Reptilicus, a giant monster film about a fictional prehistoric reptile, is a Danish-American co-production, produced by American International Pictures and Saga Studios, and is—upon close examination—two distinctly different films helmed by two different directors. The original version, which was shot in Danish, was directed by Danish director Poul Bang and released in Denmark on February 25, 1961. The American version, which was in English with a nearly identical cast, was directed by the film's American producer-director Sidney W. Pink; this version was initially deemed virtually unreleasable by American International Pictures and had to be extensively reworked by the film's Danish-American screenwriter, Ib Melchior, before being finally released in America in 1962. Pink was angry at the changes and wound up in a legal dispute with AIP. After Pink and others viewed the English-language version, the lawsuit was dropped. Reptilicus Resembling a giant dragon-like serpent with webbed wings, Reptilicus, with near-impenetrable armor-plated skin, had the ability to regenerate itself from any segment as well as fly (a feature obscured in the US version, when AIP removed the flying scene). In the US version, an effect was added (albeit randomly and clumsily) where Reptilicus shot a neon-green acid slime from his mouth. The special effect used to bring Reptilicus to life is a wired marionette. Plot Danish miners dig up a section of a giant reptile's tail from the frozen grounds in Lapland, where they are drilling. The section is flown to the Danish Aquarium in Copenhagen, where it is preserved in a cold room for scientific study. But due to careless mishandling, the room is left open and the section begins to thaw, only for scientists to find that it is starting to regenerate. Professor Martens, who is in charge of the Aquarium, dubs the reptilian species "Reptilicus" (upon a reporter's suggestion) and compares its regeneration abilities to that of other animals like earthworms and starfish. Once fully regenerated from the tail section, Reptilicus goes on an unstoppable rampage from the Danish countryside to the panic-stricken streets of Copenhagen (including one of its famous landmarks, Langebro Bridge), before finally being killed with poison by ingenious scientists and military officers. However, the monster's foot is not destroyed and sinks to the bottom of the sea. The movie is left open-ended, with the possibility that the foot could regenerate. Versions Some of the crew work with the Reptilicus marionette among the miniature buildings. Much like Universal Studios' original Dracula film, this film had two different versions: The original version, with the actors speaking Danish, had many more scenes including a romance between Svend and Karen, a comical musical number by Petersen (Dirch Passer), and the original Reptilicus flight scene. The English version, in which the Danish actors are refilmed speaking English (a few of the actors are different, like the character of Connie Miller). AIP used this print and not only redubbed the actors, but drastically cut out many scenes as well as rearranging some (even adding some effects, like Reptilicus shooting acid slime from his mouth). Some additional music by Les Baxter was used as well. The Japanese release title was The Frozen Evil Beast's Onslaught. It was also released as Prehistoric Beast Reptilicus. Crew Directors: Poul Bang (Danish Version), Sidney W. Pink (English Version) Producers: Johann Zalabery, Sidney W. Pink US Producer: Samuel Z. Arkoff Writers: Ib Melchior, Sidney W. Pink (Original story) Music: Sven Gyldmark Additional Music in US version by Les Baxter Photography: Aage Wiltrup Cast Carl Ottosen as Gen. Mark Grayson Ann Smyrner as Lise Martens Mimi Heinrich as Karen Martens Asbjørn Andersen as Prof. Otto Martens Bodil Miller as Connie Miller (Danish version) Marla Behrens as Connie Miller (American version) Bent Mejding as Svend Viltorft (Drilling crew chief) Povl Wøldike as Dr. Peter Dalby Dirch Passer as Mikkwlawn Peterson (Night watchman) Ole Wisborg as Capt. Einer Brandt (Royal Danish Guard) Birthe Wilke as Herself (Nightclub singer) Børge Møller Grimstrup as Danish farmer Reptilicus as Himself Reception As Denmark's first and only giant monster film, this film has a cult following in its home country. Sidney Pink tried to get a sequel/remake made, back in 2001 due to the box office hit of Godzilla in 1998, before his death in 2002. Novel and Comic Reptilicus attacks a hunter in the jungle. From issue #2 of the Reptilicus comic published by Charlton Comics. When the copyright expired, Charlton revamped the character into Reptisaurus. A novelization of the film was released in paperback at the time of its original release (Reptilicus by Dean Owen (Monarch, 1961)). In 1961, Charlton Comics produced a comic book based on the film. Reptilicus lasted two issues. After the copyright had lapsed, Charlton modified the creatures look and renamed it Reptisaurus. The series was now renamed Reptisaurus the Terrible and would continue from issue #3 before being cancelled with issue #8 in 1962. This was followed by a one-shot called Reptisaurus Special Edition in 1963. In 2012, Scary Monsters magazine reprinted the Reptisaurus the Terrible series as a black and white collection called Scarysaurus the Scary. DVD
The American version of Reptilicus was released on DVD April 1 2003 by MGM Home Entertainment under the 'Midnight Movies' banner. The Danish version was released on DVD from Sandrew Metronome (Denmark) in 2002.
