Kaiju Profile: Gigan
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Megaguirus, Meganulon & Meganula
The Gigan kaiju profile is the 15th episode of Wikizilla's Kaiju Profiles video series. It was uploaded on July 12, 2017.
A ～Redux～ version of the Kaiju Profile premiered on December 25, 2020; the 63rd overall episode.
Video
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Transcript
Hey kaiju fans, I'm Goldn, presenting a revamped look at the cyborg monster that hijacked the Return of King Ghidorah … Gigan!
[Controller of Planet X: GIGAN… RISE!]
One of the only recurring villains in the Showa series, Gigan has remained a fan favorite since his introduction in 1972 thanks to his unusual design and his brutal, sadistic, and occasionally goofy personality. The first monster to make Godzilla bleed, he perennially acts under villainous orders: from the M Space Hunter Nebula aliens in "Godzilla vs. Gigan" and "Godzilla vs. Megalon," the Garogas in "Zone Fighter," and the Xiliens in "Godzilla: Final Wars." Although his origins are murky in most of his outings, reference materials occasionally describe him as a cyborg "space dinosaur." The kaiju's popularity has led to a huge number of appearances in non-film media, some of which depict him in a more heroic light.
Design
Special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano wanted Gigan to be a "richly colored dinosaur" and drew inspiration from the designs of the multilayered jūnihitoe kimonos worn by Japanese court ladies. Weekly Shonen Magazine illustrator Takayoshi Mizuki designed the monster, basing his form on migratory birds such as geese, and adopting the sharpness of an eagle from his neck up. The beast's scythe-like appendages may have been inspired by Alien Baltan from the Ultra series, as Mizuki frequently drew Ultraman artwork for magazines. The monster's signature visor eye was inspired by a pair of sunglasses worn by actor Yujiro Ishihara in 1959's "The Echo of Love," which Mizuki had seen as a student. Gigan's name is a portmanteau of a nickname for Ishihara, "nice guy," and the Japanese word for goose - gan. "Guy goose." "Guy gan." Gigan.
Kaoru Mabuchi titled his treatment for the twelfth entry in the Godzilla series "Godzilla vs. the Space Monsters: Earth Defense Directive." Gigan, accompanied by fellow space monsters Megalon and King Ghidorah, would have been under the control of an evil alien brain called Miko, causing disasters as part of a scheme to seize control of the planet. Godzilla, Anguirus, and the ancient Incan idol Majin Tuol opposed them. This treatment would be followed by two more by Shinichi Sekizawa—"The Return of King Ghidorah!" and "Godzilla vs. Gigan: The Return of King Ghidorah"—which shuffled the monster cast and laid the groundwork for the final film. As a side note, the movie was produced under the title of "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah: Earth Defense Directive," as seen in cast and crew photos taken at the end of filming. Its title was not changed to "Godzilla vs. Gigan" until post-production.
Gigan's suit was modeled by Nobuyuki Yasumaru, who took over as Toho's chief modeler in 1971. The suit's eye was made of acrylic resin, while the beak, horns, and scythes were made using fiber-reinforced plastic, or FRP. Initially, the FRP components were cast solid, and needed to be hollowed out after suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma complained he had difficulty moving. The suit's neck would also be shortened and the fins sharpened, but only after the port attack scene was filmed. While Gigan was envisioned possessing yellow feathers, these were replaced by golden scales cast from a mold of King Ghidorah's scales during the modeling process. Gigan's buzzsaw could be replaced with a rigged piece, consisting of a wooden strip with blade pieces attached. This could be fed through a remote-controlled motor mechanism which moved it up and down along a cam, mimicking the appearance of a rotary saw at high speed. A 3-shaku, or ~90 centimeter-long scale model of the monster in flight was created out of styrene, equipped with a mechanism to spray Freon gas from either side of its wings, while a smaller 1-shaku model (~30cm) was used for long shots. A giant model of Gigan's claw was also used to depict him swatting at fighter jets.
A new, barrel-chested Gigan suit appeared in 1973's "Godzilla vs. Megalon" and "Zone Fighter." While Satsuma recalled that the '72 suit was simply modified between movies, the second suit can be spotted under construction next to the first in some production photos. Shinichi Sekizawa and Jun Fukuda then wrote him into an early version of "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla," but he was ultimately dropped. Hiroyasu Yamaura's rejected story "S.O.S. Tokyo! Godzilla's Suicide Strategy," written at some point between 1973 and 1978, also called for him to team up with an alien robot named Chamelegon.
