Toto: Difference between revisions

From Wikizilla, the kaiju encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
No edit summary
m (→‎Fireballs and Fire Breath: bolded ability names)
 
(117 intermediate revisions by 22 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Ktab}}
{{Tab/new}}
{{Nav
|type1            =Ground
|type2            =Dark
|type            =[[Gamera]] incarnations
|name            =Toto
|prev            =Avant Gamera
|prevname        =Avant Gamera
|next            =Gamera (GAMERA -Rebirth-)
|nextname        =Gamera (GAMERA -Rebirth-)
}}
{{Kaiju Infobox  
{{Kaiju Infobox  
|type1            =Rock
|type1            =Dark
|type2            =Water
|type2            =Ground
|header          ={{Daiei}} {{Kaijup}}
|image            =Toto.png
|image            =Toto06.jpg
|caption          =Toto in Gamera the Brave
|caption          =Toto in Gamera the Brave
|name            =Toto
|name            =Toto
|species          =Giant Turtle
|dt              =Toto / Gamera
|nicknames        =[[Gamera]]
|species          =Giant [[wikipedia:Turtle|turtle]]
|nicknames        =[[Gamera]], Rebirth Gamera<ref name="Rebirth"/>
|subtitle        =Little Brave<br>{{Nihongo|小さき勇者|Chīsaki Yūsha}}<ref name="Perfection">{{cite book|title=Heisei Gamera Perfection|publisher=[[Kadokawa]]|date=February 8, 2014|page=134|isbn=978-4048918817}}</ref>
|subtitle        =Little Brave<br>{{Nihongo|小さき勇者|Chīsaki Yūsha}}<ref name="Perfection">{{cite book|title=Heisei Gamera Perfection|publisher=[[Kadokawa]]|date=February 8, 2014|page=134|isbn=978-4048918817}}</ref>
|height          =5 centimeters {{Small|(Baby)}}<ref name="GtBSCW">{{cite book|title=[[Gamera the Brave Super Complete Works]]|date=20 May 2006|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=26|isbn=4091051081}}</ref><br>1 meter {{small|(shortly after)}},<ref name="GtBSCW"/><br>8 meters {{Small|(Shima)}},<ref name="GtBSCW"/><br>30 meters {{Small|(Nagoya)}}<ref name="GtBSCW"/>
|height          =8 centimeters {{small|(day-old)}},<ref name="GtBSCW">{{cite book|title=[[Gamera the Brave Super Complete Works]]|date=20 May 2006|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=26|isbn=4091051081}}</ref><br>~1 meter {{small|(shortly after)}},<ref name="GtBSCW"/><br>~8 meters {{Small|(Shima)}},<ref name="GtBSCW"/><br>30 meters {{Small|(Nagoya)}}<ref name="GtBSCW"/>
|length          =50 meters {{Small|(Nagoya)}}<ref name="GtBSCW"/>
|length          =50 meters {{Small|(Nagoya)}}<ref name="GtBSCW"/>
|weight          =900 metric tons {{Small|(Nagoya)}}<ref name="GtBSCW"/>
|weight          =900 metric tons {{Small|(Nagoya)}}<ref name="GtBSCW"/>
|stat1            ='''Shell Size:''' 5 centimeters {{small|(Baby)}},<ref name="GtBSCW"/> <br>'''Shell Diameter:''' 20 meters {{small|(Nagoya)}}<ref name="GtBSCW"/>|1=Other Stats
|stat1            ='''Shell size:''' ~5 centimeters {{small|(newborn)}},<ref name="GtBSCW"/> <br>'''Shell diameter:''' {{small|20 meters {{small|(Nagoya, long)}}}},<ref name="GtBSCW"/><br>18 meters {{small|(Nagoya, short)}}<ref name="GtBSCW"/>|1=Other stats
|forms            =Baby
|forms            =Baby, Shima appearance,<br>Nagoya appearance
|relationships    =[[Gamera]] {{Small|(Previous incarnation)}}
|relationships    =
|enemies          =[[Zedus]]
|enemies          =[[Zedus]]
|created          =Yukari Tatsui
|portrayed        =[[Toshinori Sasaki]] (suit),<br>[[Frank Welker]] (stock vocalizations),<br>[[Wikipedia:African spurred tortoise|African spurred tortoises]], animatronics, full-scale model, CGI
|portrayed        =[[Wikipedia:African spurred tortoise|African spurred tortoise]],<br>[[Toshinori Sasaki]],<br>[[Peter Cullen]] {{small|(Stock vocalizations)}}
|firstappearance  =''[[Gamera the Brave]]''
|firstappearance  =''[[Gamera the Brave]]''
|roar            =[[File:Toto_Roar.ogg|180px|center|noicon]]{{More Roars}}
|roar            =[[File:Toto_Roar.ogg|180px|center|noicon]]{{More Roars}}
}}
}}
'''Toto''' {{Nihongo|トト|Toto}} is a giant turtle [[kaiju]] created by [[Kadokawa]] that first appeared in the [[2006]] [[:Category:Gamera Films|Gamera]] [[:Category:Films|film]], ''[[Gamera the Brave]]''. He is the reincarnation of [[Gamera]], who sacrificed himself to destroy a flock of [[Gyaos]] in [[1973]].
{{Under Construction}}
'''Toto''' {{Nihongo|トト|Toto}}, acknowledged as '''[[Gamera]]''' {{Nihongo|ガメラ}} upon reaching adulthood, is a giant turtle [[kaiju]] who appeared in the [[2006]] [[Kadokawa]] [[Gamera (franchise)|Gamera]] [[:Category:Films|film]] ''[[Gamera the Brave]]''. He is the successor to [[Avant Gamera]], who sacrificed himself to destroy a flock of [[Gyaos]] in [[1973]].
{{TOC}}
{{TOC}}
==Name==
==Name==
Toto's name might come from the English word "tortoise." In-universe, Toto is given his name by Toru after a nickname his late mother used to call him. Once Toto grows to adulthood, he is finally acknowledged as '''Gamera''' {{Nihongo|ガメラ}}.
Toto's name might come from the word "tortoise." In-universe, Toto is given his name by Toru after a nickname his late mother used to call him. Once Toto grows to adulthood, he is acknowledged by several characters as '''Gamera''' {{Nihongo|ガメラ}}, although Toru and the other child characters still call him Toto. Toru only refers to Toto as Gamera at the very end of the film as he flies away. The tag for a [[Bandai]] [[Daiei Kaiju Series]] figure of Toto refers to him as '''Rebirth Gamera''' {{Nihongo|新生ガメラ|Shinsei Gamera}}<ref name="Rebirth">[[File:Bandai Rebirth Gamera tag.jpg|100px]]</ref> in order to distinguish him from figures of the [[Gamera (Showa)|Showa Gamera]] and [[Gamera (Heisei Trilogy)|Heisei Gamera]], although this title has also been used for Heisei Gamera.<ref name=Guide>Gamera the Brave Official Guide Book. ASCII MEDIA WORKS. 17 April 2006. ISBN 4840234604.</ref>{{rp|63}}
==Development==
{{Expand}}
Due to the financial success of [[Toho]]'s child-friendly ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' trilogy over Daiei's darker ''Gamera'' trilogy, [[Kadokawa]] became interested in a Gamera revival which would return the character to his roots.<ref name="HGPerfection" />{{rp|196-199}}{{rp|201-205}}{{rp|213}} Toto was influenced by earlier drafts of ''[[Gamera the Guardian of the Universe]]'', in which children raised Gamera from a small turtle hatched from an ancient artifact in a ruin of an ancient civilization where a skeleton of another Gamera is situated.<ref name="Perfection" />{{rp|237}}<ref>Eiga Hiho, 2021, "April", p.6, Futabasha</ref> Another influence was the 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', and Toto's "codename" during the early stages of the production was "Bambi".<ref name="HGPerfection">{{cite book|title=[[Heisei Gamera Perfection]]|date=8 February 2014|publisher=[[Kadokawa|ASCII MEDIA WORKS]]|isbn=9784048918817}}</ref>{{rp|197}} The 1982 film ''[[Wikipedia:E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'' and the 1995 film ''[[Wikipedia:Babe (film)|Babe]]'' also inspired the interactions between Toto and Toru Aizawa.<ref name=Guide />{{rp|95}}{{rp|98}}
 
