[[{{Godzilla}} http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gojira_poster.jpg]]
[[caption-width:180:[[TheTokyoFireball Tokyo is toast.]]]]
->''[[PeopleInRubberSuits MAN IN SUIT! MAN IN SUIT! MAN IN SUIT! MAN IN SUIT!]]''
-->-- ''Ain't It Cool News''

Giant Japanese monsters that assault [[TheTokyoFireball Tokyo]], hapless island explorers, or each other are called ''{{Kaiju}}''. Just ask TheOtherWiki. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiju]]

Typically they arrive from somewhere Far Away. Whether that means space, BeneathTheEarth, or a South Pacific island varies. Expect lots of StuffBlowingUp to result. Examples of this genre can range from straight-up DisasterMovie ({{Cloverfield}}, the first {{Godzilla}} movie) to all-out wrestling matches between PeopleInRubberSuits (Most of the later {{Godzilla}} movies). As this genre features a judicious application of RuleOfCool, expect the MST3KMantra to be in full effect. Often, you'll only watch this kind of movie [[JustHereForGodzilla to see the monsters fight]], which can often involve an UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny (such as ''KingKong vs. {{Godzilla}}.'')

This is actually one of the oldest genres in film, dating back to the early days of cinema when special effects were new. Pioneers of the genre were ''The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,'' ''KingKong,'' and ''TheLostWorld'' (which was actually the earliest example of the genre).

Compare DisasterMovie, {{Attack of the Killer Whatever}} and {{Attack of the 50 Foot Whatever}}. Has its roots in {{Tokusatsu}}.
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!!Examples:

