Gyaos

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Gyaos
Gyaos in GAMERA -Rebirth-.
S-Gyaos in GAMERA -Rebirth-
Gyaos in Gamera vs. Gyaos
Space Gyaos in Gamera vs. Guiron
Gyaos in Gamera the Guardian of the Universe
Super Gyaos in Gamera the Guardian of the Universe
Hyper Gyaos in Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris
Original Gyaos in Gamera the Brave
Alternate names Gaos, Gyaos Bird, Thunderbird
Subtitle(s) Supersonic Monster
(超音波怪獣,   Chōonpa Kaijū)SHO,
Super Genetic Beast
(超遺伝子獣,   Chō Idenshijū)HEI[1]
Genetically Transcendant Ultimate Lifeform Monster
(遺伝子を超えた究極生命体の怪獣,  
Idenshi o Koeta Kyūkyoku Seimeitai no Kaijū
)
HEI[1]
Shadow of Evil
(災いの影,   Wazawai no Kage,
lit. "Shadow of Catastrophe")
HEI
Species Giant vampire bat-like creature,GvGy-GSM, GtB
Atlantean-engineered biological weaponG1-G3
Height Showa: 65 meters[2]
Heisei: 10 metersG1,
85 meters (Super),[1]
88 meters (Hyper),[3]
30 metersGtB[4]
Wingspan Showa: 172 meters[2]
Heisei: 15 metersG1,
46 meters (sub-adult)G1,[5]
185 meters (Super),[1]
190 meters (Hyper),[3]
90 metersGtB[4]
Reiwa: 5-10 meters (juveniles; approximate),
100 meters (adult; series),[6]
150 meters (adult; novelization)[7]
Weight Showa: 25 metric tons[2]
Heisei: 20 metric tonsG1,
75 metric tons (Super),[1]
78 metric tons (Hyper),[3]
500 metric tonsGtB,[4]
200 metric tonsGR[8]:Appendix[7]
Flight speed Showa: Mach 3.5[5]
Heisei: Mach 4.2+[1]
Reiwa: Mach 3+[9]
Forms Super Gyaos, Hyper Gyaos, Neo Gyaos, Space Gyaos, Original Gyaos, S-Gyaos
Place(s) of emergence ShowaChubu Major Fault Zone, JapanGvGy[2]
Heisei: Himegami IslandG1[1]

ReiwaNew Guinea

Controlled by ZanonGSM
Relations Atlanteans (creators)G1-G3,
Numerous offspring, Iris (mutation),
Greta Karbone (clone creator)DH
Allies Other Gyaos
Enemies Gamera, Guiron, GarasharpTLH
Designed by Akira Inoue
Modeled by Masao Yagi, Eiji Shirakuma
Played by Yumi KameyamaG1
First appearance Latest appearance
Gamera vs. Gyaos GAMERA -Rebirth-
Roar(s)
1967:1969: Heisei, Reiwa:2006: 2015: 2015, giant: S-Gyaos:More roars
We commit to the cradle of time the Last Hope, Gamera. May he awaken with the Shadow of Evil, Gyaos.
„ 

— Inscription from the obelisk found on Gamera's atoll (Gamera the Guardian of the Universe)

Gyaos (ギャオス,   Gyaosu) is a winged kaiju who first appeared in the 1967 Gamera film Gamera vs. Gyaos.

Gyaos is considered to be Gamera's archenemy, and has appeared in more films than any of his other enemies. In the Showa series, Gyaos was Gamera's second foe, and emerged from an underground cave to feed on humanity. Gamera battled the creature in several encounters, finally destroying it by pulling it into the crater of an active volcano. However, Gyaos was not the only creature of its kind, as multiple silver Space Gyaos were a frequent nuisance on the alien planet Terra in the film Gamera vs. Guiron. The Terrans' guardian monster Guiron fought and brutally killed one Space Gyaos by chopping it apart with its head blade. In Gamera Super Monster, Gyaos was one of the monsters controlled by the sinister crew of the pirate spaceship Zanon, which it used to menace humanity and try to defeat Gamera; Gyaos's appearance in the film was depicted exclusively through stock footage.

In the Heisei trilogy of films, Gyaos was reinvented as a perfect organism genetically engineered by the ancient Atlanteans. Gyaos began reproducing out of control and turned on their creators, who created Gamera as a last-ditch effort to stop them. Gamera succeeded in killing most of the Gyaos, but clutches of their eggs survived into the modern day, where changing environmental conditions brought on by human activity caused them to hatch. Gamera reemerged as well to battle his ancient foe, and successfully killed three Gyaos that appeared in Japan in 1995. However, countless more Gyaos would appear in 1999 as a result of Gamera depleting Earth's mana in order to destroy Legion. These evolved Hyper Gyaos began overrunning the world, with Gamera desperately trying to defeat them. After Gamera defeated the creature known as Iris, an ancient demonic beast genetically related to Gyaos, a swarm of thousands of Gyaos descended on Japan to attempt to destroy Gamera once and for all.

In the most recent feature-length Gamera film, Gamera the Brave, a flock of four Gyaos attacked a Japanese village in 1973, but were attacked by Avant Gamera, who was forced to self-destruct and sacrifice himself in order to kill them. A new monster called Zedus was eventually spawned by feeding on the carcasses of the flock of Gyaos, and did battle with a new Gamera three decades later.