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Legion is a colony of an extraterrestrial species of Silicon-based organisms from the movie Gamera 2: Advent of Legion. These creatures appearing as the main antagonist of the film and the second antagonist species to appear in The Gamera Trilogy. Appearance The Symbiotic Legion, as noted in the movie, are a Silicon-based extraterrestrial lifeform. Legion's exterior greatly resembles that of an insect, especially that of a Rhinoceros Beetle. The Legion do not actually have muscles. Instead, they are able to move through pressurized gas that passes through their seemingly hollow exoskeleton. Their reproduction is unknown except for the fact that they spread through an enourmous pod that they fuel with oxygen to ignite a massive explosion to launch their species throughout the galaxy. The Queen leads this operation. On her abdominal region, she sports multiple egg-cases which house Symbiotic Legion Soldiers which she can dispatch at will to do her bidding. If these workers are not enough to protect their pod, she will emerge to guard its location. Profile Queen Legion Height: 140 Meters Total Length: 160 Meters Weight: 600 Tons Flight Speed: Mach 1 Tunneling Speed: 50 Kilometers per hour Homeworld: Unknown Favorite Food: Silicon Body: Its body structure is similar to crustaceans. Its body tissue is based on silicon and has a semiconductor like structure. She is durable, able to withstand a frontal assualt from the Japanese SDF and resist Gamera's Mana Blast for several seconds. The Queen Legion does in fact have usable insect-like wings that give her the ability to fly, despite her enormous size. Main Organs: Eyes: Can recognize electromagnetic waves of all wavelengths. Eyes are usually blue but turn red when angered. Mouth: Legion can fire a bluish beam of focused microwaves that is fired from the Queen's upper lip (nasal horn). It can also fire Butte Legion when the part in the center. when it is opened that possesses major destructive powers, able to destroy and entire manufacturing facility in a few blasts and even put holes in Gamera's plated shell. It is sharp enough to leave cuts in Gamera's body. It should be noted that Gamera's hands were burned when it ripped of the top part, implying it is very hot. Egg Chamber (Ovary): Legion can produce up to 100 Symbiotic Legion Soldiers an hour from the red egg chamber on her abdomen. These soldiers follow her every command and attack with tooth and claw to the end to protect their colony. Tunneling Arms: Serves the role of excavators allowing Legion to move about freely underground. Rear Legs: Two legs with sickles attached to them. Tt is possible to attack the enemy from underground with them and they have a wide range of motion. Are powerful enough to knock Gamera out of the sky and pierce his shell. Shell: Legion is covered in an insulating material similar to regid silicon resin. Highly durable. Interference Claws: The extra clawed limbs that form a "crown" around Queen Legion's head can produce a variety of electromagnetic waves to deflect missiles and neutralize Gamera's fireballs. In a damage state they can not completely counter stonge projectiles like Gamera's fireballs. Main Technique: Microwave Shell: Using the Nasal Horn and the interference claws Legion can create an electromagnetic field to counter Gamera's plasma fireballs and missiles. Butte Legion: If her nasal horn is torn or blasted off, Queen Legion can produce crimson tendrils the spot in between her nasal horn. They can move about freely and are have high temperature allowing them to cut through Gamera easily. Trivia
The Legion gets their name from a comment a soldier made in the film; quoting the Bible, "And Jesus asked him, "What is thy name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." Mark 5:9 The Queen Legion is the second female monster to appear in the Gamera series, the first being Jiger. The Queen Legion is by far the largest monster Gamera has ever fought. King Caesar (キングシーサー Kingu Shisa) is a fictional Kaiju from the Toho produced Godzilla series. King Caesar's appearance was inspired by the Shisa, a beast that looks like a combination between a dog and a lion. It first appeared in the 1974 Showa film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. It then appeared thirty years later in the 2004 Millennium film Godzilla: Final Wars. Appearance King Caesar is a combination of a dog and a lion, and possibly some type of reptile. He has large clumps of light brown fur growing on different areas of his body. His skin is made up of brown scales. King Caesar has a row of gems on his head that make up a crown like shape. In order to awaken King Caesar, a direct descendent of the royal Azumi family must sing his activation song. Years later when King Caesar appeared in Godzilla Final Wars he did not need a song to awaken. Special powers Within the context of the character's fictional universe, King