Gigan
Encyclopedia
| Godzilla film series character | |
|---|---|
| Gigan | |
| Species | Alien Cyborg |
| Height | 65-120 meters |
| Weight | 25,000-60,000 tons |
| Air Speed | Mach 3 |
| Abilities/Weapons | Flight Hooked Hands Rotary cutter Cluster Beam Grappling hooks Chainsaw Hands |
| Major Enemies | Godzilla Godzilla is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,... Anguirus Anguirus is the second Kaiju to appear in the Toho franchise. Anguirus appeared only a year after Godzilla in the 1955 Toho film Godzilla Raids Again... Jet Jaguar Jet Jaguar is a fictional character who appears in the Godzilla film Godzilla vs. Megalon .-History:In Godzilla vs. Megalon, Jet Jaguar is a robot created by the protagonist, Goro Ibuki. He is initially depicted as a mindless automaton, and is controlled by the evil Seatopians for most of the film... Zone Fighter Zone Fighter Zone Fighter, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. Produced by Toho Company Ltd., the show aired on Nippon Television from April 2 to September 24, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes, it was cancelled due to the oil crisis of 1973... Mothra Mothra is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta... |
| Allies | King Ghidorah King Ghidorah is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films... Megalon Monster X King Ghidorah is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films... |
| Controlled By | M Space Hunter Nebula AliensSeatopiansXiliens |
| First Appearance | Godzilla vs. Gigan Godzilla vs. Gigan Godzilla vs. Gigan, released in Japan as and also known as Godzilla on Monster Island when first released to U.S. theaters, is a 1972 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The 12th of Toho Studio's Godzilla series, it was directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It is the fourth film... |
| Created By | Jun Fukuda Jun Fukuda , was a Japanese director. He was born in Manchuria. He has directed dozens of films, perhaps best known for his contributions to the Godzilla film series in the 1970s... |
| Portrayed By: | Shōwa Series Kenpachiro Satsuma Kenpachiro Satsuma is a Japanese actor. He is probably best known for playing Godzilla in the Heisei series of Godzilla films , but played other giant monsters as well.-Films:... Millennium Series Kazuhiro Yoshida |
is a kaiju
Kaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
(Japanese giant monster) from the Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
series, introduced in the 1972 film Godzilla vs. Gigan
Godzilla vs. Gigan
Godzilla vs. Gigan, released in Japan as and also known as Godzilla on Monster Island when first released to U.S. theaters, is a 1972 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The 12th of Toho Studio's Godzilla series, it was directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It is the fourth film...
. Gigan is a cybernetic
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
monster sporting a buzzsaw weapon in its frontal abdominal region and large metallic hooks for hands. Gigan is considered Godzilla's most brutal and violent opponent, alongside Destroyah, both of which were easily able to severely injure Godzilla. Gigan was also the first monster in the Toho sci-fi series to cause Godzilla to visibly bleed.
Film and TV descriptions
Gigan's first appearance was in the 1972 film Godzilla vs. GiganGodzilla vs. Gigan
Godzilla vs. Gigan, released in Japan as and also known as Godzilla on Monster Island when first released to U.S. theaters, is a 1972 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The 12th of Toho Studio's Godzilla series, it was directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It is the fourth film...
. In the film, Gigan is summoned to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
by the antagonist Nebula M Space Hunter aliens where he was paired with the three-headed space dragon King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah
is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films...
to destroy Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. They were challenged by Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
and Anguirus
Anguirus
is the second Kaiju to appear in the Toho franchise. Anguirus appeared only a year after Godzilla in the 1955 Toho film Godzilla Raids Again...
, and after a long fight the two space monsters were driven away.
In the 1973 film, Godzilla vs. Megalon
Godzilla vs. Megalon
is a 1973 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed and co-written by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It was the thirteenth film in the Godzilla franchise...
, Gigan was sent by the antagonist Nebulans to assist the people of Seatopia
Fictional locations in the Godzilla films
This is a list of fictional Earth locations depicted in films of and tied in with the Godzilla series. Like most fictional universes, the world of the Godzilla films has been enriched by fictional locales ranging from small Pacific Islands to galactically distant nebulae.-Odo Island:Odo Island , a...
in their assault on humanity by aiding their god, Megalon, in a battle against Godzilla and the robot Jet Jaguar
Jet Jaguar
is a fictional character who appears in the Godzilla film Godzilla vs. Megalon .-History:In Godzilla vs. Megalon, Jet Jaguar is a robot created by the protagonist, Goro Ibuki. He is initially depicted as a mindless automaton, and is controlled by the evil Seatopians for most of the film...
. After receiving a broken arm at the hands of Jet Jaguar, Gigan fled to space, leaving his erstwhile ally Megalon to face Godzilla and Jet Jaguar alone. This is the second time Gigan has abandoned an ally. This seems to indicate that Gigan has a traitorous personality.
