is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monsters. The ''kaiju'' genre is a subgenre of ''tokusatsu'' entertainment. The 1954 film ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

'' is commonly regarded as the first ''kaiju'' film. ''Kaiju'' characters are often somewhat metaphorical in nature;

, for example, serves as a metaphor for

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s, reflecting the fears of

post-war Japan Post-occupation Japan is the period in postwar Japanese history which started when the Allied occupation of Japan ended in 1952 and lasted to the end of the Showa era in 1989. Despite the massive devastation it suffered in the Second World War, ...

following the

atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...

and the '' Lucky Dragon 5'' incident. Other notable examples of ''kaiju'' characters include

Rodan is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film ''Rodan'', produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous ent ...

Mothra is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' ...

King Ghidorah is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster''. Although the name of the character is officially trademarked by Toho as "King Ghidorah", the character was originall ...

and

Gamera is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. Debuting in the 1965 film ''Gamera, the Giant Monster'', the character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's ''Godzilla'' film ...

Etymology

The Japanese word ''kaijū'' originally referred to monsters and creatures from ancient Japanese legends; it earlier appeared in the Chinese ''

Classic of Mountains and Seas The ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', also known as ''Shan Hai Jing'', formerly romanized as the ''Shan-hai Ching'', is a Chinese classic text and a compilation of mythic geography and beasts. Early versions of the text may have existed sinc ...

''. After ''

sakoku was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...

'' had ended and Japan was opened to foreign relations in the mid-19th century, the term ''kaijū'' came to be used to express concepts from

paleontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

and

legendary creature A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses ...

s from around the world. For example, in 1908 it was suggested that the extinct ''

Ceratosaurus ''Ceratosaurus'' (from Ancient Greek, Greek κέρας/κέρατος, ' meaning "horn" and wikt:σαῦρος, σαῦρος ' meaning "lizard") was a carnivorous Theropoda, theropod dinosaur in the Late Jurassic Period (geology), period (Kim ...

''-like cryptid was alive in Yukon Territory, and this was referred to as ''kaijū''. However, there are no traditional depictions of ''kaiju'' or ''kaiju''-like creatures in

Japanese folklore Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The academic study ...

; but rather the origins of ''kaiju'' are found in film. Genre elements were present at the end of

Winsor McCay Zenas Winsor McCay ( – July 26, 1934) was an American cartoonist and animator. He is best known for the comic strip ''Little Nemo'' (1905–14; 1924–26) and the animated film ''Gertie the Dinosaur'' (1914). For contractual reasons, he worke ...

's 1921 animated short '' Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: The Pet'', in which a mysterious giant animal starts destroying the city, until it is countered by a massive

airstrike An airstrike, air strike or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighters, heavy bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters and drones. The offic ...

. It was based on a 1905 episode of McCay's comic strip series. The 1925 movie ''

The Lost World The lost world is a subgenre of the fantasy or science fiction genres that involves the discovery of an unknown Earth civilization. It began as a subgenre of the late- Victorian adventure romance and remains popular into the 21st century. The g ...

'' featured many dinosaurs, including a

brontosaurus ''Brontosaurus'' (; meaning "thunder lizard" from Greek , "thunder" and , "lizard") is a genus of gigantic quadruped sauropod dinosaurs. Although the type species, ''B. excelsus'', had long been considered a species of the closely related ''A ...

that breaks loose in London and destroys

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge is a Listed building#Grade I, Grade I listed combined Bascule bridge, bascule and Suspended-deck suspension bridge, suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones (architect), Horace Jones and e ...

. The dinosaurs were animated by pioneering

stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

techniques by

Willis H. O'Brien Willis Harold O'Brien (March 2, 1886 – November 8, 1962) was an American motion picture special effects and stop-motion animation pioneer, who according to ASIFA-Hollywood "was responsible for some of the best-known images in cinema history," ...

, who would some years later animate the giant gorilla-like creature breaking loose in New York City, for the 1933 movie ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'' (1933). The enormous success of ''King Kong'' can be seen as the definitive breakthrough of

monster movie A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall under ...

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

later licensed the King Kong character to Japanese studio

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

, resulting in the co-productions ''

King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, it is the third film in both the ''Godzilla'' and ''King Kong'' franchises, as well as the first T ...

'' (1962) and ''

King Kong Escapes is a 1967 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was a Japanese– American co-production between Toho and Rankin/Bass, and stars Rhodes Reason, Linda Miller, Akira Takarada, Mie Hama, Eise ...

'' (1967), both directed by

Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 44 feature films in a career spanning 59 years. The most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki, his films have had a significant influence on the film industry. Honda enter ...

. ''

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms ''The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms'' is a 1953 American science fiction monster film directed by Eugène Lourié, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen. The film stars Paul Christian, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, and Kenneth Tobey. The screenp ...

'' (1953) featured a fictional dinosaur (animated by

Ray Harryhausen Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation". His works include the animation for '' Might ...

), which is released from its frozen, hibernating state by an

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

test within the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

. The American movie was released in Japan in 1954 under the title ''The Atomic Kaiju Appears'', marking the first use of the genre's name in a film title. However, ''

Gojira Gojira (ゴジラ) is the original Japanese name for Godzilla, a giant monster at the center of a media franchise. It may also refer to: Films * ''Godzilla'' franchise, known as ''ゴジラ'' (''Gojira'') in Japan ** ''Godzilla'' (1954 film), rele ...

'' (transliterated as ''Godzilla'') is commonly regarded as the first ''kaiju'' film in the west and was released in 1954.

Tomoyuki Tanaka was a Japanese film producer. He is best known for co-creating the ''Godzilla'' franchise and its associated spin-offs. Early life Tanaka was born on April 26, 1910, in Kashiwara, Osaka. As a child, he would often walk miles to the nearest th ...

, a producer for

Studios in Tokyo, needed a film to release after his previous project was halted. Seeing how well the Hollywood giant monster movie genre films ''King Kong'' and ''

'' had done in Japanese box offices, and himself a fan of these films, he set out to make a new movie based on them and created ''Godzilla''. Tanaka aimed to combine Hollywood giant monster movies with the re-emerged Japanese fears of

atomic weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

that arose from the

Daigo Fukuryū Maru was a Japanese tuna fishing boat with a crew of 23 men which was contaminated by nuclear fallout from the United States Castle Bravo thermonuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954. The crew suffered acute radiation syndrome (ARS) ...

fishing boat incident; and so he put a team together and created the concept of a giant radioactive creature emerging from the depths of the ocean, a creature that would become the monster Godzilla. ''Godzilla'' initially had commercial success in Japan, inspiring other ''kaiju'' movies.

