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Published: 2020-07-01 04:49:48 +0000 UTC; Views: 28922; Favourites: 366; Downloads: 26
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Description
Primordial Juggernaut: ANGUIRUS Titanus Angilas
Anguillasaurus boryu ("Fierce dragon-like eel reptile")
Statistics
- Classification: Baurusuchidae
- Height: 295 feet/90 meters
- Length: 524 feet/160 meters
- Mass: 66,139 short tons/60,000 metric tons
- Locality: Originally sighted in the Honsai region of Japan, but thought to have originated in the western part of South Asia.
History:
April 24, 1955. Six months since Titanus Gojira I, the original Godzilla, had been subdued, incapacitated, and his remains extracted from Tokyo Bay for scientific study by a private corporation funded in secret by the then-incipient United Nations. The public had assumed that the threat of Godzilla was no more, that no such creature would ever threaten the world again.
The public had assumed wrong.
The earliest recorded appearance of Titanus Gojira II, on the coast of Iwata Island, was noteworthy in that unlike in the first encounter, where the beast had operated alone, there was another titan with it. Another kaiju, one that also dated back to prehistoric times, was locked in a heated battle with this new Godzilla, one that had also been affected by the Castle Bravo bomb test from the previous year. This new beast must have been further away from the blast than Godzilla's kind, since it exhibited less evidence of mutation than the previous Godzilla, whereas Gojira II was more directly affected, presumably being shielded from the majority of the fallout only by his own titanic parent, Godzilla I - perhaps explaining why it was able to grow so quickly in such a short space of time. The armored, spiked quadruped, in the meantime, was a wonder in its own right because not only was it engaging in a toe-to-toe match against this new Godzilla, but even looked like it was winning. The victor could not be decided, however, as the two of them fell off a crumbling cliff and into the sea before they could reach this point. As the government attempted to deal with Gojira II, attempting to use a series of flares to lure him away from civilization (only for an accident involving a hijacked truck to ruin their efforts), what little photographic evidence could be gained of the second monster was bought in for study. While witnesses insisted on it being some kind of dinosaur or other giant land-dwelling reptile, the blurry photos of the beast being washed out to sea were misinterpreted by scientists as belonging to a massive, sinuous aquatic creature, giving it the name of "Anguillasaurus" or "eel lizard" - which would later be shortened to "Angilas" and then Romanized to "Anguirus". Only after the creature surfaced a second time and did battle with Godzilla once again was it confirmed that he was indeed an armored land-dweller - originally suspected to be an ankylosaurid dinosaur, from the structure of his limbs, scaled integument, and the shape of his skull, jaws, and teeth, it would only later be deduced that his closest relatives were the extinct terrestrial crocodilians of the Jurassic and Cretaceous, most of which were found in South America and Madagascar - how his ancestors had managed to make it to east Asia would remain a mystery for the time being. As it was, Anguirus lost the second battle against Godzilla, who was now more fully grown as his mutation progressed; while Godzilla would eventually be lured to a small island and incapacitated by being buried under an avalanche, Anguirus' body was taken into custody and, as with the remains of the first Godzilla, analyzed for potential value to the scientific community.
Mortally wounded during his bout with Gojira II, Anguirus would remain in stasis for a month while the world recovered, but one night, the facility where he was being contained was mysteriously sacked, the identity of its invaders remaining unknown until over ten years later - more importantly, Anguirus himself awakened in the midst of the confusion, itself only recorded by a few security camera tapes, the resultant footage being of poor quality due to a malfunctioning security system which was most assuredly not accidental. Most of the intruding party were never seen again, and only half the staff escaped with their lives, a now fully rejuvenated Anguirus himself disappearing into the unknown. It wouldn't be until 1968, when the Kilaaks orchestrated an invasion upon the planet and attempted to subjugate various Earth-native kaiju for this purpose, did Anguirus, one of the few titans that had escaped their control, resurfaced and aided Godzilla and a group of other beasts against a biological superweapon, one that had ravaged Japan once before and had been tasked with conquering the entire planet. And at that task, it and the Kilaaks would fail in no small part because of Anguirus - his peerless ferocity allowing him to stand as an equal to Godzilla and the others. At the end of the battle, witnesses reported that Godzilla and Anguirus exchanged looks at each other before leaving - as though they recognized one another. But no fight came this time, perhaps due to their knowledge that they would need each other if the Kilaaks invaded again.
Anguirus nowadays lives on Kabitsu no Shima, or Monster Island, along with the other kaiju that have earned his respect, Godzilla and his family chief among them. He is not averse to traveling alongside the colossal amphibian as an aide against global threats, however, and should there be a need for Godzilla to settle a score, Anguirus is often the first to come to his aid. If Godzilla is the King of the Monsters, Anguirus is surely the greatest knight of his royal court.
