Kaiju Turtle Lookalikes: Who's Shell-Terrific?

Gamera is a giant flying turtle kaiju who first appeared in the 1965 film 'Gamera the Giant Monster'. The character was created by Daiei Film to compete with Toho's Godzilla. Since then, Gamera has become a Japanese icon, appearing in 12 films and various other media.

Gamera is capable of walking on two or four legs and has immense strength, allowing him to lift hundreds of tons. He can also fly by retracting his limbs or head into his shell and discharging flames like a rocket jet. He has an affinity for humans, especially children, and nature, and will protect them at all costs.

The name Gamera comes from the Japanese word 'kame', meaning turtle, and the suffix '-ra', which is shared by other kaiju such as Godzilla and Mothra.

Gamera's origins

Gamera is a giant flying turtle kaiju, first introduced in the 1965 film 'Gamera the Giant Monster'. The character was created by Daiei Film to compete with Toho's Godzilla.

Origins

Gamera is believed to be a member of a rare species of giant turtle that once inhabited the lost continent of Atlantis. He was trapped in Arctic ice after his home continent sank. In the modern day, an aircraft from an unidentified nation hostile to the U.S.A. was shot down during a dogfight with American fighter jets near Gamera's location. After it crash-landed, the nuclear bomb it was carrying detonated, freeing Gamera from the ice.

When Gamera made his way to Japan, he was initially assumed to be hostile and attacked by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF). However, it soon became clear that Gamera was not only friendly towards humanity but protective of it, willing to battle other monsters in mankind's defence.

Name and Design

Gamera's name derives from the Japanese word for turtle, 'kame', combined with a suffix, '-ra', which is shared by other kaiju such as Godzilla and Mothra. His turtle-like design may have been inspired by the Black Tortoise, one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations in East Asian mythology. The Black Tortoise is known as Genbu in Japanese and is usually depicted as a turtle entwined with a snake. Each of the Four Symbols is said to act as a guardian over each of the four cardinal directions.

Gamera is capable of walking on all fours or just his hind legs. He has a pronounced crest on his head, rows of teeth, and two tusks protruding upward from his lower jaw. He can fly by retracting his limbs or head inside his shell and discharging flames to propel himself forward.

Gamera's powers

Gamera is a giant flying turtle kaiju, first introduced in the 1965 film *Gamera, the Giant Monster*. In the film, Gamera is an ancient creature disturbed from his rest under the Arctic ice by a nuclear blast.

Bipedal Movement

Unlike any other species of turtle, Gamera has the ability to walk on two legs, although he does occasionally walk on all fours in some of the Showa films.

Fire-Breathing

Gamera is a fire-breathing creature, with the ability to breathe intensely hot streams of flames from his mouth. In the Showa series, Gamera is a prehistoric species of turtle that feeds on flames and other sources of heat, light, and electrical energy. In the Heisei series, Gamera shoots explosive plasma fireballs from his mouth.

Flight

Gamera is also able to fly by retracting his legs and tail into his shell, igniting flames from his arm and leg cavities, and spinning around like a flying saucer. In later films, Gamera can also fly with only his rear legs tucked into his shell, giving his front limbs more freedom.

Resilience

Gamera's shell is extremely resilient and strong, able to deflect missiles and other projectiles. In the Showa series, Gamera's shell is impenetrable, but his plastron (lower shell) is softer and can be cut and gouged.

Superhuman Strength

Gamera possesses superhuman strength, with physical strength that allows him to tear off Legion's nose horn with his bare hands.

Telepathy

Gamera has telepathic abilities and can communicate with humans, especially children, who he has a strong affinity for.

Healing

Gamera has a self-healing ability, allowing him to enter a coma-like state to recover from serious injuries.