Gyaos, along with a new mutated variant known as S-Gyaos, is one of Gamera's multiple foes in the Netflix Original animated miniseries GAMERA -Rebirth-.[10]

Name

In Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gyaos' name comes from the onomatopoeia for its roar according to the film's protagonist, Eiichi. Prior to the release of Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, the monster's name was commonly romanized as Gaos, without the "y." The silver spacefaring Gyaos in Gamera vs. Guiron are known as Space Gyaos (宇宙ギャオス,   Uchū Gyaosu). In Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, Gyaos are sometimes referred to as "Gyaos Birds," although the character Mayumi Nagamine insists they are not birds at all. The singular Gyaos in the film which evolves and grows to 85 meters in height is known as Super Gyaos (スーパーギャオス,   Sūpā Gyaosu), while the even larger evolved Gyaos from Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris are called Hyper Gyaos (ギャオス・ハイパー,   Gyaosu Haipā, lit. "Gyaos Hyper"), though neither name is ever spoken onscreen. The Gyaos in Gamera the Brave are called Original Gyaos (オリジナルギャオス,   Orijinaru Gyaosu) according to supplementary materials, though Gyaos' name is never spoken in the film.

Development

A Gyaos prop from Gamera vs. Gyaos, refurbished to play Space Gyaos in Gamera vs. Guiron

Two suits were created for Gamera vs. Gyaos: one with its wings spread, and another with its wings folded. In addition to the suits, a flying prop and a life-sized model of Gyaos' foot were also constructed. The Gyaos costume with the extended wings was later used to portray Space Gyaos in Gamera vs. Guiron, along with a hand-operated puppet or Guignol and a prop. The Space Gyaos suit was later used in the "Godzilla vs. Gamera" stage show at the 1970 World's Fair. Stock footage of Gyaos from its debut film was used for the monster's role in the 1980 film Gamera Super Monster.

A Super Gyaos suit from Gamera the Guardian of the Universe

Gyaos was brought back as the antagonist for Gamera's 30th-anniversary film, Gamera the Guardian of the Universe. A series of props and puppets were created to portray the three juvenile Gyaos, while two suits were made for the mature Super Gyaos.[5] One suit was designed for action, while the other was for close-ups. Super Gyaos had the distinction of being the first cinematic kaiju to be portrayed by a woman, Yumi Kameyama, with director of special effects Shinji Higuchi noting "the shape of a woman's body is different from that of a man's" and "since virtually all of the people who work in the special effects field are men, I thought that I could make it a little easier for women to enter the field by having one play Gyaos."[11] Super Gyaos's claws were painted red with the intent of resembling nail polish, out of a desire to make the monster more feminine.[12]:25 Kameyama was specifically cast due to her small size. In addition to the two suits, a prop was utilized for scenes of Super Gyaos flying. Similar to Gamera's design, aspects from ancient Chinese mythology were also used for Gyaos' design; designs of Chinese Dragons from the Spring and Autumn period and western Dragons influenced Gyaos' concept designs.[12]:16

For Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, the evolved Hyper Gyaos were depicted entirely through props, puppets, and computer-generated imagery. The Super Gyaos action suit from G1 was reutilized for the Hyper Gyaos that is knocked out of the sky and incinerated by Gamera's Plasma Fireball, with only its head being present. In addition, a full-size juvenile Gyaos carcass model was created for the film's opening sequence.

Like Hyper Gyaos, the Original Gyaos from Gamera the Brave were entirely portrayed through props, puppets, and CGI.

Basic concepts of Gyaos's design in GAMERA -Rebirth- were partially based on those of the Heisei trilogy and the 2015 short film GAMERA, including a guiding principle to make them akin to traditional images of dragons.[13] Like the 2015 design, their elongated tongues were inspired by vipers.[13][14] The concept of a large individual accompanied by swarms of smaller individuals is also akin to the 2015 short film. This incarnation of Gyaos presumably possesses "fanged suckers" on the soles of its feet to support its movements, a quality it shares with the redesigned Zigra. The series' other kaiju had this trait as well at one time, but the concept was scaled back.[15]

Design

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Needs Gamera 2015 short film and GAMERA -Rebirth- design descriptions.

In each of its appearances, Gyaos resembles a giant pterosaur- or bat-like creature, with a flattened, arrow-shaped head, leathery wings with three claws on each, feet with talons, and a tail with a flat sail on top of it.

In Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gyaos' skin is dark brown with orange-red markings across its chest and wings, while its eyes are bright yellow. Gamera vs. Guiron introduced Space Gyaos, which possesses silver skin with dull reddish-purple markings and amber-colored eyes.

In the Heisei trilogy, Gyaos was given an updated appearance for each film it appeared in. The Gyaos in Gamera the Guardian of the Universe had a more streamlined appearance, with larger wings and a longer neck, along with brownish-red skin. The singular Gyaos which evolves into Super Gyaos develops a slightly more muscular body along with red eyes. In Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, a new type of Gyaos, Hyper Gyaos, was introduced. While sharing similarities to its earlier forms, Hyper Gyaos has a much more draconic appearance, with larger wings and rough, reddish-brown skin. Hyper Gyaos is also considerably thinner than previous incarnations, with elements of its skeleton such as its ribcage protruding from underneath its skin.

The Original Gyaos in Gamera the Brave are very thin and sleek, with blue skin that is so tight on their bodies that it renders their bones visible underneath. They have pointed snouts and a more decorative pattern on their head crests.

Personality

Gyaos are feral, bloodthirsty creatures with no regard for other life whatsoever. In the Showa series, Gyaos feeds on blood, and typically consumes it in large quantities by preying on humans. In the Heisei trilogy, Gyaos feed on any meat they can find, be it living or dead, though their preferred prey seems to be humanity. In the trilogy, Gyaos consumes food in massive amounts, which allows it to grow in size very quickly. Gyaos can quickly wipe out an entire village population due to its ravenous appetite. While Gyaos typically move together in flocks and will cooperate in combat, juvenile Gyaos will resort to cannibalism if left unattended in their nest, eating each other until only the strongest and most vicious individuals are left.

Origins

In the Showa series, Gyaos has no definitively explained origin, and is discovered living in a large cave. Zoologist Dr. Aoki evades the question of whether he is a bird or a reptile, though he labels his drawing of Gyaos "Rhamphorhynchoidea Monster." In Gamera vs. Guiron, it is revealed that there are multiple silver space-faring Gyaos, suggesting that Gyaos may be an extraterrestrial species, or that there are multiple species of Gyaos specific to other planets.

