Varan

Since his first appearance in 1958, Varan has been featured in various entertainment mediums, in addition to comic books, novels, television series, and video games. In each appearance, artists have put their own spin on the character.

Varan made his first appearance on the silver screen in 1958, in the film Varan the Unbelievable.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=196}} In the film, Varan, a prehistoric reptile worshipped as the mountain deity "Baradagi" by the remote Iwaya village, is awakened by a group of scientists exploring the remote region of the mountain lake where he resides. Emerging from the lake, Varan destroys the entire village in a rage, killing many people. When the Japanese Defence Force arrives, they lure Varan out of the lake with flares before bombarding him with artillery, which seems to have no effect. Climbing to the highest peak, Varan unveils the large membranes under his arms, diving off the cliff, and gliding across the sky towards the ocean. Swimming towards the mainland, Varan is bombarded with countless bombs and artillery which do little to stop him, however, he seems to retreat when a truck carrying experimental explosives detonates underneath him. Devising a new strategy, the JSDF attaches some of the same explosives onto a series of flares in the hopes that Varan would swallow them. The plan appears to work, as Varan devours two of the explosives before they detonate, causing severe pain he retreats into the ocean before the last explosive detonates, seemingly killing him.{{sfn|Honda|1958}} In the American version of the film, released in 1962 as Varan the Unbelievable,{{sfn|Barr|2016|p=187}}{{sfn|Toho|1962|p=75}} Varan is not shown as capable of flight, with his fate being completely different than the original version. In this version, Varan is severely injured in an explosion, with the film ending with the kaiju crawling back into the ocean, never to be seen again.{{sfn|Rovin|1989|p=321}}{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=66}}

Varan's next appearance was in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters. Set at the end of the 20th Century, a possible juvenile member of Varan's species is shown residing in a containment area with many other kaiju known as Monster Island, located in the Ogasawara island chain. Varan's relative peace is soon shattered by the arrival of the alien race of world conquers known as the Kilaaks. Taking control of all the island's monsters, including Varan, and sending them on a rampage across the world in a global assault. Once the Kilaakian's control of the monsters is severed, Varan watched as many of the other kaiju defeat the Kilaak's own monster King Ghidorah at their base near Mount Fuji. Once Ghidorah and the Kilaaks are defeated, Varan and all the other monsters return to Monster Island to live out their days in peace.{{sfn|Honda|1968}}{{sfn|Skipper|2022|p=74}}

He made a brief cameo in the 2004 film Godzilla: Final Wars, via stock footage, depicting Earth besieged by various kaiju in the 20th century before the formation of the Earth Defense Force (EDF). He is briefly seen when a child is shown playing with several kaiju action figures, including one depicting Varan.{{sfn|Kitamura|2004}}

Varan made his first foray away from the silver screen in the comic book anthology series The Godzilla Comic, first published on February 10, 1990. In the comic's seventh segment Monster Warrior Godzilla, Varan exists in an alternate reality where all kaiju, including himself, are humanoid warriors living on different planets.{{Cite comic |writer=Ryu Hariken |artist=Ryu Hariken |title=The Godzilla Comic |story=Monster Warrior Godzilla |volume=1 |issue=7 |date=February 10, 1990 |publisher=Takarajimasha |location=Japan}} Varan later appeared in the IDW Publishing miniseries Godzilla: Rulers of Earth (2013 to 2015). In issues #4-5, Varan is shown emerging from a lake in China, traveling to a military bunker where he clashes with Rodan and Gaira before vanishing into the ocean. He is later shown in flashback, appearing in the ocean with Ebirah to attack the escaping islanders. In the final issue, Varan is revealed to have been captured by a race of power-absorbing aliens called Trilopods and is later freed by King Caesar, taking part in the final assault against the aliens before following Godzilla back into the ocean.{{Cite comic|writer=Chris Mowry; Matt Frank (story) |artist=Jeff Zornow |colorist=Priscilla Tramontano |letterer=Tom B. Long |story=An Unnatural History |title=Godzilla: Rulers of Earth |volume=1 |issue=4-5, 25 |date=February 19, 2014 |publisher=IDW Publishing |location=United States}} In the miniseries Godzilla in Hell (2015), A demonic representation of Varan emerges from the Eternal Ocean of Hell after Godzilla falls from the ice, following his fight with the demon Anguirus. Varan immediately attacks Godzilla, with a short fight ensuing ending in Godzilla defeating him with his atomic breath.{{Cite comic|writer=Bob Eggleton|artist=Bob Eggleton |colorist=Bob Eggleton |letterer=Chris Mowry|story=n.a.|title=Godzilla in Hell|volume=1|issue=2|date=August 1, 2015|publisher=IDW Publishing |location=United States}} Varan appeared in the fifth and final issue of Godzilla: Rage Across Time (2016). Set in the Late Cretaceous Period, Varan is shown alongside Anguirus, and Baragon as they battle Godzilla until the arrival of Keizer Ghidorah, who subsequently defeats all of the monsters.{{Cite comic|writer=Jay Fotos|artist=Jeff Zornow |colorist=Jay Fotos |letterer=Chris Mowry |story=n.a. |title=Godzilla in Hell |volume=1 |issue=5 |date=November 23, 2016 |publisher=IDW Publishing |location=United States}}

