Kaijū

Kaijū
Name
Japanese	怪獣 (かいじゅう)
Rōmaji	Kaijū
Meaning	Strange Beast
Additional Information
Primary Abilities	Various
Located in	Various
First Appearance
Manga	Shinigami Tai-Senki (1974)
Anime	Series 1 Episode 8 (1968)

Kaijū (怪獣 (かいじゅう) Kaijū lit. Strange Beast) is a term that refers to beings often associated with large creatures or monsters, especially gigantic ones. The term Dai-Kaijū (大怪獣 (だいかいじゅう) Daikaijū lit. Great Strange Beast) is also often used to refer to specifically large and powerful characters, while the word "kaijū" wasn't necessarily used for ones of large size historically.

Many characters and creatures featured in the works of Shigeru Mizuki align with the general description of kaijū, and some are even called so in supplemental material, like certain large and destructive yōkai and akuma. Interestingly, in the GeGeGe no Kitarō franchise, kaijū are often viewed as merely fictional characters and monsters, compared to the yōkai that are real in-universe.

"Yōkaijū" is the term coined by Shigeru Mizuki, and has been used both in GeGeGe no Kitarō and Yōkai Monsters Series, and the spelling for Mizuki's Dai-Kaijū, which had previously used in productions such as the 1959 film The Giant Behemoth, was also coined after the aforementioned "Dai-Kaijū" and marine mammals.

Description

Kaijū are generally depicted as large creatures or monsters, with strange, bestial features often derived from animals or plants. Like some yōkai, kaijū can be born out of ordinary creatures or people.

Behavior

Kaijū are often very destructive and animalistic, much more so than Yōkai and Akuma, who are generally seen as more intelligent.

History

Manga

The Kaijū from space.

A kaijū called Jigoku Kaijū (地獄怪獣, Hell Strange Beast) modeled off the Buddhist Kazō (火象, Fire Elephant) in a chapter of Shinigami Tai-Senki. In the past, it ate all of Hyota's partners.

A kaijū from space appears in the Shin GeGeGe no Kitarō chapter, UFO Space Stormtroopers. It is used by the Asteroid People to test out a transporter.

Legend

The term "Kaiju" originates in the ancient Chinese literature Classic of Mountains and Seas, which introduced numberous mythological and imaginary creatures and monsters.

The exact definitions to distinct kaijū from other entities, such as exceptionally mighty animals, yōkai and akuma and gods, creatures and monsters such as dragons, kaijin, gigantic humanoids, are vague even in Japan where the term itself isn't strictly restricted to gigantic monsters. For example, there have been disagreements to classify Daiei Film's Whale God and Dai-Majin, or even Ultraman and other likewise characters, into the category.

Until late 1960s, other film studios in Japan were restricted to follow the success of Toho's Godzilla franchise by the inter-company agreement, so-called Five-Company Agreement, which was led by Masaichi Nagata, the "Father of Japanese film industry" and one of Gamera's creators, to prevent drains of human resources and film techniques between the major domestic movie studios back then. Following the success of the Gamera franchise, the near-bankrupt Daiei Film was temporarily sustained, and Dai-Majin and Yōkai Monsters Series and live-action adaptations of Kazuo Umezu's comics were launched, and Shigeru Mizuki and Kazuo Umezu began to associate with the company for the productions of these yōkai and horror films.

Nagata's own Whale God and Gamera films became breakthroughs for the Five-Company Agreement, and other film studios abruptly joined genre after Daiei Film (Gamera and Daimajin) and Toho (Godzilla and others), and Tsuburaya Productions (Ultra Q and Ultraman). Additionally, Nagata was trying to save the diminishing Japanese film industry, and he started negotiating with the Japanese government by using his influence and connections. This resulted in governmental supports to expand the genre, and prompted the First Kaijū Boom which became a prominent social phenomena with extensive influences on the post-war popular cultures in Japan. The live-action drama adaptation of Akuma-kun became a part of the boom, and it in return had significant impacts on domestic television industry, and both GeGeGe no Kitarō and Akuma-kun had started introducing elements based on the First Kaijū Boom, such as heroic protagonist focusing on battles against antagonists, and presences of gigantic characters.

However, on the contrary to Nagata's motivation, the First Kaijū Boom itself became one of major threats against the film industry and Gamera and Godzilla franchises, as the boom contributed in the arise of the biggest competitor (the television industry) and stagnations of ideas and resources, escalating the decline of kaijū films themselves and the demises of Daiei Film and Shintoho. Along with the company, Gamera, Daimajin, Yōkai Monsters, Kazuo Umezu works began to stagnate and have went through tremendous development hells. The following "Yōkai Boom" to encompass aforementioned Shigeru Mizuki and Kazuo Umezu was launched as a cheaper alternative without governmental funds to succeed the First and the Second "Kaijū Booms".