Gyaos (Heisei Trilogy)
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We commit to the cradle of time the Last Hope, Gamera. May he awaken with the Shadow of Evil, Gyaos.
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„
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— Inscription from the obelisk found on Gamera's atoll (Gamera the Guardian of the Universe) |
Gyaos (ギャオス Gyaosu) is a species of winged kaiju which appears in Daiei's Heisei Gamera Trilogy, serving as the primary antagonist of the 1995 film Gamera the Guardian of the Universe and a supporting antagonist in 1999's Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris.
A genetically-perfect organism engineered by the super-ancient civilization which inspired the myth of Atlantis, Gyaos developed a taste for human flesh and turned on its creators, who engineered a guardian called Gamera as a last resort to stop it. While Gamera managed to destroy the majority of Gyaos, he could not save the civilization which created him, though the few survivors sealed him away in the hope of defending future generations if Gyaos ever rose again. In 1995, changing environmental conditions brought on by human activity caused several Gyaos eggs on Himegami Island to hatch, with three individuals making their way to Japan. Gamera returned and managed to kill two Gyaos, but one escaped and continuously grew in size and power until it became Super Gyaos (スーパーギャオス Sūpā Gyaosu) and built a nest in Tokyo. Gamera fought and killed Super Gyaos in a deadly struggle, but the threat of more Gyaos eggs surviving remained.
When Gamera depleted the Earth's mana energy in order to destroy the extraterrestrial Legion, clutches of Gyaos eggs around the world were able to hatch, with the creatures evolving into the even larger and deadlier Hyper Gyaos (ギャオス・ハイパー Gyaosu Haipā, lit. "Gyaos Hyper"). Overwhelmed by his ancient foe's numbers, Gamera became increasingly desperate to stop Gyaos to the point of causing major destruction in his battles with it. To make matters worse, a young woman named Ayana Hirasaka discovered the egg of an ancient Gyaos mutation which she named Iris, bonding with the creature over their shared hatred of Gamera. Iris matured into a colossal monster which attempted to kill Gamera in Kyoto, though the guardian destroyed the evil god and rescued Ayana from being forcibly absorbed by it. Though seriously maimed in the struggle, Gamera fearlessly prepared to face a massive swarm of Hyper Gyaos descending upon the city with the goal of destroying him once and for all.
Name
In Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, Gyaos are sometimes referred to as "Gyaos Birds," although the character Mayumi Nagamine insists that they are not birds at all.
The Gyaos' stages of growth are described in external sources as juvenile (幼体 yōtai), sub-adult (亜成体 aseitai), and adult (成体 seitai).[4] The single adult Gyaos from Gamera the Guardian of the Universe was sometimes named Super Gyaos (スーパーギャオス Sūpā Gyaosu) in merchandise for the film, including the soft vinyl figure and "Gamera Carnival" minifigure set from Bandai's toy line, as well as the Game Boy video game. This name has scarcely been used since, though remains popular among fans.
The even-larger evolved Gyaos from Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris are officially named Hyper Gyaos (ギャオス・ハイパー Gyaosu Haipā, lit. "Gyaos Hyper"),[3] though this is never spoken onscreen.
Development
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. One suit was designed for action, while the other was for close-ups. Super Gyaos had the distinction of being the first-ever known kaiju to be portrayed in a film 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."[5] 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.[6]:16
Yumi Kameyama dons the Super Gyaos suit
Various Gyaos and Gamera suits and props used in Gamera the Guardian of the Universe
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 Gamera the Guardian of the Universe 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.
A Hyper Gyaos puppet
Design
The Gyaos in Gamera the Guardian of the Universe had a 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, bluish skin. Hyper Gyaos is also considerably thinner than previous incarnations, with elements of its skeleton such as its ribcage protruding from underneath its skin.
Personality
Gyaos feed on any meat they can find, be it living or dead, though their preferred prey seems to be humans. 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
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.
History
- Gamera the Guardian of the Universe (1995)
- Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996) [mentioned; photograph]
- Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)
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 Ultrasonic 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. 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. 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.
Abilities
Flight
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.
Ultrasonic Scalpel
Gyaos' signature ability is the Ultrasonic 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 cleanly through aircraft and buildings as well as Gamera's flesh, and is even used by Gyaos to sever its own foot in order to escape Gamera's grasp. The mutant Gyaos Iris possesses its own version of the Ultrasonic Scalpel which it fires from its tentacles.
A Gyaos freeing itself from a cage using its Ultrasonic Scalpel
Supersonic vibration
In several publications, Super Gyaos was noted to vibrate its tail as a thruster.[7]
Poison
Gyaos attacks with its hind claws. While this is never addressed onscreen, the Gyaos emit a neurotoxin through its claws.
Asexual reproduction
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
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
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.
