Dada (Ultra monster)

Dada ( _ja. ダダ "Dada") is a monster appearing in several of the Ultraman series. These creatures travelled to Earth extra-dimensionally, after intercepting a transmission from Earth. The Dada have large barrel-shaped heavily-armored heads, black except for their white grinning faces freckled with black spots, and bodies that are striped in black and white.

Ultraman

Abilities

When heavily injured, the normally large yellow eyes of the Dada can disappear temporarily, revealing shallow white cavities, while the Dada regenerates. Milder injury results in the eyes appearing smaller, in either blue or yellow. If the regeneration process is interrupted, it may completely fail until reattempted. The Dada have several other unusual powers, including possession of other sentient beings, the ability to appear as human or giant size, the ability to teleport short distances and/or phase through solid materials, and the ability to focus upon, locate and then phase or teleport others whom they have come in contact with to a Dada's current location. The Dada also have the ability to fly, and to become invisible, at least temporarily. In addition, they may carry a weapon known as a micronizer gun, which can reduce the size of the target creature to about one twelfth normal size. The Dada are highly intelligent, but much like Ultraman, have an extremely limited vocal capacity; they emit a low roar of their own name ("Da-da!"). There were several Dada shown in both its original appearance and its re-appearance in .

History

In the Ultraman episode where the first Dada appears, the Dada had taken over a remote science facility, finding and micronizing four human specimens it deemed of sufficient intelligence for further study, holding them in a stasis within small test-tube like compartments. The Dada failed to capture a fifth scientist present at the facility, who hid for days in a locker made of a metal that the Dada could not phase through (possibly lead or an unusual alloy). The Dada turned instead to creating a number of bus accidents in the vicinity, in order to survey for sufficiently intelligent beings to gather from the wrecks. Apparently none of the passengers had yet proven to be intelligent enough to be worth collecting. At some point during this time, the scientist hiding in the lab escaped.

Ito and Captain Mura rode a bus through the area, to see what was happening. The bus did wreck, but this time, authorities were able to rescue most of the passengers quickly. Ito broke his leg and was hospitalized. But a mysterious woman and Captain Mura left the scene on their own. Mura followed the woman, who apparently worked in conjunction with the science facility, and was intent upon finding out why all contact had been lost.

The escaping scientist made it to the hospital, and remained there long enough for Science Patrol members to interview him...but the Dada was able to discern that he was no longer in the shielded locker somehow, and it phased him back to the science facility and possessed his body. Still searching for a sixth human specimen, the Dada-turned-scientist greeted the woman arriving to find out what had happened. Apparently familiar with some earlier Dada incident, the woman noticed an "S.O.S./Dada" message, but was discovered looking at this by the Dada. Captain Mura arrived just in time to attack the Dada, and weaken it with his energy gun. (Presumably the Dada used up the scientist's energy/body, and was left with just its own weakened form.)

Shin Hayata, receiving an account of what was happening while he was at headquarters, transformed into Ultraman, who flew to the science facility. The Dada, armed with a new micronizer gun (its old one apparently having been expended), attempted to track down Captain Mura and the woman investigator, and at the same time also fend off Ultraman. Although Ultraman easily bested the Dada hand-to-hand, he shot the Dada in its heavily armored face with his Specium Ray, injuring it but not killing it. The Dada used its phasing and invisibility to evade Ultraman and attempt to pursue the humans present. At one point, Ultraman saved Captain Mura and the woman by catching them as they fell from the facility's roof. At another point, Ultraman was struck by the micronizer ray of the Dada, but was able to power himself back up to giant size. Finally, as the Dada attempted to fly away while invisible, Ultraman located the Dada and fired his Specium Ray to deliver a fatal shot to the Dada's spine.

Note: there has always been some question about whether the micronizer beam really affected Ultraman. He was hit 3 times with the beam, but was shown gesturing and shrugging the beam off him. He then appeared to jump into the air to land in human size on the roof the building even as Dada teleported away to reappear in giant size. As to why Ultraman would shrink himself deliberately instead of crushing DaDa like an insect, he had just rescued Captain Mura and the woman and set them down by the building, and they likely were too close to avoid any debris that would have fallen toward them.Given the ease with which he powered back to giant size despite the fact that his color timer was blinking already, it is more likely that he was immune to the beam.

This history was eerily simillar to the "Ultraman Cosmos" episode "The Other Dimensional Trap," where the SRC scientists were shrunken by Dada-like creatures called the Gigis. They also had three faces and weird energy beams.

Ultraman Powered

This monster re-appeared in the series to face off against Ultraman Powered. This Dada was slightly larger than Ultraman Powered, his head was larger than his body, and the hands and arms were large. Due to this, they stuck out in front of the Dada through out most of the fight. He was also the only Dada who could attack with natural beams, and he even possessed the power of telekinessis.