Kaiju

(怪獣, kaijū; literally "strange beast") refers to a Japanese subgenre of monster films—called kaiju eiga—which itself falls under the broader category of tokusatsu (special effects filmmaking). The word can describe either the creatures themselves or the genre they appear in, and it is typically reserved for the Japanese style of giant-monster media, where actors in suits stomp through miniature city sets. While Western monster movies tend to focus on spectacle, Japanese kaiju eiga often weave in social and political commentary that speaks to the anxieties of their time. The 1954 film Godzilla is widely credited with launching the subgenre and setting its template—largely thanks to effects director Eiji Tsuburaya—though it was not the first monster film.

That film’s creators drew inspiration from King Kong (1933), both in its influential portrayal of a giant beast and in the conception of a rampaging monster, making King Kong a key precursor. Historically, giant movie monsters were called daikaijū ("giant monster"), but the broader term kaiju has since taken over. The widespread modern use of kaiju is credited to Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the genre by creating the Godzilla franchise and its spin-offs. The very first "giant monster movie" is debated.

First Japanese kaiju movies (1930s)

The 1921 animated short The Pet shows a giant monster attacking a city, and the 1925 silent film The Lost World famously features a dinosaur rampaging through London, inspiring the makers of King Kong. Japanese giant-monster movies using suitmation date back to the 1930s, with films like Wasei Kingu Kongu (1933), The Great Buddha Arrival (1934), and The King Kong That Appeared in Edo (1938). The first Japanese kaiju movie to achieve international success was Godzilla (1954).

In its early years, the genre was largely dismissed by Japanese critics as a "juvenile gimmick," according to authors Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski. Kaiju are often metaphorical. Godzilla originally symbolized nuclear weapons, reflecting post-war Japan’s fears after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Lucky Dragon 5 incident. Other notable kaiju include Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Gamera, and King Kong.

Etymology

The Japanese word kaijū literally means "strange beast." It originally referred to monsters and creatures from ancient Japanese legends and earlier appeared in the Chinese Classic of Mountains and Seas. Traditional Japanese folklore does not depict kaijū or kaijū-like beings among its yōkai, though megafauna (such as Japanese dragons) appear in mythology. After Japan ended its isolation in the mid-19th century, the term kaijū was applied to paleontological concepts and legendary creatures from other cultures. For instance, the extinct Ceratosaurus-like cryptid in Georges Dupuy’s 1908 story "The Monster of 'Partridge Creek'" was called a kaijū.

Precursors

During the Meiji era, Jules Verne’s works were introduced to Japan and became very popular around 1890. Giant monsters in city settings appeared before the 20th century. Camille Flammarion’s 1886 series Le Monde avant la création de l'homme included illustrations of bipedal dinosaurs in period society.

A 7,000-word feature published in the Chicago Tribune and other American newspapers on April 1, 1906, claimed an invasion of Chicago by "hordes of prehistoric monsters" and included eight doctored photos of giant sauropods, tyrannosaurs, and pterosaurs attacking landmarks like the Art Institute of Chicago and the Montgomery Ward Building tower. Genre elements also appear at the end of Winsor McCay’s 1921 animated short The Pet, where a mysterious giant animal destroys a city until a massive airstrike stops it—based on a 1905 episode of McCay’s comic strip Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend. This is likely the earliest film depiction of a giant monster attacking a city. The first feature films starring giant monsters appeared during the interwar period.

These films typically used prehistoric creatures that survived into modern times in undiscovered natural areas or through prolonged hibernation (e.g., in caves or icebergs), then came into contact with humans and began rampaging. The 1925 film The Lost World, adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel, featured many dinosaurs, including a brontosaurus that breaks loose in London and destroys Tower Bridge. Its layout was revolutionary and laid the foundation for future giant monster films. The story takes place on an unexplored mountain plateau teeming with prehistoric dinosaurs, which were animated using pioneering stop-motion techniques.