Ultraman Taro

Taroh! Urutoraman Nombah Sikkusu!

—Opening Theme

This Japanese series, the sixth Ultra show, aired from 1973 to 1974, with 53 episodes. Ultra Seven's first cousin, the son of the Ultra Mother, comes to Earth and merges with Kohtaro Higashi, a young boxer and drifter. Tarou's powerful and eager to fight, but he's a bit green. His mother and Ultramen from past shows lend a hand. This show has been one of the highest rated in all the franchise, topping a trend started by the Return of Ultraman two years prior.

Tropes used in Ultraman Taro include:

Adaptation Expansion
Acquired Situational Narcissism/Idiot Ball: After asking for help from his brothers, they tell him to go fight Alien Temperor by himself. Once he fights Temperor to a draw and the Big Bad ups the ante, Tarou is too big and bad to accept their help.
Affectionate Parody: The only one Tsuburaya Productions created until Ultraman Zearth in 1995.
All Your Powers Combined:
- Tarou, Ultraman, Ultra Seven, Zoffy, Ultraman Ace, and Jack merge into one being that can fetch a bell that when rung will dissipate the darkness engulfing Earth during a kaiju attack.
- The way Tarou was merged with Kohtaro.
- How Temperor was defeated.
- Tyrant, a fusion of past Ultra Monsters.
Big Badass Bird of Prey: Birdon, who sidelined two Ultramen.
By the Power of Grayskull: Tarou!
Calling Your Attacks: Storium Kohsen!
Continuity Nod:
- All the previous Ultramen, and even Yuko Minami make appearances.
- The Ultra Sign appears from time to time, and even the Ultra Brothers wear theirs in their civilian attire when they visit Koutaro.
Disguised in Drag: In her first appearance, the Ultra Mother's suit performer is a dude!
Friend to All Children
Fun with Acronyms: ZAT= Zariba (stockade) of all Territory.
Fusion Dance: Tarou and the other Ultramen did this in M-78 one time.
Gratuitous English: The theme song.
Hey, It's That Guy!:
- Rumor has it Seiji Hokuto appears in the crowd at the end of the last episode.
- Singer Peggy Hayama plays the Lady in Green, a school crossing guard, aka the Ultra Mother.
Hilarity Ensues / Failure Is the Only Option: ZAT can't shoot straight. Just imagine them directing traffic or doing crowd control. Their haplessness and incompetence may be the reason civilians often pick up the...
Idiot Ball: Whenever a human thinks he/she can take on a kaiju. Higashi did this in the first episode, before Tarou was part of his life. Also, see the top of the page.
Lady of War: The Ultra Mother.
Lighter and Softer: Compared to its predecessors.
Meaningful Name: Kohtaro sounds like Taro, the name of the child protagonist in Japanese children's tales, and Tarou. Higashi=East.
Mid-Season Upgrade: After being killed by Birdon and brought back by his mother, Taro gets his own version of the Ultra Bracelet.
New Powers as the Plot Demands: Self-Immolation, Optical Illusions (like pretending to be beheaded), Ultra-Brother-Merging, Healing (both Tarou and his mother have this ability), Ultraseven and Zoffy's merging with humans, and other one-shot powers.
Prop Recycling: An unusual example is Alien Balkie, whose costume was a prototype for Ultraman Leo's costume.
Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Trailer: An opening credits example with Tarou.
Title Sequence: Live-action mecha and the ZAT base, only the title logo is animated, breaking with tradition.
The Hyena: The kaiju that swallowed Higashi and a pooch. Big belly laugh...
Transformation Sequence: One of the more polished ones in the Showa era.
Transformation Trinket: The Ultra Badge.
Walk the Earth: He turns in his badge, kills an alien, and walks away...
You Are Number Six: The title song even says so.