Death Kappa (2010)

Death Kappa (デスカッパ Desukappa) is an amphibious yokai created by Nikkatsu that first appeared in the 2010 Nikkatsu kaiju film, Death Kappa.

Plot
The kappa, in Japanese folklore, are water goblins that are closely associated with a certain town in the country. Unfortunately, the area is also home to a militant splinter group of researchers dedicated to developing amphibious super soldiers based on the kappa of legends. When their experiment's result in murder by some escapees, the appearance of an actual kappa, and the triggering of an atomic bomb, the consequences are of epic proportions.

After a Kappa is caught in an atomic explosion, the creature is mutated in to the giant Death Kappa just moments before another amphibious monster, Hangyolas begins to rampage through Japan. The two monsters confront one another and become locked in combat, with Death Kappa eventually reigning victorious.

Appearance - Death Kappa
Being based off of the mythological Kappa, Death Kappa keeps some of the trademark characteristics from the creature. Such features include its frog-like appearance, and hard turtle-like shell. Added are an avian beak, pronounced gut, and hair. Although the traditional Kappa was said to have webbed feet, Death Kappa lacks this trait.

Appearance - Hangyolas
Hangyolas looks like a cross between the two Toho kaiju, Titanosaurus and Kaishin Muba. He stands upright and is covered in blue scales and orange fins.

Cast

• Daniel Aguilar Gutiérrez
• Matt Alt as Himself - Kappa Expert
• Hideaki Anno
• Michelle Ann Dunphy as Reporter (voice)
• Shinji Higuchi
• Misato Hirata
• Mitsuko Hoshi
• Ryûki Kitaoka
• Mika
• Yakan Nabe
• Hiroko Sakurai
• Cristina Valenzuela as Kanako (voice)
• Marc Walkow as Horrified Tourist
• Hiroko Yoda as Herself - Kappa Expert

Production

• Tomo'o Haraguchi - Director
• Yoshinori Chiba - Producer
• Yoko Hayama - Producer
• John Sirabella - Executive Producer
  
• Masakazu Migita - Writer
  

Release
The film was actually released in the US (at the New York Asian Film Festival, June 2010) before being released in Japan, November 2010. It was also released on DVD in the US by Tokyo Shock (September 2010) before it's Japanese premiere.