Editing Gamera (section)

==History==
{{see also|Daimajin|Yokai Monsters|The Whale God|Warning from Space}}
[[File:Gamera vs Barugon.jpg|thumb|''[[Gamera vs. Barugon]]'', the first colored film of the franchise, which also yielded the [[Daimajin]] during the production and indirectly resulted in the creation of Daimon the [[vampire]] of ''[[Yokai Monsters]]''.<ref name=Takaki />]]
The ''Gamera'' film series is broken into three different eras, each reflecting a characteristic style and corresponding to the same eras used to classify all ''kaiju eiga'' ([[monster movies]]) in Japan. The names of the three eras refer to the [[Japanese emperor]] during production: the [[Shōwa era]], the [[Heisei era]], and the [[Reiwa era]].

Since [[Gamera, the Giant Monster|original 1965 film]] production and merchandising budgets of each film have been confined due to financial situations of [[Daiei Film]], [[Tokuma Shoten]],{{refn|Tokuma Shoten's debt reached ¥130 billion in 2001 due to the bursting of the [[Japanese asset price bubble]], and the death of the founder [[Yasuyoshi Tokuma]] ([[:ja:徳間康快|jp]]) in 2000 resulted in disposals of business rights of various properties afterward including Daiei Film and [[Studio Ghibli]].<ref name=Nikkei>[[The Nikkei]] ([[:ja:朝刊|mornaing paper]]), 19 February 2005, 徳間書店再建、金融支援400億円要請へ ("Tokuma Shoten requests ¥40 billion financial assistance to rebuild the company.")</ref>|group="note"}}{{refn|Tokuma Shoten couldn't afford entire budgets for the trilogy since the beginning, where the company originally presented ¥5 million for the 1995 film, however [[Shusuke Kaneko]] strongly demanded to rise it to at least ¥6 million, therefore [[Nippon TV]] and [[Hakuhodo]] co-funded the production and revenues for Tokuma Shoten was further restricted due to this treaty.<ref name=KanekoDiary>[[Shusuke Kaneko]], 26 March 2024, ''ガメラ監督日記 完全版'', pp.35-38, pp.164-167, pp.174-176, p.192, pp.233-234, p.287, [[Shogakukan]]</ref>|group="note"}} and [[Kadokawa Corporation]] respectively,<ref name="Perfection" /> resulting in repeated copyright transfers of Daiei properties and limited productions and distributions overall, including cancellations of various projects and failed global expansions despite frequently featuring foreign casts in Shōwa films. Because of further declining public recognition of the character due to years of inactivity of the franchise and limited advertising expenses and media attentions,<ref name=Perfection /> Gamera's heroic concept and irrelevance from ''[[Godzilla]]'' franchise were "forgotten" and new audience segments often viewed him as a mere, "corny" (as a turtle<ref name="Ebert" />) and "childish" imitation of Godzilla.{{refn|In comparison to [[Godzilla]] and other Toho monsters, Gamera's motif itself ([[turtle]]) was often viewed "corny" by a number of new audience segments including children, and this tendency didn't help the recovery of the franchise.<ref name=Ebert /><ref name=Vanishing>[[Shinji Higuchi]], 1 May 1999, ''Gamera 3: Vanishing Book'', pp.22-25, pp.46-50, p.54, [[Tokuma Shoten]]</ref>|group="note"}} This, along with other factors such as the loss of Daiei theater chains, has negatively affected on box office results and made it more difficult for [[Tokuma Shoten]] and [[Kadokawa Corporation]] to restore the series along with other Daiei tokusatsu franchises such as ''[[Daimajin]]'' and ''[[Yokai Monsters]]'',<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=IGN2022 /><ref name=BraveGuide /><ref name=Karasawa /><ref name=KanekoDiary /> especially the ''Daimajin'' which requires more budgets due to life-sized [[prop]]s.<ref name=Takahashi2021 />

There have been several major hiatus in productions: one between ''[[Gamera vs. Zigra]]'' in 1971 and ''[[Gamera: Super Monster]]'' in 1980, followed by ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'' in 1995, ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' in 1999 followed by ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'' in 2006 and ''[[Gamera Rebirth]]'' in 2023.

The ''[[Daimajin]]'', another iconic [[tokusatsu]] character by [[Daiei Film]], was originally designed to be an antagonist for the second film, and its concept was fed back into both Daimajin and Barugon, the foe in the 1966 film ''[[Gamera vs. Barugon]]''.<ref name=26Facts /><ref name=Takaki>{{Cite book|chapter= chapterIII 大魔神の章（1966）『大魔神』 |date=1996-07-19 |editor-first= Junzo |editor-last= Takaki |title=ガメラ画報 大映秘蔵映画五十五年の歩み |publisher=[[Takeshobo]] |series =B media books special |page=85 |isbn=4-8124-0166-6}}</ref> Daiei's [[yōkai]] films most notably the ''[[Yokai Monsters]]'' were also launched due to the success of the Gamera franchise, and productions of them and related later films such as ''[[:ja:さくや妖怪伝|Sakuya: Yôkaiden]]'' were largely influenced by Gamera and Daimajin series. Collaborations of the Daiei films with [[Shigeru Mizuki]] and [[Kazuo Umezu]] started because of Daiei's yōkai films and formed the "[[Yōkai]] Boom" together,<ref name=BraveGuide /><ref name=KaijuYokai /> resulted in minor crossovers between Gamera and Daimajin and Shigeru Mizuki's ''[[GeGeGe no Kitarō]]'' series and [[Hiroshi Aramata]]'s [[Yasunori Katō]] from ''[[Teito Monogatari]]''.<ref name=Minemori>Hirokazu Minemori ([[:ja:峰守ひろかず|jp]]), Yusuke Watanabe ([[:ja:渡辺雄介|jp]]), 2021, ''[[The Great Yokai War: Guardians]]: Side Story: Heian Hyakkitan'', pp.265-271, [[Media Works Bunko]], [[ASCII Media Works]], [[Kadokawa Future Publishing]]</ref><ref name=Kyogoku>[[Natsuhiko Kyogoku]], 2018, ''USO Makoto Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari'', "Kyu", 373-375, p.392, Kadokawa</ref><ref name=Chronicles>Matsunomoto, Kazuhiro, 1996, The Gamera Chronicles, p.104-105, [[Takeshobo]]</ref><ref name=YokaiFilms>甦れ!妖怪映画大集合!! 2005, p.97, p.116-119, [[Takeshobo]]</ref>

Daiei Film, which was already at the brink of bankruptcy, somewhat recovered due to the unexpected success of the 1965 film, which was considered to be "a mere rehash of [[Godzilla]]", "cheap"{{refn|''[[The Whale God]]'' and ''[[Gamera, the Giant Monster]]'' were [[black-and-white]] films due to budgetary problems; the 1956 film ''[[Warning from Space]]'', which bears connections with [[Noriaki Yuasa]] and the ''Gamera'' franchise, was the first colored tokusatsu film in Japan.<ref name=Treasured /><ref name=Invincible /><ref name=OFS1995 />|group="note"}}, "being forced on [[Noriaki Yuasa]] as no one wanted"{{refn|Other filmmakers concerned ''Gamera'' to damage their careers, and some indeed regarded the 1965 Gamera film to spoil Yuasa's career.<ref name=26Facts /><ref name=YuasaInterview />|group="note"}}{{refn|Yuasa was the youngest employee director of Daiei Film at that time, and he was in need to make up for the commercial failure of his debut film ''If You're Happy, Clap Your Hands'' ([[:ja:幸せなら手をたたこう (映画)|jp]]). While other Daiei Film productions such as ''[[Daimajin]]'' and ''[[Zatoichi]]'' and ''[[Nemuri Kyōshirō]]'' were produced under the policy to interchange directors in rotations, the ''Gamera'' franchise was done by Yuasa and [[Niisan Takahashi]]. Yuasa was also driven to associate with the [[tokusatsu]] genre after resignations of experienced crews such as aforementioned [[Yonesaburo Tsukiji]], and Toru Matoba ([[:ja:的場徹|jp]])'s transfer to [[Tsuburaya Productions]]. This was also escalated as employee directors of the company were required to promote notable actors and new actresses, and tokusatsu productions especially ''Gamera'' and ''Daimajin'' were considered useful for this purpose, while [[Kojiro Hongo]] initially didn't favor to participate in tokusatsu films and tried to avoid doing so.<ref name=Ono2018 />|group="note"}}, and "destined to flop",{{refn|General pre-release interviews were rather negative among Daiei staffs, and even Noriaki Yuasa believed it would fail since the beginning. However, [[Masaichi Nagata]], unlike others, complimented the film, and his dictatorial authority made others to follow him against their wills, and Yuasa was indeed confused with the success of the film.<ref name=Ono2018 /><ref name=YuasaInterview />|group="note"}}<ref name=BraveGuide /> and launched the ''[[Daimajin]]'' and the ''[[Yokai Monsters]]'', and these [[tokusatsu]] franchises gained popularity despite limited and continuously decreasing budgets and the declines of the "[[:ja:第一次怪獣ブーム|First Kaiju Boom]]" and domestic film industries (partially due to the success of the ''Gamera'' franchise){{refn|Depletions of budgets and ideas were inescapable after all major film companies committed in the kaiju genre both on films and television programs in response to the successes of ''Gamera'' and ''[[Godzilla]]'' and ''[[Ultraman]]'' and ''[[Ultra Q]]''. The [[tokusatsu]] genre also contributed in the popularity of the television industries and the decline of domestic film industries, and [[Masaichi Nagata]] devoted in the establishment of the aforementioned Japanese Film Export Promotion Association to support the film industries.<ref name=Ono2018 /><ref name=Fantasy /> |group="note"}} and the arise of the more affordable "Yokai Boom".<ref name=IGN2022>Fuminobi Hata, 12 December 2022, [https://jp.ign.com/gamera-rebirth/64425/feature/netflix 俺はお前を待っていた！Netflixで復活の大怪獣ガメラ、その歩みと新作への期待], [[IGN]] Japan</ref><ref name=Chronicles /><ref name=YokaiFilms /><ref name=Ono2018 /> Serializations of ''Gamera'' and ''[[Daimajin]]'' franchises were also promoted as the Japanese government valued exportations of tokusatsu productions to the global markets to acquire foreign currencies.<ref name=Futaesaku /> ''[[Gamera vs. Viras]]'' was originally considered as the last Showa production, however the franchise was further continued in response to its popurarity.<ref name=26Facts /> However, Daiei Film's financial difficulties were further accelerated by producing three ''Daimajin'' films within the same year (1966), resulting in cancellations of subsequent Daimajin productions.<ref name=IGN2022 />

