AKB48 idols star, perform ending theme for action hero franchise's 1st 3D filmThe Japanese production company Tsuburaya began streaming the first eight minutes, uncut, from the live-action Ultraman Saga film on Friday. The film features the new character Ultraman Saga (voiced by Mamoru Miyano) and the returning heroes Ultraman Zero/Nozomu Taiga (BREAKERZ musician DAIGO), Ultraman Dyna/Shin Asuka (Takeshi Tsuruno), and Ultraman Cosmos/Musashi Haruno (Taiyō Sugiura). The story begins when a mysterious alien invades the Earth. Ultraman Zero, Ultraman Dyna, and Ultraman Cosmos come from outer space and join forces with humankind to restore the peace.
Seven members of the all-female idol group AKB48 also star as the Earth Defense Force's "Team U," and some of them are part of AKB48's DiVA sub-unit which performs the film's ending theme song. Sayaka Akimoto plays Team U's leader Anna, and the other AKB48 members in the film are Ayaka Umeda (Misato), Sae Miyazawa (Sawa), Kana Kobayashi (Maomi), Yuka Masuda (Nonko), Haruka Shimada (Hina), and Sumire Satō (Riisa).
Ultraman Saga opened in 224 theaters across Japan on March 24 in 2D, and for the first time in the franchise, in stereoscopic 3D.