Japanese Ultima Novels

As the Ultima series became popular in Japan during the late eighties and early nineties, a number of novelizations and fictional works were published in relation to the series.

Ultima Underworld

 * Title: ウルティマ アンダーワールド (Urutima Andaawaarudo)
 * Publisher: Aspect
 * Author: 野間逸平 (Ippei Noma), 伏見 健二 (Kenji Fushimi)
 * Published: Jul. 22, 1994
 * Original List Price: ¥610
 * Length: 286 pages
 * ISBN-10: 4893661787
 * ISBN-13: 978-4893661784

Synopsis: ''The popular Ultima series finally comes to adventure paperback! Readers will be charmed by the strong and beautiful heroine Sharon, who has become the Avatar (one who has mastered the Eight Virtues) and is led once more by parties unknown into the fantasy world of Britannia. To save Baron Amrik's daughter Ariel, Sharon sets out for the Abyss. Beset by many foes, she begins her search for Ariel -  only to discover...'' 

Ultima: The Lost Runes

 * Title: ウルティマ 失われたルーン (Urutima Ushinawareta Ruun)
 * Publisher: Futabasha
 * Author: 犬飼 わたる (Wataru Inukai)
 * Published: Dec. 26, 1991
 * Length: 286 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥450
 * ISBN-10: 4575761788
 * ISBN-13: 978-4575761788

Synopsis: ''A crisis of apocalyptic proportions threatens the beautiful and mysterious land of Britannia. The dark cavalier Black Knight has stolen the legendary Eight Runes; what are his plans for them? Now, a moongate opens before one courageous and righteous adventurer. The one who will challenge the Black Knight in his underground labyrinth -  you!''

Note: This is a gamebook based on the Runes of Virtue games for the Nintendo Game Boy.



Ultima: The Cabal of Zole the Mage

 * Title: ウルティマ ~ 魔道士ゾールの陰謀 (Urutima ~ Madoushi Zooru no Inbou)
 * Publisher: Futabasha
 * Author: 樋口 明雄 (Akio Higuchi)
 * Published: Jan. 21, 1988
 * Length: 286 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥420
 * ISBN-10: 4575932795
 * ISBN-13: 978-4575932799

Synopsis: ''The black hand of the herald of darkness reaches out for a peaceful kingdom! The dark mage Zole plots to revive the fearful power of Exodus. At this rate, Sosaria will fall into his hands! I can't let that happen! Together with the wizard Howard, the thief Phillips, and the female warrior Cindy, I answer Lord British's call and set out on a search for Exodus. The time for battle is at hand. And the one who will protect Sosaria from the hands of evil -  and take Exodus back from Zole! - is YOU!'' 



Ultima Vol.2: Quest of the Avatar

 * Title: ウルティマ Vol 2 ~ 聖者への道 (Urutima Vol. 2 ~ Seija e no Michi)
 * Publisher: Futabasha
 * Author: 樋口 明雄 (Akio Higuchi)
 * Published: Mar. 12, 1990
 * Length: 285 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥420
 * ISBN-10: 4575761400
 * ISBN-13: 978-4575761405

Synopsis: ''My old friend the Help Wanted section in hand, I enter a mysterious office -  and am shoved into an interdimensional transport device! Once again, I'm sucked into another dimension -  and when I wake up, I'm in Britannia: the sword-and-sorcery world of the Ultima series. Its people await the coming of the "Avatar" -  the one who will lead them down the path of virtue and fill this kingdom infested with evil with the light of peace. --Together with my companions Jaana and Geoffrey, my adventure begins!'' 

Ultima Novel: Quest of the Avatar

 * Title:小説ウルティマ クエスト・オブ・アバタール (Shousetsu Urutima ~ Kuesuto obu Abataaru)
 * Publisher: JICC.
 * Author: 井上 尚美 (Naomi Inoue)
 * Published: Oct. 30, 1989
 * Length: 189 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥971
 * ISBN-10: 4880636053
 * ISBN-13: 978-4880636054

Synopsis: ''The three evils of Mondain, Minax, and Exodus have been destroyed, and Britannia has been blessed with an age of peace and prosperity. But Lord British has his doubts. The terrors that had thrown this world into panic are now vanquished -  but the evil they have called into the hearts of its people yet remains. If it is left unchecked, the powers of darkness could very well rise again... And so comes the solution of the philosophers of the Lycaeum: the Quest of the "Avatar"  -  the living embodiment of the Virtues, the Saint who has mastered the Principles of Truth, Love, and Courage on which this world is founded. But to become the Avatar, one must face trials beyond imagination... Lord British's call has been answered, eight companions gathered, a peerless company assembled. And so they set out on this quest -  the Quest of the Avatar.'' 



