Kaiju

"Kaijin" redirects here. For other uses, see Kaijin (disambiguation).

Daikaiju (giant monster) Godzilla from the 1954 Godzilla film, one of the first Japanese movies to feature a Kaiju.

Kaijin (humanoid monster) Half human from 1955 Half Human film

Kaiju (怪獣, kaijū) is a Japanese word that literally translates to "strange beast". However, the word Kaiju has been universally translated and defined into English as "monster" or "giant monster" and refers to science fiction films from Japan featuring unnatural creatures of immense size. Kaiju films usually showcase Kaiju of any form attacking a major Japanese city or engaging another (or multiple) Kaiju in battle.

The most famous Kaiju is Godzilla. Other notable Kaiju include Gamera, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Rodan, Daimajin, Gappa and Guilala. The term ultra-kaiju is shorthand for monsters in the Ultra Series.

Related terms include kaijū eiga (怪獣映画, kaijū eiga, monster movie), a film featuring giant monsters or a single monster, kaijin (怪人, referring to roughly humanoid monsters) and daikaiju (大怪獣, daikaijū, giant kaiju), specifically meaning the larger variety of monsters.

Concept

Kaiju are typically modeled after conventional animals, insects or mythological creatures; however, there are more exotic examples. Chōjin Sentai Jetman features monsters based on traffic lights, faucets and tomatoes; Kamen Rider Super-1 includes a whole army of monsters based on household objects such as umbrellas and utility ladders.

While the term Kaiju is used in the West to describe monsters from tokusatsu and Japanese folklore, monsters like vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein's Monster, mummies and zombies would fall into this category. In fact, Frankenstein's Monster was once a Kaiju in the film Frankenstein vs. Baragon, which was created by Toho.

Kaiju are sometimes depicted as cannon fodder serving a greater evil. Some Kaiju are elite warriors which serve as the right-hand man to the greater villain and are destroyed by the heroic forces. Others have a neutral alignment, only seeking to destroy buildings and other structures. During the early eras of tokusatsu, "heroic" monsters were rarely seen in daikaiju eiga films, and it was not until later when television tokusatsu productions began using kaiju which aided the hero, saved civilians, or demonstrated some kind of complex personality. These kaiju adopted many classic monster traits, appearing as the "Misunderstood Creature". Some Kaiju hung out with the heroes and provided comedy relief, in contrast to the darker approach to these characters from more mature franchises, like Kamen Rider.^{[citation needed]} Godzilla, arguably the most well known of the daikaiju, has played the roles of hero, villain, and force of nature in the course of his existence, one of the few Kaiju of any type to be depicted in multiple roles and having those around him react in different ways, depending on how the creature itself was being presented in the films.

Boston-based wrestling federation Kaiju Big Battel is designed around this concept, placing false buildings inside the ring and having two or more monster-costumed wrestlers destroy the city.

Examples of kaiju

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  Godzilla and Anguirus from 1955 Godzilla Raids Again film

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  Daikaiju (giant monster) Rodan from a 1956 Rodan film

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  Kaijin (humanoid monster) Daimajin from Daimajin trilogy

Kaiju film creators

• Daiei Film Co., Ltd.
• Kadokawa Pictures
• Toho Company Ltd.
• Shochiku

Major Kaiju films

• Godzilla (1954)
• Rodan (1956)
• The Mysterians (1957)
• Mothra (1961)
• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
• Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
• Gamera (1965)
• Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)
• War of the Gargantuas (1966)
• Daimajin (1966)
• Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)
• The X from Outer Space (1967)
• Daikyojū Gappa (1967)
• Destroy All Monsters (1968)
• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
• Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
• Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
• Gamera 3: Awakening of Iris (1999)
• Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
• Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

Major Kaiju video games

• Rampage_(video_game) (1986)
• King of the Monsters (1991)
• War of the Monsters (2003)