Monogelos [1][2][3] is a species of extraterrestrial Kaiju, and is the only space monster out of the seven monsters who appeared during K-Day. After its defeat, its remnant horn that was then called the Monohorn stands as a landmark in Mt. Shishio.
Later, the two-horned Digelos [3][4][5] becomes Ultraman Arc's first opponent. Other variants include the far more powerful three-horned Trigelos [6][7][8] and the hornless Zerogelos [9][10].
Subtitle: Galactic Beast [1][2][3][4][7][8]
Conception[]
Etymology[]
"Mono-", "Di-", and "Tri-" are prefixes that mean "one of", "two of", and "three of" respectively, referring to the number of horns on Mono/Di/Trigelos' head.
The term "gelos" has not been officially explained yet. However, considering that Monogelos has one horn while Digelos has two, it may be that "gelos" is related to or adapted from Ancient Greek κέρας (kéras) "horn", from which word μονόκερως (monókerōs) "having only one horn" derives, despite the substitution of the voiced consonant /g/ for the voiceless one /k/ as well as the exchange between two liquid consonants which are /l/ and /r/ because of the indistinction or confusion in Japanese between the "l" and "r". (Μονόκερως's descendant in Latin is monocerōs and in English is monoceros; there is also a calque of μονόκερως in Latin which is ūnicornis, from which the word "unicorn" is derived.) Monoceros, the Unicorn, is also the name of a constellation near the stellar equator.
Design[]
Mono/Di/Trigelos was designed by Tomo Hyakutake, who previously was in charge of the designs for Leviera and Dorgo in Ultraman Blazar.[11] The Kaiju's motif appears to be inspired by Zetton and species of beetles, particularly the rhinoceros beetle for Monogelos, and the stag beetle for Digelos.
Mono/Di/Trigelos borrows design elements from Bemular (build and legs), Red King (back and tail), Antlar (horn) and Zetton (face and eyes).
History[]
Pre-Ultraman Arc[]
Monogelos' first chronological appearance was when it chased Rution through Ze Su's artificial wormhole. Though Rution successfully saved the Earth from his sun, the star Sonia's excess radiation by sealing the Ze Su Gate, Monogelos relentlessly attacked him, and both entities crash-landed on Earth.
Ultraman Arc[]
16 years ago, Monogelos emerged from a spatial disturbance and landed near the hillsides of Hoshimoto City, locked in battle with the giant of light, Rution. Unbeknownst to them, this was also where the Hize family were having their family outing, and when Monogelos set off its terrifying attacks, Yuma Hize's parents were caught in the aftermath. Thankfully, Monogelos was defeated by Rution before it could unleash its true power, but a remnant of it was left in the form of the Monohorn.
Digelos launches a massive attack on Hoshimoto City.
In the present day, the same spatial disturbance would appear above the skies of Hoshimoto City, with SKIP arriving to investigate. Later, a source of high frequency noise began to emanate from both the distortion and the Monohorn, almost as if in resonance with each other. In an otherworldly flash of light, another space Kaiju similar to Monogelos descended from the skies, this time with two horns. Dubbed Digelos, the monster located the Monohorn and began laying waste to the city, shrugging off any and all attacks from the responding GDF forces.
On this day, Yuma would also be granted extraordinary power, transforming into Ultraman Arc for the first time to face the extraterrestrial menace. However, try as he might, all of Arc's attacks were either countered by Digelos' own, or deflected by the Digelos Shutter. Arc struggled against Digelos' fearsome strength, and the situation appeared perilous as his Color Timer started to blink. But with the power of imagination, Yuma devised an innovative solution to the Digelos Shutter, turning the Arc Finalize into a flexible energy whip that went right around the barrier and through Digelos' head. This ended the Kaiju's threat as it exploded into countless pieces, with Arc finishing the job by destroying its horns to prevent another Monohorn situation.Unleash Your Imagination!
