Gorosaurus
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Gorosaurus (ゴロザウルス is a dinosaur Gorozaurusu)kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 1967 Toho film, King Kong Escapes, and later debuted in the Godzilla series in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters.
In King Kong Escapes, Gorosaurus was a huge dinosaur living on Mondo Island, and attempted to eat Susan Watson after she and a United Nations ship crew came ashore on the island. Gorosaurus was attacked by King Kong, who had taken an interest in Watson, and was defeated after Kong broke his jaw. A second incarnation of Gorosaurus appeared in Destroy All Monsters, where he lived on Monsterland along with the rest of Earth's monsters at the end of the 20th century. The Kilaaks invaded the island and took control of its monsters, unleashing Gorosaurus in Paris. When the invaders' hold on the monsters was finally severed, Gorosaurus joined forces with Godzilla and the other Earth monsters against King Ghidorah, helping to turn the tide of battle by delivering a crippling kick to King Ghidorah's back. Gorosaurus was also featured in the television series Go! Godman as an enemy of the hero Godman.
Name
The origin of Gorosaurus' name is not entirely known, though the "-saurus" part of his name, a common component of the names of dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles, comes from the Greek word sauros, meaning "lizard." Gorosaurus goes unnamed in King Kong Escapes, and his name is only spoken onscreen in his second appearance in Destroy All Monsters. The Gorosaurus from Destroy All Monsters is sometimes designated in official books as Second Generation Gorosaurus (二代目ゴロザウルス. Nidaime Gorozaurusu)[7][8]
Design
Gorosaurus has a row of triangular plates running down his back, as well as a bipedal stance, strong legs, fairly short arms, and a big head. Like Anguirus, Gorosaurus also sports a spike on the tip of his tail. Gorosaurus' skin is covered in thick, scaly bumps. In King Kong Escapes, Gorosaurus' skin is mostly blue in color, while his chin is red that fades into a lighter desaturated yellow in the underside of his tail and belly. In Destroy All Monsters, Gorosaurus' coloration is more muted. His skin now appears more gray, with the red coloration on his chin being much less visible. His underside remains a light tan color, which may appear yellow in some instances.
By Go! Godman, Gorosaurus' suit was is very poor shape, with its inner support seemingly deteriorated making its torso appear to be caving in, and its jaw hanging at a slight angle.
Origins
Gorosaurus is a descendant of the dinosaur genus Allosaurus, which lived during the late Jurassic period approximately 155 to 150 million years ago. The Gorosaurus in King Kong Escapes was living on Mondo Island in the modern day, while the incarnation from Destroy All Monsters was one of the various monsters contained on Monsterland at the end of the 20th century.
The Gorosaurus in Go! Godman has similar origins to the one from King Kong Escapes, being a prehistoric dinosaur who originates from Mondo Island.[9]
History
Showa Series
King Kong Escapes
When Carl Nelson and his fellow crew members Jiro Nomura and Susan Watson disembarked from their ship on Mondo Island, Susan drew the attention of Gorosaurus, who attempted to eat her. Susan's screams caught the attention of King Kong, who emerged from his cave to rescue her. Kong grappled with Gorosaurus, who used his kangaroo kick to knock Kong to the ground. Kong managed to gain the upper hand and pummel Gorosaurus into submission, saving Susan from the beast. However, just as Kong tried to walk away, Gorosaurus regained consciousness and clamped his jaws on Kong's leg. Kong was able to pry Gorosaurus' jaws apart, then defeated him by breaking his jaws.
Destroy All Monsters
At the end of the 20th century, Gorosaurus was living on Monsterland with the other Earth monsters. After the monsters were taken over by the Kilaaks, Gorosaurus was sent to attack Paris, burrowing underneath and destroying the Arc de Triomphe. He was later called back to Mount Fuji to guard the Kilaaks' base of operations. After he was released from his mind control, he helped Godzilla and the other Earth monsters battle King Ghidorah. Gorosaurus landed a devastating kangaroo kick on King Ghidorah's back, damaging his spine and knocking him to the ground. This turned the tide of battle and allowed Godzilla, Anguirus and Minilla to finish the space monster once and for all. After the destruction of Kilaaks, Gorosaurus and the other Earth monsters were returned to Monsterland to live out their days peacefully.
Go! Godman
Gorosaurus also appears in the series Go! Godman, as a one-time enemy of the eponymous Godman. Gorosaurus appears in a small town and begins to wander around, stepping on trees. Godman is summoned to battle the monster and the two spar, with Gorosaurus ultimately being finished off by a bombardment of Godman's God-Circles and Supersonic Wave attack.
Godzilla Island
Abilities
Kangaroo Kick
Aside from the usual tooth and claw, Gorosaurus has been noted for using a Kangaroo Kick (カンガルー・キック Kangarū Kikku)[10] against foes like King Kong and King Ghidorah. This is arguably Gorosaurus' most well-known trait.
Burrowing
In Destroy All Monsters, Gorosaurus was able to burrow underground, and used this ability to burrow up from underneath and destroy the Arc de Triomphe.
Physical Capabilities
Gorosaurus demonstrates a fair deal of physical strength, holding his own in battle with both King Kong and King Ghidorah. He is shown biting down on both of these foes.
