Ebirah

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Ebirah™ MillenniumShowa Alternate names The Sea Monster, Evirah Subtitle(s) Giant Decapod Monster (大エビ怪獣,   Ōebi Kaijū) Huge Decapod Monster (巨大エビ怪獣,   Kyodai Ebi Kaijū)EHotD Heinous New Monster (凶悪新怪獣,   Kyōaku Shin Kaijū)EHotD Horror of the Deep (深海の恐怖,   Shinkai no Kyōfu)EHotD Species Giant crustacean Height Showa: 50 meters Millennium: 50 meters Length Showa: 60 meters Millennium: 100 meters Weight Showa: 23,000 metric tons Millennium: 50,000 metric tons Pincer length Showa: 15 meters (right), 13 meters (left) Millennium: 20 meters (right), 15 meters (left) Forms Winged formKOD Controlled by XiliensGFW Allies HedorahGFW, Godzilla-kun, MinillaGZB, LittleGZB, Giant OctopusGHTBD Enemies Godzilla, Hedorah,GtHCW Meganulon,GRoE Megaguirus,GRoE Gezora,GRAT Rodan,GRAT, GR giant batsGHTBD, MinillaWfM Conceived of by Susumu Goto Designed by Shinji NishikawaGFW Modeled by Teizo Toshimitsu,EHotD Yasuei Yagi,EHotD Shinichi WakasaGFW Played by Showa: Hiroshi Sekita Millennium: Toshihiro Ogura First appearance Latest appearance Ebirah, Horror of the Deep Godziban Roar(s) Showa:  Millennium:  More roars

“	Did you see enough? If any of you try to escape, you'll only end up being caught by Ebirah!	„
	— Red Bamboo Captain Ryui threatens the Infant Islander prisoners (Ebirah, Horror of the Deep)

Ebirah (エビラ,   Ebira) is a giant crustacean kaiju who first appeared in the 1966 Toho Godzilla film Ebirah, Horror of the Deep.

Ebirah was the titular antagonist in his debut film, a huge crustacean mutated by nuclear runoff produced as a byproduct of the Red Bamboo's activities on Letchi Island. Ebirah patrolled the island's waters, destroying any watercraft that tried to enter or leave the island, except for the Red Bamboo's ships, which released a yellow liquid that repelled him. When Godzilla was awakened from his slumber in a cave on the island, Ebirah battled him twice, losing both times. In their second battle, Godzilla removed both of Ebirah's claws and forced him to retreat into the ocean depths. Ebirah made a stock footage appearance in All Monsters Attack, where he battled Godzilla on Monster Island within the dreams of Ichiro Miki. Ebirah returned 35 years later for the final entry in the Millennium series, Godzilla Final Wars, in which he was a mind-controlled pawn of the Xiliens. Ebirah was initially defeated by the Earth Defense Force's mutant soldiers at Tokai, and was deployed again to assist Hedorah against Godzilla in Tokyo Bay.

Name

Ebirah's name is derived from the Japanese word ebi (海老), referring to several types of crustacean such as lobsters, shrimp, and crayfish. The "-ra" (ラ) part of Ebirah's name is a common suffix for kaiju names. In Godzilla versus the Sea Monster, the English-dubbed version of Ebirah, Horror of the Deep originally localized in the United States, Ebirah is never referred to by name, only generically as "the monster." The Ebirah featured in Godzilla Final Wars is denoted as Ebirah (2nd Generation) (エビラ（2代目）,   Ebira Nidaime) in the book Godzilla Dictionary [New Edition].

Development

Artwork depicting Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah by "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken

Ebirah was designed by special effects production designer Yasuyuki Inoue.^{[citation needed]} According to Susumu Goto, a director at Toho during Ebirah, Horror of the Deep's production, Ebirah was not made bipedal because both Godzilla and his opponent standing on two legs "wouldn't be interesting." Ebirah was intended to appear as the villain of Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah, in which he was to battle against King Kong. However, Toho received objections to the proposed film from Rankin/Bass, who helped provide Toho with the rights to Kong and was co-producing the project and felt the story didn't follow the source material, The King Kong Show, closely enough. Toho went back to the drawing board for its second Kong film and ultimately produced the more faithful King Kong Escapes in 1967. However, rather than completely discard the King Kong vs. Ebirah story, the studio opted to write Godzilla into Kong's role, with the end result being 1966's Ebirah, Horror of the Deep.

A concept maquette of Ebirah

According to special effects director Sadamasa Arikawa, the filmmakers attempted to make Ebirah intimidating by emphasizing certain features, such as the strength of its claws and the eeriness of its mouth movements as it preys on humans. Ebirah's head was modeled by Teizo Toshimitsu and his torso by Yasuei Yagi. Ebirah's suit was composed of separate upper and lower halves, with suit actor Hiroshi Sekita wearing only the upper half for scenes of the kaiju above water. Otherwise, the two halves were joined without an actor inside and manipulated like a prop. Posters and promotional photos of Ebirah showed him battling with Godzilla on land, although in the film itself the two kaiju only battle in the sea. These promotional images also depicted Ebirah with a scorpion-inspired reversed tail, which is not present in the onscreen design. A large model of Ebirah's claw was constructed for scenes of the monster attacking the Yahlen and other watercraft.