In the Heisei trilogy, Gyaos are the result of genetic engineering by the ancient Atlanteans in order to create a genetically perfect organism, possibly as a weapon. However, the asexually-reproducing Gyaos began breeding out of control and turned on their creators. The Atlanteans created Gamera as a last-ditch effort to stop the Gyaos, but their civilization was ultimately destroyed by the Gyaos. While Gamera successfully destroyed most of the Gyaos, several clutches of their eggs survived into the present day and were able to hatch due to human activities causing a decrease in the Earth's levels of Mana. The characters Mito Asakura and Shinya Kurata propose in Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris that Gyaos was created to keep the human population from growing too large. The official prequel graphic novel for the trilogy, Matt Frank's The Last Hope, explains that the Atlanteans created Gyaos to defend their capital city from gigantic serpents called Garasharp. However, once the Gyaos defeated and fed on Garasharp, they developed a taste for human flesh instead, and turned against the Atlanteans.

In GAMERA -Rebirth-, after Gyaos eggs were discovered at a drilling site in New Guinea, they hatched and murdered staff of the Eustace Foundation. Later, a swarm of the monsters attacked the Philippines before heading to Japan.[16]

History

Showa era

Gamera vs. Gyaos

An ancient creature awoken by a pattern of unusual volcanic activity across Japan, Gyaos emerged from a large cavern in the mountains of Shizuoka Prefecture, first making his presence known after he attacked and killed a team of geologists by slicing their helicopter in half with his Supersonic Scalpel. Gyaos then continued to menace a nearby village and feasted on blood, principally that of livestock and humans.

Soon, Gamera confronted Gyaos at Nagoya, and after a battle in which Gamera’s arm was seriously damaged by Gyaos’s Supersonic Scalpel, Gyaos fled while Gamera slept in the ocean to recover from his injuries. It was soon learned that light caused Gyaos' skin to shrink, and this applied to artificial light as well, so the citizens were able to get to safety by sheltering in the light of a stadium's spotlights, which kept Gyaos at bay. Gamera soon returned to finish Gyaos off and, after a battle in the air, Gyaos cut off two of his toes to free himself from Gamera's grasp and escape. Later that morning, two local fishermen discovered Gyaos's toes, which had started to shrink under the effects of ultraviolet light from the sun

Returning to Shizuoka, a complex plan was put in place by the JSDF and the scientists, involving artificial blood and a rotating platform atop a hotel. It was hoped that by luring Gyaos to the blood, then rotating the platform, Gyaos would be dazed and unable to escape, eventually dying in the morning sun. However, this plan failed when the substation powering the platform overheated. In pain, Gyaos smashed the hotel to pieces, then fired his fog to shroud himself from the sun's light, escaping back to his cave.

Eichi, a local boy from the village, came up with a plan to set the surrounding forest on fire, in the hope that Gamera might be attracted to the flames to fight Gyaos. After Eichi's grandfather conveyed this to the team overseeing the operation against Gyaos, this plan was put into action. That night, the forest was set ablaze, and missiles were shot into the mountain to force Gyaos out. The giant monster put out the fires using his fog, but Gamera arrived just in time to begin the fight.

Though Gyaos's Supersonic Scalpel was unable to cut into Gamera's shell, it made light work of exposed areas of his body, and it seemed at one point as if Gamera was going to die after Gyaos lacerated his limbs and tail with the beam, causing the giant turtle to weaken. After Gyaos repeatedly picked up and hurled Gamera at the ground, Gamera recovered his strength and valiantly fought back, knocking Gyaos down by flying into him, then biting into his neck and shoulder to restrain him. With Gyaos unable to escape, Gamera took to the air, and carried Gyaos to the crater of Mount Fuji, still smoking from its recent eruption. As Gamera pulled Gyaos into the crater, the monster tried one last futile attempt to escape, firing his Supersonic Scalpel as the sun rose, but this attempt was in vain, and Gyaos finally died.

Gamera vs. Guiron

Space Gyaos in Gamera vs. Guiron

A swarm of silver Space Gyaos (宇宙ギャオス,   Uchū Gyaosu) had attacked the planet Terra, an undiscovered planet in our solar system, being kept at bay only by the Terrans' guardian monster, Guiron. A Space Gyaos arrived near Guiron and tried to attack with its laser beam, but it was reflected by Guiron's blade-like head, and the beam instead sliced off Space Gyaos' right leg. Space Gyaos flew into the air in order to continue the fight, but in a swooping maneuver Guiron sliced off Space Gyaos' wing. With its prey grounded and immobile, Guiron cut off Space Gyaos' other wing, then decapitated it and sliced it into pieces. Guiron picked up one of the segments and inspected it, deciding that Space Gyaos was not fit to eat, then simply threw the piece aside. After Gamera had killed Guiron, the planet was seemingly abandoned to the Space Gyaos.


Gamera Super Monster

The pirate spaceship Zanon unleashed Gyaos to destroy humanity, then sent it to prevent Gamera from interfering with its plans to conquer Earth. However, Gamera destroyed Gyaos by dragging it into the crater of a volcano.

Heisei era

Gamera the Guardian of the Universe

Three Gyaos appeared on an island archipelago off the coast of Japan, where they wiped out an entire village on Himegami Island, eating every human being they could find. Ornithologist Mayumi Nagamine and police inspector Tsutomu Osako were sent to the island to investigate, where they saw the three creatures up close. Together with the JSDF, Nagamine and Osako formulated a plan to lure the Gyaos to the Fukuoka Dome in Fukuoka, using hunks of raw meat. By nightfall, the three Gyaos arrived at the stadium and descended. Soldiers then opened fire on the Gyaos with tranquilizer darts. Two of the Gyaos were sedated and captured, but one escaped. The Gyaos tried to fly over the ocean, but was suddenly swatted into a nearby refinery and destroyed by Gamera, who proceeded toward the Fukuoka Dome. The two Gyaos awakened and used their sonic beams to cut free of the cages restraining them. The Gyaos flew out of the stadium, avoiding Gamera, and retreated.

