Gigan
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
“
|
GIGAN!!! Rise!
|
„
|
Gigan (ガイガン Gaigan) is an alien cyborg kaiju who first appeared in the 1972 Toho Godzilla film Godzilla vs. Gigan.
The ultimate weapon of the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens, Gigan was deployed to Earth alongside King Ghidorah to aid in the invaders' conquest of the planet. Gigan and King Ghidorah began their assault on Tokyo, where they were confronted by Godzilla and Anguirus. After a grueling battle, Gigan and King Ghidorah both retreated into outer space. The following year, in Godzilla vs. Megalon, the Nebulans sent Gigan back to Earth to aid their allies, the Seatopians, in their assault on the surface world. Gigan joined forces with the Seatopians' guardian Megalon, but was sent retreating once again by the combined efforts of Godzilla and Jet Jaguar. In the television series Zone Fighter, Gigan was now under the control of the Garogas and had joined the ranks of their Terror-Beasts. The Garogas upgraded Gigan and sent him to Earth, where he fought Godzilla once again but was ultimately killed in battle with Zone Fighter. Gigan's next film appearance came in Godzilla Final Wars almost 30 years later, where he was under the control of the Xiliens. Gigan engaged Godzilla in Antarctica and was defeated, but the Xiliens upgraded him and sent him to Tokyo to aid Monster X in the final battle against Godzilla. Mothra soon intervened on Godzilla's behalf, sacrificing her life to destroy Gigan once and for all.
Despite the generally low-perceived quality of his first two film appearances, Gigan has remained a popular member of Godzilla's rogues gallery, and has been featured in numerous comics and video games over the years. Gigan's popularity contributed to his revival for Godzilla Final Wars, as he was one of director Ryuhei Kitamura's favorite monsters, and Toho released two short films in 2022, Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex and Fest Godzilla 3: Gigan Attacks, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his debut film.
Name
Gigan's Japanese name, Gaigan, was derived from a nickname for actor Yujiro Ishihara, "nice guy" (ナイスガイ naisu gai), combined with the word for goose, gan (雁); both were influences on Gigan's design in his visor and body shape, respectively.[15] The name may have also been chosen as a contraction of "geiger counter," spelled in Japanese as ガイガーカウンター (gaigā kauntā).[16]
The incarnation of Gigan from Godzilla Final Wars is designated Gigan (2nd Generation) (ガイガン（2代目） Gaigan Nidaime).[17] Gigan's upgraded form in the film is officially named Modified Gigan (改造ガイガン Kaizō Gaigan). Early figures of the monster, including those of Bandai's Movie Monster Series and Chogokin, instead called the form Power-up Type (パワーアップ・タイプ Pawāappu Taipu),
In the animated short film Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex, the numerous green Gigan units are known as Gigan Miles (ガイガンミレース Gaigan Mirēsu), which comes from miles, the Latin word for "soldier." The red Gigan who commands the Gigan Miles is called Gigan Rex (ガイガンレクス Gaigan Rekusu), whose name comes from the Latin word for "king," rex.
Development
Gigan was designed by Shōnen Magazine illustrator Takayoshi Mizuki, based on ideas by Teruyoshi Nakano.[note 1] Mizuki was contacted in early 1971 by Toho production manager Masao Suzuki to design a space monster for a new Godzilla film.[18] According to Nakano, "the idea for Gigan was to create a monster with quite a different shape,"[19] wanting for the monster to be akin to a "richly colored dinosaur"[16] and also being inspired by the designs of the multilayered jūnihitoe kimonos worn by Japanese court ladies.[16][20] Mizuki created two potential looks for Gigan, a "triangular" design reminiscent of his final appearance, and a "circular" design sporting a number of hemispheres across its body.[18] Mizuki aimed for a "sharp, florid" look when creating Gigan's design, and took inspiration after birds; he based Gigan's form on migratory birds such as geese, and adopted the sharpness of an eagle from his neck up.[18] Gigan's scythe-like appendages were said to have been inspired by Alien Baltan from the Ultra Series, due to Mizuki frequently drawing Ultraman artwork for magazines,[15] while 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 in 1960.[18] Originally, Gigan was to have a single eye beneath the visor which would move along a horizontal axis, though this was not preserved in the finished film.[18] Mizuki was also responsible for conceiving nearly all of Gigan's weapons and abilities, such as his rotating chest saw and the canonical functionality of his head horn as a radar antenna.[18] While Mizuki created concepts for the laser beam that Gigan is often depicted as having in publicity stills,[18] it was actually Teruyoshi Nakano who hatched the 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," he commented on the inspiration behind the ability.[19] Nakano later decided against the idea, however, stating that it "doesn't fit a monster, it fits a human, or a superhuman."[19]
Additional redrawn Gigan concept art based on Takayoshi Mizuki's design
Takeshi Kimura was the first to write Gigan into a story treatment for the twelfth entry in the Godzilla series, entitled Godzilla vs. the Space Monsters: Earth Defense Directive. In the draft, 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.[21] As Miko prepared to destroy the capital of Japan, he sent the monsters to an international science exhibition to implant his life support system into the ancient Incan idol Majin Tuol, who was being kept there.[21] However, as Gigan attempted to cut the statue open, it came alive to ward off the invaders, with Godzilla and Anguirus arriving to join him.[21] This treatment would soon be followed by two more—The Return of King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs. Gigan: The Return of King Ghidorah, both penned by Shinichi Sekizawa—which laid the groundwork for what would ultimately become Godzilla vs. Gigan. Gigan was later considered for a 1973 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla precursor, Showdown in Zanpamisaki: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. In this story, Gigan would have been deployed by the invading R Aliens to fight Godzilla, Anguirus, and King Balgan in Okinawa alongside their own mechanical creation, Mechagodzilla.[13] Gigan was ultimately dropped from the film. The cyborg was also considered for the rejected film concept S.O.S. Tokyo! Godzilla's Suicide Strategy, written by Hiroyasu Yamaura sometime between 1973 and 1978. A pawn of the Titan Aliens from Galaxy 23, Gigan would have possessed new hurricane-generating powers and been deployed alongside the robotic monster Chamelegon in an effort to seize control of Japan.
The Return of King Ghidorah illustration by Ryu Hariken
Gigan's suit was modeled by Nobuyuki Yasumaru, who took over for Teizo Toshimitsu as Toho's chief modeler in 1971.[15] The suit's eye was made of acrylic resin, while the beak, horns, and scythes were made using fiber-reinforced plastic, or FRP.[15] Initially, the FRP components were cast solid, and needed to be hollowed out after complaints of difficulty moving from suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma; of Yasumaru, Satsuma explained "His priority is design, not operation of the suit or the actor."[21][Missing page number] This would not be the only alteration made to the suit during production, however. Gigan's neck was at first made considerably longer, and the suit's fins were more rounded.[22] This version of the suit was used in the film to depict Gigan attacking a port, and was refurbished shortly thereafter.[22] Gigan's fins were made of white Georgette fabric taken from a stage curtain.[15] While Takayoshi Mizuki envisioned Gigan possessing yellow feathers,[16] these were replaced by golden scales during the modeling process, cast from a mold of King Ghidorah's scales that had been left in the Toho studio.[15] Gigan's buzzsaw could be replaced with a rigged piece, consisting of a wooden strip with blade pieces attached.[7] This could be fed through a remote-controlled[5] motor mechanism created by Akinori Takagi, which moved it up and down along a cam, mimicking the appearance of a rotary saw at high speed.[7] In addition to the Gigan suit, an approximately 1 meter-long scale model of the monster in flight was created out of styrene.[15] It was equipped with a mechanism to spray Freon gas[15] from either side of its wings, simulating him cutting through the air at high speed. A giant model of Gigan's claw was also used to depict him swatting at fighter jets.[7]
Nobuyuki Yasumaru works on the Gigan suit
Nobuyuki Yasumaru works on the Gigan suit
Gigan's buzzsaw is replaced during filming
Gigan's buzzsaw is operated by remote control during filming
Teruyoshi Nakano holds the Gigan arm model on the set of Godzilla vs. Gigan
Gigan's arm model is operated during filming
Gigan and King Ghidorah's flying models
A Gigan suit was made for attraction purposes sometime during the early Heisei period. "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken borrowed the suit and shot photos of it in 1993.[23] This suit, or a similar one, was used in an Ultraman stage show at Hero Festival '96.[24]
The Gigan attraction suit with a fanmade Godzilla suit in 1993
The Gigan attraction suit with a fanmade Godzilla suit in 1993
Gigan faces off against Ultraman in a 1996 Hero Festival performance
Gigan was heavily redesigned by Yasushi Nirasawa for Godzilla Final Wars in 2004. Nirasawa intentionally shied away from the character's original design, nixing his scales and adding concealed weapons to his body.[15]:308 Nirasawa also prepared concept art for Gigan's Modified form, an idea of director Ryuhei Kitamura's.[15]:308 The monster was portrayed by Kazuhiro Yoshida, who doubled as the actor for Hedorah in the film. Modeling company Star Train produced two new suits and a flying prop, supervised by Shinichi Wakasa.[25] The suits were designed to be modular and could split apart into individual pieces, allowing for his 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 also created for Gigan's decapitation scene.[26]:96 At least one more suit, which was artificially weathered, was used to represent the mummified Gigan.[15]:308 In addition to the practical effects, several shots of Modified Gigan were computer-generated. One of the regular Gigan suits later turned up in original footage shot by Koichi Kawakita for the 2004 Pachinko game, CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle.
One of the Millennium Gigan suits under construction
One of the Final Wars Gigan suits in use in CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle
Design
Gigan is truly a strange monster, sporting a circular saw weapon located in his frontal abdominal region, large steel hooks for hands with smaller ones for toes, spikes running down his tail, three, large fin-like sails on his back and a red cybernetic visor for an eye. He also bears various avian characteristics, such as a "crest" made of metal spines and a metal beak. In the Showa series, Gigan's skin was a dark green color and he possessed golden scales over several parts of his body.
In Godzilla Island, Gigan mostly resembles his original Showa design except that he possesses only two sails on his back and instead has a row of spikes where the middle sail would be.
