Ultraman Gaia

DramaticHalfHour ActionSeries

Ultraman Gaia is a Toku series that aired during 1998 to 1999. It is the thirteenth entry in the Ultra Series, with Chiaki Konaka as head writer. From Wikipedia:

Ultraman Gaia takes place in yet another universe, one that is totally different from the world of the original Ultramen, as well as world of Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna. In a departure from most of the other series, there are two Ultramen as the main characters. They have conflicting philosophies in regards to defending the Earth from a mysterious, malevolent and extremely intelligent cosmic entity.

The first half of the series explores the growing tension between them, and their eventual clash. The second half has them reconcile their differences so they can defeat their common enemy.

The show is also different from past Ultra-shows in that the support team, XIG, has more personnel than previous variations of the Science Patrol.

The Gaia series has several categories of monsters. In addition to those invading from space, there are also monsters that originate on Earth, monsters that resemble Ultramen, as well as a few mysterious weather-controlling monster robots based on prophecies. Unlike other Ultra series the aliens in this series are forced to Earth against their will by cosmic entity known as the Root of Destruction, later known as Zogu. Zogu eventually arrives on Earth along with a massive swarm of insect-like creatures called Dobishi, which block out the sun by surrounding the Earth. Though Zogu (appearing as an angelic creature) defeats Gaia and Agul, the Earth's monsters and military join forces against her army. Eventually, Gaia and Agul are revived and destroy the Dobishi swarm before confronting the mighty Zogu. They force her to shed her disguise, revealing her true massive, demonic form. After a fierce battle, the two combine their finishing beams, killing Zogu in a huge explosion.

In this series, Gaia is the lead, but Ultraman Agul makes many appearances. They are often at odds with each other in the beginning of the series. Their philosophies are as different as their skin colors. Unlike Gaia, Agul is completely blue. Takayama Gamu, the human host of Ultraman Gaia, believes that Gaia is here to save Earth and humanity. On the other hand, Fujimiya Hiroya, the human host of Ultraman Agul, believes Agul to be Earth's natural defence mechanism. He is at first more interested in protecting just the planet itself, even at the expense of humanity (hence the occasional clashes with Gaia). But this was discontinued after Gaia and Agul would work together as one to face more powerful monsters.

Ultraman Gaia contains examples of:

 * Anti-Hero: Ultraman Agul
 * Alternate Universe: From the Showa Ultras and Tiga/Dyna's universe.
 * Badass: Gaia and Agul
 * Badass Crew: XIG
 * Bash Brothers: Gaia and Agul, after solving their differences.
 * Big Bad:Zogu
 * The Cape: Ultraman Gaia
 * Blade Below the Shoulder: Agul's Agul Blade
 * Darker and Edgier: Compared to both its predecessor and most of the Ultra Series
 * Evolution Power-Up: Gaia's V1,V2 and Supreme modes.
 * Henshin Hero
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Gaia and Agul.
 * Sixth Ranger: Agul
 * Super Mode: Gaia's Supreme Version and Agul's V2 form.
 * Symbiotic Possession: Between both Ultras and their human hosts. Par for the course for Ultramen (unless they make them up.)
 * Transformation Trinket: Gaia's Esplender and Agul's Agulator