KYURAMEN, a popular ramen restaurant chain in the United States and worldwide, has collaborated with Tsuburaya Productions to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ultraman. Fans of the iconic hero have had much to enjoy over the past month, including live shows, photo opportunities, exclusive merchandise, and themed menu items. KYURAMEN also introduced a limited-edition dish known as the Ultra Energy Combo, specially designed in honor of Ultraman. The presentation features rice and sauce styled to resemble Ultraman watching over the stars.
In addition to the themed meal, customers who order the Ultra Energy Combo receive complimentary merchandise, including two stickers, a refrigerator magnet, and two A4 posters selected at random from black, white, or red designs. In this interview with KYURAMEN representatives Cherie and Vanessa, we discuss their experiences growing up with Ultraman, favorite memories from the series, and their involvement in this special collaboration with Tsuburaya Productions.
Portions of this coverage have been lightly edited for clarity, as some photos were taken by our reporter with the rest belonging to KYURAMEN and Tsuburaya Productions
Q: How do you feel about the 60th anniversary of Ultraman?
Both: So good! We grew up watching Ultraman. This is so nostalgic.
Q: Is there a specific Ultraman that you love?
Vanessa: I mean, obviously the old one. It reminds me of my childhood, just sitting in front of the TV right after school.
Cherie: Yeah, I think the OG is the most nostalgic. I think also seeing so many versions of it now, I’m like, “oh, all the memories are coming back”.
Q: What are some of your favorite memories of Ultraman growing up?
Vanessa: My brother was playing around with an Ultraman figure in front of me, fighting me like I’m the monster. My cousin and brother will also fight each other, like Ultraman and the monster. There’s one time I had nightmares because they’re watching the show when I was really young and then I slept, having a dream where I was fighting Ultraman (haha).
Cherie: Whenever my cousin used to come over, I would always want to watch Barbie but then they would always want to watch Ultraman. So it was Ultraman every time.
Q: How do you feel about the collaboration with Ultraman?
Cherie: We love it! This is definitely a collaboration that we pushed for and that we really wanted to happen. I think there’s so much nostalgia involved and as a Japanese brand too, like serving ramen, we really wanted to have this collaboration for our clients and customers. So that they can feel the nostalgia and we really wanted to make sure that when they order the meal, they can get free merch and have all of this experience.
Q: What is the KYURAMEN collaboration meal with Ultraman? Any merchandise that KYURAMEN is also providing?
Cherie: So right now, we have a specialty collaboration meal. It’s like a curry tonkatsu rice, but the rice is in the shape of an Ultraman and it looks really cute! Every customer that comes in gets a bag of free merch, so they’ll have stickers, a tote bag, a magnet, and the folders. We put a lot of effort into wanting to just have this really good experience for the customers and make sure that they got a ton of free content and not just one little small thing.
We wanted to make sure it was an experience, so that when they came in they could have fun with it. For those participating [KYURAMEN Locations], we have pop-ups where they can take pictures and we also have a pop-up with Ultraman in our Chinatown location, where the Ultraman actors are coming in to take photos with people.
Q: What does Ultraman mean to you?
Cherie: I think just watching the cartoons and watching the movies back then were really memorable. I think at the time it was very ahead of its time. Even the real life videos, movies, and cartoons were so cool!
Vanessa: Japanese animation was always a hype in Asia and seeing the drawing and animation just evolved.
Q: Any last things to say for the Ultraman fans at the 60th Anniversary?
Cherie: We’re so excited! 60 years is like a huge milestone and like all the nostalgia and everything, we’re just so happy for the fans. But also for Ultraman to come to the States!
Conclusion
What were some of your favorite memories of Ultraman growing up? Please follow KYURAMEN official instagram for more news, as we cannot wait to see what other surprises will come in store!
Thank you to KYURAMEN for the opportunity to interview amidst the exhilarating and busy event at the American Dream Mall! KYURAMEN’S – Ultra Energy Combo will continue until the end of 2025, so don’t miss your chance for a delicious and exclusive free merch in any of the North East Locations in America! Ultraman Omega is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Tsuburaya Productions Official Youtube Channel (Japanese Dub), and the Ultraman Official English Youtube Channel (with other dubs available)
Images: The Return of Ultraman, KYURAMEN
© Tsuburaya Productions
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