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  A crew member holds the full Ebirah suit, with no actor inside

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  Staff members work to suspend the full Ebirah suit

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  Godzilla suspends Ebirah over his head in a publicity photo; note the Ebirah suit's reversed tail

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  Filming of a fight scene between Godzilla and Ebirah is prepared. In this sequence, Hiroshi Sekita wears only the upper half of the Ebirah suit.

Ebirah concept art for Godzilla Final Wars by Shinji Nishikawa

Ebirah was included in an early draft for Destroy All Monsters titled All Monsters Attack Directive, but was omitted from the finished film. The kaiju's next onscreen appearance would not come until 2004, when he was one of several Showa kaiju brought back for the franchise's 50th anniversary film, Godzilla Final Wars. Ebirah was redesigned by Shinji Nishikawa, and his suit was modeled by Shinichi Wakasa's company MONSTERS. The new suit was worn onscreen by prolific Kamen Rider and Super Sentai suit actor Toshihiro Ogura, who also portrayed Anguirus and Keizer Ghidorah in the film.

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  Godzilla throws Ebirah in a publicity still depicting a scene which never occurs onscreen

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  The Ebirah and Hedorah suits are prepared for the scene in which the monsters are destroyed by Godzilla

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  A group photo of all the film's monster suits, with Ebirah on the far left

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  The intact Ebirah suit from Godzilla Final Wars on display in 2019

Design

Ebirah generally resembles a giant lobster or shrimp. His body is red all throughout, and he has one pincer that is bigger than the other one. He also has two antennae and a giant pointed curved rostrum. Ebirah additionally has multiple legs and segments in his body, ending with a flat fan-tipped tail. In Ebirah, Horror of the Deep specifically, Ebirah's body is wide and his body segments are not very pronounced, his right claw is more massive than the left one, he has crustacean whiskers, lighter red eyes on stalks, and six legs. Ebirah also has large brow ridges and spikes on his back, as well as a fairly long scythe-like pointed crest on his face, and a sideways-facing mouth.

In Godzilla Final Wars, Ebirah has a large straight and serrated rostrum, one spiky claw that is much longer than the other, eight large legs, and 16-20 spikes along his length, along with two additional spikes where his shoulder are. Ebirah's black eyes are set into his head; he also has crustacean-like antennae and a crustacean-like mouth, with five brownish teeth on each end. Ebirah's underside is a very dark red, almost brown color. The body segments are clearly distinguished and separated, making it more closely resemble real-life crustaceans.

Ebirah's appearance in IDW comics generally use his film designs with some minor differences. In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, he retains his Showa design, albeit with a orange-red body, grey teeth, and yellow eyes instead of red ones. In Godzilla: Rage Across Time, Ebirah is depicted with his Godzilla Final Wars design but with a bright red coloration instead along with red irises. In Godzilla Rivals: Rodan Vs. Ebirah, Ebirah is again orange-red and uses his Showa design, with white back spikes rather than red. Godzilla: War for Humanity again uses his Godzilla Final Wars design as a starting point, although he has blue irises, red teeth, and is a much brighter orange. Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. interprets the Final Wars design especially loosely, with the monster having a purple tint, red eyes, a more monstrous and less curved right claw, a mouth with only four white teeth on each side, and a rostrum which lacks serrations.

Personality

Ebirah is an extraordinarily violent and aggressive creature, destroying any watercraft which come within his vicinity and often preying on fleeing humans by skewering them with his claw and eating them whole. Ebirah defends the waters around Letchi Island vigilantly, something the Red Bamboo exploit to prevent intruders from reaching the island. Only by using a yellow liquid processed from one of the island's fruits can the Red Bamboo safely bypass Ebirah. Ebirah's aggressiveness causes him to challenge the larger and stronger Godzilla on two occasions. This proves to be his undoing, as Godzilla defeats him in both instances and brutally maims him in their second encounter. During their battles, Ebirah exhibits extensive body language as he seemingly tries to both intimidate and mock Godzilla.

In Godzilla Final Wars, Ebirah acts only under the mind control of the Xiliens, who direct him to attack Tokai and later battle alongside Hedorah against Godzilla.

In the IDW comics, most of Ebirah's traits from his debut are present. In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Ebirah demonstrates his aggressiveness once more as he takes on Godzilla in São Paulo, lunging out of a cave to attack him. Despite clearly being outmatched by Godzilla, Ebirah continued to fight against him even after being forced onto land. However, Ebirah also demonstrates pragmatism as he retreats from the battle once Godzilla becomes occupied by Megaguirus and her swarm of Meganulon and Meganula. Ebirah is never seen captured or copied by the Trilopods later in the comic nor does he take part in the final battle, suggesting he continued to avoid fighting battles he knew he couldn't win.

In Godzilla: Rage Across Time, Ebirah gets in a fight with Gezora over some dinosaurs that they were preying on, continuing to fight with the cephalopod even after the meal was stolen by Rodan.

A less aggressive interpretation of Ebirah appears in Godzilla Rivals: Rodan Vs. Ebirah. Rodan initiates the fight between them, although Ebirah battles him viciously. After the two are subdued by Kiryu, Ebirah flees into the sea rather than attack the mecha.

