A look at the ULTRAMAN phenomenon from the character's creation in 1966 by Eiji Tsuburaya (creator of Godzilla) to its present incarnations. ULTRAMAN is a cultural icon throughout Asia on par with Mickey Mouse or Superman in the West. But he is little known in the US in spite of being one of the world's top selling merchandised characters. This panel will explain who ULTRAMAN is and why he is significant as well as present examples of ULTRAMAN on film both old and new, including an episode of ULTRAMAN MAX (2005) directed by Japan's maverick director Takashi Miike.