Giygas
Encyclopedia
Giygas, known in Japan as or Giegue in the unreleased English translation of Mother
, is the main antagonist of the video games Mother
and EarthBound
. He is an evil alien being bent on destroying the Earth, and is referred to by the titles "Universal Cosmic Destroyer" and "Embodiment of Evil". He was created by series writer Shigesato Itoi
, who based his portrayal in the sequel on a traumatic event in his childhood where he thought he witnessed a rape occurring in a Shintōhō
film entitled Kenpei to barabara shibijin
. Some of his lines also come from the film, such as the line "it hurts..." Music composer Hirokazu Tanaka
called him the "embodiment of evil," composing music for Giygas to suit the player's proximity to Giygas.
Since appearing in EarthBound
, Giygas has received very positive reception. 1UP.com
and GamesRadar
listed him as one of the greatest boss battles, while UGO Networks listed him as one of the hardest. 1UP.com praised the battle for the insanity of the battle, as well as the imagery involved. GameSpot
included him in a poll of the greatest video game villains, losing in the first round to Darth Malak from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
. Destructoid
editor Jonathan Holmes called him "one of the most abstract, unhappy, all powerful villains to ever appear in a Nintendo game."
, the creator of the EarthBound series
in the original Mother
. He went under the name of Giegue in the cancelled English localisation. In an interview on his website, EarthBound
creator Shigesato Itoi describes how his inspiration for the final battle with Giygas resulted from a traumatic childhood event. When Itoi was a young boy, he accidentally viewed the wrong movie at a theater, a Shintōhō
film entitled Kenpei to barabara shibijin
. According to Itoi the film featured a graphic rape scene near a river that traumatized Itoi so much that his parents began to worry about his well-being. Years later, Itoi integrated the experience into Giygas' dialogue for the final battle. Itoi described Giygas as something that people cannot make sense of, but also as a living being who deserves love. He compared this part of him to the breast of Hisako Tsukaba, the victim of the film. He described this scene as a combination of atrocity and eroticism, and that's what his lines are in the end, one of them being "it hurts..." While designing this battle, Itoi spoke all of the text out loud while another staff member, Matchan Miura, wrote it down. He spoke each hiragana
character one by one, commenting that he felt the hiragana made it scarier. Itoi explained that the subtitle to the Japanese version, which exclaims that "Giygas strikes back", was inserted to instill that he did not die in Mother, as well as to show to the readers what to expect from the final boss. Music composer Hirokazu Tanaka
described Giygas as the "embodiment of evil". As a result, he composed the music in a certain way based on the player's proximity to him. For example, in battles where Ness and company encounters someone or something under Giygas' control, the music and sound effects reflect this. However, when Ness and company are in a peaceful area such as a Sanctuary, the music has a spiritual nuance.
video game, Mother
, referred to as Giegue in the cancelled English version. In Mother, Giygas was raised by Maria, a woman abducted along with her husband George by Giygas' alien race from Earth in the early 1900s. George studied the aliens' PSI powers without permission, and escaped back to Earth. Once he matured, Giygas was tasked by his people to make sure that PSI never spread onto Earth. However, Giygas didn't want to betray those who raised him, particularly Maria. In the end, he forced himself to detach from Maria, and began preparations for the aliens' invasion. Eighty years later, some disturbances in the world begin popping up, strange things start happening on Earth. It is discovered that this is by Giygas' hand that this is happening. Maria, now a Queen in a magical world called Magicant, explains to the protagonists of Mother about her connection to Giygas after her memories are restored. When the protagonists encounter Giygas, he explains his motives to them while attacking them with his PSI power. Maria beckons to protagonist Ninten to sing, which weakens Giygas. Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd sing together, forcing Giygas to surrender and flee.
