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Baragon (バラゴン, Baragon) is a kaiju which first appeared in Ishirō Honda‘s 1965 film Frankenstein vs. Baragon, produced and distributed by Toho. Depicted as a burrowing, four-legged, horned dinosaur-like creature with large ears,^[2] Baragon appeared alongside Godzilla and other monster characters in films in the Godzilla franchise, also produced by Toho, including Destroy All Monsters (1968) and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001).^[3]

Baragon is a quadrupedal kaiju,^[4] who is significantly smaller compared to other kaiju, being only 82 feet tall^[5] and 150 feet long.^[4] He has large ears, a bony shell on his back, and a large horn on his forehead.^[4] Baragon has advanced agility and versatile movement,^[5] in particular having the ability to burrow beneath the ground. He additionally has the ability to fire a heat ray to attack in some of his appearances,^[6] as well as electrical bolts.^[4]

In the 1965 film Frankenstein vs. Baragon, Baragon is depicted as a kaiju descended from the dinosaurs, having escaped extinction by burrowing underground. During the film, Baragon attacks the surrounding countryside, and as he is not seen, the locals blame the mutant human Frankenstein for the attacks. While searching for Frankenstein, a group of scientists set off explosives, which attracts Baragon. It attacks the scientists, but Frankenstein arrives to protect them. The two engage each other in battle, with the latter defeating Baragon by breaking its neck before a fissure opens and swallows both of them into the Earth.^[4]

Baragon re-appears in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters, where Baragon is one of the many Earth monsters kept in captivity on Monster Island. Baragon is used by the alien Kilaaks to destroy the world via mind control, but is later freed and aids in the battle against the aliens’ weapon, King Ghidorah to kill Earth’s monsters, after which he returns to live in peace on Monster Island.

In the film Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Baragon is depicted as one of Japan’s three ancient guardian monsters. When Godzilla is revived by the vengeful souls of the people who died in World War II, Baragon and his fellow guardians Mothra and King Ghidorah are revived to confront him. While the three are ultimately killed in battle, they weaken Godzilla enough for the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) to kill it.

Baragon appears in three spin-off television series, including 1992’s Godzilland, 1997’s Godzilla Island,^[7] and 2019’s Godziban. In literature, Baragon appears in 1998’s Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters, 2012’s Godzilla: Ongoing, 2013’s Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, 2017’s Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse,^[8] and 2018’s Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla.^[9]

Baragon appears in a variety of video games in the Godzilla franchise, including 1988’s Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!,^[10] 1990’s Godzilla, 1991’s Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters, 1998’s Godzilla Trading Battle, 2004’s Godzilla: Save the Earth,^[5] 2007’s Godzilla: Unleashed, and 2019’s Godzilla Defense Force.

A co-production between United Productions of America and Toho,^[11] 1965’s Frankenstein vs. Baragon was originally intended to feature Godzilla in place of Baragon, though production issues resulted in Godzilla being replaced by a new monster in the form of Baragon.^[12] Though the film’s director, Ishirō Honda, intended for the film to focus more on the personal struggles of Frankenstein, Toho’s desire for a larger focus on monsters resulted in Baragon becoming a major focus partway through.^[13] Haruo Nakajima portrayed Baragon on-screen in the monster’s debut film.^[14]

1968’s Destroy All Monsters was originally planned to be the last Godzilla-franchise film, and as such a number of kaiju from prior films were brought back, including Baragon.^[15] Baragon only plays a minor role in the film, however. Initially, he was planned to be seen destroying the Arc de Triomphe as part of a large assault by the alien Kilaaks. However, the original Baragon costume had been loaned off to Tsuburaya Productions, and was allegedly not returned in time for the filming of the scene, resulting in the kaiju Gorosaurus fulfilling Baragon’s larger role in the story.^[16] A new head for the Baragon suit was created for his appearance in the film, which looked identical barring minor adjustments to its ears, with its horn now facing a different direction.^[17]

Baragon, alongside Varan and Anguirus, were included in the initial draft for 2001 film Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, with Baragon being depicted as a “flame monster” alongside the other two kaiju, who collectively serve as Japan’s ancient guardian monsters.^[18][19][20]

Baragon has been regarded by critics as a relatively obscure kaiju within the franchise, as well as one often underutilized.^[6][21] The book The Kaiju Connection: Giant Monsters and Ourselves regarded this obscurity as being a result of the fact that Baragon lacked any significant character depth or battling strength, and often existed in subsequent appearances only to show the strength of other characters, namely Godzilla.^[6] Ben Hathway, writing for Comicbook, wrote that while Baragon’s design was memorable, he was not given much to do in many of his film appearances.^[21]

The book Giant Creatures in Our World: Essays on Kaiju and American Popular Culture described Baragon’s role in his debut film as being a form of soft power in the wake of World War II, as whereas the Caucasian-presenting Frankenstein is depicted as “good”, Baragon, a monster of Japanese origin, is depicted as indiscriminately wrecking havoc across the Japanese countryside. Thus, in a battle that represents “America vs Japan”, Japan, via Baragon, is depicted as an antagonistic figure.^[22] In Baragon’s role in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the book 21st Century Kaiju: The Resurgence of Giant Monster Movies regarded Baragon, alongside Mothra and Ghidorah, as representing spiritual aspects of Japanese culture in their described role as “spiritual defenders”, potentially representing ideas in relation to Oni and Shinto mythology.^[23] Baragon and other Guardian Monsters in the film are described by the book The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters as being symbolic representations of Japan’s clashing ideals of “new” vs “old” traditions; younger people are depicted as disrespecting the past, notably by asking if Baragon is Godzilla when he first appears despite their lack of resemblance. This “forgetting” of the past is stated to be shown in the film via Godzilla’s easy defeat of all three Guardians, showing the strength of these forgotten traditions over the strength of past ways of thinking.^[24]

The Pokémon species Nidoking is believed to be based on Baragon, with Nidoking sharing several design characteristics with Baragon while also being associated with a “Moon Stone” item, a reference to Baragon’s nocturnal nature.^[25]