DALIAN, China (Kyodo) — The Japan-born Ultraman superhero franchise has inspired a frenzy in China some three decades after it was first broadcast there, with Chinese kids clamoring to get their hands on the latest must-have merchandise, and families visiting theme parks and staying at the world’s first Ultraman hotel. As China emerged from its stringent “zero-COVID” policy, which heavily restricted people’s movements until early 2023, Ultraman attractions were established in Dalian, Chengdu, Zhengzhou and Shanghai, with the hotel in the latter, the nation’s commercial hub, opening in January the same year. According to Tokyo-based Tsuburaya Productions Co., which produced the program that first aired on Japanese television in 1966, online distribution of the Chinese-dubbed series on various video platforms…
