NAME:
Gigan (ガイガン Gaigan)

FIRST APPEARS IN:
Godzilla vs. Gigan, 1972

DESIGN FEATURES:
– metallic hook hands
– super hip cycloptic eye
– pot belly
– dual back-fins
– looking like a total bad-ass

SKILLS:
– abandoning fights
– high fives
– being generally cowardly in battle
– a chest-buzzsaw that does an excellent job of slicing up Godzilla and friends

MONSTER SOUNDS:

I doubt many Godzilla fanboys would agree with me, but I think Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) is probably the dullest Godzilla film of the Showa era. Hence, my relationship with Gigan has been a strange one. Initially, I saw him as a poorly designed disaster of a monster. But I reconsidered my opinion when I visited Tokyo last year. A bar that we frequented during our month stay was run by a guy who loved Godzilla, KISS, darts, Ultraman and his tiny chihuahua that shared his bar’s namesake. I had quite a few broken conversations with him about giant monsters. He was a big Gigan fan and saw his everything-but-the-kitchen-sink design as unique rather than haphazard. I began to reconsider my thoughts on this second-tier kaijū and, over time, he has grown on me. In fact, Gigan has even become one of my favourite Godzilla foes, despite the fact that the Godzilla entries he features in are less than stellar.

The final battle in Godzilla vs. Gigan is admittedly pretty decent

Gigan seems to have a permanent look of delight on his face

Just look at the image above. Whether you like his look or not, there’s no denying that Gigan is truly ridiculous. He looks like – and I mean this in the best possibly way – a child designed him. Gigan is a cyborg, which has allowed Toho to throw both robotic and organic monster elements into his costume. He is literally smothered with weapons and accessories. If his big hook hands weren’t enough, he has a workable buzzsaw sticking out from his guts. Then there’s his lasertastic eye and his back-fins. Design aside, I’ve also come to appreciate Gigan’s personality, which is a little more human than many of Godzilla’s adversaries. Gigan is a real asshole. He fights dirty and, in both his Showa appearances, he hilariously abandons his allies – King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. Gigan and Megalon in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) – by flying off into space mid-fight. Yep, I’ve always loved a good weaselly villain and Gigan delivers tenfold.

Gigan and Megalon, best pals

While I’m not a big fan of Godzilla vs. Gigan, I love Godzilla vs. Megalon, which is, and quite justifiably so, known as the worst Godzilla film ever made. Godzilla vs. Megalon is horrible, but it’s so damned entertaining. The main contributor to its hilariousness is the pairing of Gigan and Megalon. Both these absurd monsters make an outrageous team as they swagger around, proudly guffawing at Godzilla and Jet Jaguar. They even high-five each other – I shit you not. Even Gigan’s entrance into the film is hysterical. Megalon is controlled by the occupants of Seatopia – an undersea civilization. Gigan’s not-very-epic entrance is proceeded by an out of the blue phone call to the leader of the Seatopians. He hangs up the phone and says something to the effect of, “well, that was the aliens. Gigan’s on the way.” Cut to Gigan flying towards earth. Amazing. Gigan also holds the distinction of being one of the few characters that isn’t completely boring in the ludicrously overrated Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). Gigan receives a makeover and features as one of the film’s primary villains. While the film itself is not great, Gigan’s extended screen time is much appreciated.

Gigan’s new look in Final Wars

Gigan has a significant fanbase, and this is despite appearing in two of the weakest Showa films and taking three decades to reappear in the Millenium series. (On a side note, Gigan also appears in a Toho television show, Zone Fighter, where he is killed by the titular character! What the hell?!) Considering his limited time on the big screen, I think his popularity is a testament to his memorable appearance and lovably evil personality. Let’s hope that Gigan returns when Toho finally restarts the Godzilla franchise.