A Gigan suit was made for attraction purposes sometime during the early Heisei period. Heisei G-series suit actor 'Hurricane' Ryu Hariken borrowed the suit and shot photos of it in 1993. This suit or a similar one appeared in an Ultraman stage show at Hero Festival '96.
Gigan was given a radical redesign by Yasushi Nirasawa for "Godzilla: Final Wars" in 2004. Nirasawa intentionally shied away from the original design, giving him dark blue metallic skin and adding concealed weapons to his body. Nirasawa also prepared concept art for Gigan's Modified form, an idea of director Ryuhei Kitamura's. The monster was portrayed by Kazuhiro Yoshida, who doubled as the actor for Hedorah in the movie. Modeling company Star Train produced at least three new suits and a flying prop, supervised by Godzilla series veteran Shinichi Wakasa. All of the suits were modular and could split apart into individual pieces, allowing for an easy transformation into Modified Gigan. Motors installed in the arm pieces drove his chainsaw blades, while lights in the visor allowed it to glow. A separate neck stump piece was created for his decapitations. In addition to all the practical effects, several shots of Modified Gigan were computer-generated. One of the suits later turned up alongside Anguirus and King Ghidorah in original footage shot by Koichi Kawakita for the 2006 Pachinko game "CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle."
History
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972): Operating from their base within the Godzilla Tower at the World Children's Land construction site, the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens used their action tapes to bring Gigan and King Ghidorah to Earth. After circling the Tower, both space monsters descended on Tokyo and laid waste to the city before Godzilla and Anguirus confronted them. The monsters were evenly matched until Gigan and Ghidorah forced Godzilla within range of the Godzilla Tower, which devastated him with its laser beam. Anguirus tried to rescue his friend, only for Gigan to slice his face open with his buzzsaw. Gigan grabbed the weakened Godzilla and proceeded to stab him repeatedly in the head until blood began to gush from the wound. Just as it appeared the space monsters would be victorious, a band of hippies managed to destroy the Godzilla Tower from within, incinerating the aliens and their action tapes. The evil alien kaiju continued their offensive, but could no longer coordinate effectively. Godzilla and Anguirus exploited this opportunity and regrouped, successfully turning the tide against their foes. Both space monsters beat a hasty retreat back from whence they came.
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973): After the Seatopians lost control of Jet Jaguar and learned he had traveled to Monster Island to recruit Godzilla's help against their monster god Megalon, they contacted the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens and asked for Gigan's assistance. The Nebulans obliged and sent Gigan to Earth once again, where he immediately broke a stalemate between Jet Jaguar and Megalon. Just as their victory seemed certain, Godzilla finally arrived to back up the robot, but soon found himself and Jet Jaguar trapped within a ring of fire created by Megalon's napalm bombs. As Gigan and Megalon mocked the heroes, Jet Jaguar took flight and lifted Godzilla out of the trap, to the two enemy monsters' great dismay. The battle raged on, with Godzilla and Jet Jaguar's combined might proving too much for Gigan, who quickly retreated and left his ally at their mercy.
Zone Fighter (1973): Gigan found himself under the control of the Garoga aliens, who outfitted his claws with explosive charges. Following a Garoga scheme to trap Zone Fighter inside of a junked car, Godzilla appeared to drive off the aliens, but was met by a Terror-Beast Missile containing Gigan. With an assist from Zone Great's Bolt Thunder, Godzilla saved Fighter and left Gigan for dead. Undaunted, the space monster miraculously revived himself. Free from his automotive imprisonment, Zone Fighter grew to giant size to engage the persistent cyborg in a final duel. Gigan detonated one of the charges on his upgraded claws against the hero's head, but Fighter was not fazed for long. He quickly rolled away and destroyed Gigan's remaining explosive with his Proton Beam. After a flurry of blows, Fighter unleashed his Meteor Missile Might attack. Gigan's visor dimmed and his mouth flooded with foam before he exploded.
