The Seventh Sister

KANEGON KANEGON KANEGON !!!

Today, 18 of November of 2020, is a special day in the Ultra series, because Kanegon, THE Kanegon, will appear in an Ultraman episode! Ultraman Z episode 13!

But who is Kanegon, anyway? He’s a monster with a head shaped like a purse and a zipper-mouth who eats coins like we eat food.

Also, he just happens to be one of the most iconic characters in all of Tsuburaya’s filmography alongside Ultraman himself. He actually debuted before Ultraman, in the black-and-white kind-of-anthology series Ultra Q, in what may be its most iconic episode. Kanegon also appered in… very little else.

That’s one of the most interesting things about Kanegon. When you look at all the stuff that comes from Tsuburaya, Kanegon is both everywhere and barely anywhere. He’s very present in publicity and merchandise, especially alongside the Ultraman monster Pigmon as the default kid-friendliest duo, but he barely appears in actual stories, and even when it does it seems to be mostly as a nod to its one Ultra Q episode.

But what is that episode about, anyway? It begins with some kids playing/making easy money on a construction site, and being bullied by two construction workers on a bulldozer. One particularly greedy kid gets turned into the monster Kanegon by a magical cocoon-thingy, and has to eat coins regularly or else he will die! His friends aren’t afraid of him, and try to help him, first by making money for him, but eventually by consulting a mystic. She tells them that to revert the curse they have to… make the construction worker bullies turn upside-down?

It’s a very bizarre episode, to say the least, especially because the series’ main characters aren’t even in it. It feels like some kind of modern fairy-tale, or a short movie. It definetly feels special even if one hasn’t watched the rest of the series.

Kanegon would actually reappear shortly after in the “first” episode of Ultraman, but not the one featuring the monster I have as my avatar, no. Before the series proper there was a televised play known as “Birth of Ultraman”, in wich the hero debuted alongside some of his future foes… and Kanegon. Despite not appearing in the show proper, Kanegon’s silhouette would be present in Ultraman’s opening.

Kanegon’s audiovisual appearences are few and far-between afterwards. An alien robot version appeared in Ultraman Zearth 2… wich is a parody movie from the 90s. There was a female version in the sequel series Ultra Q: Dark Fantasy from 2004. He also made one single appearence in Redman that was nonetheless very memorable… for the wrong reasons…

He probably has the biggest bulk of appearences in recent years through a series of animated shorts alongside Pigmon and Alien Dada called Kaiju Step Wandabada:

It really says something about Kanegon’s staying power that it has become so iconic regardless. It all comes back to the monster himself and the episode he debuted in waaaay back in the 60s (a black-and-white episode without fights at that). I gotta say I really love his design. The combination of coin purse and seashell for a head, the snail eyes. it’s rustic bag-like body, it all comes together very nicely and charmingly.

It’s very bold of Ultraman Z to finally bring Kanegon to an Ultraman episode. Since the hero gets his powers from medals, Kanegon will naturally want to eat them. I’m both exited and nervous.