Caesar possesses remarkable speed, athleticism, durability and fighting prowess. King Caesar also had the ability to shoot energy back at his opponents if they shoot energy attacks into his eyes. He used this twice with great effectiveness against Mechagodzilla before the robot wisely changed tactics and used missiles instead. The Millennium incarnation in particular displayed great lower body strength, and was able to leap high in the air and roundhouse-kick the much heavier and spiked Anguirus like a soccer ball. In the video game Godzilla: Unleashed, King Caesar was able to absorb sunlight and release it as a beam weapon; this ability was never shown in the film continuity. Origins Showa In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, King Caesar was the guardian of the Azumi family. He could be awakened by fulfilling a prophecy and an ancient song. The Simians knew about Caesar and that it would awaken to prevent them from attempting world domination. When their Mechagodzilla was repaired after being damaged, the aliens sent the cyborg to conquer the Earth once more. King Caesar was awakened and he confronted the robot. At the beginning, Caesar was able to successfully fight back by reflecting the cyborg's laser beams through his own eyes and then reflecting the projectiles back at his adversary. However, Mechagodzilla was too strong even for the guardian and almost defeated Caesar. However, Godzilla arrived to aid King Caesar. Still, Mechagodzilla was more powerful than both of them and horribly outmatched the duo. Godzilla, who had been struck by lightning repeatedly prior to this battle, converted that electrical power into an electro-magnetic attraction ability, essentially becoming a living super electro-magnet during the fight and used it to pull Mechagodzilla towards him when the latter attempted to flee when it began to run low on power and ammunition. Godzilla held his robotic clone in place, allowing Caesar to ram the giant robot repeatedly. Godzilla finished off the machine by ripping off its head, and fell into the sea when Mechagodzilla's body exploded. King Caesar then returned to the rock formation from where he emerged. The alien base built into the mountain then self-destructed, sealing the entry and allowing King Caesar to rest peacefully until he would be needed again. Millennium In Godzilla: Final Wars, King Caesar was one of the many controlled monsters of a race of alien beings known as the Xiliens. He appears in Okinawa (in a twist of irony, as he was its protector in the Showa series). King Caesar stomps through a factory, crushing everything in his path. Suddenly, an enormous flying object arrives on the scene and removes the giant monster. The same thing happens to all the other monsters that were attacking the cities throughout the world. The Xiliens come and tell Earth that they saw that the planet was under attack and destroyed the towering titans to save Earth and that a meteor is falling to Earth, threatening all life. However, it is discovered that the Xiliens were controlling the various monsters and that the meteor did not exist. The Xiliens then release the monsters to finish destroying the cities. However, the crew of the Gotengo freed Godzilla and lured him to the places where the controlled monsters were so he could fight them. King Caesar, Anguirus and Rodan are pitted against Godzilla at Mt. Fuji. He successfully defeats all three monsters. King Caesar, Anguirus and Rodan are then left in a heap at the base of the mountain. Godzilla did not kill his fallen foes as a nod to their status as allies of Godzilla during the Showa era. This is in contrast to the remaining majority of the monsters seen in the film, all of whom, aside from Zilla, were enemies of Godzilla during the Showa era, and were slain either by Godzilla, the Gotengo, or the mutants who were part of an anti-monster task force near the beginning of the film. Film Appearances Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla Terror of Mechagodzilla (Stock Footage) Godzilla Final Wars Video games
King Caesar appears in the video games Godzilla Trading Battle, Godzilla: Unleashed as a playable character, sporting a look with similarities to both Showa and Millennium era designs. He is able to fire solar heat beams from his eyes. Manda (マンダ) is a fictional Kaiju (Japanese giant monster) created by the Japanese film making company, Toho. Manda is a serpentine creature similar to a Japanese dragon with four small legs and prominent horns. Manda does not have any special weapons, but can wrap his body around an enemy and crush them in the manner of a constrictor snake. Manda can also swim very fast and breathe underwater. His first appearance is in Atragon (1963). Origins Showa Series In Atragon, Manda is a sea-dwelling dragon that lives in the sea and is the guardian of Mu, an underwater kingdom. Manda is one of the primary antagonists along with the Empress. When