The first episode of "Ultraman" debuted on television at 7 p.m. on July 17, 1966, exactly 50 years ago today. When the dust cleared at 7:30 p.m., Japanese entertainment would never be the same.
As the show opens, audiences are treated to the spectacle of a high-speed alien chase that results in the inadvertent death of ace "Science Patrol" pilot Shin Hayata, his resurrection at the hands of a mysterious being and the sudden appearance of a gargantuan, laser-breathing sea creature.
All this in just the first 10 minutes. Then things really ramp up.