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 an exciting development for fans of special effects.
Utsumi Masaru's Profile
Source: SSSS.GRIDMAN ⒸTsuburaya Productions/TRIGGER, Amemiya Satoshi/"GRIDMAN" Production Committee
A first-year high school student at Tsutsujidai High School, which has a fairly high deviation score. He is in class 1-E and is classmates with Hibiki Yuuta, Takada Rikka, and Shinjo Akane. He is a cool-looking boy who wears glasses. He carries a bag with "TURBO" written on it. After the voice drama episode 3.3, viewers started calling him "Turbo Senpai" and "Turbo Boy," nicknames given to him by the Rikka gang.
Personality
Source: SSSS.GRIDMAN ⒸTsuburaya Productions/TRIGGER, Amemiya Satoshi/"GRIDMAN" Production Committee
He's basically a very perceptive and insightful character, but he's also surprisingly passionate and easygoing. He seems to watch the Ultra series, and whenever a monster appears he says something along the lines of the previous Ultra series, such as "If it were the Ultra series..." As a result, in the first episode he seemed to have taken on the role of advisor by identifying the monster's weakness and contributing to the victory, but since then he has been of no use as all the monsters in the battles have no weaknesses. In fact, his good intuition and a joke that combined with the series' conventions has even put Yuta in danger.
Surprisingly bad with machines
He doesn't seem to know much about computers and isn't a fast typist, but he does know that unplugging a frozen computer can be dangerous. He lives at home and has a younger brother who is in sixth grade. He seems to look surprisingly thin in his clothes, and when he takes them off, he has a very saggy belly.
The Birth of the Gridman Alliance
When Ghoulgilas appeared, he went to watch despite the danger, and when Yuta transformed into Gridman, he took the initiative to look for ways to support him, and when the battle situation turned in his favor, he cheered with a bright expression on his face. He also has a fun-loving side, such as proposing the formation of the "Gridman Alliance" after the battle.
Combat Sense with Monsters
He sometimes makes statements that do not take into consideration the position of the other person, and in addition, since he is not in a position to directly fight with his life on the line, he has a tendency to view battles with monsters as an extension of play, and he has even said half-jokingly, "Maybe the monsters are actually human?"
A big fan of special effects
Source: SSSS.GRIDMAN ⒸTsuburaya Productions/TRIGGER, Amemiya Satoshi/"GRIDMAN" Production Committee
"In the Ultra Series, monsters have weaknesses!!" He has said this, and seems to be such a big fan of special effects that he browses the magazine "Uchuusen" at bookstores. Prior to that, when Yuta said "Gridman," he responded by saying, "Is that popular?" and "I want to see it too," so it seemed that he initially thought it was some kind of special effects hero (show).
Friendship
Relationship with Yuta
She only just met Yuta in April this year and became friends with him, but she is already close enough to know his address. On the other hand, her relationship with Rikka is neither good nor bad. Although it is not usually very noticeable, she actually has quite a big belly, and in the fifth episode, Yuta quickly pointed out to her, "Your belly is really big."
Relationship with Gridman
Perhaps because of his strong curiosity, he also has a high level of observational skills, and sometimes finds the enemy's weaknesses and gives Gridman advice. He also seems to be resourceful, taking advantage of school customs. However, he seems to be unfamiliar with old machines.
Relationship with Akane Shinjo
It seems that he has feelings for his classmate Akane Shinjo, just like the other male students, and he strongly describes her as "the strongest girl with both intelligence and beauty. She's like a miracle girl because everyone in the class likes her," and when Yuta asked him about his feelings for her, he quickly evaded the question. In the fourth episode, he is also very disappointed to hear that she will be attending a mixer, and once again praises her highly, calling her "a beautiful girl who seems like a collection of miracles."
Not wanting to get Akane involved
Source: SSSS.GRIDMAN ⒸTsuburaya Productions/TRIGGER, Amemiya Satoshi/"GRIDMAN" Production Committee
In episode 6, there was a scene where he was playing with Zaigorg soft vinyl and Space Musketeer toys with the children of his relatives who had gathered for a memorial service. After an incident at the bookstore, he finds out that Akane is a monster fan like him, and they have a lively discussion about monsters, but it seems he doesn't know as much as Akane does. When Akane asks him about Yuta's secret, he doesn't answer, saying, "I can't get him involved in a battle with monsters."
Relationship with the New Century Junior High School Students
Source: SSSS.GRIDMAN ⒸTsuburaya Productions/TRIGGER, Amemiya Satoshi/"GRIDMAN" Production Committee
Among the New Century Junior High School Students, he is especially close with Bola. Basically, he is treated carelessly by Bolar, and whenever the conversation gets long or he gets excited about a topic related to monsters, he is kicked in the shins by Bolar and he faints in agony.
Digression
The cover of "Uchuusen," which he browsed in the sixth issue, featured Andro Melos, Hunter Knight Tsurugi, and armored warriors in Tector Gear, and also included the names of Cyber Girl Telomere, Ultra Super Fight, Otasuke Girl, and Biological Comet WoO. The back cover was an advertisement for OxT and Uchida Maaya, who sang the opening and ending songs, respectively.
Origin of the name
The surname Utsumi is thought to come from the Utsumi Toys Manufacturing Company, where Tsuburaya Eiji, the founder of Tsuburaya Productions and creator of the Ultra Series, worked in his youth, and if that is true, it is likely that his preference for the Ultra Series comes from there.
The voice actor is Saito Souma
Born April 22, 1991. Originally from Yamanashi Prefecture. His real name is "Saito Souma." Nicknames include Souma-kun, Saito-san, and Trendy. He is known for being an avid reader and having a deep knowledge of literature, and sometimes speaks passionately about his favorite books in interviews.
Talent voice actor
He made his breakthrough in 2014 when he was selected to play the role of Yamaguchi Tadashi in "Haikyu!!", and in the summer of the same year, he played the lead role in two works (Tatsumi in "Akame ga Kill!" and Kumi Fuuji in "Terror in Resonance"), and his appearances increased rapidly. In 2015, he won the Newcomer Actor Award at the 9th Seiyu Awards. As he had been in charge of character songs for a long time, it was announced that he would start his own music career (affiliated to SACRA MUSIC label) in 2017.
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.