Origins

In Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, Ebirah was a crustacean that was mutated to colossal size by the nuclear waste produced by the Red Bamboo's nuclear weapon operations on Letchi Island. The Red Bamboo used Ebirah's presence to their advantage, keeping him in the island's waters to prevent any ships from entering or leaving. The Red Bamboo released a yellow liquid from their own ships that repelled Ebirah, allowing them to enter or leave the island's waters at their leisure.

Ebirah's origins in Godzilla Final Wars are never discussed during his brief appearance in Godzilla Final Wars, but in an interview with Henshin!Online published a month prior to the film's release, monster modeler Shinichi Wakasa explained:

“	[The monsters in the film are] not brand-new. The only new monster is Monster X. The others all have the same elements, the same character as before.	„
	— Shinichi Wakasa

In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Ebirah is an ancient kaiju that is part of the planet's natural order, classified among the "Water Monsters" by a mural on Infant Island.

History

• Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
• All Monsters Attack (1969) [stock footage]
• Adventure! Godzilland (TV 1992-1993) [drawing]
• Godzilla Final Wars (2004)
• Godziban (web 2019-) [episodes 31, 47, and 56; special episodes 3-4 and 11]

Showa era

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

Ebirah in Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

While sailing the stolen yacht the Yahlen through the South Seas in order to find his lost brother Yata, young Ryota and his shipmates found themselves caught in a storm in which Ebirah's massive claw rose from the sea and crushed the yacht. The four men escaped and washed ashore on the seemingly-deserted Letchi Island, but as they explored they witnessed members of a terrorist organization called the Red Bamboo unloading a shipment of slaves abducted from Infant Island onto a dock. Some of the prisoners attempted to escape, and all but two were killed by a machine gunner. The Red Bamboo captain Ryui allowed the survivors to steal a boat and try to escape so that the other prisoners could witness their ultimate security measure. Ebirah rose from the sea and smashed the boat with his claw. As the two men tried to swim away, Ebirah impaled them on his claw and shoved them into his mouth before submerging once more. Ryui warned the islanders that the same fate awaited them if they tried to escape from the island. In the confusion, one of the prisoners, Dayo, managed to escape and encountered Ryota and the others. They fled from a party of Red Bamboo soldiers and hid in a cave overlooking the ocean. Inside, they discovered Godzilla hibernating. When attempts to battle the Red Bamboo themselves resulted in one of them being captured and Ryota being carried off by a balloon, the remaining three decided to awaken Godzilla to handle the Red Bamboo for them. Using a sword as a makeshift lightning rod, the group tied a copper wire to it and strung it down to Godzilla. When a storm neared the island, a bolt of lightning struck the sword and successfully awakened Godzilla.

The King of the Monsters immediately tried to leave the island, but was met by Ebirah who guarded the nearby waters. Realizing he had to go through Ebirah, Godzilla began tossing boulders at the giant crustacean. However, Ebirah was easily able to catch and toss back the projectiles with his claw, and the two kaiju engaged in a rock-throwing fight. Finally, Godzilla charged into the water to fight Ebirah hand-to-hand. While Godzilla was the stronger of the two, Ebirah was in his element and succeeded in dragging Godzilla under the surface. Godzilla fought himself free and eventually caused Ebirah to retreat by firing his atomic breath into the water, almost boiling his foe alive. Rather than pursue, Godzilla went back ashore on Letchi Island to rest on a cliff. Nita, the castaway who had been captured by the Red Bamboo, found himself imprisoned alongside the Infant Islanders. They told him that they were forced to process a yellow fruit found on the island into a liquid that repelled Ebirah. This way, the Red Bamboo were able to come and go at their leisure while anyone else venturing to or from the island was attacked by Ebirah. This gave Nita the idea to use the fruit's leaves to produce a false yellow liquid, which the other prisoners quickly put into action. The Red Bamboo's attempts to fight Godzilla backfired and led the enraged kaiju to destroy their base. The Red Bamboo's leaders activated the island's self-destruct system and absconded with the newest batch of yellow liquid as they fled the island in a ship. However, the liquid which the ship released was Nita's placebo liquid and the boat was promptly sunk by Ebirah, putting an end to the Red Bamboo.

Alerted to Ebirah's presence, Godzilla entered the sea to confront the crustacean kaiju once again. Godzilla and Ebirah exchanged blows, before Ebirah once more dragged Godzilla below the surf. Using a rock from the sea floor, Godzilla bashed Ebirah's head until his enemy released him and allowed him to resurface. The kaiju clashed once more with their heads above the water, Godzilla finally using his superior strength to bite and tear off one of Ebirah's claws. As Ebirah reeled in agony, Godzilla proceeded to rip off his other claw, forcing the maimed Ebirah to swim off in defeat.

All Monsters Attack

Ebirah appeared in the sea near Monster Island alongside the Giant Eagle in Ichiro's dream. He fought Godzilla briefly, and retreated back into the water after Godzilla defeated him.

