Gezora
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- Taro Kudo: “I'd say that giant octopus is our monster. Maybe what the natives call Gezora isn't a myth. Tell me Doctor, now what are we gonna do? Why do you think he let us go? [...]”
- Dr. Kyoichi Mida: “I don't know, I don't know anything at all. All my knowledge of biology and none of it's any use to me at all.”
- ― Taro Kudo and Kyoichi Mida, after having been nearly killed at the hands of Gezora. (Space Amoeba)
Gezora (ゲゾラ Gezora) is a mutated cuttlefish kaiju who first appeared in the 1970 Toho film, Space Amoeba.
A kisslip cuttlefish mutated by the Space Amoeba off the coast of Sergio Island, Gezora was regarded as a mythical beast by the island's natives. The monster took its first victim in the form of a man named Sakura, whose friend Yokoyama managed to escape the scene but was later tracked down and killed by Gezora in his temporary residence on the island. Gezora attempted to kill an islander named Rico, who was a witness to the death of Yokoyama, but was repelled by the ultrasonic waves emitted from a nearby colony of native bats, leaving the man in a near-unresponsive state and with a number of frostbitten wounds. Gezora was later encountered underwater by Taro Kudo and Dr. Kyoichi Mida, and took to land shortly after to decimate a native outpost, but was ultimately killed by Taro, Mida, and the rest of their group with help from a few natives by drenching a field in gasoline and luring the monster to it with gunshots before setting him ablaze with torches. Gezora retreated to the ocean floor where he finally died from his wounds, however the Space Amoeba escaped his host and sought out new creatures to mutate.
Although never featured in a Godzilla film aside from stock footage in the beginning of Godzilla Final Wars, the tentacled monster became the most popular of the three kaiju introduced in Space Amoeba, subsequently appearing in a variety of Toho-licensed Godzilla media, ranging from official fantasy matchup artwork in books, to video games (two of which didn't even feature Ganimes or Kamoebas), to the American comics published by IDW, and even the novel GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse, a prequel to the GODZILLA anime trilogy.
Name
Gezora's name comes from the Japanese word geso (下足), meaning squid legs, and ra, a common suffix for kaiju names. Gezora's name was initially rejected due to being "too obvious," but Ishiro Honda gave it his approval and thus it was used anyway.[8] Originally, the monster's name was Zogera (ゾゲラ),[1] before "Gezora" was decided upon.
Assistant special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano has openly expressed dissatisfaction with the names of Gezora, Ganimes, and Kamoebas, even rather jokingly suggesting "Gesoi" as a better name for Gezora, saying at a panel at G-Fest in 2004, "We made a mistake in naming those kaiju! One reason that Space Amoeba was not successful was because no one liked their names. Since Gezora is a big squid, it would have been better to call him Gesoi because that's what people say when they order sushi! But then everyone would think you're ordering sushi! So the names of the kaiju were bad" and "The names of these kaiju in Japanese are lousy. The names don't fit, and the kaiju just aren't scary. Maybe if we named the three differently, the movie would have been better. It was the names that killed the three kaiju."[2]
Gezora is typically given the subtitle Giant Squid Monster (大イカ怪獣 or 大いか怪獣 Ōika Kaijū) across most media, however the video game Godzilla: Trading Battle instead refers to him as Huge Squid (巨大いか Kyodai Ika).