Toto was initially designed based on the [[wikipedia:Pond slider|pond slider]] in reference to the ''[[Gamera the Giant Monster]]'', which used live pond sliders for filming; his final design was based on the [[wikipedia:African spurred tortoise|African spurred tortoise]] <ref name="HGPerfection" />{{rp|141}} To help make him appealing to children and to make him less "[[kaiju]]-like", he lacked any visible protrusions or roughness on his skin and shell.<ref name="HGPerfection" />{{rp|147}} Toto was originally planned to have glowing green eyes as an homage to the Showa Gamera. This is reflected in early promotional material, and actual models of the green eyes were prepared, but they ultimately went unused.<ref name="HGPerfection" />{{rp|143}}{{rp|150}}
 
As a baby, Toto was played by an African spurred tortoise, but when he needed to display varying emotions, computer-generated imagery was also used.
 
==Design==
Toto bears a resemblance to his predecessor [[Avant Gamera]] but with smoother and more rounded features that make him look like a juvenile tortoise. Though he initially was identical to a juvenile [[wikipedia:African spurred tortoise|African spurred tortoise]] as a newborn, Toto has a fairly consistent design while his height rapidly increases throughout the film: standing upright on two legs in his giant state (though as a newborn he walked on all fours), and has five small claws on each hand (unlike Avant Gamera who has long claws on his hands, four toes on his feet), a tail, and red markings in the center of his chest. On his rounded face, he has two large green eyes, a row of small teeth, a pink tongue inside his mouth, and two tusks on his lower jaw that ascend above its underlip. Toto's shell is slightly lighter brown than its skin, with a texture resembling polished wood, and is made of ridged plates that extend somewhat exceed the width of his body.
 