Millennium era

Godzilla Final Wars

Ebirah in Godzilla Final Wars

Ebirah was one of the many kaiju under the control of the Xiliens when they invaded Earth in 20XX, attacking a petrochemical complex near Tokai. JSDF tanks engaged Ebirah, but the immense crustacean was unfazed by their shells and buried them under debris. The Earth Defense Force's mutant soldiers were then called to stop the monster. The mutants successfully defeated Ebirah with specialized hand-held Maser Cannons and were about to kill him before he was suddenly teleported away. The Xiliens then revealed themselves to the people of Earth and claimed that they destroyed the monsters to save humanity. However, the EDF soon discovered that the monsters were controlled by the Xiliens, who aimed to conquer the planet. The Gotengo then freed Godzilla from Antarctica so he could fight the controlled kaiju. The plan was a success and Godzilla successfully defeated most of the kaiju as he made his way to Japan. Ebirah and Hedorah were sent to destroy Godzilla in Tokyo Bay. However, Godzilla blasted them out of the water with his atomic breath and the duo crashed into a building, with Ebirah accidentally piercing Hedorah's eye with his pincer. Godzilla then emerged from the waves and fired another blast of atomic breath, destroying both Ebirah and Hedorah.

Reiwa era

Godziban

"Showdown! Beach Volleyball in the South Seas"

Ebirah played a friendly game of beach volleyball with Godzilla-kun, Minilla and Little, using a net of red bamboo built by Gezora. When the Three Godzilla Brothers won the game with a serve that knocked off one of his claws, Ebirah allowed them to keep it since it would eventually grow back.

Abilities

Claws

Ebirah crushes the Red Bamboo ship with his claw

Ebirah has two differently-sized claws, with the larger one on his right arm. This claw is used to grasp objects and bludgeon enemies. Ebirah used it to catch and throw boulders at Godzilla during their first battle. On the opposing arm, Ebirah has a smaller, thinner claw on his left, which he deployed to skewer Infant Islanders trying to escape from the Red Bamboo on Letchi Island. According to Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia, Ebirah's skills with his claws are greater than some of the best human swordsmen to live, sufficient to "put the great two-wielding swordsman Miyamoto Mushashi to shame."

In Godzilla Final Wars, Ebirah can attack with both of his claws simultaneously in a maneuver known as Crisis Scissors (クライシス・シザース,   Kuraishisu Shizāsu). His claws serve as his sole offensive weapons throughout the film. At the start of his rampage in Tokai, he uses them to bury attacking tanks by smashing nearby structures. He tried the same tactic against the mutant squad which engages him, also swinging and stabbing his claws directly at Shinichi Ozaki and Katsunori Kazama, but was only able to score an indirect hit on the pair by swiping the ground. Later in the film, he accidentally pierced through one of Hedorah's eyes with his larger right claw after Godzilla launched him out of Tokyo Bay.

In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Ebirah used his right claw to destroy fleeing ships during Megalon's fight with King Caesar. After ambushing Godzilla underwater, Ebirah immediately battered Godzilla across the face with his right claw. He pushed a grappling Godzilla off of him after they breached the surface, then grabbed at the reptilian's neck with his right claw. After making landfall in São Paulo, Ebirah used his claws to instantly cut numerous Meganulon in half after they climbed onto him.

In Godzilla: Rage Across Time, Ebirah managed to catch two dinosaurs within his left claw even while fighting Gezora.

In Godzilla Rivals: Rodan Vs. Ebirah, Ebirah used his claws to bludgeon and throw the pterosaur during the first phase of their fight. After clamping down on the membranes of Rodan's wings as they began their plummet down the space elevator, Ebirah ripped them to shreds, then landed another blow which sent Rodan into the glass walls of the elevator itself, causing him to spin against the wall. He tried choking Rodan with his larger claw twice. The first attempt succeeded in stopping Rodan from firing his Uranium Heat Beam, although the second was interrupted by an onslaught of Mothra silk fired from the elevator. When Mechagodzilla arrived to break the monsters' fall, Ebirah retained enough energy to swing at the mech, though it evaded. After landing in Tokyo, Ebirah cut his way out of the remaining Mothra silk that left him stuck to Rodan.

In Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons, Ebirah wielded his claws precisely enough to cut up several giant bats, then catch and eat one of the pirates they were attacking. After being lured to fight Godzilla, Ebirah lifted Godzilla despite being upside down on the ground, then carried him into the ocean. From there, he flipped Godzilla around with his claws. Even after losing his larger claw, Ebirah continuously battered Godzilla with the remaining one after Oodako restrained him.

In Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A., Ebirah used his claws to throw debris at Mothra during their fight, tearing a large hole through one of her wings and nicking the other while doing so. After she carried him away from Tokyo, he cut one of her antenna in half with a single swipe. Though Mothra ultimately prevailed, the fight had taken such a toll on her that she collapsed into unconsciousness moments after it concluded.

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  Ebirah catches a boulder with his claw

Amphibiousness

Being a mutated crustacean, Ebirah is a very capable swimmer and underwater combatant. He is able to fight Godzilla on even footing underwater, possessing the strength to pull him all the way down to the sea floor and catch him in a death roll. Although he is mainly an aquatic creature, Ebirah is capable of going on land, demonstrated during his rampage through Tokai and his brief appearance in Tokyo in Godzilla Final Wars. According to Godzilla Final Wars Super Complete Works, he can be "active for long periods of time on land."