Three months afterwards, activity was detected inside the Monohorn. SKIP investigated, where it was revealed an Oo-ze had been lying dormant inside for sixteen years before it finally became active and escaped.Arc to the Future
Several months later, another spatial disturbance appeared over Hoshimoto City. According to Biorno, one of Rution's superiors, while a plan to save Sonia's star system from destruction was going ahead, Ze Su intended to go ahead with his plan regardless. Accordingly, Trigelos emerged from the wormhole, and detected that Yuma was Arc's host by sensing the remnants of the Ze Su Gate within him.
After Yuma transformed into Arc, the two fought, but it became clear that Trigelos had been created specifically to counter all of Arc's attacks, and was even able to surpass the hero's armors with the use of its Trigelos Hoop. Using the hoop to crucify Arc, Trigelos repeatedly slashed at Arc's chest in an effort to kill him, but a sudden volley of missiles fired by the GDF's fighter jets destroyed Arc's restraints and gave him the opening to use his Galaxy Armor.
In a climactic final bout, Arc used the Arc Feather Claw to slice into Trigelos's chest, then fired his Arc Finalize into the laceration. Trigelos's body was unable to contain the incredible amounts of energy, and exploded with tremendous force, completely destroying the monster. As the dust cleared, Arc was nowhere to be seen, and a massive crater had formed where Trigelos had been standing.Calamity Thrice
Alongside Shagong, Leodo, Livyjira, Zadime and Givas, Digelos was one of the monsters conjured in a dream created by Guilebaku in an effort to convince Yuma that everything he had experienced for the past 16 years was just a dream. Following Trigelos's destruction, the spatial disturbance it emerged from remained open, serving as the access point for Guilebaku to reach Hoshimoto City.The Descending Dream
Trivia[]
- Suit actor: Yoshiki Kuwabara
- The sound effect used when Monogelos fires its lighting beam is a reused Baryonyx sound effect from Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
- Digelos' defeat by replica doll explosion is the first time in three years since Megalothor in Ultraman Trigger: New Generation Tiga.
- During the production of the replica doll explosion, concerns about potential damage or soiling of the background sky scene on the studio walls mean that such scenes can now only be shot outdoors. This preparation process is extremely time-consuming and typically only happens during the main director's pilot phase. If strong winds occur, the shoot will be canceled and deemed a failure.[12]
- The seamless transition from the suit performance to the replica doll explosion was achieved largely thanks to the 3D model scanned directly from the suit's cast mold, provided by Tomo Hyakutyake. The ability to create sculpted dolls directly from the 3D model data was a significant advantage. Additionally, the meticulous painting by the Tsuburaya maintenance team and the post-production work by the special effects team also contributed to realizing this effect.[13]
- Digelos is the second kaiju to be an Ultra's chronological first opponent in their series, but appear in a flashback episode rather than the first, the first being Galberos for Ultraman Nexus.
Data[]
- Stats
- Powers and Weapons
- Lightning Beam: A series of lightning bolts unleashed from Monogelos' horn.
- Monogelos appeared to be charging up a stronger variant of this attack when its horn began growing to a larger size.
- Light Bullets: A fusillade of homing energy bullets fired from the tube-like protrusions on its shoulders.[3]
- Stats
- Powers and Weapons
- Digelos Shutter : A front-facing energy shield that appears to be indestructible, yet partially intangible as Digelos was able to phase its hands through the barrier to counter Arc's attacks with its fireballs.
- Energy Beam: After collecting energy between its horns, Digelos lets loose a powerful focused beam from its "face".
- Energy Shells: Digelos can fire energy bullets from its "face".
- Lightning Beam: A series of lightning bolts unleashed from the space between Digelos' horns.
- Fireballs: A barrage of flaming projectiles of moderate strength, fired in quick succession from Digelos' hands.
- Light Bullets: A fusillade of homing energy bullets fired from the tube-like protrusions on its shoulders.
- Monohorn Resonance: Digelos was able to resonate with the Monohorn, causing both to produce noise and causing the structure to light up.
