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| Baragon | |
| Aliases: | バラゴン |
| Continuity: | Godzilla |
| Notability: | Antagonist |
| Type: | Giant monster |
| Gender: | Male |
| Location: | Japan |
| Status: | Alive |
| First: | Frankenstein Conquers the World |
| Actor: | Haruo Nakajima |
Baragon is the name of a fictional giant monster, or kaiju, featured in films produced by Toho Pictures. He first appeared in the 1965 movie Frankenstein Conquers the World, where he was the central antagonist of the film. Baragon also made brief appearances in Destroy All Monsters in 1968 and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack in 2001. In Frankenstein Conquers the World, he was played by actor Haruo Nakajima.
Biography[]
Baragon is an ancient kaiju monster, possibly one related to an unidentified species of dinosaur from the Mesozoic era. He was a quadruped with thick grey skin, a large glowing yellow horn on his brow, and spiny protrusions across his back. Another distinguishing characteristic are a pair of large, scalloped bat-like ears on each side of the monster's head. In addition to prodigious size and strength, Baragon possessed the ability to leap great distances from just a standing position and could emit a blast of red radiation from his mouth.
Baragon first surfaced near an oil rig off the coast of Akita Prefecture. He burrowed his way to the mainland and came up through the ground, destroying several buildings in the process. Witnesses to the event noticed that Baragon's presence was preceded by a strong amber-colored glow, though few actually caught a glimpse of the monster itself. Official resources explained that the incident was caused by an earthquake.
He next turned up near Himeji Castle in Osaka where he dined on some cattle, leaving nothing behind but skeletal remains. The remains were discovered by two cleaning ladies the following day. At first, the cattle mutilations were attributed to a mutating waif possessing the heart of the original Frankenstein Monster.
Baragon appeared next near Mt. Fuji where a few Shirane huts were located, occupied by teens enjoying a night of music and dancing. Baragon surfaced form the side of the building and began growling. He tore through the first hut, forcing the partiers to scatter. The following day, a military unit and members of the scientific community surveyed the damage. Again, as there were no actual witnesses who came forward to describe the creature, the damage was attributed to the Frankenstein Monster.
Baragon disappeared in an underground tunnel in Shimizu in Fukui Prefecture, only to surface later in Shizuoka to raid a farm where he ate a few pigs, several chickens and even a horse.
The Frankenstien Monster was later found wandering the mountains where he was being targeted by military helicopters. While trying to evade capture, he disrupted Baragon's slumber. The monster arose and Frankenstein and he began battling one another. The fight was prolonged and decidedly one-sided as Frankenstein maintained the edge over Baragon at every turn. Baragon tried to kill Frankentein with his red energy blasts, but Frankenstein managed to avoid them. Baragon fled from the fight, but the two were at odds again only a short time later. Frankenstein bombarded Baragon with huge rocks, then picked him up and spun him about before pitching him into the flames of a forest fire that had started. He then gripped Baragon about the throat and squeezed him until the creature seemingly died. [1]
Baragon lived however and was apparently recovered by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. He was brought to Monsterland in the Ogasawara Island chain, along with several other kaiju. Along with the rest of Earth's monsters, Baragon was brought under the control of the alien Kilaaks during their invasion of Earth and forced to destroy Earth's cities. [2]
Ancient Guardian[]
Another iteration of Baragon presented him as one of three Ancient Guardians who, along with King Ghidorah and Mothra arose to defend the world from Godzilla, who was the spiritual reincarnation of all those who died in the Pacific during World War II. Baragon was strong and resilient, but ultimately succumbed to repeated attacks from Godzilla's atomic breath. [3]
Abilities[]
- Burrowing: Baragon's physicality is suitable for burrowing and he can easily tunnel underground through rough, rocky terrain.
- Energy projection: Baragon emits a stream of deadly red energy from his mouth. The energy appears to be thermal in nature and can cause considerable damage, though it is not nearly as a potent as Godzilla's atomic breath.
- Super-leaping: Baragon can leap considerable distance from a standing position. This is an effective battle strategy for diving onto opponents and them pinning them beneath his weight.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Baragon was created by director Ishirô Honda and writers Kaoru Mabuchi, Reuben Bercovitch and Jerry Sohl.
- Actor Haruo Nakajima is best known for being the man behind the Godzilla costume in the majority of the Showa series movies.
- Baragon was originally slated to have a larger role in Destroy All Monsters. He was to be the monster that burrowed through the streets of Paris, ultimately destroying the Arc de Triumphe. Another monster, Gorosaurus, was used instead, though he still emitted Baragon's roar in the scene.
- Baragon was also intended to appear in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, but his role was rewritten with a more recognizable monster in mind - Anguirus. Anguirus possesses the same burrowing ability in the film that is normally attributed to Baragon.
- Archival footage of Baragon was also featured in Godzilla: Final Wars.