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004): In the year 20XX, the Earth Defense Force discovered Gigan's mummified body in the waters off Hokkaido. The monster shared much of its genome with the mutant humans who made up the EDF's elite M Organization. As explained by the Shobijin, Gigan hailed from outer space and attacked Earth in the ancient past, only to be defeated by Mothra. Before long, the newly-self-appointed Controller of Planet X reactivated Gigan and unleashed him along with the rest of the Xiliens' monster legion to bring humanity to its knees. With most of the EDF's forces destroyed, a ragtag group of survivors used the Gotengo to free Godzilla from his frozen imprisonment in Antarctica. Gigan's chest saw grounded the Gotengo, but he couldn't stop its missiles from reaching their target. He confronted the newly-awakened Godzilla, restraining him with grappling hooks and dragging him toward his buzzsaw. The Big G retaliated with his atomic breath, obliterating the cyborg's head. The Xiliens soon recovered and resurrected him as the more powerful Modified Gigan, then sent him to intercept Mothra before she could aid Goji against their ultimate weapon, Monster X. Gigan quickly defeated Mothra before joining Monster X in battling Godzilla. Though they seemed to have the advantage, the Monster King dodged one of Gigan's chainsaw swipes, which accidentally hit Monster X. Mothra rejoined the battle and toppled both villains before reengaging Gigan. He launched two Bladed Slicers at her, which she nimbly evaded. He then fired his Gigarium Cluster, which ignited Mothra's scales and the goddess herself. Gigan turned and posed victoriously, only for his Bladed Slicers to boomerang back and cut off his head. The headless beast staggered forward until the blazing Mothra flew into him and exploded, seemingly ending them both.
Abilities
The Showa Gigan possessed a laser-firing aperture on his forehead, which he frequently employed in publicity stills but never on-film. This was Teruyoshi Nakano's idea: "Many statues of Buddha have an aura around their heads like angels in western paintings. I read an article about a strange ray shooting from a human forehead like ESP, or a sixth sense." But he later decided against it, stating that it "doesn't fit a monster, it fits a human, or a superhuman." Nonetheless, the laser became a staple of Gigan's arsenal in other media, inconsistently fired from the visor or the forehead aperture. He finally used it onscreen in "Final Wars." Called the Scattered Light Beam Gigarium Cluster, it took the form of a red energy blast that scattered into smaller bolts of energy upon reaching close proximity to a target. The Gigarium Cluster visibly hurt Godzilla and made Mothra burst into flames. The alien released a short-ranged energy burst in the same vein called the Shotgun Burst in the Atari/Pipeworks games.
Gigan can fire a flamethrower from his mouth, as showcased in three early-mid-90's video games: "Battle Legends," the "Godzilla" arcade game, and "Kaiju Daikessen." "Godzilla Movie Studio Tour" states that this was yet another ranged attack the Showa Gigan possessed but never used on-screen.
In both series, Gigan could achieve flight at speeds of Mach 3. By encasing himself in a diamond-like structure, the Showa Gigan could travel through space at Mach 400. In the Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla games, Gigan is only able to fly for short distances and instead favors teleportation, which positions him behind enemy monsters.
Gigan's most commonly-used weapons were a pair of hooked appendages called Hammer Hands or Hammerclaws. He used these frequently to batter and stab opponents, or slice through jets and buildings with ease. In "Zone Fighter," they were tipped with single-use explosive charges. In "Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee" and "Save the Earth", his rage attack Whirlwind Assault allows him to energize them and significantly ups their range. For Gigan's redesign in "Godzilla: Final Wars," the Hammer Hands became more like blades, dubbed the Bloody Triggers. The undersides of these appendages housed dual grappling hooks called … Hooking! Anchors. He used these to bind Godzilla and drag him toward his buzzsaw. While converting him into Modified Gigan, the Xiliens replaced his Bloody Triggers with double-pronged Bloody Chainsaws. They proved effective against both friend and foe, and he even used them as treads to charge Mothra in the face of her gale-force winds.
Gigan's tail is tipped with a metal spike. While he never used it in combat in the Showa series, in "Final Wars" it gained a few extra spikes and stabbed Mothra like a scorpion. In "Zone Fighter," he bit down on Godzilla's tail in a last-ditch attack, managing to hang on even after the Monster King repeatedly slammed him to the ground.
Gigan had a circular, buzzsaw-like Rotating Cutter mounted in his chest, which can slice through buildings and pierce the skin of other kaiju. In "Godzilla: Final Wars," the buzzsaw is called the Bladed Cutter. Gigan used it to disable the Gotengo's main engine, and later attempted to pull Godzilla into it with his Hooking Anchors.
