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Bōō}} in the film's Japanese trailer.
Bōō}} in the film's Japanese trailer.


Baragon's name is erroneously romanized as '''Varagon''' in the Japanese version of ''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!]]'', as well as in [[Bandai]]'s [[Godzilland (Merchandise Line)|Godzilland merchandise line]].
Baragon's name is erroneously romanized as '''Varagon''' in the Japanese version of ''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!]]'',<ref>[[File:Godzilla famicom varagon jp.png|150px]]</ref> as well as in [[Bandai]]'s [[Godzilland (Merchandise Line)|Godzilland merchandise line]].<ref>[[File:Varagon godzilland 1984.jpg|150px]]</ref>


According to a booklet included with [[Toho]]'s 2002 three-disc DVD release of ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', Baragon's name was originally '''Baragora''' {{Nihongo|罵螺醍羅|Baragora}} in ''[[Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', with him being given the name "Baragon" by the [[JSDF]] late in the story. In the final film, he is only called "Baragon," though his name is still spelled in kanji {{Nihongo|婆羅護吽}} rather than katakana {{Nihongo|バラゴン}}.
According to a booklet included with [[Toho]]'s 2002 three-disc DVD release of ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', Baragon's name was originally '''Baragora''' {{Nihongo|罵螺醍羅|Baragora}} in ''[[Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', with him being given the name "Baragon" by the [[JSDF]] late in the story. In the final film, he is only called "Baragon," though his name is still spelled in kanji {{Nihongo|婆羅護吽}} rather than katakana {{Nihongo|バラゴン}}.

Revision as of 17:58, 18 January 2018

Template:Ktab

Baragon™ trademark icon
Baragon
Baragon in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Baragon in Frankenstein vs. Baragon
Baragon in Destroy All Monsters
Alternate names God of the Earth, Varagon,
Baragon-kunGZL
Subtitle(s) Subterranean Monster
(地底怪獣,   Chitei Kaijū)FvB-DAM
God of the Earth
(地の神,   Ji no Gami)GMK[1]
Species Prehistoric Subterranean ReptileFvB-DAM,
Guardian MonsterGMK
Height Showa: 25 metersFvB[2]
20 metersDAM[3][4][note 1]
Millennium: 30 meters[5]
Weight Showa: 250 metric tons[2]
Millennium: 10,000 metric tons[5]
Forms Sea Baragon
Controlled by KilaaksDAM
Allies Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Anguirus, Gorosaurus, Minilla, Manda, Kumonga, Varan, King Caesar, MechagodzillaGI, M.O.G.U.E.R.A.GI, GojirinGZL, ZillaGRoE, Jet JaguarGRoE, KamoebasGRoE, TitanosaurusGRoE, SandaGRoE, GairaGRoE, KamacurasGRoE
Enemies Frankenstein, GodzillaGMK, King Ghidorah, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Hyper Mecha-King Ghidorah, KiryuGRoE, Trilopod, Magita
Created by Eiji Tsuburaya
Played by ShowaHaruo Nakajima
MillenniumRie Ota, Toshinori Sasaki
First appearance Latest appearance
Frankenstein vs. Baragon Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Roar(s)
ShowaMillenniumMore roars

Baragon (バラゴン,   Baragon) is a reptilian kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 1965 Toho film, Frankenstein vs. Baragon.

The original Baragon from Frankenstein vs. Baragon was a villainous creature that came to the surface to feed on livestock and people. As the creature only surfaced at night, most people blamed Frankenstein for the beast's attacks. When Baragon threatened Frankenstein's caretaker Sueko Togami, Frankenstein challenged him to battle, and successfully defeated him only to fall into a fissure caused by Baragon's burrowing. The second generation Baragon in Destroy All Monsters was living on the human-monitored Monsterland facility at the end of the 20th century, and disappeared after the Kilaaks invaded the island and took control of the monsters. Baragon later appeared at Mount Fuji and witnessed the battle between the Earth monsters and King Ghidorah after the aliens' mind control was severed. Baragon's next film appearance came in the Millennium series film Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, where he was the first of the three Guardian Monsters to battle Godzilla. While not as popular as monsters like Mothra or King Ghidorah, Baragon has maintained a strong fan following over the years even despite having a very small role in Destroy All Monsters.