In Godzilla Final Wars, Gigan's appearance was changed to make him appear more cybernetic. In this film, Gigan's skin is now a dark blue, his body is much thinner and more streamlined, and there are wire-like structures running across his body. When Gigan is revived as Modified Gigan, his hook hands are replaced with double-pronged chainsaws in addition to a larger crest and reinforced neck.
Gigan retains his Showa design in the Random House picture book Who's Afraid of Godzilla?, while illustrations in Godzilla vs. Gigan and the Smog Monster and Godzilla on Monster Island resemble his Trendmasters figures. In IDW Publishing's Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, the Cryog aliens upgrade Gigan early in the series, changing his appearance from the Showa design to the Millennium design.
The video game GigaBash also uses Gigan's Showa design, but with nostrils added to his beak.
Personality
Gigan is sometimes considered to be Godzilla's most brutal and violent opponent. The 1992 book Special Graphix Godzilla vs. Mothra contrasts Gigan's personality with King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla, two of Godzilla's other recurring foes from the Showa series. While King Ghidorah is described as a "dignified villain," Gigan is said to be a "bloodthirsty, ferocious cutthroat" in contrast to Mechagodzilla being a "consistently coldhearted and composed professional."[27][note 2] Gigan is shown to be very vicious and sadistic in combat, preferring to shred his opponents up close with his hook hands and buzzsaw. Gigan is also not above continuing to attack his enemies while they are down, as shown in his debut film, where he repeatedly struck and stabbed Godzilla with his Hammer Hands while the latter was still left floored by the Godzilla Tower. According to Gigan's suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma, he made the conscious decision to portray Gigan as enjoying the destruction he causes.[28] However, at least in the Showa series, Gigan appears to be a bit of a coward, attempting to retreat and leaving his ally at the mercy of his enemies as soon as the tide of battle turns against him.
In Godzilla Island, Gigan has a very different personality as an honourable monster who prefers to fight other monsters in fair duels between himself and his opponent without any interference. He shows a lot of respect for Godzilla and spares him in their duel for two reasons: Godzilla was his most challenging opponent and Godzilla also landed a fair hit on him. This respect for Godzilla and his personal belief that he should be the one to defeat Godzilla leads him to assist Godzilla against his enemies such as the Xilien pawns Megalon, Destoroyah and Dororin. However, when he was under the impression that Godzilla had attacked him in a dishonourable way when Dororin, having shapeshifted into Godzilla's form, attacked him with a boulder, Gigan did not attempt to fight him in a formal manner similar to their previous duels and instead simply battled him.
In the Random House picture book Who's Afraid of Godzilla?, Gigan initially lives in fear of Godzilla similar to the other Monster Island residents though when Godzilla leaves the island out of sadness, Gigan and his friend Megalon reveal themselves to be bullies and drive the other monsters into hiding, even pushing Anguirus into a volcano for standing up to them. They do, however, remain scared of Godzilla when he returns as they run into the jungle for cover and are later shocked to see the other monsters playing with Godzilla.
In Godzilla 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. Gigan also appears to be prideful and arrogant, as when he believed he had succeeded in killing Mothra, he turned around and struck a victory pose.
Gigan is portrayed as a heroic monster in the novel GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, the official prequel to the GODZILLA anime trilogy, where he is utilized by the United Earth to combat Godzilla multiple times during "Operation: Long March," saving the lives of many soldiers in the process.
In the short film Fest Godzilla 3: Gigan Attacks, Gigan displayed visible shock after his forehead laser malfunctioned, waving his claws around wildly in a panic.
Origins
In the Showa series, Gigan is a type of space dinosaur that was transformed into a cyborg by the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens in order to be used in their attempted invasion of Earth.[10] Gigan's origin of being a pawn of the Nebulans is retained for some other media such as Godzilla Island, Godzilla: Rage Across Time, and Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Gigan.
In Godzilla Final Wars, Gigan is an ancient cybernetic monster that was sent to Earth by the Xiliens 12,000 years ago, where he was defeated by Mothra and subsequently mummified. In the year 20XX, Gigan's mummified corpse was discovered by the Earth Defense Force in Hokkaido, and the monster was later reactivated by the Controller of Planet X during the Xiliens' invasion.
In the continuity of the GODZILLA anime trilogy, Gigan was a monster discovered in hibernation on the seabed off the coast of Siberia. Gigan was modified using Exif and Bilusaludo technology and gradually converted into a cybernetic biological weapon used against Godzilla.[11]
History
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
- Zone Fighter (TV 1973) [episode 11]
- Adventure! Godzilland 2 (TV 1993) [animated segments]
- Get Going! Godzilland (OVA 1996)
- Godzilla Island (TV 1997-1998) [27 episodes][note 3]
- Godzilla Final Wars (2004)
- Godziban (web 2019-2023) [episodes 18-19, 24, 27, 30, 36, 39, 47, and 52-63; special episodes 3 and 11]
- Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex (2022)
- Fest Godzilla 3: Gigan Attacks (2022)
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (2023) [carcass]
- Fest Godzilla 4: Operation Jet Jaguar (2023) [mentioned]
- Chibi Godzilla Raids Again (TV 2023-2024)
- Fest Godzilla 5: All Monsters Showdown (2024) [mentioned]
Showa era
Godzilla vs. Gigan
Gigan was sent to Earth by the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens to destroy human civilization alongside King Ghidorah. Controlled remotely by the Nebulans from Godzilla Tower, Gigan and King Ghidorah were unleashed in Tokyo. The space monsters ravaged the city, but their rampage was interrupted by Godzilla and Anguirus at a refinery. The monsters began a fierce battle, which gradually moved to the Nebulans' base of operations at World Children's Land. With the aid of the Godzilla Tower's laser cannon, Gigan and King Ghidorah nearly killed both of the Earth monsters. However, a group of humans were able to successfully destroy the Godzilla Tower with explosives, severing the Nebulans' control over the space monsters. While they were able to maintain their assault for a while, Gigan and King Ghidorah were eventually left disorganized and confused without the orders relayed by their masters, and they soon began bickering with one another. This granted Godzilla and Anguirus an opportunity to regroup and mount an assault of their own. This time, the tide of battle was turned against Gigan and King Ghidorah, prompting Gigan to attempt a retreat. Godzilla shot down Gigan with his atomic breath, then he and Anguirus turned their attention to King Ghidorah. Finally, King Ghidorah flew away into space, and was joined by Gigan, leaving the Earth safe for the time being.
Godzilla vs. Megalon
A year later, the Seatopians called upon the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens for aid as they launched an assault on the surface world. The Nebulans sent Gigan to aid their allies, and he joined the Seatopians' guardian Megalon in battle against Jet Jaguar. Godzilla soon arrived to assist the robot, but the two found themselves locked in a difficult battle. Eventually, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar regained their strength and began to regain the upper hand. After Jet Jaguar broke Gigan's arm and Godzilla shot him down when he took to the air, he quickly retreated back to space, leaving Megalon at the mercy of the two heroes, with the battle now firmly against him.
Zone Fighter
"In a Hair's Breadth: The Roar of Godzilla!"
After his battles with Godzilla and Jet Jaguar, Gigan found himself under the control of the Garogas, who outfitted his claws with explosive charges. Following a scheme of the Garogas' 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, who flew down with drogue parachutes after the Terror-Beast Missile had exploded. The rival monsters again locked in combat, Gigan was quickly dispatched, and Godzilla turned to save Zone Fighter who was still in peril. Gigan was, however, merely feigning death, and returned to his feet to attempt a sneak attack on Godzilla. Noticing this, Zone Great summoned Bolt Thunder to halt the cyborg, again flooring him and allowing Godzilla to cut the power to the junkyard's compactor. Godzilla then thoroughly beat Gigan, leaving him motionless after repeatedly slamming him into the ground with his tail, and left the scene believing himself triumphant. Though, this would not be the end of the space monster, who miraculously revived himself. Free from his automotive imprisonment, Zone Fighter grew to giant size to engage the persistent monster in a final duel. After a brief scuffle, Gigan managed to restrain Zone and utilized his upgraded claws to detonate one of the charges against the hero's head. Zone was not fazed for long, however, as he quickly rolled away and destroyed Gigan's remaining explosive with his Proton Beam. No longer possessing the edge, Gigan was bested in combat and, this time unable to retreat, was struck by Zone's finishing blow, the Meteor Missile Might. With Zone standing victorious, Gigan began to stumble forward with smoke billowing from his chest, before falling to the ground. Gigan's visor dimmed as his mouth flooded with foam before his body finally exploded, thus concluding the cyborg monster’s reign of terror once and for all.
Heisei era
Get Going! Godzilland
Gigan lived with many other kaiju on an island called Godzilland. He rarely interacted with Godzilla and his friends, instead typically hanging around King Ghidorah and Moguera.
Godzilla Island
Gigan
While fuming at an article in the Xilien Gazette criticizing her previous invasion attempts, Zagreth suddenly encountered a cockroach on her desk. As she prepared to squash it with her newspaper, the cockroach spoke and introduced itself as a Nebulan from the M Space Hunter Nebula and offered to give her the cyborg monster Gigan to help with her invasion attempts if she saved 10 billion Nebulans aboard a nearby ship - she agreed to do so if Gigan beat Godzilla. The Nebulan then summoned Gigan to show Zagreth and after hearing Zagreth's praise, Gigan flew down to Earth.
Gigan appeared above Godzilla Island and scanned Godzilla but then left as soon as he had arrived, confusing Zagreth. The Nebulan explained that Gigan didn't plan on just simply attacking Godzilla and was mentally rehearsing a plan to defeat him. Gigan then fired an arrow from space which landed directly at Godzilla's feet, challenging Godzilla to a duel at sundown at the Sanda Plains. Godzilla accepted the duel despite King Caesar's warnings that Gigan was unlike any other monster he'd fought before and arrived at sundown to face off against Gigan. The two then proceeded to stare each other down throughout the entire night despite the suspicions of Torema and the boredom of Zagreth, neither one moving at all. The staredown ended at sunrise at which point Gigan reflected sunlight off his metal claw, blinding Godzilla and leading Gigan to charge forward though the monster king quickly recovered and Gigan returned to his starting point. Annoyed, Zagreth impatiently ordered another of her pawns, Battra, into action though Gigan swiftly knocked Battra out of the sky with a laser blast as he did not want his honour to be ruined by another monster intervening in the duel, an idea Zagreth found pretentious. However, a sudden rockfall led both monsters to charge at each other and land blows on each other with Godzilla collapsing shortly after. As Gigan stood triumphantly over Godzilla, Mother Mothra and Rodan arrived to help Godzilla, with Mothra covering Gigan with her pollen and Rodan carrying Godzilla away to the island's hot spring where he could heal his wounds. After this, Gigan simply walked away.