- Stats
- Powers and Weapons
- Ze Su Gate Resonance: Trigelos can emit a wave that will resonate with the Ze Su Gate, causing its energy to become visible and thus allow the monster to track it down.
- Light Swords: Yellow swords of light emerge from Trigelos' hands.[6] They can easily counter the Arc Eye Sword and cut through Ultra Armor.
- Energy Beam: A powerful focused beam from Trigelos' "face". Its power is on par with the Arc Finalize, and can even shatter the Solis Armor despite its great defensive strength. The beam can also be fired rapidly.
- Trigelos Hoop [6]: A construct that came from the same space-time distortion that Trigelos did. It allows Trigelos to counter Arc's armors.
- Super Speed: After equipping the Trigelos Hoop, Trigelos can move as fast as Arc can when wearing the Luna Armor.
- Disc Attack: Trigelos can launch the Trigelos Hoop to use it as a ranged weapon, similar to Arc Luna Armor's Luna Saucer.
- Crucifixion: The Trigelos Hoop can capture a target and hold them in a crucifixion position by attaching to their wrists, pulling their arms apart.[6]
- Energy Drill: By creating a construct similar to its predecessor's barrier in front of its upright horn, Trigelos makes a drill that it uses to ram an opponent.
Merchandise[]
Ultra Monster Advance[]
- Monogelos & Digelos (2024)
- Release Date: July 20, 2024
- Price: 2500 yen
- JAN/ISBN: 4570118242532
- Materials: PVC
- Ultra Monster Advance Monogelos & Digelos is a soft vinyl figure that stands 170 mm tall and has 7 points of articulation at its arms, legs, and tail. The main gimmick are the figure's interchangeable horn and head parts to recreate its two forms as seen in the show.
Gallery[]
Ultraman Arc[]
- Monogelos
- Digelos
Miscellaneous[]
- Monogelos
- Digelos
- Trigelos
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://tsuburaya-prod.com/encyclopedia/monogelos
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://m-78.jp/character/arc-3-1/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 https://cocreco.kodansha.co.jp/telemaga/news/feature/arc/Tc6GR
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://m-78.jp/character/arc-3-2/
- ↑ https://tsuburaya-prod.com/encyclopedia/digelos
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 https://m-78.jp/character/arc-23/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 https://cocreco.kodansha.co.jp/telemaga/news/feature/arc/4zSPN
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://tsuburaya-prod.com/encyclopedia/trigelos
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/post-7313
- ↑ https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/8068
- ↑ https://x.com/zhomo11/status/1809432216268898609
- ↑ https://x.com/TakaTsujimo/status/1815389934863421768
- ↑ https://x.com/TakaTsujimo/status/1815391576631410963
| Ultraman Arc Kaiju | |
|---|---|
| Ultraman Arc | Rution | Digelos | Gomora | Red King II | Oo-ze | Shagong | Leodo | Monogelos | Nezutron | Livyjira | Alien Croco | Homger | Internet Kanegon | Neronga | Pagos | Noiseler | Oka-Gubila | Givas | Alien Meguma | Sweed | Zadime | Mogusion | Zangill | Gedos | Taganular | Bazanga | Hellnarak | Earth Garon | Supekkio (Gomess (SP)) | Red Sphere (Dori, King of Mons) | Man in the White Mask | Pillar | Biorno | Trigelos | Guilebaku | Ze Su |
| Ultraman Arc The Movie | Alien Diggle Sascal | Alien Repo | Shagong | Guil Arc | Doglf | Repodios | Zerogelos | Gartura |
| Pre-series | Chandlar | Eleking | Bemstar | Antlar | Houlinga | Neldorand | Takkong | Silvergon | Shieldron | Syazac | Leilons | Saramandora | Flygler | Guebasser | Raibasser | Demaaga | Gudon | Oka-Gubila | Barebadon | Peter | Gabora | Magular | Gubila | Guigass | Mukadender | Sadola | Birdon | Mogrudon | Telesdon | Ragon | Giestron | King Guesra |