All villainous monsters since ''[[Gamera vs. Viras]]'' (Viras, Guiron, Jiger, Zigra) received their names from public submissions, and this was to draw public attention to compensate for limited advertising expenses.<ref name=OFS1995 /> Concepts for monsters' designs and abilities were also restricted due to budgets,{{refn|Kaiju were designed to reduce staffs for [[practical effect]] unlike some of [[Toho]] kaiju such as [[King Ghidorah]]. Offensive abilities of kaiju, such as electricity and gravity and levitation and acidic mucus of Viras were scrapped. Gamera's spinning jet was originally aimed to rotate at high speed akin to the Heisei trilogy, however this was not achievable due to the lack of [[computer]]s, and his non-spinning flight style was instead invented to reduce filming costs.<ref name=Karasawa /><ref name=YuasaInterview />|group="note"}} cancellations of new monsters,{{refn|For example, a mammalian kaiju "Monga" was originally developed for ''[[Gamera vs. Guiron]]'', however it was eventually scrapped and was replaced by Space Gyaos due to budgetary problems.<ref name=Ono2018 /> |group="note"}} decreased destructions of urban areas, and film crews focused more on brutal melee fights to compensate for limited amounts of [[special effect]]s, although the franchise occasionally received global compliments for its brutalness, such as Guiron beheading a Space Gyaos in ''[[Gamera vs. Guiron]]''.<ref name=Karasawa /><ref name=Treasured /> ''[[Gamera vs. Zigra]]'', the last film of the Showa continuity, was [[Dainichi Eihai|co-distributed with Nikkatsu]] due to the financial problems.<ref name=OFS1995 /> The plot of ''Gamera vs. Zigra'' was particularly poor in consistency and logics due to the confusion of the company prior to its bankruptcy; [[Noriaki Yuasa]] was forced to become a contract director without overtime pay, impoverishments of employees and resources, and production systems were disrupted due to increased labor negotiations.<ref name=Ono2018 /> One of kaiju battles were also eventually scrapped due to budgetary and schedule limitations.<ref name=26Facts /> [[Niisan Takahashi]] also didn't receive some of his wages, and the company couldn't pay back debts to him.<ref name=YuasaInterview />

The ''Gamera'' franchise solely supported Daiei Film and its subcontractors until the 1971 bankruptcy, and a number of kaiju suits and models including Gamera were lost as [[Noriaki Yuasa]] destroyed them due to his frustration and distress when he heard about the bankruptcy of the company, resulting in the production of ''[[Gamera: Super Monster]]'' and limited amounts of exhibitions.<ref name=Karasawa /><ref name=OFS1995 /> On the other hand, it might be a riot among staffs which resulted in the loss of [[prop]]s.<ref name=26Facts /><ref>G. H. (Gman), November 29, 2015, [https://www.scified.com/news/a-brief-history-of-gamera-celebrating-50-years-of-spinning-turtles A Brief History of Gamera: Celebrating 50 Years of Spinning Turtles], Scified.com</ref> The bankruptcy of the company also triggered confusions and losses of [[Negative (photography)|negative prints]] and other materials, resulting in changes in the running time of ''[[Gamera vs. Viras]]'' for video and DVD releases.<ref name=Treasured /> Tokusatsu expertise obtained from Showa films were also lost and negatively influenced the production of the Heisei trilogy by [[Tokuma Shoten]], while expertise from the ''Ultraman'' franchise and various other productions, especially ''[[Ultraman 80]]'' which was directed by Noriaki Yuasa, were instead utilized for the trilogy.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />

''[[Gamera: Super Monster]]'', the first production by [[Tokuma Shoten]], was not completely a new production as it relied on a number of [[stock footage]]s. The direction to re-edit stock footages of former films was also influenced by budgetary and schedule problems,<ref name="Fantasy" /> along with the aforementioned loss of suits and models by either Yuasa or staffs, and the success of the 1979 ''[[Ultraman]]'' video by [[Akio Jissoji]] ([[:ja:実相寺昭雄監督作品ウルトラマン|jp]]), which contributed in the revival of the [[Tsuburaya Productions]] franchise.{{refn|[[Akio Jissoji]] later directed the 1990 ''[[Ultra Q]]'' movie ([[:ja:ウルトラQ ザ・ムービー 星の伝説|jp]]) based on the scrapped project by [[Shusuke Kaneko]] and [[Kazunori Ito]] and [[Shinji Higuchi]]; it was one of predecessors of the Heisei Gamera trilogy that Kaneko and Ito reused some of their ideas of the ''Ultra Q'' project for the Heisei Gamera trilogy.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=BraveGuide /> Jissoji also participated in the aforementioned ''[[Ultraman Max]]'',<ref name=MagMixMax>Katano, 2 November 2024, [https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/633a0a2a8f9e01702f9e55a7f2db5e7974959241 集団幻覚？　約20年前の特撮番組で「ゴジラvsガメラ」夢のバトルが実現してた説], MAG MIX ([[:ja:メディア・ヴァーグ|jp]]), Yahoo! News ([[:ja:Yahoo!ニュース|jp]]), [[Yahoo! Japan Corporation]]</ref> and ''[[Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis]]''; [[Yasunori Katō]] later formed minor connections with Gamera and [[Daimajin]],<ref name=Minemori /><ref name=Kyogoku /> and [[Tomoo Haraguchi]] ([[:ja:原口智生|jp]]) and Toshio Miike ([[:ja:三池敏夫|jp]]) and [[Shinji Higuchi]] gained expertise from the 1988 film and utilized them for the Heisei Gamera trilogy.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />|group="note"}}<ref name=BraveGuide /> Its box office result was not excellent partially due to the timing; [[kaiju]] genre in general stagnated between late 1970s and early 1980s where [[Toho]] ceased producing [[Godzilla]] films because of the box office result of ''[[Terror of Mechagodzilla]]'' in 1975.<ref name=IGN2022 /> The 1980 film also faced several other conditions to restrict its production, such as the music copyright, resulting in the lack of previous music materials including the ''[[Gamera March]]'' ([[:ja:ガメラマーチ|jp]]).<ref name="Fantasy" />

Rebooting the franchise afterward the 1980 film failed,<ref name=Ui /> along with cancellations of several other projects in early 1990s,<ref name=EigaHiho2021 /><ref name=DaieiScripts /> until the 1995 film ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]''.