Terminology

The term ''kaijū'' translates literally as "strange beast". ''Kaiju'' can be

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

ic,

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

ic, or a neutral

force of nature Forces of nature are literally natural phenomena. Figuratively, the term is also used to describe a thing or person that exhibits qualities which appear to be beyond outside control. Force or Forces of Nature may also refer to: Science *Fundamen ...

, but more specifically as preternatural creatures of divine power. Succinctly, they are not merely, "big animals."

, for example, from its first appearance in the initial 1954 entry in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, has manifest all of these aspects. Other examples of ''kaiju'' include

Anguirus is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in ''Godzilla Raids Again'' (1955), the second film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. Anguirus is the first monster to be shown engaging in combat with Godzilla in a film. Since then, the c ...

Daimajin is a series of Japanese films. The trilogy of films were all shot simultaneously and released in 1966 with three different directors and predominantly the same crew. The series was produced by Daiei Film and contained similar plot structures invo ...

, Gappa, Guilala and Yonggary. There are also subcategories including ''

Mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...

'' ''Kaiju'' (Meka-Kaijū), featuring mechanical or

cybernetic Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson ma ...

characters, including

Mogera ''Mogera'' is a genus of mammals in the family Talpidae. Moles in this genus differ from Old World moles in the genus ''Talpa'' in having one fewer pairs of lower incisors and in having larger hind premolars in the lower jaw. Species The gen ...

Mechani-Kong is a remote-controlled robot double of King Kong#King Kong (Toho), King Kong introduced in the 1966 animated television series ''The King Kong Show'' and featured again in the 1967 film ''King Kong Escapes''. The robot was created by Dr. Who (who ...

Mechagodzilla is a fictional mecha character that first appeared in the 1974 film ''Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla''. In its debut appearance, Mechagodzilla is depicted as an extraterrestrial villain that confronts Godzilla. In subsequent iterations, Mechagodzill ...

Gigan is a kaiju from Toho's ''Godzilla'' franchise who first appeared in ''Godzilla vs. Gigan''. Gigan is a space monster resembling a species of reptile who was turned into a cyborg by the Nebulans. Gigan sports a huge buzzsaw in its frontal abdomi ...

, which are an off-shoot of ''kaiju''. Likewise, the collective sub-category ''Ultra-Kaiju'' (Urutora-Kaijū) is a separate strata of ''kaijū'', which specifically originate in the long-running ''

Ultra Series ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman (character), Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman (1966 ...

'' franchise, but can also be referred to simply by ''kaijū''. As a

noun A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...

, ''kaijū'' is an ''

invariant Invariant and invariance may refer to: Computer science * Invariant (computer science), an expression whose value doesn't change during program execution ** Loop invariant, a property of a program loop that is true before (and after) each iteratio ...

'', as both the singular and the plural expressions are identical.

''Kaijū eiga''

''Kaijū eiga'' (, "kaiju film") is a film featuring one or more ''kaiju''.

''Kaijin''

''Kaijin'' ( lit. "strange person") refers to distorted human beings or humanoid-like creatures. The origin of ''kaijin'' goes back to the early 20th Century Japanese literature, starting with

Edogawa Rampo , better known by the pen name was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery and thriller fiction. Many of his novels involve the detective hero Kogoro Akechi, who in later books was the le ...

's 1936 novel, '' The Fiend with Twenty Faces''. The story introduced Edogawa's master detective,

Kogoro Akechi is a fictional private detective created by Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo. Overview Akechi first appeared in the story in January 1925 and continued to appear in stories for a quarter of a century. Edogawa Ranpo (a pseudonym for Tarō ...

's arch-nemesis, the eponymous "Fiend," a mysterious master of disguise, whose real face was unknown; the ''Moriarty'' to Akechi's ''Sherlock''. Catching the public's imagination, many such literary and movie (and later television) villains took on the mantle of ''kaijin''. To be clear, ''kaijin'' is not an offshoot of ''kaiju''. The first-ever kaijin that appeared on film was ''

The Great Buddha Arrival is a 2018 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Hiroto Yokokawa. The film was based on the lost 1934 film of the same name, made with the cooperation of director Yoshiro Edamasa's grandson. Additional footage with new actors was shot to extend t ...

'' a lost film, made in 1934. After the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

, the term was modernized when it was adopted to describe the bizarre, genetically engineered and

cybernetically Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson m ...

enhanced evil humanoid spawn conceived for the ''

Kamen Rider Series The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media genera ...

'' in 1971. This created a new splinter of the term, which quickly propagated through the popularity of superhero programs produced from the 1970s, forward. These ''kaijin'' possess rational thought and the power of speech, as do human beings. A successive ''kaijin'' menagerie, in diverse iterations, appeared over numerous series, most notably the ''

Super Sentai is a Japanese superhero team metaseries and media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company, and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi ("Sentai" is the Japanese word for "task force" or "fighting squadron"). The sho ...

'' programs premiering in 1975 (later carried over into ''Super Sentais English iteration as ''

Power Rangers ''Power Rangers'' is an entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live-action superhero television series, based on the Japanese tokusatsu franchise ''Super Sentai''. Produced first by Saban Entertainment, second by BVS Entert ...

'' in the 1990s). This created yet another splinter, as the ''kaijin'' of ''Super Sentai'' have since evolved to feature unique forms and attributes (i.e.

gigantism Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...

), existing somewhere between ''kaijin'' and ''kaiju''.

''Daikaiju''

''Daikaijū'' () literally translates as "giant ''kaiju''" or "great ''kaiju''". This hyperbolic term was used to denote greatness of the subject ''kaiju''; the prefix ''dai-'' emphasizing great size, power, and/or status. The first known appearance of the term ''daikaiju'' in the 20th Century was in the publicity materials for the original 1954 release of ''

''. Specifically, in the subtitle on the original movie poster, ''Suibaku Daikaiju Eiga'' (), lit. "H-Bomb Giant Monster Movie" (in proper English, "The Giant H-Bomb Monster Movie").

''Seijin''

''Seijin'' ( lit. "star people"), appears within Japanese words for extraterrestrial aliens, such as ''Kaseijin'' (), which means "

Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pred ...