He made another appearance in the Super NES sequel EarthBound
. Giygas is an unseen villain for most of the story, his evil possesses humans, animals, and objects who unknowingly do his bidding. According to a character from the future named Buzz Buzz, Giygas conquers Earth ten years in the future. One of his key minions is Porky Minch (incorrectly translated as Pokey), a former friend of protagonist Ness. At first, Dr. Andonuts (the father of playable character Jeff) believes that Giygas is residing deep within the Earth, and transports himself and the party there using a machine called the Phase Distorter. When they arrive, they find that Giygas is attacking from that exact location, but from innumerable years in the past. The only way the protagonists Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo can get to Giygas' time period is to alter the Phase Distorter to transport them back in time. When the group finally reaches the now-unrecognizable Giygas, Porky appears in a spider-like armored mech and derides the protagonists' efforts. Giygas initially resembles Ness' face while in the device called the "Devil's Machine." Porky eventually turns the Devil's Machine off, thereby destroying Giygas' body and mind by releasing his excessive power, preventing him from having rational thoughts. Porky refers to him as an "almighty idiot," as well as calling him the "literal definition of evil." At this point, Giygas' words are nondescript and nonsensical. He becomes invulnerable to damage, while his attacks become incomprehensible, accompanied by the infamous line "You cannot grasp the true form of Giygas' attack!". Giygas is eventually destroyed by Paula, who prays to the protagonists' friends and family for them to lend their strength. Her praying eventually reaches the player, and the combined prayers do enough damage to Giygas, resulting in him disappearing in static.
While Giygas didn't make an appearance in the second sequel, Mother 3
, he is basically responsible for the game's events, as it was because of his power that Porky was influenced to travel through time and start his campaign against the Nowhere Islands, the game's main setting.
, Giygas has received largely positive reception. 1UP.com
staff listed the battle with Giygas as one of the 25 best boss battles, describing it as an "insane end to an insane game". They cited the pixelated imagery and screeching noises that came from Giygas, as well as the final portion of the battle, which requires the player's characters to pray for aide from their friends and family to defeat Giygas, including the player, effectively breaking the fourth wall of the game. GamesRadar
listed Giygas as one of the most iconic boss encounters in Nintendo history, stating that the defining moment came from the second phase, where Giygas becomes "swirling, undulating background", as well as citing the method of defeating Giygas as another defining moment. 1UP.com editor Jeremy Parish used the final battle against Giygas as an example of how EarthBound inverts gamers' expectations, due to the fact that the player characters employ prayer as opposed to their strongest attacks. UGO Networks editor Chris Littler listed Giygas as one of the hardest boss battles. GameSpot
featured him in a user-voted poll of the greatest villains in video games. However, he lost to Darth Malak from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
, with 13,867 votes in his favour compared to 55,764 for Malak. GameSpot describes Giygas as "everything sinister that ever was, is, or will be all rolled up into a single, screaming, disturbing red blob." In discussing the possibilities of EarthBound being on the Wii
's Virtual Console
service, IGN
editor Lucas M. Thomas makes reference to the battle with Giygas, stating that fans of the series will be "hoping, wishing, praying in front of Giygas nine times over that Nintendo will be listening, and that the series will be acknowledged once again." Destructoid
editor Jonathan Holmes described Giygas as "one of the most abstract, unhappy, all powerful villains to ever appear in a Nintendo game."
Screwattack recently labeled Giygas as the "Scariest Retro Enemy" of all time, thanks in part to massive suggestions from the viewerbase.
Mother (video game)
, planned to be released in English as Earth Bound , is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo Tokyo Research and Development Products in...
, is the main antagonist of the video games Mother
Mother (video game)
, planned to be released in English as Earth Bound , is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo Tokyo Research and Development Products in...
and EarthBound
EarthBound
EarthBound, also known as EarthBound: The War Against Giygas! and released as in Japan, is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
. He is an evil alien being bent on destroying the Earth, and is referred to by the titles "Universal Cosmic Destroyer" and "Embodiment of Evil". He was created by series writer Shigesato Itoi
Shigesato Itoi
is one of the most influential cultural figures in Japan, known for his copywriting, essays, lyrics, Nintendo game creation, and as editor-in-chief of his popular website “Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun.” He is best known outside of Japan as a game designer for his work on Nintendo's EarthBound...
, who based his portrayal in the sequel on a traumatic event in his childhood where he thought he witnessed a rape occurring in a Shintōhō
Shintoho
was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big-6 film studios during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Tōhō Company...
film entitled Kenpei to barabara shibijin
Kenpei to barabara shibijin
is a 1957 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kyotaro Namiki. It is a Japanese horror film .Shigesato Itoi was famously traumatized at a young age by accidentally seeing one of its more violent scenes in a theatre. Later, he drew on that experience to create Giygas' dialogue in the video game...
. Some of his lines also come from the film, such as the line "it hurts..." Music composer Hirokazu Tanaka
Hirokazu Tanaka
is a Japanese composer and musician, best known for his scores for various video games produced by Nintendo. He is also the current President of Creatures, Inc.-Video game soundtracks:*Radar Scope *Space Firebird...
called him the "embodiment of evil," composing music for Giygas to suit the player's proximity to Giygas.
