on IMDb from a much larger group of users. The difference reflects a broader, more mixed sample against a smaller and more enthusiastic one. At 117 minutes, the animated action film blends family drama with science fiction spectacle, and it stands as Tindle's first feature as director.