". Aliens can also be called ''uchūjin'' () which means "spacemen". Among the best known ''Seijin'' in the genre can be found in the ''

'', such as Alien Baltan from ''

Ultraman ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

'', a race of crustacean-like aliens who have gone on to become one of the franchise's most enduring and recurring characters other than the Ultras themselves.

has produced a variety of ''kaiju'' films over the years (many of which feature Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra); but other Japanese studios contributed to the genre by producing films and shows of their own:

Daiei Film Daiei Film Co. Ltd. ( Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ''Daiei Eiga Kabushiki Kaisha'') was a Japanese film studio. Founded in 1942 as Dai Nippon Film Co., Ltd., it was one of the major studios during the postwar Golden Age of Japanese cinema, producing ...

(

Kadokawa Pictures Kadokawa Daiei Studio, formerly is the film division of the Japanese company the Kadokawa Corporation. It is one of the four members of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (MPPAJ), and is therefore one of Japan's Big Four film stud ...

Tsuburaya Productions is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is best known for producing t ...

, and

Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not all ...

and

Nikkatsu is a Japanese entertainment company known for its film and television productions. It is Japan's oldest major movie studio, founded in 1912 during the silent film era. The name ''Nikkatsu'' amalgamates the words Nippon Katsudō Shashin, literally ...

Studios.

Monster techniques

Godzilla Raids Again (1955) Anguirus suit

Eiji Tsuburaya was a Japanese special effects director and cinematographer. Known as the he worked on 250 feature films in a career spanning 50 years. He is regarded as one of the co-creators of the ''Godzilla'' series, as well as the main creator of the ' ...

, who was in charge of the special effects for ''Godzilla'', developed a technique to animate the ''kaiju'' that became known colloquially as "

suitmation Creature suits are realistic costumes used to disguise a performer as an animal, monster, or other being. They are used in film, television, or as costumed characters in live events. Unlike mascots, they are often made with a high degree of real ...

".Weinstock, Jeffery (2014) ''The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters.'' Farnham: Ashgate Publishing. Where Western monster movies often used

to animate the monsters, Tsubaraya decided to attempt to create suits, called "

creature suit Creature suits are realistic costumes used to disguise a performer as an animal, monster, or other being. They are used in film, television, or as costumed characters in live events. Unlike mascots, they are often made with a high degree of reali ...

s", for a human (

suit actor A is a member of, usually, a Japanese tokusatsu production who works similar to a stunt performer. However, the suit actor does all of his or her stunts while in a full costume that normally obscures their identity (typically the transformed cha ...

) to wear and act in.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
This was combined with the use of miniature models and scaled-down city sets to create the illusion of a giant creature in a city.Allison, Anne (2006) ''Snake Person Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination.'' Oakland: University of California Press Due to the extreme stiffness of the latex or rubber suits, filming would often be done at double speed, so that when the film was shown, the monster was smoother and slower than in the original shot. ''Kaiju'' films also used a form of

puppetry Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a perform ...

interwoven between suitmation scenes which served for shots that were physically impossible for the suit actor to perform. From the 1998 release of ''Godzilla'', American-produced ''kaiju'' films strayed from suitmation to

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...

(CGI). In Japan, CGI and stop-motion have been increasingly used for certain special sequences and monsters, but suitmation has been used for an overwhelming majority of ''kaiju'' films produced in Japan of all eras.

Selected media

Films

Manga

* ''

Cloverfield/Kishin is a manga and cross-media tie-in to the 2008 film ''Cloverfield''. The '' Shōnen Ace'' magazine published the manga on Kadokawa Shoten's website. It was released once a month and consists of four chapters. The story details the lives of ...

'' (

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...

; 2008) *

Go Nagai , better known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with ''Meakashi Polikichi'', but is best known for creating popular 1970s ...

Creator of Kaijus ** ''Garla'' (ガルラ, garura)(June 1976 – March 1978 Published by

Tomy is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...

Company, Ltd.) ** ''MachineSaur'' (マシンザウラー, マシンサウル, Machine Sauer, Mashinzaura)(December 1979 – March 1986 Published by

Company, Ltd.) * ''

Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. It is set in a world where humanity is forced to live in cities surrounded by three enormous walls that protect them from gigantic man-eating humanoids referred to as ...

'' (

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

; 2009–2021) * ''

Kaiju Girl Caramelise is a ''seinen'' manga series by Spica Aoki. The plot centers around a student named Kuroe Akaishi who suffers from a mysterious illness, and how it may impact her newfound love interest. ''Kaiju Girl Caramelise'' appeared as a serial in the ...

'' (2018) * ''

Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known simply as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and animated by Tatsunoko, directed by Hideaki Anno and broadcast on TV Tokyo from October 1995 to March 1996. ''Evangelion' ...

'' (

; 1994 – 2013) * ''

ULTRAMAN ''Ultraman'', also known as the , is the collective name for all media produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad monsters. Debuting with ''Ultra Q'' and then ''Ultraman'' in 1966, the series is one ...

'' (

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...

; 2011–present) * ''

Kaiju No. 8 , also known in English as ''Monster #8'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto. It has been serialized for free on Shueisha's ''Shōnen Jump+'' application and website since July 2020, with its chapters collec ...

'' ( Shonen Jump+; 2020–present)

Novels

*'' Nemesis Saga'' by

Jeremy Robinson Jeremy Robinson (born October 22, 1974), also known as Jeremy Bishop, Jeremiah Knight, and other pen names, is an author of sixty novels and novellas. He is known for mixing elements of science, history, and mythology. Many of his novels have b ...

(

St Martins Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

Breakneck Media Breakneck is an English adjective meaning dangerous or reckless. It may refer to: * Breakneck Creek, a tributary of Connoquenessing Creek in western Pennsylvania * Breakneck Hill, in Allegany County, Maryland * Breakneck Ridge, a mountain along the ...

; 2013–2016). A series of six novels featuring Nemesis, Karkinos, Typhon, Scylla, Drakon, Scryon, Giger, Lovecraft, Ashtaroth and Hyperion (Mechakaiju) *''

The Kaiju Preservation Society ''The Kaiju Preservation Society'' is a science fiction novel written by American author John Scalzi. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Tor Books, and audiobook by Audible Studios, on March 15, 2022; British hardcover and ebook edit ...

'' by John Scalzi (Tor; 2022).

