Anguirus (Second Generation)
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What do you want?
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„
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— Anguirus talking to Godzilla (Godzilla vs. Gigan) |
Anguirus (アンギラス Angirasu) is a giant Ankylosaurus kaiju who first appeared in the 1968 Godzilla film Destroy All Monsters.
Another member of the same species as the Anguirus which fought Godzilla in 1955, this Anguirus was a resident of Monster Island, where he befriended Godzilla. When the evil M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens unleashed Gigan and King Ghidorah to invade the Earth, Anguirus escaped the island with Godzilla and the two forced the space monsters back into outer space. The following year, Anguirus fell into a tectonic fissure when Monster Island was affected by nuclear testing. He resurfaced the next year to investigate when a fake Godzilla began terrorizing the Japanese countryside. Anguirus was beaten into submission and had his jaw broken by the impostor, but managed to call Godzilla to face it. By the end of the 20th century, Anguirus was now contained with the other monsters of Earth on Monsterland. When the Kilaaks invaded the island, they took control of Anguirus and the other monsters and sent them to aid in their invasion of Earth. When humanity severed the Kilaaks' hold on the kaiju, Anguirus assembled with his fellow monsters in the Aokigahara and battled the aliens' trump card, King Ghidorah. Anguirus played a key role in the ensuing battle which ended in Ghidorah's final defeat. Anguirus and the others were then returned to Monsterland to live out their days in peace.
Name
Anguirus's Japanese name, Angirasu (アンギラス), comes from the Japanese spelling of the name of the dinosaur genus Ankylosaurus (アンキロサウルス Ankirosaurusu), upon which the monster's design is based. The name was chosen from several names proposed by employees of Toho during production of Godzilla Raids Again. The original English name given to Anguirus by Toho was Angilas, as seen in the company's 1955 international sales booklet.[6]
In the mid-1970's, Toho copyrighted the new revised English name Anguirus, making it the official Anglicization of the monster's name for all subsequent media. However, only the English dub of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla uses anything resembling this spelling. The English dubs for Destroy All Monsters, All Monsters Attack, and Godzilla vs. Gigan all call him "Angilas." Another alternative name, Anguillas, appears in the international export trailer for Destroy All Monsters[7] and the American version of the Godzilla Game Boy game.[8] This incarnation is typically known as the Second Generation Anguirus (二代目アンギラス Nidaime Angirasu).
In the Japanese trailer for Godzilla vs. Gigan, Anguirus is given the subtitle Meiconbi (名コンビ),[4] a Japanese word referring to a well-oiled team or one's loyal companion. This is translated as "His [Godzilla's] famous partner" on the Kraken Blu-ray release of the film, and as "His famous sidekick" on The Criterion Collection's Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975 set.
Several American publications from the 1970's, including issue #34 of The Monster Times and the children's book Godzilla by Ian Thorne, offer Anzilla as an alternate spelling. The origin of this name is yet unknown.
Development
For Anguirus' return in Destroy All Monsters 13 years after Godzilla Raids Again, a new suit was constructed.[9][10] The new Anguirus suit was modeled by Nobuyuki Yasumaru.[10] The back of the new suit was composed of leather, while the thorns were made of polished balsa wood painted with polyester resin. The suit was worn in the film by both Hiroshi Sekita and Tadaaki Watanabe. In addition to the suit, a miniature model of Anguirus was constructed for distant shots of the monster prior to the final battle at Aokigahara.
Hiroshi Sekita tries on the under-construction Anguirus suit.
The Anguirus suit is nearly completed, but lacking paint and the horns on its head.
The Anguirus miniature model (between Godzilla and Gorosaurus).