In Godzilla Rivals: Rodan vs. Ebirah, Ebirah proved to be a ferocious and nimble combatant while fighting Rodan and Mechagodzilla entirely outside of water.

In Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons, Ebirah came ashore to massacre a flock of giant bats, then pursue the pirates they were attacking. He briefly fought Godzilla on land before the battle transitioned into the sea. Pirate Henry Hull, recounting the story later, described Ebirah as even deadlier in the sea than Godzilla.

In Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A., Ebirah proved to be very mobile on land, dodging multiple blasts from Mothra's antennae beam.

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  Ebirah catching Godzilla in a death roll after dragging him underwater

Durability

Godzilla Movie Studio Tour states that Ebirah's hard carapace is strong to enough to protect the crustacean from Godzilla's atomic breath. The Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works also backs this up, stating that Ebirah's hard shell repelled Godzilla's atomic breath.

In Godzilla Final Wars, Ebirah was impervious to the shells of Type 90 Tanks and the rocket launchers wielded by the squad. He initially seemed unaffected by the mutants' handheld Maser Cannons, but concentrated fire was able to blast apart a good portion of his right claw, and, when the blasts were directed at his face, cause him to fall forward in a daze. Later during his brief fight with Godzilla, Ebirah survived a blast of atomic breath, which launched him out of Tokyo Bay. A second, sustained ray killed him, however.

In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Ebirah withstood two shots of Godzilla's atomic breath, although each blast weakened him. Godzilla also bit his claws repeatedly, only drawing blood on the final bite.

Ebirah displayed high resilience in Godzilla Rivals: Rodan Vs. Ebirah, taking no visible damage from Rodan's physical blows and maintaining a steady onslaught of attacks. Even a massive explosion caused by the pterosaur firing his Uranium Heat Beam into the Mothra silk surrounding them failed to damage Ebirah, although it knocked Rodan himself unconscious, and Ebirah retained enough energy to attack Mechagodzilla when it arrived on the scene. After Mechagodzilla slowed their descent into Tokyo, tying them both up in the remaining silk, Ebirah quickly cut through the silk before diving into the sea.

In Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons, Ebirah took a headbutt to the face from Godzilla before being flipped and slammed to the ground. Even after Godzilla ripped one of his claws off, Ebirah endured blow after blow when Godzilla smacked him with it, still fighting with his remaining claw after Oodako restrained Godzilla. He was finally beaten when Godzilla ripped off the remaining claw, shoved Oodako down Ebirah's throat, and blasted them both with atomic breath.

In Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A., Ebirah quickly came back to his senses after being covered in Mothra's poison spores and airlifted by her. He also withstood being hurled at supersonic speeds directly at the ground, although the blow knocked him unconscious.

Regeneration

In Godzilla Final Wars, Ebirah's right claw is partially destroyed after a fight with the EDF's Mutants in Tokai. However when he reappears in Tokyo Bay with Hedorah, his right claw is completely intact. The Godzilla Final Wars Super Complete Works gives insight into this, stating that his right claw had "completely regenerated, indicating that he has a high capacity for cellular regeneration".

In Godziban, Ebirah states that he can regrow his claws if they are severed. After one of his claws is taken off by a stone volleyball, Ebirah allows Godzilla-kun to keep it as a trophy, showing that a new claw has already started to grow.

Freezing foam

In the 1992-3 Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga by Kodansha, Ebirah can produce a special cryogenic chemical which he releases in the foam he spits after being modified by Doctor Mad Oniyama, which takes effect after a short delay. This chemical foam - combined with the amounts of it within Ebirah's body that was released over Godzilla when he killed him - was shown to be extremely potent, and froze Godzilla in a matter of seconds, mere moments after Ebirah himself was destroyed.

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  Ebirah spits the foam at Godzilla

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  Godzilla freezes over after the cryogenic chemicals in Ebirah's foam take effect

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  Aftereffects of the Freezing Foam

Wings

Ebirah uses his wings to strike Godzilla at great speed with his main claw, knocking him off his feet

In the 1992-3 Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga, Doctor Mad Oniyama modified Ebirah to possess a set of insect-like wings, reasoning that it would benefit Ebirah due to crustaceans and insects being related to one another. Ebirah was able to use these wings to great effect in combination with his other abilities, including using his new agility to dodge Godzilla's atomic breath and perform impressive aerial strikes and jabs using his claws, with one such strike being strong enough to knock Godzilla off his feet and send him flying.

Projectile

In the Godzilla, King of the Monsters Game Boy game, Ebirah is able to fire a projectile from his claw.

Weaknesses

Godzilla bites down on Ebirah's claw and prepares to tear it off

In Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, Ebirah possessed an aversion to a yellow fruit that grew on Letchi Island. The Red Bamboo used this weakness to prevent Ebirah from attacking their boats, which shot out jets of liquid made from the fruit to ward him off. While able to hold his own against Godzilla beneath the waves, Ebirah was outmatched when fighting with the majority of his body above the surface. Godzilla was able to bite off both of Ebirah's claws and render him helpless. In both of his film appearances, Ebirah has shown a susceptibility to Godzilla's atomic breath. In Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, Godzilla defeated Ebirah and forced him to retreat from their first encounter by superheating the water around Ebirah with his atomic breath, almost boiling him alive. In Godzilla Final Wars, Ebirah is blasted out of Tokyo Bay by Godzilla's atomic breath and subsequently dispatched by a second blast. Ebirah is also vulnerable to the handheld weapons used by the M Organization of the Earth Defense Force earlier in the same film, which prove sufficient to destroy one of his claws and bring him down before the Xiliens teleport him away.

