Ulman

"Look at this, somebody left a skeleton here! How about we take it as a memento?"

- Ulman

Ulman (alternative spelling Uhlman, Ul'man, Ullman, Oulman in the French version or in Russian: Ульман) was a member of the rangers, who helped Artyom repeatedly throughout his journey. In the novel, being a companion to Artyom through the last quarter; in the game by first saving his life during "Trolley Combat", and later being part of the team that escorts him to D6.

Overview
Little is known about Ulman's background, but he is, like most rangers, a skilled combatant. In both the novel and game he excels at stealth operations, making extensive use of the VSV, throwing knives, and a trench knife. In the game, Ulman is a larger-than-life figure who meets every bad situation with a wry smile, some wit, and liberal use of profanity. Ulman's tendency to joke about any situation he is in belies his experience and status as a veteran. He has an adversarial relationship with Miller, who finds his wisecracks unnecessary and distracting - yet Ulman does defer to Miller as a commanding officer. A dyed-in-the-wool optimist and a man with a dark sense of humour, Ulman's good-hearted humour and stalwart bravery makes him a rather enjoyable character given the usual darkness of the Metro universe.

It's Ulman who saves Artyom from the Nazis at the beginning of the level, "Trolley Combat". After which, he gives his seat in the armored railcar to Artyom, so Pavel can help Artyom, in his injured state, make it to Hole Station past the Nazis in the tunnels. He continues on a separate mission of his own outside Black Station, when a Nazi unexpectedly encounters Artyom and nearly alerts the entire station to his presence. A carefully-aimed throwing knife from Ulman ends his life before he can call for support or fire his gun. Not to be outdone by this awesome feat, Ulman then gives Artyom his VSV, whose silent striking capabilities are a veritable godsend in Black Station. He accompanies Artyom to Polis and later to D6, where Ulman stays behind to guard Vladimir while he manages the missile controls. During Artyom and Miller's trip to the Tower, he repeatedly tries hailing Miller and Artyom, but interference from the tower and the Dark Ones ensures that his calls come through as little more than static.

Ulman is mostly seen using an unscoped VSV in the game, as he's carrying one in Black Station before giving it to Artyom, as well as using it in the "Dungeon" and "Caves" chapters. He does not, however, use his laser sight, although Artyom does when picking his up. From the D6 level onwards, he retorts to using a standard Kalash 2012, once again without the laser sight. He is also seen using his knife at the beginning of "Trolley Combat", and appears to be carrying a Duplet on his back in Black Station, just like Hunter did. He never uses it though, nor does he use his throwing knives. Ulman also has his night vision goggles on in most of the levels where he is accompanying Artyom.

Metro: Last Light
Ulman, now spelled Uhlman, has a much smaller role in Metro: Last Light. He's only seen at the beginning and ending of the game, where he is leading Khan and Artyom to Miller and back again, after the prologue. The events of Metro 2033 and its aftermath clearly weigh heavily upon him, going from his tendency to crack jokes about every situation to cynicism about the coming conflict and questions Miller's actions. His personality still shines through, remaining both sarcastic and witty even under the circumstances. Also, Uhlman proves he still can manage a bit of humour in these embittered times, musing that Miller grilling him over a recent security breach would "be like a red-hot poker to my soul... If I still had one!" before giving a wry smirk.

Uhlman winds up saving Artyom again, as he did in Metro 2033, when he gets knocked out by the Reds during the Battle for D6, dragging the young Ranger to safety. He is seen using a standard Kalash in the firefight with the Red Line at D6 during the battle along with most of the Spartans, both in the C'est la Vie ending and the Redemption ending. In both endings, however, Uhlman is killed in action while fighting the Red troops. In the book canon, he is also killed during a battle between the Rangers and Reds for control over a bunker, as described in Metro 2035.

During the "Khan" level in the Chronicles Pack DLC, Uhlman and a group of Rangers were tracking the Red Line captured train that Artyom and Khan were simultaneously following - Uhlman blows the train up, trapping Artyom and the Dark One on the surface, while barricading himself and Khan inside the tunnels. Teaming up with Khan, the two make their way back to Polis, battling nosalises, rats, and ghosts of the past.

Metro 2033 Novel
In the novel, Ulman is more sober, yet still pro-active. As a character, Ulman serves as a powerful contrast of 'worldliness' to Artyom's carelessness. It's Ulman who is with Artyom, not Miller (here, known as Melnik), at the top of Ostankino Tower and is he who openly mocks the Dark Ones towards the end. Ulman is depicted having a similar age as Artyom, yet he tells of how he was about 10 years of age when the world ended, making him about thirty. This also means he was born somewhere around or sometime during 2003.

Appearances
Ulman appears in the following levels:

Metro 2033
 * Trolley Combat
 * Black Station
 * Polis
 * Driving to Sparta
 * Dark Star
 * Dungeon
 * Caves
 * D6
 * Separation
 * Top (voice only)

Metro: Last Light
 * Sparta
 * D6
 * Endings
 * Khan (Chronicles Pack Level)

Trivia

 * In Sparta, Ulman can be found chopping wood. He states to Artyom that "I'm exercising, as you can see!".
 * Ulman uses a VSV most frequently, but at D6, he will use a Kalash 2012.
 * While in the D6 computer room, Ulman will walk up to a phone and press a button on it, and becomes startled by the sound it makes. He then presses the button once more, and then walks to one of the larger machines lined along the walls, and presses a button there, while receiving an electric shock in return.
 * Ulman, along with Khan, Bourbon, Pavel, and Miller, is considered one of the main companions of the video game Metro 2033.
 * Ulman seems to joke less during Metro: Last Light than in Metro 2033. Probably because he had seen how bad things are and the fact that he is barely seen in game.
 * In the "Khan" level of the Chronicles Pack DLC, Uhlman is back to his old jokes again, providing humour in the desolate tunnels Khan drags him through.
 * Of all the playable characters in Metro: Last Light, Uhlman, Anna, and Pavel are the only ones who actually speak (unlike Artyom, Ranger Trainee, Red Line Sniper, and the Spider Lair Stalker, who only speak during loading screens, and Hans who doesn't speak at all).
 * Uhlman is the only character present in both games who retains the same voice actor in each.
 * Ulman appears to be of Russian and Asian descent. This would explain the physical characteristics of his face.
 * He may be of Mongolian decent, as it's also implied Khan is. Also, many notable Russians in real life share some Mongol blood, such as Sergey Shoygu.
 * Ulman is described as having blonde hair in the Metro 2033 novel, while in the game, it's black.
 * Ulman is voiced by Dave Mitchell in the English dub.

Bugs

 * At the beginning of the level "Trolley Combat", when Ulman is talking to Artyom, right before Artyom gets on the cart, there is a common glitch (even on the PC version) where Ulman's eyes go crossed.
 * Before entering the trolley, when Pavel and Ulman shake hands, they will occasionally shake with both arms being clipped into each other.

Gallery
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