The Heisei Trilogy originally started as an attempt to revive either (or both of) the ''[[Daimajin]]'' and the ''[[Yokai Monsters]]'' by [[Tokuma Shoten]] where the project faced budgetary problems and higher popularity of Gamera was revealed,<ref name=MWP /> while Tokuma Shoten and [[Kadokawa Corporation]] also aimed to revive the Daimajin along with the Gamera franchise respectively;{{refn|According to [[Takashi Miike]], Daimajin is more difficult to revive due to his size; unlike gigantic kaiju and [[Ultraman]], Daimajin is designed to directly interact with humans, therefore requiring expensive, large-scaled, life-sized models and [[prop]]s.<ref name=Takahashi2021>{{cite web|author=Hyouri Takahashi|date=2021-08-12|url=https://www.banger.jp/movie/62211/ |title=三池崇史監督が語る「大魔神」復活の意外な真実とは!?『妖怪大戦争 ガーディアンズ』に込めたメッセージと子供たちへの眼差し |website=banger.jp.|access-date=2024-12-18}}</ref>|group="note"}}<ref name=Zakzak /> one in the late 1990s along with the Heisei Gamera Trilogy by starring [[Steven Seagal]], the father of [[Ayako Fujitani]] who played Asagi Kusanagi, the human protagonist of the trilogy,{{refn|The script was written by [[Yasutaka Tsutsui]] and [[Katsuhiro Otomo]], and was later published as a novelization.<ref name=Fantasy />|group="note"}}<ref name=Nakamura>Kengo Nakamura, 1999, ''From [[Princess Mononoke]] to [[My Neighbors the Yamadas]]'', pp.38-41, [[Tokuma Shoten]]</ref> and another by [[Takashi Miike]] in late 2000s along with ''[[Gamera the Brave]]''<ref name=BraveGuide /><ref name=Takahashi2021 /><ref>Eiga Hihō ([[:ja:映画秘宝|jp]]), April, 2007, ''実写限定!巨大ロボット映画ベスト30!-「トランスフォーマー」襲来間近!「ガンヘッド」もやってくるぞ!'', Yosensha Co., Ltd.</ref> which was eventually redeveloped into ''[[Daimajin Kanon]]'',<ref name=Nezura1964 />{{refn|''Daimajin Kanon'' was originally intended to be directed by [[Noriaki Yuasa]] and [[Mamoru Sasaki]]; the two had previously co-participated in ''[[Princess Comet]]'' and ''[[Okusama wa 18-sai]]'' in Daiei Film, and were also appointed for a cancelled television series of ''Daimajin'' in 1960s.<ref name=Ono2018 />|group="note"}} and Miike made the Daimajin to appear in the 2018 film ''[[The Great Yokai War: Guardians]]'' where Gamera also made a [[cameo appearance]] within its spin-off novelization.<ref name=Minemori />

Prior to the actual development of the trilogy, [[Niisan Takahashi]] wrote a script for a scrapped project in 1994 which later became the basis of the 1995 novelization ''Gamera vs. Phoenix''.<ref name=Stuart /><ref name=DaieiScripts /> Additionally, there was another scrapped project to produce a new [[Direct-to-video#OVA and V-Cinema in Japan|V-cinema]] according to [[Tomoo Haraguchi]] ([[:ja:原口智生|jp]]) where a stakeholder from Tokuma Shoten revealed to Haraguchi after the release of ''[[Mikadroid]]''.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />

Financial vulnerability resulted in repeated avoidances from direct competitions against the ''[[Godzilla]]'' franchise, although there had been failed attempts to make a [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] in 1990s<ref name=Kaneda /><ref name=MagMix /> and 2002,<ref name=Zakzak /> leading to the production of ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'' in 2006 due to [[Toho]]'s temporal pause of Godzilla film productions since ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' while both films shared some of crews.<ref name=BraveGuide /><ref name=Karasawa /><ref name=Aiken />

Revenues of Daiei Film productions were [[#Distributions and releases|repeatedly restricted due to lack of exclusive movie theaters]],<ref name=IGN2022 /> and ever since ''[[Gamera vs. Zigra]]'' which was [[Dainichi Eihai|co-distributed with Nikkatsu]] due to the financial problems,<ref name=OFS1995 /> the franchise has always relied on co-distributions as Daiei Film lost its theater chains after its bankruptcy; the Heisei trilogy was done so by Toho, so as ''Gamera the Brave'' by [[Shochiku]], and ''[[Gamera Rebirth]]'' by [[Netflix]]. ''[[The Great Yokai War]]'' and ''[[The Great Yokai War: Guardians]]'' were also co-distributed by Shochiku and Toho. Heisei trilogy was distributed by Toho Western Films with much fewer theatres than ''Godzilla'' films, further declining box office results.<ref name=Shiraishi />

According to Noriaki Yuasa, Daiei Film "borrowed more money" from [[Niisan Takahashi]] than anyone else, but the company eventually couldn't reimburse to him, and Takahashi also didn't receive some of his wages due to his nonparticipation in the Writers Guild of Japan ([[:ja:日本脚本家連盟|jp]]). After the company's bankruptcy, Takahashi visited [[Masaichi Nagata]] and received all rights to Gamera. However, [[Tokuma Shoten]] didn't inform the production of the 1995 film ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'' to Takahashi, and the company reneged the agreement between Takahashi and Nagata regards the rights to Gamera, declaring that the company is independent from Daiei Film and thus doesn't accept Nagata's treaty. Takahashi was highly dissatisfied with this decision, and he severed ties with all stakeholders, damaging the friendship with Yuasa in the aftermath.<ref name=YuasaInterview /> Takahashi independently developed a script to produce a new film, which later became the basis of the novelization ''Gamera vs. Phoenix'' (1995).<ref name=Stuart /><ref name=DaieiScripts />

===Influences of the Heisei Trilogy===
The Heisei Trilogy by [[Shusuke Kaneko]], despite its limited budgets, distributions, marketing, media attentions,{{refn|Due to the financial situation of [[Tokuma Shoten]] and the intercompany treaty for co-funding to grant Kaneko's demand to increase budgets,<ref name=KanekoDiary /> losses of Daiei theater chains and its tokusatsu expertise,<ref name=EigaHiho2021 /> the [[Great Hanshin earthquake]] and the [[Tokyo subway sarin attack]].<ref name=Karasawa /><ref name=MWP /><ref name=KanekoDiary /><ref name=Nikkei /><ref name=Ono2018 /> Budgets of ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'' in 1995 was $4.5 million, followed by ''[[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion]]'' ($5 million) in 1996 and ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' ($7 million) in 1999.<ref>Toho Kingdom, [https://www.tohokingdom.com/movies/gamera_3.htm Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]</ref> Budgets of ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'' in 1994 and ''[[Godzilla vs. Destoroyah]]'' in 1995 were $10 million.|group="note"}}{{refn|Additionally, as aforementioned, the trilogy might have originally tried to avoid a direct competition against the Heisei Godzilla continuity, which was originally supposed to end with ''[[Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II]]''.<ref name=Gakken93 /> Distribution by Toho Western Films unlike ''Godzilla'' films potentially restricted box office results of the trilogy.<ref name=Shiraishi />|group="note"}} was highly acclaimed among audiences (partially because a number of hardcore kaiju ([[tokusatsu]]) fans at that time, including Kaneko and other crews themselves, were dissatisfied with the Heisei Godzilla continuity) and filmmakers that they are often considered as one of best kaiju and tokusatsu productions ever made,<ref name=IGN2022 />{{refn|The trilogy and its participants overall received a number of awards, and ''Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'' and ''Gamera 2: Attack of Legion'' were first kaiju films to win the [[Seiun Award]], and the latter was the first film to win the [[Nihon SF Taisho Award]]. ''Gamera: Guardian of the Universe'' was also the first kaiju film to win the [[Kinema Junpo|Kinema Junpo Best Ten]] followed by the aforementioned ''[[Shin Godzilla]]'', while "G2" and "G3" also won the "readers' choices". "G1" was also included in "Best 100 Japanese films" by Kinema Junpo.<ref name=Perfection /><ref>Cinema 1987, [https://cinema1987.org/home/best10/3/ キネマ旬報ベストテン]</ref>|group="note"}} and it greatly influenced entire [[tokusatsu]] genre afterward, including the ''[[Godzilla]]'' franchise but most notably on ''[[Ultraman]]'' and ''[[Kamen Rider]]'' franchises.{{refn|Several important tokusatsu techniques were developed during the productions of the Heisei trilogy, and these techniques have been repeatedly used in subsequent tokusatsu productions.|group="note"}} However, there are pros and cons regarding the outcomes of the trilogy.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=BraveGuide />