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[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* Most ''{{Digimon}}.'' A lot of {{Mons}}, in fact.
* The Shito/Angels in ''NeonGenesisEvangelion''.
** The Evas themselves, having been cloned from Angels. Their armor just makes them look like HumongousMecha.
*** Though without it, they just look like [[spoiler:human, albeit ugly ones. Which only makes sense, since they are human.]]
* When ''SuzumiyaHaruhi'' gets particularly irritated (or, presumably, watches too much Evangelion), she manifests Kaiju-like monsters in a PhantomZone. Fortunately, she also dreamt up some people to fight the things.
* [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Voltaire]] and [[BigCreepyCrawlies Hakutenou]] of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''. The two of them even get to battle in a heavily damaged city.
** The monstrous form of the Book Of Darkness also counts as a Kaiju.
* A recent example from ''{{Bleach}}'' involves [[spoiler:Espada #0]] Yammy Rialgo, whose release 'Ira' transforms him into a monstrous Kaiju.
* In the {{CLAMP}} series ''CardCaptorSakura'', Touya's pet name for his sister is "Kaiju", which is usually followed by Sakura shouting about how much she isn't one, complete with monsterous stomping about the house. Which naturally only adds to Touya's argument that she is a noisy kaiju.
* ''FrankenFran'' had a massive human-like Kaiju that came from the sea and seemed intent on attacking an island town. [[spoiler:Turns out that it's just a girl whose wish of living with the whales was granted by [[MadScientist Professor Madaraki]]. She's just there to find her mom so she could give her the great news that she's now pregnant. [[EverybodyLives Happy end!]]]]
* All members of the [[BloodKnight Heroic Tribe]] in ''HeroicAge'' are essentially GIANT SPACE MONSTERS. Which destroy planets on a regular basis.
* The eponymous HumongousMecha in ''DaiGuard'' ends up fighting a lot of kaiju.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* Comicbook/{{Superman}} has a recurring enemy named Titano, who is basically King Kong with the power to shoot Kryptonite-flavored laser beams out of his eyes.
* Fin Fang Foom of MarvelComics.
** Foom is a holdover from when Marvel published monster comics as a major source of revenue. Today, Marvel's Monster Island houses lots of Kirby-designed and inspired Kaiju.
** Speaking of which, Marvel briefly had the rights to publish {{Godzilla}} comics, and featured him as part of the MarvelUniverse.
* ''Comicbook/{{Batman}}: Gotham After Midnight'', a very bizarre miniseries, featured Bat-foe Clayface ''devouring people whole'' and growing into a gigantic mud-monster... which the Dark Knight fought with ''a Bat-mecha'' he had built for just such an occasion. CrazyPrepared, indeed...
* ''{{Exiles}}'' had the Monster World arc, which envisioned Curt Connors, Bolivar Trask, Tony Stark and Hank Pym as a team of Action Scientists fighting {{Kaiju}} in a transforming mecha. They fight it out with Fing Fang Foom in Japan at the end of the arc. It was awesome.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* The earliest example of the familiar Kaiju formula is present in the 1925 film ''TheLostWorld,'' in which a dinosaur wreaks havoc in London, setting the template for the genre before the sound era.
* {{Godzilla}} ranges from antagonist to AntiHero with a {{Protectorate}}
* Godzilla's English DistaffCounterpart [[FanNickname Ogra]] from the film ''Gorgo''. Gorgo himself counts too, but he gets [[DistressBall captured]] and held by those [[YouSuck damn humans]].
* Mothra, usually trying to either aid humanity (and her friends the fairy twins) or defend her eggs from Godzilla.
** Her DistaffCounterpart is the eviler and spikier Battra.
* The Friend to all children, {{Gamera}}, a heroic giant space turtle.
** "♪[[BillyAndMandy KRAAAAAAAGERRRRAAA!!!]]♪ [[BillyAndMandy Friendtoallchildren, here to help!]]"
* KingKong is effectively the one memorable Western example, who assaults the BigApplesauce.
** He is also - [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_Appears_in_Edo assuming this film actually existed]] - the earliest ''Japanese'' example!
* The movie ''{{Cloverfield}}'' is a reconstruction of all kaiju attack movies, reminding people that Kaiju has its roots in the Disaster film and how terrifying, deadly, and incomprehensible such an attack would be to an average citizen as it did in the first Godzilla film (before the American edits).
* Insectosaurus of ''MonstersVsAliens'', down to having the same backstory as Godzilla, though generally being a homage to Mothra.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilicus REPTILICUS]]! The giant goop-spitting snake-dragon that destroyed Copenhagen!
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giant_Claw THE GIANT CLAW]]! The [[strike:flying battleship]] winged monster from 17,000,000 B.C.!
* The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from ''{{Ghostbusters}}''.
* Mongo from {{Shrek}} 2. It especially works if Drury Lane is in Far Far Away, since Kaiju rarely live in Close Near By.
* ''[=~Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus~=]''. The octopus attacks Tokyo Bay but for some reason we never see any scenes of this, whereas the giant shark takes a bite out of the [[MonumentalDamage Golden Gate Bridge]] in San Francisco.

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[[folder: Literature ]]

* [[CthulhuMythos Cthulhu]]: Not Japanese, but it came from (hyper)space, is huge and lies beneath the Pacific/Antarctica.
* Agog Press' ''Daikaiju!'' anthology is built around these, and features a number of ''really weird'' ideas. How weird? Groundsurfing on the shockwaves made by kaiju's feet as they walk around.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* Abbadon from ''{{Torchwood}}'' is a giant life-sucking daemon which, when released it goes on a rampage in the streets of... [[AliensInCardiff Cardiff]].
* Practically in every episode of ''PowerRangers'' [=/=] ''SuperSentai'' they have to fight one.
* ''KaijuBigBattel'' is one giant ProfessionalWrestling-based parody of this.
* The standard MonsterOfTheWeek of the ''UltraSeries''.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* "Kaiju" is a template in ''DungeonsAndDragons'' (see ''{{Dragon}} Magazine'' #289), enabling the DM to turn any Animal, Magical Beast or Vermin in the ''Monster Manual'' into a fifty-foot armour-plated monstrosity capable of destroying [[strike: Tokyo]] [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Nakamaru]].
** In 2nd Edition ''D&D'', there were a number of creatures called "Gargantuas" that were {{Captain Ersatz}}s of Godzilla, King Kong, and Mothra.
** An adventure for the ''Oriental Adventures'' campaign setting, ''Test of the Samurai'', featured a gigantic psychic monster called a "Krakentua", which is best described as Cthulhu, ''sans'' wings, in a kimono.
** No discussion of giant monsters in ''D&D'' is complete without mentioning the legendary Tarrasque. Only one exists on any given world; this reptilian monstrosity awakens every century to destroy everything in its path, devouring all life and reducing the countryside to rubble, and is completely unkillable without resorting to godlike magic.
* The collectible miniatures game ''{{Monsterpocalypse}}'' is all about giant monsters (along with HumongousMecha and alien invaders) duking it out.