Varan made his literary debut in 1996, with the children's picture book Godzilla on Monster Island. In the story, Varan and Anguirus discover Mothra's cocoon washed up on the beach of Monster Island while going for a walk together, prompting Anguirus to seek Godzilla's help in protecting it.{{cite book|last=Dwyer|first=Jacqueline|title=Godzilla on Monster Island|date=October 29, 1996|publisher=Random House|location=United States|isbn=978-0-6798-8080-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KjB0PQAACAAJ}} He appeared in Godzilla 2000, the second novel in Marc Cerasini's Godzilla series. In the novel, an asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico near the Yucatan Peninsula, releasing Varan who swims to the shore of Mexico, going on a destructive rampage until it is wounded by armed forces once it reaches Galveston, Texas. He is last mentioned retreating back into the Gulf of Mexico.{{cite book |last=Cerasini|first=Marc|title=Godzilla 2000|date=November 11, 1997|publisher=Random House|location=United States|isbn=978-0-6798-8751-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsYDAAAACAAJ}} In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island (1998), Varan is one of the monsters who confront Godzilla, with the former later attacking the other monsters until he is subdued by Godzilla.{{cite book|last=Ciencin|first=Scott|title=Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island|date=March 31, 1998|publisher=Random House |location=United States|isbn=978-0-6798-8901-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K64OAAAACAAJ}} Varan made a brief appearance in Godzilla Likes to Roar! (1998).{{cite book |last=Milliron|first=Kerry|title=Godzilla Likes to Roar! |date=March 31, 1998|publisher=Random House |location=United States|isbn=978-0-6798-9125-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mD8JAAAACAAJ}} In Godzilla vs. the Space Monster (1998), a sequel to Journey to Monster Island, 'Varan joins forces with Godzilla and the other inhabitants of Monster Island to defeat King Ghidorah, returning to the island once the battle is finished.{{cite book |last=Ciencin |first=Scott |title=Godzilla vs. the Space Monster |date=March 31, 1998 |publisher=Random House |location=United States |isbn=978-0-6798-8902-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rQENAAAACAAJ}} Who's Afraid of Godzilla? (1998). In the story, Varan is one of the inhabitants of Monster Island when it is taken over by Megalon and Gigan after Godzilla leaves.{{cite book|author=n.a.|title=Who's Afraid of Godzilla?|date=March 31, 1998 |publisher=Random House |location=United States|isbn=978-0-6798-9124-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-ZWPQAACAAJ}} In the 2017 novel Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, a prequel to the film Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017), multiple Varans come ashore in Los Angeles in 2030 along with Baragon and Anguirus after they were attacked by Godzilla in the Pacific Ocean. All three kaiju are killed by a single blast of Godzilla's atomic breath.{{cite book |last1=Oki |first1=Renji |last2=Urobuchi |first2=Gen |title=GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse |date=October 25, 2017 |publisher=Kadokawa |location=Japan |isbn=978-4-0410-6181-7 |language=Japanese}}