Adventure Novels: Ultima I

 * Title: アドベンチャーノベルス: ウルティマ1 (Adobenchaa Noberusu: Urutima 1)
 * Publisher: JICC.
 * Author: 山本邦一 (Kunikazu Yamamoto)
 * Published: Oct. 1, 1986
 * Length: 257 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥680
 * ISBN-10: 4880636053
 * ISBN-13: 978-4880636054

Synopsis: ''"My name is Roto. I'm sick and tired of life in my simple village.  I want to grow stronger...and ever since I stumbled upon this sword, I've been an adventurer.  My first mission: to come face to face with the greatest person in our entire world.  In order to accomplish it, though, I'd need to train to become part of some kind of profession (cult)."

''--But, when he finally does meet this person at the end of his long journey, it is then that Roto's adventure truly begins: a new journey, to unravel the mysteries of the world and defeat the evil god Mondain, master of the Darkside. "Fiction + Gameplay" -  that's Adventure Novels!'' 



Adventure Novels: Ultima II

 * Title: アドベンチャーノベルス: ウルティマ2 (Adobenchaa Noberusu: Urutima 2)
 * Publisher: JICC.
 * Author: 本橋 信宏 (Nobuhiro Motohashi)
 * Published: Nov. 1, 1986
 * Length: 257 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥680
 * ISBN-10: 4880632201
 * ISBN-13: 978-4880632209

Synopsis: "The world's gone nuts these days. I was supposed to be in New York City  -  but I've slipped through time to a bizarre world: crazy stuff going on all around me, monsters coming after me...  Eventually, I learn that the one responsible for plunging the Earth into chaos is Minax  -  apprentice to the great warlock Mondain who was destroyed a thousand years ago  -  and so, I set off across time to bring her down.  But I was unprepared for the unexpected end that awaited me  -  the end that surely must have made Minax delirious with joy...". 



Adventure Novels: Ultima III

 * Title: アドベンチャーノベルス: ウルティマ3 (Adobenchaa Noberusu: Urutima 3)
 * Publisher: JICC.
 * Author: 山本邦一 (Kunikazu Yamamoto)
 * Published: Dec. 1, 1986
 * Length: 285 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥680
 * ISBN-10: 488063221X
 * ISBN-13: 978-4880632216

Synopsis: ''The dark warlock Mondain and his apprentice Minax have fallen, and Britannia is visited by a brief moment of peace. But the wizards' dark legacy of Exodus stirs in secret, and the Great Earth Serpent rises again. Unbeknownst to all, the end approaches -  all but Lord British, who calls forth four heroes from across space and time. The only way the heroes can save the world is to discover the power hidden within themselves...'' 

Note: A review on Amazon Japan claiming to be by the author asserts that the novel's heroes include Joan of Arc, Genghis Khan, and Japanese Christian martyr and rebellion leader Shirou Amakusa. 



Adventure Novels: Ultima IV

 * Title: アドベンチャーノベルス: ウルティマ4 (Adobenchaa Noberusu: Urutima 4)
 * Publisher: JICC.
 * Author: 本橋 信宏 (Nobuhiro Motohashi)
 * Published: Jan. 1, 1987
 * Length: 269 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥680
 * ISBN-10: 4880632228
 * ISBN-13: 978-4880632223

Synopsis: "Gauta, it is your destiny to be a warrior and wander the world."

''So said an old crone whose words carried an eerie resonance... And so the scoundrel Gauta, resident of a once-again peaceful Britannia, sets out on a journey for reasons unknown even to himself. He wanders the land's towns and villages...and if he does not there learn the Eight Virtues, it is said, he will never be able to find his way home again. Each time he obtains a stone inscribed with a Rune, Gauta experiences a gradual change from within...'' 

Ultima: Monstrous Metamorphosis - Vol. 1 - Book of the Water Dragon

 * Title: ウルティマ妖魔変〈第1部〉水竜の章 (Urutima Youma-Hen [Dai-Ichibu] Sui-Ryu no Shou)
 * Publisher: Kadokawa Novels
 * Author: 西谷 史 (Aya Nishitani)
 * Published: Jan. 25, 1988
 * Length: 205 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥340
 * ISBN-10: 4044104166
 * ISBN-13: 978-4044104160

Synopsis: ''The power of the black arts has been purged from the world of Ultima by heroes from the "Real World." The dark warlock Mondain hurls a curse toward the Real World, where four high school students are possessed by evil spirits. Now, eight years later, we visit two of the four -  rock star Aya Mizugami and Takuma Hiura, computer expert on her music productions. The evil spirits within them begin to awaken, and Aya begins to undergo a bizarre transformation... A cutting-edge sci-fi novel taking dynamic inspiration from the world of computers, first in a thrilling series by Aya Nishitani, expanding on the super-popular Ultima series!'' 