Since appearing in EarthBound
EarthBound
EarthBound, also known as EarthBound: The War Against Giygas! and released as in Japan, is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
, Giygas has received very positive reception. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
and GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
listed him as one of the greatest boss battles, while UGO Networks listed him as one of the hardest. 1UP.com praised the battle for the insanity of the battle, as well as the imagery involved. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
included him in a poll of the greatest video game villains, losing in the first round to Darth Malak from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and on September 7, 2004 for Mac OS X. The Xbox version is playable on Xbox 360 with its...
. Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
editor Jonathan Holmes called him "one of the most abstract, unhappy, all powerful villains to ever appear in a Nintendo game."
Concept and creation
Giygas was created by Shigesato ItoiShigesato Itoi
is one of the most influential cultural figures in Japan, known for his copywriting, essays, lyrics, Nintendo game creation, and as editor-in-chief of his popular website “Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun.” He is best known outside of Japan as a game designer for his work on Nintendo's EarthBound...
, the creator of the EarthBound series
EarthBound (series)
EarthBound, known in Japan as Mother, is a role-playing game series created by Shigesato Itoi for Nintendo. The series started in 1989 with the Japan-only release of Mother for the Famicom, and was then followed up by a sequel, released in North America as EarthBound for the Super NES in 1995, and...
in the original Mother
Mother (video game)
, planned to be released in English as Earth Bound , is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo Tokyo Research and Development Products in...
. He went under the name of Giegue in the cancelled English localisation. In an interview on his website, EarthBound
EarthBound
EarthBound, also known as EarthBound: The War Against Giygas! and released as in Japan, is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
creator Shigesato Itoi describes how his inspiration for the final battle with Giygas resulted from a traumatic childhood event. When Itoi was a young boy, he accidentally viewed the wrong movie at a theater, a Shintōhō
Shintoho
was a Japanese movie studio. It was one of the big-6 film studios during the Golden Age of Japanese cinema. It was founded by defectors from the original Tōhō Company...
film entitled Kenpei to barabara shibijin
Kenpei to barabara shibijin
is a 1957 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kyotaro Namiki. It is a Japanese horror film .Shigesato Itoi was famously traumatized at a young age by accidentally seeing one of its more violent scenes in a theatre. Later, he drew on that experience to create Giygas' dialogue in the video game...
. According to Itoi the film featured a graphic rape scene near a river that traumatized Itoi so much that his parents began to worry about his well-being. Years later, Itoi integrated the experience into Giygas' dialogue for the final battle. Itoi described Giygas as something that people cannot make sense of, but also as a living being who deserves love. He compared this part of him to the breast of Hisako Tsukaba, the victim of the film. He described this scene as a combination of atrocity and eroticism, and that's what his lines are in the end, one of them being "it hurts..." While designing this battle, Itoi spoke all of the text out loud while another staff member, Matchan Miura, wrote it down. He spoke each hiragana
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet . Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each character represents one mora...
character one by one, commenting that he felt the hiragana made it scarier. Itoi explained that the subtitle to the Japanese version, which exclaims that "Giygas strikes back", was inserted to instill that he did not die in Mother, as well as to show to the readers what to expect from the final boss. Music composer Hirokazu Tanaka
Hirokazu Tanaka
is a Japanese composer and musician, best known for his scores for various video games produced by Nintendo. He is also the current President of Creatures, Inc.-Video game soundtracks:*Radar Scope *Space Firebird...
described Giygas as the "embodiment of evil". As a result, he composed the music in a certain way based on the player's proximity to him. For example, in battles where Ness and company encounters someone or something under Giygas' control, the music and sound effects reflect this. However, when Ness and company are in a peaceful area such as a Sanctuary, the music has a spiritual nuance.
Appearances
Giygas first appears in the NESNes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
video game, Mother
Mother (video game)
, planned to be released in English as Earth Bound , is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo Tokyo Research and Development Products in...
, referred to as Giegue in the cancelled English version. In Mother, Giygas was raised by Maria, a woman abducted along with her husband George by Giygas' alien race from Earth in the early 1900s. George studied the aliens' PSI powers without permission, and escaped back to Earth. Once he matured, Giygas was tasked by his people to make sure that PSI never spread onto Earth. However, Giygas didn't want to betray those who raised him, particularly Maria. In the end, he forced himself to detach from Maria, and began preparations for the aliens' invasion. Eighty years later, some disturbances in the world begin popping up, strange things start happening on Earth. It is discovered that this is by Giygas' hand that this is happening. Maria, now a Queen in a magical world called Magicant, explains to the protagonists of Mother about her connection to Giygas after her memories are restored. When the protagonists encounter Giygas, he explains his motives to them while attacking them with his PSI power. Maria beckons to protagonist Ninten to sing, which weakens Giygas. Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd sing together, forcing Giygas to surrender and flee.
