The is a Japanese monster, or ''

kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...

'', featured very briefly in the 1966 ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

'' film ''

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is a 1966 Japanese '' kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda and produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. The film stars Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno, Akihiko Hirata and Eisei Amamoto, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, ...

''.

Overview

Design

Shinichi Sekizawa was a Japanese screenwriter noted for his immense contributions to several films by Ishirō Honda, including several classic Godzilla films. He also contributed material to the original ''Ultraman'' series and several Tōei Dōga films such as ...

created the Giant Condor as a reference to the

Pteranodon ''Pteranodon'' (; from and ) is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with ''P. longiceps'' having a wingspan of over . They lived during the late Cretaceous geological period of North America in presen ...

seen in the original 1933 film ''

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

''. Rankin-Bass rejected the script, but since Toho had already started making the sets and props for the film, they swapped Kong with

as the opponent to face off against, and Toho carried on with production of ''

''. The Giant Condor was portrayed using a remodeled

Rodan is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film of the same name, produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numer ...

prop which appeared in ''

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a 1964 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the fifth film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise, and was the second ''Godzilla'' film produced ...

'' (1964) and ''Invasion of Astro-Monster'' (1965), following its use as the monster Litra in

Tsuburaya Productions also abbreviated as is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya and was run by his family, until October 2007, when the family sold the company to advertising agency TYO Inc. The studio is b ...

' TV series ''

Ultra Q is a 1966 Japanese ''tokusatsu'' ''kaiju'' television series created by Eiji Tsuburaya, first broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) on January 2, 1966 and having its twenty-eighth and final episode aired on December 14, 1967. This series w ...

''.

Film history

Showa era (1966-1969)

Originally, the Giant Condor was meant to be an opponent for

, as he originally featured in the script for ''Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'', but was replaced with

during production. In ''Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'', as Dayo made her escape from Godzilla, the Giant Condor soared overhead. She cried out to alert Godzilla just before the bird descended on him. After a fierce scuffle, Godzilla sets it ablaze with his atomic breath, sending its charred corpse plummeting into the ocean. In ''

All Monsters Attack is a 1969 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the tenth film in the ''Godzilla'' series, and fea ...

'', the Giant Condor appeared as the Giant Eagle where it is killed by Godzilla again, but this time while Godzilla was wandering around his home of Monster Island.

Millennium era (2004)

The Giant Condor was proposed to appear in the 2004 film '' Godzilla: Final Wars'', but the plans were discarded from the film.

Appearances

Films

* ''

'' (1966) * ''

'' (1969, stock footage)

Video games

* ''Godzilla Defense Force'' (2019)

Books

* ''GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla''

References

{{Toho Kaijū Godzilla characters Fictional birds of prey Fictional birds Toho monsters Film characters introduced in 1966 Mothra characters