- Not to be confused with Barugon.
Baragon (バラゴン Baragon?) is a prehistoric reptilian kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 1965 Toho film, Frankenstein Conquers the World, as its central antagonist. An ancient creature that originally slept within the earth, Baragon is awakened in the modern day and terrorizes the Japanese countryside before facing off against the giant Frankenstein.
Name[]
Baragon's name comes from from the Japanese word bara (バラ?), meaning rose, and ragon (ラゴン?), from "dragon." This name refers to the ridges on his back, which supposedly resemble rose petals.
Design[]
Appearance[]
Baragon is a four-legged mammal-like reptilian creature with reddish-brown skin, a horn on his forehead, and large, floppy dog-like ears. He has skinny arms, bulky legs, and an armored back. In Destroy All Monsters, he has darker skin and his head has different ears, fewer teeth and different eyes. The petals on his back are inspired by roses. This design is referred to as "ShodaiBara".
Portrayal[]
The ShodaiBara suit was portrayed by Haruo Nakajima. Tihe suit was originally supposed to be in more scenes in Destroy All Monsters, but the suit was too damaged, as a result of when Eiji Tsuburaya used it for Ultra Q and Ultraman. The suit was first reused for Pagos in Ultra Q episode 18, then it was used for Neronga in Ultraman episode 3, then it was used for Magular in Ultraman episode 8, and finally, it was used for Gabora in Ultraman episode 9. When Tsuburaya returned the suit to Toho, it becomes very clear that they weren't able to use the suit that much which explains why the suit was used at the very end of the movie when it shows all the monsters living peacefully on Monsterland.
Roar[]
In Baragon's two appearances during the Showa era, his roar was a slightly modified version of Varan's roar. The only difference being that Baragon's version has a little more of a growling added to the mix. This growling Varan voice would give Baragon's roar a more "guard-dog" tone. Some parts of the roar comes from Godzilla.
Origins[]
Baragon was a prehistoric reptile from the Mesozoic era that survived the K-T extinction by burrowing underground and surviving off of uranium deposits in the Earth. In 1960, he was drawn to the surface by work performed by an oil factory in Akita Prefecture.
History[]
Frankenstein Conquers the World[]
Baragon in Frankenstein Conquers the World
Baragon was first seen in Frankenstein Conquers the World where he was awakened by sound from a nearby factory. He attacked the factory, and burrowed to a Shirane Village and attacked it. He then attacked a farm to feed on the livestock.
Baragon was not seen during these attacks, so Frankenstein was blamed for them. A worker at the factory says it was not Frankenstein, but another monster. When a group of scientists looked for Frankenstein, they caused an explosion that woke up Baragon from his sleep. He tried to eat the scientists, but he was stopped by Frankenstein. Frankenstein and Baragon battle, but Frankenstein wins when he breaks Baragon's neck. The ground then cracks and the two fall down the hole.
Destroy All Monsters[]
Baragon in Destroy All Monsters
Baragon, A second Baragon, either the same creature from 1960 or another surviving individual of the same species, appeared briefly in 1999 as one of many residents of Monsterland. He is present during the battle between the Earth monsters and King Ghidorah, but doesn't fight. Baragon can very briefly be seen observing the other monsters fight King Ghidorah from a distance with Manda, and is later seen on Monsterland when all the monsters return home.
Abilities[]
Flame ray[]
Baragon's Flame Ray
Baragon can fire a flame ray from his mouth that is extremely weak and it didn't even hurt the Frankenstein monster. However, it was strong enough to cause forest fires. The horn on his snout occasionally glows and crackles when he uses it.
In the Atari titles, his flame ray resembles traditional fire breath, as opposed to in the films, though it's short-ranged, but can still get in beam locks.
Geothermal Manipulation[]
In the Atari video games, Baragon can cause earthquakes and lava eruptions beneath his feet when he uses a rage attack.
Natural healing[]
He can replenish his energy as long as he is in contact with the earth. In the games, he is one of the few monsters who can use physical attacks in mid-air.
Burrowing[]
Baragon has the ability to burrow underground, which can cause earthquakes and avalanches.
Video games[]
Gojira-kun[]
Godzilla: Monster of Monsters[]
Baragon appears as a villain in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters.
Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters[]
Baragon later appeared as a villain in its sequel Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters.
Godzilla[]
Finally, he appeared as a villain once more in the Gameboy Godzilla game. Baragon would usually remain on all fours, preventing many attacks from hitting him, and would stand on his hind legs only to fire his heat beam. Another attack was to pounce at Godzilla or Mothra and pin them against the side of the screen. While rare to come across, during the fight with him, Baragon will sometimes look at the camera and tilt his head to the side as if he is mocking the player. This move allows the player to get in some free hits.
Godzilla: Save the Earth[]
Baragon then appeared in Godzilla: Save the Earth. Baragon is a fast and agile fighter with decent power and great combo abilities. He shares many of the strengths of Anguirus such as immunity to high attacks on all fours and beam/projectile weapons doing only half-damage. He can dig like Megalon, though for longer and not be tired when he emerges, and his rage attack is to dig down and unleash a volcanic eruption. Baragon's fire ray attack can also be used while he's running or jumping and cannot be charged.
Godzilla: Unleashed[]
When not in the air, Baragon constantly replenishes his energy so long as contact is maintained with the earth. Baragon emits streams of fire from his mouth, and can cause eruptions and earthquakes beneath his feet. When firmly planted with all four legs upon the ground, Baragon is almost impossible to push aside, despite his small stature.
Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash[]
Baragon appeared in the title Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash.
Godzilla (2014 video game)[]
Although it was killed by the artificial life-form Frankenstein when it first appeared in "Frankenstein Conquers the World" (1965), Baragon was later discovered below Mt. Amagi and protected in Monsterland in the film "Destroy All Monsters" (1968). The second-generation Baragon is controlled by the Kilaaks, entering the fight with King Ghidorah after Paris is attacked.
In "Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" (2001), Baragon the Guardian Monster of Earth appeared on Mt. Myoko as one of the Three Guardian Monsters protecting Japan, later confronting Godzilla in Hakone.
Godzilla: Kaiju Collection[]
Baragon also appeared within the title Godzilla: Kaiju Collection with all three of his incarnations.
In other languages[]
- Russian: Барагон
Trivia[]
- Despite being described by characters in the films as a reptile, Baragon has traits more in line with synapsids, including external ear flaps and differentiated teeth.
- In Destroy All Monsters, Baragon was supposed to attack Paris and destroy the Arc de Triomphe under the control of the Kilaaks, but because his suit was heavily damaged from use as other monsters in Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra Q and Ultraman, he was replaced with Gorosaurus. Baragon's suit was returned eventually, but the head was irreparable, and as such the suit was given a new head for this brief appearance due to damage it had sustained. However, they could not use the suit in any major scenes, as filming had nearly finished.
- Baragon's suit was later reused to create the monsters Pagos, Neronga, [[w:c:ultra:Magular Magular], and Gabora for Ultra Q and Ultraman.
List of appearances[]
Films[]
- Frankenstein Conquers the World (First appearance)
- Destroy All Monsters
Video games[]
- Gojira-kun
- Godzilla (Gameboy)
- Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
- Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters
- Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!!
- Godzilla Movie Studio Tour
- Godzilla: Trading Battle
- Godzilla Generations
- Godzilla: Save the Earth
- Godzilla: Unleashed
- Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
- Godzilla (2014 video game) (Kaiju Guide)
- Godzilla: Kaiju Collection
Comics[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Official Godzilla Compendium. Profiles of the Monsters; Page 119.