Other Abilities

• Gamera can absorb mana from the Earth and release it as a powerful stream of plasma and fire from his chest.
• Gamera has retractable spikes on his elbows, which act as an additional weapon.
• Gamera can manipulate fire and use it to regenerate his limbs.
• Gamera has an affinity for electricity and radiation, which he can use to empower himself.
• Gamera can understand human speech.
• Gamera has a strong resistance to cold temperatures, although this is a weakness that can be exploited by certain enemies.

Gamera is a powerful kaiju with a range of abilities that make him a formidable opponent. His resilience, strength, and ability to fly and breathe fire make him a force to be reckoned with, and his telepathic and healing abilities further enhance his prowess.

Gamera's weaknesses

Gamera is a giant flying turtle kaiju with a number of weaknesses.

In his earliest film appearances, Gamera is portrayed as an aggressive and destructive creature. However, he is shown to not be truly malevolent, as he actively saves a young boy at one point. The Japanese book Be Strong! Gamera theorises that Gamera's destructive behaviour is due to an intense hunger brought about by his 8,000 years of dormancy after being sealed away by the Atlanteans.

Gamera's only major weakness is cold. The monster Barugon was able to freeze Gamera solid using its freezing spray, and scientists nearly defeated Gamera during his first appearance using special cadmium freezing bombs. This weakness was only explored in the first two Showa films and has not been explored since.

Gamera's shell is extremely resilient and strong, with missiles and other weaponry merely bouncing off it. However, his plastron (lower shell) is softer and more vulnerable than his carapace (upper shell) and he has been wounded to the point of bleeding.

Gamera's internal organs are also vulnerable to parasitic actions, as shown when he fainted and turned deathly white while the baby Jiger was growing inside his lungs.

Gamera's other weaknesses include:

• His affinity for children, which enemies have exploited to gain leverage against him or lure him into a trap.
• His allegiance to humanity, which led him to absorb thermal energy from their weapons.
• His dense body tissue, which renders him immune to conventional weaponry.

Gamera's species

Gamera is a giant flying turtle kaiju, first introduced in the 1965 film 'Gamera the Giant Monster'. The character was created by Daiei Film to compete with Toho's Godzilla.

Species

Gamera is a prehistoric species of turtle, capable of both bipedal and quadrupedal movement. Unlike any other turtle species, Gamera walks on its hind legs, although it occasionally walks on all fours in its first three films. Its forelegs have appendages similar to hands, allowing it to grapple with opponents and manipulate objects. Its mouth is filled with teeth, including a pair of large tusks protruding from its lower jaw. Gamera also has very large human-like eyes, adding to its intelligent appearance.

Gamera's shell is extremely resilient and strong, capable of deflecting missiles and other projectiles. Its upper shell (carapace) is particularly durable, although its lower shell (plastron) is softer and more vulnerable to damage.

Powers and Abilities

Gamera possesses immense strength, allowing it to lift hundreds of tons. It is highly durable, shrugging off most attacks, including missile strikes. If badly injured, it can enter a regenerative state of hibernation to recover. Gamera is fully amphibious and an adept swimmer, surviving and diving to the deepest parts of the ocean with ease. It can swim at speeds of over 50 knots, exceeding the top speed of a U.S. destroyer.

Gamera feeds on energy sources such as fire, electricity, nuclear power, oil, and coal. It can store these fuel sources in its gut and convert them into thermal energy. It is capable of breathing jets of flame and can fly by retracting its limbs and head into its shell, discharging flames to propel itself forward. It can also fly with only its hind limbs tucked into its shell, allowing its front limbs more freedom. Gamera can exceed Mach 3 while flying and can survive in the vacuum of space.

Origins

In the Showa era films, Gamera is a prehistoric species of turtle that fed on flames and was reawakened by an accidental atomic blast in the Arctic. In the Heisei era films, Gamera's origin is retconned, portraying it as a bio-engineered guardian of Earth, created by the ancient Atlantean civilisation to defeat another of its creations—the Gyaos.

