When I started watching the original Ultraman, I was largely unimpressed with the monsters in the first several episodes; they looked sloppy, rushed, and perhaps uninspired. I was in for a surprise with episode 7. When Antlar reared his massive head for the first time, I thought, "Hey, that monster is COOL!"
Although I've come to appreciate most of the early Ultra kaiju more, Antlar will always hold a spot above all the rest. The fact that he shrugged off Ultraman's Specium Ray probably helped.
But power isn't everything...
#2: "Comet Monster" DORAKO
I don't know what it is about Dorako I love so much; he's certainly not a powerful monster, and he doesn't have much in terms of character. Something about his design just clicks with me. Maybe it's also the fact that episode 25 had a rather ominous tone to it, and that gets carried on to Dorako somewhat (he seems pretty ominous in Ultraman Powered too, from what I've seen). It is what it is, I guess, and I say Dorako is awesome.
#3: "Ancient Monster" GOMORA
Come on, how can you not like Gomora? He has a unique yet simple design, he's pretty powerful, and he has a pretty good back story - not unlike many of Toho's classic saurian kaiju. Granted, Gomora's lacking in the character department, but that's not uncommon among giant monsters.
#4: "Space Dinosaur" ZETTON
The first time I saw Zetton (via Ultra Galaxy video clips), I actually didn't like him; I was probably disappointed because I knew this was the kaiju that killed the original Ultraman, and I was probably expecting some super saurian monster (or something like that). What I actually saw, though, was this totally weird humanoid thing. This feeling would not last, however. I soon came to appreciate his very unique design, his eerie mechanical voice, and his impressive arsenal. Ironically, when I finally saw his original battle with Ultraman, I was a bit disappointed; it was rather short. Still, he's a great monster.
I don't get his subtitle, though: "space dinosaur"? What??
Telesdon, Red King, Seabozu, Zanbolar and Skydon are close behind in my favorites.
EDIT: Oops! I forgot Jamila and Gubira!
Of course, I can't forget the aliens....But I'll save that for another time.
. Mephilas along with Chaos Darkness are the main antagonists in the PS2 game Ultraman Fighting Evolution:Rebirth.
Saw the first episode, liking the fun tone and monsters.
