is a fictional monster, or ''

kaiju is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monster ...

'', which first appeared in

Ishirō Honda was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 44 feature films in a career spanning 59 years. The most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki, his films have had a significant influence on the film industry. Honda enter ...

's 1963 film ''

Atragon is a 1963 Japanese tokusatsu science fiction film produced and distributed by Toho. It is based on ''The Undersea Warship: A Fantastic Tale of Island Adventure'' by Shunrō Oshikawa and ''The Undersea Kingdom'' by Shigeru Komatsuzaki. The film i ...

'', produced and distributed by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the produc ...

. Manda is based on a

Japanese dragon Japanese dragons (, ''Nihon no ryū'') are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and the Indian subcontinent. ...

, and is depicted as a giant sea-dwelling serpent which can survive on land. Manda's roars were created through recordings of lions bellowing.

Overview

Manda is a giant sea dragon about 150 meters (492.126 feet) long and weighs 30,000 metric tons (33069.339 short tons) in the Shōwa period, and 300 meters (984.252 feet) long & weighs 60,000 metric tons (66138.679 short tons) in '' Godzilla: Final Wars''. Most of Manda’s designs for its appearances are based on a

, except for the ‘Second Generation’ individual seen in ''Destroy All Monsters'', who lacks a mane, horns and whiskers, looking more serpentine as a result.

Shōwa period

In ''

'', Manda is a sea-dwelling dragon that is the guardian of Mu, an underwater kingdom. Manda is one of the primary antagonists along with the Empress. When the submarine warship ''Gotengo'' attacks, Manda attacks and wraps its body around the ship, trying to crush it, but the ''Gotengo'' discharges electricity on Manda, shocking it. Manda unwraps itself and tries to swim away, but the ''Gotengo'' pursues it, later firing its Absolute Zero Cannon to freeze Manda. Manda reappears again on Monsterland (along with several other monsters including

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produ ...

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

, and

Anguirus is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in ''Godzilla Raids Again'' (1955), the second film in the ''Godzilla'' franchise. Anguirus is the first monster to be shown engaging in combat with Godzilla in a film. Since then, the c ...

) in ''

Destroy All Monsters is a 1968 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Co., Ltd, is the ninth film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchi ...

''. Aliens called Kilaaks come to Earth and take control of Manda and the other monsters, making them attack cities worldwide (Manda is used to attack London) until the humans manage to free the monsters from the alien mind control. After this, the monsters are sent to fight

King Ghidorah is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster''. Although the name of the character is officially trademarked by Toho as "King Ghidorah", the character was originally ...

, although Manda does not fight in the battle, merely watching from the sidelines with

Varan is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in the 1958 film ''Varan the Unbelievable'', directed by Ishirō Honda and produced and distributed by Toho. Varan is depicted as a giant prehistoric reptile capable of gliding flight, ...

and Baragon. After Ghidorah is killed, Manda and the other monsters return to Monsterland. The Manda prop used in ''Destroy All Monsters'' had no horns or whiskers on its face and the long fuzz running down its back was gone.

Millennium period

In the Millennium series, Manda is the first monster to be killed in '' Godzilla: Final Wars'', playing a minor role, once again as an adversary of the ''Gotengo''. The ''Gotengo'' is seen as attacking Manda, which is wrapped around its hull. The submarine manages to shake it off and sails into an underwater volcano to see if it can lure Manda inside. The plan works, but Manda is merely injured, not killed, and continues to pursue the ''Gotengo''. The submarine then turns around and fires its Zero Cannon which hits Manda, causing it to freeze instantly, after which ''Gotengo'' uses its drill to easily pierce the frozen Manda, causing the monster to shatter and die. In this movie, Manda, along with Zilla and

Kamacuras is a kaiju film monster which first appeared in Toho's 1967 film ''Son of Godzilla''. The name alludes to "kamakiri", the Japanese word for mantis. In its first appearance, the creature was called Gimantis in the U.S. version. Overview Showa In ...

while flying, is primarily depicted through CGI animation, though shots where Manda is wrapped around the Gotengo use a puppet.

