Zanika

Zanika (ザニカ) is a crab-like alien monster from a planet in the constellation of Cancer who first appeared in the TV series Return of Ultraman. He appeared in episode 23. A refugee after his planet was consumed by Vacuumon, Zanika came to Earth to hide from his planet's consumer, only to be attacked by MAT, which saw him as a threat. Fortunately, the timely assistance of Ultraman Jack saved Zanika, and the alien's planet was rescued when Jack destroyed Vacuumon.

Subtitle: Constellation Cancer Monster (カニ座怪獣, Kani-za Kaijū)

History

Return of Ultraman

Zanika was an alien who was both a victim and survivor of Vacuumon's hunger. After his planet was eaten by the entity, Zanika fled to Earth to hide from Vacuumon, only to be discovered in the woods by Hideki Go. MAT quickly arrived and attacked Zanika, cutting off one of his arms, but MAT was forced into retreat as their weapons couldn't do much against the monster. Zanika did very little to fight back against the humans, and instead appeared to be simply trying to survive the onslaught and find a way to escape. MAT soon attacked again, this time with flamethrowers, but to no effect ether. The creature still refused to fight back, merely sitting down. Zanika began lashing out at the surrounding area to look for food, but this only provoked further confrontations with MAT.

Having enough of the humans' unprovoked attacks, Zanika finally defended himself, knocking two of their crafts down, forcing Ultraman Jack to come out to fight. Zanika was able to hold off Jack for a while, but that quickly changed once Jack used the Ultra Bracelet to cut off Zanika's pincers. Zanika then begged for mercy, alerting Jack of the incoming Vaccumon, giving him enough time to fly into space and mutilate Vaccumon’s innards with the Ultra Bracelet, killing the cosmic terror. With Vacuumon’s defeat, all the planets it had ingested were released, including Zanika’s home. Jack returned to Earth and informed Zanika that he had defeated Vacuumon and rescued the alien's planet. Happy, Zanika thanked Jack and took off into space to return to his home.

Trivia

• Designer: Ken Kumagai
• Suit actor: Takanobu Toya
• At the time of his episode's broadcast, a magazine article was written chronicling the aftermath of Zanika's return home. It stated that after Vacuumon was killed, Zanika lived the rest of his life in happiness and his pincers recovered after having them cut off by Jack.
• Despite being a "good" monster, Zanika is mentioned as being one of the kaiju that makes up Belyudra's neck in Mega Monster Battle Ultra Galaxy: The Movie. It is possible that this dead monster is a separate individual from the one that appeared in Return of Ultraman.
• His design references his constellation home.
• Zanika's roars are heavily sped up and slightly altered Hedorah's roars, these would later be reused for the Terrible-Monster King Crab.
• Zanika, as well as Vacuumon, was referenced by the Spark Doll Troupe in New Ultraman Retsuden episode 27. The team even commented that Zanika's arms are regenerative upon dismemberment.

Data

Stats

• Height: 51 m
• Weight: 20,000 t
• Origin: Constellation Cancer

Powers and Weapons

• Foam: Zanika can fire foam from his mouth to immobilize targets.
• Flight: Zanika can fly at high speeds.
• Pincers: Zanika’s arms are strong pincers perfect for use in melee combat.
• Regeneration: According to a magazine, Zanika can regrow lost limbs. This is even addressed in New Ultraman Retsuden episode 27 to solidify the monster's final fate.

Merchandise

Gallery

Ultraman Jack

Miscellaneous