Degunja

Degunja (デガンジャ, Deganja) alternatively known as "Degola" is a monster that appeared in Ultraman: Towards the Future.

• Subtitle: Wind Demon (風魔神, Kaze Majin)

History[]

Ultraman: Towards the Future[]

A god of Aborigine Australian peoples, Degunja is a god of whirlwinds that communicates the anger of the Earth to the people. The spririt of Degunja, resting within a small cavern denoted by some 10,000 year-old cave paintings far in the Australian wilderness, was visited by the Gudis Cells, which corrupted the wind god and gave it physical form. 

The now corrupted Degunja made its presence known by attacking 2 hunters, Robbo and Dave. When Dave discovered an ancient stone mound near the side of the road, Robbo disrespected the monument by firing upon it callously, drawing the anger of Degunja. Soon after, as Dave left the car to shoot some film, Degunja chased after Robbo and their car in the form of a Tornado. Robbo drove away as Dave was too busy filming to return to the vehicle, but Degunja remained persistent in its pursuit, completely ignoring Dave and trapping Robbo in its vortex of spinning wind, dragging the car above ground and detonating it.

With the murder caught on Dave's film, UMA began its investigation of the case, with commander Arthur Grant dispatching officers Lloyd Wilder and Jack Shindo to the Australian wilderness in a Saltop, with the intention that the presence of a car would instigate Degunja into reappearing. Finding nothing of note near the site of murder, Wilder and Shindo approached the local bar in an attempt to find Garry Wilson, also known as "Mudjudi," who Wilder had met previously at a boxing gym. Upon finding the locals uncooperative and unfriendly, the two exited the bar, only to see the tornado of Degunja approaching their location. Degunja passed the two by as Mudjudi made his appearance in tow. Describing the ancient tale of Degunja to the two officers, Mudjudi intended to end the threat of Degunja using old Aborigine ways, and secretly sabotaged Shindo and Wilder's Saltop during the night to prevent UMA's interference.

The following day, after showing Shindo and Wilder Degunja's cavern and having his work exposed, Mudjudi convinced Shindo in helping him construct a large stone circle in an attempt to trap and contain Degunja. Meanwhile, UMA dispatches two Hummer aircrafts flown by officers Charles Morgan and Jean Echo, who home in on Shindo's location thanks to a homing device he was given prior to leaving for the mission. As expected, Degunja appears as a tornado, and is trapped within the stone circle. As Degunja struggles against the trap, unknown powers cause the land around to shift as well, creating large uplifts in the earth which surround Degunja in a even larger circle. At that moment, however, UMA appeared, and officer Morgan began to fire at the swirling winds, disrupting the stone circle and unleashing Degunja, who finally revealed its true form.

As UMA continued its bombardment to no avail, Morgan's Hummer was struck by Degunja's Lightning Light, and began to spin out of control. At that moment, Jack Shindo transformed into Ultraman Great to battle against Degunja. In the first few moments, Great showed superior agility in his physical attacks against Degunja, but could not hold against the beast's stronger strikes. Forced back, Great attempted multiple times to inflict damage upon Degunja with his Palm Shooter attack, but all efforts were for naught as Degunja's thick hairs deflected the attacks, while Great himself was highly suseptive to Degunja's own Lightning Light. Finally, Great was able to land a shot that did some damage to Degunja's torso, but it was hardly enough to stun the incarnated god as it continued to pummel Great, eventually pinning the hero with a continuous stream of Lightning Light and forcing him to his knees. This was revealed, however, to be Great storing the power of the attack, as Great combined the energy into his palms and returned it to its owner with his Magnum Shoot attack. The first shot was able to knock Degunja to the ground, while a second shot dissolved the beast's body, releasing the god of whirlwinds from Gudis' control and bringing about clouds of rain.^{[1][The Storm Hunter]}

Other appearances[]

Manga[]

• Degunja reappeared in the Ultraman Super Fighter Legends Manga in the Gudis arc, renamed as Degan (デーガン, Dēgan). Summoned by Gudis, who had taken control of the body of Ultraman Great, Degunja exists as armor that was forcibly attached to Alien Terrorist , making the monster combatant an unwilling slave of Gudis as part of the Gudis Five. Unlike the other armors created by Gudis, Degan offers no set weaponry, as Alien Terrorist continues to battle with his Terrorist Sword.

Video Games[]

• Degunja appeared in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System title "Ultraman: Towards the Future," though mysteriously given the name "Degola." In this US exclusive title, Degunja is portrayed as the third opponent faced by Ultraman Great in the Australian wilderness, bypassing Gigasaurus and Gerukadon , as the two were omitted from the title. The game accurately replicates Degunja's Lightning Light attack, while also presenting the monster with a new forwards and backwards roll attack that was not seen in the original show.

Weapons and Abilities[]

• Lightning Light (雷電光 - Raidenkō): A stream of yellow energy shot from each of Degunja's fingers. The combined 6 beams are powerful enough to damage Ultraman Great and easily force the hero back. The attack can be launched in bursts or in a continuous stream.
• Fur: The fur on Degunja's arms are able to deflect weaker attacks such as Ultraman Great's Palm Shooter.
• Wind Manipulation: Being a whirlwind deity, Degunja is able to manipulate winds, and is first seen travelling as a large tornado. 

Weakness[]

• Being a deity of Aborigine culture, Degunja is therefore affected by the traditional practices of the culture, and can be trapped in monuments such as stone circles that would prove ineffective against other monsters.

Behind the Scenes[]

Portrayal[]

• to be added

Notes[]

• to be added

Gallery[]

References[]

Navigation[]

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