THESE GUYS JUST GET WEIRDER: Malaysia Bans Ultraman For Blasphemy. “The Ultraman character, born out of a 1960s Japanese television series, is a superhero with alien powers who protects the Earth from a variety of rampaging monsters. Malaysia’s image as a moderate Muslim nation has been undermined in recent years by a shift towards more conservative Islamic values. Authorities regularly ban movies or books deemed too vulgar, sexually explicit or religiously sensitive and have banned some foreign pop music stars from performing in the country.”