Kaiju
Kaiju is the Japanese term for "strange" or miraculous beast; a gigantic size kaiju was originally called a Daikaiju. Over the years, Americans shortened the term "daikaiju" to "kaiju" such that in the United States, kaiju refers only to gigantic monsters, but in Japan the term can still refer to equally unearthly or uncanny creatures of a smaller size. For a while, the term kaiju was used only for those gigantic monsters that appeared in Japanese films, with King Kong as an honorary member, but over the decades the term has come to encompass all giant monster films made in the spirit of Japan's kaiju films and therefore now includes some American efforts, some from China or Korea or even France, and so forth.
Unlike American Giant Monsters who have generic names like the 50-foot woman, kaiju are given specific name like Rodan and Gigan. Kaiju have a personality and an intelligence rather than appearing as a mindless soulless threat with little difference from a meterological disaster; they can choose sometimes to ally with other kaiju or even with humanity on occasion and will respond emotionally at times to what happens around there. In keeping with Shintoist beliefs and the animistic flavor of Japanese popular storytelling, the original daikaiju such as Godzilla had a somewhat mystical feel to them, not anything magical or fantastical per se but more of a spiritual sublime in keeping with the country in which the genre first took shape, and because of this, most but not all enthusiasts insist that a giant monster is not also a kaiju unless it also has a sense of personality and intelligence and a certain spiritual sublime to it as well; for this reason, King Kong is often accepted as a kaiju despite his far smaller size and his American origins, whereas no one would consider as kaiju the giant spiders and giant insects such as the giant preying mantis that often litter U.S. monster films of the 1950s and early 1960s nor the current craze for megalodon sharks and only some Ray Harryhausen creations would fit as kaiju as well as giant monsters.
There are many famous kaiju. The most famous is Godzilla, who first appeared in the 1954 film Gojira. Other famous kaiju include Gamera and Mothra. Kaiju usually appear in Japan but can be other places like small islands that are usually uninhabited. Kaiju are usually portrayed as a force of destruction being neither good nor evil but some like Mothra and Gamera are always portrayed as good monsters who defend Earth from evil alien invaders. Others like King Ghidorah and Gigan are always portrayed as evil aliens who have come to destroy Earth.
The term "titan" is used only in the current American monsterverse featuring Godzilla and King Kong and does not seem to have much use outside that specific film continuity.
List Of Giant Monsters
Godzilla (Showa)
- Origin: Godzilla is a dinosaur mutated by radiation.
- Powers: Super Strength, Invulnerability, Atomic Breath
- Height: 50 meters
- Weight: 20,000 metric tons
- Enemies: King Ghidorah, Gigan, Mechagodzilla, Megalon, King Kong
- Allies: Rodan, Mothra , Minilla , Anguirus, Jet Jaguar, King Ceasar, Kumonga, Kamacuras, Baragon, Varan, Gorosaurus
Gamera (Showa)
- Origin: Gamera is a giant turtle from millions of years ago.
- Height: 60 meters
- Weight: 80 metric tons
- Powers: Flight, Super Stength, Flame Breath
- Enemies: Gyaos, Guiron, Barugon, Viras, Zigra, Jiger
- Allies: Tom, Akio, Toshio, Jim, Mossow, other children
Rodan (Showa)
- Origin: Rodan an ancient pterodactyl hatched from an egg in Japan.
- Height: 50 meters
- Wingspan: 120 meters
- Weight: 15,000 metric tons
- Powers: Flight, creating wind blasts
- Enemies: King Ghidorah
- Allies: Godzilla, Mothra
Gigan
- Origin: Gigan is an alien cyborg monster.
- Height: 65 meters
- Weight: 25,000 metric tons
- Powers: Teleportation, flight, has giant metal hooks for arms
- Enemies: Godzilla, Jet Jaguar, Anguirus
- Allies: King Ghidorah, Megalon
King Kong
- Origin: King Kong is a giant ape from Skull Island.