Development
Gezora's design was based after real-life cephalopods,[6] and, according to assistant special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano, the principle that "by making things people know huge, they'd be scary."[2] Nobuyuki Yasumaru was responsible for constructing the model of Gezora,[8] while the suit was modeled by veteran Toho modelers Teizo Toshimitsu and Yasuei Yagi, and portrayed by Haruo Nakajima.[6] The suit was made in such a fashion that it could be split into two pieces, a top piece, encompassing the entirety of the upper part of its head, and a bottom piece, encompassing the rest of its head and the whole of its body, and would often be worn by Haruo Nakajima with the top piece off during rehearsals.[4]
Originally, the suit's eyeballs were intended to be able to move, however the mechanism broke during filming and was never repaired.[8] Producer Fumio Tanaka later commented on this in a 1995 interview, saying "I remember that at one point during the production of Space Amoeba, the eyes of Gezora, the giant squid, stopped working, but shooting was not stopped" and went on further to link this oversight to the passing of special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, saying "Mr. Tsuburaya had more influence within Toho than Teisho Arikawa did. So the members of the special effects staff were given less time in which to do their work after Mr. Tsuburaya died. This made them work a little less carefully than they previously had."[9] In order to better sell the illusion of Gezora being a real creature and to give it less of a feel of a human in a suit, Haruo Nakajima's legs were intentionally concealed among the creature's various other tentacles.[4] To further this, Nakajima made an effort to shake his body as he walked in the suit to give the illusion that the remaining tentacles were also moving,[4] while Gezora's two longest, frontmost tentacles were primarily operated by wires. Multiple human miniatures were constructed and attached to one of Gezora's tentacles in certain scenes to convey the effect of it picking up and killing civilians, such as when it ensnares, drowns, and presumably consumes Sakura or when it picks up and tosses an islander during its second siege on land. Additionally, for scenes such as the one where Gezora's tentacles burst into the house that Yokoyama and Rico are in, at least two 1/1 scale (full-size) tentacle props were constructed[1][4] and operated by piano wires.
Sadamasa Arikawa checks the Gezora suit during filming
A full-size Gezora tentacle prop during filming
Personality
In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Gezora acted under the control of the Devonians, ruthlessly drowning the survivors of the U.S.S. Goldstein after Manda destroyed the aircraft carrier. Destoroyah pushed him away as they, Titanosaurus, and Manda teamed against against Godzilla, but he continued to work with the crustacean. Each time Gezora was struck by Godzilla's atomic breath, his eyes widened in terror. He was also the first to flee to the Devonian's base after the military trained its sonar guns on them. Later in the battle, he took advantage of Godzilla's focus on Titanosaurus and Manda to flee altogether.
In Godzilla: Rage Across Time, Gezora is portrayed as rather aggressive, attacking Ebirah over two dinosaurs that the crustacean had caught as a meal. Even after the dinosaurs were stolen by Rodan, Gezora continued to fight with Ebirah.
In Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Manda, Gezora is less hostile, surfacing after noticing the lights of a fishing vessel and only attacking after its anchor becomes caught on one of his tentacles. He withdraws after the rope connected to the anchor is cut.
Origins
In Space Amoeba, Gezora is a kisslip cuttlefish native to the waters around Sergio Island. He was possessed by the Space Amoeba after the space probe Helios-7 crashed into the waters near the island, and mutated into a gigantic monster. The natives gave the creature the name "Gezora" after a squid deity spoken of in their folklore, believing the creature itself to be this entity.
In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Gezora's origins are never directly stated, however it is implied to be an ancient creature belonging to the Earth's natural order, as he is depicted on a mural located on Infant Island showing the planet's many natural kaiju. The mural specifically classifies Gezora as a water kaiju, along with Zilla, Varan, Ganimes, Ebirah, Titanosaurus, Manda, and Kamoebas. In the present day, Gezora was captured and taken control of by the aquatic alien race known as the Devonians, and used along with several other of the water kaiju in their attempted invasion of Earth.