Durability
Super Gyaos is able to shrug off missiles and can survive orbital re-entry.
Weaknesses
Gyaos is 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.
Gyaos is critically vulnerable to extreme heat, with Gamera killing 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.
Super Gyaos is decapitated by Gamera's High Plasma Fireball
Video games
- Gamera the Guardian of the Universe (1995) - Nintendo Game Boy
- Gamera: Gyaos Destruction Strategy (1995) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System
- Gamera 2000 (1997) - Sony PlayStation
- City Shrouded in Shadow (2017) - Sony PlayStation 4
- Symphogear XD UNLIMITED (2017; added in 2020) - Android and iOS
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.
Gyaos in Gamera the Guardian of the Universe
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.
Gyaos in Gamera: Gyaos Destruction Strategy
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.
Gyaos in City Shrouded in Shadow
Symphogear XD UNLIMITED
Gyaos appear in the Gamera Dai Kaijū Zesshō collaboration event. While only identified as "Gyaos", the monsters bear a strong resemblance to their Hyper Gyaos forms. Miku Kohinata later acquires Gyaos armor.
Gyaos in Symphogear XD UNLIMITED
Concept art of Miku Hohinata's Gyaos armor in Symphogear XD UNLIMITED
Comics
- Gamera the Guardian of the Universe (Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic Special, 1995)
- Gamera the Guardian of the Universe (Rippu Shobo, 1995)
- Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)
- Gamera #1-2 (1996)
- Gamera vs. Morphos (1999)
- Gamera Gaiden Ver. 2.5 (1999)
- Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)
- Gamera vs. Barugon: Comic Version (2003)
- The Last Hope (2017)
Gamera
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 set aflame before Gamera finally arrived, hitting 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.
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 into a tanker ship in the harbor before flying into the air to blast more fire at Gyaos, igniting the oil in the tanker and bringing the entire Guanajota Harbor to a boil where the helpless Gyaos clone was incinerated.
Gamera vs. Morphos
Shinya watched footage of Gamera's battle against Gyaos on TV before being attacked by Morphos.
Gamera Gaiden Ver. 2.5
Gamera does battle with a mutated aquatic Gyaos called the Marine Gyaos.
Gamera vs. Barugon: Comic Version
Some time after Legion's defeat, while exploring a cave in New Guinea, Yoshio Kaida experienced visions of the Atlantean's past monsters after discovering the corpse of an ancient kaiju known as Barugon. Gyaos was among the Atlanteans' dangerous past creations that led to their downfall - but not before they were able to create Gamera as their last hope.
In the wake of Barugon's reemergence, a single Gyaos also emerged and took flight off the coast of Japan, rapidly intercepting a United States naval fleet led by USS Kitty Hawk. The Gyaos approached and menaced a group of F/A-18E Super Hornets sent to search for it, and nearly downed one of the planes before Gamera intervened and rescued the jets by brutally ripping one of Gyaos's wings off with his teeth. With Gyaos dead, Gamera flew towards mainland Japan to confront Barugon.
The Last Hope
After the thriving civilization of Atlantis unwittingly lured a horde of Garasharp to their city through their unchecked consumption of Earth's mana, the four great Atlantean generals came together and planned to create their own army of monsters to stop the serpentine beasts. They created the deadly Gyaos, who successfully stopped the Garasharp before turning on their creators. To save themselves, the Atlanteans created an army of guardian monsters called Gameras who were psychically linked to chosen Atlanteans through magatama beads to save the city. The Gamera army successfully repelled the swarm of Gyaos, though all but one perished in battle. After a brief period of peace, another shadow eventually fell upon Atlantis when a larger swarm of Gyaos returned. The last Gamera fought valiantly, but in the midst of battle with the Gyaos swarm and a Garasharp matriarch, he realized that the Atlanteans' continued hoarding of Earth's mana would only invite further chaos if it were allowed to continue. Ultimately, Gamera and the general he was bonded to chose to sacrifice the city, with Gamera subsequently annihilating Atlantis, the Gyaos swarm, and the Garasharp matriarch in one fell swoop.
Gallery
- Main article: Gyaos/Gallery.
Roar
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Trivia
- In the Gamera the Guardian of the Universe draft 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 a intense heat from its body.[6]:261 Gyaos also emitted bioluminescence from its head in this draft, akin to the Showa Gyaos.[6]:243
- Super Gyaos suit actress Yumi Kameyama actually wanted to play Gamera because her family name contains the kanji for "turtle" (亀 kame).[6]:173
See also
References
This is a list of references for Gyaos (Heisei Trilogy). These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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Bibliography
- Sagami, Yasuyuki, ed. (10 March 1995). Gamera the Guardian of the Universe Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. ISBN 4-09-101446-1.
- Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 20 April 1999. ISBN 4-09-101468-2.
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