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[[folder: Video Games ]]

* ''{{Resistance}} 2'' has the Leviathan, a giant monster that roams the flooded streets of Chicago.
* Spoofed heavily by the Lungfishopolis level of ''{{Psychonauts}}'': one mind is portrayed as a city of tiny lungfish-like creatures, meaning that Raz is gargantuan compared to them. Due to his [[GogglesDoNothing distinctive headgear]], the citizens immediately nickname him Goggalor. The BossBattle of the level is the VillainWithGoodPublicity kaiju, who's hailed as a hero to protect them from "Goggalor" (and a ShoutOut to Ultraman)
* ''DestroyAllHumans 2'' has the "Kojira Kaiju Battle" mission, a ''{{Godzilla}}'' parody complete with someone screaming "Kojira! Aieeee!", [[BreathWeapon atomic breath]], and those weird anti-Kaiju tanks common in Godzilla films. Naturally, it takes place in Japan.
* ''{{X-COM}}: Apocalypse'' has the Overspawn, giant aliens dropped by the [[FlyingSaucers Mothership]] for the sole purpose of rampaging all over the cityscape. They're actually pretty weak since they're usually up against the best of X-COM manufactured vehicles and weapons by the time they appear. Some players just leave them alone since they have a tendency of accidentally killing themselves when they get too close to a building they knock over.
* Speaking of rampaging, the characters you use in the ''{{Rampage}}'' series of games.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* ''MegaTokyo'' has a bunch of these. Like [[FluffyTheTerrible Zom-Zom]].
* [[http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20090428.html Unigar the Vast Unicorn]] in ''TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob.''

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''ThePowerpuffGirls'' frequently fight {{Kaiju}} assaulting their CityOfAdventure when not engaging their RoguesGallery.
** Its later stated that fighting the Powerpuff Girls has become a rite of passage on Monster Island.
* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has four of these: The Unagi in Kyoshi Bay (that needs water, and therefore cannot attack the village); The Serpent from the Serpent's Pass (hence the name); Koizilla, the FanNickname for the Aang/Ocean Spirit Cross-fusion; and the currently unnamed Vine Monster that can be created by Huu.
* In the ''KimPossible'' episode 'Partners', [[MadScientist Doctor Drakken]] and [[MadScientist DNAmy]] create a gigantic {{Godzilla}}-like creature that proceeds to destroy the town's fast food area. [[ResetButton It doesn't stay destroyed, though]].
* Does [[SouthPark Mecha-Barbra Streisand]] and her three opponents count?
** They don't. They are all humans which use technology/artifacts/magic to make themself giants, they are not monsters. Note that the power ranger giant robot also doesn't count here, though the monsters they fight with it, do.
* [[{{Metalocalypse}} Mustakrakish, the giant Finnish lake troll]]. No, not [[{{Troll}} THAT]] kind of giant troll.
* An early Fleischer {{Superman}} Cartoon had the Man of Steel having to deal with a dinosaur [[DidNotDoTheResearch the size of an office building]] that had thawed out of an ice block and attacked Metropolis.
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