Release OrderRecommended
0 / 13 watchedAll twelve films plus the anime series, grouped by era. Start here.
Showa era (1965-1980)
- 1 Gamera, the Giant Monster Black-and-white original. Gamera starts as the menace, closer in tone to the 1954 Godzilla.
- 2 Gamera vs. Barugon First color entry. Gamera turns hero against the rainbow-rayed Barugon.
- 3 Gamera vs. Gyaos Introduces Gyaos, the flying archenemy. First entry built around a child lead.
- 4 Gamera vs. Viras Alien invasion plot with heavy reuse of earlier effects footage.
- 5 Gamera vs. Guiron Two boys land on an alien world. Known for its graphic monster fights.
- 6 Gamera vs. Jiger Gamera faces the horned Jiger in Osaka.
- 7 Gamera vs. Zigra Sea monster Zigra threatens a moon base scheme. Last of the classic run before the hiatus.
- 8 Gamera: Super Monster Mostly stock footage from earlier films. Made after Daiei collapsed, for completists only.
Heisei era (1995-2006)
- 9 Gamera: Guardian of the Universe Shusuke Kaneko's reboot. Roger Ebert gave it three stars.
- 10 Gamera 2: Attack of Legion Gamera takes on the silicon-based Legion swarm in Sapporo.
- 11 Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris Darkest entry. Gamera faces Iris and a flock of Hyper Gyaos.
- 12 Gamera the Brave A boy raises Toto, a young Gamera. Stands alone from the trilogy.
Reiwa animation
- 13 GAMERA Rebirth Six-episode Netflix anime set in 1989, later re-edited for Japanese TV.
Start With the Heisei Trilogy
0 / 7 watchedNewcomers start with the acclaimed trilogy, then sample the rest if they want more.
- 1 Gamera: Guardian of the Universe The reboot that relaunched the series. If you watch one Gamera film, make it this run of three.
- 2 Gamera 2: Attack of Legion
- 3 Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris
- 4 Gamera the Brave Gentler standalone from the trilogy team. Good next step after the trilogy.
- 5 Gamera, the Giant Monster The 1965 original, for the historical roots.
- 6 Gamera vs. Gyaos Best of the kid-targeted Showa sequels.
- 7 GAMERA Rebirth Modern anime reboot. Ends the tour.
About Gamera
Gamera began in 1965 as Daiei's answer to Godzilla, a giant flying turtle who turned from menace into a friend to children across eight Showa films.
The 1990s Heisei trilogy rebooted the character with a serious tone and modern effects, and the 2023 Netflix anime GAMERA Rebirth continued the story in animation.
Good to know
The Showa entries share loose continuity and play best as kid-friendly monster fun, while the Heisei trilogy stands apart and can be watched on its own. Kadokawa said in March 2025 that a new 60th anniversary project was in preparation, but nothing has been dated, and director Shusuke Kaneko's November 2025 pledge to direct a new film remains only talk so far.