the submarine warship Gotengo attacks, Manda fights it and wraps his body around the ship, trying to crush it. But the Gotengo discharges electricity on Manda and shocks him. Manda unwraps itself and tries to swim away, but the Gotengo pursues him, later firing its Absolute Zero Cannon to freeze Manda. Manda reappears again on Monster Island (along with several other kaiju including Godzilla, Rodan and Anguirus) in Destroy All Monsters. Aliens called Kilaaks come to Earth and take control of Manda and the other monsters, making them attack cities worldwide until the humans manage to free the monsters from alien mind control. After this the monsters are sent to fight King Ghidorah, although Manda does not fight in the battle, merely watching from the sidelines with Varan and Baragon. After Ghidorah is killed, Manda and the other monsters return to Monster Island. The Manda prop used in Destroy All Monsters had no horns or whiskers on his face and the long fuzz running down his back was gone. Millennium series In the Millennium series, Manda is the first monster to be killed in Godzilla: Final Wars, playing a minor role, once again as an adversary of the Gotengo. The Gotengo attacks Manda who is wrapped around its hull. The super-submarine manages to shake him off and sails into an underwater volcano to see if it can lure Manda inside. The plan works, but Manda is merely injured and continues to pursue the Gotengo. The submarine then whips around and fires its Zero Cannon which hits Manda, causing him to freeze instantly, after which Gotengo uses its drill to easily pierce the frozen Manda, causing the monster to shatter and die. In this movie Manda (along with Zilla and Kamacuras while flying) is computer generated. Movie Appearances Atragon (1963) Destroy All Monsters (1968) All Monsters Attack (1969, stock footage) Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975, stock footage) Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) Other Appearances
He also appeared in Godzilla: Monster War. Manda is used as the name for a giant snake, and boss of the Snake Summons in the Naruto manga series. Megaguirus (メガギラス Megagirasu) is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster, who first appeared in the 2000 movie Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. A mutated version of the fictional meganulon, Megaguirus is regarded as the queen of the species; according to Toho, she is about 50 meters (164 feet) in length, has a wingspan of 80 meters (262 feet) and weighs roughly 12,000 tonnes (13,220 tons). The first and only major appearance of the creature was in the 2000 film Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, she also had a brief cameo appearance in Godzilla: Final Wars. Character history Although the species of meganulon, the origin of Megaguirus, were first depicted in the 1956 movie Rodan, the monster itself did not appear until its debut in 2000. Megaguirus was first mentioned in the movie Godzilla vs. Megaguirus after a swarm of meganulon absorbed energy from Godzilla and quickly fled to a flooded section of Tokyo. After diving into the flood waters, the entire swarm latched on to an enormous, mutated version of meganulon. This mutated creature, regarded as the queen, begins to molt once enough energy had been obtained. After leaving behind its exoskeleton, Megaguirus rose above the water's surface and entered the skies of Tokyo. Immediately after getting above water, Megaguirus began its rampage of Tokyo, destroying numerous buildings by creating super sonic shock waves with its wings. The Japanese military, already deployed to the city to assist in evacuating residents caught in the flood, was helpless to stop Megaguirus. In addition to being practically immune to bullets, its wings emitted a piercing buzz which forced people to stop what they were doing and cover their ears in pain. Before leaving the city, the creature leveled a skyscraper and caused a chain reaction of explosions in several other buildings near where it was born. Several days later, Megaguirus returned to Tokyo in pursuit of Godzilla. Moments before Megaguirus's second arrival in Tokyo, the G-Graspers a legion of anti-Godzilla soldiers in the Japan Self Defense Unit, attempts to take down Godzilla "once and for all." However, Megaguirus interrupts this and begins a lengthy duel with Godzilla. Initially, Megaguirus takes Godzilla by surprise, using its speed to avoid Godzilla's attacks, including its atomic breath, as well as knock it over multiple times. Eventually, Megaguirus grabs onto Godzilla's neck with its vice-like claws. Although Godzilla breaks free of the grasp and begins to charge up his atomic breath, Megaguirus jabs Godzilla with her stinger and begins absorbing energy, preventing Godzilla from using its atomic breath while giving more power to Megaguirus. After having its stinger pulled out of Godzilla, Megaguirus uses the newly obtained energy to pick