Ultraman Hikari visits a harmonious crystal planet called Arb. There, he learns the planet is prophesied to perish by an alien menace, and he flies across the galaxy to train as a warrior to stop it. After doing everything he can, he still winds up getting there too late. Hikari then vows to get revenge on the monster before it reaches its next target: Earth.
This is essentially just an origin story of Ultraman Hikari, but it gives him a fully formed character arc that serves as a fine story basis for all the monster mashing. I liked that Hikari starts out as more of an inquisitive scientist than a fighter for justice. Once he trains in the Ultraman arts, he is given an awesome lightsaber-inspired weapon. It’s also interesting that he is prone to fits of rage that could potentially jeopardize his standing as an Ultraman. (This, along with the lightsaber, makes it clear the filmmakers were more or less riffing on Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith for inspiration.)
After the bloated and overlong Superior 8 Ultra Brothers, it was nice seeing something short and sweet. Broken up into three parts, this was originally a web series, so maybe I shouldn’t technically be counting it as a “movie”. Then again, seeing how I watched and reviewed the other Ultraman Side Stories, I think I’ll allow it.
Even if you don’t know much about the character, you still might enjoy Ultraman Mebius Side Story: Hikari Saga. It moves at a brisk pace and features lots of monster brawls. Heck, even the CGI space battles are a lot of fun as Hikari’s fight with a bird monster in an asteroid field is the highlight. We also get a sweet duel between Hikari and an evil version of himself (which acts as a none too subtle metaphor that’s he’s his own worst enemy).
AKA: Ultraman Mebius Gaiden: Hikari Saga.
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