==Origins==
==Origins==
Toto is the reincarnation of [[Gamera]], who released his internal energy to self-destruct and destroy a flock of [[Gyaos]] in [[1973]]. Gamera was reincarnated over a period of 33 years, eventually reappearing as a small turtle egg on top of a red gem on an island.
Toto is the successor to [[Avant Gamera]], a giant benevolent turtle monster who released his internal energy to self-destruct and destroy a flock of [[Gyaos]] in [[1973]]. It is unclear whether he is Avant Gamera's child, reincarnation, or simply another member of the species.
 
==History==
==History==
===[[Heisei era|Heisei Series]]===
===[[Heisei era]]===
====''[[Gamera the Brave]]''====
====''[[Gamera the Brave]]''====
In [[2006]], 33 years after [[Gamera]] sacrificed himself to stop a flock of [[Gyaos]], a young boy named Toru discovered a turtle egg sitting atop a red gem on an island. The boy took the egg home along with the red gem it was sitting on. The egg hatched into a baby turtle, which Toru named "Toto", a nickname his later mother used to call him. Toto surprised Toru's neighbor when he started to fly. He soon became too big for Toru to take care of in his home, so he was taken to a shed on the shoreline. He disappeared the next day, but he returned to save Toru and his friends when [[Zedus]] attacked his village. He battled Zedus and drove him off, but he was seriously injured and captured by the military. Zedus arrived in Nagoya, and was confronted by Toto after he grew larger and escaped military custody. Zedus threw Toto into a building and prepared to kill him, but Toru arrived and threw the gem found with Toto's egg into his mouth, which re-energized him and gave him the ability to fly and breathe fire. Toto battled Zedus again, and was able to tear out the beast's tongue and then destroy him with a fireball. Toto collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, and was surrounded by the military. Toru and his friends stood in front of Toto, giving him time to regain his strength and fly away. As Toto flew into the distance, Toru stared at him and said "Sayonara, Gamera."
In [[2006]], 33 years after [[Gamera]] sacrificed himself to stop a flock of [[Gyaos]], a young boy named Toru discovered a turtle egg sitting atop a red gem on an island. The boy took the egg home along with the red gem it was sitting on. The egg hatched into a baby turtle, which Toru named "Toto", a nickname his later mother used to call him. Toto surprised Toru's neighbor when he started to fly. He soon became too big for Toru to take care of in his home, so he was taken to a shed on the shoreline. He disappeared the next day, but he returned to save Toru and his friends when [[Zedus]] attacked his village. He fought Zedus and drove him away, but he was seriously injured and captured by the military.
 
Knowing the original Gamera was benevolent and it would be a disaster when Zedus returned, efforts were made to get Toto fighting fit and expedite his recovery. Patched up by the military and scientists, Toto was infused with medical solution derived from remnants of the original Gamera. Zedus arrived in Nagoya, and was confronted by Toto, whom had grown larger and broke out of custody. Despite the young kaiju fighting hard to keep Zedus occupied so people could escape harm, Toto was quickly on the back-foot and clearly wasn't at full power. Realizing he needed the red gem his egg was found on, various children relayed the stone closer to Toto and passed it to Toru. Zedus threw Toto into a building and was ready to kill him, but Toru arrived and tossed the gem found with Toto's egg into his mouth, which super-charged him and gave him the ability to fly and breathe fireballs. Toto battled Zedus again, and was able to rip out the beast's tongue and then destroy him with a fireball. Toto collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, and was surrounded by the military. Toru and his friends stood in front of Toto, giving him time to regain his strength and fly away. As Toto flew into the distance, Toru stared at him and said, "Sayonara, Gamera."
 
==Abilities==
===Fireballs and Fire Breath===
Even as a hatchling, Toto was able to breath fire, scorching a knife that fell in front of him. He fired a blast down [[Zedus]]'s mouth during their first fight, causing the reptile to plummet from a bridge into the water below and retreat. After Toru threw the red stone which housed his egg into his mouth, he charged up and unleashed a more powerful fireball called '''Toto Impact''' (トトインパクト, ''Toto Inpakuto'') which completely obliterated Zedus. When charging Toto Impact, Toto's body emits extreme heat, which instantly incinerated Zedus's tongue.
 