{{See also|List of Godzilla games}}

Varan has made an appearance in five video games, with a vast majority of these being solely released in Japan. He first appeared as a boss in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters (1988), a Nintendo Entertainment System game.{{cite web|last=LeLando |first=Jason|date=February 9, 2005|title=Godzilla: Monster of Monsters Walkthrough |website=IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/02/09/godzilla-walkthrough-586538|access-date=June 16, 2023}} His next appearance was in Kaijū-ō Godzilla (1993), a Nintendo Game Boy game, as a boss on the fifth level of the game.{{cite web|title=King of the Monsters, Godzilla - Walkthrough|url=https://www.tohokingdom.com/vg/kotmg/walkthrough.htm|website=Toho Kingdom|access-date=August 13, 2023}} He next appeared in the 1995 Sega Pico game Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!!, released exclusively in Japan.{{cite press release|author=n.a. |title=Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!! (1995)- Game Manual |type=game manual |location=Japan|publisher=Sega|date=July 25, 1995 |language=Japanese|page=28}} He was featured in the Sega Dreamcast game Godzilla Generations (1998).{{cite press release|title=Godzilla Generations (1998)- Game Manual |url=https://archive.org/details/Godzilla_Generations_1998_J_color_w_back_cover/page/n27/mode/2up |type=game manual |location=Japan |publisher=Sega |date=November 28, 1998|access-date=June 16, 2023|language=Japanese}} In 2007, he was featured as an unlockable character in the Wii console version of Godzilla Unleashed, serving as a member of monsters dedicated to defending Earth from threats.{{cite book|title=Godzilla: Unleashed Instruction Booklet (Wii) |date=December 5, 2007|publisher=Atari Interactive |location=United States|page=33}} Keeping with the supernatural backstory of his original appearance, the webseries Godziban depicts Varan as a bakemono that shapeshifts into a Japanese giant flying squirrel.

File:Varan and Ken.png (in the suit) shakes hands with Varan creator Ken Kuronuma.]]

The initial concept of Varan was developed by Ken Kuronuma, who had previously been responsible for the creation of the kaiju film Rodan (1956).{{sfn|Tanaka|1958|p=8}} After the financial success of Godzilla (1954) and Rodan, Toho began developing a new potential monster that could both fly and breathe underwater. Kuronuma developed the initial story outline, which was then scripted by Shinichi Sekizawa. Sekizawa wrote many scenes that did not make it into the final film; one scene had children imitating the monster, indicating that Sekizawa recognized children's attraction to the kaiju genre.{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=150}} The American version completely removed scenes of Varan flying, while also changing the kaiju's fate at the end of the film.{{sfn|Rovin|1989|p=321}}{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=66}}

The physical design for Varan has undergone little change throughout his film appearances, with both filmmakers keeping with the original concept for the character. Varan's design was initially conceived by special effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya,{{sfn|Tanaka|1958|p=7}} who envisioned the kaiju as being a hybrid of Godzilla and a kappa of Japanese folklore. Concept art was completed by art director Akira Watanabe who incorporated the membranes of a gliding lizard into the design.{{sfn|Ragone|2007|p=55}}

Each portion of the kaiju costume was modeled by different artists. Varan's head was modeled by Teizo Toshimitsu, his body by Kanju and Yasuei Yagi, and his skin, back, and claws by Keizō Murase. To make the claws and spikes appear transparent, Murase used vinyl hoses that he purchased from a general store. He then cut each piece to various lengths before individually wrapping them in a semitransparent vinyl sheet, making them appear less see-through, at the request of Tsuburaya.{{sfn|Murase|2015|pp=258-259}} The suit's eyes were similarly translucent, allowing built-in lights to shine through, while the pupils were drawn onto the eyes with a magic marker.{{sfn|Yosensha|2016|p=52}} For Varan's back scales, Murase used peanut shells which he pressed into the mold, giving the design a wrinkled and bumpy texture. The peanuts themselves were supplied by one of the Yagi brothers, who had been regularly receiving peanuts from his relatives.{{sfn|Murase|2015|pp=258-259}} Murase has stated that the idea for the design of the back scales came from a conversation with Tsuburaya after the two of them were eating peanuts. At one point during their conversation, Murase pointed out the shells' texture to Tsuburaya, which he felt was ideal for Varan's design. To convince the special effects artist of this, Murase created a sample mold from the peanuts.{{sfn|Murase|2015|pp=258-259}}{{cite web |last=Homenick|first=Brett|title=MEMORIES OF JAPAN'S MASTER MONSTER MAKER! Keizo Murase Shares the Secrets of the World's Greatest Kaiju! |publisher=Vantage Point Interviews |url=https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/05/23/memories-of-japans-master-monster-maker-keizo-murase-shares-the-secrets-of-the-worlds-greatest-kaiju/|access-date=June 11, 2023|url-status=live|archive-date=June 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614073911/https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/05/23/memories-of-japans-master-monster-maker-keizo-murase-shares-the-secrets-of-the-worlds-greatest-kaiju/|date=April 1, 2018}} The few color stills which exist depict the suit as brown, with Murase himself described the Varan suit as being a "chocolate sepia color."{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|pp=34-35}}

