Chapter 242: Tiga: Have You Ever Seen an Elephant-Sized Fist?
"Tiga!"
"It's Tiga!!"
"Tiga has appeared!!"
As the first Heisei Ultraman Trio series to be repeatedly aired on major TV stations in China since the 21st century, Tiga is far more recognizable than Mebius by several levels.
Even though from the second half of last year, the TV shows Dyna and Gaia have also started airing on some TV channels, these two new friends don't leave nearly as deep an impression as Tiga, this 30-million-year-old comrade.
To the kids in the theater, all under 10 years old, Tiga is practically synonymous with "Ultraman."
Not to mention, this time Tiga is fighting against Melba and Golza — isn't this basically a high-definition remake of Episode 1 of Ultraman Tiga?
"Uncle! Uncle! It's Tiga, Tiga is here!!"
Li Ri'ang's little nephew was so excited he kept tugging at his uncle's arm to express his enthusiasm.
Children's memories don't last long — as Mebius got beaten down and Tiga made his entrance, his heroic idol quickly switched back from Mebius to Tiga.
"Yes, yes. Tiga is here."
Li Ri'ang replied perfunctorily, his tone not particularly enthusiastic.
Though he's a fan of the Showa era, Li Ri'ang's wasn't one of those Heisei haters who mockingly call Tiga a "chameleon."
His lack of excitement compared to his nephew wasn't out of disdain for Tiga, but because he was reflecting on the earlier scene where Rena scolded Daigo.
On screen, Rena looked like she was chastising Daigo, but to Li Ri'ang, it felt like she was scolding him — scolding him for giving up on his dreams, for hiding away in the world of tokusatsu, becoming a smooth-edged adult in society.
"Back then, you were the one who gave up on your ideals. Daigo, ever since you were little, you worked hard to become an astronaut. I always supported that version of you. But just when you were so close to making your dream come true, you gave it all up..."
'Daigo's dream was to become an astronaut. What was my dream again? ...Ah, right, it was to become an actor — so I could star in an Ultraman show myself.'
'What a pity. I just barely missed the mark in the audition.'
That was really just self-consolation. Deep down, Li Ri'ang's knew exactly whether or not he had what it took back then.
"You just lacked the courage. You didn't dare to take one more step toward your dream, so you blamed everything on other problems."
Rena's words echoed in Li Ri'ang's ears, and he felt she was absolutely right.
He truly lacked courage. After failing that audition, he completely gave up on his dream of becoming an actor.
Back then, he told himself things like, Even if I become an actor, I'll never get to shoot in Japan, or If I skip college to work as an extra on set, I won't even have enough to eat.
Those were indeed objective realities — but weren't they also just excuses he made for himself?
After all, he wasn't satisfied with his current white-collar life either. He coasted through work with minimal effort and lacked any real passion for anything he did.
[Don't lose your kindness. Take care of the weak and help each other. And don't stop trying to be friendly with people from other countries. No matter how many times you're disappointed. Those are my last wishes.]
For some reason, Li Ri'ang suddenly recalled the line Ultraman Ace spoke before leaving Earth in the final episode of Ultraman Ace, You Are the Ace of Tomorrow!.
When he first heard it, he was touched, but didn't think it was all that hard to live by those words.
But after years of being tossed around by society, Li Ri'ang finally realized that this short sentence, while easy to say, is incredibly difficult to put into practice.
"…Ace, I wasn't able to fulfill the promise I made with you."
Li Ri'ang looked up at Hokuto Seiji on the screen, a flicker of confusion flashing across his face.
The next second, a fist — larger than an elephant — suddenly filled his vision.
BOOM—
With a heavy roar, the fist surged toward him like a train.
"Whoa!! What the heck?!"
Caught off guard, Li Ri'ang's was so startled he jumped right out of his seat.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
He wasn't the only one around the world who got scared out of their seat — in every theater showing the Great Battle! Super 8 (Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers), at least one or two viewers jumped from their chairs when Tiga's punch came flying at the screen.
And you really couldn't blame them. That punch had an insane pop-out-of-the-screen impact. It was easily one of the best 3D shots in the entire movie.
At this point in the film, the story had progressed to Tiga's dramatic arrival and his battle with Golza and Melba.
As that punch came directly at the camera, amplified by the IMAX 3D visuals and the intense vibration effects, many viewers instinctively ducked or flinched. Shouts and gasps could even be heard throughout the theater.
The moment the punch landed, some people felt their hair stand on end — it really did feel like they were about to get hit square in the face.
Director Feng, despite being a film industry professional, wasn't any more composed than the rest of the audience.
Thanks to some noisy folks behind him distracting his attention just before the punch landed, Director Feng nearly leapt out of his seat in surprise.
Fortunately, before his butt left the cushion, he remembered he was watching a movie, which allowed him to narrowly avoid public embarrassment.