The Anguirus suit from Destroy All Monsters was brought back and left mostly unchanged for Godzilla vs. Gigan. This time, the character was portrayed by Koetsu Omiya. For this film, Anguirus would be depicted bleeding graphically and sustaining gruesome injuries, while in most previous films special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya had shied away from showing the monsters bleed. Teruyoshi Nakano, who served as the special effects director for the series following Tsuburaya's death, said he had noticed children asking why Godzilla and the other monsters never bled, and so was influenced to depict monster bloodshed in the film.[9] In water scenes, the head of the Anguirus suit is black, with what appears to be red and yellow moss or algae growing on the rest of its body. In addition, some scales seem to be falling off the suit, particularly on its arms and chest. It is possible this is a separate suit employed specifically for water scenes, just as the MusukoGoji suit is employed for Godzilla in such scenes in the film with the SoshingekiGoji used in the rest of the film.
The Destroy All Monsters Anguirus suit, refurbished for use in Godzilla vs. Gigan.
Anguirus during a water scene. Notice the black coloration on the suit's head, and the red and yellow spots and decaying scales on its chest and arms.
The Anguirus suit was employed for a single scene in Godzilla vs. Megalon the following year, depicting Anguirus falling into a fissure during the destruction of Monster Island at the beginning of the film. It is unknown who portrayed the monster during this scene.
The Anguirus suit from Destroy All Monsters was employed one final time for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla in 1974. By this point, the suit's horns had been considerably worn down and shortened, while its large protruding fangs had been removed. According to Anguirus' suit actor Kinichi Kusumi, who also played King Caesar in the film, the Anguirus suit was so badly rotted that the inside of the suit was sticky and falling apart, and baby powder had to be liberally applied to the suit's feet for him to even be able to use it.[11]
The Anguirus suit is used for the character's brief appearance in Godzilla vs. Megalon.
The Anguirus suit is refurbished for its final use in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Notice the worn down head horns and lack of fangs.
Design
Anguirus is a stout, armored, quadrupedal reptilian creature that looks fairly similar to an Ankylosaurus, with aspects of his design also resembling armadillos, hedgehogs, and crocodiles. He has several inwardly curved horns at the top of his head and a single, short horn on the end of his snout. His face is long, puffy and drawn out, like a crocodile, with two large tusks at the start and rows of smaller, jagged, serrated teeth following suit. His carapace is studded with a plethora of long, sharp, prickly spikes. Anguirus' tail is spiky and longer than his body, accounting for the majority of his total body length. His hind limbs are longer than his forelimbs, enabling him to stand upright to his full height, but he primarily walks upon all fours.
Personality
Anguirus is depicted as a very tenacious and fierce fighter. Despite constantly going up against enemies tougher than himself, Anguirus rarely backs down and always puts up a vicious fight. Despite his fierce nature, this Anguirus has been shown as being a close friend of Godzilla. While many of Godzilla's allies have had to work with him out of necessity, such as Mothra and Rodan, Anguirus and Godzilla appear to have a genuine friendship. This is most pronounced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, where Anguirus senses that the Fake Godzilla roaming Japan is not the monster he knows and attacks it, with a character even mentioning that it's strange to see Anguirus attack "his friend" Godzilla.
Origins
In Godzilla Raids Again, it is suggested that Anguirus is an Ankylosaurus that lived during the Cretaceous, 150 to 70 million years ago, around the same time as Godzilla. Like Godzilla, Anguirus managed to survive into the modern day by lying dormant before being awakened and irradiated by nuclear bomb tests in the 1950's.[12] This origin is never discussed further nor contradicted in subsequent films. The Second Generation Anguirus was living on Monster Island in 1972, and it is unknown if and when he had appeared prior.