The two Gyaos later attacked a village in the Japanese countryside, but were intercepted by Gamera. Gamera destroyed one of the Gyaos with a fireball, but the other escaped. When Gamera was attacked by the JSDF near Mount Fuji, the surviving Gyaos attacked him with its supersonic scalpel. Gamera was seriously wounded by the JSDF and Gyaos' attacks and was forced to rest underneath the ocean. Gyaos began feeding on wildlife, livestock, and humans and eventually grew into the 85 meter-tall Super Gyaos (スーパーギャオス,   Sūpā Gyaosu). Super Gyaos flew to Tokyo, where it fed on the helpless populace. Super Gyaos later built a nest on the Tokyo Tower and laid eggs. Gamera traveled underground and surfaced in the center of Tokyo to challenge Super Gyaos. Gamera blasted the nest with a fireball, destroying all of the eggs. Super Gyaos and Gamera fought throughout Tokyo, causing major damage to the city. Eventually, the two kaiju took their battle to the sky, engaging in a supersonic dogfight that reached the top of the atmosphere. Gamera and Super Gyaos plummeted down to Earth, and Gamera crashed into a factory which exploded. Super Gyaos stared at the fireball, believing itself victorious, when suddenly the fire was absorbed by Gamera, who stood unharmed. Gamera fired a massive fireball at Super Gyaos, which blasted its head clean off. Super Gyaos' headless corpse then fell backwards and exploded.

Stock footage of Super Gyaos and its battle with Gamera was later shown in Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, where it is revealed to be the cause of the death of Ayana Hirasaka's parents.

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion

The Gyaos do not appear in Gamera 2 physically, but they are mentioned and are the subject of a book in the film.

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris

After Gamera's Ultimate Mana Blast attack used to destroy Legion depleted Earth's mana, thousands of Gyaos began appearing all over the world in new evolved forms known as Hyper Gyaos (ギャオス・ハイパー,   Gyaosu ・ Haipā, lit. Gyaos Hyper). The corpse of one Gyaos was found in a village in the Philippines, where it had eaten an old woman's son and grandson. Gamera was reportedly seen in several locations across the planet battling the Hyper Gyaos, causing terrible destruction in the process. One night, two Hyper Gyaos appeared in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, where they battled Gamera. Gamera killed both Gyaos, but at the cost of thousands of human lives, ending humanity's trust in Gamera and causing them to designate him as an enemy. Meanwhile, a powerful creature related to the Gyaos, Iris, was awakened from a shrine in Nara Prefecture and raised by the vengeful orphan Ayana Hirasaka to kill Gamera, who she blamed for the deaths of her parents in 1995. Iris and Gamera battled in Kyoto, with Iris being killed and Gamera brutally maimed. After the battle, a swarm of thousands of Hyper Gyaos approached Kyoto, intent on finishing Gamera once and for all. However, humanity's faith in Gamera had been restored and they were ready to fight side-by-side with him against the Gyaos.


Gamera the Brave

Original Gyaos in Gamera the Brave

A flock of Original Gyaos (オリジナルギャオス,   Orijinaru Gyaosu) attacked the seaside city of Shima, Mie Prefecture, only to be confronted by Avant Gamera. Gamera overloaded his internal furnace and self-destructed, sacrificing himself to destroy the flock. The creature called Zedus was later mutated by feeding on the corpses of the flock of Original Gyaos.


GAMERA

Gyaos appears in the 2015 short film first screened at New York Comic-Con to commemorate Gamera's 50th anniversary. Swarms of Gyaos are shown attacking Tokyo 10 years in the past, and one of them eats the main character's father. The main character is saved when Gamera smashes through a building and kills the Gyaos by stomping on its neck. Gamera then destroys the incoming swarm of Gyaos with a powerful blast of fire.[17]

Reiwa era

GAMERA -Rebirth-

"Above Tokyo"
A smaller Gyaos swallows a person whole.

As several Eustace Foundation employees lowered themselves into the mining base in New Guinea, they came across many clutches of Gyaos eggs, each arranged on a different rock that jutted from the ground. As one worker walked towards a clutch, a Gyaos hatchling began to move, and suddenly there was a high pitched buzz and screaming from across the room, causing the Foundation member to look away. The baby Gyaos uses its Supersonic Scalpel to cut off the man's arm, and several others joined it as it landed on top of him and began to feast. The Gyaos hatchlings started to fly up through the shaft from which the people came, escaping into the daylight.

The Gyaos swarm proceded to attack multiple villages in the Philippines over the course of the next few days, alerting both civilians and the U.S. army to their presence.

The Gyaos later arrived in Tokyo, eating people at night, such as when a pair of Gyaos ambushed a duo of police officers in a dark alley, slicing them up with their beams and consuming their bodies.

Boco, Junichi, and Joe, along with Brody and his friends, raced to the top of a building after witnessing a large fire and a jet flying low and streaking towards it. Two U.S. military jet fighters arrived in time to see many Gyaos feeding on people and destroying the city. They opened fire at a couple of Gyaos grabbing people out of a building, knocking one to the streets below, where it quickly recovered and began chasing people. Noticing this, another Gyaos clung to a building, charged its Supersonic Scalpel, and sliced one of the planes' noses off as it flew by, casuing it to crash in an explosion. Then the Gyaos flew at the other jet, latching on to its front and sending it hurtling to the ground as more of the creatures continued devouring people. Two Gyaos suddenly looked up from tearing apart a human and stared towards the group of kids, lifting off the ground and flying in that direction as military reinforcements soared overhead. The newly deployed aircraft arrived on the scene, loosing many missiles at the Gyaos, killing several. A much larger Supersonic Scalpel blasted down from the sky, destroying two jets and slicing a building in half as a massive Gyaos descended, crushing another jet between its talons. The rest engaged with it and it unleashed more beams at them as the children watched from the building top. One of the Gyaos landed on the roof behind them, and Brody with his friends ran down the stairs while Boco, Joe, and Junichi ran away, the Gyaos giving chase and attempting to grab them with its spear tounge. The tounge hit a generator, electrocuting the kaiju and buying enough time for the three to escape.