Personality and Combat Style:
Anguirus' nature is distinguished by one critical trait: determination. He is feisty and tenacious, with no understanding of even the idea of retreating, and will brazenly challenge kaiju twice his size and many times his power. He is primarily a melee fighter, similar to Godzilla, but the projectile spines he can launch from his tail are also useful as a deterrent and a ranged attack if needed. He is as adept at surface-level combat as most other kaiju, but can also function competently in a fossorial setting, burrowing into the ground to escape danger or surprise foes from below. He is straightforward and brutal in battle, and his strength and agility are immense. While more like a land-dwelling crocodile than anything else in physical appearance, some have compared his attitude to a honey badger - refusing to give up, charging in without fear, and going down swinging til his very last breath.
In more recent times, ever since his and his allies' encounter with Monster Zero, Anguirus' personality seems to have mellowed out, though not by much all things considered. He seems to be on better terms with the other Earth-native kaiju, rather than being forced to viciously lash out. In the presence of like-minded company, he is a loyal and selfless companion. Anguirus is primarily a tooth-and-claw fighter, and without any of the bells and whistles of more recently appearing monsters, he has had to make do with his guts alone. His armored shell can withstand Godzilla's atomic breath without so much as a light blemish, and the spikes covering his body are formidable in both offense and defense, as are his fierce fangs and savage claws. A staunch ally of the first two generations of Godzilla's family, he is fiercely protective of other kaiju they consider allies (mainly Mothra and the Rodan siblings), defending them to the death. Conversely, kaiju that are not considered welcome by the natural world, such as most manmade weapons systems or extraterrestrial invaders, are regarded with a violent hatred - the creature will attack them on sight, and even those without malicious intentions are not trusted immediately. Nonetheless, Anguirus is no bully, and those who are able to work past his initial aggression and gain his loyalty (albeit from a respectable distance) will find him a valuable ally when danger on a global scale truly threatens.
Combat StatisticsNormal Abilities:
- Standard Kaiju Strength: Like other kaiju, Anguirus has the semi-mineralized physiology that enables his existence at his current scale, and the prodigious physical strength and durability that comes with it. His powerful limbs give him impressive speed for his bulk, his shoulder and hip spikes and facial horns are effective close-range deterrents, his tail and jaws are strong enough to deal significant injury, and a full body slam can inflict punishing forces capable of breaking kaiju bone and shattering buildings to rubble. His healing factor also seems to be more advanced than average among kaiju of his ilk, allowing him to keep fighting where other monsters would succumb to mortal injury.
- Spike-Armored Hide: The most important feature of Anguirus' anatomy is the coat of armored scutes on most of his dorsal side. These have been variously compared to the segmented shells of armadillos, the defensive spines of hedgehogs and porcupines, and the osteoderms of ankylosaurs and crocodiles, but while closest to the latter, most they seem to be of a structure unlike any animal known to man. As opposed to crocodile scutes each being comprised of a single piece of bone with a continuous keratin sheath along with a keeled ridge, each of Anguirus' armor plates is comprised of a bony plate from which a distinct spike juts outwards, the latter being comprised entirely of keratin somewhat like a rhinoceros horn. The keratin comprising the spikes is noticeably durable even relative to the rest of his armor, and grows so quickly that even when a spike is chipped or broken off, it will regrow in a day or two; it grows faster towards the center of each spike, ensuring that it assumes a conical, sharply pointed shape. This rugged armor is vital protection when underground, since it is resistant to pressure, extreme heat, and most forms of natural and artifical weaponry. His favorite means of using it actively is to curl up into a ball and roll at high speed, using his spines and body mass in conjunction to smash into the foe like a wrecking ball the size of an apartment complex.
- Burrower: While not as skilled at digging as other kaiju more specialized for the job, Anguirus is still accomplished at it due to sporting sturdy front claws and a reinforced skull capable of pushing through most varieties of soil and earth. He most often uses this as part of his defensive technique, hunkering down and partially burying himself so only his spikes are visible, but if need be he can also excavate tunnels to lure his opponents into, keeping the width of these passageways only barely wider than the radius of his tail swings and preventing an advancing foe from dodging them. Like some other fossorial titans, he can also cave in a passageway if sufficiently pressed, his armor allowing him to escape mostly unharmed while his foes find themselves entombed beneath the earth.
- Primitive Mentality: Anguirus' nervous system is similar to that of a crocodilian, both in brain-to-body ratio and intellectual sophistication. He has the intelligence to map out his environment and form a strategy depending on what information he has received, but his actions are largely driven by instinct rather than higher learning. That said, he seems to have an immunity to mind control and psionics of most varieties, the reasons for which are not fully understood. He is capable of communicating intelligently with other kaiju, but something about his mind seems to scramble any attempts to hijack his mental processes before they can make any headway. Scientists have tried to rationalize this as a hormone balance that makes him hyper-aggressive and therefore not suggestible, but this has yet to be conclusively proven.
