Human Vapor
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- This page is for the kaijin. For the film or stage production, see The Human Vapor. For the television series, see Human Vapor (series).
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I am no longer a human being. Therefore I am no longer subject to human law.
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— Mizuno (The Human Vapor) |
The Human Vapor (ガス人間 Gasu Ningen, lit. "Gas Man") is a gaseous kaijin who first appeared in the 1960 Toho tokusatsu film The Human Vapor. The character returned in a 2009 stage adaptation of the film and again in a 2026 Netflix television adaptation. In the film, his identity is Mizuno (水野 Mizuno), a librarian experimented upon by the scientist Dr. Kyugo Sano in an effort to transform him into an invincible astronaut. In the series, he is Ren Tsutsumida (堤田 蓮 Tsutsumida Ren), a man exposed to a meteorite while working as part of a cleanup crew.
Design
The Human Vapor in his humanoid form simply resembles a Japanese man, enveloped in a blue glow.
History
- The Human Vapor (1960)
- Human Vapor (TV 2026) [all 8 episodes; stock footage in episode 2]
Showa era
The Human Vapor
Mizuno was a former test pilot for the JASDF, but retired after he was diagnosed with cancer, and was then confined to a sanatorium for an extended period of time as a result. After his discharge, he gained employment as a school librarian, until a man by the name of Dr. Kyugo Sano offered Mizuno to become a "test subject" for the scientist's projects. However, the tests backfired and Mizuno became an indestructible vapor man. He then began a life of crime in an attempt to support his girlfriend, Fujichiyo Kasuga.
Abilities
Transformation
The Human Vapor is able to convert his entire body to a gaseous state by concentrating, typically placing his hand over his heart to focus on his heartbeat.[3] When in his vapor form, Mizuno can wrap himself around people's heads, causing them to die of asphyxiation; even brief exposure to his gaseous form can render a man unconscious. He can also spread his form thinly enough to achieve effective invisibility, while remaining strong enough to lift a stack of bills.
Invulnerability
The Human Vapor is invulnerable to any physical damage, including bullets, regardless of whether he is in his gaseous form or not.
Weaknesses
Mizuno finally met his end when his lover Fujichiyo Kasuga used a lighter to ignite the U.M. Gas that Tokyo police had secreted into the theater she was performing in, setting off a massive explosion. Mizuno managed to crawl out of the destroyed theater, unable to fully hold his form, then solidified as he died.
Gallery
- Main article: Human Vapor/Gallery.
Trivia
- Mizuno's final moments evoke the Universal horror classics The Invisible Man (1933) and The Wolf Man (1941), both of which ended with their title characters becoming normal humans again upon death.
- The Ultraman Gaia monster Wolf Gas is a partial homage to the Human Vapor, combining that character's gaseous transforming abilities with a more obvious werewolf motif.[4]
References
This is a list of references for Human Vapor. 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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