Gigan (ガイガン Gaigan?) is an alien cyborg kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 1972 Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Gigan.
Name[]
Gigan's name is a combination of naisu gai (ナイスガイ), the Japanese words for "nice guy", which was a nickname for actor Yujiro Ishihara, and the word for "goose" (雁 gan?).[3]
Design[]
Appearance[]
Gigan stands out among Godzilla's enemies, sporting a circular saw weapon located in his frontal abdominal region, large steel hooks for hands with smaller ones for toes, spikes running down his tail, three, large fin-like spines on his back and a red cybernetic visor for an eye.
He also bears various avian characteristics, such as a "crest" made of metal spines and a metal beak, but with a set of pincer-like mandibles. In the Showa series, Gigan's skin was a dark green color, and he possessed golden scales over several parts of his body.
The names for the Gigan suits are referred to as "ShodaiGigan" (初代ガイガン ShodaiGaigan?) and "MegaroGigan" (メガロガイガン MegaroGaigan?), respectively.
Roar[]
Gigan's roar is a brief, electronically styled chirp.
Personality[]
Gigan is arguably one of Godzilla's most brutal and violent opponent, Gigan is shown to be very vicious and sadistic in combat, preferring to shred his opponents up close with his hook hands and buzzsaw.
However, at least in the Showa series, despite the brutal arsenal Gigan appears to be a bit of a coward, retreating and leaving his ally at the mercy of his enemies as soon as the tide of battle turns against him. During his battle against Godzilla and Jet Jaguar, he displays visible agitation when the former enters the fight for the first time, seeming to remember their last encounter.
Origins[]
Gigan is a type of space dinosaur whose role on his home planet was analogous to that of Godzilla's on Earth. He was eventually killed and revitalized into a cyborg by the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens in order to be used in their attempted invasion of Earth.[1]
History[]
Godzilla vs. Gigan[]
Gigan in Godzilla vs. Gigan
Gigan first appeared in the film Godzilla vs. Gigan where he was controlled by the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens. He was sent to earth to destroy it with King Ghidorah. They attacked a city, primarily the seaport and industrial regions, but they were interrupted by Godzilla and Anguirus. They eventually battled at the World Children's Land amusement park nearly killing the two monsters. After the destruction of the Godzilla Tower, Gigan and King Ghidorah were released from their mind control, and they drove them back into space.
Godzilla vs. Megalon[]
Gigan in Godzilla vs. Megalon
Gigan returned in Godzilla vs. Megalon, as he was called by the Seatopians to help them conquer Earth. He arrived to help Megalon battle Godzilla, and they nearly killed him. Jet Jaguar attacked Gigan, but he was also defeated. The two monsters regained their strength, and they fought Gigan and Megalon off again. Gigan retreated back to space, and Megalon returned to Seatopia.
Zone Fighter[]
Gigan in Zone Fighter
Gigan later reappeared as one of the Garogas' Terror Beasts in Zone Fighter. It is revealed that after he was driven into space once more by the combined efforts of Godzilla and Jet Jaguar, he was captured by the Garogas. During his last battle, his cybernetics had been heavily damaged, so the Garogas repaired him. Most notably, Gigan had trouble slowing down when in flight, and had to deploy a set of parachutes like a spacecraft.
However, the Garogas outfitted Gigan's claws with a special ability that made objects explode when he hit them with the weapons. Gigan was sent to Earth, where he battled Zone Fighter, and nearly overpowered him. However, Godzilla, who had became close friends with the Sakimori Family, and, remembering Gigan confronted the cyborg, beating down Gigan and forcing him to retreat yet again. However, the Garogan control over Gigan remained, and they sent him into battle once again.
However, the damage Gigan sustained while fighting Godzilla hadn't been repaired, and Gigan was beaten badly by Zone. After a short battle, Zone Fighter used his Meteor Missile Might on Gigan and the alien monster wandered around whilst gushing black smoke before falling over onto his side. His visor turned off as he began uncontrollably foaming at the mouth before exploding into a massive fireball.
Abilities[]
Antigravity flight[]
Gigan is capable of flying at speeds of up to Mach 3 while in Earth's atmosphere. However, in the realm of space, the cybernetic assassin Gigan is capable of flight at millions of times faster than light by encasing himself in a diamond. This normally assists in interstellar travel and is utilized very little, if at all, during battle situations. The Self Defense Force detected him and King Ghidorah flying at Mach 400 while approaching Earth. When it is used in battle, however, Gigan will often use it to engage in aerial slams to continuously topple his opponents without giving them a chance to counter, or even get up. Oddly enough, Gigan lacks his flying ability in the Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee and Godzilla: Save the Earth video games, though he is clearly seen flying in the opening cinematic sequence of Godzilla: Save the Earth. Another mode of movement that Gigan utilizes is his teleportation ability, only seen in the video games.