In the 1992-1993 Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga, the plating on Ebirah's underbelly appeared to be weaker than the rest of his exoskeleton, as Godzilla was able to impale him with a palm tree through one of his thoracic segments, though the wound appeared to heal over fairly quickly, as it was absent by the time Ebirah jumped into the air to grab hold of Godzilla's head and neck. His wings were also quite delicate, as Godzilla was able to rip them off with little difficulty.

In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, a swarm of Meganulon prove able to pierce Ebirah's exoskeleton and draw blood. Megaguirus was also able to penetrate the underside of his shell using her stinger.

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  Ebirah retreats after Godzilla tears off both of his claws

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  Ebirah is almost boiled alive by Godzilla's atomic breath

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  Godzilla impales Ebirah with a palm tree

Video games

• Monster's Fair (1986) - Microsoft MSX
• Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1993) - Nintendo Game Boy
• Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!! (1995) - Sega Pico
• Godzilla Movie Studio Tour (1996) - PC and Mac
• Godzilla Generations (1998) - Sega Dreamcast
• Godzilla: Trading Battle (1998) - Sony PlayStation
• Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly (1998) - Sega Dreamcast VMU
• Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004) - Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox
• Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (2007) - Nintendo DS
• Monster Strike (2013) - Android and iOS
• Godzilla (2014) - Sony PlayStation 3 and 4 [Kaiju Guide]
• Godzilla Kaiju Collection (2015) - Android and iOS
• Godzilla Defense Force (2019) - Android and iOS
• Godzilla (2021) - pinball
• Godzilla Voxel Wars (2023) - Steam
• DAVE THE DIVER (2023; to be added in 2024) - Nintendo Switch, macOS, Microsoft Windows, SteamOS, Mac OS

Godzilla: Save the Earth

Ebirah in Godzilla: Save the Earth

Ebirah makes its only appearance in the Atari-Pipeworks games in Godzilla: Save the Earth in the final on-rail shooter-style level when playing as Godzilla 2000. Ebirah appears before facing the Vortaak's Hammer Sub and must be defeated to continue.

Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)

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

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  Ebirah's card in Godzilla: Trading Battle

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  Ebirah's sprite in Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly

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  Ebirah 1966 in Godzilla Kaiju Collection

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  Ebirah 2004 in Godzilla Kaiju Collection

Books

GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse

Multiple individual Ebirahs appeared, but the third individual denoted "Ebirah III" was killed by the USS Saratoga in 2015.

Comics

• Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1992-1993)
• Godzilla: The Half-Century War #3 (2012)
• Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #9, 13, 17-18 (2014)
• Godzilla: Cataclysm #2 (2014)
• Godzilla: Rage Across Time #5 (2016)
• Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #3 (2022)
• Godzilla Rivals: Rodan Vs. Ebirah (2023)
• Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #3-5 (2023)
• Godzilla: War for Humanity #1 (2023)
• Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. (2024)

Godzilla, King of the Monsters

Ebirah in Godzilla, King of the Monsters

After the defeat of his pawn King Ghidorah III, Ebirah was the next monster in Dr. Mad Oniyama's lineup to be pitted against Godzilla. This time, Oniyama decided to work on modifying Ebirah, grafting giant insect wings to it due to his belief that insects and crustaceans are physically similar.

Ebirah, initially concealing his wings, first appeared at a South Pacific beach resort where he menaced the tourists there, taking advantage of Godzilla's absence, as he had been resting in the ocean following his battle with King Ghidorah III. After Hideo and Yosuke Kaneko went with Linda Miller to search for Godzilla, Ebirah threatened them before Godzilla awoke and fought back, only for the crustacean to suddenly reveal his new wings when Godzilla tried to throw him out of the water. Ebirah used his new wings to great effect, flying around and stabbing at Godzilla. Ebirah was, however, impaled with a palm tree, then had his wings torn off by the King of the Monsters. However, Ebirah continued to fight on, shooting a jet of foam straight into Godzilla's face and grabbing hold of his neck and head with his legs. With Ebirah now in a vulnerable position, Godzilla fired his Atomic Breath at point blank range, blowing Ebirah to pieces.

Despite being killed by the King of The Monsters, Godzilla suddenly froze over; Oniyama had modified Ebirah to produce a cryogenic chemical in his foam that activated moments after the giant crustacean's demise. Ebirah had also succeeded in carrying out a secondary objective: implanting a Mind-Control Device on Godzilla's right ear. Oniyama would later activate the device after Godzilla was seized by the JSDF and transported to a facility to be executed through suffocation with a gaseous compound.

