TOP TEN FAVORITE KAIJU
Godzilla.
Gamera.
Ultraman.
These are the foundations upon which our kaiju-verses are built on.
In November of 1954 the world was introduced to Godzilla for the very first time. In commemoration of that momentous event, this month's top ten list is of my personal favorite kaiju. For as long as I can remember I've loved dinosaurs. When I was four years old I discovered a dinosaur named Godzilla. Since then I've been invested in the world of giant Japanese monster... well, I guess monsters in general.
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. From the ankle high furry Critters to the planet devouring dark elder gods of H.P. Lovecraft. From Freddy Krueger and Dracula to King Kong ,Gwangi, and the Kraken. And let's not forget real life monsters like the Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster. And then there are the kaiju.
"Kaiju" is a Japanese word meaning "Strange Beast"
It is commonly applied to the giant monsters populating Japanese cinema. And to get nitpicky the proper term for the kinds of monsters on this list is "Daikaiju" which translates roughly to "giant monster." At first monster movie aficionados merely used the term kaiju to differentiate Japanese monster movies from any others.
Now the term kaiju has become popularized and has entered the pop culture lexicon. It has been applied to the giant monsters of the film Pacific Rim (a wonderful movie) as well as giant monsters to have appeared in comic books and video games. In fact I've noticed the term used quite liberally nowadays.
Now, when I say kaiju I mean it in the purest sense. Only a Japanese monster qualifies as a kaiju. Call me a kaiju snob.
And as usual I have provided a bonus! Check it out and enjoy the list!
#12
DAIMAJIN
Notable Film Appearances: DAIMAJIN (1966), RETURN OF DAIMAJIN (1966), & DAIMAJIN STRIKES AGAIN (1966)
Often in kaiju and giant monster cinema the central creature is worshiped as a deity by a remote isolated people. Usually the monster is not a god but some giant prehistoric beast. Here, Daimajin is very much a god made manifest. He's a seldom seen and rarely talked about kaiju but easily one of the genre's shining examples. Simply put there is no other kaiju like him.
Why I like him: He's more than just a kaiju. He's a god incarnate. And the wrath of god follows him. The seas part. The sky turns blood red. The ground shakes and mountains tremble. His films are among the few kaiju movies set in the feudal era of Japan.
#11
GAIRA ~ THE GREEN GARGANTUA
Notable Film Appearance: WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (1966)
Gaira is a man-eating giant borne from the flesh of Frankenstein's Monster. Like a monster from some frightening fairy tale, Gaira is one of the scariest kaiju to have come from Toho Studios. He is savage and brutal and if he had his way he'd devour every human to cross his path. He's only appeared in one movie but the movie is one of Ishiro Honda's masterpieces. And Gaira is definitely one of the most memorable kaiju I know.
Why I like him: He's scary. He's bestial. He's one of the few kaiju that's truly malevolent. He has that dark fairy tale giant thing going for him. And he's like the kaiju equivalent of Sasquatch (who doesn't like Bigfoot?).
#10
BARAGON
Notable Film Appearances: FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (1965)
&
GMK: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001)
I first came to know Baragon in the NES game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters from 1988. A quadrupedal kaiju, Baragon is adept at burrowing through the ground and subterranean survival. He's only appeared in a few films but has secured a unique place among the kaiju pantheon.
Why I like him: He has a more natural design in the tradition of the early kaiju from the 1950's and 60's but something altogether original too. He isn't featured very often lending a certain novelty to his few appearances. That and I just plain like him.
#9
IRIS
Notable Film Appearance: GAMERA III: THE REVENGE OF IRIS (1999)
Iris (or Irys) is a guardian monster like Gamera except corrupted completely by hatred. Iris is unlike most kaiju in design and execution. She looks more like a mech from Zone of the Enders or Justice from Guilty Gear. Even the angels from Evangelion come to mind when looking at her. And she is among the first kaiju to need CGI to be brought to life. All this makes her one of the most unique and exciting kaiju out there.
Why I like her: Her obviously awesome design a given, the movie she appears in is one of my favorite kaiju films of all time. The imagination in her story and abilities is incredible. Overall she is one wicked awesome kaiju.
#8
HEDORAH
Notable Film Appearances: GODZILLA VS THE SMOG MONSTER (1971)
Hedorah is Death personified. Everything about the smog monster spells death for life on this planet. Veins of sulfuric acid run through its body. Every cell of its body is poisoness. Wherever it walks all forms of life die. The smoke expelled from its body is lethal. And it can adapt its body to suit any environment. Literally there is no place safe from Hedorah's touch of death.
Why I like him: Hedorah is a parallel to Godzilla in many ways in that he personifies destruction we have inflicted upon ourselves. Pollution is his anima just as nuclear power is Godzilla's. His movie has a crazy 1970's esthetic unlike any other movie I've seen. And he is the first monster to possess the ability to metamorph on command into four different forms. That and I've always had a soft spot for sludge monsters.
#7
RODAN
Notable Film Appearances: RODAN (1956), GHIDORAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (1964), & INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965)
Rodan is a kaiju-like version of the Pteranodon dinosaur. He was the first kaiju to wreak havoc among the skies. He is also Godzilla's first buddy and partner in crime. His original 1956 movie is one of my personal favorites among all the kaiju films combining monster murder mystery with kaiju destruction. Later he became one of Earth's defenders and a usual suspect appearing in many films.
Why I like him: It goes back to my love of dinosaurs. Rodan at a glance may look like just another dinosaur but he is so much more. Designwise there is no dinosaur like him. He can cover more ground than most kaiju and the mere results of his flying are just as devastating and further reaching than most. There's also a lot of nostalgia for me too as he is maybe the second kaiju I came to know and love.
