Despite not appearing in the Manga, except for figurines and flashbacks Ultraman is perhaps the most important part of the story. Without his past actions none of the events in the story would be possible. Through Shin, he is by technicality also the father of the protagonist Shinjiro Hayata. The legacy that Shin left for his son as 'Ultraman' is also as much his as it is Hayata's perhaps even more so. His legacy is also present throughout Earth's culture as most people can immediately recognize his appearance. It is Ultraman's genes that are present in the Ultraman Factor that both Hayatas bear making him the source of their powers and indirectly responsible for making them targets for Bemular and his associates.