High Jump
Gorosaurus is able to use his tail to jump up to 30 meters.[6]
Filmography
- King Kong Escapes (1967)
- Destroy All Monsters (1968)
- All Monsters Attack (1969) [stock footage]
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) [stock footage]
- Go! Godman (TV 1972) [episode 6]
- Godzilla Island (TV 1997)
Video Games
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters
- Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!!
- Godzilla Movie Studio Tour
- Godzilla: Trading Battle
- Godzilla Generations
- Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4) [Kaiju Guide]
Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)
- Main article: Godzilla (2014 video game)/Kaiju Guide#Gorosaurus.
Gallery
- Main article: Gorosaurus/Gallery.
Books
GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse
Gorosaurus appeared in Paris after the city was destroyed by Godzilla. He was killed in December 2039 by the combined efforts of G-Force and the Bilusaludo.[11]
Comics
- Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #1, 9, 21-22, 25 (2013-2015)
- Godzilla: Rage Across Time #5 (2016)
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
Gorosaurus was seen in a flash back that the Mothra Fairies told Lucy in an attempt to explain the origins of all monsters. Gorosaurus was seen devouring two full grown dinosaurs, a Tyrannosaurus and a Spinosaurus, which were about to fight over a downed Triceratops.
Before he could eat his meal, Megaguirus attacked him, but the Allosaurus-like monster kicked the dragonfly beast and knocked her out of the sky. Gorosaurus was later seen frozen next to Anguirus. He is also present in the 'Land' monsters section of a cave mural.
Later, Gorosaurus battles a horde of Trilopods who invade his home, and manages to hold them off. However, he is beaten down, and a Beta Trilopod gains some of his blood, taking on some of the dinosaur's characteristics. Gorosaurus is then subdued, and taken to the Trilopod Hive, where he remains until King Caesar arrives and breaks him and the other monsters out. Gorosaurus assists in the fight with Magita, and then travels to the ocean with Godzilla and the others after Magita is defeated.
Roar
In King Kong Escapes, much like Baragon, Gorosaurus' roar is also another modified Varan roar, but was sped up and altered in pitch. Gorosaurus' roar also utilizes parts of Rodan's screech.
In Gorosaurus' protagonistic role in Destroy All Monsters, his roar was slowed down and deepened. Gorosaurus was also given one of Godzilla's roars, during the fight with King Ghidorah. In this film, Gorosaurus also had some other monsters' roars blended into his roar, like Ebirah's screech which can be heard at the beginning of his roar. Gorosaurus also used Varan's unedited roar during the scene where he destroys the Arc de Triomphe.
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In Other Languages
- Spanish: Gorosaurio
- Russian: Горозавр
- Chinese: 哥罗龙 (Gē luō lóng)
Trivia
- In a screenplay for Destroy All Monsters, it was the walrus-like kaiju Maguma from Gorath who attacked Paris and destroyed the Arc de Triomphe rather than Gorosaurus.[10] Maguma was eventually replaced by Baragon in the role, but the filmmakers had difficulty using the restored Baragon suit in the scene due to problems with the suit's ears.[12][13] The role was ultimately given to Gorosaurus, who gained Baragon's ability to burrow and was even referred to as "Baragon" in dialogue.
- According to Nobuyuki Yasumaru, the creator of Gorosaurus, Gorosaurus was one of Eiji Tsuburaya's favorite monsters.[citation needed]
- Gorosaurus was the first monster Nobuyuki created. He later went on to create suits for Ultraman and Ultra Q.
- Originally in the production of King Kong Escapes, suit maker Ryosaku Takayama was assigned to design Gorosaurus, but Nobuyuki Yasumaru felt his concept of the monster was "too pure" and wouldn't fit Toho's special effects. Nobuyuki decided to create the Gorosaurus suit in his own concept.[citation needed]
- The original Gorosaurus, according to most sources, stands at 35 meters tall, and is only slightly taller than King Kong, who stands at 20 meters tall, in King Kong Escapes. Interestingly, in Destroy All Monsters, Gorosaurus appears to be about the same height as Godzilla, who is 50 meters tall. Despite this, the Destroy All Monsters Gorosaurus is always listed as being 35 meters tall.
- Some sources however, give the 1967 Gorosaurus a different height of 20 meters,[1] making him the same height as King Kong and Mechani-Kong. The vast majority of sources make no distinction between the 1967 and 1968 Gorosaurus though, and list them both as being 35 meters.
- Gorosaurus' role in King Kong Escapes is similar to the meat-eater that fought King Kong in the 1933 film. Like the meat-eater, Gorosaurus menaces Kong's human love interest before he is defeated by Kong when the giant ape breaks his jaws.
- Gorosaurus appeared in the poster for All Monsters Attack, but he doesn't appear in the actual film, aside from a brief stock footage appearance.
- The Pachimon character Doilar is taken directly from Gorosaurus' design, but altered with two head horns and a toothless mouth.
- In the Super Sentai series Zyuranger, the Guardian Tyrannosaurus often performs a Gorosaurus-like kangaroo kick.
Notes
- ↑ The majority of sources state that both the King Kong Escapes and the Destroy All Monsters incarnations of Gorosaurus are 35 meters tall. However, some such as Encyclopedia of Godzilla (Mechagodzilla Edition) claim that the King Kong Escapes incarnation is 20 meters tall instead.
References
This is a list of references for Gorosaurus. 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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