While the nature of Toto's fire blast against Zedus in Shima in the film is ambiguous, one of the novelizations clearly describes Toto using a traditional '''Fire Breath''' {{Nihongo|火炎噴射|kaen funsha}} to burn Zedus's eyes.<ref name=Tatsui />{{rp|113}}
 
<gallery position="center" widths="120" captionalign="center" spacing="small">
Baby_Toto_FireBreath.gif|Fire Breath
Toto vs Zedus in Shima.png|Fire Breath
Toto Impact.png|Toto Impact
</gallery>
 
===Agility===
In one of the novelizations, Toto is agile enough to dodge attacks by Zedus and perform acrobatic movements akin to Showa Gamera. He defeated Zedus by shooting a fireball into his mouth by doing a handstand with Zedus’s tongue.<ref name=Tatsui />{{rp|140}}{{rp|163}}
 
===Flight===
[[File:Toto in flight.png|thumb|right|200px|Toto in flight.]]
As a hatchling, Toto could levitate, emitting a small amount of exhaust as he did so. After he grew to 30 meters tall and Toru threw the red stone into his mouth, he gained the ability to fly by retracting all his limbs into his shell and firing rockets out of his arms and legs holes. He used this ability to tackle Zedus off of one of the JR Central Towers. The form of spinning flight is called '''spinning jets''' {{Nihongo|回転ジェット|kaiten jetto}}.<ref name=Anatomy />
 
===Growth===
[[File:Red Pearl.png|thumb|right|200px|Toto's red pearl.]]
Though born as a regular-sized turtle, Toto grew rapidly, becoming approximately eight meters tall for his first battle against Zedus. After the [[JSDF]] captured him and injected him with liquefied red pearls discovered around his birthplace, he grew to 30 meters tall for his rematch with Zedus.
 
===Supernatural abilities===
According to anatomical illustrations, Toto has a [[Atlantean magatama|magatama]]-shaped organ called '''Spirits Crystal''' {{Nihongo|スピリッツ・クリスタル|Supirittsu Kurisutaru}} which enables Toto to perform several supernatural feats such as telepathy with humans, sensing human emotions, understanding human speech, and sensing evil monsters' emergence from a distance.<ref name=Anatomy>https://wikizilla.org/wiki/File:C55531f37f8492459c007cc34c4e3f68.png</ref> The red pearls may glow in response to Toto's emotion.<ref name=Anatomy /> In one of the novelizations, Toru Aizawa believed that the red stone might have its own consciousness, wanting to protect Toto and leading to their meeting. It is also noted that the more children touch the red stone, the stronger it glows.<ref name=Tatsui>Yukari Tatsui, March 1, 2006, 僕とトトの物語―映画『小さき勇者たち ガメラ』, [[Wikipedia:Kadokawa Shoten|Kadokawa Shoten]]</ref>{{rp|125}}{{rp|152}}
 
===Anatomy===
Toto possesses notable anatomical features such as the '''Heat Muscle''' (ヒートマッスル, ''Hīto Massuru'') to increase his physical strength, a special skeletal structure which consists of unknown materials, keen eyesight which is the equivalent to 30.0 in a human. He is also capable of seeing ultraviolet and infrared rays, as well as seeing in the dark and deep underwater.<ref name=Anatomy />
{{Clear}}
 