All of the military aircraft were destroyed as another object was reported to be flying towards the Gyaos from Sagami Bay.

The trio reached the bottom of the external stairs only to be met with a second Gyaos, forcing them to flee into the building with the Gyaos shoving its way through the doors. The three tried to sneak away as the monster stalked through the arcade, but two of the machines activated from the damaged generator, creating noise and alerting the Gyaos. The kids tried to run, but the first Gyaos had freed itself and arrived at the door, trapping them in with the other. The Gyaos inside flipped over a table as the first Gyaos squeezed through the doors, cornering them against a support pillar as a blue glow filled the room from outside. Suddenly, a blast from outside threw the Gyaos and machines back across the room, pinning them under debris. The kids stumbled outside and watched as Gamera rose and fired a flame bullet at a flock of the creatures flying towards them, vaporizing many in one shot. He crushed the small Gyaos and grabbed them out of the air, sustaining minimal damage as they fired their Supersonic Scalpels. Behind the kids, the two Gyaos started to regain conciousness and break free, prompting them to start running again. Boco saw Brody and his group of friends hiding in a small alley, with one of the now freed Gyaos noticing them and following. The creature overlooked Brody due to a shard of glass in its eye, but a Gyaos head from the nearby battle smacked into the ground in front of him, making him scream and causing the Gyaos to turn around and notice them. However, Boco and his friends began to throw their explosive eggs before it could harm the other kids, who ran away and left the now unconcious Brody behind. Boco, Junichi, and Joe picked up Brody and started carrying him away, but the Gyaos got to its feet and chased them. Noticing this, Gamera stomped on the small kaiju, popping its head off. The Gyaos swarm had been finished off, but then the largest Gyaos blasted Gamera with its Supersonic Scalpel before Gamera returned fire with three shots, the third hitting Gyaos's wing. The flying monster swooped down, dodging another blast and circling back towards Gamera, charging its beam. It was interrupted by yet another fireball which incinerated its leg. Gyaos finally reached Gamera, sinking its claws into his shoulder while pulling him around and firing its Supersonic Scalpel at point-blank range. Gamera smacked Gyaos to the ground, stepped on its neck, and grabbed its intact wing and leg with each arm, pulling with extreme force. Gyaos was able to break free of its adversary, beginning to fly away, but Gamera yanked it back again before leaping and stomping on Gyaos's back. Gyaos attempted to counterattack with its energy weapon, but Gamera seized its head, piercing its eye with his thumb-claw. He slammed its head into the ground before grabbing it by the neck and hurling it over his shoulder. Gamera finished off Gyaos with a single direct hit from a flame bullet.

"Childhood's End"

It was revealed that three months prior, the Eustace Foundation had perfected a variant of the Gyaos, which would come to be referred to as the S-Gyaos.

Three months later, this infant S-Gyaos emerged from within the body of the freshly deceased Viras following the latter’s defeat by Gamera, and proceeded to devour Emiko Melchiorri. The Gyaos continued to feed on the rest of Viras’s carcass, rapidly growing to a massive size exceeding that of the large Gyaos. With that, this ugly duckling Gyaos went to pursue the children and Gamera, but was unable to take flight; however, he instead swam to the island where Gamera was being revived.

The JSDF engaged the S-Gyaos, but the Gyaos eliminated the ships and tanks that were fending him off using highly powered attacks. His opposition gone, the S-Gyaos made his way inland, pursuing Boco, who was leading the S-Gyaos away from Gamera. Just as the S-Gyaos prepared to devour Boco when the latter was cornered on a cliff, a fireball struck the S-Gyaos from behind. Gamera emerged to save Boco, and continued to loose more fireballs at Gyaos, before the two exchanged roars. The S-Gyaos fired Supersonic Scalpels, but Gamera deflected the attacks using his shell, before producing an electromagnetic pulse. S-Gyaos was stunned briefly, and Gamera prepared to finish off the mutant Gyaos with a fireball attack. However, the S-Gyaos regained consciousness, and shot his tongue right into Gamera’s mouth, injecting an RNA virus continuously into Gamera. However, Captain Sasaki and the U.S. Air Force fired upon S-Gyaos, causing him to release his tongue. Gamera was now freed, and the guardian kaiju took flight, before rapidly spinning in his shell, producing a glowing sphere. S-Gyaos fired Supersonic Scalpels in a futile attempt to stop Gamera, but the beam reflected off of the sphere. Gamera descended upon the S-Gyaos, burning the monstrous creature and killing him once and for all.

Abilities

Flight

Gyaos flies through the air in Gamera vs. Gyaos.

In all of its incarnations, Gyaos is an agile flier. It can fly at a speed of Mach 3.5 in the Showa series, while the juvenile Gyaos from Gamera the Guardian of the Universe can reach speeds of up to Mach 1. Super Gyaos can reach Mach 4.2, while Hyper Gyaos can reach Mach 4.5. Their impressive flight speed and agility allowed Super and Hyper Gyaos to dodge the majority of the Plasma Fireballs Gamera fired at them.

Wind gusts

Gyaos can generate powerful wind gusts which blow away buildings and tanks by flapping its wings.

Supersonic Scalpel

Gyaos fires its Supersonic Scalpel.

