Daidako

The Giant Octopus (大ダコ, Oodako), is a monster that appears in several 1960's Toho films, the first being King Kong vs. Godzilla.

Appearance[]

The Giant Octopus is simply a gigantic dull-red colored octopus with yellow eyes and small black pupils.

Origins[]

The Giant Octopus tends to suddenly rise from the ocean and attack humans or other kaiju. How it came to be is unknown.

History[]

Showa Era[]

King Kong vs. Godzilla[]

The Giant Octopus came ashore on Farou Island in search of the Soma berry juice produced by the natives. The Octopus attacked the villagers that tried to fight it off before King Kong arrived and attacked it. The Giant Octopus jumped on Kong's face, but Kong threw it off and began pelting it with rocks. The Giant Octopus eventually retreated back to the ocean.

Frankenstein vs. Baragon[]

The Giant Octopus appeared in an alternate ending for Frankenstein vs. Baragon, where it crawled ashore just after Frankenstein defeated Baragon. The Octopus grabbed Frankenstein with its tentacles and dragged him into the ocean, never to be seen again.

War of the Gargantuas[]

The Giant Octopus attacked a Japanese fishing boat during a typhoon, but itself was attacked by Gaira. After a fierce battle, the Giant Octopus retreated.

Abilities[]

Tentacles - The Giant Octopus' tentacles are very strong and can smash buildings or even drag kaiju like King Kong or Gaira down with ease. The suction cups on its tentacles are capable of sticking to Kong's face and allowing the Octopus to try and crush Kong's head.
Amphibiousness - The Giant Octopus possesses surprising mobility and prowess on land as well as underwater, allowing it to take on both land and sea monsters.

Weaknesses[]

The Giant Octopus does not possess very many unique or overpowering attacks and mostly relies on its tentacles to fight. If an opponent gains the advantage over the Giant Octopus, it is usually quick to retreat.

Trivia[]

Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya's original vision for a giant monster movie in 1954 was about a giant octopus. After Godzilla was decided upon for the film, Tsuburaya later created a giant octopus kaiju for King Kong vs. Godzilla.
In King Kong vs. Godzilla, the Giant Octopus was portrayed by several live octopi and a larger puppet when fighting Kong. In its later appearances, the Giant Octopus was portrayed solely by a puppet.
The Giant Octopus' scene in Frankenstein vs. Baragon was ultimately cut and replaced with an ending where Frankenstein and Baragon fall into a volcanic fissure so as to be less random and anticlimactic.
Every monster the Giant Octopus fights is primate in origin.
The Giant Octopus is often called "Oodako" by fans, meaning "big octopus" in Japanese. Its official Japanese name is "Daidako," which literally translates to "giant octopus."