Also in 1973, Gigan made an appearance on Toho's television series Zone Fighter
Zone Fighter
Zone Fighter, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. Produced by Toho Company Ltd., the show aired on Nippon Television from April 2 to September 24, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes, it was cancelled due to the oil crisis of 1973...
. After his battle with Godzilla and Jet Jaguar, Gigan was captured in space by the Garoga army and sent back to earth to prevent Godzilla from rescuing Zone Fighter, but he is soundly defeated by him. Left for dead, Godzilla leaves believing he is victorious, but Gigan revives shortly afterwards and battles Zone Fighter himself. In the final battle, Gigan is killed by Zone Fighter. It was made official by Toho that this indeed happened in the Showa Godzilla universe.
Gigan's latest appearance was in the 2004 Millennium film, Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
, where he is one of the main antagonists for Godzilla to fight. Long ago, Gigan once fought Mothra
Mothra
is a kaiju, a type of fictional monster who first appeared in the serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta...
for the fate of the Earth and ultimately was defeated by Mothra. Years later his sarcophagus is discovered and analyzed by the human, but is suddenly revealed to be a weapon used by the Xiliens too. Gigan awakens and causes havoc and destruction in Japan, but is then sent to destroy the Gotengo in hopes of not awakening Godzilla. Although Gigan does manage to bring down the Gotengo (temporarily,) Gigan then faces off against Godzilla and is seemingly killed when Godzilla blows his head off with his Atomic Ray. During the climactic battle between Godzilla and Monster X, Mothra arrives to assist Godzilla but is intercepted by a rebuilt Gigan, whose arms have been retrofitted with enormous chainsaws in place of his iconic blades. Mothra and Gigan resume their ancient rivalry and after a long battle that briefly interrupts Godzilla and Monster X's battle, Gigan is killed by a kamikaze attack from the flaming, grievously wounded Mothra.
Powers and abilities
- Hooked arms
Gigan possesses razor-sharp hooked blades in place of hands which the monster uses to both batter and stab his opponents. In his appearance on the television series Zone Fighter
Zone Fighter
Zone Fighter, known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. Produced by Toho Company Ltd., the show aired on Nippon Television from April 2 to September 24, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes, it was cancelled due to the oil crisis of 1973...
, the tips of the hooks can release an explosive charge on contact with an enemy. In Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
, Gigan's arms were replaced with chainsaws after being defeated by Godzilla.
- Antigravity flight
Gigan has a trio of retractable wings which is capable of allowing Gigan to fly at speeds of up to Mach 3. This normally assists in interstellar travel and is utilized very little, if at all, during battle situations. When it is used in battle, however, Gigan will often use it to engage in aerial slams to continuously topple his opponents without giving them a chance to counter, or even get up. In Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
, the antigravity flight was replaced by jetpacks, presumably to give Gigan more of a robotic feel.
- Teleportation
In Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is a fighting video game produced by Pipeworks Software, Inc. and released for the Nintendo GameCube on October 8, 2002. The game was later released for the Xbox in North America on April 16, 2003...
, Godzilla: Save the Earth
Godzilla: Save the Earth
Godzilla: Save the Earth is a fighting game released on November 2, 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game consoles based on characters and situations from the Godzilla film series. The game is itself the sequel to the 2002 game Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee which was released for the...
, and Godzilla: Unleashed
Godzilla: Unleashed
Godzilla: Unleashed, abbreviated as G3 or GU, is a 3D fighting video game based on the Godzilla film franchise for the Wii and PlayStation 2, developed by Pipeworks and published by Atari. The PS2 version was released on November 20 and the Wii version on December 5, 2007 in North America and both...
, Gigan has the ability to teleport in a green flash(red in unleashed).
- Buzzsaw
Gigan has a buzzsaw built into his abdominal area. It is of considerable durability and effectiveness as it was sharp enough to cause severe epidermal damage to Godzilla and Anguirus (being the first weapon shown to breach Godzilla's skin and actually draw blood) and brought down a weakened Gotengo.
- Grappling cables
In Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
, Gigan was able to fire two hooked grappling cables from beneath both of his hand blades which he used to snag onto his opponents and reel them into range of his deadly buzzsaw.
- Razor discs
In Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
, the upgraded Gigan was able to fire two razor sharp disks from just above his buzzsaw. Mothra however dodged them and simultaneously released her reflective powder, which caused them to malfunction and boomerang back towards Gigan who was promptly decapitated the second time in that movie.
- Eye beam
In Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
, Gigan could fire a red beam from his eye that scattered into a shot-gun like blast of energy. This ability, along with the ability to fire a focused red eye beam a greater distance, was present in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is a fighting video game produced by Pipeworks Software, Inc. and released for the Nintendo GameCube on October 8, 2002. The game was later released for the Xbox in North America on April 16, 2003...
