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| “ | The Light of Galaxy is calling me! | „ |
| ~ Ultraman Orb, most common self-introduction. |
| “ | I am Orb! Ultraman Orb! | „ |
| ~ Ultraman Orb showing his true form as Orb Origin, The Holy Sword, restored. |
| “ | Darkness isn't eternal. The only thing that's truly eternal is love. It's love that keeps the universe turning. It's a light of hope that shines in the depth of that darkness. | „ |
| ~ Gai Kurenai |
Gai Kurenai (クレナイ・ガイ Kurenai Gai), also known in his Ultraman identity Ultraman Orb (ウルトラマンオーブ Urutoraman Ōbu), is the titular main protagonist of Ultraman Orb Chronicle, part of Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra series. Described as a "wanderer", Gai was once ordinary human-like extraterrestrial being whom race proposed to be native at Planet O-50, the very planet which one of its mountain peak, Warrior's Top, holds the light of Orb. Chosen to become the wielder of the said light, Gai soon found himself evolved into the giant of light he is now on the same vein with residents of Land of Light with Plasma Spark and tasked to protect the world from evils. Unfortunately, this sparked a tense rivalry with his former best friend and friendly rival Jugglus Juggler.
He is portrayed by Hideo Ishiguro, who previously played Kai in Kamen Rider Den-O.
Physical Appearance[]
Human Form/True Appearance[]
In his normal appearance, Gai resembles a human male in his thirties despite him centuries older due to his extraterrestrial nature and enhanced by the light of Orb. He has black hair, dark brown eyes, and fit body from his experience as a soldier. His current outfit comprised of a fedora, black shirt, jeans, brown boots, a pendant, and a leather jacket. It should be noted that the pendant and leather jacket he wears now belonged to his late comrades, Shorty (the young thief who gave his life to aid him stopping the prison outbreak at Planet 484) and Captain Mike Scudder respectively.
As Ultraman Form[]
Aesthetically, Ultraman Orb's motif is based on past Ultra Warriors, which is meant to coincide with Tsuburaya's 50th year anniversary of the Ultra Series. The most concrete evidence is his basic form, Spacium Zeperion, which is based on Ultraman and Ultraman Tiga. Of course, it is also meant as a milestone celebration for the two aforementioned Ultra Warriors' titular series, celebrating their 50th and 20th anniversary respectively. Originally, Ultraman Orb was first teased in a promotional video by Tsuburaya Productions which commemorates the aforementioned anniversary. At the end of the video, a black background with a pair of Ultraman eyes can be seen, with the English letters shown "What's next...?".
Personality[]
Gai Kurenai showed himself as a forward-thinking man who maintained a positive attitude when interacting with other entities (whether humans or aliens). He also constantly introduces himself to them by telling them his name when he first meets with them. He is a kind-hearted and heroic person that always saves and helps others in need.
However, he is not without defects. Gai has one weakness: his inability to leave someone to suffer alone. When he thought Natasha Romanová had died, he felt so guilty that he sealed away Orb Origin, leading him to feel that his presence would cause turmoil in everyone's life. This further exacerbated by his initial inability to control the dark power of Ultraman Belial's Ultra Fusion Card which resulted him wreaking havoc like kaijus he fought against each time he used it to assume his Ultraman Orb's Thunder Breastar Form as well as having traumatized from his loss of Natasha after she seemingly died from being perished by Maga-Zetton's attack.
However, he was able to overcome this weakness thanks to Naomi's assistance and the discovery that Natasha had survived through her grand-granddaughter, renewing his faith in Orb Origin ever since. Gai and Juggler had a rocky past. While the two would compete whenever they had the opportunity, Gai and Juggler were once great friends who respected one other as warriors. Unfortunately, their friendship developed into a terrible feud from the moment the light of Orb chose him over Juggler. Despite their fallout, Gai can't stop caring about his competitor and was grateful to him when he learned that Juggler had previously saved Natasha.