Name

In Frankenstein vs. Baragon, Baragon is mostly referred to by characters as the Subterranean Monster (地底怪獣,   Chitei Kaijū), and by his name in only one instance. He is not named in the English-dubbed version, but is referred to as Baragon in promotional material such as American International Pictures' pressbook for the film. Baragon is also given the title of Fierce King of the Underground (地底の暴王,   Chitei no Bōō) in the film's Japanese trailer.

Baragon's name is erroneously romanized as Varagon in the Japanese version of Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!,[6] as well as in Bandai's Godzilland merchandise line.[7]

According to a booklet included with Toho's 2002 three-disc DVD release of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Baragon's name was originally Baragora (罵螺醍羅,   Baragora) in Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, with him being given the name "Baragon" by the JSDF late in the story. In the final film, he is only called "Baragon," though his name is still spelled in kanji (婆羅護吽) rather than katakana (バラゴン).

Design

Baragon is a quadrupedal, mammal-like reptilian creature with reddish-brown skin, a single large horn on his forehead which is followed by several backwardly-curved spikes on the back of his head, and large, floppy ears. Baragon typically has facial features that look fairly similar to those of a bulldog or pug, with large, expressive eyes and a short muzzle. Baragon also has two sets of segmented, plate-like structures on his back and tail.

The original 1965 Baragon, compared with the Millennium version, has more robust, Godzilla-like proportions, with a much smaller head and a longer, thinner neck. This Baragon's eyes are a good deal smaller than those of the 2001 Baragon. Each eye's sclera and pupil are cloudy white and the irises are dark blue. The 1965 Baragon's ears are also significantly smaller and have a less prominent concave notch to them. The structures connecting the main parts of the ears to the sides of the head are much longer, meaning that that the crescent shaped section of this version's ears is not directly attached to the sides of the head. The forehead is larger than the GMK version and the backwards-curving spikes are placed farther back on the head. This suit's face is much more wrinkly, the nose is smaller, and the muzzle and upper lip are more prominent. The 1965 Baragon also has a longer torso, a longer tail, and considerably more back plates. This suit's hands and feet are much smaller and the claws are thinner and sharper than the 2001 version. This Baragon has a much greater amount of teeth and they are all of a uniform size. The teeth are also smaller and more needle-like, and there are no prominent canine teeth or fangs. This Baragon is, with the exception of his forehead horn and claws, uniformly colored a dull, sandy, grayish brown.

When Baragon returned three years later for Destroy All Monsters, a new head had to be sculpted for his suit as a result of the heavy damage inflicted on it from repeated use in Ultra Q and Ultraman. The Second Generation Baragon has a larger head, a shorter neck, and bigger eyes. This iteration also has a much smaller and sharper-looking forehead horn that curves more upward than the original version and his face, especially the upper lip, is flabbier and sags at a downward angle. This Baragon's sclera are orange, his pupils are bright red, and his claws are duller. This version's ears are more rabbit-like in shape and their notches have been greatly reduced. The 1968 Baragon is primarily a dark shade of brown with the insides of the ears, the spikes on the back of the head, and the back/tail plates being a light, cream-colored brown. This Baragon's head and neck are an even darker, almost tar-black, shade of brown. The teeth are also black, making them appear almost nonexistent when viewing the mouth from certain angles.

Compared with its 1965 and 1968 counterparts, the GMK Baragon design has a more aggressive and somewhat predatory appearance. The head is much larger and the neck is shorter and thicker. The eyes are larger and have dark red irises with black pupils. This version's teeth are less numerous than the Showa incarnations', but are much larger and bear a slight resemblance to the dentition of carnivorous mammals, including a pair of prominent fangs. This Baragon's mouth can open much wider than its predecessors, has a wide, flat tongue, and its lips are wavy and wrinkly and the mouth is almost always open, making this Baragon look like he is constantly snarling. The upper lip and muzzle are reduced while the nose has been increased in size. The forehead is reduced and the backwards-curving horns are placed closer to the top of the head. His ears are larger, wider, and protrude slightly sideways rather than back towards the head. The ears also have a much more prominent concave notch in them and are directly attached to the sides of the head, unlike the 1965 Baragon. The forehead horn is considerably larger and has less of a curve to it. The GMK Baragon is stouter and has thicker, more muscular limbs with larger hands and feet. The undersides of this Baragon's forearms and heels are studded with small spikes. His torso is shortened and more compact, bringing his limbs closer together. The claws of this Baragon are much larger, duller, and straighter and the plates on its back and tail are more angular. This Baragon has a more hunched posture when standing bipedally and the tail is shorter than that of the Showa incarnations. The 2001 Baragon is uniformly colored a dark pinkish-red with slight grayish-purple tinges while the horns on his head and claws are a bold amber.