==Comics==
==Comics==
*''[[Gamera 2006: Hard Link]]'' (2006)
*''[[The Last Hope]]'' (2017) [egg]
===''[[Gamera 2006: Hard Link]]''===
===''[[Gamera 2006: Hard Link]]''===
[[File:Toto_in_Gamera_2006_Hard_Link.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Toto in ''[[Gamera 2006: Hard Link]]'']]Toto is in the facility of Amemiya throughout the manga. The researchers try to find a way to help Toto to fight [[Zedus]].
[[File:Toto_in_Gamera_2006_Hard_Link.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Toto in ''[[Gamera 2006: Hard Link]]'']]
Toto is in the facility of Amemiya throughout the manga. The researchers try to find a way to help Toto to fight [[Zedus]].
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
===''[[The Last Hope]]''===
At the comic's conclusion, an unseen person held a stone containing Toto's egg, which had started to hatch, while the narration questioned whether the next Gamera would oppose other monsters or humanity.
==Gallery==
==Gallery==
{{Main|Toto/Gallery}}
{{Main|Toto/Gallery}}
==Roar==
==Roar==
Toto's roar is an edited stock roar originally used for [[King Kong]] in the [[King Kong (1976 film)|1976 film]] rather than Gamera's unique roar.
Rather than Gamera's unique roar, Toto's primary roar is an edited stock roar which dates back to the 1957 [[Universal Pictures]] films ''The Land Unknown'' and ''The Deadly Mantis'' and was also used for [[King Kong]] in the [[King Kong (1976 film)|1976 film]], [[Yonggary]] in ''[[Reptilian (film)|Reptilian]]'', and Midon in ''Big Man Japan''. He is also given generic elk bugles and pre-recorded growls originally uttered by [[Frank Welker]].
{{Videos|
{{Videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">KAFyt7N7GqY</youtube>|Toto's roars}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">KAFyt7N7GqY</youtube>|Toto's roars}}
}}
}}
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Baby Toto was played by a live [[Wikipedia:African spurred tortoise|African spurred tortoise]], but when he is shown displaying varying emotions, {{CGI}} was also used.
*The design of Toto's shell was later adopted for Gamera in the 2015 short film ''[[GAMERA (short film)|GAMERA]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=平成ガメラ造型写真集|publisher=Hobby JAPAN Co., Ltd.|date=September 1, 2023|page=184|isbn=9784798632261}}</ref>
*Toto's concept is very similar to the Godzilla characters [[Minilla]] and [[Godzilla Junior]], both being younger members of the main monster's species. Like Godzilla Junior, Toto eventually grew up and took the place of his predecessor following his death.
*Toto's concept is very similar to the Godzilla characters [[Minilla]] and [[Godzilla Junior]], both being younger members of the main monster's species. Like Godzilla Junior, Toto eventually grew up and took the place of his predecessor following his death. The relationship between Toto and Zedus somewhat resembles that of Minilla and [[Gabara]], as well as [[Daigoro]] and [[Goliath]]. Daigoro also influenced one of the early drafts of ''[[Gamera the Guardian of the Universe]]''.<ref name="Perfection" />{{rp|237}}
*According to Isao Kaneko, the director of the special effects team for ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'', Toto and the [[Gamera]] in 1973 are the same individual; Gamera chose to explode to release internal energy and to later be reincarnated as Toto.<ref>[http://cinema1900.wixsite.com/home/4-3-9-10]</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/birdofpreyjp/status/725734136946675713]</ref>
*The marks on torsos of Toto and [[Avant Gamera]] may represent the Chinese letter '''Fire''' {{Nihongo|炎|Honō}}.<ref name=Anatomy />
<!---*The sizes of Toto may be a reference to the early draft of the ''[[Gamera the Guardian of the Universe]]'', which also became the basis of ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'' in which Gamera's size increases from an egg-sized to 8 meters to more than 20 meters.<ref name="HGPerfection" />{{rp|240-243}} --->
*Toto's biological features including being capable of telepathy and eyesight of 30.0 also correspond with that of the [[Gamera (Heisei Trilogy)|Gamera]] from the Heisei Trilogy.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080619134123/http://gamera.jp/archive/zukan02.html Official Website]</ref> Toto's Heat Muscle also etymologically resembles High Fever Muscles of [[Gamera (Showa)|Gamera]] in the Showa series.
*The earlier draft of ''[[Gamera the Guardian of the Universe]]'' which became the basis for ''Gamera the Brave'' was also adopted for ''[[wikipedia:Digimon Tamers|Digimon Tamers]]''<ref>Chiaki J. Konaka, 2018, [https://twitter.com/yamaki_nyx/status/975012785389109249 という事をここに書いているのは、以前にも書いたけれど、テイマーズの1~3話は設定などは全然違うものの、小中兄弟版ガメラのエッセンスが濃厚に入っている。だからもしこの映画が成立していたら、テイマーズは生まれなかったとも言える。], Twitter</ref> and ''[[wikia:w:c:ultra:Ultraman Tiga (series)|Ultraman Tiga]]''.<ref name="Perfection" />{{rp|237}}
*The transportation of Toto was influenced by the shipping of [[Gorgo]] in the [[1961]] British-American film ''[[Gorgo (film)|Gorgo]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mediag.bunka.go.jp/article/article-14318/|last=Yamazaki|first=Gigan|title=世界に息づく怪獣王(ゴジラ)の遺伝子第2回|date=10 January 2019|work=Media Arts Current Contents}}</ref>
*The idea of children riding on Toto akin to the Showa series was likely scrapped to give consideration to public opinion regarding animal welfare.<ref name=Guide />{{rp|50}}
*The 2015 kaiju film ''[[wikipedia:Love & Peace (film)|Love & Peace]]'' bears several similarities with ''Gamera the Brave'' as both films depict a giant, endearing turtle that was originally a normal-sized turtles; both protagonists also try to protect the turtle monsters.
*The climax of children guarding Toto coincidentally resembles the unmade 1997 film ''[[Godzilla 2]]'', in which civilians stood against an army to protect Godzilla.
*The depiction of [[Barugon]] in ''[[Gamera vs. Barugon: Comic Version]]'' parallels that of Toto as both characters were discovered as eggs from the sites of their predecessors' death, and instantly grow by collecting scattered nourishment that include multiple smaller ones and a large, essential one.
*During the production, Toto Impact was also considered to be a beam attack rather than a fireball, and its depiction was inspired by photon torpedoes in the ''[[Wikipedia:Star Trek|Star Trek]]'' franchise.<ref name=Guide />{{rp|99}} The attack received its name from a public submission.<ref name="HGPerfection" />{{rp|283}} Interestingly, one of the final candidates was "[[Wikipedia: Aztecs|Azteca]]" {{Nihongo|アステカ|Asuteka}} which was unique and clearly different from other final candidates. This may or may not have been a reference to ''[[Gamera vs. Phoenix]]'', which also features an ancient Mesoamerican civilization.
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Monsters}}
{{Kadokawa Monsters}}
{{Comments}}
{{Era|KAD|HEI|KAI|TOT|GAM}}
{{Era|KAD|HEI|KAI|TOT|GAM}}
[[Category:Gamera Kaiju]]
[[Category:Gamera Kaiju]]
Line 59: Line 129:
[[Category:Reptiles]]
[[Category:Reptiles]]
[[Category:Turtle Kaiju]]
[[Category:Turtle Kaiju]]
[[Category:Baby monsters]]
[[Category:Hero monsters]]

