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| Species: | Insectoid Seatopian God |
| Height: | Showa: 55 Meters |
| Weight: | Showa: 40,000 Metric Tons |
| Appearances: | Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) |
Summary
Megalon (Megaro) is a giant insect kaiju who first appeared in the 1973 Toho Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Megalon.
The guardian of the underground kingdom of Seatopia, Megalon was unleashed upon the surface world after repeated nuclear tests had ravaged Seatopia. Megalon surfaced in Japan and attacked Tokyo, guided by the stolen robot Jet Jaguar. However, Jet Jaguar was soon freed from the Seatopians' control and turned against Megalon. Gigan arrived to aid Megalon, but the two monsters were sent retreating after Godzilla joined Jet Jaguar in battle. To date Megalon has only made a single film appearance, but has remained a popular monster nonetheless, appearing in countless Godzilla video games, along with manga and comic books.
Name
Megalon's name likely comes from the combining form "megalo," which means "abnormally large" or "great." His Japanese name does not contain the "n" sound at the end.
Design
Despite being an underground creature, Megalon is noticeably colorful, combining silver and grey tusks and claws with an orange-and-black carapace and wings. Megalon's forelimbs terminate with two sharp, drill-like appendages, which are never seen to be individually prehensile, at least in Godzilla vs. Megalon, always moving in tune with the monster's arm
Personality
Megalon is sometimes considered one of the least intelligent Toho kaiju. This is demonstrated by the fact that he is easily manipulated by external stimuli. For example, Megalon followed Jet Jaguar simply because he was curious, and he is also very temperamental, as seen when he goes into shock when he loses sight of Jet Jaguar and begins to jump and thrash about. His battle tactics also seem to be lacking in terms of strategy, as he never once utilizes his lightning horn beam against Godzilla nor Jet Jaguar. Additionally, he seems to enjoy charging at both his enemies headfirst, although all said enemies had to do was simply step out of the way to avoid him. Without Gigan by his side, Megalon would probably not have lasted as long as he did during the film's climactic last battle.
Origin
Megalon is a gigantic insectoid being that lives deep underground in the subterranean kingdom of Seatopia. Megalon is seen as the Seatopians' god, and is called upon by them to defend their home from threats.
History
Showa Era
After his subterranean kingdom of Seatopia was damaged by underground nuclear testing, Emperor Antonio called upon the guardian deity Megalon to wage war against the surface world. He first destroyed Ogouchi Dam, but accidentally doomed his mission in the process. Seatopian agents were attempting to dispose of Goro Ibuki, the inventor of a robot they needed to guide Megalon, and his brother Rokuro, but Megalon swatted the storage container containing them to safety. The robot, Jet Jaguar, guided the monster towards a showdown with the JSDF. Though their Maser Cannons forced him into a brief retreat, he soon laid waste to them. Fortunately, Goro managed to free the Jet Jaguar from the Seatopians' control and told him to travel to Monster Island and recruit Godzilla. Jet Jaguar obliged, prompting Antonio to contact the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens and ask for Gigan to back up Megalon. Though he was disoriented for a time, Megalon managed to get back on task following a JSDF air raid, and laid waste to Tokyo. Jet Jaguar returned to Japan and confronted Megalon in a field, growing to gigantic size to fight him. Monster and machine were equally matched until Gigan arrived. Before they could destroy Jet Jaguar, however, Godzilla arrived to even the odds. The heroes' combined might was enough to overwhelm Megalon and Gigan, the latter hastily retreating back to space. After he faced Godzilla's sliding kick, the Seatopians finally recalled Megalon and sealed all of their passages to the surface world.
Trivia
- Aside from his cameo as a toy in Godzilla: Final Wars, Megalon is one of a select few kaiju who debuted in the Showa series to have never had more than one film appearance, with the others being Gabara, Jet Jaguar, and Titanosaurus.
- Despite being a monster native to Earth, Megalon is normally associated with other alien kaiju because of his association with Gigan, and his role as an antagonist in Godzilla vs. Megalon. For this reason, he has traditionally been depicted as an ally of alien invaders in his video game appearances.
- A monster that appears in the opening sequence of Godzilla: The Series is named Megalon.
