“Ultraman Zearth 2: Superhuman Great Battle – Light and Shadow” (ウルトラマンゼアス2 超人大戦・光と影), Rare Original Japanese Movie Poster 1997, B1 Size (71 × 103 cm) JA33

This is an original Japanese B1 theatrical poster printed in 1997 for the first release of Ultraman Zearth 2: Superhuman Great Battle – Light and Shadow (ウルトラマンゼアス2 超人大戦・光と影).

Produced by Tsuburaya Productions and released in Japan through the Shochiku theatrical network, this large-format poster comes from a distinctive late-1990s chapter in the Ultraman franchise, when the long-running series embraced a more self-aware, comedic and theatrical style while still delivering classic tokusatsu spectacle.

Film background

Released on 12 April 1997, Ultraman Zearth 2 is the sequel to the 1996 feature Ultraman Zearth and forms part of the franchise’s 30th-anniversary era.

Unlike the more solemn, mythic tone associated with many earlier Ultraman productions, the Zearth films are notable for blending superhero action with broad comedy and parody. At the centre of the story is Katsuto Asahi, a timid but earnest hero who transforms into Ultraman Zearth, a character memorably defined by his fear of dirt and germs. The sequel escalates the concept by pitting him against a dark counterpart, creating one of the most visually striking “hero versus anti-hero” campaigns in 1990s Japanese genre cinema.

For collectors of Ultraman, tokusatsu, and late-Showa / early-Heisei theatrical paper, original large-format posters from this period are increasingly difficult to find, especially in strong condition.

Poster design

This is one of the best-known and most dramatic designs created for the film’s theatrical campaign.

The composition is dominated by a tense face-off between Ultraman Shadow on the left and Ultraman Zearth on the right. The two figures confront one another in profile, filling almost the entire sheet and creating an immediate sense of conflict.

A sharp bolt of lightning splits the composition vertically, visually reinforcing the film’s subtitle, “Light and Shadow”, while the bold central Japanese tagline reads:

「最強の敵は、ウルトラマンだ。」
(“The strongest enemy… is an Ultraman.”)

The contrast between the two characters is handled beautifully:

• Ultraman Shadow appears in dark navy-black and gold, with glowing red eyes and a more sinister presence.
• Ultraman Zearth is rendered in vivid red, silver and white, with bright yellow eyes and a more familiar heroic profile.

Across the top sits the metallic franchise title ウルトラマンゼアス2, while along the bottom runs a narrow strip of small photographic portraits showing members of the human cast and monster/villain line-up, adding a lively commercial touch to the otherwise sleek, minimalist design.

The result is a highly effective theatrical image: bold, clean, instantly readable from a distance, and very much in keeping with the oversized display formats used in Japanese cinemas during the period.

The B1 format

Printed in the impressive Japanese B1 format (71 × 103 cm), this poster is significantly larger than the standard B2 issue and was intended for more prominent in-theatre or public display use.

Original B1 posters were typically produced in far smaller numbers than regular retail-sized paper and are often far scarcer today, especially for 1990s genre titles and tokusatsu films. Surviving examples in strong condition are particularly desirable, as these larger sheets were more vulnerable to handling and display wear.

Condition

This poster is in excellent condition overall.

It shows only minor signs of theatrical display, including tiny pinholes in each corner, along with light handling wear consistent with age and original cinema use. The colours remain strong and vivid, with the dark blue background, bright lightning bolt, and saturated red / yellow / gold costume details all presenting exceptionally well.

Please refer carefully to the photographs provided, as they show the exact poster being offered for sale, including both front and reverse.

It is not a reproduction or a reprint.

It is now over 25 years old.

Certificate of Authenticity included.

Code: JA33