Later, as Godzilla and King Caesar were relaxing in the spring and discussing the duel, Gigan suddenly appeared and despite Godzilla and King Caesar's concerns that he may try to battle them, went into the spring himself. He explained to them that he spared Godzila because he also landed a fair blow on him. Gigan then challenged Godzilla to a rematch which was quickly accepted and Godzilla left to learn a new technique under the guidance of King Caesar. Three days later, Godzilla meets up with Gigan once again and they begin to stare each other down, as Zagreth despairs about the potential of another long staring match and King Caesar reassures the other monster inhabitants that Godzilla will be victorious and that they mustn't intervene in the duel. As they stared each other down, Godzilla closed his eyes and began to emit a green and red aura. Gigan ignores the Nebulan's orders to retreat and watched as Godzilla as fired his atomic breath into the air, charging at Godzilla during this. Godzilla's atomic breath then turned around and struck Gigan in the back in the middle of his charge, giving Godzilla the opportunity to charge forward and knock Gigan to the ground with a tail-whip. Gigan then briefly looked up at the victorious Godzilla, passing out just before the arrival of the other monster inhabitants who all congratulated Godzilla on his win.
Mecha-King Ghidorah
When Mecha-King Ghidorah landed in front of Godzilla and the two stared each other down, Lucas compared it to Godzilla's duel with Gigan though Torema suspected that it was a different situation. She was proven right when Godzilla simply walked over and pushed the cyborg to the ground without difficulty as Mecha-King Ghidorah had been deployed without an electronic brain, leaving it unable to do anything.
Mysteries of Godzilla Island
Gigan was seen in flashbacks as Torema and Lucas swapped questions: while discussing various locations on Godzilla Island, a flashback of Godzilla and Gigan's first duel was seen when the two talked about the Sanda Plains. Gigan was also mentioned when the two talked about the Monster Temple where Godzilla went to meditate in preparation for his second duel with Gigan.
SpaceGodzilla's Spirit
Gigan appeared in a flashback as Torema, Lucas, and Jinguji recalled Godzilla's many battles.
Goodbye, Torema
Gigan came across Megalon and Destoroyah, both Xilien pawns, sleeping outside a cave on Matango Island which they had trapped Godzilla in. Later, after the malfunctioning Proto-Moguera accidently allowed Godzilla and Torema in the Panna Torte to escape the cave and Godzilla was attacked by both Megalon and Destoroyah despite Torema attempting to intervene, Gigan appeared. Torema told Godzilla to retreat as not even he could take on three opponents but Gigan charged forward and knocked Megalon down, surprising everyone. Destoroyah attempted to fly away but was shot down by a laser blast from Gigan, with the crustacean monster being defeated shortly after by a tail-whip from Godzilla. Gigan and Godzilla dragged Megalon and Destoroyah respectively into the cave Godzilla had just been imprisoned in and then closed the entrance on the two monsters with their respective beam attacks. Gigan explained that he vowed to be the one to defeat Godzilla and told him not to die before that day, leaving immediately after.
Bonus
Gigan appeared in flashbacks when Beisuke Jinguji and Lucas discussed their memories of Torema and what had occurred since the Xiliens first invaded: while discussing Godzilla's previous battles, a flashback of Godzilla duelling Gigan was seen and while the two discussed Matango Island, a flashback of Gigan assisting Godzilla against Megalon and Destoroyah was shown.
Dororin
When Misato Jinguji, Beisuke Jinguji's daughter, visited Matango Island, she came across Gigan training by throwing rocks into the air and then slicing them apart. She recognised him from the Monster Data File and introduced herself to him though he ignored her and flew away. She was later told by her father and Lucas that Godzilla and Gigan were destined rivals and that they had technically tied due to Gigan winning the first duel and Godzilla the second. Randeth, who the Giant Dark Emperor had employed following Zagreth being fired twice, sent her minion Cameron down to Matango Island in an attempt to convince him to ally with the Xiliens but he refused, intent on defeating Godzilla without any assistance. While he was meditating on Matango Island, Gigan was suddenly attacked by the new Xilien pawn Dororin who had shapeshifted into Godzilla's form, knocking him out with a rock before shapeshifting into Gigan's form to do the same to Godzilla. Gigan quickly awoke and told Misato that Godzilla had attacked him, flying away before Misato can ask further questions about what had happened. While flying alongside Gigan, Misato received a communication from her father that Gigan had just attacked Godzilla, confusing them both as Misato was right next to Gigan. Gigan then noticed Godzilla on Godzilla Island and the two immediately started to duel, completely ignoring Misato's attempts to stop their fighting even when she told them about the G-Guard base being under attack. Their duel was finally interrupted by MOGUERA, being piloted by Nao Koda, who told them that the G-Guard base was under attack. Godzilla and Gigan quickly debated before Godzilla left to fight Dororin, prioritising the safety of his friends over the duel. Gigan then appeared to assist Godzilla when he struggled against Dororin, attacking the shapeshifter as he restrained Godzilla and knocking him over, shattering his body. Luckily, Misato arrived in Fire Fighter Jet Jaguar and sprayed Dororin with the hose, having discovered Dororin's weakness to water. As Dororin's orb form flew away, Gigan chased after him and managed to shatter him, killing him and ending the terror of Dororin once and for all. Gigan continued flying away and shot down an arrow telling Godzilla that he vowed to be the one to defeat him.
Millennium era
Godzilla Final Wars
In 20XX, Gigan's mummified remains were discovered in Hokkaido by the Earth Defense Force. According to the Shobijin, Gigan invaded the Earth thousands of years ago, but was defeated by Mothra. Gigan was soon reactivated by the Xiliens to help them conquer Earth. He chased the Gotengo to Antarctica to stop it from awakening Godzilla. He nearly destroyed the ship, but he was blasted by Godzilla's atomic breath. 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.
Modified Gigan
After being decapitated in his battle with Godzilla, Gigan was repaired and upgraded by the Xiliens into Modified Gigan (改造ガイガン Kaizō Gaigan), with a different head, braces to protect the back of his neck, slits in his body that fire razor discs and, most notably, a pair of two-pronged chainsaws instead of a pair of hooks. Modified Gigan was released by the Controller of Planet X 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. Godzilla wriggled in Monster X's hold, causing them to shift and Gigan's chainsaws to hit Monster X by accident. Mothra flew into the battle and knocked Monster X and Gigan over. Gigan shot his discs from his chest at Mothra, but she dodged them and the discs spun around and headed back to Gigan. 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 die.
Reiwa era
Godziban
The Gigan Clan was a family of powerful space kaiju that were rivals to the Godzilla Clan. The clan was led by King Gigander and Mother Gigarian, who themselves were the parents of Gigan, his older sister Lady Gigana, and his younger sister Girly Galrin.
Seeking to prove himself as one of the universe's strongest monsters, Gigan came to Earth in a meteor and landed on Godzi Godzi Island to challenge a member of the Godzilla Clan. While seeking to pick a fight, he promptly attacked Baragon and Anguirus with his Hammer Hands. Moshu-Moshu crawled by him without incident, but a vengeful gleam appeared in her eyes. After Gigan attacked Little, Godzilla-kun was provoked into taking his challenge, defeating him and burying him underground. When Little ended up digging Gigan out of his prison, he befriended the young kaiju, who proceeded to train Gigan's willpower and endurance through unusual methods. This unusual friendship would lead Gigan to defend Little from King Ghidorah, who saw the fellow "villain kaiju" as a potential ally, but Gigan insisted that he was the only one allowed to defeat the Godzilla Clan. When the three-headed dragon beat Gigan to near death, Little's cries for his friend would end up reviving the cyborg. Gigan's courage ended up gaining Godzilla-kun's respect, with the promise that they could have a proper duel when he trained to be stronger.
The recurring hand-drawn segment Gigan, Slice! sees the Millennium version of Gigan showcasing the sharpness of his claws by way of various mundane tasks.
Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex and Godzilla vs. Megalon
- Main articles: Gigan Miles, Gigan Rex.
The powerful cyborg Gigan Rex led an army of Gigan Miles in an attack on Japan, only to be opposed by Godzilla, appearing for the first time in a quarter-century. Despite their teamwork, and the willingness of the Gigan Miles to sacrifice themselves to empower Gigan Rex, Godzilla defeated the cyborgs with his white-hot atomic breath. Gigan Rex's corpse would be seized by a Seatopian agent, who would siphon power from the cyborg as a sacrifice to awaken Megalon.
Fest Godzilla 3: Gigan Attacks
As Godzilla walked into a city, Gigan suddenly appeared in the sky. Landing on the ground, Gigan engaged Godzilla for a time until Godzilla began to charge his atomic breath. Gigan blocked the blast with his Hammer Hands, however, and returned fire with a laser of his own. More laser blasts followed as Godzilla attempted to charge toward him, eventually reaching him. Godzilla was met with a slash across the face from one of Gigan's claws, but ducked under several more swings. Later, as the battle raged on, Godzilla evaded another of Gigan's slashes, instead slicing a nearby tower in half. Eventually, Godzilla landed a punch to Gigan's face, damaging his laser aperture. Gigan attempted to charge a beam, but the device merely sparks. Gigan let out a series of panicked shrieks before angrily charging towards Godzilla, activating his chest-mounted buzzsaw. Gigan forcefully stabbed both of his claws into Godzilla's hide, pulling him into the spinning saw. Godzilla fell backward through a bridge, now bearing a massive wound on his torso. As Godzilla laid helplessly on the ground, Gigan slowly approached, brandishing his claws. Gigan prepared to finish Godzilla off, but Godzilla suddenly grabbed Gigan's claws and returned to his feet. Restraining Gigan's arms, Godzilla blasted the cyborg with his atomic breath at point-blank range, causing him to fall to the ground and erupt into a massive explosion.
