Ravana
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Ravana (ラーヴァナ Rāvana) is a giant demon king from the Hindu legend Ramayana. He appeared in the 1940s Toho marionette adaptation of the same name.
Name
Ravana's name comes from the Indian word Rāvaṇa (Sanskrit: रावण), meaning "roaring."
Development
Ravana was played by an unknown actor in a costume, and shot among miniature sets to appear giant. This suitmation-esque method predated Toho's most famous suitmation monster, Godzilla.
Design
Ravana is portrayed as a bald, mostly-unclothed humanoid with a pronounced belly. While he is often multi-armed and multi-headed in Hindu depictions, he has only two arms and one head in the film.
History
- Ramayana (1940s)
Showa era
Ramayana
Ravana appeared in the skies above the goddess Sita and snatched her in his hand before disappearing. Sugriva ultimately tracked Sita to Lankapura, the capital city of Ravana's island fortress Lanka. Sugriva sneaked inside Ravana's palace, where the demon was being served food and watching a woman dance, and informed Sita of an impending rescue. When an army of Vanaras marched on the city, Ravana was awoken from a nap to find Sita gone. Outside, he spotted her escaping and grabbed her. Sugriva annoyed Ravana by stomping on his head, then narrowly escaped a retaliatory jet of fire from the demon's mouth. Ravana returned inside to admire Sita, but set her down to fight off Vanaras who breached the palace. Though he stepped outside again to stop the warriors' advance, he soon retreated back inside as Rama joined the fray with arrows. The Vanaras and arrows followed Ravana inside, where he was killed by an arrow to the eye.
Abilities
Flight
Ravana appeared in the sky and descended to the surface to kidnap Sita, before flying away with her.
Physical abilities
Ravana primarily fought off the Vanaras by kicking them, tossing them, and creating quakes with his footsteps.
Fire breath
Ravana can shoot a stream of fire from his mouth, which he used in an attempt to shoot Sugriva out of the sky.
Deathly stare
As eight Vanaras flew toward Ravana, he caused them to fall motionless to the ground with his gaze.
Weaknesses
Ravana was overwhelmed by the Vanaras, their trailing balls of fire, and Rama's arrows, and retreated into his palace. He was killed by an arrow to the eye.
Trivia
- Ravana is likely the first giant monster and first monster to breathe flame in a Toho production, both predating Godzilla by roughly a decade.
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