Comics

* ''Godzilla'' comics (

and IDW; 1976–present) * ''

Tokyo Storm Warning ''Tokyo Storm Warning'' is a three-issue comic book mini-series published in 2003 by WildStorm imprint Cliffhanger. It was written by Warren Ellis, with art by James Raiz and Andrew Currie. Publication history Named after an Elvis Costello so ...

'' (

Wildstorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...

; 2003) * '' Enormous'' (

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

; 2012, 2014, 2021–present) as Future Released. * ''

The Kaiju Score ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (

AfterShock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...

; 2020–present) * '' The Stone King'' (

ComiXology Iconology Inc., d/b/a ComiXology (styled comiXology), is a cloud-based digital distribution platform for comics owned by Amazon, with over 200 million comic downloads . It offers a selection of more than 100,000 comic books, graphic novels, and ...

Original; 2018–present) * ''

Dinosaurs Attack! ''Dinosaurs Attack!'' is a trading card series by Topps released in 1988 and containing 55 base cards and 11 sticker cards. The cards tell the story of dinosaurs transported through time into the present day through a freak accident and wreaking ...

'' (

Topps Comics Topps Comics was a division of Topps, Topps Company, Inc. that published comic books from 1993 to 1998, beginning its existence during a short comics-industry boom that attracted many investors and new companies. It was based in New York City, at ...

/ IDW; 1988, 2013) * The Nemesis Saga comics by

and

Matt Frank Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...

(

American Gothic Press American Gothic Press is an American comic book imprint of ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' magazine. Established in the spring of 2015, it focuses predominantly on the '' kaiju'', science fiction, fantasy and horror genres, reflecting the tastes ...

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

; 2015–2016)

Video games

* ''Godzilla'' video games (

, Pipeworks,

Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...

; 1983–present) * ''Ultraman'' video games ( Tsuburaya; 1984–present) * ''Gamera'' Video games ( Kadokawa of Games; 1995–present as North American released) * ''

Time Gal is an interactive movie video game developed and published by Taito and Toei Company, and originally released as a laserdisc game in Japan for the arcades in 1985. It is an action game which uses full motion video (FMV) to display the on-scree ...

'' (

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

; 1985) * ''

Shadow of the Colossus ''Shadow of the Colossus'' is a 2005 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It takes place in a fantasy setting and follows Wander, a young man who ente ...

'' (developed by SCE Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, 2005) ** '' Shadow of the Colossus remake'' (developed by Bluepoint Games, and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, 2018) * '' King of the Monsters'' (

SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...

; 1991) * '' Rampage (1986)'' (formerly owned by

Midway Games Midway Games Inc., known previously as Midway Manufacturing and Bally Midway, and commonly known as simply Midway, was an American video game developer and publisher. Midway's franchises included ''Mortal Kombat'', ''Rampage (series), Rampage'' ...

and now owned by its successor

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE; also known as Warner Bros. Games or WB Games) is an American video game publisher based in Burbank, California, and part of the newly-formed Global Streaming and Interactive Entertainment unit of ...

; 2021) ** '' Rampage: Total Destruction'' (

, 2006) * ''

Dawn of the Monsters ''Dawn of the Monsters'' is a beat'em up video game developed by 13AM Games and published by WayForward. The game was released in March 2022 for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox Se ...

'' (Developed by

13AM Games ''Runbow'' is a platform game, platform racing video game made for the Wii U and later ported to Microsoft Windows, New Nintendo 3DS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. ''Runbow'' was developed by Canada, Canadian Independent video ga ...

and published by

WayForward WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as t ...

, 2022) as a

spiritual successor A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue the product lin ...

to SNK's King of the Monsters * ''

Megaton Musashi is a Japanese multimedia franchise by Level-5. An action role-playing video game was released in Japan for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, in November 2021. An enhanced version of the game, Megaton Musashi Wired, will be ...

'' (Developed by Level-5, 2021, 2022) * ''Roarr! The Adventures of Rampage Rex – Jurassic Edition'' (

Born Lucky Games Born may refer to: * Childbirth * Born (surname), a surname (see also for a list of people with the name) * ''Born'' (comics), a comic book limited series Places * Born, Belgium, a village in the German-speaking Community of Belgium * Born, Luxe ...

, 2018) * ''

GigaBash ''GigaBash'' is an action kaiju brawler game developed and published by Malaysian independent studio Passion Republic Games. It was released for Windows, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on August 5, 2022. Gameplay ''GigaBash'' is an action ...

'' (Passion Republic, 2022) * ''

Robot Alchemic Drive ''Robot Alchemic Drive'', also known as ''R.A.D.'', and known in Japan as is a PlayStation 2 video game developed by Sandlot and published by Enix. It was released in Japan and North America. In the game the player controls a giant robot called ...

'' ( Sandlot; 2002) * '' DEMOLITION ROBOTS K.K.'' (, 2020, 2021) –

s A Former

Dystopian Wars ''Dystopian Wars'' is a Victorian super science-fiction miniature wargame with steampunk elements published and manufactured by Warcradle Studios. It is set in an alternate timeline in 1870. In this world, technological advances have occurred ove ...

/Robot Killer. * ''

War of the Monsters ''War of the Monsters'' is a fighting video game for the PlayStation 2 developed by Incognito Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Santa Monica Studio assisted on development, The game was released on the PlayStation 2 in Ja ...

'' (

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

Incognito Entertainment Incognito Entertainment (formerly Incognito Studios and Incog Inc. Entertainment) was an American video game developer headquartered in Salt Lake City. History Incognito Entertainment was founded in 1999 by Scott Campbell, who had previousl ...

; 2003) * ''

Peter Jackson's King Kong ''Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie'' (also known as ''Peter Jackson's King Kong'', or simply ''King Kong'') is a 2005 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft, based on the 20 ...

'' (2005) * ''Pacific Rim'' video game (

Yuke's Yuke's Co. Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. It was established on 26 February 1993 by Yukinori Taniguchi. The company is best known for developing the ''WWE 2K, WWE'' video game series, based on the professional wrestling ...

/ Reliance; 2013) * ''

City Shrouded in Shadow is a video game for the PlayStation 4 developed by Granzella, who confirmed that it is the spiritual successor to their ''Disaster Report'' series of games, and several characters from that series also make cameo appearances in the game. The ...

'' (

Bandai Namco Entertainment is a Japanese multinational video game video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in ...

