Gigan

ガイガン

Gigan is an alien cyborg kaiju who made his debut in the 1972 Toho film Godzilla vs. Gigan.
As the ultimate weapon of the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens, Gigan was dispatched to Earth with King Ghidorah to assist in the invaders' conquest of the planet. Gigan and King Ghidorah launched their attack on Tokyo, where they faced Godzilla and Anguirus. Following a grueling battle, both Gigan and King Ghidorah retreated into outer space. The next year, in Godzilla vs. Megalon, the Nebulans sent Gigan back to Earth to support their allies, the Seatopians, in their assault on the surface world. Gigan allied with the Seatopians' guardian, Megalon, but was forced to retreat once more due to the combined efforts of Godzilla and Jet Jaguar. In the television series Zone Fighter, Gigan fell under the control of the Garogas and joined their ranks of Terror-Beasts. The Garogas upgraded Gigan and sent him to Earth, where he fought Godzilla again but was ultimately killed in battle with Zone Fighter. Gigan's next film appearance occurred in Godzilla Final Wars, nearly 30 years later, where he was under the control of the Xiliens. Gigan engaged Godzilla in Antarctica and was defeated, but the Xiliens upgraded him and sent him to Tokyo to aid Monster X in the final battle against Godzilla. Mothra soon intervened on Godzilla's behalf, sacrificing her life to destroy Gigan once and for all.
Despite the generally low-perceived quality of his first two film appearances, Gigan has remained a popular member of Godzilla's rogues gallery, appearing in numerous comics and video games over the years. Gigan's popularity contributed to his revival in Godzilla Final Wars, as he was one of director Ryuhei Kitamura's favorite monsters, and Toho released two short films in 2022, Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex and Fest Godzilla 3: Gigan Attacks, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his debut film.