Origins

In the Showa series, Baragon is the descendant of a Mesozoic reptile called Baranosdragon that survived into the modern day living underground. In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Baragon is one of the three ancient Guardian Monsters of Japan, the others being Mothra and King Ghidorah.

History

Showa Series

Frankenstein vs. Baragon

Baragon was awakened by sound from a nearby factory. He attacked the factory, and burrowed to Shirane Village and attacked it. He then attacked a farm to feed on the livestock. Baragon was not seen during these attacks, so Frankenstein was blamed for them. A worker at the factory said it was not Frankenstein, but another monster. When a group of scientists looked for Frankenstein, they caused an explosion that woke up Baragon from his sleep. He tried to eat the scientists, but he was stopped by Frankenstein. Frankenstein and Baragon battled, but Frankenstein defeated Baragon by breaking his neck. However, Baragon's burrowing caused the ground beneath Frankenstein to split open, causing him to disappear underground with Baragon's carcass.


Destroy All Monsters

At the end of the 20th century, Baragon was living on Monsterland, a human-monitored island in the Ogasawara chain, along with most of Earth's monsters. The Kilaaks arrived on the island and severely damaged it, placing the monsters under their mind control and unleashing them across the globe to annihilate Earth's cities. Baragon was not seen attacking the Earth's cities, but once the Moonlight SY-3 crew destroyed the Kilaaks' mind control device, he assembled along with the other Earth monsters outside of Mount Fuji. Baragon did not take part in the ensuing battle against King Ghidorah directly, but spectated alongside Varan and Manda. After King Ghidorah and the Kilaaks were destroyed, Baragon was returned to Monsterland with the other monsters to live out his days in peace.

Get Going! Godzilland

Baragon appears in all four Get Going! Godzilland OVAs. In each OVA, he is one of Godzilla's closest friends, alongside Anguirus and Rodan.

In the addition OVA, Baragon saw Mechagodzilla kidnap Anguirus and went to tell Godzilla and Gojirin. Despite having recently fought with Anguirus, Godzilla decided to go rescue his friend, with Gojirin, Baragon and Mothra assisting him. Along the way, they were intercepted by a group of ants, who stabbed Godzilla with spears. After Mothra convinced the ants to not attack them, the monsters reached the cave where Mechagodzilla was keeping Anguirus. Mechagodzilla forced Godzilla, Gojirin and Baragon to answer addition problems, which they successfully did, causing Anguirus to be set free. Afterwards, Mothra convinced Baragon and the others to accept Mechagodzilla as one of their friends, and they all played together.

In the subtraction OVA, Baragon was present with the other monsters for Gojirin's birthday party. When Anguirus arrived late with a basket of fruit in an attempt to impress Gojirin, both Godzilla and Baragon became jealous and tried to collect more fruit. Mothra convinced the kaiju to stop fighting for Gojirin's affections, and they all continued to celebrate her birthday. Later, after Gojirin was kidnapped by Mechagodzilla and subsequently rescued by Godzilla and Anguirus, Baragon played jump rope with them. Mothra arrived with Mechagodzilla, who apologized. Baragon and the others then allowed Mechagodzilla to play with them.

