# Kaiju Girls (ウルトラ怪獣擬人化計画)
**Kaiju Girls** (怪獣娘（かいじゅうがーるず） ～ウルトラ怪獣擬人化計画～, *Kaijū Gāruzu: Ultra Kaijū Gijinka Keikaku*, "Ultra Kaiju Anthropomorphic Project") is a Japanese multimedia project by Tsuburaya Productions that reimagines monsters (kaiju) from the *[Ultraman](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultraman)* tokusatsu series as girls who carry the souls of those monsters and can transform into their forms. The project spans short-form anime, manga, novels, and video works, and its best-known component is the comedy anime series of the same name.[1](https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/86) • [2](https://www.crunchyroll.com/hi/anime-news/2016/03/25-1/kaiju-girls-stomp-their-way-to-new-short-form-anime-in-fall-of-2016)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Project | Tsuburaya Productions' "Ultra Kaiju Gijinka Keikaku," anthropomorphizing Ultra Series kaiju as girls; media include anime, comics, novels, and video works[1](https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/86) |
| Season 1 | 12-episode short-form web anime, streamed on d Anime Store from September 27, 2016; animation by Studio Puyukai, directed by Minoru Ashina[3](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2016/8/29/kaiju-girls-stomp-the-internet-in-september-of-2016) |
| Season 2 | 12 episodes on TOKYO MX from January 9, 2018, streamed from January 10; new characters included King Joe (Suzuko Mimori) and Noiseler (Arisa Kiyoto)[1](https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/86) |
| Theatrical film | *Kaiju Girls Black* (怪獣娘（黒）), released November 23, 2018, 58 minutes, directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto, distributed by Pony Canyon[4](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/8346) |
| Premise | Girls born with the souls of ancient kaiju can transform into monster form; the organization GIRLS trains them[1](https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/86) |
| Manga | *Ultra Kaiju Anthropomorphic Project feat. POP* gag manga by POP and Shun Kazakami, published in English by Seven Seas, June 26, 2018[5](https://webservices.macmillan.com/macmillan-us/maccatalog/assets/previous/SSE_Spring-2018_07_2017.pdf) |
## The project
The Ultra Kaiju Gijinka Keikaku (also rendered "Ultra Kaiju Humanization Project") was announced by Tsuburaya Productions and docomo Anime Store as a project to create a new "KAIJU world" that no one had seen before, by anthropomorphizing the monsters of the *Ultraman* series. Developments from 2014 onward anthropomorphized many kaiju across comics, novels, and video works; merchandise followed early, including a Bemstar print T-shirt and a Gomora figure sold at AnimeJapan 2015.[6](https://prtimes.jp/a/?c=5167&f=d5167-1105-pdf-0.pdf&r=1105) • [7](https://www.tsuburaya-fields.co.jp/ir/j/files/press/2015/press_20150313a.pdf) An official fan book covering the anime, comics, and novels was published by KADOKAWA in late March 2018.[8](https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOBK-2208166)
## Anime seasons
**Season 1 (2016).** The short-form web anime *Kaiju Girls* ran for 12 episodes, released weekly on the d Anime Store service in Japan beginning September 27, 2016. It was directed by Minoru Ashina and animated by Studio Puyukai, a subdivision of Medicrie, with plot work by Norimitsu Kaihou. The story is set in a world where the long war between humans and kaiju has ended and some girls are born carrying a kaiju's soul; the organization GIRLS helps them train to become proper kaiju girls.[3](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2016/8/29/kaiju-girls-stomp-the-internet-in-september-of-2016) • [9](https://kaiju-gk.jp/anime/1st/story/introduction/)
The central trio are trainees at GIRLS: Aki Miyashita as Agira (voiced by Riho Iida), Miku Ushimaru as Miclas (voiced by Aina Suzuki), and Reika Shiragane as Windam.[13](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1467265686) • [14](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/21949/kaiju-girls) The season's cast also included Sora Tokui as Pigmon, Emiri Kato as Zetton, Hiromi Igarashi as Red King, Megumi Han as Eleking, and Ayaka Suwa as Gomora.[1](https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/86)