Buzzsaw[]
Gigan uses his buzzsaw to slice Anguirus' face in Godzilla vs. Gigan
Gigan has a buzzsaw built into his abdominal area made of an unknown alien alloy; granting it considerable durability and sharpness. In his first appearance, Gigan's saw was able to draw blood from both Godzilla and Anguirus.
Hooked appendages[]
Gigan's forelimbs sport a pair of large metal hooks in place of hands which he can use these to batter and stab an opponent. In his appearance on the television series Zone Fighter, the tips of the hooks can release an explosive charge on contact with an enemy. Gigan also possessed a comparatively smaller hook for each foot that were ideal for kicking.
Scorpion-like tail[]
Gigan was also able to use his scorpion-like tail to aid him in melee combat.
Laser[]
In addition to his melee weapons, Gigan was depicted as having an beam aperture set into his forehead just above his visor. Official art would frequently depict him as firing a laser from this device although he was never shown to actually do so on film (because special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano felt this ability doesn't fit with Gigan's character[4]). However, in a battle sequence for Godzilla vs. Gigan, after Godzilla heaves a rock at Gigan's face, the laser device in Gigan's forehead gives off a quick flash of light, possibly short-circuiting. In video games, Gigan's laser was featured in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters for the NES as well as later being used in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee and Godzilla: Save the Earth. According to the info located on the back of Gigan's Trendmasters collectible card, Gigan's forehead laser is actually an atomic energy weapon, similar to Godzilla's own atomic breath.
Flamethrower[]
In the video game Godzilla: Battle Legends and the Godzilla arcade game, Gigan has the ability to spew flames from his mouth. Although this ability has never been used in a film, Godzilla Movie Studio Tour confirmed that it is a normal ability Gigan has always had.
Video games[]
Godzilla: Monster of Monsters[]
Gigan appears as a villain in the 1988 Nintendo game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters.
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee[]
Gigan appeared within the 2002 title Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee.
.png "GDAMM Artwork - Gigan (2).png (2.47 MB)")
Godzilla: Save the Earth[]
Gigan appeared later on within the 2004 video game Godzilla: Save the Earth.
Godzilla: Unleashed[]
Gigan projects powerful alien energy from his single eye to engage opponents at range, though with quick footwork and lightning-fast edged attacks he is clearly designed with close combat in mind.
In addition, Gigan has the ability to teleport short distances to confuse and outflank his opponents.
While represented as Modified Gigan in the game, Gigan's Showa version is mentioned in his Godzilla: Unleashed bio, although it differs slightly in the Wii and PS2 versions in the sense that the latter contains a different closing sentence.
Godzilla On Monster Island[]
Gigan was featured within the game Godzilla On Monster Island.
Moveset[]
| Square | One tap: Right Bloody Chainsaw Two taps: Left Bloody Chainsaw Three Taps: Middle Kick |
| X | Tap: Chainsaw Tackle |
| Triangle | Tap: Somersault Kick |
| Circle | Tap: Giganume Cluster Forward + Tap: Blooded Slicer Roar + Tap: Surging Wave Blooded Slicer |
| R2 | Tap: Revolving Chainsaw Slice |
Godzilla: Kaiju Collection[]
Gigan appeared within the mobile title Godzilla: Kaiju Collection.
Godzilla Battle Line[]
Gigan appears in Battle Line as a 3 Star Unit, both a normal unit and a Leader Unit, as a normal unit he will ignore most enemies and head straight for the enemy leader to attack them unless a facility type unit gets in the way, he also does not get slowed by moving through water.
As a Leader he has the ability to utilize his Buzzsaw dealing big damage very fast to anything that gets caught in the attack and causes other land units to move at Gigans unit speed, this buff also makes them immune to the water slow debuff.
Gigabash[]
Godzilla appears as a playable character in Gigabash's DLC alongside Heisei Godzilla, Destoroyah, and Kiryu. His design is exactly the same as his design in the Showa era of films. Being one of the more cocky monsters of the franchise, his taunts reflect that. He is often seen cackling as he sharpens his claws in each taunt.
