Ultraman USA

Ultraman USA, released in 1989 as Ultraman: The Adventure Begins, was a collaborative animated feature produced by Tsuburaya Productions and the American animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Developed during a period when Tsuburaya was actively seeking to expand the Ultraman franchise into the Western market, the project aimed to introduce the iconic Japanese hero to American television audiences through a Saturday morning-style format. The film tells the story of a trio of test pilots who gain the powers of the Ultra Force, allowing them to transform into giants to defend Earth from space monsters.

The character designs were created by Hanna-Barbera artists who worked to blend the traditional aesthetic of the Japanese Ultra series with the visual language of late-eighties American animation. While the film was initially intended as a pilot for a broader television series, the show was not picked up for a full run. Despite its limited broadcast history, the production remains a significant point of interest for fans of Tokusatsu as a unique example of international cross-cultural adaptation within the franchise's history.