Godzilla Island

Baragon in Godzilla Island


Millennium Series

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

Baragon (婆羅護吽,   Baragon) was first seen causing earthquakes near Mount Myoko and throughout Japan. He surfaced in the countryside and battled Godzilla, but was killed after being blasted repeatedly by Godzilla's atomic breath. Later on, when all three guardian monsters were killed, his spirit along with the other two guardian spirits, Mothra and Ghidorah, entered Godzilla's body when he was at sea which stunned him long enough to allow Admiral Tachibana to burrow his way out of Godzilla after internally firing a D-03 Missile, an explosive drill. This eventually destroyed him when he tried to use his atomic beam again after it burst out the inflicted hole in his shoulder and finally caused Godzilla to vaporize himself from within.

Abilities

Heat Ray

In Frankenstein vs. Baragon, Baragon can fire an orange heat ray from his mouth. These blasts are relatively weak, frightening Frankenstein but having no effect on his skin. In the Godzilla video games by Atari and Pipeworks, Baragon's breath attack takes the form of a stream of fire, and unlike other monsters he can use this attack while moving.

Burrowing

Baragon is a capable tunneler, able to disappear under the earth in a matter of seconds. In Frankenstein vs. Baragon, he uses his heat ray to soften the earth before digging, and the glow of his nasal horn allows him to see underground. In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, his tunneling caused the ground beneath Godzilla's feet to collapse. In Godzilla: Save the Earth, Baragon's rage attack involves him burrowing into the ground and triggering lava flows and earthquakes that damage his opponent.

Jumping

Baragon can leap great distances. In GMK, he leaps through the air and bites down on Godzilla's arm, taking him by surprise.

Physical Abilities

Concept art displaying Baragon's use of his ears[8]

In both Frankenstein vs. Baragon and GMK, Baragon engages his opponents in up-close combat. Baragon can punch and kick enemies, and also uses his teeth as a weapon. The distinctive notches in Baragon's ears originally had an unused function. Baragon could fold his ears over his eyes, with the notches interlocking with his horn.[8] Baragon would then charge at the opponent, while protecting his eyes from physical blows.

Filmography

Video Games

Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!

Baragon appears as a boss in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!. Baragon would usually remain on all fours, preventing many attacks from hitting him, and would stand on his hind legs only to fire his heat beam. Another attack was to pounce at Godzilla or Mothra and pin them against the side of the screen. While rare to come across, during the fight with him, Baragon will sometimes look at the camera and tilt his head to the side as if he is mocking the player. This move allows the player to get in some free hits. 

Godzilla: Save the Earth

In Godzilla: Save the Earth, Baragon is a fast and agile fighter with decent power and great combo abilities. He shares many of the strengths of Anguirus such as immunity to high attacks on all fours and beam/projectile weapons doing only half-damage. He can dig like Megalon, though for longer and not be tired when he emerges, and his rage attack is to dig down and unleash a volcanic eruption. Baragon's fire ray attack can also be used while he's running or jumping and cannot be charged.

Godzilla: Unleashed

Height: 60 meters
Weight: 34,000 tons

"Baragon is an earth guardian-with special affinity for the terrestrial crust we walk upon. Baragon is physically the smallest monster on record, but his connection to the rocks and magma beneath us empower him to achieve greatness on a par with his larger allies. His small size makes him a tremendous leaper, with graceful aerial combat maneuvers and techniques. When not in the air, Baragon constantly replenishes his energy so long as contact is maintained with the earth. Baragon emits streams of fire from his mouth, and can cause eruptions and earthquakes beneath his feet. When firmly planted with all four legs upon the ground, Baragon is almost impossible to push aside, despite his small stature."


Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)

Main article: Godzilla (2014 video game)/Kaiju Guide#Baragon.

Books

Who's Afraid of Godzilla?

Baragon appears as one of the monsters living on Monster Island. He burrowed away from the threats of Godzilla, then later Gigan and Megalon, but then joined the other kaiju in playing with Godzilla.

GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse

The second Baragon, denoted "Baragon II," washed up in Los Angeles in 2030 after being attacked by Godzilla in the Pacific Ocean, alongside Anguirus IV and Varan II. All three monsters were subsequently killed by a single blast of Godzilla's beam.[9]

Comics

Godzilla, King of the Monsters

Main article: Sea Baragon.