Gigan's default appearance from Gigabash
| Attack type | Function | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Light attack | 3 quick claw slashes. | ||
| Light attack (charged) | slashes forward with both claws, hold for more damage. | ||
| Heavy attack | dashes forward with extreme speed, slicing everything in his path. | ||
| Heavy attack (charged) | Fires Gigan's Giganume Cluster from his Godzilla: Final Wars incarnation. Charging decreases range, but makes the explosions spread out more. | ||
| Air attack | Gigan spins in the air, slashing everything around him. | ||
| Air grab | Gigan rapidly slices an opponent before throwing them down into the ground. | ||
| Block attack | Gigan revs up his signature buzz saw to devastate everything in front of him. Applies bleed damage and destroys projectiles. | ||
| Block special | Teleports behind an opponent and slashes down their back. | ||
| Grab special | Gigan uses his Buzz Saw to deal heavy damage to an opponent. Applies bleed. | ||
| Dash attack | Slices forward with both claws. | ||
| Ultimate attack | For Gigan's ultimate, he flies across the entire map at incredible speeds, catching everything caught in his path. Applies bleed. | ||
| Bleed Statues | Gigan can make opponents bleed, as signified by a red aura surrounding an opponent. It does damage over time. |
Comics[]
Godzilla vs. Megalon (comic adaptation)[]
In this promotional comic by Cinema Shares International, Gigan (named as Borodan) is said to have been 'acquired' by Megalon, rather than being recruited by the Seatopians. Borodan fights both Godzilla and 'Robotman', but is defeated after he gets dropped from a great height by Robotman.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters[]
In this short manga series, Gigan is featured as an enemy of Godzilla that is under the control of Doctor Oniyama. This Gigan was called Neo Gigan, and was sent to Earth from space with King Ghidorah at the end of Volume 1. Neo Gigan fought Godzilla after Flying Ebirah was defeated, and used a variety of abilities to overpower the heroic kaiju, including firing his hooks off on cables to ensnare Godzilla, using his Optic Laser, and using his Buzzsaw.
Godzilla managed to pull off one of Neo Gigan's arms when the latter attempted to use his Buzzaw again, exposing the cybernetics inside his chest. In a bid to turn the battle in Oniyama's favour, Neo Gigan tried to attack Godzilla by launching his head off his body and firing his Optic Laser again. This failed, and Godzilla destroyed Gigan's head using his Atomic Breath, shutting the cyborg down for good.
Godzilla: Legends[]
Gigan makes a small cameo in Godzilla: Legends #1. When Dr. Anders is commenting on how Anguirus has lost every time he has fought another kaiju, Gigan's arm can be seen in one of the flash back panels, slicing Anguirus across the face.
In other languages[]
- Russian: Гайган
- Chinese: 盖刚 (Gài gāng), 吉岡 (Jígāng),
- Spanish: Galien (1972-1973)
Trivia[]
- Gigan was the first monster to cause Godzilla and Anguirus to visibly bleed. In Godzilla vs. Gigan he had flown over Godzilla and slashed Godzilla's shoulder with his buzzsaw and later bashed his head in with his hammer-claw hands, causing blood to run down his face. Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla would later continue this.
- Gigan was portrayed, both in Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon, by Kenpachiro Satsuma, who had previously played Hedorah, and would go on to play Godzilla himself for all seven Heisei films.
- In the Ultraman Mebius series, there is a monster called Dinozaur who uses Gigan's roar.
- Gigan's design is similar to that of the Ultraman monster, Dorako.
- Gigan is referenced in the game Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. His name appears in two racing tracks, Gigan Rocks and Gigan Device.
- The Ultraman Ace choju, Chameleking, has a saw in his stomach like Gigan, but it is never used in combat.
- The sound of Gigan was used for Tri-Condor, RinChameleon, and Ultra Hades Beast Living Sword.
List of appearances[]
Films[]
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (First appearance)
- Godzilla vs. Megalon
- Godzilla Fest 3: Gigan Attacks
Television series[]
- Zone Fighter (Episode 11: In the Twinkling of an Eye: The Roar of Godzilla!)
Video games[]
- Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters
- Battle Soccer: Champion of the Field
- Godzilla (Arcade)
- Godzilla: Great Monster Battle
- Godzilla: Giant Monster March
- Godzilla: Archipelago Shock
- Godzilla: Battle Legends
- Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!!
- Godzilla Movie Studio Tour
- Godzilla: Trading Battle
- Godzilla Generations
- Godzilla: Domination! (Scrapped)
- Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
- Godzilla: Save the Earth
- CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle
- Godzilla: Unleashed (Wii and PlayStation 2)
- Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
- CR Godzilla: Descent of the Destruction God
- Godzilla On Monster Island
- Godzilla (2014 video game)
- Godzilla: Kaiju Collection
- Godzilla Battle Line
Comics[]
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (comic adaptation)
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Kodansya)
- Godzilla: Legends
- Godzilla: The Half-Century War
- Godzilla: Rage Across Time
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works. Godzilla vs. Gigan; Page 155
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Official Godzilla Compendium. Profiles of the Monsters; Page 123.
- ↑ All Toho Monsters Pictorial Book (4th Edition). Yosensha. 4 September 2016. ISBN: 978-4-8003-0362-2.
- ↑ Romero, Anthony. Gigan Showa Analysis (September 30, 2013). Toho Kingdom.