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  Ebirah deploying his new wings in Godzilla, King of the Monsters

Godzilla: The Half-Century War

Ebirah battles Godzilla and Hedorah in Godzilla: The Half-Century War

In the wake of Anguirus' appearance in 1967, more monsters began to appear all across the globe, including Ebirah. In response, the A.M.F. assembled more teams of kaiju experts, with one such team being dedicated to researching and finding new ways to combat Ebirah.

In 1975, Ebirah was among the many kaiju drawn to Ghana by a Psionic Transmitter created and activated by Dr. Deverich. During the chaos, Ebirah fought against Godzilla and Hedorah, and later chased the van containing A.M.F. members driving through the city. After Deverich activated a master control switch on the Psionic Transmitter that summoned all the monsters to the power station it was contained within, Ebirah and the other kaiju immediately converged upon the Transmitter's location. Once the building was destroyed, the monsters departed.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth

Ebirah in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth

During the ancient battle between King Caesar and Megalon, more kaiju began to rise in efforts to correct the disruption of the cosmic balance such as Ebirah and Varan, who attacked the surviving humans who were attempting to escape to the ocean. Once the great battle came to an end, Ebirah and the other kaiju fell dormant once more. He was classified as a "water" monster in a cave mural on Infant Island.

In the modern day, just as Godzilla was recovering underwater from his battle with the Cryogs' Mechagodzillas and Mecha-King Ghidorah, Ebirah abruptly attacked the King of the Monsters, slashing his face before bringing the battle to the surface. Ebirah wrapped a claw around Godzilla's throat, but Godzilla was able to shake him off by striking the crustacean with his atomic breath before biting one of his claws. As the duo brought their battle closer to the shores of São Paulo, Brazil, Godzilla soon lifted Ebirah and threw him onto land, smashing his back into the ground. Ebirah attempted to retaliate by grabbing Godzilla's throat again, but was suddenly swarmed by newly-hatched Meganulon, who broke through Ebirah's shell and drew blood. In response, Ebirah snapped his claw shut on some of the Meganulon, cutting them in half, but Godzilla promptly continued his assault by blasting Ebirah with his atomic ray again. While Godzilla was biting Ebirah's claws, Megaguirus soon arrived, causing Godzilla to toss Ebirah aside. Megaguirus then stung Ebirah's underbelly, causing him to shriek out in pain. After relentless assaults from multiple monsters, Ebirah finally retreated back into the ocean as soon as he had the opportunity. Ebirah was not seen again afterwards, and none of the Trilopods possessed his characteristics, suggesting he was one of very few kaiju on Earth to have evaded their detection.

Godzilla: Cataclysm

Ebirah in Godzilla: Cataclysm

In the desolate future where the kaiju who eradicated civilization were revered as "gods", Arata's grandfather stated that members of his village prayed to Ebirah to bring them plentiful fishing trips.

Godzilla: Rage Across Time

Ebirah battles Gezora in Godzilla: Rage Across Time

During the Cretaceous Period, Ebirah fought Gezora over a pair of dinosaurs. Rodan ultimately claimed the meal instead, promptly knocking both kaiju over as he flew by.

Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

After Rita Repulsa voiced her intent to find a spell that would allow her to subjugate the minds of Earth’s monsters, Ebirah was among the kaiju that the evil sorceress imagined falling under her command and aiding her own monsters in laying waste to her home reality.

Godzilla Rivals: Rodan Vs. Ebirah

Ebirah in Godzilla Rivals: Rodan Vs. Ebirah

In the near-future, several kaiju had been captured and contained within Sector X of the ParaSOL scientific research facility orbiting high above the Earth, including Ebirah, Rodan, and Biollante tendrils. Scientists were studying Ebirah for insights into increasing human longevity and developing armor. Shortly after cryptobotanist Dr. Carole Kincaid had warned against keeping the kaiju in such close proximity to one another, Rodan abruptly awoke and burst out of his containment tank, which quickly led to Ebirah escaping his own tank. As the scientists ran for their lives, the two kaiju began to battle. Rodan used his wings to send Ebirah crashing through various sectors of the space station, causing catastrophic damage. As the fight continued throughout the facility, the two kaiju soon ended up at the entrance to the space elevator connecting the facility to Japan. After Ebirah grabbed onto Rodan's wings, the two crashed through the elevator's massive doors and began the long plummet to the surface. Rodan initially used his wings to slow their descent, but Ebirah, still holding onto Rodan, used his claws to tear straight through his wings, causing Rodan to shriek out in pain. Before Rodan could retaliate, he was promptly struck in the face by one of Ebirah's claws. Enraged, Rodan attempted to unleash his Uranium Heat Beam on the crustacean, but Ebirah managed to halt the attack by closing a claw around Rodan's throat and smashing him against the walls of the elevator shaft. Just as Rodan began to pry Ebirah's claw apart to fire his beam, the scientists engaged the "Cocoon Protocol" - cannons loaded with Mothra silk meant to catch runaway elevators. After the webbing successfully ensnared both kaiju within a massive cocoon, the scientists sent Biollante's tendrils to retrieve them.