File:Daikaiju Baran trailer 6.png

Tsuburaya later expressed disappointment with the final design, commenting that it was excessively muscular. Murase attempted to combat the issue through numerous adjustments, such as applying sawdust to the surface and blending the muscles with paint to obscure it but was unable to alter the suit's internal structure.{{sfn|Murase|2015|pp=258-259}} A full-body flying prop and hand-operated puppet of Varan's upper half, both half-size, were created to portray the monster for certain scenes.{{sfn|Yamada|1995|p=35}}

Varan's next appearance ten years later in Destroy All Monsters was originally written in a more substantial role, with the original script having him joining the other monsters in their final battle with Ghidorah.{{sfn|Yosensha|2016|p=144}}{{cite web|title=電脳小僧の特撮映画資料室 |url=http://www.cyberkids1954.com/toho_script.html|website=Cyberkids 1954|access-date=June 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716054216/http://www.cyberkids1954.com/toho_script.html|archive-date=July 16, 2018|language=Japanese|url-status=dead}} This scene was removed in subsequent rewrites, with Varan only making brief appearances in the film in long shots. It was believed that the original half-scale gliding Varan puppet was reused for the film,{{sfn|Yamada|1995|p=35}}{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=148}}{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|pp=122-124}} however, some sources have written that the prop was entirely new and created from scratch.{{sfn|Yosensha|2016|p=144}}

Wanting Varan's movements to appear more realistic, an actor, or suit actor, was used to portray the character, wearing a specially-design suit in a commonly used technique of the kaiju genre known as "suitmation".{{sfn|Way|2015|p=22}} Suit actor Haruo Nakajima, having already portrayed Godzilla four years prior, was the first suit actor to portray the kaiju in the original 1958 film. Fellow suit actor Katsumi Tezuka was also hired to perform some of Varan's water scenes.{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|pp=34-35}} Nakajima spent most of his scenes roving on his knees while portraying the kaiju,{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2017|p=150}} although this technique later proved extremely hazardous. In a later interview, Nakajima recalled an incident while filming the climatic battle on Haneda Airport, during the shoot a miniature truck filled with explosives detonated underneath him. The resulting explosion inflicted extensive burns to Nakajima's belly and groin. He commented that he did not tell producers of the incident, as he recalled "I didn't want them to worry about me". This was the only time the suit actor suffered an on-set injury.{{sfn|Endo|1985|p=162}}{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=180}}{{cite web |last1=Milner |first1=Dave |last2=Tucker |first2=Guy |title=Haruo Nakajima Interview |website=Kaiju Conversations |publisher=David Milner |date=March 1, 1995 |url=http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/nakajima.htm |access-date=June 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123035029/http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/nakajima.htm |archive-date=January 23, 2015 |url-status=dead}}

Varan is known for appearing in early drafts of several films, but subsequent rewrites replaced him with other kaiju, or, in some cases, the film's concept was dropped entirely. In Shinichi Sekizawa's story treatment for the twelfth Godzilla film, titled The Return of King Ghidorah, Varan was set to appear alongside Rodan as one of Godzilla's allies to help him face off against King Ghidorah, Gigan, and an all-new monster named Mogu. Ultimately Sekizawa reworked his original concept into what became Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), removing Varan and Rodan in favor of Angurius battling alongside Godzilla against Gigan and Ghidorah.{{sfn|Kawakita|Sugita|Sasaki|1993|p=100}}{{sfn|Nakamura|Shiraishi|Aita|2014|p=139}}

Varan was considered as the main antagonist in the final film of the Heisei series, a reboot of Toho's Godzilla franchise, spanning from 1984 to 1995. In the original story proposal, Varan was intended to be an evil creature and the harbinger of the Apocalypse that arose in the year 1999 to destroy the world. Godzilla and his adopted son would have teamed up to defeat Varan, with the film ending at the start of the new millennium. This story concept was short-lived, with other proposals abandoning the kaiju, the final version would introduce a new kaiju as Godzilla's final antagonist in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).{{sfn|LeMay|2017|pp=171-172}}{{cite web|last=Raymond|first=Charles|title=Godzilla Almost Had A Different Final Villain (Not Destoroyah) |url=https://screenrant.com/godzilla-final-villain-different-toho-moonster-not-destoroyah/|website=Screen Rant|access-date=June 25, 2023|date=March 20, 2023}}

