They usually have a silver or gold ring around it. But instead of blue, most evil ultras have a purple, yellow, or black timer. There are also Beam Lamps that some ultras possess like, Ultraseven and the Ultra Force members.
They serve to measure the ultra's strength level's instead of energy, difference being strength does not have a strict time limit. Also, some possess them as well as conventional color timers like Ultraman Zero who has a color timer and a beam lamp, it behaves as one even though they have a color timer. However it seemed to only behave as such when his life is in danger.
Publication Information
- Warning Light : Color Timer
- Japanese : カラータイマー
- User : Almost Every Ultra
- Nature : Luminous barometer device that is connected to the heart and/or life force of an Ultra
- Powers : Measures energy and/or strength levels of the Ultra
- First Appearance : Ultraman Episode 1 : Ultra Operation No. 1
- Status : Naturally appearing organ on some Ultras, surgically implanted on Showa Ultras
An Ultra Warrior's greatest weakness is their need for solar energy. The Earth's atmosphere weakens the Ultramen the longer they stay because it naturally filters out the majority of light that reaches its surface. This most likely occurs on other planets but the Earth is part of a single star system, while most planets are found to have two or three stars that they orbit. The lack of adequate amounts of sunlight and the filtering effect of the atmosphere means an Ultra can only stay on Earth for approximately three minutes.
They do not have this problem in space as long as there is an adequate light source. This restriction, known by fans as the 'Three Minute Rule', is not a problem for all Ultras in different continuities. These Ultras have the equivalents of Color Timers, either to alert them to when they have used up too much energy fighting or to signify when they are injured. Out of universe, the color timer exists to let the viewer know when the hero is injured, tired or a combination of both.
Characteristics
The Color Timer generally starts out blue showing that the Ultra is at full strength, when the energy gets low, it starts to flash, turning red. It gets faster and faster until it goes out entirely. If it goes out, it may result in the Ultra's death (In the English dub of Ultraman the narrator says, "If it is to go out, it will mean Ultraman will never rise again." this was probably just for added suspense). The result of the Color Timer going out would mean the Ultra is out of energy and can no longer function, let alone fight. Their only options when this is about to happen would be to receive a large amount of energy from someone or somewhere, usually another Ultra or their human allies, revert to human form if they have one, immediately leave the planet's atmosphere or risk exhaustion and/or death.
Ultraseven
Ultraseven does not posses a Color Timer because he was not originally to be connected to the original Ultraman series. It has been stated that most Ultra Warriors have their Color Timer surgically implanted, but Seven was not a warrior when he went to Earth, it was as a scout/map maker, thus not needing an ability to judge his energy reserves. It may possibly be that the implanting of a color timer can be up to the individual Ultra's choice, as Ultraseven 21, who was a warrior Ultra, lacked one too, instead having a beam lamp like Seven.
The Beam Lamp does not function as a gauge of his time limit as Ultraseven does not have the weakness suffered by his predecessors and the subsequent Ultras. His Beam Lamp merely functions as an indicator of how critical the danger is as shown when he was fighting the alien monster Nurse. While dizzy, he was being squeezed to death and the Beam Lamp blinks, but when he regained his wits and conjured his Ultra Power it had returned to normal. This advantage was passed on to his son, Ultraman Zero, implying that the Beam Lamp is passed down by bloodline.
Residents of the Land of Light
On the Planet Ultra, the Ultras do not have this problem because of the Plasma Spark, their artificial sun that powers the planet and lights it up. The light of the Land of Light is so intense a normal human would be killed without proper protection. If the color timer was removed from the chest of an Ultra, that Ultra would be became too weak to function and be left sprawled out on the ground, showing that it is a vital Organ.
Ultraman Zearth
In Ultraman Zearth 2: Superman Big Battle - Light and Shadow, it was stated that the weak point of an Ultra is their color timer, this was shown when Zetton hit the original Ultraman in his Color Timer with a beam leaving him unable to fight even though his time was not up. The organ is shown to be intricately tied into the bodies of Ultras, when Ultraman Jack had his ripped out, his body deflated leaving only his Ultra Armor until it was returned.
Other Ultras have lost their and suffered injuries that left them immobile such as Father of Ultra who ripped his out to transfer his power to Ultraman Ace resulting in him immediately collapsing. Also when ever an Ultra was victim to his energy being drained, the crime was often committed through his Color Timer, save a few exceptions such as Ultraman Tiga who had his energy drained through the Tiga Crystal. Also when the Ultra's power was being recharged it was often through their Color Timer, implying a direct link to their energy core/heart/battery/energy reserves.
Ultraman Tiga
In some universes the color timer does not act as a clock but a gauge on how badly weakened the Ultra is, such as the Nexus and Gaia universes. This is usually because the warning light does not measure the Ultra's store of sunlight but the strength and stamina of the host who physically transformed into the Ultra. The only known exception to this rule was Ultraman Tiga whose Human form Daigo transformed into Tiga and was plagued by the Three minute rule, though it was implied to be for different reasons.
Ultraman Ginga
In Ultraman Ginga, the main character could only Live an Ultraman Spark Doll for about three minutes at a time. This was explained by Taro as that a human could only maintain an Ultra's body for three minutes. However later instances showed Hikaru and Sho (Ultraman Victory) as being in Ultra form for longer than three minutes. There was also a case where the two would revert back to human form, before their time was up and take turns fighting.
Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers
In Superior 8 Ultra Brothers, set in an alternate Universe to all others, the only Ultra shown to suffer the three minute rule was Mebius who had traveled there from the Showa Universe. Even though alternate versions of Showa Ultras and Tiga and Dyna ,who suffered the three minute rule, their alternate selves did not seem to have that problem. It should also be noted that their color timers were green not the more common blue.
Ultraman Nexus
In the Nexus universe, the color timer is replaced by a natural organ known as the Energy Core. Unlike in the Showa Universe and similar Space-Time zone continuities, the Energy Core does not act as a timer, instead it reacts to the physical strength of the Deunamist (The host of Nexus) who is physically transformed into Ultraman. As its name suggests, the physical organ is a sort of window into the Ultra's body and behaves more like a heart racing from exhaustion or energy gauge than a timer. Other Ultras besides Nexus have more Color Timer like Energy Cores but they behave the same way, also in both Junis forms, a crystal appears over the Energy Core, bearing a greater resemblance to a Color Timer and take over those functions for the main Energy Core.
Ultraman Gaia
In the Gaia universe, the equivalent to the Color Timer was known as the Life Gauge. It appeared on Gaia and Agul because they did not require sunlight because it was stated they drew strength from the mana of the Earth and Sea respectively. Mana was the life energy of the world which they converted into light energy using some feature on their heads, the gold bands on the back of Gaia's head and the gem on Agul's forehead. The Life Gauge was for how much energy they had left, reacting when they expended more energy than what they could absorb. Due to the fact that they were constantly absorbing mana, their attacks steadily became more powerful as their stamina always increased.
Other Heroes
Ultras may be the only race with color timers but other Tsuburya heroes posses similar organs/devices that fulfilled the same function. One example would be Mirrorman who had a bomb implanted in his abdomen in episode 26, if he remained transformed for to long he would explode, Mirrorman's father give him a Color TImer so he knows when to change back into his human form.
Fireman
Fireman, who possesses a light between his eyes, he also possesses a three minute rule in that he cannot survive under the rays of the sun for more than three minutes due to his subterranean origins. Jumborg Ace and Nine also possess lights that flash as their energy supplies begin to dwindle.
Related Post : Source : wikipedia / ultra.wikia
