Daigoro vs. Goliath (released as The Monsters' Desperate Battle – Daigoro vs. Goliath) is an obscure 1972 Japanese children's Kaiju movie produced by Tsuburaya Productions (the same people behind Ultraman), making it the company's first original non-Ultra Series kaiju movie.
The movie's story center's around the titular Daigoro, a pot-bellied, hippopotamus-like monster whose mother was killed by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. The orphaned kaiju was raised by a lone man who had taken pity on the lonely infant and hid it from the JSDF on a remote island. However, this peaceful existence soon becomes threatened by two issues — the growing Daigoro's increasingly expensive nutritional requirements, and the appearance of the much less friendly secondary monster in the title, Goliath. Now humanity's only hope against this terrible threat is the gentle Daigoro, who will have to learn to fight if he hopes to stand a chance against Goliath.
Daigoro vs. Goliath was originally released for the Toho Championship Festival, a seasonal children's film festival set up by Toho Studios during the 70s as part of their attempts to resurrect the Godzilla franchise with a more children-focused direction as movie theater attendance declined. Many of Godzilla's later Showa outings, like All Monsters Attack and Godzilla vs. Megalon were shown at these festivals, alongside edited-down versions of older Toho movies, animated films, and compilations of Ultra Series episodes.
This movie contains examples of:
- Bizarre Sexual Dimorphism: Daigoro and his mother.
- Gentle Giant: Daigoro is a 35-meter tall baby kaiju who wouldn't hurt a fly.
- Kaiju: Both title characters, as well as Daigoro's mother.
- Lighter and Softer: This movie is quite childish, being a kiddie film, but even moreso than many contemporary kaiju flicks which were also aimed at children.
- Shock and Awe: Goliath's main ability. He can shoot lightning from his horn and channel electricity though his body.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: This movie is pretty lighthearted for a Kaiju flick. Then Goliath enters the picture. Not only is his introductory scene ominous, with a storm appearing out of nowhere and the music taking on a darker air, but Goliath promptly beats Daigoro nearly to death before rampaging across Japan, all of which is treated much more seriously than the first half of the film.