An early draft of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), featured Varan as one of Japan's guardian monsters. In the draft, Varan was the "White Wind Monster", known originally as Baradaki, who joined forces with the ice creature Anguirus to battle Godzilla in Yokohama. When the fire monster Baragon is revived by a lightning bolt, he joins his comrades in the battle. While all three are slain by Godzilla, they do enough damage to allow the JSDF's advanced warship Gotengo to arrive and ultimately defeat him. The draft was penned by Shusuke Kaneko and approved by producer Shogo Tomiyama, and design for Varan commenced but was halted after the studio rejected the idea of Varan and Anguirus' inclusion, wanting more marketable monsters for the film in response to the disappointing box-office returns of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). Varan was replaced by the more popular Mothra and Anguirus was replaced with King Ghidorah.{{sfn|Televi-Kun|2002|pp=33–34, 36}}{{sfn|Mook|2023|pp=172-174}}{{sfn|Arnold|2023|p=20}} Designer and modeler Fuyuki Shinada was disappointed with the character's exclusion, compromising by sculpting Varan's facial fins onto the heads of the King Ghidorah suit.{{sfn|Televi-Kun|2002|p=56}}

From his silver screen debut in 1958, Varan has undergone little change in subsequent appearances in both film and other media, with each artist and writer adding their own spin to the character while adhering to the character's original portrayal.

In the original film, Varan is depicted as a massive dinosaur, belonging to the fictional "Varanopode" species.{{sfn|Shogakukan|2014|p=20}}{{sfn|Iwabatake||Ono|1991|pp=68, 75}} Standing at {{convert|50|m|ft}}, in height, and weighing 15,000 metric tons,{{sfn|Lees|Cerasini|1998|p=140}}{{sfn|Kawakita|Sugita|Sasaki|1993|p=61}}{{sfn|Kodansha|1994|p=61}} Varan is mostly quadrupedal, with the occasional bipedal stance when preparing to glide. The head, which is relatively small in proportion to his body, has a pair of fin-like spines on the sides of his face. A single row of large spines also runs down from the top of his head to the end of his long, prehensile tail. His skin is separated into two distinct portions, the upper portion of Varan's body is covered in a multitude of bumpy, wart-like scales that give the appearance of an external shell, while the lower half is relatively smooth. The most unique feature, however, is the pair of thin membranes between his arms and legs which can unfold from the sides of his torso, similar to a gliding lizard.{{sfn|Rovin|1989|p=321}}{{sfn|Sharp|2011|p=118}} In Destroy All Monsters, Varan's physical appearance remained relatively the same, however, this version was significantly smaller than the previous incarnation, standing at only {{convert|30|m|ft}} as opposed to the original's {{convert|50|m|ft}}.{{sfn|Sonorama|1968|p=14}}{{sfn|Mamiya|2000|p=125}} This gave rise to the notion that the incarnation was a juvenile member of the species and not the original Varan, with some sources listing this incarnation as "Varan (Second Generation)".{{sfn|Kodansha|2021|p=299}}{{sfn|Mook|2023|p=104}}

Varan is portrayed as being easily adaptable to different environments, and equally capable of moving on land, water, and air. Similar to fellow kaiju Godzilla, Varan is perfectly adapted to living underwater and on land. His most unique feature is his ability to fly, which he does through the use of membranes underneath his arms and legs. Unfolding these membranes, Varan is capable of achieving a gliding flight in a manner akin to that of a gliding lizard or flying squirrel, the latter comparison would give rise to the character's nickname in some media as the "Giant Flying Squirrel Monster".{{sfn|Weisser|Weisser|1998|pp=336-337}}{{sfn|Motoyama|Matsunomoto|Asai|Suzuki|2012|pp=32-35}}{{sfn|Shogakukan|2014|p=20}} In Godzilla Giant Monsters Super Encyclopedia, Varan is listed as being able to glide at up to speeds of Mach 1.5.{{sfn|Kodansha|1994|p=61}}{{sfn|Kawakita|Sugita|Sasaki|1993|pp=100, 135}} In the novelization Godzilla 2000, author Marc Cerasini provided an alternate explanation for Varan's gliding ability, adding that the kaiju "somehow separat[ing] the oxygen and hydrogen in water. The creature then expels the oxygen and pumps the hydrogen molecules into sacs along its torso".{{rp|81}} In both the games and reference materials, Varan is able to use his back spines offensively against his opponents. Tomoyuki Tanaka, producer of Varan and Destroy All Monsters, has written that Varan's back spines can inject an extremely toxic poison into his opponents. However, this ability is never depicted in either of Varan's on-screen appearances, in addition, Tanaka did not clarify if this ability was exclusive to the first or second generation of the kaiju.{{sfn|Tanaka|1992|p=87}}

In Godzilla: Unleashed, the game developers implemented a new set of abilities for the kaiju, depicting Varan as being capable of communicating through vast distances through the use of sonic waves, an ability that the kaiju could utilize as a form of attack, firing a large beam of sonic energy from his mouth in addition to firing several concentrated balls of sonic energy that detonate on impact.