; 2017) * Colossal Kaiju Combat ( Sunstone Games; Cancelled) * 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

Atlus is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, arcade manufacturer and distribution company based in Tokyo. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is known for video game series such as ''Megami Tensei'', ''Persona'', ''Etrian Odyssey'' and ''Trau ...

Vanillaware is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. An independent company, it was founded in 2002 under the name Puraguru by George Kamitani, a game developer who had previously worked at Capcom and Atlus, and directed ''Princess Crown'' (1997 ...

, 2019) * '' Fight Crab'' (2020–21, – stage City rampage) * '' DAIKAIJU DAIKESSEN'' (2019, 2021, 2022 OneSecretPseudo) * ''Attack of the Giant Crab'' (2022)

Board games

* '' Godzilla Game'' *''Godzilla: Tokyo Clash'' * ''Smash Up'' * ''

Monsterpocalypse ''Monsterpocalypse'' is a Kaiju-themed collectible miniatures game which is published by Privateer Press. Released series include ''Rise'', ''I Chomp NY'', ''All Your Base'', ''Monsterpocalypse Now'' and the current series ''Big in Japan''. A Vol ...

'' * ''

King of Tokyo ''King of Tokyo'' is a tabletop game using custom dice, cards, and boards, designed by Richard Garfield and released in 2011. A New York City-based edition, ''King of New York'', was published in 2014. The game was re-released in 2016, with all ...

'' * ''King of New York'' * ''Monsters Menace America'' * ''Smash City'' * ''

The Creature That Ate Sheboygan ''The Creature That Ate Sheboygan'' is a science fiction board game released in 1979 by Simulations Publications (SPI). The game received good reviews and won an industry award. Gameplay ''The Creature That Ate Sheboygan'', designed by Greg Cost ...

'' * ''Campy Creatures''

Television

* ''

Marine Kong is a 26-episode 1960 Japanese television series (told in two thirteen episode chapters) produced by Nisan Productions. It aired on the Fuji Television network every Sunday from April 3 to September 25. The series was about a giant dinosaurian robo ...

'' (

Nisan Productions Nisan (or Nissan; he, נִיסָן, Standard ''Nīsan'', Tiberian ''Nīsān''; from akk, 𒊬𒊒𒄀 ''Nisanu'') in the Babylonian and Hebrew calendars is the month of the barley ripening and first month of spring. The name of the month is ...

; April 3 – September 25, 1960) * ''

'' (

; January 2, 1966–present) * ''

Ambassador Magma is the title and protagonist of a manga and tokusatsu TV series created by Osamu Tezuka. The TV series, produced by P Productions, Norway Productions and Krantz Films, was aired on Fuji TV from July 4, 1966, to June 26, 1967, lasting a ...

'' (

P Productions is a Japanese production company, which has produced anime and tokusatsu television programs, with minor work in motion pictures. It was founded in 1960 by the late TV producer Tomio Sagisu (also known as Soji Ushio). The company exists today as ...

; July 4, 1966 – September 25, 1967) * ''

The King Kong Show , commonly referred to as ''The King Kong Show'', is an Anime-influenced animation, anime-influenced series produced by Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, Videocraft International and Toei Animation. American Broadcasting Company, ABC ran the ser ...

'' (

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...

; September 10, 1966 – August 31, 1969) * ''

Kaiju Booska is a famous children's sitcom, and the first to feature the friendly monster Booska. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the show aired on Nippon TV from November 9, 1966 to September 27, 1967, with a total of 47 episodes. There was a Booska reviva ...

'' (

; November 9, 1966 – September 27, 1967) * ''

Captain Ultra Captain Ultra (Griffin Gogol) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history He first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #177 (Dec. 1976) and was created by Roy Thomas, George Pérez and Joe Sinnott ...

'' (

Toei Company () (also styled TOEI) is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution and video game developer and publishing company. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan (all but two of them operated by i ...

; April 16 – September 24, 1967) * ''

Kaiju ouji {{nihongo, ''Kaiju Ouji'', 怪獣王子, Kaijū Ōji, , also known as "The Monster Prince" is a Japanese dinosaur-themed tokusatsu/kaiju television series, produced by P Productions and ran on the Fuji Television, Fuji Television Network from Octo ...

'' (

; October 2, 1967 – March 25, 1968) * ''

Giant Robo is a Japanese manga series by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. The manga, which was first published in 1967, spawned a live-action ''tokusatsu'' television series of the same name, as well as a series of original video animations called '' Giant Robo: ...

'' (

; October 11, 1967 – April 1, 1968) * ''

Giant Phantom Monster Agon is a 1964 black-and-white Japanese Kaiju miniseries. Produced by Nippon Television, the miniseries aired on Fuji TV from January 2, 1968, to January 8, 1968. Internationally, the film is known as ''Agon: Atomic Dragon''. The series was re-released ...

'' (

Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

; January 2–8, 1968) * ''

Mighty Jack was a tokusatsu science fiction/espionage/action TV series. Created by Japanese effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya, the show was produced by Tsuburaya Productions and was broadcast on Fuji TV from April 6, 1968 to June 29, 1968, with a total of 13 o ...

'' (

; April 6 – June 29, 1968) * ''

Spectreman is a tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. Produced by P Productions and created by producer Souji Ushio, the series aired on Fuji TV in Japan from January 2, 1971 to March 25, 1972 with a total of 63 episodes (divided into thre ...

'' (

; January 2, 1971 – March 25, 1972) * ''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media generall ...

'' (

; April 3, 1971–present) * ''

Silver Kamen Senkosha Productions was the television production arm of the large Japanese advertising agency the Senkosha Company. The Tokyo-based Senkosha Company still exists, though it has long since closed its television division, now known as Senko Kikaku ...

'' (

Senkosha Productions Senkosha Productions was the television production arm of the large Japanese advertising agency the Senkosha Company. The Tokyo-based Senkosha Company still exists, though it has long since closed its television division, now known as Senko Kikaku ...

; November 28, 1971 – May 21, 1972) * ''

Mirrorman is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' science fiction television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the series aired on Fuji TV from December 5, 1971 to November 26, 1972, with a total of 51 episodes. This was Tsuburaya Productions' first non-Ultra ...

'' (

; December 5, 1971 – November 26, 1972) * '' Redman'' (

; April 3 – September 8, 1972) * ''

Thunder Mask Thunder Mask (サンダーマスク ''Sandā Masuku'') is a 1972 tokusatsu series produced by Nippon Television. An adaptation by Osamu Tezuka was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine ...

