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Overview

Zedus (ジーダス,   Jīdasu?) is a giant sea lizard kaiju created by Kadokawa that first appeared in the 2006 Gamera film, Gamera: The Brave.


Design[]

Appearance[]

Zedus is a large aquatic saurian kaiju. He strongly resembles Jirass from Ultraman and also shares some similarities with Gorosaurus. Zedus has several thin fin-like protrusions running all the way from the top of his head down to his tail. Zedus has a large head with a retractable multicolored frill. He also has a very long powerful tail.

According to the book Heisei Gamera Perfection, Zedus' design and abilities were influenced by the monsters Barugon, Zilla, Jiger, and Varan.

Origins[]

Zedus' origins are never explored in his film appearance, however supplementary materials for Gamera: The Brave reveal that Zedus was a type of semi-aquatic lizard that was mutated by feeding on the corpses of Gyaos.

History[]

Heisei Series[]

Gamera: The Brave[]

A man-eating monster from the depths of the ocean, Zedus attacked several ships at sea before finally making landfall, causing all sorts of damage. Fortunately for what remained of the city, Toto, the young Gamera found and raised by a young boy, appeared. Zedus unleashed its spear-like tongue on Toto while they battled. After several missed, Toto grabbed the tongue and held on as it pulled back into his maw. The creature was blasted in face with a ball of fire, sending the monster into the sea below.

Zedus returned in full force, attacking the complex that Toto was being held in before unleashing his wrath on the rest of Nagoya. The two clashed once again, and like before, Zedus was quickly getting the upper hand. Overpowering the turtle with brutality, the creature tossed Toto into a building. The hero's body now stuck in the building, Zedus began to climb up.

Zedus had no idea that Toto had just been empowered by the jewel that gave him birth and was knocked off of the building by the flying Toto. Quickly getting to his feet, he lashed out with his tongue yet again, this time impaling it through Toto’s shoulder. As the two struggled on, Toto ripped the tongue in half and unleashed a powerful fire ball. The ball of flames quickly engulfed the creature and blew it into bloody pieces.

Abilities[]

Zedus fights predominantly using his claws, teeth and tail. His most powerful weapon is his elongated tongue, capable of extending up to 100 meters in length, which he can launch in a spear-like attack, reminiscent of fellow Gamera foe Barugon. However, Zedus is capable of emitting a strong biological acid from the tip of his tongue and from his claws, allowing them to penetrate Toto's shell with ease. Zedus can also jump high and far through the air, more than 200 meters at once. He is also agile enough to climb tall buildings.

Video games[]

Comics[]

Gamera 2006: Hard Link[]

Zedus in Gamera 2006 Hard Link

Zedus in Gamera 2006: Hard Link

Zedus makes a brief appearance in this manga, being mentioned by the main characters.


Trivia[]

  • Zedus is featured in multiple tie-in books for Gamera: The Brave. In one, Zedus develops wings and the ability to fly[1], and in another he leads several of Gamera's foes from the Showa era.[2].
  • Originally, the villain of Gamera: The Brave was intended to be a kaiju with tentacles and is coated with "anti - radioactive wastes eatable bacteria", but it was felt this would be too similar to Viras, so it was decided to create an original reptilian monster as Toto's opponent instead. In order to differentiate Zedus from monsters like Barugon and Jiger, it was decided to make him walk bipedally rather than quadrupedally.
  • Zedus was portrayed by accomplished suit actor Mizuho Yoshida, who is perhaps most well-known for portraying the Mother Legion in Gamera 2: Attack of Legion and Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.
  • Zedus's design was strongly inspired by monsters from the Godzilla series rather than Gamera series. For example, fins or spikes on its back depicted by using hoses was based on Varan.
  • Zedus's suit no longer exists as the suit was exploded in the last scene to be hit with Toto Impact by Gamera.
  • Some of Zedus’s roars were recycled sounds from the Spinosaurus from Jurassic Park 3

References[]

  1. 僕とトトの物語―映画『小さき勇者たち ガメラ』 (角川文庫) Paperback Bunko – March, 2006
  2. ともだち 小さき勇者たち ~ガメラ~
Kaiju


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