Abilities
Antigravity flight
Gigan is capable of flying at speeds of up to Mach 3 while in Earth's atmosphere and Mach 400 while in the realm of space.[15] The latter is achieved by encasing himself in a diamond, and is the fastest any kaiju in the Showa Godzilla series is capable of traveling, tied with the original King Ghidorah. The diamond explodes when Gigan emerges from it, and jets at the tips of his wings leave behind a smoke trail while flying. Gigan's flight normally assists in interstellar travel and is utilized less frequently during battle situations. While using his flight during a battle, Gigan will often engage in aerial slams to continuously topple his opponents without giving them a chance to counter, or even get up.
In Zone Fighter, Gigan was fitted with a set of deployable drogue parachutes to slow his speed down upon approaching a battle after being released from the Terror-Beast Missile he was deployed in.
Gigan's flight is omitted from most of his video game appearances, although he can perform a move where he briefly flies past an enemy and slices it with his buzzsaw in the Atari/Pipeworks games.
Smoke trails left behind Gigan flying
Gigan and King Ghidorah flee from Godzilla and Anguirus in Godzilla vs. Gigan
Gigan flies through the air attached to his drogue parachutes in Zone Fighter
Modified Gigan flies after Mothra in Godzilla Final Wars
Hooked appendages
Gigan's forelimbs sport a pair of large metal hooks, which in the Showa series are either called Hammer Hands (ハンマー・ハンド Hanmā Hando)[4] or Hammer-claw Hands.[12] In the Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla video games, they are instead referred to as Hammerclaws. Gigan uses his Hammer Hands to batter and stab opponents, drawing blood from Godzilla after repeated strikes to the forehead.
In Zone Fighter, the tips of Gigan's Hammer Hands were fitted with explosive charges which detonate on contact with an enemy, though they only have one use each. Gigan used one of his claws to restrain the hero by the neck before using one of the charges, which floored Zone Fighter immediately. Gigan's Hammer Hands were also strong enough to survive Zone Fighter's Meteor Proton Beam, a weapon that often kills Terror-Beasts instantly. Godzilla Movie Studio Tour describes Gigan's Hammer Hands as "diamond hard". Before fighting Godzilla, Gigan demonstrated his strength by slamming his claws into a rock formation causing it to shatter. While Godzilla was focused on saving Zone Fighter, Gigan slammed his foot down on Godzilla's tail and used one of his claws to grasp and throw Godzilla down to the ground.
In Godzilla Final Wars, Gigan's forearms end in scythe-like blades, the undersides of which are equipped with dual grappling hooks that can bind an enemy and drag them straight into his buzzsaw. These new scythe-like appendages are officially referred to as the Bloody Triggers (ブラッディ・トリガー Buraddi Torigā),[13] while concept art calls the grappling hooks the "Fucking Ancer,"[29] likely a misrendering of Hooking Anchor (フッキングアンカー Fukkingu Ankā). In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, when Gigan is upgraded by the Cryogs, his original Hammer Hands are replaced by Bloody Triggers.
In the 1992-3 Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga, Neo Gigan can fire his hooks on cables capable of restraining Godzilla. He can also shoot Napalm Shells from the open ends of his arms that explode on contact, and were shown to briefly stun Godzilla, though they failed to injure him significantly enough to stop his counterattack.
In the novel GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, Gigan initially possesses extremely long sickle-shaped claws on his hands. After he is injured in his fights with Godzilla and converted into a cyborg, his hands are replaced by sickles and later hyper-vibrating chainsaws.
Gigan destroys a jet using his Hammer Hand in Godzilla vs. Gigan
Gigan destroying a large rock formation with his claws in Zone Fighter
Gigan detonates the explosive charge on the end of his Hammer Hand against Zone Fighter's head in Zone Fighter
Gigan fires off his hooks on cables to ensnare Godzilla in Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Gigan shoots off Napalm Shells from the open ends of his arms
Gigan binds Godzilla with the Bloody Triggers' anchored grappling hooks
Bloody Chainsaws
Following his initial defeat by the recently awakened Godzilla in Godzilla Final Wars, Gigan's Bloody Triggers are replaced by double-pronged chainsaws, appropriately dubbed Bloody Chainsaws (ブラッディ・チェーンソー Buraddi Chēnsō).[13] Gigan uses these offensively to slash Godzilla's chest and slice part of Mothra's wing off. He can also plant the appendages on the ground and use them as mock tank treads, propelling him forward at a moderate speed for short distances. This ability is retained in the PlayStation 3 and 4 Godzilla game. Gigan's Bloody Triggers are also eventually replaced by Bloody Chainsaws in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, which he uses to easily cut through Cryog ships.
Gigan slices Mothra's wing using the Bloody Chainsaws
Gigan propels himself along the ground toward Mothra using the Bloody Chainsaws
Buzzsaw
Gigan has a buzzsaw-like Rotating Cutter (回転カッター Kaiten Kattā) or Universal Cutter[30] built into his abdominal area made of an unknown alien alloy, granting it considerable durability and sharpness. In Godzilla vs. Gigan, Gigan's saw was able to draw blood from both Godzilla and Anguirus, easily slicing through the monsters' skin after brief contact. Gigan is able to use his buzzsaw both on the ground and in the air; on the ground, he cut open Anguirus's face after being charged by the ankylosaur. In the air, Gigan favors using his buzzsaw in hit and run attacks, slashing his opponent as he races by them, as demonstrated when he sliced deep into Godzilla's shoulder with the buzzsaw as he flew past at high speed.
In Godzilla Final Wars, the buzzsaw is officially known as the Bladed Cutter (ブラデッド・カッター Buradeddo Kattā),[13] and was able to lacerate the hull of the Gotengo.
In GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, Gigan instead has a Blade Launcher installed in his abdomen. It launches guided blades that travel through the air until they strike their target. This weapon was noted to be a prototype for one of Mechagodzilla's armaments.
Gigan flies past Godzilla, slicing his shoulder open with his buzzsaw in Godzilla vs. Gigan
Gigan uses his buzzsaw to slice Anguirus' face in Godzilla vs. Gigan
Gigan slashes the Gotengo with his buzzsaw in Godzilla Final Wars
Laser
In addition to his melee weapons, the Showa Gigan was depicted as having a beam aperture set into his forehead just above his visor, called the Laser Knife in Godzilla Movie Studio Tour. Official art would frequently depict him as firing a laser from this device, although he was never shown to actually do so on film. However, in Godzilla vs. Gigan, after Godzilla heaves a rock at Gigan's face, the laser device in Gigan's forehead gives off a quick flash of light, possibly short-circuiting. According to an anatomy description of Gigan, his forehead laser is capable of drying up Lake Biwa in 10 seconds.[31]
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 series, including a Zone Fighter manga and the Cinema Shares Godzilla vs. Megalon comic adaptation. Gigan also demonstrated this ability in Godzilla Island and several video games, including Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!, Godzilla, and Godzilla: Great Monster Battle, as well as the trilogy of Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla games. According to Gigan's Trendmasters collectible card, his forehead laser is actually an atomic energy weapon, similar to Godzilla's own atomic breath. Godzilla vs. Gigan and the Smog Monster similarly states that Gigan's laser is actually atomic energy, referring to it as an "atomic forehead laser". Within the short book, Gigan's forehead laser is rather explosive, with the laser exploding against Godzilla's chest after striking him with it. A purple version of the laser is utilized by Gigan in the short film Fest Godzilla 3: Gigan Attacks. In Godzilla on Monster Island, Gigan instead fires an orange laser from his central head spike, missing Godzilla.
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 (the aperture had been replaced with a non-faceted ruby gem), 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 Scattered Light Beam Gigarium Cluster (拡散光線ギガリューム・クラスター Kakusan Kōsen Gigaryūmu Kurasutā),[26] though it is instead called Giganume Cluster when used by Modified Gigan in the PlayStation 3 and 4 Godzilla game. According to Godzilla Final Wars Super Complete Works, Modified Gigan was equipped with a stronger version of the Gigarium Cluster, with it being able to "set fire in an instant."[26] 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 Shotgun Blast. In GigaBash, Gigan can charge up his laser to either scatter at a certain distance or completely scatter and cover a wider area at the cost of shorter range.
Gigan fires his Gigarium Cluster at the Gotengo
Gigan fires his Gigarium Cluster at Mothra
The various modes Gigan's laser has in GigaBash
Bladed Slicer
After being repaired and upgraded following his initial fight with Godzilla in Godzilla Final Wars, Gigan displayed the ability to fire guided razor discs called Bladed Slicers (ブラデッド・スライサー Buradeddo Suraisā)[13] from two hidden slots in his upper torso which were able to boomerang back for a second attempt if they initially missed their target. However, if they missed the target again, Gigan would find himself right in the path of his own attack, which ultimately decapitated him and allowed Mothra to defeat him. This attack is referred to as Bloody Slicer in the PlayStation 3 and 4 Godzilla game, in which Gigan also possesses a more powerful version called Surging Wave Blooded Slicer.
Gigan's Bladed Slicers boomerang back to their source, inadvertently slicing his head off
Gigan is decapitated by his own Bladed Slicers
Tail
In the Showa era, Gigan's tail is tipped with a metal spike, although he was never seen using it in combat. In Zone Fighter, when the titular hero grabbed onto Gigan's tail, Gigan shook the hero around before flinging him off to the side, causing Zone Fighter to lose his grip.
In Godzilla Final Wars, his tail spike is multi-pronged, and Gigan can extend his tail into the air to stab prey like a scorpion. Gigan uses it to attack Mothra by grabbing onto her, dragging, and then throwing her.
Gigan uses his tail to impale, drag, and toss Mothra in Godzilla Final Wars
Beak
In Zone Fighter, after being sent to ground and hit with an atomic breath, Gigan bit down on Godzilla's tail and refused to let go even after being slammed to the ground repeatedly.
