Furankenshutain

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See also Frankenstein for a complete list of references to clarify differences between these closely named or closely related articles.


Furankenshutain
Aliases:	Frankenstein ^[1] Frankenstein Monster
Notability:	Main character
Type:	Giant monster
Gender:	Male
Race:	Reanimate
Location:	Hiroshima, Japan
Relatives:	Sanda Gaira ^[2]
Status:	Deceased
Born:	1818 (Originally) ^[3] 1945 (Rebirth) ^[4]
Died:	1960 ^[5]
First:	Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)
Actor:	Kôji Furuhata Kenichiro Kawaji ^[6]

Furankenshutain, or Frankenstein, is a fictional giant monster of the Japanese tokusatsu film style of the 1960s produced by Toho Company. The character appeared in the 1965 film Frankenstein Conquers the World. He was played by two different actors, Kôji Furuhata and Kenichiro Kawaji. He represents Japan's interpretation of the Frankenstein Monster and is tangentially tied to the greater "Godzillaverse" series of the Shōwa period.

Overview[]

Immortality: The Furankenshutain's body was grown from an immortal heart that, according to Doctor Liesendorf, can never die. As such, Furankenshutain is essentially immortal, although it does appear as if he met an untimely end after falling from the mountain.

Regeneration: Furankenshutain can regrow lost or damaged limbs, including his hands and feet. Even after severing his own hand to escape confinement, it began to grow back only a short time later. Even the severed limbs still maintain a semblance of life and can theoretically live forever given enough nutrients.

Size alteration: Furankenshutain's physical form can increase in size and mass well beyond that of a normal human being. This is an involuntary side-effect to not only his own inexplicable origins, but also due to persistent exposure to atomic radiation. At maximum height, he appeared to be approximately three stories tall.

The character of Furankenshutain was created by director Ishirô Honda and writers Kaoru Mabuchi, Reuben Bercovitch and Jerry Sohl. The character of Frankenstein was created by Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

Furankenshutain is what the character is referred to as in the Japanese version of the film only. In the International release, he is referred to as Frankenstein.

Playing Furankenshutain is Kôji Furuhata's second and final work in film. He previously played a character named Hiroshi in the French dramatic romance film L'amour à 20 ans, or, L'amour à vingt ans (translated as Love at 20) in 1962.

There are two different endings to the film Frankenstein Conquers the World. The original Japanese release climaxes with Frankenstein breaking Baragon's neck shortly before a fissure opens in the mountaintop right under the monster's feet. He falls into it, presumably to his doom (though this too is speculative, since the character is said to be immortal). In the international and U.S. video releases distributed by American International Pictures, there is an additional scene that takes place after the defeat of Baragon. While Frankenstein is still standing on the mountaintop, Oodako - the giant octopus makes an inexplicable and surprising appearance and begins grappling with the monster. The two fall off the mountain peak into the waters below. Although Oodako survives the impact and appears later in War of the Gargantuas, Furankenshutain is never seen again.

↑ The name Frankenstein has often been used interchangeably to refer to both the scientist, Doctor Frankenstein, as well as the creature that he created. Frankenstein Conquers the World refers to him as Frankenstein in most scenes where the name is referenced.
↑ It is implied in War of the Gargantuas that Sanda (Brown Gargantua) and Gaira (Green Gargantua) grew from discarded skin samples from Furankenshutain.
↑ This database is making the assumption that the heart recovered by the Nazi scientist belongs to the literary Frankenstein Monster. The Mary Shelley novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus was published in 1818, which is where the date of creation is taken from.
↑ This database is assuming that the Frankenstein body grew from the heart over a period of fifteen years. When he first appears in 1960, he has the physicality of a fifteen-year-old boy. This of course assumes that Furankenshutain's growth raid was comparable to that of a normal human being at that point in his development/
↑ Although the film was released in 1965, the main events of the movie take place fifteen years after the conclusion of World War II in 1945, which makes the setting 1960.
↑ Kenichiro Kawaji played the young Furankenshutain in the early scenes of the film while Kôji Furuhata played the adult Furankenshutain in the latter half of the movie.