'' (

; October 3, 1972 – March 27, 1973) * ''

Ike! Godman is a Japanese tokusatsu Kyodai Hero kaiju television series by Toho. It ran from October 5, 1972, to April 10, 1973. It was pulled from reruns on September 28, 1973, and it was replaced by '' Ike! Greenman''. While on air Monday through Saturd ...

'' (

Toho Company is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the produce ...

; October 5, 1972 – April 10, 1973) * ''

Assault! Human!! ''Assault! Human!!'' (突撃! ヒューマン!! ''Totsugeki! Hyūman!!'') is a 1972 ''tokusatsu'' series produced by Toho. Plot King Flasher, a mysterious being, and his army of Flashers threaten the safety of the Earth, starting by targeting c ...

'' (

; October 7 – December 30, 1972) * ''

Iron King is a ''tokusatsu'' superhero TV series about a giant cyborg. The series was produced by Nippon Gendai and Senkosha (now Senko Planning), and aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 8, 1972, to April 8, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes. ...

'' (

; October 8, 1972 – April 8, 1973) * ''

Jumborg Ace is the titular superhero of a tokusatsu science fiction/kaiju/superhero TV series. Produced by Tsuburaya Productions, the show was broadcast on Mainichi Broadcasting System from January 17 to December 29, 1973, with a total of 50 episodes. This wa ...

'' (

; January 17 – December 29, 1973) * ''

Fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also a ...

'' (

; January 17 – July 31, 1973) * '' Demon Hunter Mitsurugi'' ( International Television Films and

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

; January 8, 1973 – March 26, 1973) * ''

Zone Fighter ''Zone Fighter'', known in Japan as , is a tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. Produced by Toho, Toho Company Ltd., the show aired on Nippon Television from April 2 to September 24, 1973, with a total of 26 episodes. This was ...

'' (

; April 2 – September 24, 1973) * ''

Super Robot Red Baron is a Japanese tokusatsu series that aired from July 4, 1973, to March 27, 1974. It was produced by Nippon Gendai Kikaku and Senkosha Productions (Senko Planning). Its story was later retold in the anime ''Red Baron'' and it had a sequel titled '' ...

'' (

; July 4, 1973 – March 27, 1974) * '' Kure Kure Takora'' (

; October 1, 1973 – September 27, 1974) * ''

Ike! Greenman is a tokusatsu television series Kyodai Hero kaiju produced by Toho in 1973. It ran from November 12, 1973, to September 27, 1974. It emerged as a follow-up series to ''Ike! Godman'', but the two share no continuity. Compared to the anthology-lik ...

'' (

; November 12, 1973 – September 27, 1974) * ''

'' (

; April 3, 1975–present) * ''

Super Robot Mach Baron is a Japanese tokusatsu series that aired from October 7, 1974, to March 31, 1975. It was a sequel to ''Super Robot Red Baron''. In Taiwan, the series was adapted into an 86-minute feature film called "''The Iron Superman''" which used footage f ...

'' (

; October 7, 1974 – March 31, 1975) * ''

Dinosaur War Izenborg is a Japanese television program produced by Tsuburaya Productions that aired from 1977 to 1978 on TV Tokyo. It combined Tsuburaya's trademark suitmation tokusatsu techniques with anime. The show ran for 39 episodes. Plot Dinosaurs reappear ...

'' (

; October 17, 1977 – June 30, 1978) * ''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...

'' (

; May 17, 1978 – March 14, 1979) * ''

'' (

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...

; September 9, 1978 – December 8, 1979) * ''

Megaloman is the name and titular superhero of a tokusatsu science fiction, SF/superhero/kaiju/Kyodai Hero TV series. Created by Tetsu Kariya, the show was produced by Toho, Toho Company Ltd., and aired on Fuji TV from May 7 to December 24, 1979, with a to ...

'' (

; May 7 – December 24, 1979) * ''

Godzilland , or ''Godzillaland'', refers to a series of Japanese children's educational television series produced by Toho and based on the ''Godzilla'' franchise. The first series, a trivia show titled , aired on TV Tokyo in 1992. The series was in ...

'' (

; 1992 – 1996) * ''

Gridman the Hyper Agent , known as ''Gridman the Hyper Agent'' in some English-speaking territories, is a 1993–1994 Japanese tokusatsu " Giant Hero" series created by Tsuburaya Productions (the producers of ''Ultraman'') and would be Tsuburaya's last non-Ultra superher ...

'' (

; April 3, 1993 – January 8, 1994) * ''

'' (

Saban Entertainment Saban Entertainment, Inc. (along with Saban International; currently operating under the legal name is BVS Entertainment, Inc.) was a worldwide-served independent American-Israeli television production company formed in 1980 by Haim Saban and S ...

and

; August 28, 1993–present) * ''

'' (

Gainax Gainax Co., Ltd. (stylized as GAINAX; ja, 株式会社ガイナックス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ) is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, Roya ...

; October 4, 1995 – March 27, 1996) * ''Godzilla Kingdom'' (

; October 1, 1996 – August 15, 1997) * ''

Godzilla Island is a television show spinoff of the ''Godzilla'' franchise. It premiered on October 6, 1997, and ran for a total of 256 three-minute episodes, finishing on September 30, 1998. Set in 2097, most of Earth's ''kaiju'' (monsters) live on an island o ...

'' (

; October 6, 1997 – September 30, 1998) * '' Godzilla: The Series'' (

Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainm ...

; September 12, 1998 – April 22, 2000) * ''Godzilla TV'' (

; October 1999 – March 2000) * '' Betterman'' (

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

; April 1, 1999 – September 30, 1999) * ''

Dai-Guard is an anime television series, produced and animated by XEBEC, and directed by Seiji Mizushima. It aired from October 5, 1999, to March 28, 2000, on TV Tokyo, running for 26 episodes. 6 volumes of videos were released on VHS and DVD. The serie ...

'' (

Xebec A xebec ( or ), also spelled zebec, was a Mediterranean sailing ship that was used mostly for trading. Xebecs had a long overhanging bowsprit and aft-set mizzen mast. The term can also refer to a small, fast vessel of the sixteenth to nineteenth ...

; October 5, 1998 – March 28, 2000) * '' Kong: The Animated Series'' (

BKN Bohbot Entertainment was an American advertising and marketing company specializing in the children's market founded in 1985, and had traded under various different names over the years. The company produced and distributed programming under thei ...

