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If you’ve never heard of the Pacific Rim kaiju before, you’re missing out.
On top of recent additions to the Godzilla and King Kong series, Pacific Rim has established itself in the kaiju pantheon with some seriously badass monsters, incredible special effects, and some amazing battle scenes. Dedicated kaiju fans can watch both movies in the series: Pacific Rim and Pacific Rim: The Uprising, as well as the new kaiju-anime crossover Pacific Rim: The Black on Netflix.
In addition to these films and Netflix series, there is also a series of comic books for those who want to dive even further into “The Breach” and experience even more Pacific Rim kaiju monsters. With so many offerings in this immersive universe, it’s hard to narrow down which of these Pacific Rim kaiju were the most terrifying. But let’s give it a try.
What makes a Pacific Rim kaiju scary? Well, they’re all pretty darn big, so that doesn’t really help to narrow it down. They all also seem pretty intent on destroying anything in their path (unless we’re talking about Godzilla or one of the other benevolent kaiju in other series), so we can toss that out the window as well.
However, among these vicious heavyweights, there are definitely some distinguishing characteristics that make some more fearsome than others. Can they fly? Do they have immensely destructive pseudo-magical abilities? Do they have huge weapons instead of hands? These are things to take into consideration when determining which kaiju top the charts in terms of scariness.
In this article, I’ll attempt to identify the most horrifying Pacific Rim kaiju. I plan on sticking to the films alone to accommodate for those who have only just dipped their toes in the Pacific Rim universe.
Hopefully, after reading this, you’ll be inspired to check out the Netflix series and the awesome comic books (if you haven’t already). After seeing these terrifying kaiju, I think we will all be glad that there isn’t a real breach in the Pacific Ocean spewing out giant monsters.
1. Slattern
The obvious choice for the most terrifying Pacific Rim kaiju is Slattern, the most powerful kaiju that the Pan Pacific Defense Corps must face in the original film. Slattern has three razor-sharp tails that it can twirl around like a spinning blade or use for long-range precision strikes that can pierce the armor of a Jaeger. Slattern also has a thick spike in the middle of his chest that he can extend for a heart-piercing close-range blow.
On top of all that, Slattern is the only kaiju in the Pacific Rim universe that is given the Category V danger rating (the highest rating out there). In fact, he’s able to take out both Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka in the first battle of the first film.
Fortunately, Gipsy Danger is able to latch onto Slattern’s body as they fall down The Breach, using the kaiju as a passkey, allowing Gipsy Danger to self-detonate and close the breach, signifying victory for humanity.
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2. Knifehead
While only a Category III kaiju, Knifehead deserves to be high on this list of the most fearsome Pacific Rim kaiju simply because of his appearance. I mean, his name is certainly fitting considering he has a massive protrusion coming out of his head that’s shaped like a chef’s knife. The knife-shaped bulge can be used to cut through the exterior of a Jaeger, just like he nearly did to Gipsy Danger in one of the first scenes of the first film.
He’s also got a total of four arms, all of which are adorned with three sharp claws that can be used to grapple and dig into Jaegers.
While Kinfehead is eventually killed by Gypsy Danger’s Plasmacaster blast, the battle is anything but easy. Before he’s defeated, Knifehead manages to tear off many parts of Gipsy Danger’s armor and even destroys the right side of the Jaeger’s cockpit, killing Yancy.
To be clear, there are far more powerful kaiju in the Pacific Rim series, but in terms of which kaiju are most likely to appear in my nightmares, Knifehead is definitely up there.
3. Otachi
There is one reason and one reason only that Otachi deserves to be on the list of most terrifying Pacific Rim kaiju: she can fly. Alright, that’s not the only reason. She’s also got that three-pronged tail that can pierce through the armor of a Jaeger and instantly kill the pilot if she’s able to hit the cockpit. She can also spew acid that will burn through armor. Plus, you can’t really tell where her eyes are, and there’s something undoubtedly creepy about that.
But, let’s be honest, the scariest part about Otachi is what she does to Gipsy Danger. Yes, Gipsy Danger is able to cut her in half in the end, but only after the kaiju drags him up into the atmosphere. Can you imagine a worse way to die than free-falling out of the sky after being pulled up there by a giant flying monster? I can’t.
There was also the whole thing about Otachi’s offspring escaping from her womb after she died and wreaking havoc on the city, which only added to how scary this kaiju is.
4. Mega-Kaiju
Adding Mega-Kaiju, the final foe in Pacific Rim: The Uprising, to this list kind of felt like cheating, but really there was no way around it. Mega-Kaiju is definitely the most powerful monster that appears in the Pacific Rim series.
He is the combination of Shrikethorn, Raijin, and Hakuja, all of which were powerful kaiju on their own. Once they’re combined, Mega-Kaiju is pretty much unstoppable, as he shrugs off every attack by the Jaegers. He’s got six legs and two tails, all of which are covered in sharp protrusions, not to mention the two tusks that he got from Hakuja.
Not only is Mega-Kaiju horrifying and nearly indestructible, but he’s also crazy enough to want to throw himself into the active volcano Mount Fuji. That’s some hardcore kamikaze stuff right there.
Gipsy Avenger is only able to stop Mega-Kaiju from launching himself into the volcano, which would trigger a world-ending explosion, by propelling himself up into the air using a Kaiju blood-powered rocket and colliding with Mega-Kaiju at terminal velocity.
5. Mutavore
You know when something is scary simply because it doesn’t seem like it has any idea what it’s doing? That’s Mutavore in a nutshell. He just seems like a big, dumb brute that doesn’t really know how to use his limbs and has no concept of self-preservation.
Plus, that head looks like a straight-up battle-axe that’s ready to be slung recklessly at anything that comes into his path. He’s also got some pretty buff arms that extend into fearsome claws that are not to be messed with.
While Mutavore is classified as a Category IV kaiju, which isn’t quite the highest danger rating, he’s still the first kaiju to break through the Anti-Kaiju Wall and attack the city of Sydney.
While Mutavore is swiftly taken care of by Striker Eureka, it takes an entire barrage of missiles to do so, with quite a few buildings crumbling to the ground in the process. No, Mutavore was not the biggest threat in the Pacific Rim series, but his reckless brute strength earns him a spot on this list.