The box office returns of ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'', the first installation of the reboot by [[Tokuma Shoten]] in 1995, were also negatively affected by the [[Great Hanshin earthquake]] (and the [[Tokyo subway sarin attack]]<ref name=Ono2018 />) as the numbers of film theaters further declined and the scenes of destructions of buildings triggered [[PTSD]] of the earthquake victims,{{refn|Staffs from Toho took Kaneko to some of damaged areas by the earthquake before the release of ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]''. On the other hand, panic scenes in ''G2'' and ''G3'' were inspired by the two events.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 /> |group="note"}}<ref name=KanekoDiary /> Continuation of the series after ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' was cancelled due to the overall box office result of the trilogy, partially due to declined public recognition of the franchise and limited advertising expenses and limited distributions,<ref name=Shiraishi /><ref name=KanekoDiary /> and the struggle to produce sequels after depicting the titular heroic character as an unintentional threat to humanity in the 1999 film,{{refn|Kazunori Ito described that Daiei (Tokuma Shoten) absolutely disapproves a story beyond ''G3''.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />|group="note"}} where the film plot such as a girl (child) to detest Gamera, and depictions of human casualties in the battles of [[Shibuya]] and [[Kyoto]] largely displeased [[Noriaki Yuasa]] and [[Niisan Takahashi]] and others; Yuasa noted "the Heisei trilogy is not Gamera films" and emphasized the importance to differentiate from [[Godzilla]],<ref>[[Hurricane Ryu]], 5 May 2024, [https://x.com/zkHc5amiVbaGWSY/status/1787131899569430698 ガメラに拘りがあったのは、脚本の高橋二三氏でしたね。ただ湯浅監督も「俺達はゴジラと違う事をやろうとガメラを創ったから、ゴジラと同じ事はやっちゃダメだ」とは話されてました。], X (Twitter)</ref> and the draft by [[Shusuke Kaneko]] and [[Kazunori Itō]] for the sequel to portray Gamera to be a further threat was immediately turned down.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=MWP>En Takenouchi, 28 January 2021, [https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1016329/ 金子修介監督、平成ガメラ三部作を語る！令和ガメラにも「やる気十分」], Movie Walker Press ([[:ja:MOVIE WALKER PRESS|jp]])</ref> This plot was later used for the 2003 [[independent film]], ''[[GAMERA 4-TRUTH]]'' ([[:ja:ガメラ4 真実|jp]]) by Shinpei Hayashiya ([[:ja:林家しん平|jp]]).<ref name=Imai>Atsushi Imai, 2016, ''COLUMN 「ガメラ生誕50周年祭」レポート'', Tokusatsu Hihō, vol.3, pp.164-165, Eiga Hihō ([[:ja:映画秘宝|jp]]), Yosensha ([[:ja:洋泉社|jp]])</ref>

Kaneko noted that he was at one point almost dismissed during the production of the 1995 film (and the production was at the brink of cancellation)<ref name=MWP /> due to considerable disagreements between Kaneko and Itō against executives and Showa staffs to depict Gamera to be both an artificial and mechanical "living [[robot]]" and a threat to humanity without caring at all for humans, not even children,{{refn|[[Kazunori Itō]] described their original concept of Gamera including the design for the 1995 film was even more indifferent than in ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' that Gamera doesn't care damaging humanity like "how humans see [[ant]]s", and they originally intended Gamera to emit mechanical sounds and [[bioluminescence]], and to perform machine-like abilities such as shapeshifting and [[Force field (technology)|energy shield]].<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=MWP />|group="note"}}{{refn|Disagreement regarding the design of Gamera for the 1995 film between executives and Kaneko and Ito was difficult to settle, where Kaneko and others intended to use even more intimidating one than ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]''.<ref name=Perfection /> In response, [[Tomoo Haraguchi]] ([[:ja:原口智生|jp]]) and others voluntary "adjusted" the design to be "intermediate" between the two sides, because the first press conference to reveal Gamera's design was approaching.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 /> Later, Toto (Gamera) in ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'' was intentionally designed to be contrasting to the design of Gamera in the 1999 film.<ref name=Perfection />|group="note"}} partially because Kaneko and Ito originally wanted to make the 1992 film ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' instead of Gamera,<ref name=GMK>''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]] Super Complete Works ([[:ja:超全集|jp]])'', 2002, p.2, ''世紀を越えて「金子ゴジラ」は誕生した。'' by [[Shōgo Tomiyama]], [[Shogakukan]]</ref> and wanted to "take revenge on with Gamera" while they and [[Shinji Higuchi]] always preferred Toho productions since their childhoods, and disliked and regarded the concept of Gamera to be rather absurd and "childish",{{refn|According to Kaneko, he had never watched Showa Gamera films in theaters in his youth, and even wondered he would be made a fool by others if he says he is interested in Gamera, and had a tendency to view Gamera fans coldly. Kaneko and Ito also revealed that they were not delighted with the offer for ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'', as they actually wanted to produce [[Godzilla]] films.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=Niigata /><ref name=KanekoDiary />|group="note"}} especially his ability to fly and affinity to children (and as a protector of humanity), child protagonists, and being a [[turtle]].{{refn|All of Kaneko and Ito and Highuchi didn't feel attached to Gamera and saw the franchise as childish and absurd and not rich in "property values". However, they were indeed startled by the popularity of Showa Gamera among their own film crews (and their oppositions against disrespecting Showa Gamera), who applied for the productions of the trilogy for their affinities to Showa Gamera. Kaneko and Ito and Higuchi were repeatedly troubled with this, and secretly called those film crews "Secret Gamera" (隠れガメラ ''Kakure Gamera'').<ref name=KanekoDiary />|group="note"}}{{refn|Kaneko and Ito thought that human characters calling Gamera a "turtle" may disrupt seriousness, where Gamera's name is directly delivered from Japanese word "kame" to represent turtles, and turtle as a motif has also negatively affected for the popularity of the character.<ref name=Ebert /><ref name=Vanishing /> They decided to set up an interpretation of the trilogy that either turtles and [[tortoise]]s don't exist at all or went extinct along with [[dinosaur]]s.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=MWP /><ref name=KanekoDiary />|group="note"}}

During the trilogy, Kaneko and Ito tried to exclude children completely from the plot, and also tried to depict human casualties by Gamera from the start, however executives and Showa staff didn't approve such ideas, and scenes to involve children were briefly inserted although such scenes mostly depicted children to be helpless "burdens" unlike Showa films, and human casualties were not featured until ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]''.<ref name=BraveGuide /> The 1999 film instead situated a girl (child) named Ayana Hirasaka as one of central antagonists to detest Gamera, however she was again portrayed as a "burden" that her parents and pet [[cat]] named "Iris" were accidentally killed by Gamera because their evacuation from the battle between Gamera and a Gyaos was delayed due to Ayana's hospitalization, and she brings a mass destruction with her misdirected hatred for Gamera, and Gamera loses his right arm to save her.{{refn|Gamera to sacrifice his arm for Ayana was intended as an atonement for killing her parents and Iris the cat.<ref name=Perfection /> The idea of Gamera to lose his arm was originally inspired by the 1972 film ''[[One-Armed Boxer]]''.<ref name=HeiseiModels />|group="note"}} Especially the 1999 film intentionally avoided to appeal to child audiences, and the trilogy in general didn't contribute in increasing young audiences due to the difficulty of the plot, lack of points that children can empathize, and fearsome and gruesome scenes especially the destruction of [[Shibuya]] by Gamera caused family audiences to exit theaters because children started crying,<ref name="Fantasy">[[Shinichiro Inoue]] ([[:ja:井上伸一郎|jp]]), 20 July 2010, ''Daiei Tokusatsu Movie Encyclopedia: Daikaiju Fantasy Battle Gamera vs. Daimajin'', p.8, pp.41-43, pp.50-51, pp.56-57, pp.110-113, [[Newtype]], Kadokawa Shoten</ref> while Kazunori Ito claimed that he dislikes to depict Gamera as the hero of children, and advocated that he refuses to make Gamera as a child-friendly hero, and making child audiences crying in fears is correct for kaiju films.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 /> The trilogy also triggered a misconception among new audience segments; Gamera as the character would sacrifice humans for the sake of the planet and nature.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=BraveGuide /> On the other hand, production of ''Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris'' was delayed and was intentionally designed as a [[Horror fiction|horror]] because of box office results of 1995 and 1996 films, declined popularity of kaiju genre, and contrasting popularity of [[horror film]]s among children at that time.{{refn|As aforementioned, Gamera, due to declined public recognition, has often been viewed as a "corny" (for being a [[turtle]]) and "childish" imitation of Godzilla even among children, and the kaiju genre itself was considered childish among many children at that time,<ref name=Vanishing /> and there had been multiple other factors to restrict box office results of the Heisei trilogy.<ref name=KanekoDiary /> Ironically, this direction for the 1999 film instead shunned children who originally loved Gamera.<ref name=BraveGuide /><ref name=Fantasy />|group="note"}}{{refn|For the popularity of [[horror film]]s, [[The Ring (franchise)|''Ring'']] and ''Ghosts at School'' ([[:ja:学校の怪談 (映画)|jp]]) and ''Honto ni atta kowai hanashi'' ([[:ja:ほんとにあった怖い話|jp]]) series directly influenced the production of "G3";<ref name=Vanishing /> Kaneko directed the 1997 film ''Ghosts at School 3'' in which various staffs and actors of Heisei Gamera trilogy also participated in (Kaneko later noted that if he was not appointed for ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'', he would have directed the ''Ghosts at School'' franchise since the beginning<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />), and the ''Ring'' franchise is also a Kadokawa property where [[Yukie Nakama]] who appeared in the 1999 Gamera film (as a victim of Iris to turn into a [[mummy]]) has also played [[Sadako Yamamura]] in ''[[Ring 0: Birthday]]'' in 2000, Gamera and [[Daimajin]] and Kitarō ([[GeGeGe no Kitarō]]) and Sadako and [[Kayako Saeki]] and [[Toshio Saeki]] co-appeared in ''USO Makoto Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari'' where Iris was also directly mentioned,<ref name=Kyogoku /> and the 2022 film ''[[Sadako DX]]'' by Hisashi Kimura ([[:ja:木村ひさし|jp]]) was instead influenced by "G2" where Kimura has participated in both films, and a VHS of "G2" was briefly represented in the Sadako film.<ref name=SadakoDX>Sunkleio Tsubasa, 6 November 2022, [https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1108734/ 『ガメラ2 レギオン襲来』が鍵を握る？『貞子DX』はメタ構造の意欲作だ！], Movie Walker Press ([[:ja:MOVIE WALKER PRESS|jp]])</ref> A Gamera mobile game conducted a collaboration with ''[[Sadako 3D]]'' in 2012, along with occasional joint exhibitions of sculptures of Gamera and Daimajin and Kitarō and Sadako in [[Chōfu]],<ref name=HotCorner>Shōzaburō Nakamura ([[:ja:中村正三郎 (プログラマ)|jp]]), 26 May 2012, [https://iiyu.asablo.jp/blog/2012/05/26/6457370 ゲゲゲの鬼太郎の調布ぬくもりステーションに、ガメラ、大魔神、貞子3Dが出現], Shōzaburō Nakamura's Hot Corner</ref> and crews such as [[Tomoo Haraguchi]] ([[:ja:原口智生|jp]]) and [[Kenji Kawai]] and Nippon Eizo Creative ([[:ja:日本映像クリエイティブ|jp]])<ref name=NEC /> have participated in both franchises.<ref name=CGWORLD />|group="note"}}