Godzilla up and throw him into a building. Once Godzilla recovered, Megaguirus again stabs him with her stinger, but this time, Godzilla grabs Megaguirus's tail and slams it into the ground and follows through by tackling her. Shortly thereafter, Megaguirus uses the absorbed energy to launch an "atomic blast" which caused Godzilla to collapse. Seemingly having defeated Godzilla, Megaguirus goes in for the kill, but just as she makes her move, Godzilla quickly gets up and bites off Megaguirus's stinger. Stunned, Megaguirus floats backwards from Godzilla, only to be set aflame by his atomic breath. To ensure his victory, Godzilla hits Megaguirus again, causing her to explode into a ball of fire before the burning remains fell to the ground and exploded for a final time. Abilities Similar to nearly every monster in the Godzilla series, Megaguirus was at one point exposed to radioactive materials, resulting in a substantial increase in strength, speed and size. After obtaining energy from the minor meganulon, Megaguirus is able to fly at incredibly fast speeds, up to mach 4. It is able to flap its dragonfly-like wings at super-sonic speeds, creating shock waves that can destroy buildings. Its enlarged tail works similar to the stinger of a scorpion, it jabs its foe and latches on to it. Once the stinger is in Megaguirus's opponent, it can either absorb energy for itself or release a blast of energy composed of its opponents beam weapon. Additionally, while flying, its wings cause electronic disturbances. Video games Megaguirus has appeared in three video games produced by Atari since Godzilla vs. Megaguirus came out in 2000. Of these, the creature is a playable character in two and an AI-controlled boss or enemy in one. Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004): One of 18 playable characters in this melee game. Megaguirus is regarded as the fastest creature in the game and retains one of its signature features as an attack, stealing energy through its tail. The game was designed for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 platforms. Godzilla: Unleashed (2007): One of 26 playable characters in this 3D fighting game. Megaguirus is part of the "Mutant" faction of monsters and remains the fastest character. This game was designed for the Wii and PlayStation 2 platforms. Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (2007): A shorter, less encompassing version of Godzilla: Unleashed designed for the Nintendo DS. However, unlike the console version, in Double Smash, Megaguirus is not a playable character and has a minimal part in the game. Trivia
Skeetera from Godzilla: the Series has similar powers as Megaguirus. This is the first prehistoric insect to fight Godzilla. There is a useful glitch in Godzilla: Unleashed, where Megaguirus is able to use a beam indefinitely (forever), taking the weapon after stealing the opponents energy first. The Meganulon are based off of an actual prehistoric species of dragonfly, called Meganeura. These dragonflies lived before the dinosaurs, in the Carboniferous era, and were as large as seagulls. Many giant insects evolved during the carboniferous because of the high amount of oxygen in the air. In the movie, it is unclear as to whether Megaguirus is prehistoric or extradimensional, because her egg was brought to Earth (or possibly mutated, it never says) by a man-made black hole called the Dimension Tide. The Meganulon's first appearance was actually in the movie Rodan. Maguma is a fictional kaiju (giant monster) featured in the Japanese science fiction tokusatsu film Gorath, released by Toho in 1962. Based upon the giant walrus (sometimes refered to as "Odobenus rosmarus magnus") and named after subterranean molten rock (magma), the Maguma suit was designed by special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, and worn by stuntman Haruo Nakajima, who frequently performed kaiju in Toho films of the era (including their most famous monster character, Godzilla). Maguma is the only monster in the film, the focus of which is a runaway collapsed star on a collision course with Earth. History Trapped for centuries in an icy tomb, the massive walrus was awoken from its ancient slumber when gigantic rockets were implanted on the North Pole to move the Earth away from the oncoming rogue star Gorath. Awakening with a thirst for carnage, Maguma lashed out at the base and damaged it before retreating back into its home valley. Knowing something was going on that involved a ravenous monster, a VTOL craft was dispatched to handle the creature. The ship buried the walrus under hundreds of tons of rock, but even this couldn't kill the monster. Maguma rose up and charged the small humans before it. The group of three retreated back to their ship and then to the safety of the sky. The beast snarled again before the craft unleashed more streams of searing energy on it. Unable to cope with such an attack, Maguma fell to its side and breathed its last breath. Video Game Appearances Godzilla Generations Roar Maguma stars as the antagonist. Maguma's roar was basically a elephant's roar, but was deepened and slowed down. Trivia
