TheGodzillafranchise used to feature a new kaiju with practically every new entry. There are a ton of minor monsters that only make a single appearance on the big screen. Titans like King Ghidorah and Mothra became fixtures of Godzilla’s screen presence, but figures like Titanosaurus or King Cesar have to make do with one or two major moments. Luckily, Godzilla has a selection of games, books, and comics to give his entourage a bit of extra context. That’s the only saving grace for the mighty Bagan, who still hasn’t received his first chance at big-screen success.
The Monsterverse isn’t looking to include a lot of callback kaiju. Theytried that out a couple of times, but aside from Godzilla and Kong as the two main characters and Mothra as their mediating mutual friend, Legendary is mostly content to make up new monsters. Skar King and Shimo were enough to carryGodzilla x Kong: The New Empireto the biggest box-office take in the franchise’s history. Still, it might be nice to use the power of the Monsterverse to give some of the unknowns some attention.
First Appearance Date
July 04, 2025
Bagan is a kaiju of many forms that was proposed for several Toho monster movies, only to stay conceptual for more than a decade. He is either an ancient deity or a genetically engineered super-monster. Tomoyuki Tanaka proposed a version of Bagan that would undergo some redesign elements before being shelved along with the film he was created for. Initially, Bagan was a massive shapeshifting god who could take three forms.Unlike a lot of kaijuthat had to choose a single domain, he had a dragon form for the air, a fish form for the sea, and an ape form for the land. He would later gain the ability to fuse those distinct appearances into something resembling a totem pole for a final battle.
The shapeshifting idea went out the window over time, leaving Baganwith a single canonical form. He resembles a dragon more than anything else. He’s bipedal and heavily built, sporting black armor-like protrusions over red flesh. His massive head is decorated with a lot of horns, most of which appear gold. There are a lot of blades all over his body, giving him an intimidating appearance. His long, thick tail ends in a tuft that looks a bit more like fur than spikes. He possesses a selection of powers, blasting fire, lightning, and lasers out of his mouth, horns, and body. Though he never received an on-screen depiction, he likely would have fit somewhere near the top of the list of Godzilla’s strongest foes.
Where was Bagan supposed to appear?
Tomoyuki Tanaka initially pitched Bagan forResurrection of Godzillain 1980. The 1983 update that added the totem pole design was also intended for that film.Resurrectionnever came out, as it gradually morphed a few timesbefore it becameTheReturn of Godzilla, which was released in 1984. No Bagan appeared inThe Return of Godzilla, as the finished product included only the original King of the Monsters in a rebooted horror entry. Bagan’s design didn’t fully disappear. Instead, Toho imagined a solo project for Mothra, who had been away from the screen for several years.
Mothra vs. Baganwould have done away with Bagan’s shapeshifting ability, pitting the massive moth against a single dragon-like beast. In the limited pieces of that scrapped film’s narrative, Bagan would have been a godlike beast who first appeared in ancient China. He would have spent the past several years frozen solid, but the forces of climate change freed him into the world.Mothra and her larvawould have defeated Bagan and resealed him before tragically dying. That film never came out. They briefly considered putting Bagan inGodzilla vs. Mothrabut decided against it. Toho pitched a film pitting Godzilla against Bagan three more times, in 1990, 1991, and 1995. Time and time again, Bagan was denied his chance at big-screen stardom.
Where did Bagan eventually appear?
At long last, Bagan made his debut in the 1993Super Nintendo title,Super Godzilla. Bagan became the game’s final boss, using the fact that he’d never appeared in a film as a unique selling point. Players were encouraged to face the long-hidden kaiju in pitched combat. Bagan has two forms inSuper Godzilla. One resembles a massive sphere of flesh, while the other is a new iteration of hisMothra vs. Bagandesign. He’s an almost comically difficult boss who shrugs off thevast majority of Godzilla’s attacks. Bagan later appeared inGodziban, Toho’s puppet-based webseries, where he arguably got his biggest spotlight.
Bagan is a great concept that simply never got the attention he deserved. If theMonsterverse needs a new peakto conquer, resurrecting a kaiju design from several decades ago for his first ever film appearance might be an incredible new frontier. Bagan has been one of the most interesting missed opportunities in theGodzillafranchise, but there’s no telling where he might pop up next.