; September 9, 2000 – March 26, 2001) * ''

Tekkōki Mikazuki is a 2000 Japanese tokusatsu television series created and directed by Keita Amemiya, written by Toshiki Inoue, and distributed by Media Factory. The series aired on Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is ...

'' (

Media Factory , formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing. History It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possi ...

; October 23, 2000 – March 24, 2001) * '' SFX Giant Legend: Line'' (

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

; April 25 – May 26, 2003) * ''

Chouseishin Series The is a tokusatsu superhero TV franchise which debuted in Japan from 2003 through 2006. The ''Chouseishin Series'' was produced by Toho Company, Ltd., in association with Konami, to emulate and rival the success of Toei's ''Super Sentai'' and ...

'' (

; October 4, 2003 – June 24, 2006) * ''

Bio Planet WoO is a Kyodai Hero tokusatsu series that premiered April 9, 2006 and aired at 7:30pm on NHK and ran for 13 episodes. ''WoO'' was one of many unused ideas created by Eiji Tsuburaya as story connecting to the show ''Ultra Q''. The story revolves ar ...

'' (

; April 9 – August 13, 2006) * ''

Daimajin Kanon is a Japanese ''tokusatsu'' television drama produced by Kadokawa Pictures and broadcast on TV Tokyo. The series premiered on April 2, 2010. The series retells the story of the original ''Daimajin'' film in a modern Japanese setting. Planned to r ...

'' (

; April 2 – October 1, 2010) * ''

SciFi Japan TV was a streaming television series of documentaries revolving around Japanese kaiju and tokusatsu movies. The show was shot on location in Japan and generally featured interviews with filmmakers and movie-related events. Every episode was release ...

'' ( ACTV Japan; August 10, 2012–present) * ''

'' (

Wit Studio (stylised as WIT STUDIO) is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 1, 2012, by producers at Production I.G as a subsidiary of IG Port. It is headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, with Production I.G producer George Wada as president and Te ...

and

MAPPA is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Suginami, Tokyo. Founded in 2011 by Madhouse co-founder and producer Masao Maruyama, it has produced anime works including ''Terror in Resonance'', ''Yuri!!! on Ice'', ''In This Corner of the Wo ...

; April 7, 2013 – scheduled) * '' Kong: King of the Apes'' (

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

; April 15, 2016 – May 4, 2018) * ''

Mech-X4 ''Mech-X4'' is an American sci-fi adventure comedy television series created by Steve Marmel that aired on Disney Channel from November 11 to December 4, 2016, and on Disney XD from April 17, 2017 to August 20, 2018. The series stars Nathani ...

'' (

Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years ...

; November 11, 2016 – August 20, 2018) * ''

Darling in the Franxx , abbreviated as , is a 2018 Japanese science fiction monster romance anime television series co-produced by A-1 Pictures and Trigger and animated by Trigger and CloverWorks that premiered in January 2018. The series was announced at Trigger ...

'' (

Studio Trigger , also known as Studio Trigger, is a Japanese animation studio founded by former Gainax employees Hiroyuki Imaishi and Masahiko Ōtsuka in 2011. It has produced anime works including '' Kill la Kill'' (2013), ''Little Witch Academia'' (short fi ...

; January 13, 2018 – July 7, 2018) * '' SSSS.Gridman'' (

and

; October 7, 2018 – December 23, 2018) * ''Godziban'' (

; August 9, 2019–present) * ''I’m Home, Chibi Godzilla'' (

; July 15, 2020–present) * '' Pacific Rim: The Black'' (

Polygon Pictures is a Japanese 3DCG animation studio. Polygon has animated a wide variety of content, from commercials for Shiseido featuring the studio's original penguin characters , to the 3D CG anime television series ''Digital Tokoro-san'' and the 3DCG ani ...

; March 4, 2021–present) * ''

Godzilla Singular Point is a Japanese anime television series co-produced by the animation studios Bones and Orange. Licensed by Netflix and directed by Atsushi Takahashi, the series premiered on March 25, 2021 on Netflix in Japan, and on Tokyo MX and other channels ...

'' (

; April 1, 2021 – June 24, 2021) * '' SSSS.Dynazenon'' (

and

; April 2, 2021 – June 18, 2021) *

Super Giant Robot Brothers ''Super Giant Robot Brothers'' is an animated action-adventure comedy streaming television series created by Víctor Maldonado and Alfredo Torres for Netflix. It was released on August 4, 2022. Premise In the future, two giant robot brothers m ...

(

Reel FX Creative Studios Reel FX Animation (or simply Reel FX) - formerly known as Reel FX Creative Studios (also known as Reel FX Animation Studios) is an American computer animation and visual effects studio based in Dallas, Texas; Hollywood, California. The studio dev ...

Assemblage Entertainment Assemblage Entertainment is an Indian animation studio based out of Mumbai, founded in December 2013, by industry veteran AK Madhavan (fondly known as Madmax). The studio distributes animation productions of major Hollywood studios and other ind ...

;

; August 4, 2022-present) * ''Hourglass'' (Legendary Television; to be released) * ''Skull Island'' (Legendary Television;

; to be released)

Other appearances

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

cited ''

'' as an inspiration for ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...

'' (1993), specifically ''

Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is a 1956 '' kaiju'' film directed by Terry O. Morse and Ishirō Honda. It is a heavily re-edited American localization, commonly referred to as an "Americanization", of the 1954 Japanese film ''Godzilla''. The film was a Japanese- American c ...

'' (1956), which he saw in his youth. During its production, Spielberg described ''Godzilla'' as "the most masterful of all the dinosaur movies because it made you believe it was really happening." One scene in the second movie ('' The Lost World: Jurassic Park''), the T-Rex is rampaging through

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

. One scene shows Japanese businessmen fleeing. One of them states that they left Japan to get away from this, hinting that Godzilla shares the same universe as the Jurassic Park movies. ''Godzilla'' also influenced the Spielberg film ''

Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...

'' (1975). *In the Japanese language original of ''

Cardcaptor Sakura , abbreviated as ''CCS'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. Serialized monthly in the ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from May 1996 to June 2000, it was also published in 12 ''tankōbon'' ...

anime series is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening ...