- Height: 45 meters
- Weight: 25,000 metric tons
- Powers: Super Strength, Climbing, Great Endurance, Electricity
- Enemies: Godzilla, Mechanikong, Gorosaurus
- Allies: None
Gyaos
- Origin: Gyaos is a bat-monster from a cave.
- Powers: Flight, Sonic Blasts
- Enemies: Gamera
- Allies: None
King Ghidorah (Showa)
- Origin: King Ghidorah evil three-headed dragon from space.
- Powers: Flight, Gravity Blasts, Durability
- Height: 100 meters
- Wingspan: 150
- Weight: 30,000 metric tons
- Enemies: Godzilla, Rodan, Minilla, Gorosaurus, Baragon, Mothra, Jet Jaguar, Anguarus, Manda, Kumonga
- Allies: Gigan, Megalon
Minilla
- Origin: Minilla is the son of the King of the Monsters. He originally hatched from an egg on an island in the Pacific.
- Height: 18 meters
- Weight: 30,000 metric tons
- Powers: can shoot atomic smoke rings and occasionally atomic breath, can alter his height
- Enemies: Gabera, King Ghidorah, Kumonga, Kamcuras
- Allies: Godzilla, Rodan, Anguirus
Mechagodzilla (Showa)
- Origin: Mechagodzilla is a robot created by aliens who look like gorillas to battle the real Godzilla.
- Height: 50 meters
- Weight: 50,000 tons
- Powers: Large arsenal: missiles, lasers, beam weapons & rockets. He can also fly and has super strength and durability
- Enemies: Godziila, Anguirus
- Allies: Titanosaurus
Mothra (Showa)
- Origin: Giant moth from Infant Island that came from an egg.
- Length: 60-65 meters
- Wingspan: 135- 250 meters
- Mass: 15,00- 20,00 metric tons
- Powers: Flight at mach3, can create great winds with wings, can create poisonous dust
- Enemies: Godzilla, Ghidorah, Ebirah
- Allies: Godzilla, Rodan , Kumonga, Kamacuras, Baragon, Varan, Gorosaurus, Anguirus
Gorosaurus
- Origin: Gorosaurus is a dinosaur from an island.
- Height: 35 meters
- Weight: 8,000 metric tons
- Powers: doing kangaroo kicks
- Enemies: King Ghidorah
- Allies: Godzilla, Rodan, Kumonga, Kamacuras, Baragon, Varan, Mothra, Anguirus
Guiron
- Origin: Guiron is a monster from the planet Terra.
- Height: 85 meters
- Weight: 110 tons
- Powers: Knife for a head, fires giant shuriken from head, jumps high
- Enemies: Gamera, Space Gyaos
- Allies: None
Space Godzilla
- Origin: Space Godzilla is a monster from outer space containing some of Godzilla's DNA.
- Height: 120 meters
- Weight: 80,000 metric tons
- Powers: can create crystals and absorb and fire energy
- Enemies: Godzilla
- Allies: None
Onibaba
- Origin: Onibaba attacked Tokyo in 2016 and faced off against Coyote Tango.
- Height: 198 ft
- Weight: 2,000 tons
- Category: 2
Knifehead
- Origin: Knifehead was the first category 3 to appear and was said to be heading for Alaska. Until it was intercepted by Gypsy Danger. Knifehead was able to brutally damage Gypsy. Severing it's right arm and killing its co pilot.
- Height: 315 ft
- Weight: 2,700 tons
- Category: 3
Leatherback
- Origin: Leatherback was one of the two Kaiju to attack Hong Kong in the double event. It worked with another Kaiju in the assault. He is responsible for the destruction of Cherno Alpha.
- Powers: While Leatherback is a category 4, he has low stats. But makes up for it with a powerful EMP blast. A blast strong enough to disable Striker Eureka and an island base.
- Height: 267 ft
- Weight: 3,500 tons
- Category: 4
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