. Gigan can be seen firing his eye beam in poster artwork for Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon, however he never used this ability in the Showa films, possibly due to budgets cuts. In Godzilla vs. Gigan
Godzilla vs. Gigan
Godzilla vs. Gigan, released in Japan as and also known as Godzilla on Monster Island when first released to U.S. theaters, is a 1972 Science Fiction Kaiju film. The 12th of Toho Studio's Godzilla series, it was directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. It is the fourth film...
an unexplained blue light sparkles on his forehead only for a split second after a rock hits his forehead.
Appearances in other media
- Gigan appeared as a villain in the 1988 NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
game Godzilla: Monster of MonstersGodzilla: Monster of Monsters-Gameplay:The game features two playable characters, Godzilla and Mothra. The player uses both monsters in turn by selecting the desired character on a virtual gameboard, representative of the planet it is on, and moving it like a chess piece. Each space is a hexagon that represents playable,...
!
- Gigan also appeared in the 1998 PlayStation game Godzilla Trading BattleGodzilla Trading BattleGodzilla Trading Battle is a PlayStation video game released only in Japan in 1998 by Toho Co., Ltd. It featured almost every Toho kaiju up to that point as well as six new monsters created for the game....
.
- Gigan was originally considered to be a playable character in Godzilla: Domination! but was canceled because of budgetBudgetA budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
.
- The Showa Gigan is a playable character in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters MeleeGodzilla: Destroy All Monsters MeleeGodzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee is a fighting video game produced by Pipeworks Software, Inc. and released for the Nintendo GameCube on October 8, 2002. The game was later released for the Xbox in North America on April 16, 2003...
, Godzilla: Save the EarthGodzilla: Save the EarthGodzilla: Save the Earth is a fighting game released on November 2, 2004 for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox game consoles based on characters and situations from the Godzilla film series. The game is itself the sequel to the 2002 game Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee which was released for the...
and the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version of Godzilla: UnleashedGodzilla: UnleashedGodzilla: Unleashed, abbreviated as G3 or GU, is a 3D fighting video game based on the Godzilla film franchise for the Wii and PlayStation 2, developed by Pipeworks and published by Atari. The PS2 version was released on November 20 and the Wii version on December 5, 2007 in North America and both...
. The Millennium version appears in the WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
version of Godzilla: UnleashedGodzilla: UnleashedGodzilla: Unleashed, abbreviated as G3 or GU, is a 3D fighting video game based on the Godzilla film franchise for the Wii and PlayStation 2, developed by Pipeworks and published by Atari. The PS2 version was released on November 20 and the Wii version on December 5, 2007 in North America and both...
.
- Gigan appeared in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy movie, living on Monster Island.
- Gigan is also a rapper featured on the Take Me to Your LeaderTake Me to Your Leader (King Geedorah album)Take Me to Your Leader is the first full-length album released by Daniel Dumile under the alias 'King Geedorah'. Regarding the album, Dumile says,...
album.
- The character Ponygon from Zatch Bell has a toy that is similar in appearance to Gigan.
- Guitar virtuoso BucketheadBucketheadBrian Carroll , better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who has worked within several genres of music. He has released 34 studio albums, four special releases and one EP. He has performed on over 50 more albums by other artists...
wrote a song called "Gigan", as well as another named "Mecha Gigan". They appear on his 2006 albums The Elephant Man's Alarm ClockThe Elephant Man's Alarm ClockThe Elephant Man's Alarm Clock is the seventeenth studio album by Buckethead, originally released as his third tour only CD, until it was made available widely through TDRS Music.-Track listing:-Notes:...
and Crime Slunk SceneCrime Slunk Scene-Notes:*Track 1, "King James", is dedicated to basketball player LeBron James.*Track 2, "Gory Head Stump 2006: The Pageant of the Slunks", is a reprise of the song "Hook & Pole Gang" which can be found on Bucketheadland....
, respectively.
- In Marc Cerasini's Godzilla at World's End, Gigan is one of six genetically engineered monsters created to destroy mankind.
- In the video game Sonic Riders: Zero GravitySonic Riders: Zero GravitySonic Riders: Zero Gravity released in Japan as , is a hoverboard racing video game published by Sega and developed by Sonic Team in cooperation with NowPro. It is the fifth racing game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, following Sonic Drift, Sonic Drift 2, Sonic R and its predecessor, Sonic Riders...
, there are two tracks called Gigan Rocks and Gigan Device. Each has a statue of a birdlike creature with a sharp beak, which looks similar to Gigan himself.
- In the anime Negima!?Negima!?is an alternate retelling of the manga series Negima! Magister Negi Magi. The anime, directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, aired October 4, 2006 to March 28, 2007 in Japan. It is accompanied by a new monthly manga series by Takuya Fujima called Negima!? neo. Both series feature the same characters and...
a robotic chupacabraChupacabraThe chupacabras is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated more recently with sightings of an allegedly unknown animal in Puerto Rico , Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities...
is featured that looks similar to Gigan.