Pachimon

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Pachimon (パチモン,   Pachimon) is a vintage series of budget bromide trading cards made by the Japanese companies Yokopro (ヨコプロ,   Yokopuro) and Yamapro (ヤマプロ) featuring unauthorized alterations of pre-existing kaiju collaged with other photographic elements. The term Pachimon itself is a fan-created moniker roughly reading as 'stolen monsters'.

Information

Pachimon was created by Yokopro in the 1970's, around the time kaiju and Tokusatsu were very popular in Japan. The cards consists of several "Pachimon," monsters often based on those from popular kaiju series such as Godzilla, Gamera and the Ultra Series, usually shown attacking famous cities or places.

The playing card variations feature information on each monster, including its height, weight, and subtitle.

Although quite obscure, the Pachimon kaiju have garnered something of a cult following among Japanese collectors and otaku, which has resulted in vinyl figures (both official products and custom built independents), fan-made video games, and short films.

Cards

"Monster Collage" and "Dinosaur" Editions

The first series published by Yokopro featuring lone monsters appearing among the city, often Japanese locations. A secondary "Dinosaur" version was also issued alongside the "Monster Collage" cards.[1]

"Monster Collage" (怪獣コラージュ)
Card Subtitle, Name
(Japanese)
Modified from
Pachi fight 2.png
Giant Monster Akaskeroni
(大怪獣アカスケロニ)
Jamila, Gango
Pachimon Battari.jpg
Giant Monster Battari
(大怪獣バッタリ)
Alien Godola, Ultraseven
DaigorasPachimon2016March01.jpg
Giant Monster Daigoras
(大怪獣ダイゴラス)
Eleking
Bird thing.png
Giant Monster Eyegan
(大怪獣アイガン)
Rodan
KanjirasuPachimon2016January01.jpg
Giant Monster Kanjiras
(大怪獣カンジラス)
Jamila
KodonPachimonKaiju2014July01.jpg
Giant Monster Kodon
(大怪獣コドン)
Banila, Trachodon
ScorotronZaurusPachimon2016January01.jpg
Giant Monster Kumon
(大怪獣クモン),
Giant Monster Scolosaurus
(大怪獣スコロザウルス)
Alien Bira
Pachifight.png
Giant Monster Leccacatholis
(大怪獣レッカカトリス)
Alien Mefilas, Alien Icarus
LygonPachimon2016January01.jpg
Giant Monster Lygon
(大怪獣ライゴン)
Bemular
MajelisPachimon2016March03.jpg
Giant Monster Majelis
(大怪獣マジェリス)
Telesdon, Darii
Pachi fight.png
Giant Monster Nash
(大怪獣ナッシュ)
Rigger, Agira
PachimonBurachi2016January01.jpg
PachimonBurachi2016January02.jpg
Giant Monster Prachi
(大怪獣プラチ)
Windam
Walk.png
Giant Monster Saihatari
(大怪獣サイハタリ)
Guigass
TongaPachimonKaijuYokopro01.jpg
Giant Monster Tonga
(大怪獣トンガ)
Star Bem Gyeron
HowatosPachimon2016April01.jpg
Giant Monster Whatos
(大怪獣ホワトス)
Alien Spell
YakobPachimonKaijuYokopro01.jpg
Giant Monster Jacob
(大怪獣ヤコブ)
Jirahs
Not spectreman.png
Unnamed Spectreman
"Dinosaur" (恐竜)
Card Subtitle, Name
(Japanese)
Pachimon Chockak.jpg
Giant Sea Beast Chockak
(大海獣チョッカク)
Pachimon Corythosaurus.jpg
Giant Dinosaur Corythosaurus
(大恐竜コリトザウルス)
JiatorimaGastornisYokopro2015January01.jpg
Giant Monster Bird Diatryma
(大怪鳥ジアトリマ)
HebirusPachimonKaijuYokopro01.jpg
Giant Monster Hebirus
(大怪獣ヘビルス)
Pachimon-Whow Clean-Jan-2019 01.jpg
Giant Ichthyosaur Jiptess
(大魚竜ジプテス)
Pachimon Mucasis.jpg
Giant Sea Beast Mucasis
(大海獣ムカシス)
Pachimon Nessie.jpg
Giant Monster Nessie
(大怪獣ネッシー)
Pachimon Protocera.jpg
Giant Monster Protocera
(大怪獣プロトケラ)
TorikeratopusuPachimonKaijuYokopro01.jpg
Giant Monster Triceratops
(大怪獣トリケラトプス)