Latest revision as of 20:46, 27 February 2024

Article

Gamera incarnations
Avant Gamera
Toto
Gamera (GAMERA -Rebirth-)
Toto
Toto in Gamera the Brave
Alternate names Gamera, Rebirth Gamera[1]
Subtitle(s) Little Brave
(小さき勇者,   Chīsaki Yūsha)[2]
Species Giant turtle
Height 8 centimeters (day-old),[3]
~1 meter (shortly after),[3]
~8 meters (Shima),[3]
30 meters (Nagoya)[3]
Length 50 meters (Nagoya)[3]
Weight 900 metric tons (Nagoya)[3]
Other stats Shell size: ~5 centimeters (newborn),[3]
Shell diameter: 20 meters (Nagoya, long),[3]
18 meters (Nagoya, short)[3]
Forms Baby, Shima appearance,
Nagoya appearance
Enemies Zedus
Played by Toshinori Sasaki (suit),
Frank Welker (stock vocalizations),
African spurred tortoises, animatronics, full-scale model, CGI
First appearance Gamera the Brave
Roar(s)
More roars
224px-UNDER CONSTRUCTION.png
This article is a work in progress.
Please help in the creation of this article
by expanding or improving it.

Toto (トト,   Toto), acknowledged as Gamera (ガメラ) upon reaching adulthood, is a giant turtle kaiju who appeared in the 2006 Kadokawa Gamera film Gamera the Brave. He is the successor to Avant Gamera, who sacrificed himself to destroy a flock of Gyaos in 1973.

Name

Toto's name might come from the word "tortoise." In-universe, Toto is given his name by Toru after a nickname his late mother used to call him. Once Toto grows to adulthood, he is acknowledged by several characters as Gamera (ガメラ), although Toru and the other child characters still call him Toto. Toru only refers to Toto as Gamera at the very end of the film as he flies away. The tag for a Bandai Daiei Kaiju Series figure of Toto refers to him as Rebirth Gamera (新生ガメラ,   Shinsei Gamera)[1] in order to distinguish him from figures of the Showa Gamera and Heisei Gamera, although this title has also been used for Heisei Gamera.[4]:63

Development

Pencil-icon.gif Please help improve this article by contributing useful information or discussing ideas on its talk page.

Due to the financial success of Toho's child-friendly Rebirth of Mothra trilogy over Daiei's darker Gamera trilogy, Kadokawa became interested in a Gamera revival which would return the character to his roots.[5]:196-199:201-205:213 Toto was influenced by earlier drafts of Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, in which children raised Gamera from a small turtle hatched from an ancient artifact in a ruin of an ancient civilization where a skeleton of another Gamera is situated.[2]:237[6] Another influence was the 1923 novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods, and Toto's "codename" during the early stages of the production was "Bambi".[5]:197 The 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the 1995 film Babe also inspired the interactions between Toto and Toru Aizawa.[4]:95:98

Toto was initially designed based on the pond slider in reference to the Gamera the Giant Monster, which used live pond sliders for filming; his final design was based on the African spurred tortoise [5]:141 To help make him appealing to children and to make him less "kaiju-like", he lacked any visible protrusions or roughness on his skin and shell.[5]:147 Toto was originally planned to have glowing green eyes as an homage to the Showa Gamera. This is reflected in early promotional material, and actual models of the green eyes were prepared, but they ultimately went unused.[5]:143:150

As a baby, Toto was played by an African spurred tortoise, but when he needed to display varying emotions, computer-generated imagery was also used.

Design

Toto bears a resemblance to his predecessor Avant Gamera but with smoother and more rounded features that make him look like a juvenile tortoise. Though he initially was identical to a juvenile African spurred tortoise as a newborn, Toto has a fairly consistent design while his height rapidly increases throughout the film: standing upright on two legs in his giant state (though as a newborn he walked on all fours), and has five small claws on each hand (unlike Avant Gamera who has long claws on his hands, four toes on his feet), a tail, and red markings in the center of his chest. On his rounded face, he has two large green eyes, a row of small teeth, a pink tongue inside his mouth, and two tusks on his lower jaw that ascend above its underlip. Toto's shell is slightly lighter brown than its skin, with a texture resembling polished wood, and is made of ridged plates that extend somewhat exceed the width of his body.