In addition to his mentione dpersonality above, Gai holds his senior Ultras in high regard and considers it an honor to battle alongside them whenever the opportunity arises. When he uses their Ultra Fusion Cards in his transformation sequences, he explicitly requests to borrow their powers, which makes sense given that the Cards are essentially part of their respective Ultra's light.
History[]
Ultraman Orb THE ORIGIN SAGA[]
Orb's light showed as a dazzling halo around Crusader's Peak on Planet O-50. Two great fighters, Gai and Juggler, attempted to harness the light, but only Gai succeeded, becoming the present giant he is known as. Leaving O-50, their first task is to halt Psychi and his army of Bezelbs. Orb initially lost to a Bezelb on Planet Rurin due to his inexperience, but Juggler advised him to use his beam appropriately.
Orb later battled a Kugutsu-infected Bemstar and lost once more. After fighting the Bemstar in space, he teamed forces with the Kanon Royal Guards Micott and Ricca to travel to Planet Zain, where Psychi, Queen Bezelb, and her children live. While tracking Psychi to Kanon, he is aided by two senior Ultras, Dyna and Cosmos, who stop the mad scientist's invasion and save Kanon Queen Amate/War Deity from Kugutsu infection.
After Gai abandoned Juggler for harming the Tree of Life, Amate dispatched the former to Earth to protect the gigantic tree once more, aided by Earth scientists Shohei and Yui. The Kanon queen eventually followed him due to her commitment to guard the tree, and Gai encountered more of his predecessors, the Earth-born Ultras Gaia and Agul. After narrowly escaping Psychi's trap with the help of Juggler, Gai/Orb proceeded to protect the Queen Bezelb when she and her younglings defended the Tree of Life from Japanese soldiers but ended up getting infected with the Kugutsu after using Orb's body as a meat shield to protect the War Deity.
He nearly succumbed to the poison's effects until Juggler saved him again as part of his own plan to defeat the warrior of light. With all of his predecessors gathered, Orb joined them in the ultimate battle against Psyqueen, purifying the War Deity with Shohei's assistance and saving Psychi from certain death. After Queen Bezelb died, Gai was praised by his predecessors before going to Planet O-50. Orb as Origin The First was upgraded to Orb Origin.
Ultraman Orb[]
Gai/Orb battled Kingsaurus II at Paikal Lake in 1908, followed by Super C.O.V. in the fjord valley on his way to Rusalka. Gai's combat with Super C.O.V. forced him to forget his memory prior to meeting Natasha Romanová. The local villages also learn to know him. After a month of recovery, Pris-Ma reappears. Orb fought and destroyed Pris-Ma, and their fight allowed Gai to regain his memories as Orb. Juggler grabbed the cards from the aforementioned creatures that Orb had destroyed before releasing Maga-Zetton. Gai, still recovering from the previous fight, transforms into Orb and fights Maga-Zetton. After telling Natasha that he will return, Maga-Zetton unleashes a fireball that appears to kill her.
Orb then unleashed the entire force of Orb Supreme Calibur, killing Maga-Zetton and engulfing the forest in an event known as the Rusalka Great Explosion. As a result, Gai locked Orb Origin away. Gai obtained Ultraman's Ultra Fusion Card in the aftermath.
In the 1950s, Orb battled with Hungler, a saucer monster brought down by Biranki, and thus began the legend of The Mystery Of The Burlesque Triangle in New Sarajevo state, Rockwez, somewhere in South America. For the first time, Orb had to rely on Ultraman and Tiga's Ultra Fusion Cards to transform into Spacium Zeperion.
Before traveling to Japan, Orb fought Peguila in the Sevel archipelago in the Rupashika area near the North Arctic. At some point, he traveled to Japan, determined to defeat his adversary. He arrives in Tokyo riding in a freezer truck. Orb continues to fight the Lord Monsters in Japan. He meets the leader of the SSP and VTL Squads, Ittetsu Shibukawa, and saves them several times while also receiving new Ultra Fusion Cards for each Lord Monster he defeats. However, he unwittingly helped Juggler resurrect Maga-Orochi and succeeded after obtaining Ultraman Belial's card from the Planet Invasion Union.
