Film: Varan (1958), Destroy All Monsters (1968)

Alias: Baradagi-Sanjin, O-Baki, Baran, Monster from the East

Type: Ancient

Location: Forest/Ocean/Civilized area

Height/Weight: 50 meters and 15,000 metric tons.

Affiliation: Neutral

Summary: Pity Varan, the weak link in the roster of monsters that inhabit Godzilla's world. Anyone who remembers him won't be keen to admit it, and those who don't probably scoff at his existence. It sucks to be Varan, but it sucks even harder for those who feel his wrath.

History: Worshipped by the residents of a mountain village as the great god Baradagi, this prehistoric species was known by science as a Varanopode. According to the villagers, to enter Baradagi's domain is to anger him into destroying everything. And that's exactly what happened, as the army bombed Varan's favorite body of water, ruining his way of life, and spurning him to attack the world at large, starting with Japan.

Notable Kills: Nothing special.

Final Fate: After attacking Tokyo for a while, Varan is tricking into swallowing bombs, which detonate as he retreats into the sea, seemingly killing him. That was clearly not the case, as he was last seen chilling on Monster Island.

Powers/Abilities: Aside from immunity to most weaponry, Varan is capable of gliding with the help of special folds on his body, much like a flying squirrel does.

Weakness: Varan is rather enamored by shiny objects. Also, like many other creatures, he's not invulnerable on the inside.

Scariness Factor: 3.5-Again, in a world of atomic breath and super-sonic fliers, Varan falls utterly short. While he's definitely someone to avoid as he rampages, he's not the most remarkable of kaiju, power-wise or appearance-wise.

Trivia: -Varan's name either comes from the scientific genus for monitor lizards, Varunus, or an extinct family of mammal-like reptiles known as Varanopidae.

-Varan's movie, like almost all the others, got an Americanized version known as "Varan the Unbelievable". The less said about it, the better!