BLOOD WORK: KAIJUOLOGY: GEZORA

Gezora by Yasushi Torisawa

Subject: Gezora

Documentation: Space Amoeba a.k.a. Yog ~ The Monster From Space (1970), Godzilla: Monster of Monster (NES video game, 1988)

History: Gezora is a breed of gigas-sepia lycidas, mega-fauna that closely resembles the common kisslip cuttlefish. The colossal beast was discovered by Dr. Miya of Japan living in the waters surrounding Selgo Island, an atoll existing between the Hawaiian islands and the Marianas. The island has since become a kaiju habitat containing several kinds of mega-fauna, the kaiju Kamoebas and Ganimes, all of which were discovered on the same expedition.

Gezora from Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #3

Sentient micro alien beings the size of amoebas were revealed as the reason behind the kaiju infestation. The aliens boarded the space shuttle Helio 7 in outer space. When the capsule returned to Earth it splashed in the waters near Selgo. In Dr. Miya's encounter with the aliens they referred to themselves as astro-quasars and travelers. They have also been referred to as space amoeba and have been given the name Yog by other scientists.

These alien spores would infect local wildlife, ballooning the creatures to kaiju proportions. Theories exist that the effect of the aliens on the animals was in fact an evolutionary regression to prehistoric eras where creatures of this size existed normally. The aliens returned these creatures to their prehistoric states. Once the aliens were driven from the bodies of the kaiju, the beasts remained in their gargantuan states. Gezora was a result of these aliens infecting a common kisslip cuttlefish.

Gezora was the first of the kaiju discovered on the island. Strangely legends of the beast existed prior to the arrival of the aliens upon the Helio 7 space capsule. Originally a village consisting of 80 natives existed on the island. They worshiped Gezora, believing the creature to be ancient wild god. The native elder and shaman held ceremonies and appeasements to Gezora to placate the god and stave off the monster's wrath. Whether Gezora is in fact an ancient creature or spawn of the space amoebas has not been confirmed.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #3 variant cover by Jeff Zornow

When a group of contractors arrived on Selgo to construct an island resort Gezora emerged from the depths and killed all of them save one. Gezora has eight arms and two tentacles equipped with suckers. The eight arms propel the great kaiju through the sea at incredible speeds upwards of 100 knots (its maximum speed has not been determined yet) and serve at legs allowing the kaiju to walk upright upon land. Gezora has an extremely cold body temperature, so cold that the waters surrounding Gezora as it swims are effected by its cold temperature as well. Gezora has the ability to expel ink from its body typical of most cephalopoda. Gezora is also extremely intelligent for a kaiju, containing one of the largest brains of all mega-fauna.

When Dr. Miya and the others arrived on Selgo, the village elder insisted that their presence would invoke the wrath of Gezora. The elder's prophecy proved true as the kaiju emerged from the sea, traveled inland, and decimated the island village. Gezora killed the last contractor from the original team as well as several villagers. Through Dr. Miya's study of the monster he discovered Gezora's aversion to extreme heat and sonic vibrations like those transmitted from bats and dolphins. Ultimately it was the combination of these weaknesses that drove Gezora back into the sea, believed to have been fatally injured by burns sustained to its body.

Gezora hasn't been seen since. The kaiju of the initial outbreak all seemingly perished in that first expedition of Dr. Miya's but both Kamoebas and Ganimes have resurfaced since, without having been created as a result of the space amoebas. Hypothesis are that the changes wrought to the ecosystem of Selgo Island have persisted even after the demise of the space amoebas and have continued to propagate kaiju. Eyewitness sightings and other evidence gathered in the following years show the likely possibility that Gezora is still alive and living in the waters surrounding Selgo Island.

Gezora from the NES game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters

Review: I first became aware of Gezora in the 1986 video game GODZILLA: MONSTER OF MONSTERS for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Gezora is the first kaiju you confront in the game and is the first and only time Godzilla has encountered Gezora. The kaiju roster in that video game is perhaps my favorite line-up of kaiju Toho has ever done. This roster includes the original MOGUERA, VARAN, BARAGON, and cameos of MATANGO and DOGORA among more usual suspects like GIGAN and MECHAGODZILLA. It's just cool seeing so many of these underrated kaiju featured again.

Earth's evil kaiju: Gabera, Ganimes, Gezora, Kamacuras, Megalon, Kumonga, and Ebirah. Art by Yasushi Torisawa

SPACE AMOEBA was Ishiro Honda's last non-Godzilla kaiju film and the first kaiju film after the death of tokusatsu film legend Eiji Tsuburaya. Sadamasa Arikawa did the special effects for the film and sadly Gezora is perhaps the weakest of the three kaiju in the film in terms of realization. Gezora was heavily featured in all the production and publicity photos and is by all rights the central kaiju of the film despite being the first to be killed off. All the artwork, posters, and photos show Gezora really well and showcase the amazing suit and design. Gezora is truly photogenic but seeing it in motion is when its faults show.

I think Gezora is a wonderful kaiju. It favors many of the aspects I find desirable in kaiju, the basis on real life creatures being the strongest. Nowadays with the technology we have to work with in movies Gezora could look really terrifying and amazing. It's sometimes the simple designs that prove the most effective. The simplicity of Gezora's design is certainly one of its strengths. Gezora is a classic kaiju, one worth tracking down and discovering.