While relatively obscure in comparison to other kaiju in the Godzilla franchise, Varan has retained a longevity within the series.{{sfn|Barr|2023|p=90}} According to web publication Screen Rant, Varan has become a popular character among kaiju fans, with the site including him in their list of "10 of the Most Underrated Kaiju",{{cite web|last=Le|first=Paul|title=Godzilla: 10 of the Most Underrated Kaiju|url=https://screenrant.com/godzilla-most-underrated-kaiju/#varan |website=Screen Rant|access-date=June 25, 2023|date=October 16, 2019}} and later in their "8 New Toho Monsters Who Could Help Godzilla In Godzilla vs. Kong 2", the latter article noted the kaiju's versatility.{{cite web|last=Raymond|first=Charles|title=8 New Toho Monsters Who Could Help Godzilla In Godzilla vs. Kong 2|url=https://screenrant.com/godzilla-vs-kong-2-toho-monsters-allies/#varan|website=Screen Rant|access-date=June 25, 2023|date=June 15, 2023}} Varan's design later became highly influential in the Netflix anime series Godzilla Singular Point (2021), where the kaiju's physical appearance was an inspiration for the design of Godzilla Amphibia evolutionary stage.{{cite web|last=Raymond|first=Charles|title=All Godzilla Forms In Netflix's Singular Point Explained|url=https://screenrant.com/godzilla-singular-point-versions-forms-explained/|website=Screen Rant|access-date=June 22, 2023|date=July 2, 2021}}

