Grade-school teacher Shinichi just can't get any respect. His wife treats him like a nuisance, his daughter ignores his every word, his coworkers think he's pitiful. His students regard him as a bore and an imbecile, and mercilessly bully his son, who wants nothing to do with him as a result. The only place Shinichi can find any confidence and self-esteem is alone in his room, where he's secretly sewn together a costume. It's a perfect replica of the suit worn by Zebraman, the hero of a third-rate 1970s superhero show that nobody remembers except Shinichi -- and much to his joy, the new, wheelchair-bound student at his school.
At the same time, strange things are occurring throughout the area. The citizens are nervous, and the military has dispatched agents to uncover - or perhaps cover up -- the source of the danger. Shinichi's urge to sneak out and prowl in his costume, to feel what a hero feels when guarding the night from evil, soon has him dragged into an increasingly bizarre mystery.
The series featured many firsts for the franchise, including the start of the story in a movie rather than the series proper. Ultraman Cosmos: The First Contact was the prequel to the series and took place ten years before episode 1. In it, 9-year-old Musashi Haruno encounters the being of light, Ultraman Cosmos, and befriends him as the two confront a threat to Earth.
Ten years later, Musashi, now 19 and a member of Team EYES, once again encounters the being of light from his childhood. The dark being Chaos Header has appeared and is corrupting the monsters of Earth, making them become ravenous and violent creatures that threaten humanity. Through Musashi's will to see the beasts and humans live in peace, Cosmos grants him a new power that will allow him to heal the corrupted creatures.
