Gigan (GvG)

Gigan is a daikaiju from the Godzilla series, introduced in the 1972 film Godzilla vs. Gigan. Gigan is a cybernetic monster sporting a buzzsaw weapon in its frontal abdominal region and large steel hooks for hands. Gigan is sometimes considered Godzilla's most brutal and violent opponent, and has a large fan following (including Godzilla: Final Wars director Ryuhei Kitamura) despite the generally perceived low quality of its first two films. It's new designs for the Millenium series was praised by many and ranked among fans as the best improvements to a daikaiju.

Film and TV appearances

Summoned to Earth by the Nebula M Spacehunters, Gigan was paired with King Ghidorah to destroy Tokyo. They were challenged by Godzilla and Angilas, and after a long fight the two space monsters were driven away.

A year later, in Godzilla vs. Megalon, Gigan was sent by the Nebulans to assist the people of Seatopia in their assault on humanity by aiding Megalon in a battle against Godzilla and Jet Jaguar. Gigan abandoned Megalon when the fight turned against them, and flew back to space.

That same year, Gigan made an appearance on Toho's television series Zone Fighter. Gigan was pummelled by Godzilla once again, then battled the giant superhero Zone Fighter. Gigan finally met its match in Zone Fighter, and was destroyed by his explosive Meteor Missile Mite attack.

Gigan reappeared in Godzilla: Final Wars as a giant mummified cyborg, having been defeated 12,000 years previous by Mothra. Revived by the Xilians to commence their global invasion, Gigan traveled to the South Pole to destroy the Gotengo but wound up battling the newly-awakened Godzilla. Gigan ensnared Godzilla with grappling cables from its blade hands, but had its head destroyed by Godzilla's atomic beam.

Later, when Mothra arrived to assist Godzilla against Monster X, a repaired and upgraded Gigan arrived to battle the ancient opponent. Gigan had its scythes replaced with dual-chainsaws and been enabled to fire razor-discs from its chest. Using these chainsaw hands to slice off part of Mothra's wing, Gigan apparently triumphed against its foe, and double-teamed with Monster X against Godzilla. When Mothra attacked again, Gigan fired two discs at her, whose targeting systems were disorientated via Mothra's golden energy scales; when they missed, Gigan fired its eye beam, setting Mothra ablaze and apparently killing her. As Gigan struck a victory pose, ironically the razor discs boomeranged back, decapitating the cyborg. Gigan remained alive, but the flaming Mothra dove down, body-slamming it and engulfing them both in a large explosion. In the credits it shows that Mothra had survived somehow.

Powers and Abilities

Hooked Appendages

Gigan's forelimbs sport a pair of large metal hooks in place of hands. Gigan can use these to batter an opponent, and to stab. In his appearance on the television series Zone Fighter, the tips of the hooks can release an explosive charge on contact with an enemy. In Godzilla: Final Wars, they are large blades instead of hooks, and said blades are later on replaced with chainsaws.

Antigravity Flight

Gigan is capable of flying at speeds of up to Mach 3. This normally assists in interstellar travel and is utilized very little, if at all, during battle situations. 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 cinema sequence of Save the Earth.

Buzzsaw

Gigan has a buzzsaw built into his abdominal area. The unknown alien alloy is of considerable durability and effectiveness as it was strong enough and sharp enough to cause severe epidermal damage and cause Godzilla to spurt blood.

Laser

In Gigan's numerous Showa appearances in TV shows and films, he had a laser gun device located in his forehead. Official box art for his film appearances illustrated a laser beam being fired from his forehead, though the ability was never seen on screen for reasons not entirely known (though possibly it was a result of budget limits/cutbacks and/or lack of time; the illustrations could also have been done for effect). However, Gigan's eye laser is used in the games Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee and Godzilla: Save the Earth.

In Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), Gigan's laser blast was finally revealed on screen, though it had been heavily altered from the original version. The new one no longer fired from a forehead laser device (the laser device had been replaced with a non-faceted ruby gem), but instead fired from Gigan's eye itself. It also was no longer a traditional laser, but a large beam that separated into multiple lasers like a shotgun blast and were highly-explosive upon impact. The eye beam has been officially titled the "Cluster Light Beam".

Trivia

• Gigan was the first monster to cause Godzilla to visibly bleed. In Godzilla vs. Gigan it had flown over Godzilla and slashed Godzilla's shoulder with its buzzsaw and later stabbed Godzilla in the head with its hammer-claw hands, causing blood to run down his face. Godzilla bled again in Gigan stock footage used in Godzilla vs. Megalon. Through Eiji Tsuburaya's tenure as head of Toho's special effects department (which lasted until his death in 1969), he had purposely avoided visible bloodshed during monster clashes; Godzilla's injuries at the hands of Gigan, directed by Teruyoshi Nakano, were a significant and controversial break from Tsuburaya's techniques.

• Gigan's eye laser, though prominently depicted on posters for Godzilla vs. Gigan, was never used on screen until Godzilla: Final Wars. However, in a battle sequence in Godzilla vs. Gigan, after Godzilla heaves a rock at Gigan's face, the laser gun device in Gigan's forehead gives off a quick flash of light, possibly short-circuiting. Stock footage of this scene was used in Godzilla vs. Megalon. (Footage was shot for the original film but was later cut out.) It was, however, featured in the video games Godzilla: Monster of Monsters, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, and Godzilla: Save the Earth.

• The character [onygon from Zatch Bell has a toy that is similar in appearance to Gigan.

Filmography

• Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
• Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
• Zone Fighter (1973) (Episode 11: In the Twinkling of an Eye: The Roar of Godzilla!)
• Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

Appearances in other media

• Gigan appears as a villain in the 1988 Nintendo game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!

• Gigan once fought Toho's televised superhero Zone Fighter.