Origins

Toto is the successor to Avant Gamera, a giant benevolent turtle monster who released his internal energy to self-destruct and destroy a flock of Gyaos in 1973. It is unclear whether he is Avant Gamera's child, reincarnation, or simply another member of the species.

History

Heisei era

Gamera the Brave

In 2006, 33 years after Gamera sacrificed himself to stop a flock of Gyaos, a young boy named Toru discovered a turtle egg sitting atop a red gem on an island. The boy took the egg home along with the red gem it was sitting on. The egg hatched into a baby turtle, which Toru named "Toto", a nickname his later mother used to call him. Toto surprised Toru's neighbor when he started to fly. He soon became too big for Toru to take care of in his home, so he was taken to a shed on the shoreline. He disappeared the next day, but he returned to save Toru and his friends when Zedus attacked his village. He fought Zedus and drove him away, but he was seriously injured and captured by the military.

Knowing the original Gamera was benevolent and it would be a disaster when Zedus returned, efforts were made to get Toto fighting fit and expedite his recovery. Patched up by the military and scientists, Toto was infused with medical solution derived from remnants of the original Gamera. Zedus arrived in Nagoya, and was confronted by Toto, whom had grown larger and broke out of custody. Despite the young kaiju fighting hard to keep Zedus occupied so people could escape harm, Toto was quickly on the back-foot and clearly wasn't at full power. Realizing he needed the red gem his egg was found on, various children relayed the stone closer to Toto and passed it to Toru. Zedus threw Toto into a building and was ready to kill him, but Toru arrived and tossed the gem found with Toto's egg into his mouth, which super-charged him and gave him the ability to fly and breathe fireballs. Toto battled Zedus again, and was able to rip out the beast's tongue and then destroy him with a fireball. Toto collapsed to the ground from exhaustion, and was surrounded by the military. Toru and his friends stood in front of Toto, giving him time to regain his strength and fly away. As Toto flew into the distance, Toru stared at him and said, "Sayonara, Gamera."

Abilities

Fireballs and Fire Breath

Even as a hatchling, Toto was able to breath fire, scorching a knife that fell in front of him. He fired a blast down Zedus's mouth during their first fight, causing the reptile to plummet from a bridge into the water below and retreat. After Toru threw the red stone which housed his egg into his mouth, he charged up and unleashed a more powerful fireball called Toto Impact (トトインパクト, Toto Inpakuto) which completely obliterated Zedus. When charging Toto Impact, Toto's body emits extreme heat, which instantly incinerated Zedus's tongue.

While the nature of Toto's fire blast against Zedus in Shima in the film is ambiguous, one of the novelizations clearly describes Toto using a traditional Fire Breath (火炎噴射,   kaen funsha) to burn Zedus's eyes.[7]:113

Agility

In one of the novelizations, Toto is agile enough to dodge attacks by Zedus and perform acrobatic movements akin to Showa Gamera. He defeated Zedus by shooting a fireball into his mouth by doing a handstand with Zedus’s tongue.[7]:140:163

Flight

Toto in flight.

As a hatchling, Toto could levitate, emitting a small amount of exhaust as he did so. After he grew to 30 meters tall and Toru threw the red stone into his mouth, he gained the ability to fly by retracting all his limbs into his shell and firing rockets out of his arms and legs holes. He used this ability to tackle Zedus off of one of the JR Central Towers. The form of spinning flight is called spinning jets (回転ジェット,   kaiten jetto).[8]

Growth

Toto's red pearl.

Though born as a regular-sized turtle, Toto grew rapidly, becoming approximately eight meters tall for his first battle against Zedus. After the JSDF captured him and injected him with liquefied red pearls discovered around his birthplace, he grew to 30 meters tall for his rematch with Zedus.

Supernatural abilities

According to anatomical illustrations, Toto has a magatama-shaped organ called Spirits Crystal (スピリッツ・クリスタル,   Supirittsu Kurisutaru) which enables Toto to perform several supernatural feats such as telepathy with humans, sensing human emotions, understanding human speech, and sensing evil monsters' emergence from a distance.[8] The red pearls may glow in response to Toto's emotion.[8] In one of the novelizations, Toru Aizawa believed that the red stone might have its own consciousness, wanting to protect Toto and leading to their meeting. It is also noted that the more children touch the red stone, the stronger it glows.[7]:125:152

Anatomy

Toto possesses notable anatomical features such as the Heat Muscle (ヒートマッスル, Hīto Massuru) to increase his physical strength, a special skeletal structure which consists of unknown materials, keen eyesight which is the equivalent to 30.0 in a human. He is also capable of seeing ultraviolet and infrared rays, as well as seeing in the dark and deep underwater.[8]

Comics

Gamera 2006: Hard Link

Toto is in the facility of Amemiya throughout the manga. The researchers try to find a way to help Toto to fight Zedus.