In "Final Wars," Modified Gigan could launch rotating razor-sharp discs called Bladed Slicers from two slots on his chest. This attack proved to be Gigan's undoing, as after missing Mothra, the Slicers boomeranged back and severed Gigan's head. Presumably, her scales caused them to malfunction.
In "Zone Fighter," he sprang to his feet using the Ninja Revival Technique after Goji defeated him. There are conflicting accounts of what exactly happened here: One book describes him as "immortal" and says he was simply playing dead. Another clarifies: "[Gigan] is immortal so long as both of his claws [...] are unscathed." However the Garogas accomplished that, they didn't think it through, as the monster himself absent-mindedly damaged one of his claws by hitting Zone Fighter with an explosive charge. The hero swiftly targeted the other with a Meteor Proton Beam and then killed him with Meteor Missile Might. Either way, this technique was included in the Super Famicom fighting game "Kaiju Daikessen."
Weaknesses: The Showa Gigan fled from Maser beams and Godzilla's atomic breath reliably knocked him out of the sky. The "Final Wars" Gigan survived one blast of Godzilla's atomic breath, but the follow-up took his head off. His second demise happened under unusual circumstances, to say the least.
Trivia
A Standout Slasher: Gigan has made a whopping 26 appearances in Godzilla video games as of 2020, as well as several mobile game crossovers. He debuted as a boss in "Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!", where his extended chest saw made him a formidable challenge. Gigan was a playable monster in the Atari/Pipeworks trilogy. In the first two games and the PlayStation 2 version of "Unleashed", he possessed his Showa design, while the Wii version used his Millennium design. Half a decade ago, Modified Gigan made his gaming debut in Bandai Namco's "Godzilla," becoming a playable character in the enhanced PS4 version.
Face Turns in Shows: Gigan was featured in the 1997 television series "Godzilla Island," in which he was uncharacteristically portrayed as a heroic monster. Initially a pawn of the Xiliens, Gigan had a change of heart after being defeated by Godzilla, and returned in a later story arc to help him defeat Destoroyah and Megalon. In his final appearance, he landed the killing blow against the shapeshifting monster Dororin. The alien has also made frequent appearances in the ongoing puppet series "Godziban." In his initial appearances he terrorized the cast, only to fall into a hole dug by Baragon, which Anguirus quickly paved over. Since then, Little has doggedly tried to become his friend.
Knee Protectors: Gigan has had more forms than the three rendered through the medium of film. The 90's collectible card series TOYCARD invented "Gigan Mark II" and "Fullmetal Gigan," while TV Magazine showcased a Bandai figure of the heavily armored "Armed Gigan", featuring A GUN in place of a scythe, around the release of Final Wars. "Godzilla: Rulers of Earth" marked the first time Gigan cycles through his movie looks on-screen... err, on-page. Though his bio from the Wii "Godzilla: Unleashed" instruction manual does state he was upgraded using the "latest Vortaak technology," referencing the previous two games using the Showa look. The anime prequel novel "GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla" did the whole "rebuild-Gigan- as-he-got-rekt" thing too, with him starting out as a fully organic beast from the Siberian seabed. In an interview, author Renji Oki explained an idea which anime trilogy writer Gen Urobuchi had for Gigan "that could never be used": a "worker's monster" modified by former Soviet scientists, with one of his hands a hammer and the other a sickle.
Borodan?: Naturally debuting in the manga adaptations of his film, Gigan also featured in a "Zone Fighter" manga, Cinema Shares' tie-in comic for "Godzilla vs. Megalon" (which inexplicably called him "Borodan"), and Kodansha's "Godzilla, King of the Monsters" manga. He became a frequent presence in IDW's Godzilla comics. After a cameo in "Godzilla: Legends" #1, he attacked the Earth alongside SpaceGodzilla, Monster X, and Hedorah in "Godzilla: Ongoing." When the Earth's monsters launched a counteroffensive, Rodan and Anguirus defeated him in Hong Kong by shattering his visor. In the follow-up series "Rulers of Earth," the damaged Gigan had a brief confrontation with Kumonga before the Cryog aliens recovered and upgraded him. Upon liberating the Millennian UFO from Area 51, he battled Godzilla, MOGUERA, Jet Jaguar, and an out-of-control Orga in Las Vegas, with Godzilla and Jet Jaguar forcing his retreat. The Cryogs next used him to defend their fleet against his former ally SpaceGodzilla, but he was badly damaged and beaten. The Cryog commander Rhizon rescued and modified Gigan once more, then unleashed him against the Cryog Emperor Karkaro. After killing Karkaro and destroying his fleet, Gigan made a beeline for Jet Jaguar and... lost again. Still, he escaped the melee in Los Angeles with his life, and the final page of the series showed him under repair in a secret base alongside a lone Mechagodzilla. Gigan's other appearances in the IDW comics include "Godzilla: The Half-Century War," where he and King Ghidorah battled Godzilla and Kiryu in Antarctica after ravaging half of the world, and "Rage Across Time" where the Nebulans directed him and Megalon to attack feudal Japan, only to be driven off by the Big G. "Half-Century War" writer and artist James Stokoe joked that he took the job just so he could have Gigan use an aircraft carrier as a surfboard.
