Gamera 2: Attack of Legion

Gamera 2: Advent of Legion (released in the U.S. as Gamera 2: Attack of Legion) was the second Gamera movie in the Heisei series, which was released in 1996. The main antagonist of the film is the kaiju Legion.

Plot Synopsis
A year has passed since the battle between Gamera and the Gyaos, and Japan has struggled to rebuild its cities in the meantime. The military has kept a cautious vigil on the nation's coast, but so far Gamera has yet to return. Suddenly, a series of bizarre incidents reveal a new threat to the land of the rising sun. On a moonlit stroll, science instructor Midori Honami watches as a huge meteor plunges into the mountain snow. The next night, two security guards are horrified as they see the shadows of man-sized, crab-like insects stealing glass bottles from a nearby wearhouse. Soon after, the entire city of Sapporo is entangled in grass-like spikes and the link between these events soon becomes clear.

The meteor has carried with it a species of extraterrestrials. These aliens have set up a hive in the bowels of the city's subway tunnels, deliberately nurturing the plants that are covering the city. Soon a gigantic flower erupts from a building and Colonel Watarase of the Self Defense Force realizes that it is dramatically raising the city's oxygen levels. Working together with the swift-minded Miss Honami, he realizes that the aliens are building a huge biological launchpad: the increased oxygen will aid the aliens in exploding the flower, catapulting its seed into space so that they can colonize yet another world. The military can only watch helplessly, as any attempt to destroy the flower would destroy all of Sapporo.

Just as all hope is lost, Gamera flies from the sea and heads toward the besieged city. He tears the flower out by its roots, but is ambushed by a swarm of the aliens. As Gamera thrashes to rid himself of the attacking aliens, a nearby soldier names them "Legion", after a Biblical demon army. Gamera is forced to retreat, just as the kaiju-sized Queen Legion bursts out of the ground and flies off to start a second hive.

Again a Legion flower blooms, this time in Sendai, and again Gamera attempts to stop its explosion. He is intercepted, however, by the Queen. She makes short work of Gamera, impaling him with her sharp legs and blasting him with her horn beam. Left for dead, Gamera limps toward the flower, destroying it by knocking it down before it laucnhes its seed into space. The flower explodes and completely annihalates Sendai; and seeminglly killing Gamera. The failure of the first two flowers signaled desperation in the Queen's mind. The first two flowers had been destroyed, but now Gamera was dead and all that remained was to go destroy the Japanese Army and Tokyo would be hers.

Japan's military and scientists race to find the Legion's weakness, but have so far found only one clue: the Soldier Legion are attracted to any electromagnetic source, such as a power line or a neon light. While this may enable the army to distract them, it has the unfortunate side-effect of drawing them to Tokyo: Japan's capital city, and the largest source of electromagnetism in the nation. The military knows it needs Gamera's help, and so Miss Honami brings in the one person who could possibly revive him: Asagi, the young girl who bonded with him during the Gyaos attack one year ago. Asagi visits the ruined city where Gamera lies comatose, and as she tries to reach out to him, the mystical jewel that enables their bond shatters. Gamera is awakened, but at the sacrifice of his human connection.

The Queen marches on Tokyo, but Gamera heads her off in the outskirts. She spawns a swarm of Soldiers against him, but the military manages to draw them off with an electric distraction and kill them. Gamera and the Queen fight throughout the suburbs, and the military lobs a few missiles at the Queen in aid. Finally, Gamera manages to tear off the Queen's horn, and she momentarily collapses in defeat.

Suddenlly, the Queen rises up and fires laser whips into Gamera's flesh. Gamera then looks into the sky and roars, and light begins to shine down upon him. As the Queen closes in, Gamera chest opens up and reveals a plasma cannon. Gamera fires it at the Queen. She is hit by the blast and lets out a final roar before being blown apart and killed.

Gamera glances toward the human onlookers, and then ascends into the morning sky. As they watch Gamera fade into the distance, mankind is unsettled by his power, and trembles lest he should ever view humanity as an enemy...

Cast
Toshiyuki Nagashima as Colonel Watarase

Miki Mizuno as Midori Honami

Tamotsu Ishibashi as Hanatani

Mitsuro Fukikoshi as Obitsu

Ayako Fujitani as Asagi Kusanagi

Yusuke Kawazu as Nojiri

Akira Ohashi as Gamera

Mizuho Yoshida as Legion