Terra Incognita

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Terra Incognita
Terra Incognita in Chibikko Special
Alternate names Dinosaur Man[1]
God of Monsters[1][2][3]
Species Monster God[2]
Length 2 meters (normal)
60 meters (enlarged)[2]
Enemies Yasugon, Shilarji, Tsunozillas
First appearance Latest appearance
Chibikko Special Search for the Phantom
Monster Terra Incognita

Terra Incognita (テラインコグニータ Terainkogunīta)[1] is a kaiju who debuted in the 38th episode[1] of the television series Chibikko Special, which aired on Tokyo Channel 12 from 1971-1972.[4] Terra Incognita later starred in a manga titled Search for the Phantom Monster Terra Incognita, published from September 2004 to November 2005 in Tokusatsu Ace, in which the author details his search for the monster from his childhood.

Name

The phrase "terra incognita", from which the kaiju gets his name, is Latin for "unknown land."[5]

Its name in Japanese is more closely translated to "the thing that lurks in the earth" in Spanish.[2] Also in the Japanese version of the name, it has been noted that the "Tera" part of his name is Greek for "monster," and that the second part of his name most likely derives from the Italian word "incognito," which means someone who is in disguise.[6]

Design

Terra Incognita appears to be a green humanoid with a long, reptilian-like body and a white underbelly. He has a cartoonish face with exaggerated lips, rectangular gapped teeth, a small pig-like nose, and exaggerated cheeks. He wears a pair of goggles known as "Miracle Glass."[7][2] Both his arms and legs are very short relative to the rest of his body. His hands and feet have bright white nails, his toes have sharp claws while the nails on his hands are round and stubby. Terra Incognita has three long fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot. The back of Terra Incognita's body is covered in cone-shaped spikes, which run up to the top of his head. Terra Incognita's tail is very similar to that of a crocodile or an alligator.

History

Terra Incognita is what is known as a "monster god" and the descendant of the "Muchi Empire" (also known as the "Mooch Empire"). He is also able to speak the language of this empire. Terra Incognita can be summoned after his name has been called a certain number of times (originally three, but this was later shortened). Terra Incognita fought against monsters such as Yasugon, Shilarji, and Tsunozillas. He was praised as a god in the Empire's "Sun Temple," but fell asleep after the Empire was destroyed. He is later reawakened after the "Peruvian Earthquake" in order to protect the Earth.[2]

Abilities

Light of Trama / Trama's Light

Terra Incognita possesses a pair of goggles known as "Miracle Glass" that he uses to activate his special move, Light of Trama or Trama's Light,[8][2] which involves shooting beams of light. This move results in his cheeks becoming bloated.[7]

Size alteration

Terra Incognita has the ability to expand and contract his body from 2 meters to 60 meters in height.[2]

Trivia

  • In magazines that reference the monster's appearance in the show, they listed him as "Dinosaur Man."[1]
  • The number of times that Terra Incognita's name needed to be called in order to summon him shortened over the span of the show's run in order to make the runtime shorter.[2]
  • The head of Terra Incognita is located in the "Monster Warehouse" in "Toho Kiuta Studios."[3][2]
  • A company known as "Medicom Toy" produced a handful of mini Terra Incognita action figures. These figures come in a variety of colors, including brown, blue, and green.

References

This is a list of references for Terra Incognita. 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 Wikipedia Japan – Maboroshi no Kaibutsu Terra incognita wo Sagase. retrieved 29 April 2023
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 NCV – テレビ東京系バラエティヒーロー (1970年代編). retrieved 30 April 2023
  3. 3.0 3.1 WikiWand – 幻の怪獣テラインコグニータを探せ. retrieved 30 April 2023
  4. Chibikko Special. retrieved 29 April 2023
  5. Wikipedia – Terra incognita. retrieved 29 April 2023
  6. 13shoejiu blogpost. retrieved May 4, 2023
  7. 7.0 7.1 Terra Incognita article. retrieved 30 April 2023.
  8. Yahoo! Japan – "What is terra incognita?" retrieved 30 April 2023

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