- This page is about the giant worm-like alien leader originally known in western releases as "Red Falcon". For the alien army, see Red Falcon.
- For the Operation Galuga main antagonist, see Java (Operation Galuga).
- Not to be confused with Gava.
Emperor Demon Dragon God Java (天王鬼龍神 ジャバ Tennō Ki Ryūjin Jaba?), formerly known in western releases as "Red Falcon", is the first main antagonist of the Contra series. He was introduced in 1987 as the final boss of the original Contra. He belongs to the Red Falcon army, being its highest-ranking member in that game and the leader in command of the first alien invasion attempt on Earth in 2633 A.D.
He is actually identified as two separate entities; his head and upper body are known as "Emperor Demon Dragon God Java", while his heart is known as "Gomeramos King".
History
Emperor Demon Dragon God Java is an enormous worm-like alien creature that in 2633 invaded planet Earth. He was the commander of the intergalactic army known as Red Falcon in that campaign, being its highest-ranking member. However, it was later revealed that the real purpose of this "invasion" actually wasn't to conquer the planet, but to retrieve an artifact of great power that had been stolen by the humans from a shrine belonging to them on Jupiter. Java and his army came to Earth inside a giant meteorite that crashed near the Galuga Archipelago; they took control of the largest island and brainwashed the local military force so they would follow their orders.
The Federation sent two commandos from the "Contra" task force to infiltrate and stop the invading forces; their names were Bill Rizer and Lance Bean. Both soldiers alone successfully managed to neutralize the controlled local army and the aliens, and ultimately breached into their nest, which happened to be a gigantic biomass that actually comprised Java's own body. After successfully defeating Java's upper body, they delved further inside his organism until they reached his still living heart, which after one last ditch and desperate struggle, was also destroyed.
Other invasion attempts commanded by other alien leaders followed after this defeat, with Java (or other creatures of the same or similar species) included within their ranks, although never again seen having a commanding role over their forces.
Appearances
Contra
The game's final stage actually takes place inside Java's own body, with the hero first battling his head –depicted as a large worm or dragon-like alien head– and then, at the stage's conclusion, his still beating heart. Java attacks by vomiting an endless number of Bundles (floating grub-like creatures that chase the player). When battling Java, the player is obstructed by a mount of immovable skulls (or boulders in some versions of the game) and cannot progress to the next section of the level until the head has been destroyed.
However, even after Java's head is destroyed his body remains functioning, sustained by his still living heart, which the player also has to destroy. This alien organ is characterized for covering up an entire wall, pulsating rapidly as it nurtures the rest of the biomass. The giant heart has a set of alien eggs surrounding it on both ground and ceiling as a last means of defense against potential threats, which release an unrelenting hoard of scorpion-like creatures.
Contra III: The Alien Wars
Java made his first reappearance in this game, where he appears as one of the many minibosses that are fought throughout the final stage, the Alien's Main Base. While both of his forms –head and heart– do appear, and the level's layout is similar to that from the first game, he is neither a primary antagonist nor does it necessarily mean that his heart is nurturing the rest of the biomass. In fact, no plot involvement was given to him in any of the sequels, being relegated to appear only as a recurring miniboss, which could imply the possibility that he is just an individual of an entire species of giant worm-like alien creatures.
Contra: Hard Corps
- Main article: Java/Hard Corps
Contra: Hard Corps continued to reimagine Java's appearance through dramatic alterations, this time being much more mobile and somewhat resembling either a fish or a frog, and as such, having visible eyes for the first time, and now bearing a more developed and much longer arm (which it actually uses to attack). He appears as a miniboss near the end of the Alien Space optional final stage. This could imply that this is a different species or subspecies of Java created through genetic tampering from Colonel Bahamut's inexperienced team.
Contra: Shattered Soldier
Main article: Java/Shattered Soldier
A long earthworm-like creature fought in the Archipelago stage that was the result of Lance Bean fusing with an alien embryo that he somehow implanted into his body. The variation of Java vastly differs from the beast's original appearances from the past and its alteration is likely due to being based on Lance's own memories of the beast, combined with personal "modifications" similar to the previous Gomeramos King battle.
Contra: The Board Game
According to the game's story, Java is resurrected by what appears to be the use of cloning technology.