These aspects resulted in controversies, even among film crews of the Heisei trilogy, and a disapproval of it, especially ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'', by a number of executives and Showa staff where [[Tokuma Shoten]]'s revenues were also reduced due to the intercompany treaty with [[Nippon TV]] and [[Hakuhodo]] to achieve Kaneko's demand to increase budgets.<ref name=KanekoDiary /> Parts of two previous films in the trilogy, such as Gamera's origin as an artificial lifeform, the depiction of Gamera doing damage to [[Fukuoka]] in the 1995 film, and the "Ultimate Plasma" technique in ''[[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion]]'', were also controversial, but were eventually approved.{{refn|A number of executives and Showa staffs were strongly against the idea of kaiju as bioengineered weapons or "living robots" because they felt it would decline mystic aspects of kaiju, characters as creatures, and superiority as uncontrollable and powerful beings beyond humanity. However, Kaneko and Ito were dissatisfied with Gamera's illogical biology especially his flight capabilities. A number of disagreements including this resulted in Kaneko's near dismissal during the 1995 film production. On the contrary, Kaneko and Higuchi actually hesitated to use the non-biological "Ultimate Plasma" technique for "G2", however they prioritized the necessity to introduce new special attacks therefore "Ultimate Plasma" and "Vanishing Fist" were introduced respectively in "G2" and "G3".<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=MWP />|group="note"}} The plot of ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' and Gamera's depictions within the film partially followed those original ideas by Kaneko and Itō and [[Shinji Higuchi]], while some of the originally cancelled depictions of Gamera for the 1995 film, such as his intimidating appearance{{refn|The original intimidating design of Gamera for the trilogy was changed to appeal to children in the 1995 film, however Shusuke Kaneko was also disappointed with children's subtle reactions with Gamera's 1995 design unlike Toho's [[Godzilla Junior]].<ref name=KanekoDiary />|group="note"}} and the ability to transform his arms into flippers during flights, were partially approved in ''[[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion]]''. As aforementioned, the 2003 independent film ''[[GAMERA 4-TRUTH]]'' ([[:ja:ガメラ4 真実|jp]]) re-used the plot of cancelled "G4" in which Gamera no longer protects humanity and causes tremendous collateral damages to exterminate remnants of Gyaos.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=MWP />

The 1999 documentary film ''[[GAMERA 1999]]'' ([[:ja:GAMERA1999|jp]]) by [[Hideaki Anno]] focused on ruptures among film crews, even between Kaneko and Higuchi. Kaneko described that the documentary film was a harassment by one of producers to target Kaneko by using Anno.

Ironically, the popularity of the Heisei trilogy indirectly triggered another setback for the franchise. While [[Tokuma Shoten]] was already struggling financially and the company eventually disposed the copyrights of Daiei properties after the death of [[Yasuyoshi Tokuma]] ([[:ja:徳間康快|jp]]) in 2000,<ref name=Nikkei /> sequels after ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'' potentially up to "G5" or more were cancelled also due to the plot of "G3" for Gamera to act hazardous, and the plot of "G4" in which Gamera becomes a further threat.<ref name=MWP /> The 2006 film ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'', which was released during a "winter" of [[kaiju]] genre (akin to the situations of ''[[Gamera: Super Monster]]'' and ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'') since ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' in 2004,<ref name=BraveGuide /><ref>[[Shusuke Kaneko]], 24 March 2012, [https://x.com/shusukekaneko/status/183222562220810242 「ゴジラファイナルウォーズ」と「ガメラ小さき勇者たち」が大コケしたんで誰も作ろうと言わなくなった。], Twitter (X)</ref> was the first reboot attempt by [[Kadokawa Corporation]] reusing the original scripts of the 1995 film.{{refn|The script was also later reused for ''[[Digimon Tamers]]'' by [[Toei Animation]] and ''[[Ultraman Tiga]]'' by [[Tsuburaya Production]].|group="note"}} ''Gamera the Brave'' aimed to restore the basis of the franchise,<ref name=Doland />{{refn|Gamera being the friend and guardian of children, and children play significant roles to help Gamera, and Toto was clearly designed to contrast to the design of Gamera in "G3".<ref name=BraveGuide /><ref name=Vanishing />|group="note"}} with a slogan to "return Gamera to children" despite the apparent popularity of the Heisei trilogy and risks to fail.{{refn|Executives and filmmakers were aware both of financial vulnerability (risks to fail) and the popularity of the Heisei trilogy, and some recommended to make either sequels of the trilogy or trilogy-esque plots. Indeed, changing the direction from the Heisei trilogy was controversial, and pros and cons were comparable within Kadokawa. However, aside from recovering the ideology of the franchise, executives concerned the franchise to demise if it clings onto the certain direction without appealing to wider audiences in a response to changing markets.{{sfn|Mamiya|2006|p=34-35}} However necessity to extricate from the trilogy was more prioritized, and executives didn't approve neither sequels of the trilogy nor trilogy-esque scenarios for the 2006 film. For instance, Yoichi Arishige declared that he would not participate in the 2006 film if it is going to be a sequel to the Heisei trilogy.<ref name=Perfection />|group="note"}} It was also aimed to avoid "standards" of kaiju films akin to Showa films, partially due to a slump of [[kaiju]] genre itself (including the box office result of ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'') and the success of Heisei [[Mothra]] trilogy{{refn|These Gamera and Godzilla and Mothra films shared some of crews such as Nippon Eizo Creative ([[:ja:日本映像クリエイティブ|jp]])<ref name=NEC /> in productions.|group="note"}}, and was also influenced by various other films including ''[[Daigoro vs. Goliath]]'' by Toho and [[Tsuburaya Productions]],<ref name=Perfection /> ''[[Helen the Baby Fox]]'', which also collaborated in distribution of the 2006 Gamera film, and ''[[Rex: A Dinosaur's Story]]''.{{refn|[[Hiroyuki Seshita]] ([[:ja:瀬下寛之|jp]]), who later directed ''[[Gamera Rebirth]]'', also participated in ''Rex: A Dinosaur's Story''.|group="note"}}<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=BraveGuide /><ref name=Ono2018 />

