Shozo Uehara, Prolific Japanese Superhero TV Writer, Passes Away at 82

Shozo Uehara in March 2016. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Legendary Japanese television writer Shozo Uehara, whose career spanned decades and involved both tokusatsu and anime, passed away on January 2 of liver cancer. He was 82.

Shozo Uehara was born on February 6, 1937, in Naha, Okinawa. During his career, he wrote episodes of Ultra Q (1966), Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), Return of Ultraman (1971-72), Ultraman Ace (1972-73), Zone Fighter (1973), and Ultraman Taro (1973-74) before penning many of the Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Metal Hero series for Toei Studios.

Shozo Uehara (left) shares a laugh with Ultra-series directors Toshihiro Iijima and Eizo Yamagiwa. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I had the privilege of meeting Uehara-san in March 2016 at a launch party for an Ultra Q book. Many veterans from Tsuburaya Productions were on hand for the event, and it was great to see the camaraderie among them. 

In between Tsuburaya Productions writers Shozo Uehara (left) and Hiroyasu Yamaura.

Uehara-san leaves behind a legacy that few others could match, and his imagination has influenced more tokusatsu and anime productions in the last several decades than those of most other writers. Thank you for the years of entertainment. Rest in peace, Uehara-san.