#6
ANGUIRUS
Notable Film Appearances: GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955), DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968), & GODZILLA VS GIGAN (1972)
Godzilla's first combatant, Anguirus helped introduced the world to the kaiju versus kaiju scenario. Another dinosaur-like naturalistic design, Anguirus, with his spiked carapace is the perfect kaiju for battle. For 13 years after his first appearance he remained unused and gathering dust. Then in 1968 he was one of the few kaiju to receive a brand new suit for Destroy All Monsters. With that movie he became one of Toho's fan-favorites.
Why I like him: The spikes. The tenacity. The loyalty. Anguirus is simply a fun kaiju. After Destroy All Monsters he became Godzilla's new best friend. His design is cool and personality is one of the most animalistic. The world needs more Anguirus.
#5
BIOLLANTE
Notable Film Appearances: GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE (1989)
In my opinion Biollante is the most impressive kaiju Godzilla has ever faced and one of the greatest achievements of kaiju cinema. Sadly Biollante isn't featured often and the footage that she is in is fleeting. More credit to kaiju effects master and designer Koichi Kawakita. Biollante is simply unforgettable.
Why I like her: Biollante is one of the most realistic looking kaiju in the whole of Godzilla's franchise (in my opinion). The alternate take on a Venus Flytrap looks awesome. And then there is the sheer size, the biggest kaiju Godzilla has ever faced. Biollante is an effects marvel.
#4
KING GHIDORAH
Notable Film Appearances: GHIDORAH THE THREE HEADED MONSTER (1964), INVASION OF ASTRO-MONSTER (1965), DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968), GODZILLA VS GIGAN (1972), GODZILLA VS KING GHIDORAH (1991), MOTHRA 3 (1998), & GMK: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001)
If Godzilla had one monster out of all of them that could be considered his arch-nemesis we'd look no further than King Ghidorah. King Ghidorah has appeared in some form or another in nine films. He was the alpha kaiju that forced Mothra, Godzilla, and Rodan to join forces to battle him. King Ghidorah is nothing short of epic.
Why I like him: Three heads are better than one. The overall design mixes Japanese and Chinese dragon mythology into one impressive looking kaiju. He ups the ante from most of Toho's more natural kaiju designs but isn't so far out there that he alienates audiences in terms of concept. In other words he's well balanced. He's the great villain of the kaiju world. And as the saying goes, our heroes are only as good as their villains.
#3
VARAN
Notable Film Appearances: VARAN THE UNBELIEVABLE (1958)
Varan is the kaiju that would've been king had everything gone according to plan. My interest in the kaiju started with the NES game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters. For a long time his solo movie and sole other appearance (Destroy All Monsters) were unavailable. This was the pre-internet era & pre-dvd. There was a mystique around this hidden kaiju that fascinated me. With the few pictures I found in books I fell in love with the design. And when I finally saw the movie it was like finding a hidden treasure.
Why I like him: To repeat myself for the ninth time, the design is amazing. Varan's design is easily my top favorite kaiju design, another naturalistic design based off the real life Draco Lizard. The first half of his solo film is top notch kaiju cinema. Being in only two films, Varan still maintains a certain novelty lost on the more popular kaiju. When I look at Varan I see loads of unused potential. I want to see this kaiju in a new movie more than any other.
#2
GAMERA
Notable Film Appearances: GIANT MONSTER GAMERA (1965), GAMERA VS BARUGON (1966), GAMERA: GUARDIAN OF THE UNIVERSE (1995), GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION (1996), GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS (1999), & GAMERA THE BRAVE (2006)
If Godzilla had any actual cinematic rival in the world of kaiju it would be Gamera. Of Gamera's Showa era (original series) the first two films are where the franchise peaks. But where Gamera truly became a force to be reckoned with was in the 1990's in what has been referred to as THE GAMERA TRILOGY. Those three films represent some of the best modern kaiju cinema. It's because of those films that one could legitimately claim that Gamera is their top favorite kaiju.
Why I like him: The Gamera Trilogy is epic. His power set is huge and unique and totally awesome. He's a turtle (the original mutant turtle) and who doesn't love turtles? And, of course, his design. Gamera's design really reaches its peak in Gamera 3. And he's just plain cool.
#1
GODZILLA
Notable Film Appearances: Take your pick. It'd be easier to tell you what films to avoid.
Who else would be my number one? Godzilla's the reason I love kaiju. Without him there'd be no kaiju. I could go on for pages and pages about why Godzilla is the best (in my opinion) but there isn't enough room and you'd all be too exhausted by the end of it.
Why I like him: Again, I could go on and on forever about why I like him. To pick one reason it'd be the allegory of the original movie (the soul of Godzilla). Godzilla is more than just a monster. He's a country trying to cope with the sins of the past and what befell them as a result. He's the atomic bomb personified. The invisible killer, Radiation, made flesh. And maybe that's why he's the best. He actually represents something real and is meant to be more than just an entertaining piece of cinema.
And there you have it!
Just so you know, there are many more kaiju that I like and would love to see more of. My favorites list stretches far beyond the few listed here. I'll just go on record saying there probably isn't a kaiju I dislike.
What about you? What are your top ten favorite kaiju? List them below in the comments!
And for more Top Ten Lists check out the lists below!
TOP TEN UNIVERSAL MONSTERS
TOP TEN DOCTOR STRANGE VILLAINS
And for more kaiju check out these kaiju profiles by yours truly!
BARAGON
BIOLLANTE DAGAHRA DAIMAJIN DESGHIDORAH DOGORA