Gigan clamping down on Godzilla's tail while being slammed into the ground
Infrared vision
In the Showa era, Gigan is able to detect infrared waves through his visor.[32][16]
Spike ball
In the draft for The Return of King Ghidorah!, which ultimately became Godzilla vs. Gigan, Gigan could fire a spike ball from his right arm. This ability was discarded in the following draft, Godzilla vs. Gigan: The Return of King Ghidorah.
Ninja Revival Technique
In Zone Fighter, Gigan sprang to his feet using the Ninja Revival Technique after Godzilla defeated him. Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works describes Gigan as "immortal" and explains this as him simply playing dead. Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia clarifies: "[Gigan] is immortal so long as both of his claws [...] are unscathed." Gigan later damaged one of his claws himself by hitting Zone Fighter with an explosive charge, with the hero targeting the other. Godzilla Movie Studio Tour also explains that a secret device implanted within the claws give him the ability to revive himself. This technique was included in the Super Famicom fighting game Godzilla: Great Monster Battle.
Flamethrower
In the video game Godzilla and the Godzilla arcade game, Gigan has the ability to spew flames from his mouth. Although this ability has never been used in a film, Godzilla Movie Studio Tour confirmed that it is a normal ability Gigan has always canonically had, describing the flames as "deadly heat rays." Godzilla Dictionary (New Edition) describes the flames as having a temperature of 5,000 degrees Celsius, as well as being able to melt steel and being generated from an internal nuclear reactor.
Burrowing
In Godzilla vs. Gigan and the Smog Monster, Gigan emerged out of the ground headfirst, appearing in Los Angeles, with it being stated he was hiding underground after a previous defeat against Godzilla. In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Gigan clawed his way out of the Grand Canyon after the events of Godzilla.
Teleportation
In the Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla game trilogy as well as in GigaBash, Gigan is able to teleport across short distances instantaneously in place of flying, allowing him to outflank, surprise, or counter-attack enemy monsters. Gigan's teleportation ability has not been present outside of video games.
Gigan emerging out of his teleport in Godzilla Unleashed
Gigan teleporting over Pipijuras to do a counter-attack
Regeneration
In GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, Gigan gains the ability to instantaneously regenerate parts of his body that are destroyed by Godzilla's atomic breath after being injected with experimental Nanometal. While the regenerative properties of the Nanometal were sufficient to allow Gigan to withstand Godzilla's standard atomic breath, they could not prevent a particularly powerful blast of atomic breath from completely destroying him.
Missiles
In GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, Gigan has homing missile launchers installed on his arms.
S-Class form
In the video game GigaBash, after gathering a sufficient amount of Giga Energy, Gigan can grow to massive proportions, gaining great power and enhanced abilities. Giga Energy is gathered through dealing damage to other Titans or from the surrounding environment.
Weaknesses
In Godzilla vs. Gigan, Gigan was left confused alongside King Ghidorah when the Nebulans' control over them was severed. Afterwards, Gigan was sent into retreat by the combined forces of Godzilla and Anguirus. Similarly, in Godzilla vs. Megalon, Gigan swiftly fled back into outer space when Godzilla and Jet Jaguar turned the tide of battle against him and Megalon.
In Zone Fighter, Godzilla was able to defeat Gigan in a one-on-one battle. Later on, the titular hero killed Gigan with his Meteor Missile Might attack.
In Godzilla Final Wars, Godzilla obliterated Gigan's head with his atomic breath. Modified Gigan sliced off his own head with his Bladed Slicers, then was incinerated by a flaming Mothra.
In GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, each of his battles with Godzilla Earth left Gigan severely injured, requiring more and more of his body to be replaced with mechanical parts. After the Bilusaludo injected him with experimental Nanometal, Godzilla Earth overcame his immense regenerative powers by obliterating him with a particularly powerful blast of atomic breath.
In IDW Publishing's comic series Godzilla, Gigan was defeated by the combined efforts of Anguirus and Rodan. Years later, in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Gigan was ensnared by Kumonga's silk and temporarily struggled against the arachnid before lighting the surrounding environment on fire. After being upgraded by the Cryogs, Gigan was sent into retreat after a long battle in Las Vegas with Godzilla, MOGUERA, and Orga. After being further upgraded, Gigan was defeated by his former ally, SpaceGodzilla.
In Godzilla: Rage Across Time, Gigan and Megalon overpowered Godzilla until the Nebulans' control over the pair was severed; taking advantage of their confusion, the King of the Monsters sent them into retreat with a blast of atomic breath.
Video games
- Monster's Fair (1986) - Microsoft MSX
- Godzilla: Monster of Monsters! (1988) - Nintendo Entertainment System / Famicom
- Battle Soccer: Champion of the Field (1992) - Nintendo Super Famicom
- Battle Baseball (1993) - Nintendo Famicom
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1993) - Nintendo Game Boy
- Godzilla (1993) - arcade
- Godzilla (1993) - NEC/Hudson Soft TurboDuo / PC Engine Duo and TurboGrafx-CD / PC Engine Super CD-ROM²
- Godzilla: Great Monster Battle (1994) - Nintendo Super Famicom
- Godzilla: Giant Monster March (1995) - Sega Game Gear
- Godzilla: Archipelago Shock (1995) - Sega Saturn
- Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!! (1995) - Sega Pico
- Godzilla Movie Studio Tour (1998) - PC and Mac
- Godzilla: Trading Battle (1998) - Sony PlayStation
- Godzilla Generations (1998) - Sega Dreamcast
- Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly (1998) - Sega Dreamcast VMU
- Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (2002) - Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Xbox
- Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004) - Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox
- CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle (2006) - pachinko
- Godzilla: Unleashed (2007) - Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 2
- Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (2007) - Nintendo DS
- Godzilla: Monster Mayhem (2009) - iOS [3D; scrapped]
- CR Godzilla: Descent of the Destruction God (2010) - pachinko
- Godzilla on Monster Island (2011) - AVP slot machine
- Monster Strike (2013) - Android and iOS
- Godzilla (2014) - PlayStation 3 and 4
- Godzilla Kaiju Collection (2015) - Android and iOS
- Pocoron Dungeons (2016) - Android and iOS
- CR True King of the Monsters Godzilla (2018) - pachinko
- Godzilla Defense Force (2019) - Android and iOS
- Symphogear XD UNLIMITED (2017; added in 2019) - Android and iOS
- PVV! Godzilla Great Monster Assembly!! (2019) - pachinko
- Godzilla Destruction (2021) - Android and iOS [game files only; never implemented][33]
- Godzilla Battle Line (2021) - Android, iOS, and PC
- Godzilla (2021) - pinball
- Pachinko True King of the Monsters Godzilla 2 (2022) - pachinko
- GigaBash (2022) - Steam, Epic Games Store, Sony PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X
- Fleet of Blue Flames (2017; added in 2023) - Android, iOS, and PC [costume][34]
- Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR (2023) - Arcade
- Minecraft: Bedrock Edition (2011; added in 2024) - Windows 10, Windows 11, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Fire OS/TV, Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Samsung Gear VR
- DAVE THE DIVER (2022; added in 2024) - PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5 [figurine]
- P Godzilla vs. Evangelion: Second Impact G (2024) - pachinko
Gigan in Battle Baseball
Gigan in Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly
Gigan in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
Gigan in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
Gigan in Godzilla: Save the Earth
Gigan's slot in Godzilla on Monster Island
Gigan in Godzilla on Monster Island
Gigan 1972 in Godzilla Kaiju Collection
Gigan 2004 in Godzilla Kaiju Collection
Modified Gigan in Godzilla Kaiju Collection
Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!
Gigan appears as a boss in the 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!.
Gigan in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!
Godzilla: Unleashed
Gigan's Godzilla: Unleashed bio differs slightly in the Wii and PS2 versions in that the latter has contains a different closing sentence.
Height: 95 meters[35]
Weight: 47,000 tons[35]
“
|
Gigan is the vanguard of the Alien Invaders. He is the finest fighting monster the Vortaak have at their command. Gigan is a cyborg infused with Vortaak technology designed to augment his powerful natural combat abilities. This latest upgrade makes him faster, stronger, and more ferocious than ever. Gigan projects powerful alien energy from his single eye to engage opponents at range, though with quick footwork and lightning-fast edged attacks he is clearly designed with close combat in mind. In addition, Gigan has the ability to teleport short distances to confuse and outflank his opponents.
|
„
|
Gigan's bio from page 25 of the Godzilla: Unleashed instruction manual booklet
Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)
Modified Gigan appears as a boss in many levels throughout Godzilla on the PlayStation 3 and 4. He was the final kaiju revealed to be in the original PlayStation 3 release of the game. Gigan attacks with his buzzsaw, razor disks, chainsaw hands, and eye beams. He also charges at enemies with the blade on his head. When defeated, Gigan's head will explode, as it does in Godzilla Final Wars. In the PlayStation 4 version of the game, Gigan is a fully-playable character.
Moveset
- Square
- One tap: Right Bloody Chainsaw
- Two taps: Left Bloody Chainsaw
- Three Taps: Middle Kick
- Triangle
- Tap: Somersault Kick
- X
- Tap: Chainsaw Tackle
- Circle
- Tap: Giganume Cluster
- Forward + Tap: Blooded Slicer
- Roar + Tap: Surging Wave Blooded Slicer
- R2
- Tap: Revolving Chainsaw Slice
Kaiju Guide
- Main article: Godzilla (2014 video game)/Kaiju Guide#Gigan.
Godzilla Battle Line
- Gigan 1972
- As Unit
- Stars: ★★★
- Energy cost: 5
- Attack speed: 1.5 seconds
- Target: Leader/Facility
- Movement speed: 24
- Search range: 50
- Reach: 35
“
|
Unique Behavior |
„
|
- As Leader
- Reach: 70
- Search range: 70
- Attack speed: 2 seconds
- Special move: Bladed Ripper
- Energy cost: 2
- Cooldown: 120 seconds
“
|
Deals [...] x 5 damage in a straight line, and raises the movement speed of allied ground units on the battlefield to Gigan's movement speed for 10 seconds. |
„
|
- Gigan 2004
- Stars: ★★★★
- Energy cost: 4
- Attack speed: 1.6 seconds
- Target: Leader/Ground/Facility
- Movement speed: 18
- Search range: 100
- Reach: 30
“
|
Unique Behavior |
„
|
Battle piece
Icon
Icon
Icon
Sticker
GigaBash
Gigan, bearing his appearance from Godzilla vs. Gigan, was added to Passion Republic Games' brawler GigaBash through a DLC pack on December 6, 2022. Though he uses his Showa design and abilities, his charged special attack is based on his Gigarium Cluster from Godzilla Final Wars and one of his alternate color palettes is the coloration of his Millennium design.