Papercutter: Gigan appeared in three of Random House's Godzilla picture books, where he attacked Los Angeles with Hedorah and twice caused an absolute ruckus on Monster Island. In "Godzilla at World's End", Gigan targeted communications satellites until Russia launched a nuke at him. Unfazed, he smashed Leninsk and Peliograd in retaliation before Anguirus dragged him into the Caspian Sea. Gigan appears in "Project Mechagodzilla": the second official prequel novel to the GODZILLA anime film trilogy. Here, he was again portrayed as a benevolent kaiju. Discovered hibernating in the waters off Siberia, he was controlled using Exif and Bilusaludo technology and used to lure Godzilla deeper into Eurasia during "Operation: Long March." As he was maimed in each battle, Gigan had his body parts replaced by mechanical ones until he became more machine than monster. The Bilusaludo recovered and redeployed Gigan one last time, injecting him with experimental Nanometal which allowed him to instantly regenerate from serious damage. It was no use: Godzilla completely obliterated Gigan with a particularly powerful blast of atomic breath, after which a medical officer named Michael N. Hunter vowed to return one of his scales to Siberia to honor his sacrifice on behalf of mankind.
[Goldn:] That's all there is for Gigan. Thanks for watching!
[Les:] Hey Goldn, while you're still here, mind telling us when Ultraman Cosmos Without Context is coming out?
[Goldn:] Do the thing.
That's all we have for Gigan! I'm Goldn, and thanks for watching!
Intro
Gigan is a cyborg space dinosaur that debuted in Toho’s 1972 "Godzilla vs. Gigan."
Sometimes considered Godzilla's most brutal and violent opponent, Gigan is shown to be very vicious and sadistic in combat, preferring to shred his opponents up close with his hook hands and buzzsaw. However, at least in the Showa series, Gigan appears to be a bit of a coward, retreating and leaving his ally at the mercy of his enemies as soon as the tide of battle turns against him. In "Final Wars," Gigan is shown to be somewhat incompetent, having his head easily blown off by Godzilla's atomic breath and later slicing his own head off with two razor discs intended for Mothra.
In his original appearance, Gigan stood 65 meters tall, and weighed 25,000 metric tons. The "Godzilla: Final Wars" incarnation of Gigan was 120 meters in height and weighed 60,000 metric tons, with a scythe length of 45 meters. The chainsaw-equipped Modified Gigan retains the same stats as his pre-decapitated form before being upgraded by the Xiliens.
Appearance
Gigan's design is notoriously strange and more akin to an Ultraman kaiju than a Godzilla one. The space monster, in the Showa series, has green skin with golden scales not too dissimilar from King Ghidorah's that adorn his body along with three gold, though scale-less fin-like sails on his back. He also has a red visor, a beak with sharp teeth inside, a buzzsaw running down his chest, and spikes on his head and tail, in addition to hook-like appendages in place of hands and feet. Also, little known fact: there are actually two different Showa Gigan suits. (The first one was used in "Godzilla vs. Gigan," the second in "Megalon" and "Zone Fighter.") The second suit is slightly wider at the shoulders, a shorter visor and slightly differently-shaped back fins.
In his Millennium redesign, Gigan becomes more robotic in appearance, with a midnight blue palette with red fins on his back and his hooks being changed to scythe-like blades, while retaining many aspects of the original design. In addition, he takes on a more muscular and humanoid body shape. He also gains more defined plating around his joints.
Modified Gigan was Gigan's second form in "Godzilla: Final Wars," where he is rebuilt with a different head, braces to protect the back of his neck and, most notably, a set of two-pronged chainsaws instead of hooks
Origins
In the Showa Series, Gigan was a dinosaur from another planet that was converted into a Cyborg monster by the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens.