History
- Destroy All Monsters (1968)
- All Monsters Attack (1969) [stock footage]
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Showa era
Destroy All Monsters
By the end of the 20th century, Anguirus was one of several kaiju contained on the human-monitored Monsterland in the Ogasawara Islands. When the Kilaaks assaulted the island, they took control of Anguirus and the other monsters and unleashed them across the globe to do their evil bidding. Anguirus was sent to battle the humans' military forces in the Japanese countryside along with Godzilla and Rodan. When the crew of the Moonlight SY-3 managed to destroy the Kilaaks' mind-control device located under the lunar surface, Anguirus and the Earth monsters were all freed from the invaders' command. Godzilla soon led the monsters in an assault against the Kilaaks' base under Mount Fuji, but they were attacked by the Kilaaks' trump card, King Ghidorah. Anguirus took part in direct combat with King Ghidorah alongside Godzilla, Gorosaurus and Minilla. Anguirus bit down on one of King Ghidorah's necks, causing the space monster to take flight. Anguirus clamped his jaws on his enemy's neck and continued hanging on as King Ghidorah flew high into the sky. King Ghidorah finally bit Anguirus' neck with one of his heads, forcing him to let go and plummet to the ground below. King Ghidorah dropped down and stomped Anguirus into the dirt, then attacked Godzilla and the other monsters. However, Anguirus simply shook the dirt off himself and re-entered the fray. The Earth monsters gained the upper hand against King Ghidorah, and successfully killed him. Godzilla soon destroyed the Kilaaks' base and ended their invasion once and for all. Anguirus and the other monsters were then returned to Monsterland to live out their days in peace.
All Monsters Attack
When young Ichiro Miki dreamed of going to Monster Island, Anguirus was one of the monsters he saw living there.
Godzilla vs. Gigan
Almost 20 years after the death of the first Anguirus, a second one had taken up residence on Monster Island and become a friend of Godzilla. When Godzilla overheard one of the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens' "action tapes" containing their plans for the conquest of Earth, Godzilla sent Anguirus to Japan to investigate. When Anguirus arrived in Japan, he was immediately attacked by the JSDF, who were unaware of his intentions. Rather than fight back, Anguirus swam back to Monster Island to recruit Godzilla's help. Godzilla joined his companion and the two monsters swam to Tokyo, where Gigan and King Ghidorah were causing destruction under the Nebulans' orders. Godzilla and Anguirus fought back against the space monsters, but found themselves overwhelmed by the enemy. Godzilla was knocked out of commission by the repeated attacks of Gigan and the Nebulans' Godzilla Tower, leaving Anguirus to unsuccessfully attempt to carry on the battle against King Ghidorah. Thankfully, a group of humans were able to destroy Godzilla Tower and sever the Nebulans' control over the space monsters. While Gigan and King Ghidorah were able to maintain their onslaught at first, they quickly became disorganized and confused without their masters commands and began to bicker and argue with each other. Godzilla and Anguirus regrouped and mounted their counterattack against Gigan and King Ghidorah, eventually forcing both monsters to retreat back to outer space. Godzilla and Anguirus then swam back to Monster Island, victorious.
Godzilla vs. Megalon
In 197X, Anguirus was resting on Monster Island along with Godzilla and Rodan when nuclear testing thousands of miles away in the Aleutian Islands triggered a massive earthquake. As the island began to split in half, Godzilla and Anguirus made an attempt to escape. While Godzilla was successful and made it to the ocean, Anguirus toppled over and fell into the growing fissure.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Sometime after he disappeared into the fissure on Monster Island, Anguirus surfaced in a barren area and began to roar. Sensing something was wrong in Japan, Anguirus burrowed his way to the Japanese mainland in search of Godzilla. When he saw what looked like his friend Godzilla attacking buildings mindlessly and walking around the Japanese countryside with no specific pattern, Anguirus immediately sensed that it was an impostor. Anguirus burrowed out of the ground after Godzilla attacked an apartment building, tripping him over. Anguirus then challenged Godzilla, but Godzilla threw him through a bridge and into a valley. As Anguirus got back up, he leapt out of the valley, knocking off some of Godzilla's scales with his claws as he passed, revealing metal underneath. The now-revealed fake Godzilla then fought back viciously, beating Anguirus and slamming him into the ground. The fake Godzilla broke Anguirus' jaw in a violent and bloody fashion, forcing Anguirus to burrow back underground and retreat.
Abilities
Durability
Anguirus' spiky carapace and armored hide grant him impressive resistance to attacks from enemy monsters. He was able to withstand having his neck bitten by King Ghidorah and being dropped from a great height and stomped into the ground, and even quickly got back to his feet and reentered the battle. He also survived grievous injuries in his battles with Gigan and Fake Godzilla, having his face sawed open in the first instance and his jaw broken in the second. In Godzilla vs. Megalon, Anguirus was swallowed by a tectonic fissure on Monster Island, but survived and was able to simply burrow underground.
