Ultraman Gaia takes place in yet another universe, one that is different from the world of the
Shōwa era Ultramen (
Ultraman to
Ultraman 80), as well as the world of
Ultraman Tiga and
Ultraman Dyna. In a departure from most of the other series, there are two Ultramen as the main characters. They have conflicting philosophies in regards to defending
Earth from a mysterious, malevolent and extremely intelligent cosmic entity. The first half of the series explores the growing tension between them and their eventual clash. The second half has them reconcile their differences so they can defeat their common enemy. The show is also different from past
Ultra Series installments in that the support team, XIG, has more personnel than the defence teams in previous installments. In this series, Ultraman Gaia is the lead, but Ultraman Agul is prominently focused on as well. They are often at odds with each other at the beginning of the series. Their philosophies are as different as their skin colors. Unlike Gaia, Agul is completely blue. Gamu Takayama, the human host of Ultraman Gaia, believes that Gaia is here to save Earth and humanity. On the other hand, Hiroya Fujimiya, the human host of Ultraman Agul, believes Agul to be Earth's natural defense mechanism. He is at first more interested in protecting just the planet itself, even at the expense of humanity (hence the occasional clashes with Gaia). However, this was discontinued after Gaia and Agul would work together as one to face more powerful monsters. ==Story==