However the 2006 film was generally not well-accepted by fans of the Heisei trilogy, but it was more welcomed by children and female audiences,<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=Ono2018 /> resulting in the commercial failure of the film and cancellation of its sequels<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=IGN2022 /> and other subsequent productions such as (one or two) [[anime]](s) by [[Cartoon Network]] and [[Yoshitomo Yonetani]],<ref name=ICv2>[[ICv2]], 31 October 2005, [https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/7757/cartoon-network-licenses-gamera Cartoon Network Licenses 'Gamera']</ref><ref name=Yonetani>[[Yoshitomo Yonetani]], 19 August 2023, [https://twitter.com/yonetanikantoku/status/1692594130701242554 2006年の没企画「牙滅羅(ガメラ)」], Twitter (X)</ref> ''Gamera 3D'' by [[Yoshimitsu Banno]],<ref name=Joblo /><ref name=THKingdom /><ref name=Plan01 /> and one or more presumed reboot attempt(s) in 2010s,<ref name="Suzumura">[[Nobuhiro Suzumura]] ([[:ja:鈴村展弘|jp]]), 28 November 2023, [https://twitter.com/suzu_n_official/status/1729504441076793804 好きですガメラ。先輩の田﨑竜太監督の小さき勇者たちも好きだし、昭和も平成3部作も好き。我が師匠が撮る予定だったガメラが中止なったのは残念だった。。。#ガメラの日], Twitter (X)</ref><ref name=ANN /><ref name=CGWORLD /><ref name=Nezura1964 /> and the franchise was again in a period of inactivity until the 2023 [[Netflix]] series ''[[Gamera Rebirth]]''.{{refn|As aforementioned, the franchise after the bankruptcy of Daiei Film may have always tried to avoid direct competitions against ''[[Godzilla]]'' franchise,<ref name=IGN2022 /><ref name=BraveGuide /><ref name=Karasawa /> while Tokuma Shoten and Kadokawa's offers for a crossover were turned down in 1990s and 2002.<ref name=Kaneda /><ref name=MagMix /><ref name=Zakzak /><ref name=Aiken /> Godzilla productions have been continuously released since 2014 where ''Gamera 3D'' was one of predecessors of [[MonsterVerse]] series by [[Legendary Pictures]].<ref name=Joblo /><ref name=THKingdom />|group="note"}} [[Takashi Miike]]'s ''[[Daimajin]]'' project was presumably cancelled due to the aftermath of ''Gamera the Brave'',<ref>[[SciFi Japan TV|SciFi Japan]], [https://www.scifijapan.com/kaiju-monsters/daieis-idol-of-terror-daimajin-the-avenging-god Daiei`s Idol of Terror: DAIMAJIN, THE AVENGING GOD]</ref> while it resulted in the production of ''[[Daimajin Kanon]]'',<ref name=Nezura1964 /> and Daimajin appeared in Miike's ''[[The Great Yokai War: Guardians]]'' (2021), along with Gamera in its spin-off novelization.<ref name=Minemori /> According to [[Shusuke Kaneko]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mibu |first=Tomohiro |date=13 October 2023 |title=山崎貴監督『ゴジラ-1.0』は金子修介版ゴジラの影響アリ「楽しみにして」 |url=https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0139454 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104123006/https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0139454 |archive-date=4 November 2023 |access-date=19 April 2025 |website=Cinema Today ([[:ja:シネマトゥデイ|jp]]) |language=ja}}</ref> Kadokawa "doesn't offer" him a new production despite him having new ideas for either "G4" or a new production; Kaneko brought a new idea to Kadokawa at one point, however ''[[Gamera Rebirth]]'' was already in production,<ref>Gamera Rebirth Official Website, 17 November 2022, [https://gamera-rebirth.com/news/index00040000.html 「平成ガメラ三部作」監督・金子修介氏より応援コメントも到着！]</ref> where one of Kaneko's new ideas is Gamera's attack on the [[Pearl Harbor]].<ref>[[:ja:久保田和馬|Kazuma Kubota]], 14 October 2023, [https://moviewalker.jp/news/article/1162065/ 山崎貴が「『ゴジラ-1.0』は『GMK』の影響下にある」と明言！金子修介は"ガメラ4"のアイデアをポロリ], Movie Walker Press ([[:ja:MOVIE WALKER PRESS|jp]])</ref>

Shusuke Kaneko, who dislikes the concepts of Showa Gamera, is aware both of criticisms against him and the intention of ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'' (to recover the ideology of the franchise from the Heisei trilogy),<ref name=Doland>{{cite web|author=Hayley Doland |date=2024-05-29 |url=https://kaijuunited.com/2024/05/29/review-gamera-the-brave-is-the-turtles-minus-one/ |title=Review: 'Gamera the Brave' is the Turtle's "Minus One"|website=Kaiju United |access-date=2025-01-27}}</ref> however he [[Gamera the Brave#Reception|in return openly disfavored the 2006 film and criticized its concept]], and advocated the superiority of the Heisei trilogy.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=MWP /> On the other hand, [[Kazunori Ito]], who also doesn't favor Showa Gamera films due to his preference for [[Toho]] productions, instead suggested to free the franchise from the "curse" of the Heisei trilogy after he watched the anniversary short film in [[2015]].<ref name=EigaHiho2021>Eiga Hihō ([[:ja:映画秘宝|jp]]), Vol. April 2021, pp.2-18, Yosensha ([[:ja:洋泉社|jp]])</ref>

One of priorities for ''[[Gamera Rebirth]]'' is to prevent human casualties by Gamera; while reducing battle scenes among urban areas is effective to reduce production costs, Gamera was also intentionally depicted to arrive at Tokyo in the first episode after most evacuations were completed, and also threw Gyaos and Jiger at open areas without people{{refn|[[Showa Memorial Park]] in the first episode, and a riverbed  of [[Tama River]] in the second episode.|group="note"}} in early episodes for this reason.<ref name=RebirthArtbook />

As aforementioned, artificial origins of kaiju in ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]''{{refn|According to Shusuke Kaneko, he originally intended to depict humanity to weaponize monsters in the trilogy akin to ''[[Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim]]''.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />|group="note"}} was highly controversial and almost resulted in either a cancellation of the project or dismiss of Shusuke Kaneko while such setting was introduced by Kaneko and Kazunori Ito to rationalize illogical biology of Gamera.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=MWP /> While the trilogy itself possessed [[supernatural]] aspects, the franchise subsequently increased supernatural depictions,
{{refn|The "Konaka Gamera", one of the earliest scripts for ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'' by [[Chiaki J. Konaka]] and [[Kazuya Konaka]] ([[:ja:小中和哉|jp]]) which later became the basis for ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'' and ''[[Digimon Tamers]]'' and ''[[Ultraman Tiga]]'', had introduced ideas to refer Gamera to both ancient civilizations and deities.<ref name=Perfection />|group="note"}} including identities of kaiju, to involve entities such as [[deities]], [[Spirit (supernatural entity)|spirits]], [[yokai]], [[soul]]s, and [[ghost]]s.<ref name=Kyogoku /><ref name=Minemori /><ref name="HolyBeast" /><ref name=Kondo /><ref name=Frank>Matt Frank, Joshua Bugosh, 6 August 2018, ''Gamera: The Last Hope'', pp.93-108, ''Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe'', [[Dark Horse Comics]], Phase Six Inc.</ref>

Additional controversies of ''[[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion]]'' include its uneasy ending regards the relationship between Gamera and humanity, and the depictions of the [[Japan Self-Defense Forces|JSDF]] which were reviewed "excessively praising"; Shusuke Kaneko described the difficulty to depict the JSDF as a war [[metaphor]] in subsequent kaiju films in 2020s.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />{{refn|During the production of the trilogy, Kaneko believed that "kaiju films are metaphors of wars and the JSDF was protecting the [[Constitution of Japan]]". However, the use of the Right of Collective Self-defense ([[:ja:集団的自衛権|jp]]) was adopted as of 2021, and to depict a "enjoyable Exclusively Defense ([[:ja:専守防衛|jp]])", the JSDF became a metaphor of natural disasters like within [[Shinji Higuchi]]'s ''[[Shin Godzilla]]''. Kaneko instead depicted a "fictional enemy" (Legion) for ''G2'', and a "fictional defense force" for ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />|group="note"}}

===Shōwa era (1965–1980)===
==== Daiei Film ====
The film series began in 1965 with ''[[Gamera, the Giant Monster]]'', directed by [[Noriaki Yuasa]], which is the first and only entry in the entire series to be shot in black-and-white. To date, it is the only Showa ''Gamera'' film to be released theatrically in the [[United States]]; however, it was heavily edited, dubbed and retitled ''Gammera the Invincible''.<ref>Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. McFarland. pg. 114. ISBN 0-89950-853-7.</ref> In the United States, Gamera attained prominence during the 1970s due to the burgeoning popularity of [[UHF television]] stations featuring Saturday afternoon matinée showcases such as ''[[Creature Double Feature]]'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Corey|first=Joe|url=https://insidepulse.com/2012/08/31/dvd-review-mighty-morphin-power-rangers-season-1-vol-1/|title=DVD Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Season 1, Vol. 1)|date=31 August 2012|website=InsidePulse|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref> and later in the 1990s, when five ''Gamera'' films were featured on the television series ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. As aforementioned, ''Gamera'' franchise was often viewed as a cheap, inferior competitor to the ''Godzilla'' franchise especially by global audiences, and this tendency was presumably caused by not only its direction, limited productions and global distributions, but also due to the rather ridiculing atmosphere created with the television series.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 />