Gyaos' signature ability is the Supersonic Scalpel (超音波メス,   Chōonpa Mesu) it fires from its mouth. This attack takes the form of a thin yellow beam which can slice apart objects with incredible precision. In the Showa series, Gyaos' spine was bifurcated at the neck, acting as a tuning fork that allowed it to fire the Supersonic Scalpel at the cost of not being able to turn its head sideways. This does not apply to the Heisei versions of Gyaos, which can move their heads and necks freely. The Supersonic Scalpel can slice cleanly through aircraft and buildings as well as Gamera's flesh, and is even used by Gyaos twice to sever its own foot in order to escape Gamera's grasp. The mutant Gyaos Iris possesses its own version of the Supersonic Scalpel which it fires from its tentacles. In GAMERA -Rebirth-, this ability comes in the form of a purple beam that the Gyaos charge up in their mouths, with the small Gyaos cutting clean through aircraft and people, while not doing much damage to Gamera. The large Gyaos can cut clean through buildings, and does some noticeable damage to Gamera's face, arms, and plastron, but not his carapace. This incarnation of the attack is noted to possess maser-like attributes. The beam generates intense heat even in the surrounding area, such that it can cause the eyeballs of nearby humans to burst and incinerate whole bodies.[8]:87:115-116:139

Supersonic vibration

In several publications, Super Gyaos was noted to vibrate its tail as a thruster.[18]

Regeneration

The Showa Gyaos has an impressive regenerative ability, allowing it to completely regrow the toes it lost during its fight with Gamera in Nagoya in less than an hour, although this process appears to be quite painful.

Fog

In Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gyaos could emit a fog-like gas from vents on its chest to obscure the sun and douse flames. The gas leaves a pale yellow powder on objects like a fire extinguisher, and can also prevent Gamera from using his flame jets to fly. In anatomical illustrations, this fog had been described as poisonous to stun enemies.[19]


Poison

In the Heisei series, Gyaos attacks with its hind claws. While this is never addressed onscreen, the Heisei Gyaos emits a neurotoxin through its claws.[5] Several anatomical illustrations note that Showa Gyaos could emit poisonous liquids from its claws and poisonous powders from its chest.[19] In GAMERA -Rebirth-, the large Gyaos emits a poisonous gas after dying.

Asexual reproduction

In the Heisei trilogy, Gyaos are born female but can manipulate their own chromosomes to reproduce asexually. This allows Gyaos to reproduce very quickly and overrun both ancient Atlantis and the modern world by the events of Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris.

DNA manipulation

In the Heisei trilogy, Gyaos are predominantly an all-female species, born with a single pair of perfect chromosomes which they can alter in order to evolve in response to stimuli. Not only does this allow Gyaos to reproduce asexually by spontaneously modifying its chromosomal pair into Y chromosomes (thus becoming male) but also to develop adaptations, such as shield plates over its eyes in order to protect it from sunlight and allow it to be active during the day.

Growth

The Heisei Gyaos can grow and evolve quickly as long as it continues to eat. By eating continuously, one Gyaos grew from a 10-meter juvenile to the 85-meter-tall Super Gyaos.

In GAMERA -Rebirth-, Gyaos, like other villainous kaiju, can instantly grow and regenerate by feeding on humans, especially children, and the flesh of other kaiju. It is noted that smaller individuals can regenerate by eating one person, and eating ten victims can double their size in a few hours.[10][8]:79:89

Durability

Super Gyaos is able to shrug off missiles and can survive orbital re-entry.

Jets

An anatomical illustration notes that Showa Gyaos could emit jets from its legs.[20]

Electricity

An anatomical illustration notes that Showa Gyaos could store and emit electricity from its legs.[20]

Mutagenic tissues

Anatomical illustrations and the books Gamera the Brave Super Complete Works and Friends: Gamera the Brave[21], mention that Original Gyaos' tissues can cause mutation if ingested, which resulted in the emergences of Zedus and other monsters from the Showa series called G-Monsters.[4][22] The Gyaos Cell (ギャオス細胞,   Gyaosu Saibō), also known as GC, was also used by Soichiro Amamiya to create Space Gyaos and Baby Jiger.[12]:282

Possession

Original Gyaos may "possess" and "command" the organisms which become monsters by consuming their flesh. Zedus was driven by the malice and hatred of Gyaos to exterminate Gamera and humanity.[22]

Tongue spear

The Gyaos in GAMERA -Rebirth- possess an extendable tongue with a spear-like tip. Their tongues are able to penetrate surfaces and become hooked to them.


Energy shield

In GAMERA -Rebirth-, Gyaos, like other kaiju, can create a thin, invisible energy shield on the surface of its body to neutralize conventional attacks. The larger an individual becomes, the stronger the shield becomes.[8]:89 This was seen when the Gyaos were attacked by machine gun fire only to shrug it off seconds later.

Corruption

S-Gyaos is capable of corrupting other Kaiju via injection of RNA viruses using its speared tongue.

Intelligence and sensing danger

In GAMERA -Rebirth-, Gyaos can instantly sense and prepare to evade dangerous projectiles such as missiles and Gamera's Flame Shot even before they are actually used. Smaller individuals are aware that they will be eventually devoured by the largest Gyaos, so each is keen to feed on many humans as possible to grow and survive. On the other hand, they are also extremely sadistic, drawing out their pursuit of humans to savor their fear.[8]:76-77:80:90:101-102

Amphibiousness

Though he was unable to fly, S-Gyaos proved to be an effective swimmer, in a very similar fashion to Zigra. Additionally, he was able to fight in a terrestrial setting along with in an aquatic one.

Independently-moving flesh

In the 1967 film Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gyaos's severed claw moved independently.

Weaknesses

A Gyaos is destroyed by Gamera's Plasma Fireball.

Gyaos possesses an aversion to sunlight, and as such can only be active at night. In the Showa series this weakness extended to the point that exposure to sunlight could injure Gyaos by causing its flesh to dry out and shrivel up. The Showa era Gyaos also appeared to shun artificial light, as during his raid on Nagoya, he avoided areas that were lit artificially, allowing citizens to safely shelter in a stadium with lighting provided by its spotlights. In the Heisei series, Gyaos was blinded by sunlight and was rendered helpless and disoriented if exposed to any light. However, Super Gyaos was able to overcome this weakness by forming shield plates over its eyes. The Space Gyaos appear to lack this weakness altogether, as the individual that fought Guiron was able to battle on the surface of Terra in broad daylight with no apparent ill effects.

