Kemujira (ケムジラ, Kemujira) is a monster that appeared in Ultraman Taro.
Subtitle: Foliar-Eating Monster (食葉怪獣, Shoku ha Kaijū)
History[]
Ultraman Taro[]
Kemujira were a prehistoric species of caterpillar that slept for millions of years in Mt. Okuma, along with its natural predator, Birdon. One day when Mt. Okuma began showing signs of activity, many of the bugs were freed from a small eruption, where they took refuge inside of some nearby watermelons, and well as fed on them. Kotaro had unknowingly bought some of the watermelons that the bugs hid inside of and presented them as a gift to Takeshi and his father. Later that night, Takeshi was cutting up one of the watermelons when he was attacked by Kemujira, which blinded him with its webbing. Elsewhere at the Okumayama Earthquake Laboratory, another Kemujira had hatched out of the watermelon that Takeshi's father was given and it attacked the other scientists as well. However, they and the bug were confronted by and eaten by another monster. It was none other than the newly-hatched Birdon.
The next day, the Kemujira that attacked Takeshi returned after being lured out of hiding when Kotaro came to apologize for what had happened. Kotaro, Nambara, and Ueno quickly noticed the bug and fired on it with their guns. Rather than killing it though, the Kemujira had absorbed their blasts and transformed into a monstrous form, where it attacked the city the crew were present in. ZAT tried their best, but without all their members present, Kemujira quickly shrugged off their attacks and seized Nanbaro in its webbing. Knowing that his friend was in danger, Kotaro transformed into Ultraman Taro to face the monster himself. After Taro rescued the ZAT member, Kemujira tried to flee by concealing the battlefield in its poison gas, but Taro managed to find it with his Ultra Scope technique, and the fight raged on.
Suddenly, the situation quickly turned grim for Taro when not only did the blind Takeshi wander onto their battlefield (allowing Kemujira to beat the ultra into submission), but Birdon had also arrived on the scene, intent on hunting and eating the now-mutated Kemujira. [Two Giant Monsters Close in on Taro!] Fearing for its life, Kemujira quietly fled the scene when Birdon attacked Taro (viewing the ultra as a threat to its meal). However, the monster bird noticed that the monster bug was trying to flee and attacked it next. Like before, Kemujira tried to conceal itself with its poison gas, but Birdon dispersed its disguise with its hurricane winds. With the giant bug defenseless, Birdon assaulted it with its beak, tearing apart and devouring the Kemujira before finishing it off by plucking out its eyes with its beak and leaving it for death before taking off. [Zoffy Died! Taro Died Too!]
Other appearances[]
Miscellaneous[]
- Kemujira makes an appearance in the 16th episode of Ultra Zone, appearing in the segment "Monster Proverbs".
Abilities[]
- Web Attack: Kemujira can fire a thick strand of webbing from its mandibles, it can be used to ensnare opponents and can cause blindness if it makes direct contact to the eyes.
- Poison Gas: Kemujira can release a thick yellow gas from its rear-end. It is used primarily as a smokescreen to distract opponents and allow Kemujira to hide itself.
- Energy Absorption: When in its small state, Kemujira can absorb certain amounts of energy, allowing it to transform into a larger state.
Behind the scenes[]
Portrayal[]
- Kemujira is portrayed by suit actor Tetsuo Yamamura (in his large form.)
Notes[]
- Kemujira's costume was modified from the suit of the Mirrorman monster, Kiragon.
- Kemujira was slated to appear in the second Ultraman X episode, A Collection of Possibilities, where it would've played a very similar role to what it did in his original appearance. However due to the inability to create a new suit in time, its appearance was scrapped.
Gallery[]
to be added