Kumonga

Kumonga (クモンガ) is a mutated, enormous spider kaiju first appearing in Toho's 1967 film Son of Godzilla. Although it is the main antagonist of that film, it helped save the world in the following year's Godzilla film (set in 1999), Destroy All Monsters. In English language versions, the name is Spiga.

Kumonga
Godzilla film series character
Kumonga as featured in Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
First appearanceSon of Godzilla (1967)
Last appearanceGodzilla: Final Wars (2004)
Created byJun Fukuda
In-universe information
AliasSpiga

Overview

Abilities

Kumonga can shoot a spider web and deploy a poison stinger from between the Chelicerae, and boasts prehensile pedipalps that can be used to grab small prey. The Showa version was able to survive multiple direct hits from Godzilla's atomic breath. The Millennium Kumonga's web was able to expand on contact with air from a single thread into a net for incapacitating foes (see Scytodidae for a real-world example of a spider which can spit webbing in a way similar to Kumonga). In addition, the Millennium version was able to leap hundreds of meters at a time, much like a jumping spider (Salticidae).

Showa

In the Showa series, Kumonga is a giant mutant spider who was initially found on Sogell Island. It first appears after having trapped Minilla and a Kamacuras in its web. Kumonga kills Kamacuras with his stinger. Godzilla soon arrives and defeats the monster spider, burning it to a crisp with his and Minilla's atomic breath.

Later, Kumonga – a different individual from the same species – is placed on Monsterland, where it lives with all the other remaining monsters on the Earth. In 1999, aliens known as the Kilaaks capture the monstrous spider and release it along with the rest of Earth's monsters on the planet's major cities. In the end, Kumonga is freed from the aliens' control and takes part in the final battle against the Kilaak-controlled King Ghidorah, disabling the space monster's ability to fly in concert with the larval Mothra through use of their webbing and silk. Kumonga and the other monsters return to Monsterland to live out the rest of their days in peace.

The Showa Kumonga was 45 meters (150 feet) tall and weighed 8,000 metric tons (8,818 short tons).[1]

Millennium

Kumonga is one of the monsters featured in the 2004 film Godzilla: Final Wars as one of the many mind-controlled monsters of the Xilians. This version of Kumonga is more reminiscent to a standard spider and less to a tarantula than its Showa counterpart, featuring less hair and a set of pronounced yellow stripes along its legs. When Godzilla is freed from Area G, Kumonga is released in New Guinea to battle him. At first, Kumonga is able to outmaneuver and trap Godzilla with its jumps while simultaneously entangling the King of the Monsters in its thick webbing, but Godzilla manages to gain the upper hand when he grabs hold of a strand of web and swings Kumonga around in circles before throwing it. Kumonga soars across the horizon, likely to its death, and is not seen again.

The Final Wars Kumonga was 60 meters (196 feet) tall, and weighed 30,000 metric tons (33,069b short tons).[2]

Appearances

Films

Video games

Literature

References
  1. The Official Godzilla Compendium. Profiles of the Monsters; page 134.
  2. Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Godzilla: Final Wars; page 117.
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