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| Species: | Humanoid Size-Changing Robot |
| Height: | Normal:1.8 Meters Giant: 50 Meters |
| Weight: | Normal: 150 Kilograms Giant: 25,000 Metric Tons |
| Appearances: | Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) |
Summary
Jet Jaguar (Jetto Jagā) is a heroic robot who first appeared in the 1973 Toho Godzilla film Godzilla vs. Megalon.
An advanced robot created by Japanese inventor Goro Ibuki, Jet Jaguar was stolen by the Seatopians and used to guide their guardian monster Megalon in his destruction of the surface world. Goro managed to sever the Seatopians' control of the robot, only to discover that Jet Jaguar had become self-aware and altered his own programming. Jet Jaguar used his newfound power to recruit the assistance of Godzilla, then grew to gigantic size to battle Megalon and Gigan. With Godzilla's aid, Jet Jaguar drove off the villainous monsters and saved the Earth, then returned to his creator.
Name
Jet Jaguar is Toho's trademarked English name for the character, though a similar situation exists wherein English language media includes a hyphen (Jet-Jaguar) in the robot's name. Examples using "Jet Jaguar" include the Atari and Pipeworks games Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed, while instances of media using Jet-Jaguar ranges from the 1998 book The Official Godzilla Compendium and the 2014 Godzilla video game. Jet Jaguar is also sometimes erroneously given the English name Jet-Jagger or the variant JetJagger, typically in Japanese media.
Personality
Jet Jaguar fights to protect others, and acts very much like a superhero. When not fighting, he is shown to be very friendly towards others, offering handshakes, and even carrying a child on his shoulders. According to Godzilla: Unleashed, Jet Jaguar fights as a reserve member of the Global Defense Force, offering his services to humanity in times of need. In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, he autonomously enters battles to aid humanity's military forces and the monsters of Earth. Jet Jaguar even joins CKR's forces in an assault on the Cryogs' base, communicating with others using a "thumbs-up" gesture.
Origin
In Godzilla vs. Megalon, Jet Jaguar was created by scientist Goro Ibuki. Jet Jaguar eventually became self-aware and gained the ability to alter his own programming, but chose to use his powers to fight for good. The game Godzilla: Unleashed references this origin, stating in its bio for Jet Jaguar that he was created by a Japanese scientist for unknown reasons. Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash even explicitly mentions Goro Ibuki by name.
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth never explains Jet Jaguar's exact origins, but it is implied he has some connection to the Cryogs, as they seemed to recognize him when he boarded their ship. In an interview, writer Chris Mowry explained that the idea for Jet Jaguar's origin was that he was built by a survivor from his homeworld that was destroyed by the Cryogs, specifically calling him the "Superman" of his planet. His creator adopted a small girl that would grow up into Yumi. His creator, however, perished in Godzilla's first attack during the events of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters.
History
Showa Era
After an underground nuclear test wreaked havoc on their city, the kingdom of Seatopia prepared to attack the surface world with their monster-god Megalon. Looking for a way to guide Megalon during his rampage, two Seatopian agents ransacked the home of Goro Ibuki, an inventor working on a humanoid robot. When Goro, his brother Rokuro, and his friend Hiroshi Jinkawa interrupted them, the agents quickly subdued them and made their escape. Soon after, Goro put the finishing touches on his robot, which he named Jet Jaguar.
The Seatopian agents struck again, this time seizing control of Jet Jaguar. One attempted to dispose of Goro and Rokuro in a shipping container, while the other stayed at the house to direct the robot. He revealed that the Seatopians planned to build an army of Jet Jaguars. Hiroshi escaped and set off to rescue Goro and Rokuro. In the meantime, Jet Jaguar began to steer Megalon towards Tokyo. Along the way, the insect attacked the Ogochi Dam, inadvertently swatting Goro and Rokuro to safety. While Goro had a handheld control device for Jet Jaguar that could override the Seatopians' commands, he discovered that the range was too limited. After he explained the situation to the JSDF, they let him board a helicopter to intercept the robot. Just before they could collide, Goro regained control of Jet Jaguar and sent him to Monster Island to convince Godzilla to join the fight.
Though disoriented at first, Megalon quickly got back on task. To ensure they had the advantage against Godzilla, the Seatopians enlisted Gigan. As Megalon approached Goro's house, Jet Jaguar reunited with his family, then flew off to face the monster, ignoring Goro's commands. Somehow, the inventor mused, Jet Jaguar had achieved free will. Megalon learned that he had achieved something else: the ability to turn himself into a 50-meter fighting machine.
Jet Jaguar and Megalon found themselves evenly matched until Gigan arrived on the scene. The robot took a beating from the duo, but their gloating came to an end when Godzilla stormed in. In the ensuing tag team match, Jet Jaguar flew Godzilla out of a ring of fire created by Megalon's napalm bombs, broke Gigan's arm, and held Megalon in place so the King of the Monsters could deliver a pair of sliding kicks. After the two villains retreated, Godzilla returned to Monster Island, while Jet Jaguar returned to his family, shrinking back to human size.
Trivia
- "Godzilla and Jet Jaguar: Punch! Punch! Punch!", sung by Masato Shimon, plays at the end of Godzilla vs. Megalon. When the film appeared on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Joel and the 'Bots came up with their own comedic translation of the lyrics.
- For the German release of Godzilla vs. Megalon, Jet Jaguar was renamed to King Kong. However, there is no connection to the real King Kong beyond his name; contrary to a widespread misconception, he is not said to be a giant ape wearing a robot suit in the dub.
- The popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion paid homage to Jet Jaguar in the episode "A Human Work," where a robot named Jet Alone appears. It shares a similar color scheme with Jet Jaguar, and references both his name and the name of his original design, Red Alone.
- According to Shunsuke Fujita, the producer of Godzilla on the PlayStation 3 and 4, he did not originally intend to include Jet Jaguar in the game, but walked into his office and saw him on the screen and "couldn't say no."
- Jet Jaguar is referenced in GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse, the official prequel novel to GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters, through a type of battle armor constructed by the United Earth called "Type-38 Mobile Combat Uniform Jaguar Japan Specification," or "Jaguar J" for short.
- Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #7's title was "PUNCH PUNCH PUNCH," a reference to "Godzilla and Jet Jaguar: Punch! Punch! Punch!". When the series was reissued as trade paperbacks, the title changed to "Viva Jet Jaguar".
- In the 2011 science fiction novel Ready Player One, Jet Jaguar is one of multiple giant robots available for selection after clearing the Black Tiger-themed second gate of Anorak's quest. He is seen alongside The Iron Giant, Leopardon from Toei's Spiderman, the Shogun Warriors, and Kiryu, who appears later in the book.
