Bat Men コウモリ人間 [Showa]

Created by the "good doctor" Malik, the Bat Men acted as foot soldiers for the mad scientist. These creatures were the by-product of combining human beings with bats. Their body is mostly human in shape, with their arms separated from their wings. The creatures would often drape their wings on top of their arms to support them. The Bat Men also featured rather large claws on their hand, out of proportion for either humans or bats.

Completely under Malik's control, the beasts were deployed in various means. This includes as guards of the captured Doctor Okata and his daughter. While often used as enforcers, their role was sometimes more routine. For example, they assisted Malik when it came to him creating the Black Moth creature.

When Malik's fortress, Blood Rock, was being invaded by the crew of the Alpha, the Bat Men were called forth. For their final duty, the creatures were sent out to do battle with Captain McKenzie and his crew. However, the Bat Men were no match for the advanced weaponry developed in Latitude Zero. Utilizing combative techniques, such as glove mounted laser beams, the bat creatures were decimated. With none of the monsters seen boarding the Black Shark when Malik attempted to escape, it's believed that not a single Bat Men had survived.

• The Bat Men were portrayed by suit actors Haruo Nakajima, Harekichi Nakamura and Yu Sekida.
• Teizo Toshimitsu modeled the head of the Bat Men. The body was modeled Yasuei Yagi.
• The creatures' Japanese name is コウモリ人間 (Koumori-ningen). This would literally translate into a number of names, including: Bat Human Beings, Bat Men, or Bat People. While their name is rarely mentioned in English, the 2005 publication Godzilla: Toho Giant Monster Picture Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4092800525) does call them "Bat Men" in English.
• Multiple suits for the Bat Men were created. One of these suits sports the ears sticking straight up, while another uses a more curved look for the ears. The upright suit can be seen in the main bio image, while the picture to the right contains the curved-ear look.
• It is believed that five Bat Men lived on Blood Rock. These five appear during the film's climax, as the Alpha crew attacks Malik's lab. Three of the creatures are killed by laser blasts, one by knife and one appears to meet its end by the hands of Chobo, who slams it into the ground.
• During the film, Malik threatens Okata's daughter that he will turn her into a creature like the Bat Men. While it's unclear if the Bat Men were genetic creations born out of a laboratory or were human beings transformed into their present state, the latter is more likely given the threat.
• The suits for the Bat Men were reused in two different TV shows. The first of these was heavily modified to create Alien Mechara for the Tsuburaya Productions' Chibira-Kun program. The second of these was an unmodified use, although the suit was in poor condition, to create Bat Man in the Toho TV show Go! Godman. The suit utilized in the Go! Godman show was the one with the curved-ear look.
• In 2008, two toys of the Bat Men were released. Created by Tomohiro Sugita and released by Resin Chef & Team Ukeke, the models referred to the creatures as the "Blood Rock Keepers".