History
- Space Amoeba (1970)
- Godzilla Final Wars (2004) [stock footage; toy]
- Godziban (web 2019-) [episodes 31 and 47; special episodes 3-4 and 11]
Showa era
Space Amoeba
Gezora was created when the Space Amoeba, which had been taking refuge on the spaceship Helios-7, possessed and mutated a cuttlefish in the waters off Sergio Island, where the ship had previously crash landed. The natives of the island regarded the monster as akin to a creature of legend, and the island's elder Onbo warned of the beast's wrath. Two foreigners, an engineer named Yokoyama and his friend Sakura, decided against heeding the warnings of the native people, believing it to be mere superstition, and snuck off to a beach near the ocean to fish. Although Sakura warned that the air and water felt unusually cool, Yokoyama reassured him that it was nothing more than a temperature drop due to the time of day and a current of cold water, and cast his line into the waters. Immediately, to their shock, the water lit up with a blinding streak of blue light before none other than Gezora emerged. Fearing for their lives, the men attempted to flee from the kraken-like sea monster, but Sakura stumbled on the rocky terrain and fell to the ground. Realizing this, Yokoyama turned back and attempted to help his companion, but it was too late. Gezora ensnared Sakura in his giant tentacle and dragged the man under the water, drowning and presumably consuming him. As the monster descended back under the murky depths, Yokoyama continued to frantically flee but was met by Onbo and a number of his followers, to whom he dejectedly recounted the experience.
Later, after being confronted about the incident by the recently-arrived Taro Kudo, Kyoichi Mida, Ayako Hoshino, and Makoto Obata, Yokoyama agreed to transport the group to an underground cavern which they intended to survey. There, they discovered a large reservoir of water which came in from the sea at high tide. Not long after, the water lit up with a blue glow not unlike that previously experienced by Yokoyama and Sakura, the former warning the rest of the group that it was a sign of the monster. As the water churned and several waves crashed against the cave floor, the light disappeared and it was concluded that the monster had left. One of the waves created washed up a Japanese wristwatch which Yokoyama recognized as Sakura's, sending him into a panic and prompting him to speed off in his vehicle, stranding the rest of the group. As Yokoyama and an islander named Rico who had tagged along in the jeep arrived at the hut which Yokoyama had been temporarily taking residence in, Gezora emerged from the ocean and came on land. The monster wasted no time in making his attack, arriving at the building and bursting through the ceiling and window with its tentacles to terrorize the men inside. Gezora quickly constricted Yokoyama with one of the tentacles and ripped him from the shack, before doing the same with Rico, tossing the latter to the ground outside. After further dismantling the building, Gezora prepared to finish Rico off, but was suddenly driven off by a colony of bats flying overhead, due to the ultrasonic waves which they had been emitting. Although Rico managed to keep his life, he was left in a near-comatose state, responding only to light shined in his eyes, and with a number of frostbitten wounds on his body, both of which concluded by Dr. Kyoichi Mida to be the doing of Gezora.
Gezora was again encountered the following morning as Taro and the doctor were diving in the ocean to search for the crashed Helios-7. Immediately after catching sight of the men, Gezora outstretched his tentacles and managed to entrap Taro in one of them. Frantically, Taro attempted to stab at the tentacle with a knife and Dr. Mida assisted by firing a harpoon at it, however neither object was able to pierce it. In their time of distraction, Gezora was able to further trap Dr. Mida in its other tentacle, seemingly sealing the fates of both men. Fortunately, Gezora's attention was diverted by a group of dolphins swimming nearby, allowing for the two to free themselves. Gezora then released a cloud of ink to disperse the dolphins, but also inadvertently allowed for Taro and Dr. Mida to make their escape in the process. As the men arrived at shore, Gezora also emerged and made his way to a native encampment. There, the monster began to terrorize its inhabitants and decimate several buildings, even killing the elder Onbo by picking up and tossing him with his tentacle.
Conspiring against the beast, Taro, Dr. Mida, and Ayako concluded that using fire against Gezora may prove effective, as Ayako noticed that at one point his tentacle was scalded by a small fire in the village. With help from a number of natives, Taro and the doctor began to fire at Gezora with rifles to catch his attention and lure him into a clearing. Once there, the field was drenched in gasoline from an old munitions dump and lit with torches, setting Gezora ablaze. With massive burns and sores covering his body, the giant cuttlefish ran back to the ocean and began to attempt to swim away, but ultimately perished on the seafloor. The Space Amoeba then escaped from the monster's corpse, only to travel back to the island to continue his attack.