In the Millennium series, Gigan was a Cyborg monster sent to earth by the Xiliens thousands of years ago, who was defeated by Mothra and left underground where he mummified over the years until he was discovered Earth Defense Force.
History
Showa Series
Godzilla vs. Gigan: Gigan first appeared in "Godzilla vs. Gigan" where he was controlled by giant cockroaches from a dying Earth-like planet in the Space Hunter Nebula M. Their plot was to colonize Earth and destroy all cities to make it more "peaceful" using the space monsters King Ghidorah and Gigan (guided by two "Action Signal Tapes") to wipe out civilization. The aliens were doing this from the Japanese branch of the peace-themed theme park World Children's Land, the centerpiece being the Godzilla-shaped "Godzilla Tower," which they had equipped with an extremely powerful laser in an attempt to use it to kill Godzilla. When the Space Hunter Nebula M aliens finally called Gigan and King Ghidorah to Earth, the monsters arrived and immediately attacked a city, but they were interrupted by Godzilla and Anguirus. They battled at the World Children's Land, and they nearly killed the two monsters. After the destruction of the Godzilla Tower by the humans, Gigan and King Ghidorah are released from their mind control, dazing them and allowing Godzilla and Anguirus the chance to regroup. Following this, the two Earth monsters finally drove Gigan and Ghidorah back into outer space.
Godzilla vs. Megalon: Gigan was later lent to the Seatopians of Earth by the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens to help them conquer Earth and overthrow the human race. He arrived to help Megalon battle Godzilla, and they nearly killed him. Jet Jaguar attacked Gigan, but he was also defeated. The two monsters regained their strength, and they fought Gigan and Megalon off again. Gigan retreated back to space, and Megalon returned to Seatopia.
Zone Fighter: After his defeat at Godzilla and Jet Jaguar’s hands, Gigan returned to space and was captured by the Garoga aliens. They repaired and upgraded his cybernetics, which had been heavily damaged in the fight, and he was sent back to Earth to battle Zone Fighter. Unfortunately, Godzilla arrived and aided Zone Fighter in defeating Gigan, who was sent back into battle unrepaired under Garogan control, and he was defeated by Zone Fighter before exploding.
Millennium Series
Godzilla: Final Wars: A mummified monster known as "Gigan" was discovered in Hokkaido by the Earth Defense Force in the 21st century. According to the Shobijin, Gigan invaded the Earth thousands of years ago, but was defeated by Mothra. Gigan was awakened by the Xiliens to help them conquer the Earth. He chased the Gotengo to Antarctica to stop it from awakening Godzilla. He nearly destroyed the ship, but he was blasted by one of Godzilla's nuclear beams. Gigan battled Godzilla, trapping him in barbed wire and pulling him toward his buzzsaw. However, Godzilla fired his atomic breath at Gigan's head, decapitating him and causing him to fall to the ground.
After his earlier battle with Godzilla, a rebuilt Gigan, dubbed Modified Gigan, was released by the Xiliens to battle Mothra, and seemingly defeated her after slicing off part of her wing. Gigan then attempted to help Monster X in his battle with Godzilla, slicing him in the chest while Monster X held him still. Mothra flew into the battle and knocked Monster X and Gigan over. Gigan shot his blades at Mothra, but she dodged them. Gigan then blasted Mothra with his laser beam, causing her to burst into flames. Gigan struck a victory pose, but his razor discs flew back and sliced his head off. Gigan wandered around blindly after his head was severed until Mothra, now on fire, flew into him, causing him to explode and finally die.
Abilities
Hooked Appendages - Gigan's forelimbs sport a pair of large metal hooks in place of hands which he can use these to batter and stab an opponent. In "Zone Fighter," the tips of the hooks can release an explosive charge on contact with an enemy. In "Godzilla: Final Wars," instead of hooks Gigan's forearms ended in scythe-like blades, the undersides of which were each equipped with dual grappling hooks which Gigan could use to bind an enemy and then drag them straight into his buzzsaw. Following his initial defeat by the recently awakened Godzilla, the blades were replaced with double-pronged chainsaws. Gigan was also able to use his scorpion-like tail to aid him in melee combat.
Antigravity Flight - Gigan is capable of flying at speeds of up to Mach 3 while in Earth's atmosphere. However, in space, the Cyborg Monster Gigan is capable of flight at speeds of Mach 400 by encasing himself in a diamond.