Gamera's appearances

Gamera is a giant flying turtle kaiju who first appeared in the 1965 film 'Gamera the Giant Monster'. Here are the details of his appearances:

Gamera the Giant Monster (1965)

Gamera is awakened from his rest under the Arctic ice by a nuclear blast caused by a dogfight between American and Soviet fighters. He then rampages across Japan but is trapped inside a rocket and launched into space towards Mars.

Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)

After the rocket carrying Gamera is struck by a meteor, he returns to Earth and lands in Japan, destroying the Kurobe Dam. He then battles the monster Barugon, who freezes him solid with its ice breath. Gamera thaws and pursues Barugon, dragging him into deep water where he drowns.

Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)

Gamera appears during a volcanic eruption to feed on the flames. He hides in a mountainside until the monster Gyaos appears, and the two fight. Gamera loses an arm but manages to save a child Gyaos was trying to eat. He then returns to the sea to heal. Later, he returns to attack Gyaos as the creature is attacking a city. He overpowers Gyaos and drags him into the crater of an active volcano, killing it.

Gamera vs. Viras (1968)

Gamera intercepts and destroys an alien ship approaching Earth with the intention to conquer it. However, he is mind-controlled by the aliens and forced to attack Japan. Two children free him from their control, and he turns on the aliens, defeating them.

Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)

Gamera travels to the alien planet Terra to rescue two boys captured by brain-eating aliens. He fights the planet's guardian monster Guiron, who cuts into his temples with shurikens. Gamera recovers and fights Guiron again, this time flipping him upside down and lodging a rocket into his head, which then explodes.

Gamera vs. Jiger (1970)

Gamera appears after a large statue called the Devil's Whistle is removed from Wester Island. He battles the female monster Jiger, who fires quills at him, preventing him from flying. He removes the quills and pursues Jiger to Osaka, where she stabs him in the chest. Gamera falls into Osaka Bay, where his body turns white. A group of children enter his body and discover that Jiger has infected him with her parasitic offspring, which they kill. Gamera is revived using electricity and returns to battle Jiger, killing her with the Devil's Whistle.

Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)

Gamera rescues two children from the alien invader Zigra and his brainwashed slave, Lora Lee. Zigra reveals himself as a kaiju-sized fish creature and engages Gamera in battle underwater, overpowering him. Gamera is revived by a bolt of lightning and defeats Zigra, burning him alive.

Gamera: Super Monster (1980)

A young boy purchases a pet turtle and sets it free in the ocean, where it transforms into Gamera. He battles an invasion by the captain of an alien spaceship and defeats the monsters deployed to kill him. He then collides with the spaceship, sacrificing himself to destroy it.

Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

Gamera is discovered floating adrift in the Pacific, encased in rock and mistaken for an atoll. Investigators find a monolith inside explaining his purpose as a guardian created by the lost civilisation of Atlantis to defeat the man-eating flying monsters Gyaos. He battles Gyaos, as well as the Legion creatures that arrive on Earth a year later.

Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)

Gamera defends Earth from attacks by an alien force known as Legion.

Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999)

Gamera faces hordes of Gyaos and a new foe, Iris, a subspecies of Gyaos.

Gamera the Brave (2006)

A standalone film in which a young boy named Toru finds a glowing egg on a small island, which hatches into a baby turtle he names Toto. Toto grows and develops the ability to fly and spit fire, and Toru realises he is the reincarnation of Gamera. Toto confronts Zedus, a man-eating reptilian sea monster terrorising Japan.

Gamera 50th Anniversary Short Film (2015)

Gamera saves a boy from a swarm of Gyaos attacking Tokyo and incinerates them. A decade later, another monster appears, and Gamera returns to fight it.

Gamera Rebirth (2023)

An anime series in which Gamera protects children from monsters trying to feed on them. He is severely damaged in battle and almost dies, but regains consciousness and sacrifices himself to destroy the Moonbase of final antagonists. He leaves behind an egg for the new incarnation of Gamera.

Frequently asked questions