After Juggler took his cards, Tamayura gave Gai the cards of Zoffy and Ultraman Belial, and her "destruction" allowed the evil Ultra to give Gai his powers. This culminated in the creation of Thunder Breastar, a savage berserker bent exclusively on devastation. Because of its performance against Maga-Orochi, Gai becomes terrified of this capability, which becomes disastrous when he endangers two people at once: a Z-VTOL pilot and Naomi, who is taken as Galactron's hostage. Still unsure of himself, he returned to Rusalka and saw Juggler again, who summoned Zeppandon, a Lord Monster composed of Zetton, Pandon, and Maga-Orochi's tail.
Juggler attempted to capitalize on Gai's guilt trip by developing Zeppandon and challenging his competitor. By the time Gai had his doubts addressed, Orb had successfully used and maintained control of Thunder Breastar, regaining his public reputation by protecting the SSP members from an impending attack. Under Gai's earlier order, Naomi sings the melody to Gai's Orbnica song, and Orb/Gai regains faith in his powers and the ability to shift into his original form, Orb Origin. In this form, he shrugged off incoming assaults and defeated Zeppandon with the Orb Calibur before killing the monster for good.
Many had foreseen a threat in the form of Magatano-Orochi, the adult form of Maga-Orochi, whom Orb was assumed to have killed. The Ultra Warrior confronted it again, but even his previous form (Thunder Breastar) and initial power were ineffective against the monster. When Juggler kidnapped Naomi in the intention of driving her to despair, Gai, who was fatigued, was obliged to deal with him. When Naomi boldly accepted responsibility for her own death, Juggler was unable to execute the plan and instead saved her from a crashed Z-VTOL. Gai embraced his competitor in thanks after learning that he had previously rescued Natasha.
Leaving Naomi in Juggler's care, Gai transformed into an Orb and charged with all his might, utilizing Spacium Zeperion, Burnmite, and ultimately Orb Origin, although neither could harm the beast. Juggler assisted his competitor after being persuaded by Naomi and the rest of the SSP and VTL to divulge the monster's weakness. While Magatano-Orochi detained Juggler, Orb used the abilities of his Ultra Fusion Cards to fire their characteristic beams at the monster, bringing an end to the ancient prophecy of destruction. He reverted to Gai, bad farewell to Naomi (who had known his true identity from the beginning), and fled to unknown lands.
Ultraman Orb The Movie: Lend Me The Power of Bonds![]
Orb was fighting Galactron in Hawaii, after Murnau restored and enhanced him. Ultraman Zero intervened just as he was about to be transformed into jewelry. Orb then defeated Galactron with Zero's help. Zero then informs Orb that someone is sending monsters to Earth before departing to investigate in another dimension. Gai returned to the SSP after a long journey around the Earth and encountered Ultraman X in his X Devizer, who requested his assistance in finding his separated host, Daichi Oozora. However, during this time, Murnau and her forces emerged and grabbed X as part of her space gem collection.
When Gai meets Sadis, he turns into Orb and they fight each other, but Sadis manages to overpower Orb and wants to prolong the fight until Murnau summons aliens who take Orb away. Orb would later pair up with Ultraman X against Darebolic, nearly finishing him before Sadis interfered. To deal with Sadis, Orb transforms into Thunder Breastar, but Darebolic turns X into crystal and defeats him with a flying punch. After receiving the Ultra Fusion Cards from Victory, X, and Ginga, Orb transforms into his new form, Orb Trinity, to face Darebolic, Alien Temperor, and Alien Hipporit, with help from Juggler as Zeppandon.
