Moguera
Moguera (モゲラ, Mogera) is a daikaiju featured in two of Toho's science fiction films. The name is derived from mogura (土竜(もぐら) the Japanese word for mole.
The Mysterians
In the tokusatsu film The Mysterians, Moguera is a robot used by the alien Mysterians to assist in destroying humanity to make them bend to their will and supply them with a sufficient amount of land and women. It attacked a small village with its optic heat blasts, but was destroyed when the bridge it was standing on collapsed due to the military dynamiting it.
A second Moguera appeared as the Markalite beam cannons assaulted the Mysterians' base. This Moguera tried to destroy one of the Markalites by burrowing underneath it, but the weapon fell on top of it, crushing and destroying the short-lived second Moguera.
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
A second incarnation appeared in Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, a U.N.-built mecha designed to fight Godzilla following the failure of G-Force's Mechagodzilla. For this film the designation MOGUERA was assigned the backronym "Mobile Operation Godzilla Universal Expert Robot Aero-Type".
MOGUERA has an expansive arsenal of weapons. The most heavily-utilized and standard weapon are the plasma laser cannons built into its eyes, which rapidly fire yellow plasma shots. It's cone-shaped hands are capable of releasing blue energy beams, known as Autolasers. Furthermore, the hands can open, revealing Spiral Grenade Missiles, rapidly rotating tracking missiles that have a great level of effectiveness and damage. Its chest secretly conceals a Plasma Maser Cannon, a powerful energy weapon. It can fly at sea level at Mach 1 and through space at "Mach 44".[1] MOGUERA is the aggregate form of two vehicles: Land Mogera, a tracked armoured fighting vehicle able to drill through the earth; and Star Falcon, a VTOL craft capable of space flight.
MOGUERA's first assignment was to intercept Space Godzilla, which was discovered on a course toward Earth. A battle ensued in the asteroid belt leaving MOGUERA seriously damaged, though able to return to Earth for repairs. It was during the repairs that it was fitted with the Spiral Grenade Missiles, and the Plasma Maser Cannon. Following the devastation caused by Spacegodzilla, MOGUERA (under its new pilot Yuki Gondo) aligned itself with Godzilla to defeat the invader. It shattered Spacegodzilla's shoulder crystals but was damaged beyond repair during the battle; its remains were subsequently obliterated by Godzilla's enhanced and supercharged Spiral Fire beam.
Other Appearaneces
- MOGUERA appeared in the video game Godzilla: Save the Earth of 2004 for Xbox and Playstation 2.
- The 1988 Nintendo game Godzilla: Monster of Monsters, featured Moguera as an enemy, and is perhaps the first time Moguera and Godzilla are featured together.
Trivia
- Moguera is Japanese for "Mole"
- A new design of the mecha would be seen throughout Toho's Seishin Series.
External links
- Barry's Temple of Godzilla
- Toho Kingdom
- Kaijuphile: Monster Site. Monster Obsession.
- Monster Zero News
- Sci-Fi Japan
- Godzilla Stomp
- The Godzilla Shrine
- Secret Message of "Mothra" (Mosura) (multilingual trivia and links)
- Mothra's Shrine
- Rodan's Roost, a fan site
- [http://www.gamera.jp/ Gamera Official Homepage (Japanese)