The Last Hope

At the comic's conclusion, an unseen person held a stone containing Toto's egg, which had started to hatch, while the narration questioned whether the next Gamera would oppose other monsters or humanity.

Gallery

Main article: Toto/Gallery.

Roar

Rather than Gamera's unique roar, Toto's primary roar is an edited stock roar which dates back to the 1957 Universal Pictures films The Land Unknown and The Deadly Mantis and was also used for King Kong in the 1976 film, Yonggary in Reptilian, and Midon in Big Man Japan. He is also given generic elk bugles and pre-recorded growls originally uttered by Frank Welker.

Toto's roars

Trivia

  • The design of Toto's shell was later adopted for Gamera in the 2015 short film GAMERA.[9]
  • Toto's concept is very similar to the Godzilla characters Minilla and Godzilla Junior, both being younger members of the main monster's species. Like Godzilla Junior, Toto eventually grew up and took the place of his predecessor following his death. The relationship between Toto and Zedus somewhat resembles that of Minilla and Gabara, as well as Daigoro and Goliath. Daigoro also influenced one of the early drafts of Gamera the Guardian of the Universe.[2]:237
  • The marks on torsos of Toto and Avant Gamera may represent the Chinese letter Fire (炎,   Honō).[8]
  • Toto's biological features including being capable of telepathy and eyesight of 30.0 also correspond with that of the Gamera from the Heisei Trilogy.[10] Toto's Heat Muscle also etymologically resembles High Fever Muscles of Gamera in the Showa series.
  • The earlier draft of Gamera the Guardian of the Universe which became the basis for Gamera the Brave was also adopted for Digimon Tamers[11] and Ultraman Tiga.[2]:237
  • The transportation of Toto was influenced by the shipping of Gorgo in the 1961 British-American film Gorgo.[12]
  • The idea of children riding on Toto akin to the Showa series was likely scrapped to give consideration to public opinion regarding animal welfare.[4]:50
  • The 2015 kaiju film Love & Peace bears several similarities with Gamera the Brave as both films depict a giant, endearing turtle that was originally a normal-sized turtles; both protagonists also try to protect the turtle monsters.
  • The climax of children guarding Toto coincidentally resembles the unmade 1997 film Godzilla 2, in which civilians stood against an army to protect Godzilla.
  • The depiction of Barugon in Gamera vs. Barugon: Comic Version parallels that of Toto as both characters were discovered as eggs from the sites of their predecessors' death, and instantly grow by collecting scattered nourishment that include multiple smaller ones and a large, essential one.
  • During the production, Toto Impact was also considered to be a beam attack rather than a fireball, and its depiction was inspired by photon torpedoes in the Star Trek franchise.[4]:99 The attack received its name from a public submission.[5]:283 Interestingly, one of the final candidates was "Azteca" (アステカ,   Asuteka) which was unique and clearly different from other final candidates. This may or may not have been a reference to Gamera vs. Phoenix, which also features an ancient Mesoamerican civilization.

References

This is a list of references for Toto. 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]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Bandai Rebirth Gamera tag.jpg
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Heisei Gamera Perfection. Kadokawa. February 8, 2014. p. 134. ISBN 978-4048918817.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Gamera the Brave Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 20 May 2006. p. 26. ISBN 4091051081.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Gamera the Brave Official Guide Book. ASCII MEDIA WORKS. 17 April 2006. ISBN 4840234604.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Heisei Gamera Perfection. ASCII MEDIA WORKS. 8 February 2014. ISBN 9784048918817.
  6. Eiga Hiho, 2021, "April", p.6, Futabasha
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Yukari Tatsui, March 1, 2006, 僕とトトの物語―映画『小さき勇者たち ガメラ』, Kadokawa Shoten
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 https://wikizilla.org/wiki/File:C55531f37f8492459c007cc34c4e3f68.png
  9. 平成ガメラ造型写真集. Hobby JAPAN Co., Ltd. September 1, 2023. p. 184. ISBN 9784798632261.
  10. Official Website
  11. Chiaki J. Konaka, 2018, という事をここに書いているのは、以前にも書いたけれど、テイマーズの1~3話は設定などは全然違うものの、小中兄弟版ガメラのエッセンスが濃厚に入っている。だからもしこの映画が成立していたら、テイマーズは生まれなかったとも言える。, Twitter
  12. Yamazaki, Gigan (10 January 2019). "世界に息づく怪獣王(ゴジラ)の遺伝子第2回". Media Arts Current Contents.

Comments

Showing 35 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators.

Loading comments...
Kadokawa
Era Icon - Heisei.png
Kaiju
Era Icon - Toto.png
Era Icon - Gamera.png