Orb would subsequently gain assistance from Victory, Ginga, X, and Ultraseven in fighting the aliens Sadis and Darebolic. After a protracted struggle, Orb and the other Ultras fly away. Orb would subsequently follow Zero after Zero invited him to assist him and X in defeating Desastro.
Ultra Fight Orb[]
After fighting a Demaaga on Earth, Orb sent its energy to space and helped Zero battle Juda Spectre and Mecha Gomora. When Orb saw Demaaga's argument about the darkness on Planet Yomi, he gave Zero a hand, and the two were hailed by the organization's mastermind, Reibatos. Although Orb caught him, he was destroyed owing to Reibatos' immortality.
This puts him in training with Seven and Zero for ten years until receiving a new form known as Emerium Slugger. Shortly after killing Tyrant, he pursued Reibatos in his dimension and vanquished the villain by continuous attacks. Orb was offered Star Marks in the Land of Light but declined due to his status as a passing wanderer and left.
Ultraman Geed The Movie: Connecr the Wishes![]
Orb arrives to assist Ultraman Geed in combating Galactron MK2, who was sent to Earth by Gillvalis to locate the Red Steel (Giga Finalizer). Following a difficult battle, the two were joined by Ultraman Zero. When Galactron MK2 blasted Geed and threw him into cyberspace, Orb utilized X's Gomora Armor to enter cyberspace and rescue him. Galactron MK2 launched a volley of beams toward Geed, but Orb and Zero stood in the way and appear to have died. This infuriates Geed, who destroys Galactron MK2.
Later, Orb reappears, having somehow survived the last combat, to assist Juggler and Gukulushisa in their battle against the Galactron Army. They are joined by Zero Beyond, who survived with his Shining Star Drive. After failing to destroy the Galactrons, Geed joins them as Ultimate Final, and the Galactron Army is vanquished thanks to the efforts of the four heroes.
Orb, Zero, and Geed fly to Cyber Planet Kushia to confront Gillvalis, where he assists Zero and Geed in destroying its Perfect form with the Orb Supreme Calibur. After Gillvalis' threat is resolved, Gai Kurenai embarks on another journey, with his eternal opponent Juggler close after.
Ultraman R/B[]
At an unknown moment in time, Orb traveled to an exotic world and protected a young Cereza from an unknown creature, inspiring him to become like Orb one day. If Makoto Aizen's roleplay of Orb is correct, he utilized Spacium Zeperion's Sparion Beam but failed, then he used Orb Origin to kill off the threat with the Orb Supreme Calibur.
Ultra Fight Galaxy: New Generation Heroes[]
Ultraman Orb had returned to the Crusader's Peak in O-50. He is suddenly ambushed by Ultraman X Darkness and Ultraman Geed Darkness, who attempt to drain his light energy before Victory intervenes and stops them. He holds them off just long enough for both of them to flee and rejoin the other New Generation Heroes in the Land of Light.
When everyone had gathered, they held a group meeting to discuss what had happened to them. Ultra Dark-Killer uses a projection to notify the New Generation Heroes that Ultraman Zero and Ultrawoman Grigio are being kept in the Dark-Killer Zone on Planet Tenebris, and that they must confront him if they wish to save their companions.
Upon arrival, X, Orb, and Geed face fight against their respective Darkness replicas, but are unable to overcome them. Remembering the fights they fought alongside Zero, Orb transforms into Emerium Slugger and destroys Ultraman Orb Darkness with the ES Spacium.
However, Ultraman Tregear resurrects Ultra Dark-Killer and Ultraman Zero Darkness, with the former swelling to gargantuan proportions due to his overflowing power. To assist Zero in defeating his Darkness counterpart, Geed transforms Zero into Zero Beyond using the energies of Ginga, Victory, X, and the Orb. They then morph into their strongest forms to face Ultra Dark-Killer, with Orb becoming Orb Trinity.