Reiwa era
Godziban
When Godzilla-kun wanted to give his brothers some beach volleyball training, Gezora helped him create a red bamboo volleyball net for a match with Ebirah. He cheerfully introduces himself to Minilla and Little with a tip of his mantle before diving back under the sea, offering help for any other thing they might need him for.
Abilities
Amphibiousness
Although able to travel on land, Gezora is primarily an aquatic creature, and as such is capable of swimming and breathing underwater. When walking on land, Gezora was able to travel at a moderate pace. Even after being burnt alive, Gezora was able to retreat back into the ocean before succumbing to its burns. In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, he is stated to be faster in the water than Godzilla.
Bioluminescence
In Space Amoeba, Gezora was able to emit bands of bright, blue light, when underwater, which ultimately came to be recognized as a sign of the monster's presence. Gezora demonstrated this when emerging from the ocean as well as in a cave that was flooded. This ability may be, in part, due to the Space Amoeba possessing Gezora's body, who himself is an amorphous bright blue creature that emits a similar glow. In a similar manner, when on land, Gezora's eyes continuously blink a yellow light, and his body also seems to periodically glow a dim blue, such as when he is being shot at by Taro and Dr. Mida.
In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Gezora's eyes glow yellow, an effect more prominent underwater. When he fled from the sonar waves fired at him, a trail of orange light comes from his eyes.
Gezora emits its blue glow before churning the waters.
A trail of orange light is seen from Gezora's eyes
Tentacles
Gezora has ten long, suction-cup-laden tentacles which are effective at pinning[5][note 1] and constricting people or objects. In Space Amoeba, Gezora uses one of his tentacles to ensnare Sakura, before drowning and consuming him. Gezora later destroyed the hut that Rico and Yokoyama were inside of using his tentacles, ensnaring both of them, with Gezora killing Yokoyama and tossing Rico aside. While underwater, Gezora was able to constrict his tentacles around Dr. Mida and Taro, before releasing them after being distracted by a pod of dolphins. When attacking the islanders village, Gezora picked up an islander with his tentacle and threw them, doing the same to the island elder Onbo. Gezora then destroyed several other huts either by constriction, knocking them over, or swiping at them.
In the Godzilla, King of the Monsters Game Boy game, Gezora could send his tentacles towards Godzilla like projectiles while in the water.
In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Gezora destroys two Navy vessels with his tentacles, the first by bisecting it with a swing of a tentacle, and the second by pulling it apart. He also uses them to restrain one of Godzilla's arms, to allow naval fire to hit the reptilian instead. Later, during their underwater fight, Gezora constricted his tentacles around Godzilla's neck and arm, before fully planting his mouth directly on top of Godzilla's chest and restricting his movement. He then proceeded to move up towards Godzilla's head and shoulders to allow Destoroyah to gore him in the chest with his horn.
In Godzilla: Rage Across Time, Gezora constricted Ebirah's body and claws while attempting to steal the crustacean's meal.
Sakura is ensnared in Gezora's tentacle and drowned.
Gezora tosses the island elder Onbo with his tentacle.
Gezora sending two of his tentacles at Godzilla
Gezora sending three of his tentacles at Godzilla
Ink
Gezora possesses a tube on his body, from which large quantities of ink can be secreted underwater.[5][note 2] Much like in real-world cephalopods, this ink acts as a sort of smokescreen, hampering visibility greatly, and was used by Gezora to disperse a group of dolphins swimming nearby. In Godzilla Defense Force, Gezora can spray ink at the player to stop their facilities from producing units.
Freezing temperature
Gezora is an extremely cold-blooded creature, with a body temperature noted as being close to freezing. Because of this, Gezora is able to cool the water and air around him to freezing temperatures and is even said to be able to instantaneously freeze opponents,[5][note 3] though the latter is only somewhat displayed when Gezora's tentacles leave the islander Rico with a number of frostbitten wounds across his body. His body also seems to emanate a sub-zero gas, leaving a trail of white fog wherever he roams, resulting in gusts of winds. The winds produced by Gezora were shown to be strong enough to knock over trees. Before Gezora first emerged from the ocean, Sakura noted how the air and water felt unnaturally cold.
