The first episode of "SSSS.GRIDMAN" depicts the exploits of the main character Yuta, who is suddenly faced with a mission to fight a giant monster. The absolute threat of the monster and the flow of how he acquires the ability to become a giant in order to confront it are reminiscent of the "Ultraman" series, and are exciting developments for fans of special effects.
Profile of the main character "Hibiki Yuta"
Source: SSSS.GRIDMAN ⒸTsuburaya Productions/TRIGGER, Amemiya Satoshi/"GRIDMAN" Production Committee
A first-year student at Tsutsujidai High School. 15 years old. A boy whose parents are on a business trip and who (seems to be) living a very ordinary life. Although it is never stated in the story, he has a much younger face than other high school boys, including Utsumi. One day, he wakes up at his classmate Takada Rikka's house and realizes that he has somehow lost his memory of the past. At the same time, he is called by "Gridman", a being that appeared in an old computer called "Junk", and he becomes one with him. He ends up fighting monsters that are attacking the city.
He doesn't have the presence of a "protagonist"!?
His friend Utsumi Masaru describes him as "normal but not a bad guy", Rikka says "I only talked to him once when we were alone", and the girls in his class, Namiko and Hassu, say "I don't remember anything about him except for his red hair", so he didn't seem to be a particularly notable person before he lost his memory.
A personality befitting a "protagonist"!?
He's basically a generous, kind-hearted person, who doesn't get angry even when the special dog he received from Shinjo Akane is crushed, and who tries to cover for Gridman when he makes a natural mistake, but he also has a brave side, as he fearlessly confronts monsters.
Character Profile
Source: SSSS.GRIDMAN ⒸTsuburaya Productions/TRIGGER, Amemiya Satoshi/"GRIDMAN" Production Committee
He is a very honest person, and he tends to say what he thinks and feels, for better or worse. He is also bad at lying, and Utsumi often warns him to keep quiet, which can be a bit dangerous. Despite this, he seems to be surprisingly concerned about his reputation among those around him. On the other hand, there are times when he feels like he doesn't fit in with the people around him because of his memory loss, and this makes him feel lonely. He also has a very normal boy's mentality, as he was genuinely shocked when Utsumi made a joke about how "the monsters might actually be human."
Relationship with Rikka
Source: SSSS.GRIDMAN ⒸTsuburaya Productions/TRIGGER, Amemiya Satoshi/"GRIDMAN" Production Committee
The first time Yuta's feelings were revealed was in the voice drama episode 3.3. In the same episode, Yuta said, "I want to go out with her if we can." In the fourth episode, Yuta follows Rikka, who is going on a group date with a college YouTuber, and when he loses sight of her, he becomes unnecessarily anxious, causing Gridman and Max to worry about her, and the process of realizing his romantic feelings for her is depicted. Currently, Yuta is suffering from amnesia, and Rikka is the first person he has met, and she is a beautiful woman who has taken care of him in many ways, so it is not surprising that he has feelings for her from the beginning, regardless of whether it is romantic feelings or not.
Rikka's side
On the other hand, Rikka suggests that "something happened" before Yuta lost his memory, but at least until the first episode, she did not seem to have any particular impression of Yuta, other than "the two of them were alone at the ball game tournament and had a conversation." Even when Yuta mustered up the courage to ask Rikka out, it ended in failure, and his feelings have a difficult future.
The relationship between the two
In this day and age where insensitive protagonists and harem stories are mainstream, this is a rather rare pattern that revives the standard 90s formula of "the protagonist being manipulated by the attractive insensitive heroine".
Hibiki Yuuta's abilities?
Initially, he was the only one who could see Gridman and talk to him, and Utsumi Masaru and Rikka almost treated him as a dangerous person, saying "he's talking to a computer with nothing on it" (later, when Yuta became one with Gridman, Masaru and Rikka were also able to see Gridman, and this suspicion was dispelled). Also, whenever a monster appears, he can sense its presence (?) (he says "I feel like something dangerous is happening").
From the second episode, Gridman gave him a Primal Acceptor, and he began to transform through it.
What is Hibiki Yuta's mission!?
According to Gridman, fighting monsters is a mission he has had since before he lost his memory, but it is unclear how he came to have this mission (at least at this stage, he does not appear to belong to a group such as an "organization for fighting monsters") or why he lost his memory (including the fact that he had such an important mission), so even though he is the main character, he is also shrouded in great mystery.
The Truth Gradually Revealed
After his conversation with Akane in episode 5, he surmises that Akane may have retained the memories of the monsters, and tries to consult with his friends about it, but misses every opportunity, and is troubled by this. Then, he meets a girl, and learns that there is nothing outside the city, that Akane is the one who created Tsutsujidai and the monsters, and that there is Alexis Kerib who instigated it, and he meets Alexis himself through Akane's introduction.
Hibiki Yuta's Decision
Furthermore, through his subsequent interactions with Akane and a battle with a monster, he learns the hidden truth about Tsutsujidai and Akane's terrifying true nature (the former is seen by all of the Gridman camp members directly), and he decides that "there are other things I have to do besides fighting."
Hints to Solve the Mystery of Hibiki Yuta
In episode 5, when he falls asleep on the train, he has a meaningful dream in which "a person similar to Gridman is pierced by a spear of someone similar to Alexis." A certain girl also treats Yuta as Gridman himself, and there is speculation that, including his memory loss, "he may actually be something other than human."
Hibiki Yuta's Backstory
He was originally set as the protagonist of the special effects sequel project "Denkou Choujin Gridman F," which only existed as a concept. The setting of memory loss is said to be based on the image of Shinya Takeda, the protagonist of "Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop," which is a favorite work of main writer Hasegawa Keiichi and can be considered the predecessor of Gridman. Some fans call him "the protagonist and heroine" due to his somewhat charming appearance and behavior.
The voice actor is "Hirose Yuya"
He joined Arts Vision Co., Ltd. from the Japan Narration Acting Institute and played his first main character role as Ando Michito in the 2013 broadcast of "Kyoto Club Activity Record". It seems that he will be playing his first leading role as Hibiki Yuta in SSSS.GRIDMAN.
Summary
Every time there are new discoveries and highlights, and no matter how many times I watch it, I never get bored of it. If you haven't seen it yet because it's based on a special effects story and you're not interested in it, please check it out.
