Thread:Coolot1/@comment-4327179-20200523233851/@comment-4327179-20200524003422

Now here is info about the development of Gaira's character:

Following Frankenstein vs. Baragon, Toho began work on a direct sequel. Takeshi Kimura turned in the first draft of the script in January of 1966, titled The Frankenstein Brothers. Originally, Gaira was the grey-haired "Sea Frankenstein." Ishiro Honda, who directed both films and had a rare screenwriting credit on The War of the Gargantuas, felt that the new story would stand better on its own. The connections to Frankenstein vs. Baragon are diminished in the finished film.

Gaira and Sanda were designed by artist Tohl Narita, known most prominently for his work as art director on the Ultra Series. He partially based Gaira on the Gill-man from 1954's Creature from the Black Lagoon, which Eiji Tsuburaya was allegedly a big fan of.

Teizo Toshimitsu prototyped and modeled the heads of the Gargantua suits, while the Yagi brothers Kanju and Yasuei, along with Eizo Kaimai, were responsible for their bodies. Kaimai stated that the suits did not use wetsuits as their cores, despite the film's extensive water scenes, as he believed the rubber material would be too restrictive to act in. Instead, they were based around boilersuit-esque garments with skin and fur directly applied. Both Gargantua suits also featured football shoulder pads to emphasize their agility and strength. For the scenes where Gaira holds people in his hands, a giant arm and hand prop was composited into the shots using a blue screen, a technique which would later be reused for King Kong in 1967's King Kong Escapes.

As the Gargantua with the most screentime, Gaira was played by Haruo Nakajima. Able to act with his eyes and wear a mask based on his own face, he would later call it his favorite role as a kaiju. As usual, he also handled the Gargantuas' fight choreography, taking inspiration from professional wrestling.

Toho reused the Sanda and Gaira suits for ''[https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Go!_Godman Go! Godman] and [https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Go!_Greenman Go! Greenman]'', though each featured a new headpiece. Gaira returned in the [https://wikizilla.org/wiki/Go!_Godman_(film) 2008 ''Go! Godman'' film], for which modeler Fuyuki Shinada created a completely new suit in the span of just four days. Inspired by the original Gargantua suits, he rigged the mask of the suit so that its jaw would move with that of suit actor Kenji Oka.