Oodako

Oodako (Showa)

Oodako (Showa)

Oodako of the Showa era (大タコ, Ōdako — Giant Octopus / Faro Island Sea Beast) is one of Toho's most enduring and frequently recurring aquatic invertebrate kaiju. Debuting in Toho's 30th anniversary blockbuster *King Kong vs. Godzilla* (1962 — キングコング対ゴジラ), directed by Ishirō Honda with groundbreaking visual effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, Oodako is a 30-meter-long, 600-metric-ton Pacific giant octopus residing within the deep coral reefs encircling the remote tropical sanctuary of Faro Island. Creeping ashore under cover of darkness to plunder the native village for its sacred red Soma berry juice, Oodako provoked the island's god-king King Kong, culminating in an iconic physical wrestling match where Kong ripped the constricting tentacles from his throat and hurled the cephalopod back into the sea. Brought to life by Eiji Tsuburaya using real live octopuses crawling across meticulously built miniature village sets, Oodako became an iconic special effects marvel, returning in the alternate finale of *Frankenstein vs. Baragon* (*Frankenstein Conquers the World*, 1965), ambushing a freighter in *The War of the Gargantuas* (1966), and terrorizing shores in *Ultra Q* under the guise of Sudar.