In battle Gigan will often use flight to engage in aerial slams to continuously topple his opponents without giving them a chance to get up. In "Zone Fighter," owing to the hasty repair work conducted on his cybernetics by the Garogas, Gigan's deceleration was extremely poor, meaning that he had to be fitted with a set of deployable drogue parachutes to slow his immense flying speed down upon approaching a battle. Another mode of movement that Gigan utilizes is his teleportation ability, only seen in the video games.
Laser Beam - In addition to his melee weapons, the Showa era Gigan was depicted as having an beam aperture set into his forehead just above his visor. Official art would frequently depict him as firing a laser from this device although he was never shown to actually doing it in the films.
In "Godzilla: Final Wars," Gigan's laser blast was finally revealed on screen, though it had been heavily altered from the original concept. Rather than being fired from a forehead laser device, it was instead fired from Gigan's eye itself. It also was no longer a traditional laser, but a large energy blast that, in a manner similar to a cluster bomb, would split into smaller explosive bolts of energy upon entering close range of a target, saturating the target in multiple hits simultaneously. The eye beam has been officially titled the "Cluster Light Beam." A similar attack appears in the Atari/Pipeworks games, but the beam scatters the instant it leaves Gigan's eye, has a limited range, and is referred to as the "Shotgun Blast." In the PS3 and PS4 "Godzilla" game, Modified Gigan's laser beam is called "Giganume Cluster."
Buzzsaw - Gigan has a durable and extremely sharp buzzsaw built into his abdominal area. In his first appearance, Gigan's saw was able to draw blood from both Godzilla and Anguirus. In "Godzilla: Final Wars," it was even able to lacerate the hull of the Gotengo. A favored tactic of Gigan is to use his powers of flight along with his buzzsaw in hit and run attacks, slashing his opponent as he passes them.
Flamethrower - In "Godzilla: Battle Legends," and the Godzilla Arcade Game, Gigan displays the ability to spit fire from his mouth. Despite it never being used in a film, the 1998 computer program "Godzilla Movie Studio Tour" confirms that Gigan has and has always had this ability, but had just never used it.
Razor Discs - Modified Gigan displayed the ability to fire guided razor discs from two hidden slots in his upper torso which were able to boomerang back for a second attempt if they initially missed their target. Doing so however is risky as if they missed the target once again, Gigan would find himself right in the path of his own attack; which ultimately was what led up to his death. In Bandai Namco's "Godzilla," Gigan's razor disc attack is called "Blooded Slicer." He also possesses a more powerful version called "Surging Wave Blooded Slicer".
Trivia
Although Gigan never used his laser onscreen in the Showa series, the attack has been featured in some non-film media. Gigan has used his laser in numerous pieces of official print media since the Showa era, including a Zone Fighter manga and the Cinema Shares "Godzilla vs. Megalon" comic adaptation. Gigan also demonstrated the ability in several video games, including "Godzilla: Monster of Monsters," "Godzilla: Battle Legends" and "Godzilla: Great Monster Battle," (Godzilla: Kaiju Daikessen) as well as the three Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla games.
In the "Ultraman Mebius" series, there is a monster called Dinozaur who uses Gigan's roar.
Gigan was the first monster to cause Godzilla and Anguirus to visibly bleed. In "Godzilla vs. Gigan" he had flown over Godzilla and slashed Godzilla's shoulder with his buzzsaw and later stabbed him in the head with his claws, causing blood to run down his face. Fake Godzilla and Mechagodzilla would later continue this.
In the television series "Godzilla Island," Gigan is shown to have become Godzilla’s ally after being defeated, and helps to defend the Earth against alien threats.
In IDW's main Godzilla comic timeline, Gigan first appears in the 2011-2013 series simply titled "Godzilla," as one of the alien monsters that attack the Earth. After being defeated by Rodan and Anguirus, Gigan re-emerges in "Godzilla: Rulers of Earth," where he is upgraded by the Cryogs from his Showa design to his Millennium design, and later to Modified Gigan by the end of the series. This is the first time Gigan starts out in his Showa design and gets converted to his Millennium designs visibly, though Gigan's bio from instruction manual of the Wii version of "Godzilla: Unleashed" states that he was upgraded as well using the latest Vortaak technology, referencing Gigan having the Showa design in the previous two Atari/Pipeworks games.
And that’s all we have for Gigan, be sure to check out Wikizilla for more. Thanks for watching!
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