'If I'd actually stood up, Old Zhang sitting next to me definitely would've noticed. That would've been so humiliating. I'd be a laughingstock in the industry for at least five years,' Director Feng thought, patting his chest in relief.
Little did he know, Director Zhang sitting right beside him had almost the exact same reaction.
If both directors had actually flinched and stood up, they might've ended up crashing into each other, and that would've earned them a decade's worth of industry teasing.
'I used to think stories about people fleeing during screenings of The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat were just marketing stunts. But now… maybe they really did freak out like that,' Director Zhang thought with a wry smile.
As a director deeply versed in the art of cinema, Zhang could tell that punch was no accident, it was a deliberate move by the film's director.
That punch toward the monster wasn't just for flashy visual impact, it served as a wake-up call.
The preceding stretch of dialogue-heavy scenes may have lost the attention of viewers who dislike long, emotional exposition. That intense, vibrating punch was the director's way of snapping them back into focus.
A little crude, perhaps, but undeniably effective.
At the very least, it yanked Director Zhang's drifting attention back to Ultraman Zero's storyline.
Just moments earlier, he had nearly dozed off from all the overly deliberate, surface-level melodrama.
And sure, saying that might sound like he was looking down on the Japanese director, but in Director Zhang's mind, it was simply the truth.
He didn't have any emotional attachment to Ultraman, so of course he couldn't understand how certain story beats might resonate deeply with a specific group of viewers. All he knew was that if he were the one directing, he'd make the human element more profound and the cinematography more aesthetically beautiful.
'Even throwing in some ordinary citizens doubting Ultraman's overwhelming power would've been better! Everyone just blindly sees him as a savior, how childish is that? Guess that's what you get when you try to demand too much from a cartoon.'
Though he had plenty of gripes about the dramatic scenes, no matter how arrogant or egotistical Director Zhang was, he had to admit: the director behind the Great Battle! Super 8 (Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers) really knew his stuff when it came to action.
Even someone his age was getting pumped just watching.
Especially those intense vibrations during the battles, the collapsing buildings, and the exploding energy blasts from beam clashes, they stirred something primal inside him, some deep-seated thrill for destruction.
As unwilling as he was to admit it… Director Zhang had to concede: he'd been outclassed.
By this point in the movie, the first round of the final battle was wrapping up.
Faced with a fully powered-up Tiga, Golza and Melba clearly weren't up to the task.
Tiga used his Sky Type's speed to take Melba down mid-air, then switched to his Power Type and punched Golza into the ground.
You had to hand it to Shinji, even with a movie starring eight different Ultramen, he gave Tiga, the centerpiece, all the spotlight he deserved.
In fact, Tiga was the only one of the eight who appeared in more than two forms throughout the entire film.
Just as Tiga was about to finish off the downed monsters with his signature Zeperion Beam, that damned sealed device suddenly reappeared on screen.
The tides turned once again.
People on the ground who had just been cheering wildly for Tiga's victory were instantly thrown into frustration.
Every time our Ultraman is about to win, this smug, ugly bastard shows up to launch a sneak attack. Do you even care about fairness?!
"Get off our planet!"
"Scumbag!!"
"Drop dead!!"
"Cowardly alien freak!!"
…
But faced with all the angry shouts from the humans below, the Alien Hipporit didn't get mad. Instead, he laughed out loud.
"Ultraman Tiga, now you'll become a bronze statue too!"
Say what you will, Hipporit wasn't entirely brainless. That extra appendage of his might not just be for show.
He understood perfectly: the return of hope among humanity came from Tiga's appearance. So if he destroyed Tiga, that hope would vanish.
It didn't matter how underhanded the method was, because, in his mind, there was no force in the world capable of stopping him.
And to the humans watching below, nothing was more devastating than having their hope reignited… only to see it crushed again.
But this time, Hipporit was wrong.
Tiga wasn't the only Warrior of Light.
Amidst the ruins beside the stadium, Asuka and Gamu stood side by side, eyes locked on the struggling Tiga, unwavering.
In that moment, they were no longer the ordinary men they had become — they were heroes again.
"Daigo is giving everything he's got right now,"
Asuka took a step forward.
"Then it's time we did what we're meant to do."
Gamu stepped to the side.
Together, they raised their transformation devices.
"Dyna—!"
"Gaia—!"
With a thunderous impact and clouds of dust flying dozens of meters into the air, the Mysterious Light of Space — Ultraman Dyna and The Guardian of the Earth — Ultraman Gaia made their grand entrance.
The Heisei Ultraman Trio were finally reunited!
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Current Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 316: Shinji: Good Morning! Children's Show![2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138671752?collection=31097[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/31097?view=expanded[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/31097?view=expanded
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/138671752?collection=31097
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/138671752?collection=31097
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/31097?view=expanded