Gappa

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Gappa Subtitle(s) Giant Beast (大巨獣,   Daikyojū) Species Ancient giant monsters Height 60 meters (male), 55 meters (female) Length 80 meters Weight 6,000 metric tons (male), 5,000 metric tons (female) Other Stats Flight Speed: Mach 6, Underwater Speed: 150 knots, Destructive Force: 2,000,000 hp Relations Eachother (mates and offspring) Enemies Humans Created by Iwao Yamazaki, Ryuzo Nakanishi Designed by Akira Watanabe Modeled by Eizo Kaimai Played by Hiroshita Atami, Takashi Konagai (male), Ken Misugi, Shiro Tonami (female) First appearance Gappa Roar(s) More roars

The Gappas (ガッパ,   Gappa) are a species of ancient monsters. Two adult Gappas, male (雄ガッパ,   Osu Gappa) and female (雌ガッパ,   Mesu Gappa), and their baby son first appear in the 1967 Nikkatsu film Gappa.

Design

All three of the Gappas share the same characteristics, as they are based on various reptiles and birds such as eagles and hawks. Overall, they resemble enormous bipedal griffins. As exhibited in the two adults seen in the film, the species is sexually dimorphic. The female has a smaller head crest and has a flatter face compared to her mate. Their scales are triangle-shaped, and their eyelids are the reverse to that of humans. The Gappas' wings are unlike those of birds; they are actually evolved ribs.

Origins

In ancient times, the Gappas would fight other monsters for survival. They were already present when Earth was still an interstellar cloud, suggesting that the Gappas originated in outer space.

History

• Gappa (1967)
• Amorous Family: Like a Fox and a Racoon (1972) [prop]
• Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Tokyo (2022) [toys]

Showa era

Gappa

An expedition to Obelisk Island by Mr. Funazu uncovers a baby monster, who hatches from an egg near a sacred temple. The natives plead with the skeptical scientists not to take the baby away, lest it anger the baby's parents. Sure enough, they take the baby away, and soon, inside the caverns, its two parents rise from the underground waters beneath the volcano, destroying everything in their path. Saki, the only survivor, is rescued by an American Navy fleet and brought back to Japan.

The parents storm across Japan, destroying all in their wake, but their assault ceases once they recover their baby. Mercifully, they relent and depart to return to Obelisk Island.

Abilities

Flight

The Gappas can fly at a maximum speed of Mach 6.

Amphibiousness

The Gappas have a maximum underwater speed of 150 knots.

Physical abilities

The Gappas have a destructive force of 2 million horsepower. The Gappas' wings can emit hurricane-force winds; they can also cause tsunamis or storm surges using this ability.

Radiant Heat Beam

The adult Gappas can fire a 4,000-degree Celsius Radiant Heat Beam (放射熱光線,   Hōshanetsu Kōsen) from their mouths. This is described as being "comparable to a death ray" in the film, it can also burn or melt anything it makes contact with. This ability is also speculated in the film to make the Gappas immune to poisons.

Bioluminescence

The Gappas emit bioluminescence from their eyes, which appears blue-white underwater and yellow on land.

Pearl-like substance

The female Gappa possesses a pearl-like substance within her body, likely stored in her legs. This substance can cause humans to go blind.

Electricity

The baby Gappa's body is electrified and causes electric arcs/sparks whenever metals are attached to its body. This may suggest that adult Gappas are also able to emit electricity.

Gallery

Main article: Gappa/Gallery.

Video

Was 「Guilala vs. Gappa」 Real?

Trivia

• The design of Gappa may share its origin with that of Bemular, the prototype of Ultraman where both were designed by Akira Watanabe based on traditional images of Karura, the Buddhism incarnation of Garuda, and Karasu Tengu.
• Stock footage of the adult Gappas appears in an episode of the British sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf, "Meltdown", where they are enormous wax-droids roaming the Prehistoric World section of an abandoned theme park. Though intimidated, the mechanoid Kryten quips "I can't believe how feeble and improbable those creatures were, sir. I've seen more convincing dinosaurs given away free with a packet of Wheaty-Flakes."
• An anatomical illustration noted that Gappa could emit "heat wave beams" from their eyes.
• Gappa is one of numerous kaiju summoned in Natsuhiko Kyōgoku's USO MAKOTO Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari book series.
• Gappa is the first titular Nikkatsu kaiju being inspired by kappa, followed by Death Kappa. The name "Gappa" is also an alias of kappa in several Japanese folklores.
  • The kappa-like kaiju appeared in the 2014 live action series The Next Generation: Patlabor is presumably a reference to both Gappa and Death Kappa where the kappa kaiju also appears in Atami, and the film was openly referenced to various classic kaiju films.

References

This is a list of references for Gappa. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]

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