Anguirus having his neck bitten by King Ghidorah and being dropped from a considerable height in Destroy All Monsters
Anguirus being stomped into the ground by King Ghidorah in Destroy All Monsters
Anguirus running headfirst into Gigan's buzzsaw in Godzilla vs. Gigan
Anguirus falling into a fissure on Monster Island in Godzilla vs. Megalon
Physical abilities
Anguirus possesses rows of extremely sharp teeth that he will use in battle. These, with the added bite force Anguirus can generate, cause pain to any kaiju that finds itself in Anguirus' jaws. The attack was shown to be strong enough to break King Ghidorah's skin and draw blood.
Spiked carapace
Anguirus' greatest asset in combat is his spiked carapace. He often slams his back into opponents in order to injure them with his spikes. In Godzilla vs. Gigan, Anguirus launched himself at King Ghidorah while Godzilla held him still from behind.
Anguirus pouncing at Fake Godzilla, slashing his side with his carapace, in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Tail
Anguirus' tail is tipped with a sharp curved spike, though he never seems to use it in combat onscreen.
Burrowing
In Godzilla vs. Megalon, Anguirus survived being swallowed by a seismic fissure on Monster Island. In the next film, Anguirus was able to burrow underground, eventually making his way to the Japanese mainland where he emerged and attacked Fake Godzilla.
Agility
Anguirus is quite agile, charging at enemies with surprising speed and having the ability to make surprise attacks on unsuspecting foes. In Godzilla vs. Gigan, Anguirus leapt into the air and over a considerable distance in order to slam his spiky carapace into King Ghidorah.
Intelligence
Anguirus is extremely intelligent for a giant monster: he is able to communicate with Godzilla, understanding his orders to investigate a disturbance in Japan and then asking him for help after learning of the situation. Both Anguirus and Godzilla are able to understand the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens' "action tapes" which contain their plans and cannot be comprehended by humans. In their battle with Gigan and King Ghidorah, Anguirus and Godzilla formed strategies and attack plans and were able to triumph while Gigan and King Ghidorah bickered and argued once they stopped receiving commands from their alien masters. In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Anguirus immediately recognized that the Godzilla that emerged from Mount Fuji was a fake, while the humans were fooled by the disguise.
Anguirus communicating with Godzilla on Monster Island in Godzilla vs. Gigan
Swimming
Anguirus is an extremely adept swimmer and is shown being able to swim at speeds comparable to Godzilla. He was able to swim great distances in a short period of time without any signs of fatigue.
Infrared vision
According to an anatomy diagram, Anguirus is capable of detecting infrared waves with his eyes.[13]
Video games
- Godzilla (1990) - Nintendo Game Boy
- Godzilla (1993) - Arcade [cameo]
- Godzilla Movie Studio Tour (1996) - PC and Mac [museum]
- Godzilla: Trading Battle (1998) - Sony PlayStation
- Monster Strike (2013) - Android and iOS
- Godzilla VS (2015) - PlayStation 4
- Godzilla Kaiju Collection (2015) - Android and iOS
- Godzilla (2021) - Pinball
Comics
- Destroy All Monsters (1968) - Manga King (Akita Shoten)
- Destroy All Monsters (1968) - Asahi Sonorama
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) - Bessatsu Shonen Champion (Akita Shoten)
Gallery
- Main article: Anguirus/Gallery.
Roar
Like Godzilla, Anguirus's roars were created by a musical instrument: the saxophone.[14]
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Trivia
- The Second Generation Anguirus' design has become a very popular design for the character in non-film media, and has been frequently utilized to represent him in video games and comic books.
- According to the October 1979 issue of TV Magazine, Anguirus quickly recovered from having his jaw broken in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla with no aftereffects, and was living peacefully with Godzilla.
References
This is a list of references for Anguirus (Second Generation). 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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