Just like Ebirah, Maguma was originally of Godzilla's allies for Destroy All Monsters, but was replaced, by Gorosaurus, Minya and Anguirus. Maguma often appears in the Toho Kingdom Toons. Kamacuras (カマキラス, Kamakirasu) is a giant mantis (sometimes a species of mantis) that first appeared in the film Son of Godzilla. History Showa Series Son of Godzilla When a United Nations weather control experiment on the Solgell Island accidentally caused a radioactive storm in 1967, the island was doused in a radioactive rainstorm that caused at least three of the island’s already two-meter-long praying mantis' to mutate into 50-meter monsters. After scaring the United Nations crew for a while, the Kamacuras uncovered and attacked Minilla's egg, breaking it open and then proceeding to try and devour the young monster. Godzilla, hearing the cries of Minilla, arrived on the island and quickly killed two of the Kamacuras with his radioactive heat ray, but one managed to escape. Later, Kumonga, the giant spider, killed the third Kamacuras in battle when he entangled the giant mantis in his webbing and jabbed it with his poison stinger. All Monsters Attack The monsters also makes a breif appearance in All Monsters Attack, as a small pack of them attack Godzilla, only to be killed quickly and easily by the King of Monsters (along with Kumonga, Ebirah, Giant Condor, and a few fighter jets). Of course, this is all in the mind of young Ichiro. Godzilla vs. Gigan Thought to have been wiped out by Kumonga on Solgell Island, a Kamacuras later turned up on Ogasawara Island, living in peace with the other monsters. Godzilla Island Series Aside from Kamacuras' big screen appearences, the monster mantis also made an appearence in the 12th Story Arc of the television show Godzilla Island (1997-1998). In the story, Kamacuras arives on the island under false pretenses, claiming to have escaped from an ever growing "100 Monster Army" being assembled by the Xilian alians. However, Kamacuras is already a part of that army (which consists of only two monsters) and has arived to set a trap for Godzilla and recruit the island's heroic monsters into the evil army. Ultimatly, Kamacuras fails and flees the island, never to be heared from again. Millennium series Godzilla: Final Wars In the 2004 film, Godzilla: Final Wars, Kamacuras made an appearance as one of the many controlled monsters of a race of superior extraterrestrial beings known as the Xilians. It attacks Paris and is soon confronted by the indomitable warship known as the Ecalir; the two proceed to have a heart-racing clash against one another, but soon, the giant manits is teleported away by an enormous UFO to make it seem as if the Xilians eliminated every monster. Eventually, it is discovered that the Xiliens were controlling the the monster, who are returned to finish their rampages. The city of Paris is destroyed by the combined forces of the Xilien ships and Kamacuras. Then, Godzilla is released from his subzero prison and he soon eliminates Gigan in Antarctica, Zilla in Sydney and Kumonga in Arizona. Godzilla soon reaches the shores of Kanto, Japan, where the Xiliens place Kamacuras to battle against the nuclear menace. Ready to do battle from a nearby bridge, the structure is, however, destroyed by the tidal waves advancing in front of Godzilla. The giant mantis quickly flies off, and disguises itself by matching the appearance of the hillside. The King of the Monsters is unfazed by the trick, and nukes the hillside to smoke out the large insect. Kamacuras, left with no other choice, leaps forth, just in time to dodge Godzilla's ray, and readies itself to engage its opponent in close combat. However, Godzilla easily throws the giant mantis away, causing the creature to tumble backwards and fall onto an electrical transmission tower. The tower pierces through the creature's exoskeleton, as its eyes begin to dim and death overtakes it. Godzilla then proceeds to walk away in triumph to face his next challenge. Powers and abilities As a giant mantis, Kamacuras has all the natural abilities a normal praying mantis would have, such as flight and spiked claws. In the film Godzilla: Final Wars, Kamacuras is shown with a new deadly ability: the power to alter its natural color, thus allowing Kamacuras to camouflage and blend in with its surroundings, waiting to ambush its unwary opponent. Filmography Son of Godzilla All Monsters Attack Godzilla vs. Gigan Godzilla Island Godzilla: Final Wars Video Game Appearances Kaiju-Oh Godzilla Godzilla Trading Battle Trivia
