What is "giant monster fiction?"

It seems like a pretty easy question to answer, doesn’t it? Giant monster fiction is a genre that has some type of giant something destroying a city or fighting another giant something or both…Well, not really. I wish it were that easy. Alas, it’s much more complex than that.

            Many would agree that the modern giant monster genre started in 1933, with the film King Kong. In the film, a giant ape is discovered on a prehistoric island and is brought to civilization. King Kong is now regarded as a great American classic. The giant monster genre would remain low key for over two decades. In 1953, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was released, featuring special effects by Ray Harryhausen (the apprentice Willis O’Brien, the spfx wizard behind King Kong). This tale of a prehistoric reptile awakened by an atomic explosion would go on to inspire the 1954 Japanese film, Gojira. That Japanese film would come over to the U.S. as Godzilla, King of the Monsters. This seemingly set a trend. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, giant monster movies (often of the B-movie standard) ruled the cinemas. The Godzilla series grew popular at this time and spurned on a wave of Japanese giant monster films and TV series (Ultraman and Gamera are two popular examples). A Euro-Monster explosion also occurred, with films like Gorgo and Reptilicus. As the 20^th century progressed, the giant monster genre slipped into obscurity, ultimately making it a niche genre.

            The modern giant monster genre has been around for almost 80 years, it has become a flowing type of genre. Within the greater idea of genre, giant monster fiction often fits under both science fiction and fantasy. While it started out as science fiction (with atom bombs and whatnot), it slowly oozed into the fantasy mega-genre with the 60s expansion. The Japanese giant monster genre was also important in the greater genre’s growth…

…I should probably get to the point, shouldn’t I?

            I want to define what a giant monster is and the different types of giant monster sub-genres. So, first, let us define the genre as a whole:

Giant Monster: a genre of fiction in which large, super-or-preternatural beings are central to the plot. The action of the narrative is usually instigated by the action or appearance of these beings.

We have a definition to go off now. Grand. Lets define a giant monster next.

            Giant monster: a large, super-or-preternatural being.

Now that was easy, wasn’t it? I’ve presented a rather liberal definition of “giant monster”. Why is that? I feel that that a giant monster is should not be confined to a limited lends. Giant monsters can be as simple as a giant gorilla (ala King Kong) or a three-headed, civilization destroying space dragon (ala King Ghidorah). The creative options are limitless!

Now, let’s look at the sub-genres of the giant monster genre:

The Western Sub genre – This subgenre comes from the Western culture (America and Europe). This sub-genre is mostly science based, but fantasy can be seen occasionally (the dragon and cyclops from The 7^th Voyage of Sinbad). If fantasy elements are seen, they are usually from Western Mythology (Greco-Roman being a favorite). For the science-based monsters, gigantism in normal animals is the standard. The rhedosaurus from the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is just a giant -yet fictional-, predatory dinosaur. King Kong himself is giant gorilla. While these monsters are seemingly mundane, they can have fantastic powers. The Behemoth from The Giant Behemoth could emit deadly waves of radiation from its body.        

The Kaiju Sub-genre – This subgenre is comes from Japan and is probably the one most known by pop culture. Famous examples include Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera, and King Ghidorah. The Japanese Kaiju subgenre has a wider variety of monsters than its Western counterpart does. They can be as simple as the giant dinosaur (Anguirus) to the completely bizarre (Mukadendar from Ultraman). Kaiju have a love-hate relationship with science. On some days, a friendship exists between science and kaiju. On other days, science and kaiju are bitter enemies. Kaiju tend to use more fantasy elements than its Western counterpart does. They tend to use their own, indigenous mythos, but they do other culture’s myths as well. Kaiju also tend to has fantastic abilities: matter manipulation, photokinesis, and radioactive energy beams.

The Hero Kaiju Sub-sub-genre – There is a smaller genre within the Kaiju subgenre known as the Hero Kaiju. Popular examples include Ultraman and ZoneFighter. The stories in this sub-subgenre tend focus on a hero (usually an alien) that fights giant monsters. The hero tends to change size and battle giant monsters.

The Mechas and Robots Sub genre – This genre is similar to the Hero Kaiju. Instead of a alien fighting the giant monster, a giant robot (or mecha) is used. The mecha could also be the villain! A famous example of a monster-fighting-mech is MechaGodzilla from the Godzilla series. This genre isn’t inherently Western or Eastern as it can be seen in both cultures. While it is not inherently Eastern, it is rather popular in anime (Japanese animation). A related genre is called Super Sentai (known as Power Rangers in the US). In that genre, a team of superpower individuals fight off alien invaders, often with the aid of a giant robot. Popular examples of Mechas and Robots include Megas XLR and The Big O.   

            I think I’ve thoroughly described the three main subgenres in the giant monster fiction genre. Now, keep in mind: you do not have to confine yourself into one subgenre, or even the giant monster genre itself. Explore. If you’re an avid reader, you’d notice that very few texts often stick to one type of genre. The Batman series is both detective fiction and superhero fiction. Star Trek is space opera and speculative science fiction. Star Wars includes both science fiction and fantasy elements. Don’t confine yourself; that only leads to bad writing.