A total of seven ''Gamera'' films were produced between 1965 and 1971, with one being released in Japan each year. These films, several of which were also directed by Yuasa, became popular with child audiences. During this time, five of the seven films were picked up for television distribution in the United States by [[American International Television]]. Just as ''Gamera, the Giant Monster'' becoming ''Gammera the Invincible'', each film (except for ''Gamera vs. Zigra'') was dubbed into English and re-titled for American viewers—''[[Gamera vs. Barugon]]'' became ''War of the Monsters'';{{sfn|Craig|2019|p=401}} ''[[Gamera vs. Gyaos]]'' became ''Return of the Giant Monsters'';{{sfn|Galbraith IV|1996|p=335}} ''[[Gamera vs. Viras]]'' became ''Destroy All Planets'';{{sfn|Craig|2019|p=120–121}} ''[[Gamera vs. Guiron]]'' became ''Attack of the Monsters'';{{sfn|Craig|2019|p=44}} and ''[[Gamera vs. Jiger]]'' became ''Gamera vs. Monster X''.{{sfn|Craig|2019|p=160}}

Despite several sources stating that a monster called Garasharp was to appear in the eighth entry in the ''Gamera'' series slated for a 1972 release,{{sfn|Rhoads|McCorkle|2018|p=136}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shrineofgamera.com/garasharp.html|title=Gamera vs. Garasharp: The Gamera that Never Was|publisher=ShrineofGamera.com|access-date=15 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419215134/http://www.shrineofgamera.com/garasharp.html|archive-date=19 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tanomi.com/metoo/naiyou.html?kid=78719|script-title=ja:『ガメラ対大邪獣ガラシャープ』 をちゃんと製作して欲しい。|publisher=Tanomi.com|language=ja|access-date=15 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913092019/http://www.tanomi.com/metoo/naiyou.html?kid=78719|archive-date=13 September 2012}}</ref> director Noriaki Yuasa stated that Garasharp was created specifically for the short film ''Gamera vs. Garasharp'' featured on the 1991 LD set, ''Gamera Permanent Preservation Plan'',<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ishizuka|first=Daisuke|title=Gamera's Godfather - Noriaki Yuasa|magazine=G-Fan|issue=59|date=2002|page=53}}</ref> and that a new two-headed monster was planned for the next film,<ref name=YuasaInterview /> which was canceled because Daiei Film went into [[bankruptcy]] in 1971 and the ''Gamera'' films ceased production as a result.{{sfn|Rhoads|McCorkle|2018|p=136}}{{sfn|Frédéric|2002|p=137}}

[[Niisan Takahashi]] later published a revised graphic novel of ''Gamera vs. Garasharp'' illustrated by Yutaka Kondo, known for his illustrations of [[kaiju]] and other fictional characters for the ''[[Kūsō Kagaku Dokuhon]]'' series,<ref name=Yanagita /> and it was recorded in the 1995 [[CD-ROM]] of ''[[Gamera, the Giant Monster]]''. This edition depicted Garasharp with a different appearance and the ability to emit electricity.<ref>Official X account of Gamera 55th anniversary project, 1 April 2021, [https://twitter.com/gamera_info/status/1377494637074522114 台本発見というのは、願望たっぷりの #エイプリルフール ネタでした。みなさま流石です・・・。とはいえ、頭の中が #ガラシャープ になっている方も多いと思いますので、「大怪獣ガメラ」CD-ROMから近藤豊さんのイラストの『ガメラ対ガラシャープ』をご紹介‼#ガメラ3 先行公開迄あと15日。] on X</ref>

==== Tokuma Shoten ====
After Daiei was purchased by [[Tokuma Shoten]] in 1974, the new management wanted to produce another ''Gamera'' film, resulting in ''[[Gamera: Super Monster]]'' (also known as ''Space Monster Gamera''), released in 1980. The filmmakers were forced to make the movie because of the contract for one more ''Gamera'' film that they owed to Daiei. Approximately one-third of ''Gamera: Super Monster'' is composed of [[stock footage]] from six of the previous seven films.<ref>{{cite web|last=Player|first=Mark|url=http://www.midnighteye.com/features/intergalactic-tokusatsu-charting-the-japanese-space-opera-part-2/|title=Intergalactic Tokusatsu: Charting the Japanese Space Opera, Part 2|date=7 July 2014|website=Midnight Eye|access-date=24 July 2019}}</ref> Yuasa had Takahashi end the film by having Gamera be presumably killed by sacrificing his life to save Earth, while the later-published [[manga]] by [[Hurricane Ryu]] depicted that Gamera was artificially resurrected.<ref name=MangaBoys />

In 1985, the American distribution rights to the ''Gamera'' films were bought by producer [[Sandy Frank]], who distributed five of the eight films with new [[English dubbing]].{{sfn|Morgan|2015|p=10}} In 1988 and 1989, Frank's versions of ''Gamera, the Giant Monster'' (simply re-titled ''Gamera''),<ref name=dvdtalk /> ''Gamera vs. Barugon'', ''Gamera vs. Gyaos'' (re-titled ''Gamera vs. Gaos''), ''Gamera vs. Guiron'', and ''Gamera vs. Zigra'' were each used in episodes of the television program ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', during the show's [[List of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes#KTMA-TV (1988–89)|first season]], which aired on [[KTMA-TV]].<ref name=dvdtalk />{{sfn|Morgan|2015|p=10}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Murray|first=Noel|url=https://www.avclub.com/mst3k-vs-gamera-1798169020|title=MST3K Vs. Gamera|date=27 July 2011|work=The A. V. Club|access-date=24 July 2019}}</ref>

The attempt to reboot the franchise after ''[[Gamera: Super Monster]]'' didn't materialize.<ref name=Ui />

===Heisei era (1995–2015)===
{{Expand section|date=November 2022}}

==== Tokuma Shoten ====
In the 1995 series reboot by [[Tokuma Shoten]], ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'', three [[Gyaos]] are discovered on a remote island. The Japanese government discovers that they are all female and decides that since they are the last of their kind, they should be captured and studied. Meanwhile, scientists search for a moving atoll in the Pacific. When the atoll is located, small gems made of an unknown metal are discovered on it, as well as a stone that protrudes from the center of the island. The scientists take pictures and collect some of the strange gems, but the stone crumbles and the atoll moves off towards Japan at high speeds. The atoll is found to be an ancient monster of Atlantean origin called Gamera. He attacks the Gyaos; two are killed, but one escapes. The remaining Gyaos grows to Gamera-like proportions and returns to resume the battle. Gamera defeats this foe and heads out to sea.

In ''[[Gamera 2: Attack of Legion]]'', released in 1996, Gamera defends the [[Earth]] from attacks by an alien force known as [[Legion (kaiju)|Legion]] ([[:ja:レギオン (架空の怪獣)|jp]]).

In ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'', released in 1999, Gamera has to face hordes of Gyaos Hyper and a new foe known as Iris which is a subspecies of Gyaos. [[Shusuke Kaneko]] originally wanted to end the film with Gamera's victory against the swarms of Gyaos, however his idea was cancelled partially due to budgetary problems.<ref name=KanekoDiary />

[[Yasuyoshi Tokuma]] ([[:ja:徳間康快|jp]])'s proposal for a crossover with [[Godzilla]] didn't materialize,<ref name=Kaneda /><ref name=MagMix /> and "G4" was cancelled,<ref name=MWP /> and Tokuma Shoten eventually disposed Daiei Film properties due to Yasuyoshi's death in 2000 and the financial condition of the company.<ref name=Nikkei />

The 2003 [[independent film]], ''[[GAMERA 4-TRUTH]]'' ([[:ja:ガメラ4 真実|jp]]), which presumably reused the scrapped plot of "G4", was produced by Shinpei Hayashiya ([[:ja:林家しん平|jp]]) with featuring [[Yukijirō Hotaru]].{{refn|His teacher, Yukitarō Hotaru's appearance in ''[[Gamera vs. Gyaos]]'' was the main reason for Yukijirō's involvements in the Heisei Gamera trilogy.<ref name=Perfection />|group="note"}} Tokuma Shoten gave a permission to it under the condition to not to take fees, and it has been repeatedly co-screened with canonical ''Gamera'' films on occasions.<ref name=Imai/>

