Pagos (パゴス Pagosu)[1][2] was a Kaiju that first appeared in Ultra Q. It debuted in episode 18 of the show.
Subtitle: Underground Monster (地底怪獣 Chitei Kaijū)[1][2]
Contents
History
Ultra Q
Pagos was an ancient monster who had ravaged Beijing in search of uranium to feed upon. Once his consumption of uranium was full from Beijing, Pagos turned his attention to Japan to feed on nuclear energy from a newly created industrial plant with its own nuclear facilities.
Pagos later surfaced in the middle of a field where he attacked a small girl and boy who had found a capsule full of uranium, disguised to look like an egg. After the capsule was lost in the scuffle between the monster and the children, Pagos resumed his trek to attack the industrial plant. After the monster destroyed the plant, a few missiles were launched that doused Pagos with chemicals that solidified the kaiju into stone. With his body petrified, Pagos died, then fell apart into stone fragments.
Trivia
- Suit actor: Haruo Nakajima
- Pagos was the first of many monsters who originated from a modified Baragon suit, followed by Neronga, Magular, and Gabora.
- Pagos' roar is Varan's mixed with Godzilla's from 1954. Peguila also shares this distinction in his second appearance.
- Originally Gomess was planned to appear in the episode in the monster's place instead, however due to Tsuburaya Productions returning the Godzilla suit to Toho, Pagos was introduced instead, as Baragon's suit was still on loan.
- During Ultra Q's planning phase, an episode where a second Pagos would appear and battle against Peter was in the works, as well as one where he would fight Garamon and Kemur was also planned, but the episodes were never made.
- Originally Pagos was going to appear in episode 9 of Ultraman, but Tsuburaya decided to create a different monster instead; Gabora.
- Pagos was meant to appear in episode 32 of Ultraseven as the controller of Rigger's planet, but was replaced by said monster.
- Episode 29 of the series Ultraman Max is supposedly a tribute to Ultra Q, with Pagos planning to return but due to the death of its corresponding writer from said monster's debut episode, Pagos was replaced with Geronga, a new monster that resembles the Baragon archetypes from Ultraman, particularly Neronga and Pagos.
- Pagos is one of the monsters that makes up Belyudra's body in Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends The Movie.
- Old promotional photos from Ultra Q showed Pagos fighting Peguila; as well as the two of them fighting Kanegon.
- Pagos has an eyelid mechanisim only used for one scene. He also has an inner light in his iris that glows when he detects uranium.
- Pagos was originally meant to return not once but three times in the Ultra Q series, returning in one bout where he fought a fish monster named Gyo ( early concept art name for Sudar), and again in a bout titled the Tokyo Tsunami where he fights a Garamon and Kemur.
- Pagos' head was heavily modified for Dodongo, while his tusks were reused for Chandlar's head horns.
Ultraman Taiga
Pagos was accidentally summoned by Alien Zelan Oshoro via an alien device, who wanted to summon Gymaira instead. The underground monster was frightened and pushed out of its natural habitat by Gymaira, who was draining the Earth's energy. Pagos emerged from the underground and started rampaging through the city, prompting Hiroyuki Kudo to act and transform into Ultraman Taiga. Taiga's attacks, including the Hell Slash, were ineffective against Pagos' tough hide, so he switched to Ultraman Titas, who was briefly able to beat Pagos with sheer might. However, the tables turned when Pagos used his energy drill attack, forcing Titas into a corner. Titas then switched out with Ultraman Fuma, who ended Pagos by slicing his underbelly with an energy blade. As Pagos died, he shed a single tear and turned to stone. One Afternoon When the Magic Was Lost From the Star EGIS and Maria inspected Pagos' corpse after Taiga was defeated by Gymaira, but when Gymaira returned, the tremors caused by him caused some pieces of Pagos to fall off. The rest of Pagos' body was slowly dismantled and taken away by dump trucks after Gymaira was defeated. Even Then the Universe Will Still Go on Dreaming
Trivia
- In similar fashion to Neronga's appearance in Ultraman R/B, Pagos' suit was freshly made for this appearance.
- Director Takanori Tsujimoto stated that Pagos' petrified body, which was seen throughout episode 12, was meant to show how people dealt with the bodies of monsters after they are defeated, since he rarely sees this kind of scene.[3]
- Pagos' Drill Beam was speculated by director Tsujimoto as its method of burrowing underground.[4]
Ultraman Z
One day, Pagos awakened from his slumber and emerged from below ground. Wandering around, he was confronted by STORAGE's King Joe and Windom. After a single missile was shot at the underground monster, Pagos suddenly disappeared before the projectile could hit him.
An analysis conducted after the incident found that the energy signature and electromagnetic frequencies produced by Kemur's Erasing Energy Source had attracted Pagos, which led the creature to surface in search for the energy. As the monster was a hindrance to his plans to abduct humans, Kemur used his Erasing Energy Source to make Pagos vanish as well. When Kemur was defeated at the hands of Ultraman Z, Pagos was returned along with all the other people Kemur had abducted. Confused and scared, Pagos burrowed away into the ground and escaped. Rechallenge from the Year 2020
Pagos, or another of his kind, emerged from below ground alongside Gomess and Demaaga in their attempts to eliminate Ultroid Zero out of fear of the D4 weapon it possessed. The three monsters fought with Ultroid Zero before they were joined by Takkong and Guesra. Ultraman Z also entered the battle but managed to drive off the latter two Kaiju back into the ocean. Under pressure from Director Kuriyama, who had been possessed by Celebro, Yoko Nakashima fired Ultroid Zero's D4 Ray at the three remaining Kaiju, obliterating them. Prelude to a Nightmare
After analysing the events of the second fight, Yuka Ohta came to the conclusion that alongside the other monsters, Pagos had emerged to fight Ultroid Zero as a result of the desires of the Earth itself to rid the planet of the machine, which represented a dangerous form of over-technology.The Game to Extinction
Data
- Stats
- Height: 30 m, 52 m (Z)[2]
- Weight: 18,000 t, 20,000 t (Taiga)[1], 36,000 t (Z)[2]
- Origin: Underground Ibaraki Prefecture (Ultra Q), underground Kirimoto City (Z)
- Powers and Weapons
- Burrowing: Pagos can burrow at moderate speeds.
- Molecular Disintegration Beam (分子構造破壊光線 Bunshi Kōzō Hakai Kōsen)[2]: Pagos can fire a yellow-colored energy beam from its mouth.
- Ultraman Taiga
- Strength: Pagos has great natural strength and exceeds Ultraman Titas'.[1]
- Tough Hide: Pagos' exterior is tough enough for it to withstand attacks such as Hell Slash without taking any substantial damage.
- Spiral Drill Beam (螺旋掘削光線 Rasen Kussaku Kōsen): A drill made of energy fired from its horns, capable of going through buildings.
- Petrification: Pagos turns itself to stone upon death.
- Ultraman Z
- Fireball: Pagos can shoot high-temperature fireballs from its mouth.
Merchandise
Gallery
Ultra Q
Ultraman Taiga
Ultraman Z
Miscellaneous
References