Varan has also been produced and marketed as merchandise over the years, with various companies releasing their own merchandising line.{{cite web|title=商品検索バラン／ゴジラ・ストア|website=Godzilla Store|publisher=Toho |url=https://godzilla.store/shop/goods/search.aspx?search=x&keyword=%83o%83%89%83%93|access-date=July 1, 2023|language=Japanese}} In 1970, Japanese toy company Bullmark produced a nine-inch Varan vinyl toy.{{cite web|url=http://www.clubtokyo.org/site/showCharacterVariation?entryId=694&byCharacterId=42|title=Varan- Bullmark|website=Club Tokyo|access-date=June 22, 2023}} In 1984, Bandai introduced their line of Varan figures for the next thirty years.{{cite web|title=Varan- Bandai|url=http://www.clubtokyo.org/site/showCategoryByCharacter?characterId=42&manufacturerId=1|website=Club Tokyo|access-date=July 1, 2023}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite book|title=ウルトラブックス怪獣総進撃|trans-title=Ultra Books: Destroy All Monsters|year=1968|publisher=Asahi Sonorama |location=Japan |language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Sonorama|1968|p=14}}}}
• {{cite book|title=ゴジラ大怪獣超百科|trans-title=Godzilla Giant Monsters Super Encyclopedia|date=April 20, 1992|publisher=Kodansha|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-0630-4270-2|edition=1st|language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Kodansha|1994|p=61}}}}
• {{cite book|title=Toho Tokusatsu All Monster Encyclopedia|date=July 23, 2014|publisher=Shogakukan|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-09-682090-2|language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Shogakukan|2014|pp=20, 37, 52, 116}}}}
• {{cite book|title=別冊映画秘宝 オール東宝怪獣大図鑑|trans-title=All Toho Monsters Pictorial Book|date=September 4, 2016|publisher=Yosensha|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-8003-0362-2|page=176|edition=4th|language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Yosensha|2016|pp=52, 144}}}}
• {{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of All Monsters|year=2021|publisher=Kodansha|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-0652-3491-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSGMzgEACAAJ|language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Kodansha|2021|p=299}}}}
• {{cite book|last=Arnold|first=Gordon|title=21st Century Kaiju: The Resurgence of Giant Monster Movies|date=November 30, 2023|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-1-4766-8962-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6GLlEAAAQBAJ}}
• {{cite book|last=Barr|first=Jason|title=The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema's Biggest Monsters|date=2016|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-1-4766-2395-5|location=United States}}
• {{cite book|last=Barr|first=Jason|title=The Kaiju Connection Giant Monsters and Ourselves|date=October 2, 2023|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-1-4766-5150-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i2fbEAAAQBAJ}}
• {{cite book|last=Endo|first=Kei|title=東宝 SF 特撮映画シリーズ|trans-title=Toho SF Tokusatsu Eiga Shirizu|year=1985|publisher=Toho Publishing|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-9246-0907-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6nPCNwAACAAJ|language=ja}}
• {{cite book|last1=Iwabatake|first1=Toshiaki|last2=Ono|first2=Koichiro|title=ゴジラvsキングギドラ 怪獣大全集|trans-title=Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Monster Complete Works|date=December 5, 1991|publisher=Kodansha|isbn=978-4-0617-7720-0|location=Japan|language=ja}}
• {{cite book|last1=Kaneda|first1=Masumi|last2=Oishi|first2=Shinji|last3=Konuta|first3=Kenji|last4=Eguchi|first4=Mizuki|last5=Maruyama|first5=Takeshi|title=東宝特撮全怪獣図鑑|trans-title=Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia|date=July 23, 2014|publisher=Shogakukan|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-0968-2090-2|language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Kaneda|Oishi|Kunuda|2014|p=20}}}}
• {{cite book|editor1-last=Kawakita|editor1-first=Koichi|editor2-last=Sugita|editor2-first=Hiroki|editor3-last=Sasaki|editor3-first=Yu|editor4-last=Toya|editor4-first=Koichi|editor5-last=Kamatsu|editor5-first=Tadashi|title=ゴジラ大百科・メカゴジラ編|trans-title=Encyclopedia of Godzilla (Mechagodzilla Edition)|date=December 10, 1993|publisher=Gakken|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-0560-0174-7|language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Kawakita|Sugita|Sasaki|1993|pp=100,135}}}}
• {{cite book|last1=Lees|first1=J.D.|last2=Cerasini|first2=Marc|title=The Official Godzilla Compendium|url=https://archive.org/details/officialgodzilla00lees|url-access=registration|publisher=Random House|year=1998|isbn=0-679-88822-5}}
• {{cite book|last=LeMay|first=John|title=The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films|date=June 15, 2017 |publisher=Bicep Books|isbn=978-1-5481-4525-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4g1swEACAAJ}}
• {{cite book|last=Mamiya|first=Naohiko|title=ゴジラ1954-1999超全集 |trans-title=Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works|date=January 1, 2000|publisher=Shogakukan|isbn=978-4-0910-1470-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KwCCDAAAQBAJ|location=Japan|language=ja}}
• {{cite book|last=Mook|first=TJ|title=Godzilla Dismantled 全書|year=2023|publisher=Takarajimasha|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-8002-5699-7|language=ja}}
