Gigan Article Index for
Gigan
Articles about
Gigan
 

Information About

Gigan




is a '' director Ryuhei Kitamura ) despite the generally perceived low quality of its first two films. Its new designs for the Millennium 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 Space Hunter Aliens , Gigan was paired with King Ghidorah to destroy Tokyo . They were challenged by Godzilla and Anguirus , 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 tried to retreat in the air, but Godzilla obliterated him with his Atomic Ray.

Gigan reappeared in '''' as one of the main kaiju villains in the movie, but was dispatched easily by Godzilla during their first meeting. Gigan was upgraded with claws designed like double pronged chainsaws but was eventually defeated by Mothra.


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 '''', they are large blades instead of hooks and are equipped with claws. After being defeated by the freshly awakened Godzilla, Final Wars Gigan had his blades replaced with chainsaws. Also, in a lost project called "The Return of King Ghidorah" (meant for the Showa series), Gigan's right hook was a mace that fired off his hand and returned at will.

Antigravity Flight

Gigan has a pair of retractable wings which is capable of allowing Gigan to fly 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.

Buzzsaw

Gigan has a buzzsaw built into his abdominal area. The unknown alien alloy is of considerable durability and effectiveness as it was sharp enough to cause severe epidermal damage to Godzilla and Anguirus (being the first weapon shown to breach Godzilla's skin and actually draw blood) and brought down a weakened Gotengo.

Cables

In the first Gigan was able to fire two cables from each hand that could grab an object and reel the object in with his claws, bringing it into the range of his deadly buzzsaw.

Razor Discs

In the second Gigan was able to fire two razor sharp disks from his chest (a little above his buzzsaw); they can slice through anything. However, in the movie, Mothra dodged them and simultaneously released her poisonous powder, which caused them to malfunction and boomerang back to Gigan, decapitating him.

Laser

In Gigan's numerous Showa appearances in TV shows and films, he had a laser gun device located in his forehead. Official poster 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). Gigan's laser was also included in several of the Godzilla video games; first appearing in for the Nintendo Entertainment System .

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 once they come into contact with a solid object and were highly-explosive upon impact. The eye beam has been officially titled the "Cluster Light Ray".


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. This was likely in response to Daeiei's Gamera series, which is well known for the liberal (and often gratuitous) bloodshed utilised in its monster fights.


  • 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.


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


  • People sometimes say Gigan looks like (or is) a chicken, even though his only resemblence to an acual chicken lies in his beak. Most oftenly, fans jokingly refer to him as chicken because of how cowardly he acted in his Showa series appearances.



FILMOGRAPHY



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 .


  • Gigan is a playable character in . In both games he is a fast melee-oriented monster with fast attacks and teleportation abilities (his flying powers were not used in the games). Although his defense is below average, his speed and combos make up for it. His buzzsaw belly is used in a grab, a combo-ending move, and an aerial attack. When using his Rage attack Gigan extends both arms and spins like a top, sending his opponent flying into the air for a possible multi-hitting combo.The Showa Gigan is playable in the two games.The Showa Gigan

  • has a 20% chance of becoming playable in the upcoming videogame,Godzilla:Unleashed.


  • Gigan (Millennium design incorporating aspects of both designs seen in Final Wars) has recently been confirmed as the first new character available in the upcoming , a console exclusive for the Nintendo Wii . Games bearing the same name will also be released for the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, and PS2.




  • The enigmatic guitar virtuoso Buckethead wrote a song called Gigan, as well as another named Mecha Gigan. They appear on the albums The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock and Crime Slunk Scene, respectively.