Dark Faust vs. Ultraman Nexus
History
Ultraman Nexus was part of Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra N Project, an experiment in 2004 to re-invent Ultraman for a new generation of fans. Prior to this however, Tsuburaya had begun a project called Ultra Collaboration 2 at the end of 2003, which involved a brand new radio-adaptation of Ultra Q called The Ultra Q Club. The project was also due to include a new TV series called Ultraman Noa in early 2004, which is presumably what Ultraman Nexus evolved into. Following the success of the new radio show, Tsuburaya forged ahead with a brand new television series Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy on April 6, 2004, a show which attracted top-rung directors such as Shusuke Kaneko (popular with fans for his work on the Gamera series and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack).
The first stage of the Ultra N Project was entitled Noa: Nostalgia. The project mascot, Ultraman Noa, was a rather radical change design - an all-silver Ultraman with protruding wings on its back. Ultraman Noa was mainly used for live stage shows and merchandising. The second stage of the project was Next: Evolution. This saw the creation of a new theatrical film, ULTRAMAN. The final stage was Nexus: Trinity - the piece that ties the entire project together. A radical change from the prior Ultraman Cosmos series, which was strictly aimed at youth children, Ultraman Nexus was the first Ultraman TV series specifically aimed at adults. The traditional monster-of-the-week stories were replaced with much longer, character-based story arcs. Tsuburaya Productions had intended the show to be run during primetime, but the CBC network gave the show a 7:30 AM Saturday morning slot. The TV series received weak ratings which were attributed to the change in style and not being able to have the target demographic tune in, resulting in the series being cut short from around 50 episodes down to 37.
What is unusual about this show is that three months after it finished it's initial run, it was re-run during a new time slot. This time the show aired at 2:30 AM on Tuesday mornings, these ratings, while not the best, met the expectations that were set for the Ultra N Project. Following the movie ULTRAMAN, Tsuburaya ran a teaser trailer for Ultraman 2 Requiem. Due to the performance of Ultraman Nexus the film was cancelled, and Tsuburaya moved ahead with a theatrical version of the then-current television series, Ultraman Mebius.
The Dark Side
#Riko Saida (斉田リコ, Saida Riko?)/Dark Faust (ダークファウスト, Dăku Fausuto?): Komon's kind-hearted artist girlfriend. Later, it is revealed that she had actually died at the day she met Komon, when her family was attacked by the Space Beast Nosphil. Mizorogi arrived on the scene, but turned around and shot her instead. She was resurrected to become a pawn of the darkness, unwittingly serving as the human form for Dark Faust, Nexus' first dark foe. However, in the end, Riko's consciousness won out during a battle with Nosphil where Komon became trapped in the Meta Field, and she shielded him with his/her body against an attack. The revelation that Riko was Faust and her death shook Komon considerably, and he took a long time to recover.
#Shiniya Mizorogi (溝呂木眞也, Mizorogi Shiniya?)/Dark Mephisto (ダークメフィスト, Dāku Mefisuto?): The former deputy captain of the Night Raiders, who went missing in AD 2008 during a mission with Nagi, also his former girlfriend. In actuality, Mizorogi had been merged with the Dark Giant known as Dark Mephisto. He is portrayed as cruel and manipulative, playing mind games with Komon and other people and seeming to take delight in antagonising Nagi, his ex-girlfriend, as well. Using the Dark Evolver, Mizorogi can transform into Dark Mephisto as the most frequently appearing arch-enemy of Nexus. Dark Mephisto is able to generate the 'Dark Field', which neutralises the effects of the Meta Field and gives him an advantage in battle. In Nexus' climactic battle with Mephisto, it is presumed that both perished, but Mizorogi is found alive, although wounded and with absolutely no memory about Faust and his battles with Nexus. He had also lost the ability to become Mephisto, but when the Unknown Hand sends down Dark Mephisto Zwei against Junis Blue, Mizorogi transforms by force of will and holds Zwei down so that Nexus can destroy him. Both Mephistos perish, and Shinya dies in Nagi's arms.
#Hiroyuki Misawa (三沢広之, Misawa Hiroyuki?)/Dark Mephisto Zwei (ダークメフィストツヴァイ, Dāku Mefisuto Tsuvai?) - Misawa is part of the Memory Police that fell under control of the Unknown Hand. Has the same powers as Dark Mephisto and only differs in eye color with Zwei being red instead of black.
#Unknown Hand (アンノウンハンド, An'nōn Hando?): Described as unlimited darkness which controlled the dark giants and Space Beasts behind the scenes. It has the ability to generate a Dark Field G and power up Space Beasts. In the end of the series, its identity was revealed as Dark Zagi (ダークザギ, Dāku Zagi?), Mitsuhiko Ishibori of the Night Raider.