Regional differences
- See also: Gava (regional differences)
Given that character names and storylines are often altered when a product is released in different countries, it isn't rare that continuity differences may occur. The term "Red Falcon" in particular is heavily affected by this. Because the original Japanese storyline for the franchise envisioned Red Falcon only as an alien/terrorist organization and not an individual living entity, there is no legitimacy on what Red Falcon's true appearance is meant to be in the West.
Due to liberties taken when the first games were localized in North America, both Java and Gomeramos King –the two creatures the player faces at the end of Contra– were generally considered to be components of "Red Falcon"'s physical form, thus making this name refer to both the army and also its leader. However, in the original Japanese storyline, the two creatures –already being given their own names (which never made it to North America)– only make up the leaders of the Red Falcon army. Furthermore, the final boss of Super Contra, Gava (initially known in North America by the name of Jagger Froid), who is stated to be the real leader of the alien army, is also commonly confused with the supposed western leader "Red Falcon".
All this brought a major inconsistency in the North American localization of Contra III: The Alien Wars, when Java, until then known as "Red Falcon", made a reappearance in the game's final stage (probably the reason why he was renamed "Para-Slug"). However, in Japan all the names remain consistent throughout the series.
Notes
- In Contra, Java takes damage from weapons at all times, including when the mouth is closed. In all other reappearances of Java, the creature can only be damaged when the mouth is open.
- In the Game Boy port, Contra: The Alien Wars, three Javas are fought in the final stage; the additional two make up for other missing minibosses from the original version of that level: Gomeramos King and the Metal Alien.
Gallery
Screenshots and sprites
_-_01.png "Java - Contra (ZX Spectrum) - 01.png (5 KB)")
_-_01.png "Java - Contra (Commodore 64) - 01.png (3 KB)")
Artworks
Other
Trivia
- According to the accepted canon, Java, along with its heart Gomeramos King, died in 2633 A.D., putting with this an end to the first alien invasion, although he reappears numerous times throughout the series as a recurring boss. Whether this means he was revived, reborn from alien cells, there are more than one of these alien creatures, or if they are just a reused concept with no involvement in the later games' storylines, is unconfirmed.
- In some titles, this alien abomination has appeared with a drastically different design, size and body shape, implying that the name "Java" could refer to a genus of large serpentine aliens and not just the same creature, with its diverse incarnations probably being identified as different species.
- Java's general physical appearance appears to be inspired by the chestburster from the Alien science fiction-horror film franchise.
- In Contra III: The Alien Wars and Contra Returns, the alien head form is slightly altered through the addition of tiny arms; as a result, his appearance loses some resemblance to the iconic film creature. The changes to his design were likely done to avoid potential lawsuits from 20th Century Fox, the company behind the Alien films.
- Despite being referred to as a male in gender, Java is capable of giving birth by vomiting his offspring out into the world. His overall shape (and subsequent renaming in Contra III as "Para-Slug") may suggest his physiology is similar to that of a gastropod, thus bearing hermaphrodite characteristics.
- The Gluttonous Ugougo from Contra: Shattered Soldier bears a few resemblances to Java in both appearance and attacking. The two are most likely unrelated however, though it is unclear if Blood Falcon experimented in any way on the former.
- In Contra ReBirth, there is a miniboss called the Giant Stone Head which is apparently inspired by Java, probably being a reinterpretation of him for that game. As its name implies, it is a giant statue head –similar to Java's upper body– that vomits dark orbs that float about, somewhat replicating the behavior of the Bundles Java spews out.
- Java, the final boss of Contra: Operation Galuga, mixes elements from the original Demon Dragon God Java, as well as from Emperor Demon Gava, combining both into a new, single character. Physically, Java in Operation Galuga resembles the original Java to some extent, with its head having a worm-like structure and seen from the side, but attack-wise, it more closely resembles most Gava fights from previous titles.
- IGN ranked Red Falcon 76th on their Top 100 Videogame Villains, due to his persisting resurrections.[5]
- Java appears in Robot Chicken Contra parody. Here, he has flailing arms that resemble the arms of Gromaides.
See also
References
- ↑ Contra III: The Alien Wars instruction booklet, page 14.
- ↑ Western localized name for Contra and Super Contra.
- ↑ Super Probotector: Alien Rebels instruction booklet, page 17.
- ↑ The original alien leader Java is considered to have died in 2633 A.D., during the events of the first game. It's unknown if all other incarnations of the creature are indeed him or just other creatures from the same species.
- ↑ The Top 100 Videogame Villains at listal.
External links
- Java at the Villains Wiki