On November 3, 1954, Ishiro Hondas original Gojira was released in Japan. In the sixty years since, this creation has inspired twenty-seven sequels, as well as decades of spinoffs and satires; books and blogs; and T-shirts and toys. Meanwhile, other cinema monsters, from favorites like King Kong and Mothra to newcomers like Cloverfield and The Host, have carried this legacy across languages and cultures. An understanding of daikaiju eiga - large mysterious creature cinema - has become as essential to cultural literacy in the United States as the ability to recognize the tropes of westerns or space operas.