He made another appearance in the Super NES sequel EarthBound
EarthBound
EarthBound, also known as EarthBound: The War Against Giygas! and released as in Japan, is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
. Giygas is an unseen villain for most of the story, his evil possesses humans, animals, and objects who unknowingly do his bidding. According to a character from the future named Buzz Buzz, Giygas conquers Earth ten years in the future. One of his key minions is Porky Minch (incorrectly translated as Pokey), a former friend of protagonist Ness. At first, Dr. Andonuts (the father of playable character Jeff) believes that Giygas is residing deep within the Earth, and transports himself and the party there using a machine called the Phase Distorter. When they arrive, they find that Giygas is attacking from that exact location, but from innumerable years in the past. The only way the protagonists Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo can get to Giygas' time period is to alter the Phase Distorter to transport them back in time. When the group finally reaches the now-unrecognizable Giygas, Porky appears in a spider-like armored mech and derides the protagonists' efforts. Giygas initially resembles Ness' face while in the device called the "Devil's Machine." Porky eventually turns the Devil's Machine off, thereby destroying Giygas' body and mind by releasing his excessive power, preventing him from having rational thoughts. Porky refers to him as an "almighty idiot," as well as calling him the "literal definition of evil." At this point, Giygas' words are nondescript and nonsensical. He becomes invulnerable to damage, while his attacks become incomprehensible, accompanied by the infamous line "You cannot grasp the true form of Giygas' attack!". Giygas is eventually destroyed by Paula, who prays to the protagonists' friends and family for them to lend their strength. Her praying eventually reaches the player, and the combined prayers do enough damage to Giygas, resulting in him disappearing in static.
While Giygas didn't make an appearance in the second sequel, Mother 3
Mother 3
Mother 3 is a role-playing video game developed by Nintendo, Brownie Brown and HAL Laboratory, and published for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. It has only been released in Japan, alongside a limited supply bundle. It is the third video game in the Mother series, following EarthBound...
, he is basically responsible for the game's events, as it was because of his power that Porky was influenced to travel through time and start his campaign against the Nowhere Islands, the game's main setting.
Reception
Since appearing in EarthBoundEarthBound
EarthBound, also known as EarthBound: The War Against Giygas! and released as in Japan, is a role-playing video game co-developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console...
, Giygas has received largely positive reception. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
staff listed the battle with Giygas as one of the 25 best boss battles, describing it as an "insane end to an insane game". They cited the pixelated imagery and screeching noises that came from Giygas, as well as the final portion of the battle, which requires the player's characters to pray for aide from their friends and family to defeat Giygas, including the player, effectively breaking the fourth wall of the game. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
listed Giygas as one of the most iconic boss encounters in Nintendo history, stating that the defining moment came from the second phase, where Giygas becomes "swirling, undulating background", as well as citing the method of defeating Giygas as another defining moment. 1UP.com editor Jeremy Parish used the final battle against Giygas as an example of how EarthBound inverts gamers' expectations, due to the fact that the player characters employ prayer as opposed to their strongest attacks. UGO Networks editor Chris Littler listed Giygas as one of the hardest boss battles. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
featured him in a user-voted poll of the greatest villains in video games. However, he lost to Darth Malak from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and on September 7, 2004 for Mac OS X. The Xbox version is playable on Xbox 360 with its...
, with 13,867 votes in his favour compared to 55,764 for Malak. GameSpot describes Giygas as "everything sinister that ever was, is, or will be all rolled up into a single, screaming, disturbing red blob." In discussing the possibilities of EarthBound being on the Wii
Wii
The 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...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
service, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Lucas M. Thomas makes reference to the battle with Giygas, stating that fans of the series will be "hoping, wishing, praying in front of Giygas nine times over that Nintendo will be listening, and that the series will be acknowledged once again." Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
editor Jonathan Holmes described Giygas as "one of the most abstract, unhappy, all powerful villains to ever appear in a Nintendo game."
Screwattack recently labeled Giygas as the "Scariest Retro Enemy" of all time, thanks in part to massive suggestions from the viewerbase.