Taro arrives after the New Generation Heroes have attacked Dark-Killer and advises them to join the Strium Brace. Ginga uses the New Generation Dynamite to destroy Dark-Killer and the Dark Palace. The New Generation Heroes and Zero reunite, but are challenged by Ultraman Tregear, who claims he was the mastermind behind the events. The New Generation Heroes decide to pursue Tregear.
Ultraman Taiga[]
The New Generation Heroes encountered Tregear near the Land of Light and were easily defeated. When the Tri-Squad arrived, Orb, Rosso, and Blu presented Ultraman Taiga with their lights as a gift, which took the form of Bracelet-type Ultra Taiga Accessories.
Ultraman Taiga The Movie: New Generation Climax[]
When Tregear was beaten by Taiga, a portion of Grimdo escaped from his body. The New Generation Heroes tracked down Grimdo in space and imprisoned him away in a crystal, at the expense of their Ultraman abilities. They descended to Earth as humans to defend Hiroyuki Kudo from the impending Grimdo. After Gai regained his powers from the Orb-let, the New Generation Heroes faced up against Tregear, the Grimdo-possessed Taro, and Tregear's monsters, with Orb battling Night Fang.
After Grimdo gives their opponents power-ups, Orb transforms into Orb Trinity and defeats Segmeger. Initially defeated by Grimdo when it absorbed Tregear, the New Generation Heroes united with Taiga to form Ultraman Reiga and defeated Grimdo. The New Generation Heroes say their goodbyes to the Tri-Squad and Hiroyuki and return to their respective realms.
Ultra Galaxy Fight: The Destined Crossroad[]
Following Tregear's defeat, the New Generation Heroes were dispatched across the universe to track down the Devil Splinters, the fragmented remains of Ultraman Belial, which could be used for nefarious purposes in the wrong hands. In their hunt for them, Orb, Rosso and Blu arrived on Planet Liquitor in the nick of time to save their fellow O-50 Ultra Fuma from Gina Spectre. Despite their efforts, Gina proved to much for all of them, escaping with a Devil Splinter in hand.
The New Generation Heroes reunite in the Monster Graveyard, where Absolute Tartarus, Alien Bat, Reibatos, Ultrawoman Grigio Darkness, and Gina Spectre are attacking Ultrawoman Grigio, Ultraman Zearth, Ultraman Nice, and Ultraman Boy in order to steal the Devil Splinter. To combat Reibatos, X employs the Beta Spark Armor, while Orb transforms into Orb Trinity.
Tartarus, on the other hand, utilizes the gathered Devil Splinters to empower Reibatos, who recreates the Giga Battlenizer and merges Gina with the souls of her brothers to become Gua Spectre before passing away due to an overdose. Gua Spectre's new perfect form was too powerful, prompting the New Generation Heroes to fuse into Ultraman Reiga, who quickly defeated Gua before defusing into his components. Just after the combat, Geed and Taiga are attacked by Belial and Tregear, who flee shortly after, seizing the Beliarok from Z.
Trivia[]
- Gai aka. Ultraman Orb can be compared to Ursula Callistis aka. Chariot du Nord from Little Witch Academia:
- Both have a close friend who eventually became their bitter archenemy out to envy from being chosen by an artifact of great power (Croix Meridies grew resentful towards Ursula/Chariot for being chosen by Shiny Rod whereas Juggler was similarly upset upon seeing Gai become the wielder of Orbcalibur and later, Orb Ring).
- Both are plagued by the guilt from unintentional harm they done on someone they deeply cared about (Gai blamed himself for the harm he had unintentionally done on Naomi as well as that of Natasha during his battle as Ultraman Orb against Maga-Zetton and Galactron respectively, but eventually found the closure after learned that Naomi never hated his Ultra alter-ego for what he had done and indirectly revealed Natasha's survival. Ursula on the other hand, similarly ashamed from having unintentionally using Dream Fuel Spirit on her audience where among them turned out to be her future student and daughter figure Akko).
- Both displayed peak-human strength and formidable combatants, though in Gai's case, he was used to be a soldier and enhanced by the light of Orb.
