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Ultra Base

The Ultra Base is a location featured in the film Ultraman: Rising. It is Ken Sato's residence in Japan and also serves as a secret base equipped with numerous high-tech facilities.

Overview

The Ultra Base is believed to be located on an island in the coastal area of Tokyo Bay, consisting of both above-ground and underground structures. The above-ground section primarily serves as Ken Sato's residence, featuring facilities such as a lobby, bedroom, bathroom, and balcony, and is considered a large-scale super mansion. Additionally, the above-ground building is connected to the mainland by mobile artificial roads, which remain submerged in the sea and are activated only when Ken uses his Ultrabike.

The above-ground structure is linked to the main base in the basement cave (underwater) via an elevator platform. This airlock is an expansive space, tall enough to accommodate Ultraman's enormous stature. It features an Airlock stage that serves as Ultraman's entry and exit passage from the underwater base, as well as containment units for imprisoning kaiju. The walls of this room display Ken's racing car collection.

In the corner of the room is Ken's "Man Cave," a space designated for storing his collections and toys. This area also allows him to control the equipment, transforming the entire underground facility into a platform for virtual reality environments used for entertainment, combat training, and other purposes, equipped with large TVs and other entertainment facilities.

All functions of the base are managed by Mina, including surveillance and defense systems. The Ultrabase also has a protective shield system and frequency jammers to evade detection from various external signals. This enhances its defensive capabilities, ensuring the safety of Ken Sato and other users. Inside the base, there are capsule pods specifically designed for providing medical treatment to personnel.

Conception

Design

Ultrabase 01

According to an interview with Shannon Tindle and John Aoshima, the key to shaping the film’s environment work lies in the concept and realization of the Ultra Base. Tindle used the example of the straight-line shapes seen in the city to emphasize the contrast in the design of the Base. He aimed for the Base to feel like a warm embrace, providing a sense of comfort. However, it should also evoke an alien quality, conveying Ultraman's roots without directly mentioning them.[2]

The Base itself was designed by Marcos Mateu-Mestre, drawing inspiration from the works of Eero Saarinen. It also incorporates similar curved wood designs found in the spaces of Frank Gehry.

Regarding the visual design of the underground facility, concept designer Khang Le described it as follows:[1]

The wall design of the underground facility features deep engravings, with the depth of the engravings varying along the S-curve. This allows the shadows to create varying levels of darkness, adding depth and complexity to the visual effect. The outer contours of the walls follow the primary volumes of the structure, allowing light and shadow to naturally play across the surfaces, enhancing the sense of dimensionality and visual depth in the space.[1]

The design of the elevator platform emphasizes the interplay of light and shadow. The top of the platform is designed to be misty and semi-transparent, making characters' outlines more pronounced as they approach the elevator, thereby highlighting their presence. The platform itself is semi-transparent, with a certain thickness and a higher degree of specular reflection at the edges, forming a glowing ring around the platform. The surface of the platform features subtle, film-like textures, enriching the visual experience. The doors of the platform use an airlock membrane design that seamlessly closes. In terms of lighting and visual effects, a prismatic effect is employed. The edges of the platform have high reflectivity, with a slight thickness that captures delicate light bands.[1]

Airlock

On the Airlock, the design allows some areas of the membrane to have lower transparency, especially where highlights might appear. When activated, light streaks become more pronounced, while in standby mode, these streaks subtly animate, gradually appearing and disappearing in a slow, snake-like path. The light colors have a slight prismatic effect, with iridescent hues cycling in a way that matches the overall color scheme, avoiding an overly abrupt rainbow effect.[1]

The membrane structure's light can move, using a semi-hexagonal pattern similar to graphene foam. This design achieves a force-field-like effect in highlighted areas, with the membrane pattern feeling like it has the thickness of glass, consisting of two layers.[1]

The activation design of the Airlock stage is divided into three phases: first, the outer membrane closes faster than the inner membrane; second, the membrane segments follow a spherical volume; and finally, the membrane segments close into a seamless whole.[1]

Man Cave

Marcos Mateu-Mestre Rising 22

In terms of interior design, Ken's room on the ground floor initially adopted a modern Japanese style. After multiple revisions and tests, the final design scheme was ultimately confirmed.[4]

ManCave, designed by Marcos Mateu-Mestre, contrasts with the larger external structures with its "warm and humanized" style, primarily using wood and similar materials in construction. This room also houses many of Ken's childhood memories and toys, enhancing the overall atmosphere with a sense of warmth and personalization.[3]

According to Mestre, Shannon Tindle had a very clear vision for this location; he knew exactly what he wanted and positioned this room as "the most intrinsic part of Ken's mind." This design philosophy imbues the room with profound personal significance, becoming a tangible manifestation of Ken's inner world.[3]

The initial design sketches for this room were finalized as early as the Gamma Man era in 2017. Despite undergoing multiple revisions and adjustments, the final version of the room design underwent minimal significant changes, preserving the original design concept and style.[3] Currently, the props, toys, and trophies in the room are designed by Minako Tomigahara.

History

Ultraman: Rising

The film opens with scenes depicting Ken's home and his departure to Tokyo. Upon his return, Mina uses the facility's entertainment functions to cheer Ken up.

When Ken/Ultraman brings Emi back to the base, Mina places Emi in a containment unit and takes on the responsibility of caring for the kaiju baby. Ken and Mina provides Emi with various interactive facilities, including human cuisine, Ken's image database, and children's program videos, for learning and entertainment.

However, during one awakening, Emi becomes bored and starts searching for Ken in the room, causing chaos and ultimately escaping the base, running wild in Tokyo. This leads to the room being destroyed and left in disarray.

After Professor Sato successfully healed Emi and helped Ken care for the small monster, the base transformed into a training facility to assist Emi in learning how to defend against enemies and respond to KDF attacks. Following an encounter with KDF drones attacking their forest cabin, Ken placed his father in a capsule for treatment and brought Emi's cocoon back to the base.

However, KDF quickly attacked Ken's home, and Mecha Gigantron used missiles to destroy the above-ground facilities, leading to severe damage to Mina, forcing her into permanent shutdown.

Gallery

Ultraman: Rising

Concept Art

Made in Japan/Gamma Man
Ultra Base
Man Cave and other rooms

Trivia

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 https://www.khangleart.com/ultraman-rising/
  2. ↑ https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/vfx/it-feels-exactly-like-we-wanted-it-to-the-making-of-ultraman-rising
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://www.instagram.com/p/C8XRQO-JZwG/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://x.com/YorikoIto1/status/1803040289025917372/
  5. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/C8cZ8lLp0Ka/
  6. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/C8o95ZUOmGB/
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://netflixqueue.com/shannon-tindle-directs-ultraman-rising
  8. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/parallaxinfinite/posts/pfbid035nf69Y3nBWk9TWvBSYgEYemEasevR9YB7JaUgcwMQh93pF3tRUje6ejxzXdK5fnxl
  9. ↑ https://x.com/ScheierJason/status/1810680145675710947/
  10. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/C8Pkrl9JBEe/
  11. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/C8X-OOdyo1M/
  12. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/C8nfTIaSWI8/
  13. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/C8XDp7-x6Al/
  14. ↑ https://x.com/ShannonTindle_1/status/1804544307241886064
  15. ↑ https://www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2024/07121050/?all=1&page=2