Zigra

Zigra Alternate names Jigura, Jigra, Zigura Subtitle(s) Deep Sea Monster (深海怪獣,   Shinkai Kaijū) Species Alien Fish, Broomark Biological WeaponDH Height 80 meters Weight 75 metric tons Forms Ocean Form, Land Form Place(s) of emergence Celestial Number 105 Series 4th Planet of the Universe Planet Zigra Controlled by ZanonGSM Relations Lom Phlizium (Owner)DH Enemies Gamera Created by Nisan Takahashi First appearance Gamera vs. Zigra Roar(s) More roars

Zigra (ジグラ,   Jigura) is an alien fish kaiju created by Daiei that first appeared in the 1971 Gamera film, Gamera vs. Zigra.

Design

Zigra is a deadly opponent whose appearance is similar to that of a Goblin Shark, possessing a silvery gray, armor-plated hide, a pointed nose, a row of sharp fins on his back, as well as sharp pectoral fins.

Origins

Zigra is an alien creature hailing from a distant planet where fish feed on people. Zigra traveled to Earth in a spaceship with the intent of destroying Gamera and enslaving the human race.

In Dark Horse's Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe comic series, Zigra is instead a biological weapon from the planet Broomark which escaped to Earth and took refuge in the Pacific Ocean.

History

Showa Series

Gamera vs. Zigra

Zigra invaded the Earth with the intention of enslaving the human race and raising them like cattle. Like Viras attempted three films earlier, Zigra held a pair of human children hostage in order to force the human race to conform to his plan, but Gamera engaged him in battle. Gamera eventually threw him on land, using a rock to play his theme song on Zigra's dorsal fins like a xylophone before setting the alien shark ablaze with his fire breath.

Gamera: Super Monster

In Gamera: Super Monster, Zigra fought with Gamera again in one of the many stock footage scenes. When Gamera hits his back with the rock, his theme song is not played, and is instead replaced by a new, simple tune. Zigra's fate is left unknown, as Gamera is never shown defeating him.

Abilities

Zigra's attacks are almost all based around his blades on his back, head and, fins. His great speed and agility allows him to easily dodge Gamera's attacks and out-maneuver him. But Zigra's weakness is that because of his aquatic adaptations, he becomes far slower outside of the water. Zigra can also shoot a yellow beam of light from the gem between his nose that paralyzes an opponent and causes objects to catch fire. When out of water, Zigra can convert his underside into legs and stand, gaining the ability to slap opponents with his fins or jab them with spikes. In this form, Zigra can fall flat on his stomach and use his fins as wings to fly back into the nearest available water.

Filmography

• Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)
• Gamera: Super Monster (1980) [stock footage]

Video Game Appearances

• CR Gamera
• Gamera: Battle

Comics

Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe

Zigra in Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe

Isssue #2

Zigra was a a biological weapon from the alien planet of Broomark, that belonged to someone called "Lom Phlizium." Zigra was noted in its documentation to become unpredictable when startled. Unfortunately, it managed to escape and take refuge on the planet Earth, where it slept in the Pacific Ocean. However, a nuclear test by the French military roused Zigra from its slumber, and enticed it to attack. Zigra attacked a ship and cut its hull with its body, before shooting down approaching attack planes with its Tri-Color Ray Blast. It went back in the water for another attack, but as it leaped up it was hit by a fireball from Gamera. Briefly startled, Zigra watched as Gamera flew around for another attack, but with one blast of the Tri-Color beam, its assailant fell from the sky and began to sink to the ocean floor. All of this occurred while bioweapon retrieval specialist Freena was fast approaching to return Zigra to Broomark.

Issue #3

Just before Gamera hit the seafloor, an approaching submarine sent by the French hit him in the head with a torpedo, angering and awakening the beast. Gamera then blasted to the surface of the water and into the air faster than Zigra could react. Gamera bit Zigra's throat, and flew the injured monster across the ocean to the Pacific Ring of Fire, where he dropped the wounded Zigra into an active volcano west of Java, effectively killing it, much to Freena's dismay.

However, Zigra lived on in the nightmares of a Mr. Lutz, who had been onboard one of the attacked battleships. In the dream, Gamera had been killed, not by the drowning, but because of his magic amulet being broken, however his having done this had removed the Earth's only hope of defeating Zigra, and as such he had doomed the human race. Before he could really react to this news, Zigra hit him and Asagi Kusanagi with its Tri-Color Ray Blast, incinerating them both.

Gamera vs. Barugon

Zigra alongside Jiger, Iris, and Barugon in Kadokawa's Gamera vs. Barugon manga

Zigra makes a brief one-panel appearance alongside Jiger and Iris in Kadokawa's Gamera vs. Barugon manga, which is set between the events of Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris.

Gallery

Main article: Zigra/Gallery.

Roar

Zigra's roars are modified Gyaos roars.

Zigra's roars

Trivia

• According to a Japanese book about Daiei's numerous films, the film studio was originally going to create a film with a similar structure to that of Toho's Destroy All Monsters. The film would have seen Zigra's race forming an alliance with the Virasians, who would then go on to be the film's main antagonists.
• Zigra's skull 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.

References

This is a list of references for Zigra. 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]