The original Kamacuras created by Teisho Arikawa for Son of Godzilla were marionetts opperated by overhead wires (the same effects were also used for the monsters Kumonga and the infant Minilla). The effects stand out as some of the best in the Showa series. A videogame called "War Of The Monsters" has a monster named Preytor who clearly resembles Kamacuras. Kamacuras was considered for Godzilla: Unleashed, but was dropped due to his similarities to the character Preytor in the game War Of The Monsters. Jet Jaguar (ジェットジャガー Jetto Jagā) is a fictional character who appears in the Godzilla film Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973). History Created from the brilliant mind of Goro Ibuki, Jet Jaguar represented the advancement of technology to its utmost. Working in secret in his lab, the inventor's triumphs didn't go unnoticed. Watching from a distance, agents of Seatopia awaited for their chance to capture the scientist and take hold of the marvelous robot. Lying in shrouding mystery, they awaited to spring their trap at last. Seizing hold of the man and a small boy, they sought to bring him to the undersea kingdom, until the rising Megalon revealed its ghastly face. Unknowingly setting free the humans, the insect raged into its set path, dumbly following the Seatopia controlled Jet Jaguar. Only by using his medallion with its built in override voice command, was Goro able to overthrow Seatopia's control. Witnessing the threat at hand, the inventor immediately ordered the humanoid robot to retrieve Godzilla from the devastated Monster Island. Flying at an unimaginable speed of over mach three, the machine accomplished its mission as it flew ahead of the nuclear saurian that it had summoned. Instead of obeying the voice override once it returned, though, the metallic warrior dipped into the recesses of its programming and began to operate on its own accord. Seeing the danger that Megalon possessed to life, the machine grew to match the insect's own daunting stature and proceeded to face the creature. Matching and overcoming each tactical move of the Seatopian god, it seemed that the giant would win the day, until another entered the fray. Swooping down from the lisping clouds, the cyborg Gigan stole the victory. Adding its tremendous power to Megalon's, the creatures overtook the robot in a matter of minutes. It wasn't until the summoned Godzilla's arrived did Earth breath a sigh of relief. Fighting back against the duo, Jet Jaguar and Godzilla pushed back the two demons into retreat. Following in an impressive show of intelligence, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar shook hands, the machine showing his gratitude. Watching the dorsal finned behemoth leave, the humanoid robot shrank back down to size, and once again reverted to being controlled through its voice control system. The survival program now lay dormant that Earth is safe. Origins Jet Jaguar was the result of a contest Toho had in mid-to-late 1972 for fans to come up with a new hero for them to use (to capitalize on the many tokusatsu and anime superhero and super robot shows that were all the rage at the time). The winner of the contest submitted the drawing of a robot called Red Alone. The robot resembled Ultraman, Spectreman, and Mazinger Z (all of which were very popular at the time). The robot was renamed Jet Jaguar and was set to star in a film vehicle for him, titled Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon, which pitted him against Megalon (a previously unused Godzilla villain). However, Toho figured Jet Jaguar would not be able to carry the film on his own, in screen appearance or marketing value, so during pre-production, even after doing some tests and storyboards, the project was shut down for several weeks, until screenwriter Shinichi Sekizawa was called in to rewrite the script to add Godzilla and Gigan to have more marquee value. The resulting film, Godzilla vs. Megalon, paired Godzilla with Jet Jaguar against both Megalon and Gigan. Film Appearances Godzilla vs. Megalon Other appearances
Jet Jaguar appears in the video games Godzilla Trading Battle (1998), Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004), Godzilla: Unleashed (2007), and Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (2007). Ebirah (エビラ Ebira), is a fictional kaiju (Japanese giant monster) that first appeared in the Showa Godzilla film Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. He is one of the two main antagonists of the film. So far Ebirah has also appeared in All Monsters Attack and Godzilla: Final Wars. Origin Showa series In Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, a terrorist organization called the Red Bamboo had set up a base of operations on Letchi Island. The giant shrimp Ebirah was successfully used to destroy any ship that came too close to the island. The Red Bamboo ships used a special extract from the island’s fruit to protect themselves from Ebirah. When a small group of people stranded on the island saw the mutant dinosaur Godzilla sleeping in a cave, they woke him so he could fight Ebirah. Godzilla easily won and injured the crustacean with his