Gyaos is critically vulnerable to extreme heat, which is how Gamera manages to kill it in each incarnation. In Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera kills Gyaos by dragging it into the mouth of Mount Fuji, where a combination of the morning sunlight and the volcano's still smouldering crater spelled its doom, while in the Heisei series he kills each Gyaos with a Plasma Fireball. While the juvenile Gyaos can be exterminated by a single Fireball, Super Gyaos required a direct hit to the head from a High Plasma Fireball, and Hyper Gyaos could withstand several hits.

In the Showa series, the source of Gyaos' Supersonic Scalpel beam is its forked-shaped throat, but this prevents it from turning its head sideways. Space Gyaos was also vulnerable to its own Supersonic Scalpel after it was reflected by Guiron. Space Gyaos is susceptible to being instantly and fatally dismembered by the blade on Guiron's head.

Video games

Gamera the Guardian of the Universe

Gyaos is Gamera's first opponent in the game, and returns for a second match in the fourth stage.

Gamera: Gyaos Destruction Strategy

The JSDF lures Gyaos into a cluster of four blue squares with military units. In the final stage, Gamera, having been freed from the Z-Plan rocket, appears to battle the Gyaos in Tokyo.

Gamera 2000

The game features various genetically-engineered Gyaos variants created by the Bio-Mecha, derived from the DNA of Super Gyaos. These Gyaos creations include Gyaos-Dogs, Gyaos-Rays, the Gyaos-Armadillo, the Gyaos Man, the Neo-Gyaos, Gyaos Soldiers, Gyaos 3, and the Bionic Gyaos.

City Shrouded in Shadow

Gyaos is featured in the survival RPG City Shrouded in Shadow developed by Granzella and Bandai Namco for the PlayStation 4. Flocks of Gyaos fly around the city and antagonize the player and other NPCs. On the second part of the game's tenth stage, Gamera appears to battle the Gyaos.

Comics

Manga Boys Special Edition: Gamera

Gyaos battling Gamera in Manga Boys Special Edition: Gamera

Gyaos appears in this 1995 manga illustrated by "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken, along with several other kaiju. Eventually, Gyaos merges with all of Gamera's other foes from the Showa era into a chimera-like creature called Powered Gyaos, which is defeated by Gamera.

Gamera

The cloned Gyaos in Gamera

Issue #1

After the battle between Gamera and Super Gyaos, Dr. Greta Karbone illegally obtained a sample of Gyaos' DNA. On her private island off the coast of Guanajota, Mexico, she and her assistants Gusano and Carlos worked to create an army of Supermonsters, which included a cloned Gyaos. However, Gyaos quickly grew too big for its incubation jar and escaped. It ate Carlos before flying through the roof and escaping into Guanajota Harbor. Gyaos lived for some time on whatever humans it could find, such as lone fishermen, before entering Guanajota. As soon as it landed, it began to wreak havoc. It had destroyed many structures, and the city was aflame before Gamera arrived. Gamera hit Gyaos with a fire blast from behind. On turning to see its aggressor, Gyaos returned fire. Gyaos then leaped upon Gamera, who used one of his tusks to stab Gyaos' ankle. Not swayed by the attack, the two monsters prepared their next attacks as the people fled the ruined city.

Issue #2

Gyaos charged at Gamera with a headbutt, but Gamera grabbed Gyaos' shoulders and led it into a roll that Gamera used to slam Gyaos into the water. Gyaos managed to get back up, but it then saw Gamera blasting through the air toward it. Gamera tackled Gyaos so that it fell backwards into a tanker ship in the harbor, and then blasted upward and spat his fire blast at Gyaos, igniting the oil in the tanker and bringing the entire Guanajota Harbor to a boil. Gamera sustained the blast on the harbor, and the helpless Gyaos clone was effectively obliterated.

Gamera Gaiden Ver. 2.5

Gamera does battle with a mutated aquatic Gyaos called the Marine Gyaos.

Gamera vs. Barugon

In Kadokawa's manga adaptation of Gamera vs. Barugon, set between the events of Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, Gamera battled a Gyaos after defeating the Mother Legion.

Gamera 2006: Hard Link

The Gyaos attack Gamera in Gamera 2006: Hard Link

In the spin-off manga to Gamera the Brave, Gamera's battle against the Gyaos in 1973 is gone more into detail within the "Special Link" chapter.

Gamera was being attacked by four Gyaos' Supersonic Scalpels. Gamera killed a first Gyaos with a point-blank fire blast and then stomped on its head. The remaining three Gyaos kept firing at Gamera, but Gamera got into his shell and charged up a fire blast which he fired at one of the Gyaos. Another Gyaos came in and bit Gamera's arm, and Gamera threw it to the ground and fired at it, killing it. The two remaining Gyaos hovered about, and Gamera fired another fire blast at one of them. From the smoke one Gyaos flew toward Gamera and unleashed a flurry of beams. Gamera punched it to the ground. However, the Gyaos continued its onslaught of beams just as the other Gyaos turned out to have survived and flew over to Gamera. Gamera began spurting blood, and the two Gyaos feasted on his entrails. Gamera, acknowledging he had been defeated, triggered his Fireball Ejection Suicide, killing him along with both Gyaos.

Gallery

Main article: Gyaos/Gallery.