Gezora's tentacle emanates with a freezing smoke.
Gezora generates a gust of wind, due to the smoke emanating from his body.
Durability
In Space Amoeba, Gezora displayed resistance to conventional weaponry, such as being unfazed by numerous rifle shots fired at his body. Gezora was also shown to have rather tough skin, as it was unable to be pierced by a knife, and a harpoon fired at it harmlessly bounced off. Gezora was able to survive being burnt alive momentarily, swimming underwater briefly before collapsing and going limp.
In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Godzilla's atomic breath twice forced Gezora to release his grip on the King of the Monsters. He withdrew from their first battle after one blast, while in their second battle he withstood a ray point blank and did not retreat until a second ray slammed him into the Devonians' base.
Taro Kudo attempts to free himself from Gezora's tentacle by stabbing at it with a knife, to no avail.
Kyoichi Mida unsuccessfully attempts to pierce Gezora's skin with a harpoon as Taro Kudo continues to use his knife.
Gezora is merely agitated by a number of rifle shots from Taro Kudo and Kyoichi Mida.
Weaknesses
Due to its incredibly low body temperature, Gezora is weakened by high temperatures, with even brief contact with small fires injuring it. This ultimately caused Gezora's demise in Space Amoeba, when he was lured onto a field drenched with gasoline, which upon being lit, fatally burned the creature, leading to it retreating into the ocean where it died. Gezora is also extremely vulnerable to ultrasonic waves, a trait also shared by the other two kaiju spawned by the Space Amoeba: Kamoebas and Ganimes.[5][note 4] This is demonstrated after Gezora's first shown attack on Sergio Island, when he is deterred by the ultrasonic waves emitted from a colony of native bats.
In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Gezora is the first of the Devonians' monsters to retreat from the military's sonar guns.
Gezora's tentacle is accidentally scalded by a small fire.
Gezora is deterred by the ultrasonic waves emitted by a colony of island bats.
Gezora collapses into the ocean after attempting to flee, and ultimately dies.
Video games
- Monster's Fair (1986) - Microsoft MSX
- Godzilla: Monster of Monsters! (1988) - Nintendo Entertainment System / Famicom
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1993) - Nintendo Game Boy
- Godzilla Generations (1998) - Sega Dreamcast
- Godzilla: Trading Battle (1998) - Sony PlayStation
- Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly (1998) - Sega Dreamcast VMU
- Godzilla Kaiju Collection (2015) - Android and iOS
- Godzilla Defense Force (2019) - Android and iOS
Gezora in Monster's Fair
Gezora in Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Gezora in Godzilla Generations
Gezora in Godzilla: Trading Battle
Gezora's sprite in Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly
Gezora in Godzilla Kaiju Collection
Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!
Gezora, along with Moguera, appears on every world in the game. His only means of attack is extending a single tentacle, which deals minimal damage. However, he is highly mobile, and often stalls for time by trapping Godzilla or Mothra at the edge of the screen, allowing him to regenerate health as the turn ends. Unless the 'DESTR0Y ALL M0NSTERS' code is in effect, Gezora will always be the boss with the lowest health on a given world.
Gezora traps Mothra in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!
Books
- Asahi Sonorama Space Amoeba Sonosheet (1970)
- Toho Monster Picture Book #9: Jumbo Monster Island (1972)
- GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse (2017)
- GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla (2018) [mentioned]
GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse
Gezora appeared in the Mediterranean in the latter half of the 2010's and hindered refugee movement into Europe. While European military forces were said to have the capabilities to destroy Gezora, they did not engage him so as to discourage further immigration of refugees into the continent.[10]
GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla
Gezora was eventually exterminated in 2039 as part of "Operation: Eternal Light."[11]
Comics
- Space Amoeba (1970)
- Monster of Justice Godzilla (1972-1973)
- The Godzilla Comic (1990) [Monster Warrior Godzilla]
- Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #3-4, 8-12 (2013-2014) [mentioned in issue 10]
- Godzilla: Rage Across Time #5 (2016)
- Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Manda (2024)
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
Gezora was classified as a "water" monster in a cave mural on Infant Island.
