The Anguirus (アンギラス Angirasu) of the Showa era is a mutated Ankylosaurus kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 1955 Godzilla film, Godzilla Raids Again.
Powers and Abilities[]
Unlike many of Toho's other monsters, Anguirus lacks any energy or projectile-based attacks and relies more on fighting with his teeth and claws. He has been known to hurl himself backwards at a foe, ramming them with his spiny carapace, as seen in Godzilla vs. Gigan. Anguirus was also shown to be capable of burrowing substantial distances in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.
Anguirus possess astounding stamina and determination, able to keep fighting after absorbing vicious assaults that would force most other monsters into retreat. Despite repeatedly facing more powerful opponents than himself, most notably Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla, he has never retreated from a fight without first taking substantial punishment. Perhaps the finest example of Anguirus' persistence was his attack on King Ghidorah in Destroy All Monsters, in which he pierced the dragon's right-most neck with his jaws and held firm on even as his foe took to the air, letting go only when King Ghidorah bit Anguirus' own neck. Anguirus then fell from high in the sky into a ditch, and was mercilessly stomped on by King Ghidorah. But only a few seconds later, Anguirus merely shook the dust off his body and re-entered the fight, showing no discernible fatigue. This same scene occurred as stock footage in Godzilla vs Gigan. A similar incident occurred in Godzilla vs. Megalon, in which Anguirus fell into a fissure on Monster Island and disappeared, only to return a year later when he encountered the Fake Godzilla.
Despite his tenacity, Anguirus has never won a fight in a film without the assistance of Godzilla. By the 1970s, Anguirus' appearances were often utilized to demonstrate how powerful Godzilla's then-new opponent was, highlighting the threat. This is especially pronounced in Godzilla vs. Gigan, in which Anguirus bravely but ineffectively attacked both Gigan and King Ghidorah during the "tag-team" final battle, requiring Godzilla's aid to finish off both foes. A primary reason for this occurrence is that Anguirus was chosen by the film's producers to act as a stand-in for other monsters whose suits were well beyond repair at the time, particularly Baragon. Anguirus would fill in for for his fellow quadruped again in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, where he showcased Baragon's burrowing abilities despite the lack of precedent in his earlier appearances. The fact that Anguirus was relegated to frequently appearing as Godzilla's ally in these films eventually contributed to his reputation as Godzilla's closest friend and most trusted ally, despite earlier being his first enemy.
One of Anguirus' most notable feats outside his film appearances is his victory over Destoroyah in the first issueof the comic series Godzilla: Legends. Even though Destoroyah is one of the most powerful monsters Godzilla has ever faced, Anguirus faced the beast in a one-on-one battle and refused to retreat. Eventually, with the assistance of the military's freezer weapons, Anguirus successfully overcame Destoroyah and forced the creature to retreat. Another one of IDW Publishing's Godzilla comics, Godzilla: Rulers of Earth demonstrated Anguirus' impressive resilience. In one issue, Anguirus was brutally beaten and apparently killed by a Mechagodzilla, but after being transported to Siberia he broke free of the humans' restraints and immediately joined forces with Godzilla to battle an army of Mechagodzillas and Mecha-King Ghidorah. During the battle, Godzilla even utilized Anguirus as a flail, grabbing him by the tail and slamming his carapace against Mecha-King Ghidorah, with Anguirus showing no visible pain. After the battle, Godzilla was visibly exhausted, but Anguirus gave Godzilla a sarcastic glare, almost as if mocking him for being tired by the battle.
In the video games Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed, Anguirus is finally given a "sonic roar", a roar which is loud enough to hurt monsters and destroy military weapons. It can also destroy, and even pass right through, buildings and rocks. These games also introduced his "rolling" attack, which was later incorporated in his appearance in Godzilla: Final Wars. In the former game, Anguirus' rage attack involves him charging his spikes with some undefined energy, then jumping far up into the air, shooting them off while performing multiple flips. In the latter, it is simply a more powerful variant of his rolling attack.
It appears that, according to a 1955 Japanese manga adaptation of Godzilla Raids Again, which was contemporary with the film, Anguirus may have been originally conceived as a fire-breathing monster as he his depicted several times breathing some sort of flame. Also, the way Anguirus' shell flops around in Godzilla Raids Again, partially split in two and loose from his back, is depicted in the artwork as well, leading to the belief that this may have been intentional, rather than a costume design flaw. When Anguirus appeared in Destroy All Monsters, these traits were not present nor alluded to.