Griffon
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- Do not confuse with Gryphon, or the GX-813 Griffon.
Griffon (グリホン is a surgically altered lion Gurihon)kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 1969 Toho film, Latitude Zero.
Name
The Griffon's name comes from a mythological beast known as the griffin, an eagle-lion hybrid. In Latitude Zero, she is only called Kroiga, the name of the Black Shark captain whose brain was used for the monster's creation. The creature's creator, Malik, does refer to the beast as a "griffon" at one point, however. Because of this, fans have often assumed that Kroiga is in fact the official name for the monster. Further adding confusion to the matter, Toho International eventually decided on making Griffon's international name Black Moth (黒い蛾, which is the literal translation of Kroiga; the combination of kuroi Kuroiga) (黒い), meaning black, and ga (蛾), meaning moth. However, in numerous Japanese publications, such as the Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia, the monster is listed as Griffon (グリホン Gurihon)[3][4], showing that Toho still uses this name to refer to the creature in recent media. The katakana spelling of the monster's name is unique, as "griffon" or "gryphon" is usually translated into Japanese as グリフォン (Gurifon), as is the case with the ship GX-813 Griffon from Godzilla vs. Megaguirus.[5] The katakana spelling グリホン is also used for the creature in the 2017 novel GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse.
Design
The Griffon is a giant male lion with huge black condor wings grafted onto its body.
Origins
The Griffon is the result of one of Malik's twisted experiments, in which he surgically transplanted the brain of the Black Shark captain Kroiga into the body of a lion and grafted condor wings onto it. Malik then injected the beast with a growth serum, causing her to grow to gigantic size.
History
Showa Series
Latitude Zero
The Griffon was created by Malik, who surgically implanted the brain of the Black Shark's captain, Kroiga, into a lion and then grafted condor wings onto it. He also gave the Griffon some of his special growth serum, causing her to grow substantially in size in a few seconds. Malik gave the Griffon the first command of intercepting the crew of Alpha, but the creature disobeyed and stayed perched in the mountains. Later, after the Black Shark had been caught in a magnetic field, Griffon swooped in, seeking revenge on her creator. Griffon managed to knock off the aim of the submarine's laser turret, which discharged at the mountainside, thus causing an avalanche which buried the Griffon and the Black Shark.
Abilities
- Griffon is incredibly strong, due to possessing the body of a lion and being incredibly large thanks to Malik's growth serum.
- Griffon can fly at Mach 2.
- Griffon can use her claws and strong jaws in battle.
Books
GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse
A flock of Griffon attacked Egypt in June of 2021, resulting in the fall of the capital city of Cairo. Failure to eradicate the early Griffons resulted in large numbers of them.[6]
Gallery
- Main article: Griffon/Gallery.
Roar
The Griffon's roars are altered Toho King Kong and Rodan roars.
References
This is a list of references for Griffon. 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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