is a Japanese tokusatsu TV show being the 16th show in the Ultra Series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultraman Cosmos aired from July 6, 2001 to September 27, 2002, with a total of 65 episodes, which currently makes it the longest running Ultra show to date. It was also released to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Ultraman series. In June 2002, Cosmos was taken off of television for several weeks (following the broadcast of the 49th episode) when lead actor Taiyou Sugiura was questioned in an assault and extortion case. When the case against Sugiura was dropped for lack of evidence, Cosmos was put back on the air. TBS and Tsuburaya ultimately pulled five episodes (50, 52, 54, 56, and 58) from broadcast to make up for time lost, and these episodes were later released on DVD. In April 2017, the television channel TOKU announced that they would release the series in the United States in the near future. A year later, the series was released by the channel on April 23, 2018. Story concepts Observing the increasing trend of violence that occurred in the younger generation of Japan, Tsuburaya made an Ultraman character that has a gentler nature than its predecessors. With a dominantly blue look, Tsuburaya wanted to elevate Ultraman's image as a figure of love for the environment and peace. Thus, the concept of the story is the theme of pacifism, meaning an idea which considers war to be morally unjustifiable, and all disputes or disagreements must be resolved by the way of peace. So Ultraman Cosmos is a gentle Ultraman, engaging in nonviolent fights. Plot The series featured many firsts for the franchise, including the start of the story in a movie rather than the series proper. Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact was the prequel to the series and took place eight years before episode 1. In it, 11-year-old Musashi Haruno encounters the being of light, , and befriends him as the two confront a threat to Earth. Ten years later, Musashi, now 19 and a member of Team EYES, once again encounters the being of light from his childhood. The dark being Chaos Header has appeared and is corrupting the monsters of Earth, making them become ravenous and violent creatures that threaten humanity. Through Musashi's will to see the beasts and humans live in peace, Cosmos grants him a new power that will allow