A selection of incredible costumes worn by actors in Japanese "Kaiju" films from the 30s. Popularized by the Godzilla series, Kaijū (怪獣 kaijū, from Japanese "strange beast") is a Japanese film genre that features giant monsters, usually attacking major cities and engaging the military and other monsters in battle.
We're loving the range of creativity and artisanship on these characters, mostly monsters and bad guys inspired by animals and items you might never expect to be turned into a fighting character. "Kaiju" is a subgenre of tokusatsu entertainment. This word originated from the Chinese Classic of Mountains and Seas. Japanese Tokusatsu movies often use daikaiju, or giant monster suits. Suitmation (スーツメーション Sūtsumēshon, a portmanteau of "suit animation") is a filmmaking technique initially developed by Eiji Tsuburaya for use in Godzilla films and then used for his Ultra Series productions. The suit actor, often moving through scale model scenery to give the impression of large size, is filmed at a higher framerate to make them appear slower. In addition, the suit actor performs their movements slowly and deliberately to emulate a slow moving creature.