Moveset
All button prompts correspond to the PlayStation 4 and 5 version of the game.
- Light Attack (tap Square): 3 quick slashes with its razor-sharp claws.
- Heavy Attack (hold Square): Slashes forward with both claws. Can be charged to deal more damage.
- Special Attack (tap Triangle): Dashes forward in a straight line at blinding speed, slicing everything caught in its path.
- Charged Special (hold Triangle): Fires a laser beam that explodes into multiple clusters. Can be charged to reduce laser beam range but increase the spread of the cluster explosions.
- Air Attack (tap X > tap Square): Spins in the air like a cyclone while slicing and dicing everything around it.
- Air Grab (tap X > tap Circle): Rapidly slices the enemy in the air before kicking them down towards the ground.
- Block Attack (hold L1 + tap Square): Revs up the buzz saw on its abdomen to devastate everything in front of it. Applies bleeding status and can even destroy projectiles.
- Block Special (hold L1 + tap Triangle): Blinks into the air and slashes downward, catching everything along its path. This ability comes from the Pipeworks Godzilla fighting games, as Gigan has never demonstrated it in any other media.
- Grab Special (tap Circle > tap Triangle): Uses its buzz saw to devastate its enemy. Applies bleeding status.
- Dash Attack (tap R1 > tap Square): Slice forward with both claws.
- Ultimate: Flies around the battlefield at high speed, slicing enemies in a huge area in front of it. Applies bleeding status.
"Gigan is a cyborg kaiju sent by the aliens of M Nebula who were aiming to conquer Earth. It is controlled from the Godzilla Tower found in the amusement park built and operated by the M Nebula aliens. Gigan has a single visor-like eye, a horn on its head, a strange beak-like mouth, and two sharp claws called 'Hammer Hands.' Its most notable feature is a bone-like bladed buzz saw located in its abdomen."
Books
- Godzilla on Monster Island (1996)
- Godzilla vs. Gigan and the Smog Monster (1996)
- Godzilla at World's End (1998)
- Who's Afraid of Godzilla? (1998)
- GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla (2018)
Godzilla on Monster Island
When Mothra's cocoon washed up on the island, Godzilla and Anguirus guarded it from their neighbors that were interested in destroying it. When Godzilla and Anguirus protected it from Gigan, a helicopter from the mainland ended up recording the battle, resulting in Mechagodzilla being dispatched to recover the cocoon for scientific study.
Who's Afraid of Godzilla?
Gigan was one of the monsters living on Monster Island. When Godzilla was tired of his fearsome reputation keeping him from making any friends, he decided to leave the island and search elsewhere. This left Gigan and Megalon as the strongest monsters on the island, and they bullied the other monsters in Godzilla's absence. Anguirus finally decided to take a stand against them and went to the peak of the island's volcano to fight them. However, the two monsters pushed Anguirus into the crater. Godzilla, returning to the island, frightened Gigan and Megalon away, allowing him to rescue Anguirus from the pit and gain the trust of the other monsters.
GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla
Gigan was discovered hibernating on the ocean floor off the coast of Siberia. A monster resembling a cross between an aquatic dinosaur and a bird of prey, Gigan possessed scales on his body and flight capabilities, and was characterized by a long claw on his forelimbs shaped like a sickle. He was captured by the United Earth and modified using Exif and Bilusaludo technology to be used as a weapon against Godzilla. Gigan was employed in "Operation: Long March," a plan by the United Earth to lure Godzilla deep into Eurasia. Godzilla and Gigan first battled in Suez, and although both of Gigan's arms were severed in the battle he succeeded in bringing Godzilla from Africa to Eurasia. Nonetheless, Gigan was salvaged and continually employed in "Operation: Long March," luring Godzilla deeper and deeper into Eurasia. In each subsequent battle in Baku, Ashgabat, Samarkand, and Kashgar, Godzilla progressively maimed Gigan more and more severely, only for his masters to replace his lost body parts with mechanical ones and gradually convert him into a cyborg. Gigan's hands were replaced with sickles and hyper-vibrating chainsaws, homing missile launchers were installed on his arms, his eyes were replaced with a single goggle-like visor, and his abdomen was equipped with a prototype blade launcher intended for use by Mechagodzilla. As Gigan repeatedly battled against Godzilla during "Operation: Long March," he was credited with saving the lives of many United Earth soldiers taking part in the operation and received a great deal of trust and respect among them. In a battle between the monsters in Yarkant, China, Godzilla damaged Gigan's wings, arms, and head, but in 2045 the Bilusaludo redeployed Gigan in Hotan and injected him with experimental Nanometal, which allowed him to instantaneously heal from grievous injuries. However, Godzilla eventually destroyed Gigan completely with an extremely powerful blast of atomic breath, leaving no trace of the monster behind. Michael N. Hunter, a United Earth medical officer who served in "Operation: Long March," came into possession of one of Gigan's scales and vowed to return it to Siberia as a gesture of gratitude and atonement for Gigan's suffering and sacrifice on behalf of mankind.[11]
Comics
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
- Zone Fighter (1973) [Fun Kindergarten]
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (1976)
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1993)
- Godzilla: Legends #1 (2011) [partial cameo]
- Godzilla #6, 8-12 (2012-2013)
- Godzilla: The Half-Century War #4-5 (2013)
- Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #1, 3, 5-7, 16-17, 24-25 (2013-2015)
- Godzilla: Rage Across Time #1 (2016)
- Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #2-3 (2022)
- Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Gigan (2022)
- Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Mechagodzilla (2023) [monitor, silhouette]
- Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar Vs. Megalon (2023)
- Godzilla: 70th Anniversary (2024) [CVR RI 1:25]
- Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II #5 (2024) [energy manifestation]
- Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants #5 (2024)
Fun Kindergarten Zone Fighter manga
In the Zone Fighter manga adaptation published by Fun Kindergarten, Gigan appears under the control of the Garogas, as he does in the TV series. He battles Zone Fighter alongside fellow Terror-Beast Balgaras. Notably, Gigan uses his optic laser beam in this manga, one of the earliest known instances of Gigan using this ability in officially licensed media.
In this promotional comic for the U.S. release of Godzilla vs. Megalon by Cinema Shares International, Gigan (called "Borodan") is said to have been "acquired" by Megalon, rather than being lent to the Seatopians by the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens. Borodan fights both Godzilla and Jet Jaguar (called "Robotman"), but is defeated after he gets dropped from a great height by Robotman.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters
In this short manga series, Gigan is featured as an enemy of Godzilla who is under the control of Dr. Mad Oniyama, who had survived his apparent death after KIDS exploded by rebuilding much of his body with cybernetics. This Gigan was called Neo Gigan, and was sent to Earth from space with King Ghidorah III at the end of Volume 1. Interestingly, Oniyama had extensively modified Neo Gigan so that he was more of a mech than a cyborg, piloting Neo Gigan from inside his head.
After Ebirah implanted a mind control device on the side of Godzilla's head, Oniyama activated the device to put Godzilla under his control, having the King of the Monsters break out of the JSDF facility where he had been brought to after being frozen, then rampage through a city with Neo Gigan beside him. After Yosuke Kaneko managed to shoot off the device with missiles from his ASTOL-MB93, Godzilla turned his attention to Neo Gigan. Undeterred by this setback, Oniyama had Neo Gigan engage Godzilla in battle. With Godzilla still recovering from his fights against Ebirah and King Ghidorah III, he was unable to effectively handle Neo Gigan's attacks, and became ensnared by the cyborg's cables, then repeatedly shot with the Optic Laser. As Hideo Kaneko and Linda Miller agonized over how to provide Godzilla with the energy he needed to fight back, Yosuke came up with a plan. After shooting at Godzilla to attract the Monster King's attention, he ejected from his ASTOL-MB93, sending the aircraft directly into Godzilla's mouth and engulfing his head in an explosion. As the dust cleared, Godzilla stood strong, the energy from the aircraft and its arsenal having given him an all-important boost.
With the fight resumed, Godzilla quickly gained the upper hand after tensing up to break Neo Gigan's cables. Though Neo Gigan's hooks were now no longer usable, the cyborg had another trick up its sleeves, and began firing explosive Napalm Shells from the open appendages in an attempt to injure Godzilla. This had little effect beyond briefly stunning him, and Godzilla managed to force his way through the explosions to begin manhandling Neo Gigan up close. As the cyborg was forced to use his buzzsaw, Godzilla managed to pull off one of Neo Gigan's arms at the shoulder, exposing the cybernetics inside his chest. In a successful attempt to escape, Oniyama flew Neo Gigan's head away towards Satan Atoll to plan his final attack, with Neo Gigan's headless body self-destructing afterwards, though ultimately this did very little to injure Godzilla.
Despite Neo Gigan's destruction, Oniyama had succeeded in his secondary goal, and had obtained a sample of Godzilla's cells to grow into the clone that would eventually become King Godzilla.
Neo Gigan’s head being ejected in Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Godzilla: Legends
As Anguirus prepared to face off against Destoroyah, Dr. Brian Anders recalled how every previous opponent Anguirus faced, such as Gigan, had defeated him in the past, and thus cast doubt over his odds of being able to defeat a monster such as Destoroyah.