• {{cite book|last1=Motoyama|first1=Sho|last2=Matsunomoto|first2=Kazuhiro|last3=Asai|first3=Kazuyasu|last4=Suzuki|first4=Nobutaka|last5=Kato|first5=Masashi|title=東宝特撮映画大全集|trans-title=Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works|publisher=Village Books|year=2012|isbn=978-4-8649-1013-2|language=ja}}
• {{cite book|last=Murase|first=Keizo|title=怪獣秘蔵写真集 造形師村瀬継蔵|trans-title=Monster Maker: Keizo Murase - Treasured KAIJU Photobook|date=September 24, 2015|publisher=Yosensha|isbn=978-4-8003-0756-9|location=Japan|language=ja}}
• {{cite book|last1=Nakamura|first1=Tetsu|last2=Shiraishi|first2=Masahiko|last3=Aita|first3=Tetsuo|last4=Tomoi|first4=Taketo|last5=Shimazaki|first5=Jun|last6=Maruyama|first6=Takeshi|last7=Shimizu|first7=Toshifumi|last8=Hayakawa|first8=Masaru|title=ゴジラ東宝チャンピオンまつりパーフェクション|trans-title=Godzilla Toho Champion Festival Perfection|date=November 29, 2014|publisher=ASCII Media Works|isbn=978-4-0486-6999-3|language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Nakamura|Shiraishi|Aita|2014|p=139}}}}
• {{cite book|last=Ragone|first=August|title=Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters|year=2007|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=978-0-8118-6078-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xVOH5aEaGI0C}}
• {{cite book|last=Rovin|first=Jeff|title=The Encyclopedia of Monsters|date=January 1, 1989|publisher=Facts On File Inc |isbn=978-0-8160-2303-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p0ZiQgAACAAJ}}
• {{cite book|last=Ryfle|first=Steve|title=Japan's Favorite Mon-star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" |year=1998 |publisher=ECW Press|location=United States |isbn=978-1-5502-2348-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cqSOkywWeX4C}}
• {{cite book |last1=Ryfle|first1=Steve|last2=Godziszewski |first2=Ed|url=https://archive.org/details/ishiro-honda-a-life-in-film-from-godzilla-to-kurosawa|title=Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa|publisher=Wesleyan University Press |year=2017|isbn=9780819570871}}
• {{cite book|last=Sharp|first=Jasper|title=Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema|date=October 13, 2011|publisher=Scarecrow Press |location=United States|isbn=978-0-8108-7541-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oAYsyZRRqzcC}}
• {{cite book|last=Skipper|first=Graham|title=Godzilla: The Ultimate Illustrated Guide|date=November 8, 2022|publisher=Welbeck Publishing Group |location=United States|isbn=978-1-8027-9457-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=stJsEAAAQBAJ}}
• {{cite book|last=Tanaka|first=Tomoyuki|title=決定版ゴジラ入門|trans-title=Definitive Edition Godzilla Introduction|date=April 20, 1992 |publisher=Shogakukan |location=Japan|isbn=978-4-0922-0142-2|edition=7th|language=ja}}
• {{cite book|author=てれびくん編集部 (Televi-Kun Editorial Department)|title=ゴジラ・モスラ・キングギドラ大怪獣総攻撃超全集|trans-title=Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Super Complete Works|year=2002|publisher=Shogakukan|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-09-101481-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VFCUDAAAQBAJ|language=ja|ref={{sfnref|Televi-Kun|2002}}}}
• {{cite book|last=Way|first=Jennifer|title=King Kong and Other Monstrous Apes|date=July 15, 2015|publisher=Rosen Publishing |location=United States|isbn=978-1-4994-3539-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LIphDwAAQBAJ}}
• {{cite book|last1=Weisser|first1=Thomas|last2=Weisser|first2=Yuko|title=Japanese Cinema: The Essential Handbook |year=1998|publisher=Vital Groups, Incorporated|location=United States|isbn=978-1-8892-8850-5|edition=4th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IrZcSAAACAAJ}}
• {{cite book|last=Yamada|first=Masami|title=大ゴジラ図鑑2|trans-title=The Pictorial Book of Godzilla 2|date=December 1, 1995|publisher=Hobby Japan|location=Japan|isbn=978-4-8942-5117-5|language=ja}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite magazine|title=Eiji Tsuburaya: Films - Varan|url=https://archive.org/details/toho-films-1962|magazine=Toho Films (English sales catalogue)|publisher=Toho|year=1962|page=75|ref={{sfnref|Toho|1962|p=75}}}}
• {{cite magazine|last=Tanaka|first=Issei|author-link=:ja:田中一清|title=映画の魔術師円谷英二|trans-title=Cinematic Magician Eiji Tsuburaya|magazine=The Toho Graphic|publisher=Toho|location=Japan|language=Japanese|date=September 1958}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite video|people=Ishirō Honda (Director)|title=Giant Monster Varan|medium=Motion picture|location=Japan|publisher=Toho|date=1958|ref={{sfnref|Honda|1958}}}}
• {{cite video|people=Ishirō Honda (Director)|title=Destroy All Monsters|medium=Motion picture|location=Japan|publisher=Toho|date=1968|ref={{sfnref|Honda|1968}}}}
• {{cite video|people=Ryuhei Kitamura (Director)|title=Godzilla: Final Wars|medium=Motion picture|location=Japan|publisher=Toho|date=2004|ref={{sfnref|Kitamura|2004}}}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin|30em}}

• {{cite book|last=England|first=Norman|title=Behind the Kaiju Curtain: A Journey Onto Japan's Biggest Film Sets|publisher=Awai Books|date=November 22, 2021|isbn=978-1-937220-10-5}}
• {{cite book|last=Galbraith IV|first=Stuart|author-link=Stuart Galbraith IV|title=Monsters are Attacking Tokyo!|publisher=Feral House|year=1998|isbn=978-0-9229-1547-7}}

{{refend}}

• {{Commons-inline}}

{{Godzilla}}

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