The Maser Cannon is a fictional weapon featured in many of Toho Studio's sci-fi and fantasy films. There have been several varieties, but each function in a similer way and have a similer appearence. Variations of the Maser have appeared in 12 films thus far.
Origins
Many fans consider the inspiration for the final version of the Maser Cannon to be the Markalite Cannon from 1957's The Mysterians. The gigantic satelite-like weapon fired a ray/beam from its center, and proved to be very effective. A similer weapon also appeared in 1959's Battle in Outer Space. In 1961, the movie Mothra featured the famous Atomic Heat Ray, a Markalite-like weapon that took the basic design that was featured in the previous films and placed it on wheels. The tank-like form was taken to the next level five years later for the film War of the Gargantuas, the first film to feature an official Maser Cannon.