In Kodansha's Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga, although Baragon himself doesn't appear directly, the mad Doctor Oniyama genetically altered Baragon's corpse with the DNA of a walrus and a narwhal to create a monster called Sea Baragon.

Godzilla: Ongoing

Baragon is briefly teased at the end of the final issue of IDW's Godzilla: Ongoing.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth

Baragon appears in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #9. In the comic, he appears in Paris, much like he was supposed to in Destroy All Monsters and fought Kiryu. Baragon started out in a flashback of the main character however, burrowing into the Earth. After his fight with Kiryu, he was brought to the Monster Islands. When the Trilopods invaded the Monster Islands, one of the Trilopods gained Baragon's DNA. Baragon was then captured and imprisoned in the Trilopod hive, along with the other residents of Monster Islands. King Caesar allowed himself to be captured as well, then freed Baragon and all of the other monsters inside the hive. Following King Caesar, the monsters charged into battle to help the severely outnumbered Godzilla in the battle against the Trilopods. Baragon attacked and successfully killed the Kumonga-Trilopod, before joining the other monsters to fight Magita. After Godzilla destroyed Magita, Baragon and the other monsters followed him out to sea.

Gallery

Main article: Baragon/Gallery.

Roar

In Baragon's two appearances during the Showa series, his roar was a slightly modified version of Varan's roar with a growling sound added. Baragon's early vocalizations in the Japanese trailers for Frankenstein vs. Baragon were a mixture of one of Rodan's cries and a lion's growl, however.

In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Baragon's roar was completely changed. The modified Varan roar was discarded and replaced with a new original sound. This version of the roar starts of with a growl followed by a gurgling high-pitched wail.

Baragon's roars in the Showa series
Baragon's roars in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

In Other Languages

  • Russian and Serbian: Барагон

Trivia

  • The original Baragon suit is known for its extensive reuse and constant reshaping and repurposing in some of Tsuburaya Productions' initial tokusatsu TV shows. The suit was originally supposed to be in more scenes in Destroy All Monsters, but the suit was too badly damaged, as a result of its use in Ultra Q and Ultraman. The suit was first reused for Pagos in Ultra Q episode 18, then it was used for Neronga in Ultraman episode 3, then for Magular in Ultraman episode 8, and finally for Gabora in Ultraman episode 9.
  • Baragon was originally supposed to attack Paris and destroy the Arc de Triomphe in Destroy All Monsters, but due to the aforementioned damage sustained to his suit, he was replaced in this role by Gorosaurus. Gorosaurus gains Baragon's burrowing ability for this scene, and is even erroneously referred to as "Baragon" in dialogue.
  • According to the 1993 book Everything About Godzilla Movies, the Baragon that appeared in Destroy All Monsters was raised by Rodan.
  • Multiple publicity photos from Frankenstein vs. Baragon show Baragon firing lightning from his mouth instead of a heat ray.
  • In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Baragon was portrayed by actress Rie Ota, the first-ever instance of a woman playing a kaiju in a Toho film. Although Ota played Baragon in the majority of scenes for the film, stuntman Toshinori Sasaki also assisted in the role.

Notes

  1. Many sources do not make any distinction between the first and second generation Baragon, and list them both as being 25 meters tall.

References

This is a list of references for Baragon. 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. Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 111. ISBN 4-096-82090-3. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 J.D. Lees, Marc Cerasini (24 March 1998). The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. p. 119. ISBN 0279888225 Check |isbn= value: checksum (help). Check date values in: |date= (help)
    Compendium2.png
  3. Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 1 January 2000. p. 125. ISBN 978-4091014702. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. Ultra Books: Destroy All Monsters (ウルトラブックス怪獣総進撃). Asahi Sonorama. 1968. Check date values in: |date= (help)
    Ultra Books Baragon.jpg
  5. 5.0 5.1 Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack; Page 111
  6. Godzilla famicom varagon jp.png
  7. Varagon godzilland 1984.jpg
  8. 8.0 8.1 All Toho Monsters Pictorial Book (4th Edition). Yosensha. 4 September 2016. pp. 105–107. ISBN 978-4-8003-0362-2. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. Renji Ōki (October 25, 2017). GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse. Kadokawa. pp. 112–150.

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