Monster Discussion #70: Gigan 2004

[latinothor]

I didn't explain myself well. What I meant is that the first Atomic Ray that connected Gigan, it barely knocked him off his feet.
The second ray, destroyed his head because the head couldn't be pushed back as Gigan was holding onto Godzilla with his hooks.

[DaddlerTheDalek]

Final Wars Gigan looked badass.

[BlueGojira]

Discuss the second incarnation of Gigan from Godzilla: Final Wars and both his regular and upgraded forms.

The Showa Gigan was a good monster for sure, but I just skreeonking love the Final Wars Gigan. It was one of the most memorable parts of the movie, and they brought back Gigan for the first time in at least 30+ years, and made him awesome. Even comparing the weaponry and powers both of them have shows this.

Showa Gigan: Hooked hands, chest/stomach buzzsaw, ability to fly, and diamond encasement.

2004 Gigan: Hooked arms, Chainsaw arms, rotating discs from chest, an actual eye beam, grappling hooks from hooked arms, chest/stomach buzzsaw, able to still be alive without a head, and being able to fly much faster.

A great upgrade, indeed.

[Gojira 41mk11]

Reviving this to say how much I love this version of Gigan. I genuinely think this is one of, if not the, best kaiju redesigns of all time. It suits both Gigan and the movie he’s in perfectly, and he gets more time to show it off than just about any of the other 14 monsters present. I’ve often seen people describe Showa Gigan as a thug, and his Millennium counterpart channels that every bit as much. Where Showa will kick a foe while they’re down, Millennium will drop in from the sky and hit them while their back is turned. And I love how he toys with Godzilla while Monster X was restraining him, slowly approaching and making sure to show Godzilla his spinning chainsaws before cutting a scar into his chest. Just a moment before he was flying the length of Tokyo Tower in less than a second, but now that his opponent can’t fight back he takes all the time in the world. There’s just so many little things like that which I adore when it comes to this incarnation of Gigan, and it’s why I find myself rewatching Gigan’s scenes more often than the film they come from. 10/10, no notes.

[JAGzilla]

The design is cool. It doesn't have the original's simple charm, but the over-the-top edginess is fun in its own way. It fits the movie, time, and Gigan's stupid punk personality very well.

I liked the retractable arm cables, too. That's an appropriate weapon for Gigan, giving him a way to ensnare victims and slowly drag them to their painful doom. Or not, as the case may be.

[LSD Jellyfish]

I liked the retractable arm cables, too. That's an appropriate weapon for Gigan, giving him a way to ensnare victims and slowly drag them to their painful doom. Or not, as the case may be.

I agree. I think the arm cables are a fantastic idea. I'm mixed on Gigan having a beam weapon and I think the retractable arm cables fit well both in design and concept and fit the idea of giving Gigan a ranged attack. Gigan Rex used something very similar, so I'm glad to see it be a continual idea in Gigan's design.

[Gojira 41mk11]

I'm mixed on Gigan having a beam weapon and I think the retractable arm cables fit well both in design and concept and fit the idea of giving Gigan a ranged attack.

I mostly agree with this sentiment. I think Gigan is much more suited for using melee weapons. But at the same time I really do like the cluster ray he has. Gigan seems to use his beam mostly to hit foes while he drops in on them, before he's close enough to strike them with close range weapons but after getting within sight. Happens every time up until his second bout with Mothra. Other than that, he opts to not use his beam, which I think is an interesting detail. Also the Hooking Anchors are definitely cool weapons, it's too bad how they worked out for him.

Added in 4 minutes 16 seconds:
As a side note for the Hooking Anchors, I've never seen it brought up that Gigan was capable of pulling the 55,000 ton Godzilla against his will with relatively effortless arm motions. His feet were literally sliding through the ground, Gigan's arms must be pretty strong.

[Mac Daddy MM]

I love the redesign and backstory, but I really wish he had more of a role and didn't die like a bitch. Twice. The chainsaw upgrade is a very nifty idea, but I think executed poorly. He doesn't look bad, but the dual chainsaws on each arm look kinda dumb, or at the least over designed. Simply, regular chainsaw arms akin to Ash from Evil Dead would look so much more kickass.

[godjacob]

Honestly loved the look and the new features Gigan has to work with. The capture cables, little saw discs and even the upgrades he gets with the chainsaw arms really communicate his Cyborg nature. I even enjoyed his bits of personality, such as making an anime-style victory pose when he thinks he destroyed Mothra. Main issue is just he didn't get enough action and kinda went down easy against Godzilla, I don't even think THAT would've been so bad if its fight with Mothra were better showcased and he didn't come off as an idiot who kills himself.

But overall really had fun with this Gigan.