"AKUMAKARASU"

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Unrevealed (see comments)

Occupation: Unrevealed; presumably rampaging monster (see comments) 

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Godzilla

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed; likely Japan or Pacific Rim countries/islands (see comments)

First Appearance: Godzilla#2 (September 1977)

Powers/Abilities: The gigantic kaiju Akumakarasu was presumably superhumanly strong and durable, enough to challenge Godzilla (a Class 100 strength being). It possessed giant talons in its feet, wings capable of buffeting its foes, and a tail that ended in a spiky club.

Height: Unrevealed; in excess of 100 feet
Weight: Unrevealed; presumably hundreds of tons
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: None
Feathers: Black/dark blue

History:
(Godzilla#2 (fb)) - The giant bird creature Akumakarasu battled Godzilla at some point between the reptilian kaiju being woken in 1956 and subsequently being frozen in the Arctic near Alaska.

Comments: Created by Doug Moench, Herb Trimpe, Frank Giacoia and George Tuska.

   We've only got a single panel appearance for Akumakarasu, with no dialogue casting further light on the entity other than there being "documented incidents of Godzilla battling any number of bizarre, and probably mutated, behemoths." Not named, I've called the creature Akumakarasu, which translates from Japanese as "Devil/Demon Crow"; it's very much an unofficial designation, but will do unless and until an official name becomes available. Since we've got so little to go on, we don't know its powers, nor exactly when or where it fought Godzilla, nor the outcome of that battle (beyond the fact that Godzilla probably won, given he was around to star in his own comic and Akumakarasu didn't show up again).

   The most common origin for kaiju foes of Godzilla seems to be either some unknown prehistoric species or an animal mutated by atomic energy or human pollution; in the Marvel universe you can also throw in Deviant mutates. However extraterrestrial monsters, ancient mythical beasts, magical entities and / or guardian spirits are also options, and so it's possible that Akumakarasu wasn't a rampaging monster but instead some sort of regional protector against destructive kaiju like Godzilla.

   Godzilla has encountered a number of birdlike kaiju in movies, cartoons and TV shows over the years; Akumakarasu doesn't match any of them (unsurprising, as the Marvel title didn't have the rights to use anyone from the movies beyond Godzilla himself), though the closest match would be the Giant Condor that first appeared in 1966's Ebirah, Monster from the Deep, a kaiju foe so comparatively minor that it doesn't even have a "cool" name. However, it may still have been the inspiration for Akumakarasu.

Profile by Loki.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Akumakarasu has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Godzilla#2, p4, pan3 (main image)
Ebirah, Monster of the Deep production still (Giant Condor)

Appearances:
Godzilla#2 (September 1977) - Doug Moench (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Frank Giacoia and George Tuska (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)

First Posted: 04/29/2025
Last updated: 04/29/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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