Monster World Tour

Perhaps the most recognizable of the Yokopro releases, this second series features giant monsters menacing famous cities, landmarks, and natural wonders outside of Japan. All these monsters were originally nameless but were given such titles in later playing card editions.[2][3]

Yamapro Edition

Third series featuring both named and unnamed characters, the latter coming from a Monster Confrontation set.[4]

Espro Edition

Fourth series supposedly sold only at Japanese candy stores.[5]

Latter-era Editions

Bromide cards produced towards the end of the decade under various miscellaneous series like New Monsters and Iwata Pro Large Monster Edition. Although Pachimon is infamous for culling from other monster characters and related image sources, the dip in quality is most apparent with these later entries.[6]

Playing Cards

Playing cards that reuses older images and characters alongside some new additions, mainly taken from Japanese picture books related to dinosaurs, fantasy monsters, and science fiction.[7]

Kewpie Corporation Playing Cards

The following set of promotional playing cards were produced by the Kewpie Corporation and featured original creature artwork along with related names and stats. However, these cards are still often lumped together with other Pachimon due to some of the designs still being derivative of existing characters.[8]

Other Cards

Various cards that don't fit in any of the above collections.

Merchandise

Merchandise, toys, and fan-created figures inspired by Yokopro's Pachimon bromide cards.

Miscellaneous

Trivia

  • Several of the kaiju depicted on the Pachimon cards are modified pictures of kaiju from the Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultra franchises.
    • Some of the Ultra Series-inspired inspired kaiju are Africa, based on Sadola, Himular has Red King's body, Kokura and Lygon are based on Bemular, Purachi is Windom, Tonga is Star Bem Gyeron, an unnamed monster with Peguila's body and Gomora's head, and another unnamed monster with Red King's body and Gamera's head.
  • Some Pachimon cards took their visual sources from outside the kaiju and tokusatsu genres, including science books based on prehistoric animals and photographs of modern day ones. Jiatorima, Skorosaurus, Triceratops, a gigantic Dunkleosteus, and an unnamed mountain hugging Komodo dragon are some such examples.
  • There is a minority of Pachimon card creatures who appear to be fully original creations and connected designs. But these too could have also been taken from more obscure sources, like artwork from kaiju picture books and science fiction magazines.
  • The ghastly character with the claws of the iconic Ultraman villain Alien Baltan, the body of Antler (also from Ultraman), and an over-sized human skull for a head, was originally left nameless in its card debut, but would later be named "Galtan" (or "Gaikotsubaltan") by the vinyl sculptor Exohead, who released a figure of the monster in 2007.
  • An unofficial Pachimon fighting game similar to MUGEN titled Pachimon Kaiju Dainessen exists.[11]
    • Through this unofficial video game, one unnamed Dunkleosteus-based monster was given the fan-created name of "Whow."
  • The clawed sea monster Goryu is taken from Gold Key Comics' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea series, particularly the issue entitled "The Overland Trial".[12]
  • An unnamed fish-like humanoid is repurposed magazine artwork of The Giant Manfish, a monster from episode 56 of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, "The Menfish" (March 6, 1966).[13]
  • Several of the Pachimon, including Heater, Etch, and others, appear in the tokusatsu hero series, Den Ace.
  • The silhouette of Tobozu, along with other monsters, appears in the opening title sequence of the 2019 film Zillafoot, mimicking the opening theme sequences of the original Ultraman show.

Reference

This is a list of references for Pachimon. 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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