Upon Biollante's arrival, Rodan finally unleashed his Uranium Heat Beam, which incinerated most of the cocoon and freed the two monsters but knocked Rodan unconscious in the process. With Rodan and Ebirah posing a grave threat to Japan if they were to strike the surface at their falling speed, Dr. Fatima Ogbannaya contacted the surface and requested the deployment of Mechagodzilla. After reaching the kaiju in the elevator shaft, Mechagodzilla dodged a claw that Ebirah had lashed out with, grabbed onto some of the residual silk that hadn't been burned, and used it to tie Ebirah and the unconscious Rodan together. With both kaiju temporarily incapacitated, Mechagodzilla hoisted them onto his back and used his thrusters to slow their descent. Though the mech hit the ground with a great deal of force, he was able to land safety on the surface with both monsters, thus ending the threat of Japan's annihilation. As Mechagodzilla departed, Ebirah used his claws to slash through the webbing and fled the scene, leaving Rodan's unconscious body behind as he dived into Tokyo Bay.

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  Ebirah escaping his containment tank

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons

Pirates attack Ebirah in Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons

Ebirah was among the various kaiju known to the Sons of Giants, a secret society that sought to conceal the existence of the monsters from the rest of the globe during the 16th century.

During Sir Francis Drake's expedition to Monster Island in search of a lost treasure, Drake and his crew found themselves under attack from a swarm of giant bats, only to be inadvertently saved by Ebirah, who promptly killed many of the bats with his claws upon arrival. Just as the pirates celebrated their savior, Ebirah began picking them off and devouring them instead, at which point the surviving crewmen fled with their lives. Later, Drake discovered that the treasure they sought was located in the cave that Godzilla resided in, prompting him to craft a plan to acquire it by orchestrating a fight between Godzilla and Ebirah to give his crew the cover they needed to explore the cave. After finding that Ebirah often frequented an abandoned settlement on the island, Drake and his crew ambushed Ebirah and lobbed dynamite at him, inciting the crustaceous kaiju's wrath and prompting him to give chase. The pirates led Ebirah directly to the entrance of Godzilla's cave, whereupon Godzilla emerged to challenge his rival. Godzilla landed the first strikes, but Ebirah picked Godzilla up and brought him to the ocean nearby in efforts to give himself an advantage in his natural habitat. Though Ebirah avoided Godzilla's atomic breath, Godzilla managed to rip one of his claws off and used it to beat Ebirah, momentarily incapacitating him. Before Godzilla could land a killing blow, however, he was ambushed by Oodako, who dragged Godzilla back underwater while a recovered Ebirah rejoined the fight against the King of the Monsters. Godzilla resurfaced, only to be restrained by Oodako while Ebirah landed repeated blows with his intact claw. Soon, Godzilla managed to catch Ebirah's remaining claw in his mouth, rip it off, and use it to beat Oodako back. Now free, Godzilla pried Ebirah's mouth open, stuffed Oodako down his throat, and finished them both off with a blast of his atomic breath.

Godzilla: War for Humanity

Ebirah attacks Minilla in Godzilla: War for Humanity

On Monster Island, Minilla was playfully chasing a giant crab on a beach when Ebirah suddenly burst out of the water before the little monster. Ebirah was quick to grab Minilla by his tail and reared back to strike him with his free claw. However, Godzilla appeared behind him, bit into Ebirah's left claw, and brutally tore it off, forcing him to drop Minilla and retreat.

Gallery

Main article: Ebirah/Gallery.

Sightings

• Ebirah inspired two monsters who appeared in the Nintendo anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Ebifryer and Ebizou. Both are giant shrimp monsters who have abilities far stronger than the rest of the cast.

Roar

Ebirah's shriek was edited and reused for Kamacuras in Son of Godzilla. It was also later used for the Giant Spider in the English-dubbed version of the film Magic Serpent, and many kaiju from the Ultra Series, such as Eleking and Vakishim. Ebirah's screech was later modified, sped-up, and used for Gigan, with this roar itself later being modified for SpaceGodzilla. Shockirus from The Return of Godzilla also emits a modified Ebirah screech in combination with altered Kumonga roars.

Ebirah's roars in Ebirah, Horror of the Deep Ebirah's roars in Godzilla Final Wars

In other languages

Language Name Meaning Mandarin Chinese 伊比拉 Yībǐlā Transcription of Japanese name Hebrew אבירא Transliteration of English name Russian Эбира Transliteration of Japanese name

Trivia

• Ebirah was Toho's first crustacean kaiju. Others that followed included Ganimes and Destoroyah.
• Several publicity photos for Ebirah, Horror of the Deep depict Godzilla lifting and throwing Ebirah over his head, though this never happens in the film. A publicity photo for Godzilla Final Wars also depicts the same scene. This is referenced in the comic Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, in which Godzilla tosses Ebirah over his head as the two monsters come ashore in São Paulo, and was also recreated for the video thumbnail of Ebirah's first appearance in Godziban.
• In Godzilla Final Wars, Ebirah is nearly killed by Ozaki and the other mutants' Maser Rifles, making Ebirah one of the few monsters in the Godzilla series to be defeated by humanity without the use of vehicles, superweapons, or other monsters.
• Mothra also features in Ebirah's two major films, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep and Godzilla Final Wars, yet never interacts with him. Outside of video games, they would not meet until the comic Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A., almost 58 years later.
• Eternatus's cry in the Pokémon anime combines Gamera and Ebirah's roars.

References

This is a list of references for Ebirah. 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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