Kaiju - ??

Kaiju (?? kaiju?) is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often trans
lated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of t
okusatsu entertainment.
Related terms include kaiju eiga (???? kaiju eiga?, monster movie), a film featu
ring giant monsters or a single monster, kaijin (???, referring to roughly human
oid monsters) and daikaiju (??? daikaiju?, giant monster), specifically meaning
the larger variety of monsters.
The most famous kaiju is Godzilla. Other well-known kaiju include Mothra, Anguir
us, Rodan, Gamera and King Ghidorah. The term ultra-kaiju is short-hand for mons
ters in the Ultra Series.
Kaiju are typically modeled after conventional animals, insects or mythological
creatures; however, there are more exotic examples. Chojin Sentai Jetman feature
s monsters based on traffic lights, faucets and tomatoes;[1] Kamen Rider Super-1
includes a whole army of monsters based on household objects such as umbrellas
and utility ladders.[2]
While the term kaiju is used in the West to describe monsters from tokusatsu and
Japanese folklore, monsters like vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein's Monster,
mummies and zombies would fall into this category. In fact Frankenstein's Monste
r was once a daikaiju in the film Frankenstein vs. Baragon, which was created by
Toho.
Kaiju are sometimes depicted as cannon fodder serving a greater evil. Some kaiju
are elite warriors which serve as the right-hand man to the greater villain and
are destroyed by the heroic forces. Others have a neutral alignment, only seeki
ng to destroy buildings and other structures. During the early eras of tokusatsu
, "heroic" monsters were rarely seen in Daikaiju Eiga films, and it was not unti
l later when television tokusatsu productions began using kaiju which aided the
hero, saved civilians, or demonstrated some kind of complex personality. These k
aiju adopted many classic monster traits, appearing as the "Misunderstood Creatu
re". Some kaiju hung out with the heroes and provided comedy relief, in contrast
to the darker approach to these characters from more mature franchises, like Ka
men Rider.[citation needed] Godzilla, arguably the most well known of the Daikai
ju, has played the roles of hero, villain, and force of nature in the course of
his existence, one of the few kaiju of any type to be depicted in multiple roles
and having those around him react in different ways, depending on how the creat
ure itself was being presented in the films.
Kaiju film creators

Daiei Film Co., Ltd.

Kadokawa Pictures

Toho Company Ltd.

Shochiku
Gamera Films
Gamera the Invincible (1965)
Gamera VS Barugon (1966)
Gamera VS Gyaos (1967)
Gamera VS Viras (1968)
Gamera VS Guiron (1969)
Gamera VS Jiger (1970)
Gamera VS Zigra (1971)
Super Monster Gamera (1980)
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
Gamera 2: Atack of Legion (1996)
Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys (1999)