A legendary monster that lurks in huge thunderclouds, Balkzardan is the source of the El Niño phenomenon over the Pacific Ocean. Due to its mild nature, it is rarely seen, but ancient Japanese legends source it as the origin for the creation of the Thunder God Raijin and the mythical Kirin. Despite its passive temperament, in battle it has a high fighting spirit. It is capable of quickly flying through the air, and is even faster on land, sprinting at breakneck speeds. It can also attack physically with its sharp claws and whip-like tail. However, it is quite frail defensively, so it relies primarily on its blistering speed to give it an edge in combat.
Balkzardan is best known for its ability to manipulate weather, being able to summon thunderstorms on a whim. It is capable of calling down lightning bolts and storing the energy on its back protrusions for use in combat. It can unleash this energy in a variety of ways: in the form of electric bolts from its two facial horns; direct contact with its opponent by ramming into them; or emitting the energy from its back protrusions to create a giant electric sphere.
Powers / Weapons
Spark Dash
A powerful physical attack enhanced by energy. Calling down two arcs of lightning, Balkzardan absorbs the bolts into its back protrusions, its entire body glowing vibrantly. It then rams into the opponent, transferring its entire reservoir of collected energy through touch, and causes the opponent's body to light up with electric sparks and explosions.
Tornado Bolt
An electric energy attack. Balkzardan straightens its posture and simultaneously shoots a burst of electric beams from the two horns near its maw. When the bolts are discharged, thunder cracks through the air and the entire area very briefly lights up. Balkzardan does not require the absorption of lightning to perform this move.
S Thunder
An offensive and defensive shield formed from the emission of energy from Balkzardan's back protrusions. A massive sphere of electricity surrounds Balkzardan, causing explosive damage to any monsters that come in contact with it. The sphere lasts for several seconds, pulsating twice before fading. While useful against physical combatants, it is unknown if this attack can nullify or mitigate enemy energy attacks. Balkzardan does not require the absorption of lightning to perform this move.
Lightning Absorption
Balkzardan is capable of calling down lightning from the sky and absorbing the intense energy for use in combat. This can be indicated if its whole body appears to be shining with a white light. Its moves gain enhanced power when the stored energy is released, particularly through physical contact. However, a majority of Balkzardan's techniques do not require the absorption of lightning in order to be performed.
Weather Manipulation
Whether in or out of combat, Balkzardan can freely manipulate the weather, its specialty being thunderstorms. Most of the time, it uses its weather-controlling abilities to conceal itself, living peacefully in storm clouds above the Pacific Ocean.
Flight
As it lives naturally atop thunderclouds, Balkzardan is capable of flight. While its flight speed is unknown, it is said to be swift. However, it opts to fight on the ground as opposed to using its flying capabilities in battle.
Extreme Speed
One of its most noteworthy aspects, Balkzardan is extremely fast on the ground, more so than in the air. When in battle, it can sprint across the land at very high speed, making it a difficult target to hit. While it is unknown how fast it travels, it is said to run at "breakneck speeds."
Background and Trivia
An original monster created for Godzilla Trading Battle. Its credited designers are Hurricane Ryu, Hideo Okamoto, and Satoshi Nakai, with design supervisor credit to Koichi Kawakita.
Its name is spelled "Barukuzadan" (バルクザーダン) in the Japanese book Godzilla 1954-2000 Super Complete Works (ISBN: 4091014704), conflicting with the spelling of its name from the game, "Baruguzadan" (バルグザーダン).
