GAIA

    
    Ultraman Gaia begins another trend of unique Ultra-heroes. In a different "world" from Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna, Gaia is one of two Earth-based Ultramen. Gamu Takayama, one of a group of boy geniuses known as the Alchemy Stars, discovers a realm where a giant Ultraman fights a huge serpent. Gamu is quickly drawn back to the real world. Later that day, a large wormhole opens up near Earth, depositing the huge rock-like carrier of the Cosmic Organism Vanguard. Gamu cheers when he sees Team Lightning, part of the eXpanded Interceptive Guardians (XIG) branch of the Geocentric Universal Alliance against the Radical Destruction (GUARD), take on the beast. His hopes fail when the planes are decimated by the COV. Suddenly time stops around him, and the ground opens up beneath him, carrying him through a tunnel of light like the one he experienced earlier. He again meets the red-and-silver giant, which Gamu immediately identifies as Ultraman (curiously enough). Gamu begs Ultraman to come with him and defeat the monster. When Gamu returns to Earth, he has adopted the form of Ultraman Gaia. After managing to defeat the monster, Gamu joins XIG as a technical advisor.

    XIG is composed of several teams, including 3 fighter teams and 3 "expert teams" or teams of specialists. The 3 fighter teams are Team Lightning (the Ace Pilots team), Team Falcon (the Veteran Pilots team), and Team Crow (the Lady Pilots team); the 3 expert teams are Team Hercules (Ground Duty team), Team Seagull (Rescue), and Team Marlin (Ocean). The Peace Carry is a larger command ship that can carry one of the teams' ships as needed. XIG's headquarters is the mobile Aerial Base, a large airship that hovers above the Earth, using technology originated by Gamu himself.

    Gamu's teammates include Commander Ishimuro, Staff Officer Chiba Tatsumi, Chief Tsutsumi Seiichiroh, Sasaki "Akko" Atsuko, and Georgie Leland (played by American-born 16-year-old Maria Theresa Gow, an amazing lady who can speak both English and Japanese fluently).

    Gamu transforms into Gaia through the Esplender. Curiously, Gamu builds the Esplender himself, modeling its design after the ColorTimer on Gaia's chest. Before he builds the Esplender, Gamu traps the "essence" of Gaia in a glass vial from his lab, and uses it for his first transformation. (Again, Gamu's actions indicate that this world, though not connected officially to that of Tiga and Dyna, does know of the Ultra-warriors in its own way.)

    Gaia's main attacks include the Photon Edge (a "blade of light" fired from his head), and the Quantum Stream (a typical Ultra-style beam, though fired by crossing his hands Zearth-style, then rotating them around before firing). Gaia normally appears at an Ultra-standard 50 meters tall, but he can shrink to "micro size." Gamu appears to feel every bit of pain and punishment inflicted on Gaia; he often staggers away from the scene, feeling bruised and battered, after changing back.

    One of Gamu's former associates in the Alchemy Stars is Hiroya Fujimiya, who becomes Ultraman Agul, also of his own will. While Agul has been a help to Gaia, more often than not they've been rivals, even enemies. Fujimiya reveals that many of the monsters sent through the wormholes actually come from the Entity of Root Destruction, which his super-computer, CRISIS, has predicted. The computer has also predicted the cause of the Root Destruction: humanity. As Gamu cannot believe nor accept this, this puts the two ex-friends at odds with each other. When Fujimiya manages to summon the gigantic serpent-beast Zoalim, he realizes he no longer deserves the Ultraman abilities, and releases the globe that contains the Agul force to Gamu. Gamu draws it into his Esplender (see below), and transforms into a new and improved version, Gaia V2.

    Gaia V2 appears similar to the original Gaia, except for a black stripe between the yellow stripes that go around his back and cross below his ColorTimer. Gaia V2 appears to be slightly stronger & faster than the original version. When Gamu realized that he still did not have full access to Agul's energy, by intense concentration Gaia transforms into Gaia Supreme.     Gaia Supreme is the ultimate form of Gaia.Gaia Supreme is even stronger and faster than V2. His main attack is an energy beam that starts with a motion similar to his old Photon Edge, then culminates into a prayer-like stance. His hands separate vertically, and the beam emits from his hands, plus the space between.