In early 1990s, there existed attempts to produce new productions which were different from the Heisei trilogy. [[Niisan Takahashi]] independently developed an idea as the later basis for ''Gamera vs. Phoenix'',<ref name=Stuart /><ref name=DaieiScripts /> where he had experienced a discord against Tokuma Shoten for the production of ''[[Gamera: Guardian of the Universe]]'' and severed ties with all stakeholders.<ref name=YuasaInterview /> There was also a new [[Direct-to-video#OVA and V-Cinema in Japan|V-cinema]] project around 1991.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 /> Prior to the production of ''[[Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris]]'', there existed a film project ''"Gamera 2.5"''{{refn|Two subsequent Heisei-trilogy-based manga, ''Gamera vs. Barugon: Comic Version'' ([[:ja:大怪獣激闘 ガメラ対バルゴン COMIC VERSION|jp]]) and {{Nihongo|''Gamera Side Story: Version 2.5''|ガメラ外伝 Ver 2.5|Gamera Gaiden Bājon 2.5|lead=yes}}, instead bore the number "2.5".<ref name=Perfection />|group="note"}} by [[Shusuke Kaneko]] and [[Kazunori Ito]] and others due to [[Shinji Higuchi]]'s reluctance to participate in the 1999 film. Its plot never involved Gamera directly, and instead focused on a juvenile Gyaos attacking on a depopulated, mountainous village, and aged villagers resisting the monster. Higuchi eventually joined the 1999 film due to the cancellation of the project by [[Mamoru Oshii]]{{refn|Oshii and various members of the Heisei Gamera trilogy, including Kaneko and Ito and Higuchi, have had connections since before the production of the Heisei trilogy. Oshii's works, such as ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'', which have had occasional associations with the ''Gamera'' and ''Daimajin'' franchises, and other scrapped projects, influenced the production of the Heisei trilogy, and Oshii was at one point supposed to join the trilogy.<ref name=EigaHiho2021 /><ref name=Ono2018 />|group="note"}}, which was the preceding project of ''[[Garm Wars: The Last Druid]]'' (2014).<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=EigaHiho2021 />

==== Kadokawa Corporation ====
In ''[[Gamera the Brave]]'', the first reboot attempt by [[Kadokawa Corporation]] released in 2006, Gamera (Avant Gamera and Toto) battles a flock of Original Gyaos and Zedus, a [[mutant]] kaiju under the influence of Gyaos.<ref name=BravePamphlet /> It was initially intended to be a [[Crossover (fiction)|crossover]] with [[Godzilla]], and the company also initiated reboot attempts of ''[[Daimajin]]'' and ''[[Yokai Monsters]]'', and the 2005 film ''[[The Great Yokai War]]'' was produced.<ref name=Perfection /><ref name=Karasawa /><ref name=Zakzak /><ref name=Aiken /> Afterward the 2006 film, [[#Influences of the Heisei Trilogy|various subsequent productions including its sequels]], along with a ''Daimajin'' project were cancelled, and ''[[Daimajin Kanon]]'' was instead produced.<ref name=Nezura1964 />

In March 2014, [[Anime News Network]] reported that a new ''Gamera'' production was planned, with no release date specified.<ref name=ANN>{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-03-12/new-gamera-project-listed-by-retailer|title=New Gamera Project Listed by Retailer|date=12 March 2014|website=Anime News Network|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref>

At the [[New York Comic Con]] held in October 2015, [[Kadokawa Daiei Studio]]'s senior managing director Tsuyoshi Kikuchi and producer [[Shinichiro Inoue]] ([[:ja:井上伸一郎|jp]]) screened a full proof-of-concept film in honor of the franchise's 50th anniversary; the short was directed by [[Katsuhito Ishii]] and its music was composed by [[Kenji Kawai]].<ref name=CGWORLD /><ref name=WebNewType>{{Cite web |title=ガメラ50周年映像を手がけた石井監督を直撃 (前編) |url=https://webnewtype.com/report/article/67391/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=WebNewtype |language=ja}}</ref> The proof-of-concept film featured a newly designed Gamera, a swarm of newly designed Gyaos and a new, as yet unnamed monster, all of which were created and rendered through the use of [[computer-generated imagery]].<ref name=amaya>{{cite web|last=Amaya|first=Erik|url=https://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/10/09/nycc-15-gamera-is-still-the-friend-of-all-children-in-new-trailer/|title=NYCC '15: Gamera Is Still The Friend Of All Children In New Trailer|date=9 October 2015|website=Bleeding Cool|publisher=Avatar Press|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-10-09/new-gamera-monster-cg-footage-unveiled-by-katsuhito-ishii/.93952|title=New Gamera Monster CG Footage Unveiled by Katsuhito Ishii|date=9 October 2015|website=Anime News Network|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Chapman|first=Paul|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/10/09-1/video-teaser-trailer-for-new-gamera-film-directed-by-katsuhito-ishii|title=VIDEO: Teaser Trailer for New "Gamera" Film Directed by Katsuhito Ishii|date=9 October 2015|website=Crunchyroll|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref> It has been rumored since the film's showing at New York Comic Con that it was never completed. However, the film's official website<ref>{{Cite web |title=レポート |url=http://gamera-50th.jp/ |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=ガメラ生誕50周年記念特別サイト |language=ja}}</ref> and an interview with the director both state that it was only a short proof of concept film. However, Inoue was actually trying to reboot the franchise with a new film for five years.<ref name=CGWORLD>{{Cite web |title=『GAMERA』石井克人監督 インタビュー（続報）最新のVFX技法を取り入れ、" 新世代の特撮"を実現させる |url=https://cgworld.jp/interview/201511-gamera.html |access-date=2022-04-09 |website=CGWORLD ([[:ja:CGWORLD|jp]]) |language=ja}}</ref><ref name=Nezura1964 />

=== Reiwa era (2023) ===
{{Main|Gamera Rebirth}}
An anime series, titled ''Gamera Rebirth'', was released globally on [[Netflix]] in 2023.<ref name="November Rebirth">{{cite web|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/11/16-1/legendary-kaiju-gamera-gets-new-work-gamera-rebirth-on-netflix|title=Legendary Kaiju Gamera Gets New Work GAMERA -Rebirth- on Netflix|first=Mikikazu|last=Komatsu|work=[[Crunchyroll]]|date=16 November 2022|access-date=17 November 2022|url-status=live|archive-date=18 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118023841/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/11/16-1/legendary-kaiju-gamera-gets-new-work-gamera-rebirth-on-netflix}}</ref><ref name="Variety 3-24-23"/> A number of references to previous films and scrapped projects were made, including the reuse of the ''[[Gamera March]]'' ([[:ja:ガメラマーチ|ja]]), the iconic Showa song.<ref name=RebirthArtbook /> For example, designs of Gamera and Gyaos and the scene for Gamera to shoot down a flock of smaller Gyaos with his fireball in the first episode are reused from the 2015 short film, and [[Katsuhito Ishii]] was credited as the designer of Gamera.<ref name=RebirthArtbook /> It yet again suffers insufficiency in budget; it features poorly done 3D models for humans,<ref>{{cite web |author=Sean Barry |date=2023 |url=https://asianmoviepulse.com/2023/09/anime-review-gamera-rebirth-2023-by-hiroyuki-seshita/ |title=Anime Review: Gamera Rebirth (2023) by Hiroyuki Seshita |website=Asian Movie Pulse |access-date=2024-12-18}}</ref> and lacks an [[opening animation]] ([[:ja:オープニングアニメーション|jp]]) which is a common feature of Japanese [[anime]].<ref>KADOKAWA Anime, 9 September 2023,
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdFGYI-g4WY 『GAMERA -Rebirth-（ガメラリバース）』オープニング映像｜WANIMA「夏暁」], Youtube</ref> The battle scenes were also cut in half from what was originally intended to be,<ref name="Dengeki" /> including cancellations of a number of monsters' abilities and characteristics,<ref name=RebirthArtbook /> and Seshita noted that inserting kaiju battles in every episode was very difficult for budgetary problems.<ref name=RebirthArtbook /> While crews are willing to produce additional seasons (potentially up to 5) with more budgets and increased fighting scenes,<ref name=Interview4>Kadokawa Anime, 12 October 2023, ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEiw_7NcayU GAMERA -Rebirth- | Special Interview Part 4]'', at 01:37 and 06:15, Youtube</ref> the future of the series is uncertain.<ref name=RebirthArtbook /><ref name="Dengeki">{{cite web |website= [[Dengeki Hobby Magazine]] |date=2023-09-06 |url=https://hobby.dengeki.com/event/2064376/ |title=Netflix『GAMERA-Rebirth-』"シーズン5まではいける"瀬下寛之監督は早くも実写化に意欲！金元寿子さん・松岡禎丞さん・豊崎愛生さんたち声優陣も登壇したトークショーをレポート！ |access-date=2024-12-18}}</ref> [[Hiroyuki Seshita]] ([[:ja:瀬下寛之|jp]]) also pointed a possibility of the series to be adapted into live-action productions,<ref name="Dengeki" /> and expressed his wish for the series to contribute to the revival of the franchise.<ref>KADOKAWA Anime, 5 October 2023, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIzv8HJwoHs 『Making of "GAMERA -Rebirth-"』ガメラリバースインタビュー映像③【Netflix世界配信中】], at 04:24, Youtube</ref>