Reiwa period

Manda appears in the two prequel novels to the anime film '' Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters'', which chronicle humanity's war with the kaiju that is briefly touched upon in the film's opening credits. In the novel '' Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse'', Manda inhabits the

north Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...

and claims the

Strait of Dover The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait (french: Pas de Calais - ''Strait of Calais''), is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, separating Great Britain from contine ...

as its territory, sinking ships that sail too close. Later the Gotengo engages and kills Manda during "Operation: Eternal Light". However, Manda or another Manda appears in a novel '' GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla'', in the

Gulf of Persia The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The body ...

during "Operation: Great Wall". Multiple Mandas appear in the ''

Godzilla Singular Point is a Japanese anime television series co-produced by the animation studios Bones and Orange. Licensed by Netflix and directed by Atsushi Takahashi, the series premiered on March 25, 2021 on Netflix in Japan, and on Tokyo MX and other channels ...

'' anime series, swimming together in groups. They first appear in the waters off of the

Boso Peninsula Boso may refer to: People *Boso of Provence (850–887), Frankish nobleman and king *Boso the Elder (c. 800–855), a Frank from the Bosonid dynasty *Boso, Margrave of Tuscany (885–936), Italian nobleman *Boso II of Arles (d. 967), Frankish count ...

, attacking fishing boats and being driven into Tokyo Bay by Godzilla's Aquatilis form, with one being dragged ashore and eaten before Godzilla evolving into his Amphibia form. Other Mandas in the group battle Godzilla as he transforms into further forms. As the kaiju problem spreads across the globe, another school of Manda appears in the Strait of Dover and proceeds to swim into London via the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

Appearances

Films

* ''

'' (1963) * ''

'' (1968) * ''

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 featu ...

'' (1969, stock footage cameo) * ''

Terror of Mechagodzilla is a 1975 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda (his final film as a director), written by Yukiko Takayama, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Henry G. Saperstein, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and pr ...

'' (1975, stock footage cameo) * '' Godzilla: Final Wars'' (2004)

Video games

* ''

Kaijū-ō Godzilla is a 1993 action adventure game by Bandai for the Game Boy. It was released exclusively in Japan. The game is notable for featuring nearly every monster in the ''Godzilla'' franchise up until the time of its release. Story While the game does ...

'' / ''King of the Monsters, Godzilla'' (

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same te ...

- 1993) * '' Godzilla: Monster War'' / ''Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters'' (

Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in ...

- 1994) * '' Godzilla Trading Battle'' (

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

- 1998) * ''Godzilla Defense Force'' (2019)

Literature

* '' Godzilla at World's End'' (novel - 1998) * '' Godzilla: Rulers of Earth'' (comic - 2013-2015) * '' Godzilla: Cataclysm'' (comic - 2014) * ''Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse'' (novel - 2017)

Cultural references

* Manda is used as the name for a giant snake, and boss of the Snake Summons, in the ''

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. ...

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...

series. * The Manda prop was reused in episode 6 of

Tsuburaya Productions is a Japanese special effects studio founded in 1963 by special effects wizard 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 best known for producin ...

's 1966 series ''

Ultra Q is a tokusatsu science fiction kaiju series made in the tradition of Toho's many tokusatsu sci-fi/horror films. Produced in black and white by Tsuburaya Productions, this is actually the first of the long-running Ultra Series, and was broadcast ...

'' to represent the monster Kai Dragon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manda (Kaiju) Toho monsters Fictional dragons Fictional reptiles Fictional snakes Godzilla characters Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds Fictional characters with superhuman strength Fictional monsters Mothra characters Science fiction film characters Fantasy film characters Film characters introduced in 1963 Kaiju Horror film villains