, Sakura's brother

Toya Toya may refer to: Places *Tōya, Hokkaidō, a former village in Abuta District, Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan *Tōyako, Hokkaidō, a town incorporating Tōya, Hokkaidō **Tōya Station (Tōyako), a railway station in Tōyako *Lake Tōya, a volcanic lak ...

likes to tease her by regularly calling her "''kaiju''", relating to her noisily coming down from her room for breakfast every morning. *The Polish cartoon TV series ''

Bolek and Lolek ''Bolek and Lolek'' are two Polish cartoon characters from the children's animated comedy television series by the same name. They were created by Władysław Nehrebecki the author, scriptwriter and main director and partially designed by Wła ...

'' makes a reference to the ''kaiju'' film industry in the mini-series " Bolek and Lolek's Great Journey" by featuring a robot bird (similar to

) and a saurian monster (in reference to

) as part of a Japanese director's monster star repertoire. *The ''

Inspector Gadget ''Inspector Gadget'' is a media franchise that began in 1983 with the DIC Entertainment animated television series ''Inspector Gadget''. Since the original series, there have been many spin-offs based on the show, including additional animated s ...

'' film had Robo-Gadget attacking San Francisco a'la Kaiju monsters. In addition, similar to ''The Lost World'', it shows a Japanese man while fleeing from Robo-Gadget declaring in his native tongue that he left Tokyo specifically to get away from this. *Alternate versions of several ''kaiju'' –

and

– appear in the ''

Usagi Yojimbo is a comic book series created by Stan Sakai. It is set primarily at the beginning of the Edo period of Japanese history and features anthropomorphic animals replacing humans. The main character is a rabbit ''rōnin'', Miyamoto Usagi, whom Sak ...

'' " Sumi-e" story arc. *In the second season of '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'', there is a story arc composed of two episodes entitled "The Zillo Beast" and "The Zillo Beast Strikes Back", mostly influenced by ''Godzilla'' films, in which a huge reptilian beast is transported from its homeworld Malastare to the city-covered planet Coruscant, where it breaks loose and goes on a rampage. *In ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...

'', the

rancor This is a list of creatures in the fictional universe of ''Star Wars'', a space opera media franchise. The types of creatures in this list are listed by category and then in alphabetical order. Humans and humanoid sentient species Humans Human ...

was originally to be played by an actor in a suit similar to the way how ''kaiju'' films like ''Godzilla'' were made. However, the rancor was eventually portrayed by a puppet filmed in high speed. *In ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' episode "

Treehouse of Horror VI "Treehouse of Horror VI" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the sixth episode in the ''Treehouse of Horror'' series. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on ...

" segment "Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores", Homer goes to Lard Lad Donuts; unable to get a "Colossal Doughnut" as advertised, he steals Lard Lad's donut, awakening other giant advertising statues that come to life to terrorize Springfield. When Lard Lad awakes, he makes a Godzilla roar.

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...

directed the ''

Treehouse of Horror XXIV "Treehouse of Horror XXIV" is the second episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the 532nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 6, ...

'' couch gag which made multiple references to

and other ''kaiju''-based characters, including his own ''

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The ''Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geologic Pacific Ring of Fire. List of co ...

'' characters. *The ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'' episode "

Mecha-Streisand "Mecha-Streisand" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series '' South Park''. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 18, 1998. In the episode, Barbra Streis ...

" features parodies of Mechagodzilla, Gamera, Ultraman, and Mothra. *''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters'' (also known as ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Movie Film for Theaters'') is a 2007 American adult animated surreal black comedy film based on the Adult Swim animated series ''Aqua Teen Hunger F ...

'' features the "Insanoflex", a giant robot exercise machine rampaging downtown. *In the 2009 film '' Crank: High Voltage'', there is a sequence parodying ''kaiju'' films using the same practical effects techniques used for tokusatsu films such as miniatures and suitmation. *The Japanese

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

series ''Gate'' makes use of the term ''kaiju'' as a term for giant monsters – specifically an ancient Fire Dragon – in the Special Region. Also, one of the Japanese protagonists refers to the

JSDF The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...

's tradition to fight such monsters in the films, as well as comparing said dragon with

at one point. *Godzilla and Gamera had been referenced and appear many times throughout the

Dr. Slump is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1980 to 1984, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series fol ...

series. *In '' Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero'', there is a dimension that is filled with giant monsters that live on one island where they co-exist with humans that live on a city island. *In "

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen is a Japanese light novel series written by Yoshinobu Akita. It was adapted into manga, five anime television series (''Sorcerous Stabber Orphen'', ''Sorcerous Stabber Orphen 2: Revenge'', ''Sorcerous Stabber Orphen'' (2020), ...

" series ''kaiju'' are sent as a form of punishment for the breakage of everlasting laws of the world by the Goddesses of Fate. *Batholith The Summit Kaiju (Japanese: バソリス) is a mountain (kaiju) originating from "Summit Kaiju International" an American media company based in Denver, Colorado. Batholith was first introduced to Godzilla fan during G-Fest 2017, which is an annual convention devoted to the Godzilla film franchise. Batholith The Summit Kaiju has appearing in various print media, including Famous Monsters of Filmland "Ack-Ives: Godzilla Magazine, MyKaiju Godzilla Magazine MyKaiju Godzilla Magazine, Summit Kaiju online video series and other online media related to the Godzilla and Kaiju genre. *In the " Nemesis Saga" series of novels, Kaiju, also known as Gestorumque, are genetic weapons sent by an alien race. *

Naoki Urasawa is a Japanese manga artist and musician. He has been drawing manga since he was four years old, and for most of his professional career has created two series simultaneously. The stories to many of these were co-written in collaboration with his ...

's 2013 one-shot manga "

Kaiju Kingdom is a Japanese anthology of manga written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. It collects eight varied short stories that are loosely thematically linked, and which were originally published in various magazines and publications between 1995 and ...

" follows a "kaiju

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in ''Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorativ ...

" in a world where kaiju actually exist. *In the 2019

video game 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, protagonists battle large mechanized aliens called Kaiju. *In

John Scalzi John Michael Scalzi II (born May 10, 1969) is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his ''Old Man's War'' series, three novels of which have been nom ...

's 2022 book

, Kaiju are a species of gigantic monsters that exist in a parallel earth accessible through radiation sources.

References

{{Film genres Film genres Giant monster films Japanese entertainment terms Postwar Japan Fantasy genres Anime and manga genres

Etymology

Terminology

''Kaijū eiga''

''Kaijin''

''Daikaiju''

''Seijin''

Monster techniques

Selected media

Films

Manga

Novels

Comics

Video games

Board games

Television

Other appearances

See also

References