BLOOD WORK: KAIJUOLOGY: GABARA

Gabara ~ Art by Yasushi Torisawa

Subject: Gabara

Documentation: Godzilla's Revenge (1969) a.k.a. All Monsters Attack, Go! Godman Episode 2 (1972), and Go! Greenman Episode 14 (1973)

History: The existence of the strange beast known as Gabara has yet to be confirmed. All known information on the creature Gabara comes from preeminent kaijuologist Ichiro Miki. Dr. Miki is perhaps the foremost expert in the field of kaiju studies, much of what we know of the kaiju is due to his lifetime of research. Dr. Miki's interest in these monsters began as a child growing up in the 1960's. He spent his childhood dreaming about these creatures, imagining himself as a young boy on Monster Island (the Ogasawara Islands).

It is not an uncommon occurrence for the only sighting of a kaiju to been seen by a small group of people. In certain cases the only evidence we kaijuologists have to go on is a testimony of a single individual. In the case of the creature Gabara, Dr. Miki remains the only witness. He insists on the creature's existence upon Monster Island despite documentation to the contrary. There are no native kaiju to Ogasawara. All kaiju existing on the island chain were transported there for containment and study. There is no documentation supporting the existence of the kaiju designate Gabara.

However, Dr. Ichiro Miki is a well respected and valuable contributor in the field. At his insistence we are including this report.

Dr. Ichiro Miki encountered the monster Gabara during his first expedition upon the Ogasawara Islands. The monster appeared from out of the forested area near the center of the main island. Dr. Miki witnessed Gabara's pursuit and subsequent attack of the smaller, younger kaiju on the island. The younger kaiju was able to escape death however and fled the scene.

While the majority of the monsters contained on Ogasawara have learned to coexist peacefully, the kaiju Gabara seems to be the one exception. According to Dr. Miki the monster Gabara even engaged Godzilla in battle. The battle was brief, inevitably ending in Gabara's defeat. Only in one fleeting moment did Godzilla's victory seem in question as his opponent utilized a unique power, that of generating and channeling electric current through its body into its opponent. Through brute strength Godzilla broke free of Gabara's electric assault and quickly defeated the monster. Gabara hasn't been seen since.

Art by Yasushi Torisawa

GABARA'S BIOLOGY

Gabara is a monster slightly taller than Godzilla but weighing in a little less than the king of the monsters. A bipedal creature, Gabara is unique in that it is one of the few documented kaiju without a tail or tail-like appendage. Gabara's physical appearance has a vague reminiscence to classical depictions of Japanese Oni, demons, and ogres. It is theorized by Dr. Miki that the creature has existed for thousands of years, occasionally coming into contact with early Japanese peoples throughout history. It is Dr. Miki's belief that the legends of Oni and mythical ogres came from the kaiju Gabara.

Gabara ~ Concept Art

Gabara is a hostile kaiju by nature, a rogue. Any kaiju that crosses its path is seen as a threat. Gabara possesses tremendous physical strength, not quite Godzilla-level strength, but enough to be a nuisance among the kaiju on Monster Island. Its also possesses a natural ability to generate electrical current within its body, similarly to that of an electric Eel. When this occurs, the central horn atop the beast's head glows. The monster can channel the electricity through its hands as a form of attack. The electricity locks an enemy kaiju's body's in place rendering them helpless to Gabara's attacks.

Art by Matt Frank

As stated above, it is unknown if the kaiju Gabara actually exists or if it is merely the product of Ichiro's imagination and fascination with kaiju.

Review: The one new kaiju to appear in the film GODZILLA'S REVENGE. Gabara is the kaiju-personification of a bully. He's a jerk. Even his roar has a tone of maniacal laughter to it. Interestingly he is the only purely evil earth kaiju on Monster Island. I remember as a kid liking Gabara's design. Now that I'm older I can appreciate the kaiju more as I can see inspiration drawn from Japanese mythology in the monster's design.

Without a doubt, seeing Gabara is the only reason I watch Godzilla's Revenge anymore. He's perhaps the most juvenile kaiju in the bunch but he's still fun to watch. He's not a popular kaiju with me personally but he is far from my least favorite. As of this moment though he has only appeared in the one film. It would be cool to see him in another film in some way and officially confirmed as existing outside of Ichiro's imagination. Doubt it would happen but you never know.