atomic ray. The day after, a Red Bamboo ship appeared, but they unknowingly used a placebo and not the fruit extract. Ebirah attacked and tore the ship apart. Godzilla reappeared, but this time, Godzilla pulled off Ebirah’s claws. The wounded Ebirah then fled. Ebirah was not seen again until he appeared on Monster Island in Ichiro’s dreams in All Monsters Attack. His appearance in this film is simply stock footage utilized from Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. Ebirah was originally going to appear in Destroy All Monsters, but did not make it to the final draft. Millennium series In the Millennium era, Ebirah makes an appearance in Godzilla: Final Wars as one of the many controlled monsters of the Xiliens, a race of extraterrestrial beings. He destroys a factory near Tokyo, and the military forces are sent to destroy him, but are outmatched by the immense crustacean. Instead, the mutant soldiers are called to stop the kaiju. The mutants successfully defeat Ebirah and are about to kill him, when he disappears in a flash of light. The Xiliens arrive and say that they destroyed the monsters to save Earth. However, it is soon found out that the monsters were in fact controlled by the Xiliens all along. The Gotengo then frees Godzilla from the Antarctic so he could fight the controlled kaiju. The plan is a success and Godzilla successfully defeats all of the kaiju. When he arrives in Tokyo Bay, he faces Ebirah and the smog monster Hedorah. However, they are no match for Godzilla, who blasts them out of the water with his atomic ray and the duo crash into a building, where Ebirah's claw stabs Hedorah's eye. Godzilla fires another blast and knocks out both Ebirah and Hedorah. Video game appearances Ebirah has been featured in as a non-playable enemy kaiju in three video games: Godzilla, King of the Monsters Godzilla: Save the Earth Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash Ebirah was only featured as a playable character in the Japan-only game Godzilla Trading Battle. Appearances in comic book
Ebirah made an appearance in the IDW comic book series Godzilla: The Half-Century War. Biology Large and bulky, Knifehead is a heavily built Kaiju. Its most notable feature is the long and broad sharp-ended nose, that could easily cut through the armor of a Jaeger. It has a large shell-like armor on its back, while the rest of its body is similar to a goblin shark in appearance. Knifehead's two large dominant arms and two smaller secondary arms protrude from its belly. Its large arms each have three clawed digits, the middle digit being significantly larger. Bright yellow lines run through a pattern across its body, with the rest of its body being a dark grey. Its eyes and the interior of its mouth, however, glow blue. Like Slattern and Scunner, Knifehead's primary arms are actually two fused arms themselves ending in three-digited claws. History Knifehead is the largest Category III Kaiju recorded so far, deployed to attack Anchorage, Alaska. On its way to its target, Knifehead moves to attack a fishing boat, but is intercepted by Gipsy Danger. The Jaeger manages to grab and toss the boat out the line of combat. Knifehead attacks Gipsy, but only succeeds in biting at its arm, before being given a severe beating. It takes three shots from Gipsy's Plasmacaster which sent it hurling back into the ocean. Gipsy Danger's pilots, Yancy and Raleigh Becket, assume Knifehead is dead and let their guard down. Knifehead ambushes them, attacking them from under the sea and tries to bite the Conn-Pod. Raleigh tries to charge Gipsy's left Plasmacaster, but Knifehead grabs Gipsy's arm so he is unable get a shot at it. Knifehead rams the sharp end of its head into Gipsy's left shoulder. It severs the Jaeger's arm and proceeds to rip and tear at Gipsy's severed shoulder using its teeth. Knifehead tears open the Conn-Pod, and rips Yancy out of the cockpit, hurling him to his death, leaving his brother Raleigh to pilot what remained of Gipsy solo. Knifehead strikes Gipsy with its head and impales Gipsy's left breastplate while it continued to bite at its severed shoulder. However, in its frenzy, it stopped gripping Gipsy's right arm. Raleigh charges the plasma caster and unloads a clip into Knifehead's face, killing it. Notes
Scunner and Knifehead use the same basic CG body as Trespasser in Pacific Rim. In a preview of Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero, Knifehead's skull can be clearly seen mounted on the room, and in the next page Gipsy Danger's damaged body. Several identical copies of Knifehead can be seen in the Precursors processing facility (hundreds in concept art of the film). This hints at the idea that there were to be many attacks from this Kaiju type. Knifehead appears in Pacific Rim: The Video Game. Knifehead bears a resemblance to Guiron, a similar monster from the Kadokawa Daiei Gamera series. |
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