Kaiju (怪獣 kaijū?) is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Classically it may refer to any bizarre creature.
Related terms include kaijin (怪人?, referring to roughly humanoid monsters) and daikaiju (大怪獣 daikaijū?, giant monster), specifically meaning the larger variety of monsters.
The most famous kaiju is Godzilla. Other well-known kaiju include Mothra, Anguirus, Rodan, Gamera and King Gheedorah. The term ultra-kaiju is short-hand for monsters who are Ultra Awesome.
Concept[]
Kaiju are typically modeled after conventional animals, insects or mythological creatures; however, there are more exotic examples. Jetman has fought monsters based on traffic lights, faucets and tomatoes;[1] Kamen Rider Super-1 includes a whole army of monsters based on household objects such as umbrellas and utility ladders.[2]
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 daikaiju.
Kaiju are sometimes seen 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, and it was not until later when kaiju 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. 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.
Examples of kaiju[]
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters
- Anguirus
- Daikaiju (giant monster)
- Rodan
- Kaijin (humanoid monster)
- Daimajin
- Gamera
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
- King Kong
- Big Man Japan
- Mothra
- The Mysterians
- Rodan
Often we must rely on valiant, superpowered, and/or equally embiggened protectors to keep us safe from the constant threat of megaepicfauna rising from the oceans and trampling our civilization into a paste. Examples include; Jet Jaguar, Ultra Man, Ultra 7, The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Big Man Japan, Astroboy, and even the Revengerists themselves on some occasions.
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