- Projectile Tail Spines: One would be forgiven for thinking that Anguirus can only fight at close range, but he does have a surprise in store for foes thinking they are out of his reach. His long, flexible, and heavily muscular tail sports the longest and deadliest spines growing from his skin, made entirely of keratin like the ones growing from his back armor - unlike those, however, the tail spines are detachable, with the keratin at the base being more delicate than the rest of each spine and the spine itself not having an ostederm base (being essentially a modified scale). If subjected to enough physical stress, the spines break off, the keratin regrowing at an even faster rate than the body spines. While this is obviously useful for leaving them stuck in an opponent hit by his tail, an overhead or sideways swing can also cause them to detach from sheer inertia, allowing him to hurl volleys of spines like javelins. The length of these spines both causes them to break off more easily and enables them to penetrate deeply, punching through non-reinforced plate metal and kaiju hide alike. The spines are as biodegradable as most other keratin, so they have no lasting effect on the environment even when scattered about on the battlefield.
- Full-Body Oscillation: Like mundane crocodiles, Anguirus is able to emit infrasonic vibrations that can be transmitted from his entire body, traveling for great distances through the ground as a communication tool. He is also capable of weaponizing this, however, emitting vibrations of greater frequency that allow him to transmit them into an opponent upon physical contact with debilitating results; his claws in particular can tear through especially tough substances by vibrating at high speed. This ability is largely derived from a specially adapted and incredibly powerful larynx, so he can also project it in the form of a deafening roar which can blow through obstacles or enemies with sheer concussive force.
- No Energy Weapons: Apart from his tail spines and sonic roar, which are not as strong as most of his other attacks, Anguirus does not have any other ranged abilities, let alone any that are energy-based - if his opponent is protected against his spines and roar, he will not be able to fight them from a distance. He also struggles against opponents who are resistant to physical damage, his main form of attack, having no means of bypassing such protections if he can't find a weak spot to take advantage of.
- Weak to Cold: Like Godzilla, Anguirus does not do well in colder environments. Although not a true ectotherm as modern crocodiles are, his metabolism will still slow to a crawl at low temperatures or even proximity to extreme cold. Ice-based attacks especially are an effective way of deterring or outright stopping him, though if warmed up or thawed out he will become desperate for heat and even more aggressive than usual.
- Vulnerable Underbelly: Unlike modern crocodiles, Anguirus does not have gastralia (belly ribs), presumably to aid in his ability to curl into a ball for added protection, and his ventral hide is pebbly but not as armored as his back. This makes his underside especially vulnerable if his opponent can flip him over, which is also why he struggles against aquatic opponents or fellow burrowers like Baragon - they have no trouble coming at him from below, a direction which he finds all but impossible to guard against.
- Stubborn Streak: Simply put, Anguirus does not know when to quit. This is often advantageous in the heat of battle but if his opponent can outsmart him, they may be able to turn his tenacity against him. Even without mind control, he can still be tricked into rushing headlong into circumstances that are more difficult to get out of than to get in, especially if he ends up facing off against multiple opponents that match him in terms of power. When not overcome by a desire to terminate an adversary, he is patient and open to reason, but once he's set his sights on a foe, he will go through hell or high water to take them down, even if it means plowing through populated regions without a second thought. His tendency to strike first and ask questions later has also cost him on multiple occasions, most often via underestimating what his opponent is capable of. While not averse to cooperating with allies and easy to work with should there be no provocation specifically directed at him, he still has to be held back more often than he is allowed to go all-in, and he knows this all too well. He has a reluctance to face adversaries with a knack for targeting what he values the most such as allies he is particularly attached to, either due to the risk of underestimating these opponents or the ensuing carnage being possibly more devastating than the damage said opponents would have otherwise done if left to their own devices.
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I would've submitted this earlier today, so I'd have more than one post during Kaijune, but Kaijuly is a thing and I was busy with IRL stuff again anyway so it's a bit late. Regardless, here's Anguirus! Not much to say about him that isn't conveyed by the design itself - I don't gel with all those times when artists redesigning him take the statement from Godzilla Raids Again that he's an ankylosaur at face value, that long toothy snout is 100% crocodile, and the protruding fangs made me think of a Kaprosuchus as well, so he's a big prehistoric terrestrial crocodilian here, taking the scute-covered hide of a normal croc to the next level. I was originally going to give him a tail club like Final Wars Anguirus, but I found more creativity in the tail spine flinging ability, which was inspired by the Deadly Nadder from How To Train Your Dragon and Nargacuga from Monster Hunter. Final Wars Angy did influence the color scheme, though, with a dark brown topside, lighter tan beneath, and yellowish spines all around - a nice soil-like color scheme that really sells his down-to-earth character and makes it all the more clear that he needs few fancy tricks to get the job done.
I'll try to get a few more Toho titans up this coming month - it's Kaijuly, after all - but no promises on my progress being quick. If you want to know the specifics on the IRL stuff I hinted at, shoot me a PM, but don't expect an hour-long song-and-dance routine - I prefer to keep my personal affairs confidential, thank you.
Anguirus (c) Toho
NEXT: Terror of the Skies
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You're take on anguirus looks amazing, can't wait to see more
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