Best Gamera fight(s)?

[GodzillavsRayquaza]

Self explanatory.

For me, the three that stand out to me the most are Gamera vs Super Gyaos, and both of Toto’s fights with Zedus.

Gamera’s fights with Legion (especially that airport fight, whoo boy) and Iris are great, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something about the fight with Gamera and the Super Gyaos that I just adore. Probably the best aerial fight in a kaiju movie, with the two trading blows and coming across as equals in a super tense showdown that keeps escalating but never too far as to get boring.

Meanwhile, Toto’s fights with Zedus carry the spirit of the Gamera franchise perfectly. Toto is completely outmatched and he knows it, but he still fights on and through sheer perseverance and some quick wit, manages to drive Zedus away the first time. The second fight carries this on and accompanies it with excellent story and character-writing that culminates in an excellent finale, of course all accentuated by the typical brutality the series is known for all throughout both.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

The Battle of Shibuya is as good as it gets. Yeah Its not a typical kaiju battle but just the sheer level of spectacle and destruction is some of the best in any kaiju film period.

[Terasawa]

Shibuya in G3 is number one, but I also want to throw some love the way of the second and third battles in Gamera vs. Gyaos.

[Gigantis]

Both of Gamera's fights against Legion were legitimately some of the most tense fight scenes in a kaiju movie. Although, i must agree with the others and say the Shibuya fight against Iris is also pretty cool.

[Major sssspielberg!]

Gotta throw some love to the Guiron fight. Legendary stuff, and I mean that seriously. I love the Gurion fight.
Shibuya is also incredible, top tier in context of the trilogy and tokusatsu as a whole.
Jiger had a pretty good fight also.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

Both of Gamera's fights against Legion were legitimately some of the most tense fight scenes in a kaiju movie. Although, i must agree with the others and say the Shibuya fight against Iris is also pretty cool.

The Shibuya fight was against the Hyper Gyaos, Irys was in Kyoto.

[Gigantis]

The Shibuya fight was against the Hyper Gyaos, Irys was in Kyoto.

D'oh, should've known i was misremembering.

[edgaguirus]

The second battle in Gamera vs Gyaos was a good one, but G vs Super Gyaos was a stunning fight.

[LSD Jellyfish]

I used to find the Iris fight a bit underwhelming, because all I remembered of it was a closeup fight at the big station in Kyoto. However, there's that brief skirmish in the sky, and a long drawn out sequence of Iris and Gamera pushing each other towards the station, and it all takes place in the rain (without obscuring anything), before reaching that conclusion. We move from the sky, to the city, to a very up-close and personal moment that I don't think any other Kaiju film has, which makes it unique.

I think all of the Gamera Heisei films each have standout fights of the genre. However, I think the Super Gyaos fight might be one of the best "standard" monster fights of all time. Neither Gamera nor Super Gyaos is explicitly more powerful than one another. The fight has a fantastic mix of melee and beams, as well as destruction. It lasts a decent while and has multiple "rounds" without continuing on for too long.

If I had to pick from the Showa series, there's a few. The first fight between Barugon and Gamera always stood out to me in my memory. Barugon's rainbow, and Osaka Castle and Gamera being covered in snow. Upon rewatches though, it's really slow and boring, despite the unique visuals. I think all the Gyaos fights are the best. Viras, when the monster actually appears in the end, has a fun goofy twist to it. Overall, all the Gamera fights have something to them. I think a better question is "which is the worst" fight in the series, and I think that distinction goes to the final fight in Barugon. IIRC, Barugon just leaps around a bunch, and Gamera drags Barugon into the water after ripping out his tongue. That, or Zigra. I remember the xylophone scene, but the rest of the fight I cannot remember a thing.

[Lesko]

First and foremost I would say the fights with Legion in particular the second. You can tell Gamera is outmatched the second the first fight begins. The second fight especially. You can see Gamera getting increasing desperate to stop the threat culminating with his secret weapon. Not like Godzilla where he gets a new power that is treated without an afterthought. Of course I don't have a problem with that it is one of Godzilla's staples but it was a nice change of pace. We all know what Gamera's secret weapon spelled for the planet in the sequel. It shows you just how serious Gamera was at stopping Legion and how dangerous they really were.

A close second is the Super Gyaos fight. A lot of change up and variety here. Melee, ranged, ground, and air are all covered. A great fight where the two kaiju are pretty evenly matched until the very end where Gamera absorbs fire. It kind of reminds me of the Godzilla trope I mentioned earlier because Gamera wasn't even hinted at being able to do what he did until then but it was still great. The Irys fight also would have made it but after the awesome aerial sequence it falls a bit short because we haven't seen much kaiju action the whole movie and the fight itself isn't really depicted for long.

Now for the Showa movies. Of course they are a much lower standard which is why I am separating them into a different category. First is Barugon. If I am not mistaken this movie had the highest budget and it shows. Barugon is arguable the most powerful Showa Gamera kaiju given his frost breath and rainbow beam. Gamera clearly was at a disadvantage the whole time and only by exploiting a weakness that was conveniently accessible nearby was Gamera able to succeed. A runner-up are the Gyaos fights. Yes Gyaos again. Both Gyaos and Barugon were the only fights we got without excessive campiness and the heavy presence of children and the fact I think they are the best along with these is not a coincidence. Gyaos is a dangerous opponent and it is shown his sonic beam is lethal. Again, only my exploiting a weakness of the creature was Gamera able to come out on top.

[Kaltes-Herzeleid]

Gamera's duel with Iris for me takes the top spot. Handles the idea of the heroic kaiju against a nigh unstoppable super monster superbly. Gamera at the peak of his power throws everything he's got at Iris and it doesn't put a damn scratch on him. Iris' attitude gives off the impression he considers Gamera so beneath notice that it takes him planting himself directly in Iris' path to get his full attention...and it still ends terribly for him! To such a degree that he had to ambush Iris as he was absorbing Ayana and it was still just BARELY enough. All the while being a visual feast and audacious enough to have it be inside a train station of all places and make it work beautifully. And of course Gamera blowing Iris the fuck up from the inside out was pure kino.

It's iconic, far as I'm concerned.

For the Showa era, I like Gamera's bouts with Barugon. They feel very aggressive and animalistic with all that blood. Gamera's ruthlessness when it comes to finishing off his enemies has always been a stand out feature of his and him tearing Barugon's jugular open and drowning him solidifies that trait.

And really, how could I not love Guiron butchering the Space Gyaos like a Thanksgiving turkey? Kino.