Gabara is the main antagonist of the 1969 Kaiju film All Monsters Attack (also known as Godzilla's Revenge), the tenth Godzilla film, and a minor antagonist in both Go! Godman, and Go! Greenman.
He is Minilla's arch-nemesis. He is an aggressive ogre-like mutant amphibian kaiju who serves as an allegory for the protagonist Ichiro’s real life battle with a bully of the same name.
He was portrayed by Junichi Ito.
Biography
All Monsters Attack
Gabara is a monster apparently created in a boy's mind, and he picks on Godzilla's son, Minilla, whenever he gets the chance.
Gabara first appears wandering through the forest and is spotted by the boy Ichiro and Minilla. They hide and Gabara doesn't see them and leaves. Minilla admits to being afraid of Gabara, and Ichiro reveals he is bullied as well. Ichiro wakes up but falls alseep soon after. The first monster he encounters is Gabara. Ichiro runs but Gabara has seen him and follows him. But Ichiro is nimble and quick, and easily escapes. However, Gabara keeps on his trail and finds him and Minilla watching Godzilla fight Ebirah and Kumonga. Gabara challenges Minilla, who accepts because he doesn't want to look like a coward to his father Godzilla. Minilla is at a physical disadvantage, being smaller, and so tries to hit Gabara with atomic rays, but they are not strong enough because he is too young. Gabara mocks him, prompting Minilla to charge head-first at his enemy only to get beaten senseless. Clearly losing, Minilla retreats. Gabara gives a roar of victory and wanders away.
Gabara finds Minilla later on and fights him again. Gabara is clearly winning and pummels Minilla, and reveals he has the power of electrocution through physical contact and shocks Minilla into unconsciousness and punches him to the ground. Ichiro comes to the rescue and drops a boulder on Minilla's tail, causing him to fire an atomic beam right into Gabara's face. Enraged, Gabara charges at Minilla, who dodges his attacks. Godzilla arrives but wants Minilla to fight Gabara alone. After a brief battle Minilla and Ichiro form a plan. Gabara approaches Minilla and steps on a log, and Minilla jumps on the other end and sends Gabara flying. He crashes to the ground and whines about his defeat and is kicked by Godzilla. Gabara wasn't done yet and instead attacked Godzilla, who fought back. Godzilla was electrocuted but managed to gain the upper hand and flipped Gabara over his shoulder. Gabara retreats limping back into the forest and doesn't bother Minilla again.
Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse
Gabara makes an appearance in Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, a prequel novel to the 2017 anime film Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters.
In February 2012, a Japanese-Brazilian individual named Alberto Ichiro Santos in the Amazon rainforest discovers Gabara, who goes on a rampage through wildlife before an Indigenous Brazilian woman named Mira, shoots the beast with an arrow laced with thermite, causing an explosion. The wounded Gabara then falls into a river, where he is consumed by caimans and piranhas.
Trivia
- Gabara is one of the most hated Godzilla villains, mostly because of his ugly design and the movie he is featured in.
- Gabara is one of the only Godzilla villains to lack a tail.
- Gabara’s design is based on the Oni, ogre-like creatures in Japanese folklore.
- Gabara may have inspired the Crackler from the Godzilla: The Series episodes "What Dreams May Come" as both monsters come from a person's dream, they electric powers and have a roar that sounds like a laugh/cackle.