Ultima: Monstrous Metamorphosis - Vol. 2 - Book of Magic

 * Title: ウルティマ妖魔変〈第2部〉魔道の章 (Urutima Youma-Hen [Dai-Nibu] Madou no Shou)
 * Publisher: Kadokawa Novels
 * Author: 西谷 史 (Aya Nishitani)
 * Published: Jun. 1, 1989
 * Length: 194 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥340
 * ISBN-10: 4044104174
 * ISBN-13: 978-4044104177

Synopsis: ''The world of Ultima was delivered from the thrall of evil by heroes from the "Real World." However, the ghosts of the mages Mondain and Minax have sworn vengeance, causing four high school students from the Real World to be possessed by evil spirits. Eight years later, one of them, the beautiful rock singer Aya Mizugami, possessed by a water spirit, transforms into a water dragon during a concert; she breaks through the ceiling of the concert hall and flies away. Through the despair and rage of Takuma Hiura, in love with Mizugami, the fire spirit within him is awakened. Mondain, his spirit housed within a supercomputer, and Minax, who has become flesh once more, awaken the spirits of earth and wind and begin to plunge the Real World into chaos... The shocking, bizarre second installment of the series inspired by the popular Ultima games!''

Note: In a pun, the heroine's last name translates to "water god"; the hero's, to "sun bay."



Ultima: Monstrous Metamorphosis - Vol. 3 - Book of the Crimson Fog

 * Title: ウルティマ妖魔変〈第3部〉紅霧の章 (Urutima Youma-Hen [Dai-Sanbu] Koumu no Shou)
 * Publisher: Kadokawa Novels
 * Author: 西谷 史 (Aya Nishitani)
 * Published: Aug. 1, 1990
 * Length: 206 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥379
 * ISBN-10: 4044104182
 * ISBN-13: 978-4044104184

Synopsis: ''The wounded Earth Dragon absorbs the red mist of Exodus into its flesh on the ruined isle of Magincia and is reborn. The crimson fog it spews from its maw turns Britannian after Britannian into Exodus's slave, and the world of Ultima is plunged into chaos. At the same time, the spirit of Fire, Takuma Hiura, in his search for the spirit of Eve, happens upon a mysterious old priest in a field of flowers in the vast forests of Mt. Fuji, while Kitasato (the spirit of Wind) is abducted by marauders along with a charming young lady named Yuki...  Who will be the hero who saves Britannia from this crisis? To repel the evil spirits, the world of Ultima and the Real World converge at one point, and it is here where all will be decided.'' 



Ultima Gaiden: Lovers of Cyber Tower (part of Fantasy Kingdom 〈1〉)

 * Title: ウルティマ外伝: 電脳塔の恋人 (Urutima Gaiden: Dennou Tou no Koibitotachi), published in ファンタジー王国〈1〉 (Fantajii Oukoku 〈1〉)
 * Publisher: Kadokawa Novels
 * Author: 西谷 史 (Aya Nishitani)
 * Published: Jan. 25, 1991
 * Original List Price: ¥738

Note: Tale is anthologized with three unrelated stories. 

Ultima: Crisis in the Kingdom of Britannia

 * Title: ウルティマ―ブリタニア王国の危機 (Urutima - Buritania Oukoku no Kiki)
 * Publisher: Keibunsha
 * Author: 菊島 恵三 (Keizo Kikuchi), Ryoko Sekishima
 * Published: Oct. 10, 1987
 * Length: 215 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥580
 * ISBN-10: 4766906314
 * ISBN-13: 978-4766906318

Synopsis: ''You yourself are the hero in this gamebook. The stage is the wide world of Sosaria, where you'll have to solve many mysteries in wandering about its castles, caverns, high seas, and many other sights and landmarks. In the meantime, you'll need to fight many monsters to gain experience and raise your level. This gamebook also includes a system where you can visit the same place multiple times. Since there are many people who'll have something different to say each time you meet them, you can't just visit them once!'' 

Ultima VI: Survive and Fight!

 * Title: ウルティマ6: 生きて戦え! (Urutima 6: Ikite Tatakae!)
 * Publisher: Locus/Seiunsya
 * Author: 金井 哲夫 (Tetsuo Kanai)
 * Published: Mar. 15, 1993
 * Length: 254 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥971
 * ISBN-10: 4795276285
 * ISBN-13: 978-4795276284

Synopsis: ''The heroic Avatar, all too inured to death, discovers a new self upon looking death in the face personally... More of a mental fantasy action tale.'' 



Ultima Underworld 1.5: Bride of Another Dimension

 * Title: ウルティマ アンダーワールド 1.5: 異次元の花嫁 (Urutima Andaawaarudo 1.5: Ijigen no Hanayome)
 * Publisher: Locus/Seiunsya
 * Author: 金井 哲夫 (Tetsuo Kanai)
 * Published: Aug. 10, 1994
 * Length: 223 pages
 * Original List Price: ¥971
 * ISBN-10: 4795276331
 * ISBN-13: 978-4795276338

Synopsis: ''A party of rowdy mountain men, a Lolita of a mage, and a battle of puns between the Avatar and a demon from another dimension! What kind of Ultima is this!? Lord British'll blow his top!! But it's OK -  Americans can't read it, anyway!''  <br style="clear:both;" />

Alternatively: ''The mountainmen giving a party with powder? An abnormal mage? The devil of a strange dimension and the Avatar confront a cheap joke? Can there be such an unreasonable ULTIMA? Lord British will be very angry. It's okay. Anyway Americans can not read it ! ha.. ha.. ha..!'' <br style="clear:both;" />