Gamera is a giant, flying turtle from a popular series of
kaiju (Japanese giant monster) films produced by Daiei Motion
Picture Company in Japan. Created in 1965 to rival the success of
Toho Studios' Godzilla during the monster boom of the mid-to-late
1960s, Gamera has gained fame and notoriety as a Japanese icon in
his own right.
In the United States, Gamera attained prominence during the
1970s due to the burgeoning popularity of UHF television stations
featuring Saturday afternoon matinee showcases like Creature Double
Feature and later in the 1990s when several Gamera films were
featured on the television program Mystery Science Theater
3000.
Appearance
Gamera has the general configuration of a turtle, albeit a
tremendously large one that is capable of bipedal locomotion. He
occasionally walks quadrupedally in his first three films. Gamera
demonstrates the ability to manipulate objects with his forepaws.
His mouth is filled with teeth, with a pair of large tusks
protruding from the lower jaws, a precedent unheard of in turtles,
save perhaps for the prehistoric turtles Proganochelys and
Odontochelys.
Capabilities
Gamera's shell is extremely resilient and strong. Missiles and
other weaponry merely bounce off it, along with most of his
opponents' attacks. There have been a few times where his shell has
faltered, most notably when the alien Guiron hammered at the same
spot several times and began cutting through. The flying monster
Gyaos' sonic beam, the alien shark Zigra's paralyzing beam, and the
mutant lizard Barugon's rainbow ray cannot penetrate Gamera's
shell, shown in the films when he withdraws into his shell to avoid
the attacks. Gamera's underbelly, however, is softer and not as
resilient, and he has been cut and gouged in his stomach to the
point of bleeding.
In the Showa series, Gamera fed on fire and was attracted by
other heat sources, such as power plants and Barugon's rainbow ray
attack. He could breathe intensely hot streams of flames from his
mouth when caught in a more serious situation. The Heisei version,
on the other hand, could blast off mighty plasma fireballs from his
mouth, usually very quickly, and with varying accuracy; they were
highly explosive. The Heisei version could also absorb a great deal
of mana, or the living essence and energy of life on Earth, and
release an extremely powerful stream of pure plasma from his chest.
In the final film of the Heisei series, Gamera blasted his own arm
off and absorbed plasma fireballs shot by the mutant Gyaos Iris and
used his stump to grow back his arm in a plasmic form.
Gamera also has the ability to fly. Generally, Gamera pulls in
his arms, legs, head, and tail into his shell, fires flames out of
his arm and leg cavities and spins around like a flying saucer.
This mode of flight had an added advantage in the later films,
where he used the sharp edges of his shell to cut enemies while
spinning, similar to a circular saw. He has a second way of flying,
where he only pulls in his legs and/or tail, fires flames from the
leg cavities, and flies like a jet. In the Heisei era films,
Gamera's arms would extend and stretch out into wings similar to
the flippers of a sea turtle whilst using this form of flight,
giving him added aerodynamics and control.
The Heisei films gave Gamera one more additional weapon: a pair
of sharp spikes protruding from his elbows. In his first Heisei
appearance, these spikes were hidden during the majority of the
film, extending only when needed in battle. In later appearances
they were permanently extended.
When seriously or gravely injured, Gamera can enter a coma-like
state in order to heal. This often fools his opponents into
thinking that he is dead. This ability has been used in almost
every Gamera film.
Gamera's only major weakness is cold. Barugon was able to
achieve success against Gamera using his freezing spray, and
scientists nearly defeated Gamera during his first appearance using
special freezing bombs. This weakness was only shown in Gamera's
earliest films.
Physical description
Species Giant turtle
Height 60–80 metres
Weight 80-120 tons
Air speed Mach 3
I remember watching these shows while growing up Gamera
Theame Song 1969... Look out for the monsters in the State
Forest.