Kaiju of the Week: Raiju

A category IV kaiju from the movie Pacific Rim. Kaiju's are otherworldly creatures from a universe called the Anteverse. They were made by the Precursors as a way for the alien gods to scout out and inhabit new worlds. The kaiju scouts are sent through a portal in the Pacific Ocean, called the Breach. Raiju closely resembles crocodilians, with the same overall build, armored back and long powerful tail. It first appeared stalking Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka as the two jaegers made their way to the Breach. At first Raiju appears with Scunner, the two of them working together to protect the breach from the incoming jaegers. This beautiful creature has a face with two layers: the top one being 3 plates that split apart (two on top and one the bottom) to protect a weaker fleshy head underneath. Although this does not mean that its jaws are weak. After the jaegers engage Raiju and Scunner, the two kaiju's work together in combat, where it shows Raiju swimming at full speed at Gipsy, and tearing the arm from the mech. Despite its massive size, Raiju is extremely fast, in water and on land. It was known as the fastest kaiju on record until Slattern, the first Category V. In this movie, all the assets are big, the mechs and monsters, with the biggest Jaeger shown in the movie being Gipsy Danger, who stands at 260 feet. Raiju comes close to that height at 258 feet, making this croc a formidable opponent, without the help of Scunner. Raiju is also known as the heaviest Category IV kaiju, and weighs 3,475 tons, nearly twice the weight of Gipsy. Though this croc may not be my favorite kaiju from this movie, it is certainly one that I remember the most from the first time I watched it. It looks like a tank, yet still has elements that make it look sleek and lethal. As a kid, seeing the plates open was an awe-inspiring moment, since most of the other kaiju's look quite similar to each other. Raiju was a beautifully designed kaiju in my opinion, though I would have loved to see more of it in the movie, and to see it fighting or moving on land, compared to just seeing it in the water.