Gamera was known as “the original mutant turtle” when it first appeared on the big screen in 1965. Its title came from the second issue of the Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe comic. Gamera was a species of ancient prehistoric turtles that lived on the earth around 8,000 years ago. The size of Gamera was similar to that of Godzilla, which is estimated to be about 100-150 meters. Gamera was known as both a hero and a monster in the world of film, where he brought both destruction and happiness to the people of Japan. It was first awakened from his deep slumber by an atomic blast in the Artic. It consumed flames and other radioactive substances as food. After his awakening, it unexplainably goes on a rampage destroying towns and cities. Until, it met a boy, Toto, who lived on a small fishing island off the coast of japan. This changed everything, Gamera protected this boy with the cost of his life, by sacrificing himself to destroy evil kaiju (monsters) that began to appear. When Gamera successfully saved the boy, Gamera became a hero known as “friend to all children in the world”. Toto was left with an egg and shiny stone beside it.

The origins of Gamera were different between the two series of movies. One of which was created during the Showa era of films, which was explained in the paragraph above. The other was created in the Hesei era of films, in which Gamera was one of the many creatures created by the lost city of Atlantis to defend the human race against other kaiju (monsters) that were capable of wiping out the world. Some questions that Gamera brings up are: Can it really be considered a monster if he is kind at heart? Is it considered a monster even though it is an oversized tortoise? Can it be a monster if it wasn’t the only one of its species? Is Gamera a monster even though it was created to protect the earth?