Roar

Gyaos' roars in the Showa series
Gyaos' roars in the Heisei Trilogy
Gyaos' roars in Gamera the Brave
Gyaos' roars in GAMERA
Gyaos' roars in GAMERA -Rebirth-

Trivia

  • Gyaos is the only enemy monster in the Gamera series to appear in more than one film, not counting stock footage.
  • Counting stock footage and photographs, Gyaos have appeared in every Gamera film since Gamera Super Monster, as well as the 2015 50th anniversary GAMERA short film and the 2023 animated series GAMERA -Rebirth-.
  • Gyaos' roar was later altered for the Return of Ultraman kaiju, Arstron, and also reused for a giant snake in the 1968 Daiei film The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch.
  • Hajime Isayama stated that he was influenced by the Gyaos from Gamera the Guardian of the Universe when creating the man-eating Titans for his popular Attack on Titan manga series.[24] Ironically, Shinji Higuchi, who oversaw the special effects for Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, later directed a live action film adaptation of Attack on Titan in 2015.
  • Gyaos' 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 Mako Mori transmitted.
  • Gyaos's first appearance within Gamera vs. Gyaos somewhat resembles that of Godzilla from the 1958 manga Monster Raban; both monsters made initial appearances by hiding within volcanic craters and fired energy projectiles to shoot down aircrafts of research teams studying the monsters, and made their first actual appearances later at night. Coincidentally, both Godzilla in the manga and the Original Gyaos in the Gamera the Brave possess DNA that mutate normal organisms, including humans, into kaiju.
  • Gyaos in GAMERA -Rebirth- is the second kaiju in the franchise to originate in New Guinea, after Barugon. Gyaos previously appeared in the Philippines in the prologue of Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris, though only a corpse was shown.
  • In the draft for Gamera the Guardian of the Universe predating the one by Kazunori Ito, Super Gyaos would have taken on a "terrestrial mode" after losing its wings, gaining agility and the ability to emit an intense heat from its body.[12]:261 In this draft, Gyaos also emitted bioluminescence from its head akin to the Showa Gyaos.[12]:243
  • Super Gyaos suit actress Yumi Kameyama actually wanted to play Gamera because her family name contains the Chinese character for "turtle" (亀,   Kame).[12]:173
  • Gyaos has lost a leg battling Gamera in Gamera vs. Gyaos, Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, and GAMERA -Rebirth-. Additionally, a Space Gyaos lost a leg while fighting Guiron in Gamera vs. Guiron.
  • S-Gyaos's tongue spear attack in GAMERA -Rebirth- is similar to that of Zedus and especially Garasharp, as the latter absorbed Gamera's thermal energy by inserting her tongue into his mouth. The attack of S-Gyaos on Gamera is also similar to Zedus attacking the injured Toto in a facility in Nagoya in Gamera the Brave. It may also partially resemble the "possession" by Original Gyaos in the 2006 film as both incarnations "corrupt" other organisms into threats to humanity.
  • While Gyaos's Supersonic Scalpel was red in both the anime and novelization of GAMERA -Rebirth-, the manga adaptation depicts it as its traditional yellow.[25]

See also

References

This is a list of references for Gyaos. 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]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Heisei Enemy Monsters (平成敵怪獣)". gamera.jp. Archived from the original on 5 July 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Showa Gamera Enemy Monsters (昭和ガメラ敵怪獣)". gamera.jp. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 20 April 1999. p. 15. ISBN 4-09-101468-2.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Gamera the Brave Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 20 May 2006. p. 30, 32. ISBN 4091051081.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Gamera the Guardian of the Universe Encyclopedia. Rippu Shobo. 1995. pp. 15–16, 19–20, 58–59. ISBN 978-4651016160.
  6. アニトイ大作戦 ☆ anitoy (24 June 2023). "これからはハイブリッドソフビの時代?【お買い物】ムービーモンスターシリーズ ギャオス、ジャイガー、モスラ★ 奥特曼 mainan Ultraman ウルトラマン ウルトラマンブレーザー". YouTube.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Rebirth Novelization 1 Gyaos Profile.png
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Hiroyuki Seshita and JIN (24 August 2023). GAMERA -Rebirth- First Volume. Kadokawa. ISBN 9784041139950.
  9. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RebirthFile
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 "敵怪獣「ギャオス」ビジュアルが公開!今後も全5怪獣が登場!". GAMERA -Rebirth- Official Site. 30 January 2023.
  11. Milner, David; Tucker, Guy. "Shinji Higuchi Interview". Kaiju Conversations. Retrieved 8 January 2020.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Heisei Gamera Perfection. ASCII MEDIA WORKS. 8 February 2014. ISBN 9784048918817.
  13. 13.0 13.1 KADOKAWAanime (17 August 2023). "『Making of "GAMERA -Rebirth-"』ガメラリバース製作裏側映像②【9月7日世界配信】". YouTube.
  14. Noguchi 2015, p. 92, "GAMERA Special Interview: Katsuhito Ishii".
  15. 東京コミコン2023 12月9日(土)Day2 『GAMERA -Rebirth-』スペシャル・トークショー At 17:08
  16. "Gyaos". GAMERA -Rebirth- Official Site. Retrieved 17 August 2023. Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  17. "GAMERA Director Katsuhito Ishii Interview (Follow-Up): Realizing "New Age Tokusatsu" with the Latest VFX Techniques (『GAMERA』石井克人監督 インタビュー(続報)最新のVFX技法を取り入れ、" 新世代の特撮"を実現させる)". CGWORLD.jp. 26 November 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  18. https://wikizilla.org/wiki/File:438a093471b71f25e27abd36abb380ca.jpeg
  19. 19.0 19.1 https://wikizilla.org/wiki/File:6fb8dccac9e364db0a643e71d6e7a273.jpg
  20. 20.0 20.1 https://wikizilla.org/wiki/File:Gyaos_Anatomical_Drawing.jpg
  21. "ともだち: 小さき勇者たちガメラ". Google Books. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  22. 22.0 22.1 https://wikizilla.org/wiki/File:95e70a63d45516b4881508a462e1bbbb.png
  23. https://twitter.com/aooni_official/status/1710943114351849894
  24. "Gammerama: The extended universe of Daiei's most famous monster". Maser Patrol. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  25. GAMERA-Rebirth-【タテスク】, Episode 1

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