Leodo

Leodo (リオド（里汚土）, Riodo)^[1][2][3] is an ancient Kaiju who first appeared in Ultraman Arc episode 2.

Subtitle: Ancient Kaiju (古代怪獣, Kodai Kaijū)^[1][2][3]

Conception

Etymology

In kanji writing, Leodo's name is derived from the characters:

• Ri (里), which can refer to a place where people gather and live, in this case, the ancient village.
• O (汚), which means "dirty", or "filthy".
• Do (土), which refers to the ground.

In the show, it is said that Leodo is named after the land it first appeared in, as mentioned in the ancient scriptures.

Design

Leodo was designed by Takanori Tsujimoto, the main director of Ultraman Arc.^[4]

According to Tsujimoto, the theme for this kaiju was a mud creature. He thought it would be more interesting if the mud didn't come out of the mouth, but from other parts of the body. Therefore, a jet-like structure was designed near the ears. Considering children's perspectives, horns were added, along with a combination of primary colors—red, blue, and yellow—so colorful horns were placed on the head. However, this made it look a bit like Black King, so hair-like details were added, which ultimately made the final design resemble Geronimon.^[5]

Regarding colors, Tsujimoto found yellow too difficult to express, so blue was chosen as the main color. He referenced the reddish-blue color of Cosmo Liquid from Ultraman Taro for the design, asking the LSS team to follow this direction.^[5]

Leodo was originally set to be "buried underground," but just burying it in a normal pose felt too ordinary, so the decision was made for it to sleep with its feet up in a strange position. As a result, the design had to include details on the soles of its feet. Based on the storyline, the feet were designed to resemble ancient ruins.^[5]

Since Leodo's original suit was a modification of Black King, the design called for a slightly larger head proportion. Tsujimoto requested that LSS create versions of Leodo's nose that could represent both a curled-up and a stretched-out state. In the end, LSS decided to make two separate head versions to correspond to each of these states. The design of the soles of the feet was made as a separate part, which was then attached to the suit's feet.^[5]

History

Ultraman Arc

More than 1200 years ago, in the land of Leodo^[6], the swamp-dwelling kaiju that shared the land's name would ascend to the surface and rampage, spewing black mud which damaged crop land and threatened the livelihoods of the native villagers. Their attempts to appease the kaiju with offerings were met with failure, and as a last resort, the people put together a special concoction of 88 herbs that finally put Leodo to sleep. Its exploits would be recorded in ancient scripture that would later be preserved in the present day.

However, when excavation work to build new homes for people displaced from kaiju attacks introduced air into Leodo's burial site, the kaiju roused from its slumber and began to rampage as it did in ancient times. Hayato Otawara, a young boy who had alerted SKIP to the menace prior, found himself caught in Leodo's suction and was almost devoured by the kaiju if not for Ultraman Arc, who saved the boy.

Initially, Leodo's ferocity and strength gave it the upper hand on Arc, but the timely intervention of You-bot, who had fed the kaiju an entire urn of the special medicinal pellets that subdued it in the past, sent Leodo into a drunken stupor that gave the Ultra a window of opportunity to drill a hole in the ground using the Arc Exa Slash. Inebriated, Leodo took a wrong turn and fell into the depths, but it would not go down without a fight as it dragged Arc along with it. After a brief struggle, the ancient kaiju was finally defeated by the Arc Finalize, putting an end to its belligerent history. ^{Legend in the Woods}

Alongside Shagong, Livyjira, Digelos, Givas and Zadime, Leodo was one of the monsters conjured in a dream created by Guilebaku in an effort to convince Yuma that everything he had experienced for the past 16 years was just a dream. ^{The Descending Dream}

Trivia

• Suit actor: Hiroyuki Arai
• The "ancient ruins" uncovered by the excavation team and observed by SKIP are actually the soles of Leodo's feet.
• Leodo's roars are slightly modified elephant trumpets.
• Leodo's suit is a modified Black King suit.
• In addition to being repelled by herbs, Leodo appears to dislike the taste of plants in general; after attempting to eat a tree following his reemergence, he promptly spat it back out. This aversion to nature may be tied to its actions in turning all of nature into mudland.
• The ancient text that Leodo is mentioned in is reminiscent of the Pacific Records, a collection of scriptures containing records of Kaiju that appeared throughout the New Generation series.

Data

Stats

• Height: 60 m^[2][3]
• Weight: 42,000 t^[2][3]
• Origin: Forests adjacent to Hoshimoto City

Powers and Weapons

• Leodo Burning Mud (リオド燃焼泥, Riodo Nenshō Doro)^[1][7]: Produced from the glands beneath its armpits^[6], Leodo can fire a black, chemically-reactive sludge from the tubes on either side of its mouth. This substance is highly flammable, and ignites on contact with objects.
• Leodo Vacuum Cyclone^[1]: When Leodo breathes in, it exhibits a strong suction force from its trunk that is powerful enough to even sweep Ultraman Arc off his feet. It can also breathe back out in a powerful typhoon-like gust.^[6]
• Leodo Horn Lightning (リオド角閃光, Riodo Tsuno Senkō)^[1][7]: A series of lightning bolts unleashed from the horn on its head when it rotates to face forward.

Merchandise

Ultra Monster Series (2016)

• Leodo (2024)
  • Release Date: July 13, 2024
  • Price: 800 yen
  • JAN/ISBN: 4570118204271
  • Materials: PVC

Ultra Monster Series (2016) Leodo is a small soft vinyl figure with 2 points of articulation at its arms.

Gallery

Ultraman Arc

Miscellaneous

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} https://tsuburaya-prod.com/encyclopedia/leodo
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} https://m-78.jp/character/arc-3/
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} https://cocreco.kodansha.co.jp/telemaga/news/feature/arc/C6iJa
4. ↑ File:Leodo Designer is Tsujimoto omg.png
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Figure King No.325, pg 46-47
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iwyZFH6SONw
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} https://x.com/ultraman_series/status/1813136917653061988