Godzilla
After being struck by lightning generated from Mothra's wings, Claire Plangman experienced a vision of space monsters who would soon invade the planet, Gigan among them. Not long after, the vision came to pass as Gigan, SpaceGodzilla, Hedorah, and Monster X arrived and invaded Earth. Landing in Hong Kong, Gigan used his abdominal buzzsaw and claws to decimate buildings while shrugging off everything the military threw at him. While rampaging, Gigan was suddenly attacked by Rodan, who slammed the cyborg into a building. Rodan was soon joined by Anguirus after the latter was freed from Monster Island, who rolled into Gigan to use his spiked carapace against him. However, the cyborg instead took the opportunity to grab Anguirus and sliced into the monster's stomach with his buzzsaw. Rodan rushed to help his fellow Earth defender, and though Gigan fired a laser at the winged monster to stop him, Rodan dodged the attack and used the spikes on his chest to shatter Gigan's eye visor and knock him to the ground. As Rodan prepared to engage Gigan once again, Gigan suddenly leapt into the air and grabbed Rodan, pulling him down to the Earth and using his buzzsaw to carve into Rodan's chest. While attacking Rodan, Gigan failed to notice that Anguirus had recovered until it was too late - after curling into a ball, Anguirus threw himself into Gigan's head with all his might, freeing Rodan and finally knocking Gigan out for good.
Godzilla: The Half-Century War
Attracted by Dr. Deverich's Psionic Transmitter following its activation in 1987, Gigan and King Ghidorah arrived on Earth and embarked on a tour of destruction the likes of which the world had never seen. By 2002, the duo reduced half the planet to cinders with nothing able to stop them. In a last-ditch effort to save the world, the Anti-Megalosaurus Force readied a new weapon called the Dimension Tide, which was capable of firing miniaturized black holes, and lured the space monsters to Antarctica using multiple Psionic Transmitters in the hopes of unleashing this new weapon upon them. As Gigan and King Ghidorah made landfall, Godzilla also arrived and confronted the duo. After dodging Godzilla's atomic breath, Gigan struck first, slicing Godzilla's neck and distracting him to allow King Ghidorah to restrain him. Just as Gigan prepared to launch another assault, he was struck by missiles launched from the AMF's new Mechagodzilla, piloted by Ota Murakami. Once King Ghidorah and Gigan turned their attention to the mech, Godzilla grabbed onto one of King Ghidorah's heads as he was attacking Mechagodzilla and made him accidentally knock Gigan out of the sky with his Gravity Beams. Godzilla then temporarily joined forces with Mechagodzilla, with both firing their respective beams at Gigan as he was attempting to get back up, which severed one of his arms. While King Ghidorah battled Godzilla, Ota realized the Dimension Tide was about to fire and rushed to grab the injured Gigan with Mechagodzilla so he would end up within the line of fire. After the miniaturized black hole was launched, Mechagodzilla released Gigan next to King Ghidorah just in time, allowing both alien monsters to be sucked in together and ending their threat to Earth.
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
Some time after his defeat in Hong Kong, the blinded and damaged Gigan erupted from the earth in Arizona's Grand Canyon, where he was being secretly observed by the Cryog aliens. Gigan soon discovered the nest of Kumonga, who promptly attacked by spitting webbing at the cyborg and pulling him down into the nest. Despite his efforts to escape, Kumonga wrapped Gigan within a cocoon, at which point Gigan faked defeat to allow Kumonga to get closer. Using his abdominal buzzsaw, Gigan severed one of Kumonga's legs and freed himself from the cocoon before using his eye laser to set the whole valley on fire. After Gigan escaped, the Cryog noted that their cyborg was in need of an upgrade and summoned him to their ship.
Now under Cryog control, the rebuilt and upgraded Gigan was sent to Area 51 in Nevada in order to recover the Millennian UFO. Gigan escorted the UFO to Las Vegas, where he was confronted by Godzilla. In retaliation for being struck by Godzilla's atomic breath, Gigan launched his grappling hooks around Godzilla and proceeded to drag him across the city, allowing the UFO to begin absorbing the temporarily incapacitated Godzilla's DNA. The Counter-Kaiju Reaction Forces deployed their new mech, MOGUERA, to attack Gigan. Though Gigan used his laser to destroy the missiles launched at him, MOGUERA proved a formidable opponent for Gigan, blocking his attacks while using its lasers and drills to place the cyborg on the defensive. After MOGUERA tackled Gigan to the ground, the mech turned its attention on the UFO, allowing Gigan to recover and attempt retaliation. However, MOGUERA dodged the attack, causing Gigan to accidentally destroy the UFO instead and release the newly-formed Orga. While Godzilla engaged Orga, Gigan assisted his new ally by wrapping his grappling hooks around Godzilla again, though the King of the Monsters was able to free himself and use the cables to drag Gigan towards him. Amid the chaos, Orga went berserk and suddenly grabbed Gigan in an attempt to eat him. Gigan ultimately freed himself from the beast's maw by impaling him through the head with his scythe hand and using his buzzsaw to chop off Orga's fingers. Godzilla then grabbed Gigan by the tail and slammed him into the ground. Soon after, Orga was blown to pieces after swallowing Jet Jaguar, who grew to gigantic size from within the monster's stomach. Godzilla temporarily joined forces with this new combatant against the now-outnumbered Gigan, who struggled to defend himself as Godzilla and Jet Jaguar pummeled him into submission. After ripping off part of Gigan's tail and cracking his visor, Jet Jaguar left to destroy Orga's regenerating remains, finally allowing Gigan to retaliate. Burning Godzilla with his laser, Gigan slashed Godzilla's chest with his claws until Star Falcon distracted Gigan long enough for Godzilla to regain the upper hand. Gigan stabbed Godzilla in the foot, but Godzilla was able to hold the cyborg down and struck him with a point-blank blast of his atomic breath, burning the cyborg. Too injured to continue fighting, Gigan retreated alongside a Cryog ship containing Orga's regenerating remains.
Years later, the Cryog used the repaired Gigan to sever King Ghidorah's center head so they could outfit the monster with mechanical enhancements. Following Mecha-King Ghidorah's defeat, the Cryog were forced to deploy Gigan again to defend their ship when it came under attack by the cyborg's former ally, SpaceGodzilla. Though Gigan was unable to land a hit with his laser, the cyborg deployed his grappling hooks around SpaceGodzilla's tail in an attempt to pull him away from the Cryog ship. However, SpaceGodzilla was able to use his telekinetic powers to encase Gigan within a prison of crystals, temporarily incapacitating the cyborg until Gigan used his buzzsaw to free himself. Gigan used his buzzsaw to slash SpaceGodzilla's chest and damaged one of his shoulder crystals, though SpaceGodzilla retaliated with his Corona Beam and burned the sails on Gigan's back. Gigan's right arm became caught in SpaceGodzilla's crystalline hide after the latter took on his flying form, forcing Gigan to sever it in order to escape. In the aftermath, the Cryog rescued Gigan and upgraded him once more, this time with double chainsaws on each arm, and concealed him within Earth’s Moon.
When the Cryog Emperor Karkaro arrived to take revenge against his underling Rhizon for his insubordination, he destroyed Rhizon's ship, inadvertently releasing Gigan against his own army. Gigan proceeded to attack and wipe out all of Karkaro's fleet, employing his chainsaws to cut some in half while utilizing his speed to avoid the ships’ defense mechanisms and cause them to fire upon each other. Sensing Gigan, Jet Jaguar flew up to the ships to confront the Cryog’s cyborg once more, kicking Gigan and fighting him atop Karkaro’s ship. Gigan was able to cut into Jet Jaguar’s side, but the robot then grabbed Gigan and forced him to cut into Karkaro's ship with his chainsaws, crippling the spacecraft. After a brief argument, Rhizon shoved Karkaro into Gigan's still-active chainsaw blades, killing him, before the entire ship crashed into Magita, the giant Trilopod. Gigan disappeared following the destruction of the ship, but evidently managed to survive; he was later being repaired in an unidentified location alongside a single Mechagodzilla unit, possibly by surviving Cryogs.
The original Gigan in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #1
Modified Gigan in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #24
Godzilla: Rage Across Time
During the 13th century, Gigan and Megalon fell under the control of Zhenjin Khan, the Dragon-Master, and were sent to obliterate Japan alongside the Mongolian troops, who were actually the Nebulans in disguise. As the warriors of Japan fought back against the Mongolians, the two monsters laid waste to the land, destroying everything in their path. Just when it looked like all hope was lost, Godzilla arrived to challenge the monsters after being lured to the scene by a pair of brave warriors. After stopping Megalon's napalm bomb attack, Godzilla took on Gigan, who leapt into the air and flew over Godzilla in efforts to slice into the King of the Monsters with his abdominal buzzsaw. After dodging the attack and knocking Gigan down with his tail, Godzilla grabbed onto Gigan and used him as a shield against Megalon, who accidentally struck Gigan with his laser beam instead. Upon freeing himself, Gigan retaliated with his laser beam, which began to turn the tide back in the duo's favor. Soon, Godzilla was overwhelmed by his enemies' coordinated teamwork, with both unleashing their respective beams on him before Gigan restrained him so Megalon could drill into Godzilla's chest. When it seemed like Godzilla would be defeated, the Mongol relic that controlled Gigan and Megalon was destroyed by a fire arrow shot from Akio, the infamous woman warrior. Freed from outside influence, the dazed and confused kaiju allowed Godzilla to regain control of the battle, blasting Gigan with his atomic breath and swatting Megalon away. With that, both kaiju decided to retreat and flew off into space while Godzilla destroyed the remainder of the invading army, saving Japan.
Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
After the Power Rangers subdued Godzilla with the Megazord and boarded the Xilien mothership, the Xiliens moved to the penultimate stage of their invasion plans by sending Gigan to Earth. As Gigan ravaged an amusement park where survivors of the Xilien assault had sought refuge, the Power Rangers realized they needed to intervene and summoned their Dinozords. The Rangers attempted to fight Gigan in the individual Dinozords to no avail, as Gigan shrugged off their beam attacks with ease, thus leading them to combine into the Megazord. However, the Megazord was still damaged following a recent battle with Godzilla, prompting Rita Repulsa to press her advantage by summoning Rhinoblaster and Eye Guy to Gigan's side after Gigan further damaged the mech with his abdominal buzzsaw and lasers. Gigan slashed and stomped on the Megazord with his new allies, but was finally knocked back by the Megazord's Cranial Laser and a swift kick. After recovering, Gigan attempted to attack the Megazord from behind, only to be struck by Godzilla's atomic ray as the King of the Monsters returned. Godzilla was quick to engage the trio of monsters as well as the Megazord, grappling with all of them and swatting Gigan with his tail until he began to tire, at which point the three monsters assaulted Godzilla at once with their respective beam attacks. Realizing they needed Godzilla's aid, the Megazord summoned the Power Sword to heal Godzilla's previous wounds, at which point he began working alongside the mech. The duo were quick to unleash their fury upon Gigan and Rita's monsters with the Megazord's Cranial Laser and Godzilla's atomic breath, injuring them further. After Godzilla and the Megazord defeated Rhinoblaster and Eye Guy, the wounded Gigan retreated and escaped with his life.
Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Gigan
In 2008, the Nebulans unleashed Gigan in Seattle, Washington, where the cyborg proceeded to destroy the USS Nimitz and anything the military threw at him. Before Gigan could reach the city, Godzilla appeared and confronted him in the waters outside of Seattle as the Nebulan leader broadcast his message to the world, proclaiming that Gigan would defeat Godzilla and allow his race to take over the planet. Gigan initiated the battle by levitating into the air and launching his Bladed Slicer disks at Godzilla, which Godzilla managed to avoid before leaping at Gigan, grabbing his leg, and throwing him back into the water by the wreckage of the Nimitz. Gigan then used the Nimitz as a shield against Godzilla's atomic breath before unleashing his eye laser on Godzilla, forcing the King of the Monsters back. As Gigan continued his assault, Godzilla grabbed a large rock underwater and bashed it against Gigan's head to shake him off. Gigan retaliated by slashing Godzilla's shoulder and delivering a flying kick to his head. Just as Godzilla recovered, Gigan fired his grappling hooks at him, embedding them in Godzilla's shoulder and using them to pull Godzilla up into the air. Before he could land, Gigan slashed into Godzilla's throat, severely wounding him. Teenager Joaquin then recognized Gigan’s moves from a video game made by Hexapod Games, which his sister Nancy later discovered to be a front for the Nebulans. It turned out that the Nebulans used the data collected from millions of players online and uploaded it directly into their cyborg monstrosity, making Gigan unstoppable. As the battle continued, Gigan continued to slash into Godzilla's skin and later unleashed another blast of his eye laser on his opponent. After the Nebulan leader discovered Nancy hacking into Hexapod's servers, he ordered Gigan to kill Godzilla immediately. Gigan proceeded to lift Godzilla and throw him down before slashing into his throat once more, but before he could deliver a killing blow, Nancy was able to sever the data being fed into Gigan's central processing unit. With Gigan offline, Godzilla took advantage of the stalled cyborg and forcibly ripped Gigan's left arm off with his mouth. As the Nebulans desperately attempted to regain control over their creation, Gigan's animal mind proved to be no match for Godzilla, lacking all the strategies and tactics that the Nebulans previously gave to him. Using Gigan's severed arm, Godzilla stabbed Gigan through the neck before grabbing Gigan's head and crushing it in his hands, ending Gigan's threat for good as his body fell back into the water.
Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Mechagodzilla
By the year 2074, giant monster attacks were occurring around the world on a daily basis, with kaiju such as Gigan being responsible for untold destruction. Following Mechagodzilla’s defeat at the hands of Godzilla, it was revealed that Gigan and King Ghidorah were secretly pawns of the Xiliens, who were preparing to send the two kaiju back to Earth once they had seized the mech for themselves with the intention of using it to aid their invasion efforts.
Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar Vs. Megalon
While speaking with Jen Onça, Jet Jaguar revealed that he was created to protect humanity from giant monsters, with Gigan being among the robot's past opponents.
Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II
In a bid to stop the Power Rangers once and for all, Rita Repulsa and Astronema located some of Godzilla's most powerful foes throughout the multiverse, including Gigan, whose power was siphoned and transferred into Psycho Green – a member of the evil Psycho Rangers – to become Psycho Ranger Gigan of the Kaiju Psycho Rangers.
Eventually, the Power Rangers used their own kaiju power to stop the Kaiju Psycho Rangers once and for all, forcibly extracting Gigan's energy out of Psycho Green.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants
On August 20, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition ran afoul of an Xilien invasion force near the site of what is now Sioux City, Iowa, with their quartermaster Charles Floyd being killed in the encounter. As the explorers looked on in horror from a bluff, they saw Gigan, Mechagodzilla, and SpaceGodzilla guarding a landing group of Xilien saucers.
Gallery
- Main article: Gigan/Gallery.
Roar
Gigan's roar was a sped-up, modified Ebirah screech. Gigan's roar was later edited and reused for the choju Baraba from Ultraman Ace. Gigan's roar was later modified and used for SpaceGodzilla and Dinozaur in Ultraman Mebius.
|
In other languages
- Russian: Гайган
- Chinese: 盖刚 (Gàigāng), 吉岡 (Jígāng)
- Spanish (Castilian): Galien (Godzilla vs. Gigan), Gorgo (Godzilla vs. Megalon)
Trivia
- Gigan was portrayed by Kenpachiro Satsuma in Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon. Satsuma had previously played Hedorah, and would go on to play Godzilla himself for all seven Heisei films. In Zone Fighter, Gigan was played by Isao Zushi, who also played Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.
- In Godzilla Island, Gigan is the only space kaiju to ally himself with Godzilla, albeit after starting off as foes.
- Gigan shares some physical similarities with the Ultraman kaiju Dorako, most prominently his hooked forearms, along with a pointed beak-like face and large sail-like structures on his back, although in Dorako's case these are styled after the wings of a dragonfly.
- Gigan's ability to fire off shurikens in Godzilla Final Wars is very similar to Guiron's secondary attack, where he can fire four shurikens from indents in the side of his head.
- In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Gigan appears in his Showa design in issue #1 and is later upgraded to his Millennium design in issue #5, and later into Modified Gigan. This is the first time Gigan is upgraded from his Showa design to his Millennium design visibly, though Gigan's bio from the instruction manual of Godzilla: Unleashed states he was upgraded using the "latest Vortaak technology," referencing the use of Gigan's Showa design in the previous two Atari/Pipeworks games.
- The Ultraman Ace choju Chameleking has a saw in his stomach like Gigan, though it is never used in combat.
- Gigan's head makes a brief appearance in Pacific Rim Uprising, during the scene where Hermann Gottlieb examines PPDC records in search of a match for the image that Mako Mori transmitted.
- The Showa Gigan is tied with King Ghidorah for the fastest-moving Showa Godzilla kaiju and the second fastest overall, travelling at speeds of up to Mach 400 when outside the Earth's atmosphere. They are surpassed only by SpaceGodzilla, who approaches light speeds when in his Flying Form.
- Gigan is featured in concept art published in The Art of Godzilla: King of the Monsters which depicts the film's final scene.[36] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, director Michael Dougherty said, "We had thought about using some additional Toho creatures to give them some cameos but every Toho creature comes with a price tag. It was a choice to either shell out more money simply for the rights for these creatures to show up on screen for a few seconds, or embrace the opportunity and the challenge to create new creatures."[37]
- The 2016 book Godzilla Against Type-3 Kiryu (Mechagodzilla) Completion adds Gigan to the Kiryu series continuity, with Type 66 Maser Cannons fending him off in 1972.
- In a 1996 special Children's Day stage show, Gigan was summoned to attack the Earth alongside the Space Bosozoku Bowzock, General Jark, Shocker, Bemstar, Alien Baltan, Alien Pitt, and Alien Bado. The effort was thwarted by the combined forces of Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider J, Kamen Rider Black, the Carrangers, Ultraman, Ultraseven, Ultraman Taro, and Godzilla.
- The design of the monster Kamanga in the 2021 anime Godzilla Singular Point was influenced by Gigan.
- Gigan is the first cyborg monster in the Godzilla series, predating Mecha-King Ghidorah and Kiryu.
- Gigan dresses as Godman in the 4th Season Godziban episode "Who is the Hero?".
- The Showa Gigan design used in GigaBash possesses what appears to be nostrils, which never appeared on the character before.
Related characters
|
|
|
|
Video
|
See also
Notes
- ↑ Gigan's designer was widely disputed prior to the mid-2000s, often confused for mangaka Shigeru Mizuki due to his being a Kodansha artist named "Mizuki," or Akihiko Iguchi, who publicly denied having any involvement with the film.
- ↑ If King Ghidorah is a dignified villain, then Mechagodzilla has the image of a nihilistic killer. Gigan has a similar image of a killer but his image of a bloodthirsty, ferocious cutthroat serves as contrast, as Mechagodzilla has a strong image of a consistently coldhearted and composed professional. This is because Mechagodzilla is a literal mecha, so its true feelings are unable to be seen. Thus is the charm of Mechagodzilla. / キングギドラを威厳に満ちた大悪役とするならば、メカゴジラはニヒルな殺し屋というイメージがある。同じく殺し屋のイメージを持つガイガンが血に飢えた凶暴な殺人鬼のイメージなのに対して、メカゴジラはあくまでも冷たく冷静なプロフェッショナルのイメージが強い。これはメカゴジラが文字通りメカであり、感情がまったく見えないからであろう。そこがメカゴジラの魅力になっているのだ。
- ↑ Episodes 31-40, 67, 72, 115, 117-118, 127-128, and 169-178.
References
This is a list of references for Gigan. 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]
Comments
Showing 642 comments. When commenting, please remain respectful of other users, stay on topic, and avoid role-playing and excessive punctuation. Comments which violate these guidelines may be removed by administrators. Loading comments...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[[1]]
- CS1 errors: ISBN
- CS1 errors: dates
- CS1 errors: URL
- Toho
- Showa Series
- Heisei Series
- Millennium Series
- Reiwa series
- Monsters
- Cyborgs
- Aliens
- Toho Kaiju
- Villain monsters
- Showa Kaiju
- Heisei Kaiju
- Millennium Kaiju
- Flying Creatures
- Dinosaurs
- Godzilla Film Kaiju
- Showa Godzilla Kaiju
- Heisei Godzilla Kaiju
- Millennium Godzilla Kaiju
- Zone Fighter Monsters