Gezora and Manda had fallen under the control of the Devonian aliens, who used the two monsters to attack the U.S.S. Goldstein. After Manda destroyed the aircraft carrier, Gezora targeted its survivors. Some time later, the Devonians sent Gezora, Manda, and Titanosaurus to attack a naval fleet assembled near the island where Godzilla had battled Biollante. Gezora destroyed several of the ships before Godzilla engaged the trio of monsters, where he grabbed Manda and swung his body into Gezora's. Gezora attempted to restrain Godzilla alongside Manda, allowing a naval ship to fire on the reptilian square in the chest, but Godzilla blasted them away with his atomic breath, sending them into retreat. Shortly thereafter, the three Devonian-controlled monsters were dispatched once more to protect the Devonian capital against Godzilla, now with the aid of the Devonian creation Destoroyah. After catching Godzilla by surprise, Gezora constricted Godzilla with his tentacles alongside Manda, which allowed Destoroyah to gore Godzilla in the chest with his horn. Enraged, Godzilla used his atomic breath to force Gezora off of him, at which point the military began utilizing sonic guns on the monsters, causing the water kaiju to retreat further underwater towards the Devonian base. Godzilla, having grabbed onto Titanosaurus, gave chase. Once at the Devonian capital, Godzilla continued to battle the monsters, ultimately defeating Gezora with another blast of his atomic breath. Gezora fled after Godzilla refocused his attention on Titanosaurus and Manda. Shortly after this, warheads destroyed the Devonian capital.
Gezora evidently survived the destruction of the Devonian base, as a Trilopod which had absorbed his DNA appeared in Los Angeles four years later, suggesting he had encountered the Trilopods at some point. However, Gezora himself was never seen inside the Trilopod hive, nor did he take part in the final battle between the Earth monsters and the Trilopods, leaving his ultimate fate following the Trilopod attack unknown.
Godzilla: Rage Across Time
During the Cretaceous Period, Gezora fought Ebirah over a pair of dinosaurs killed by Ebirah. Rodan ultimately claimed the meal instead, promptly knocking both kaiju over as he flew by. Even after having their meal stolen, Gezora and Ebirah continued to fight each other.
In other languages
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Russian
Gallery
- Main article: Gezora/Gallery.
Roar
Gezora's roars were modified from primate sounds used in the 44th episode of Ultraseven, that would be later used for the Ultra Kaiju Bemstar and King Maimai, and reused for the kaiju Kinger and Stegodzillas in Go! Godman. Gezora's breathing sounds were reused for Hedorah in Godzilla vs. Hedorah. The onomatopoeia for Gezora's roar is rendered as "CHTCHEEER" in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth and "XXKKIIIIRRR" in Godzilla: Rage Across Time.
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Trivia
- A parody of Gezora named "Ikara" is featured in episode 57 of the anime Sgt. Frog, "Old School Monster Battle: Keroro Style!" (巨大カエル対南海の大怪獣 であります Kyodai Kaeru tai Nankai no Daikaijū de Arimasu, lit. It's the Giant Frog vs. the Giant Monsters of the South Seas).
Related characters
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Video
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Notes
- ↑ 10 long tentacles and their giant suction cups for pinning. / 10本の長い触手とその大吸盤で押さえ込む。
- ↑ A large quantity of ink spat from an ink tube to create a world of darkness. / 墨汁管で大量の墨を吐き暗黒の世界を作る。
- ↑ Because he is a cold-blooded animal with a body temperature of near-freezing, it can instantly freeze an opponent. / 体温が氷点に近い冷血動物なので、瞬間に敵を凍らせる。
- ↑ He is weak against high temperature fire due to his low body temperature, and is vulnerable to ultrasonic waves. / 体温が低いので高熱の火に弱く、超音波にも弱い。
References
This is a list of references for Gezora. 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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