Varan
Varan (Japanese: バラン, Hepburn: Baran) is a fictional monster, or kaiju, that first appeared in the 1958 film Giant Monster Varan (released in the United States as Varan the Unbelievable), directed by Ishirō Honda and produced and distributed by Toho. Varan is depicted as a giant prehistoric reptile capable of gliding flight, and has gone on to appear in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters, the ninth film in the Godzilla franchise.
| Varan | |
|---|---|
| Godzilla character | |
Varan as portrayed by Haruo Nakajima via suitmation in Giant Monster Varan (1958) | |
| First appearance | Giant Monster Varan (1958) |
| Last appearance | Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) |
| Created by | Ken Kuronuma Shinichi Sekizawa Eiji Tsuburaya |
| Designed by | Teizo Toshimitsu Kanju Yagi Yasuei Yagi Keizō Murase |
| Portrayed by | Haruo Nakajima Katsumi Tezuka |
| Alias |
|
| Species | Giant prehistoric reptile (Varanopode) |
The original concept that would later become Varan was developed by Ken Kuronuma, with the design conceived by special effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya, and Keizō Murase, who envisioned the kaiju as being a hybrid of Godzilla and a kappa of Japanese folklore. Suit actor Haruo Nakajima, having already portrayed Godzilla four years prior, was the first suit actor to portray the kaiju in the original 1958 film. Additionally, fellow suit actor Katsumi Tezuka performed some of Varan's water scenes.
While relatively obscure compared to most of Toho's kaiju library due to only having a major role in a single film, Varan has nonetheless retained some degree of popularity over the years, being considered for many unrealized film projects and making appearances in non-film media such as comic books and video games.