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| Gamera | |
| Aliases: | ガメラ |
| Continuity: | Gamera film series |
| Notability: | Main character |
| Type: | Giant monster |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Space Turtle |
| Location: | Japan |
| Status: | Alive |
| First: | Gamera, the Giant Monster |
| Actor: | Teruo Aragaki Umenosuke Izumi Naoaki Manabe Jun Suzuki Akira Ohashi Hirofumi Fukuzawa Toshinori Sasaki |
Gamera is a big, honking bipedal space turtle with tusks that has biological rocket thrusters that enable him to fly provided that he consumes enough petrol. I'm not kidding. Gamera was the creation of Daiei Studios and received his own Gamera movie in 1965 to compete with Toho Company's more infamously recognizable proto-hero, Godzilla. Targeting a younger audience, Gamera was often portrayed as a "friend to all children' and has even carried the title, Guardian of the Universe.
The popularity of Daiei's Daikaijû Gamera (Japanese title) proved strong enough that it branched out into a moderately successful series of sequels beginning with Gamera vs. Barugon in 1966, Gamera vs. Gyaos in 1967, Gamera vs. Viras in 1968, Gamera vs. Jiger in 1970, Gamera vs. Zigra in 1971 and Gamera: Super Monster in 1980.
Like Godzilla, Gamera enjoyed a revival during the 1990s which yielded a three-movie film arc. In 1995, Gamera: Guardian of the Universe was released. This was followed up by Gamera 2: Attack of Legion in 1996 and Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris in 1999. All three films are considered part of the Heisei series. Beginning in 2006, the franchise received yet another shot in the arm with the movie Gamera the Brave, proving once and for all that people REALLY like nutty-ass space turtles.