Zanika appeared in the 1971 TV series called The Return of Ultraman. Zanika was an alien who was both a victim and survivor of Vacuumon's hunger. After his planet was eaten by the entity, Zanika fled to Earth to hide from Vacuumon, only to be discovered in the woods by Hideki Goh. MAT quickly arrived and attacked Zanika, cutting off one of his arms, but MAT was forced into retreat as their weapons couldn't do much against the monster. All the while, Zanika was trying to fight back, much less trying to escape their onslaught. MAT soon attacked again, this time with flamethrowers, but to no effect ether. The creature still refused to fight back, merely sitting down. Zanika began lashing out at his surroundings, looking for food, only to provoke attack because of the pain he felt from Vaccumon eating the stars and planets.
Having enough of their unprovoked attacks, Zanika finally defended himself, knocking two of their crafts down, forcing Ultraman Jack to come out to fight. Zanika was able to hold off Jack for a while, but that quickly changed once Jack used the Ultra Bracelet to cut off Zanika's Pincers. Zanika then begged for mercy, alerting Jack of the incoming Vaccumon, giving him enough time to fly into space and mutilate Vaccumon’s innards with the Ultra Bracelet, killing the cosmic terror. After the destruction of Vaccumon, Jack returned and told this fact to Zanika. Happy, Zanika thanked Jack and took off into space to return to his home.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Foam: Zanika can fire foam from his mouth to immobilize targets.
- Flight: Zanika can fly at high speeds.
- Pincers: Zanika’s arms are strong pincers perfect for use in melee combat.
- Regeneration: According to a magazine, Zanika can regrow lost limbs.