**Season 2 (2018).** The second season premiered on TOKYO MX on January 9, 2018, in a late-evening short slot, with streaming on d Anime Store from January 10. It ran 12 episodes and added Alien Guts, King Joe (voiced by [Suzuko Mimori](https://www.edgepedia.org/suzuko-mimori), known for REM in *ULTRAMAN GEED*), and the sound-eating Noiseler (Arisa Kiyoto). The season's story follows the trio as members of GIRLS while an unknown species called SHADOW causes trouble, and Alien Guts senses something wrong with herself. A companion crowdfunding campaign, the "Noiseler Comeback Operation," invited the character to Earth, and an exclusive radio program, *KAIJU GIRLS ~ULTRA KAIJU on Radio Operation~*, was available on d Anime Store.[1](https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/86)
## Kaiju Girls Black (2018 film)
A theatrical film, *Kaiju Girls Black* (怪獣娘（黒） ～ウルトラ怪獣擬人化計画～), received a limited run in Japanese theaters from November 23, 2018. It runs 58 minutes and was directed by Yasutaka Yamamoto, with screenplay by Kento Shimoyama, music by Shuji Katayama, and character design by Komagoma; [Pony Canyon](https://www.edgepedia.org/pony-canyon) handled domestic distribution.[4](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/8346) • [10](https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2018/07/kaiju-girls-black-anime-announces-cast-and-staff/)
The film follows a different group of girls from the television seasons. Hiraga Satsuki (voiced by Yuki Yagi) is a serious, dutiful high school student who is perplexed when strange powers awaken within her; she is aided by the Black Stars, a villainous organization of kaiju girls led by Commander Black (Hiyori Nitta). [Minami Takahashi](https://www.edgepedia.org/minami-takahashi) voices Silver Bloome, and Kaori Ishihara voices Nova.[4](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/8346) • [10](https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2018/07/kaiju-girls-black-anime-announces-cast-and-staff/)
## Manga and international release
[Seven Seas Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/seven-seas-entertainment) published an English edition of the gag manga *Ultra Kaiju Anthropomorphic Project feat. POP*, created by the character designer POP with Shun Kazakami, on June 26, 2018. The 180-page volume reimagines the kaiju of *Ultraman* as high school girls who defend Earth from evil aliens, and it was rated for ages 13 and up.[5](https://webservices.macmillan.com/macmillan-us/maccatalog/assets/previous/SSE_Spring-2018_07_2017.pdf) Both anime seasons were made available to stream on [Crunchyroll](https://www.edgepedia.org/crunchyroll) outside Japan.[10](https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2018/07/kaiju-girls-black-anime-announces-cast-and-staff/)
## Context within the Ultra franchise
The project extends the kaiju-centered appeal of the Ultra Series, the tokusatsu franchise created by Tsuburaya Productions, whose founder [Eiji Tsuburaya](https://www.edgepedia.org/eiji-tsuburaya) built the special-effects tradition that began with *Ultra Q* and *Ultraman*. Where the original shows cast kaiju as antagonists to be defeated by giant heroes, the anthropomorphic project recasts those same monsters as its protagonists, a gijinka (personification) treatment that also reached spin-off collaborations such as a 2016 Harajuku exhibition pairing the characters with an "underwater knee-high girls" theme.[11](https://macc.bunka.go.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2013_JapaneseAnimationGuide.pdf) • [12](https://gigaplus.makeshop.jp/saing/img/media/media7_2.pdf)
## References
1. [KAIJU GIRLS Season 2 will be starting from January 9! – Tsuburaya Productions](https://tsuburaya-prod.com/news/86)
2. ["Kaiju Girls" Stomp Their Way to New Short-Form Anime in Fall of 2016 – Crunchyroll News](https://www.crunchyroll.com/hi/anime-news/2016/03/25-1/kaiju-girls-stomp-their-way-to-new-short-form-anime-in-fall-of-2016)
3. ["Kaiju Girls" Stomp the Internet in September of 2016 – Crunchyroll News](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2016/8/29/kaiju-girls-stomp-the-internet-in-september-of-2016)
4. [Kaiju Girls Black (怪獣娘（黒） ～ウルトラ怪獣擬人化計画～) – Japanese Film Database](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/8346)
5. [Ultra Kaiju Anthropomorphic Project feat. POP Vol. 1 – Seven Seas Entertainment catalog](https://webservices.macmillan.com/macmillan-us/maccatalog/assets/previous/SSE_Spring-2018_07_2017.pdf)
6. [News release on the Ultra Kaiju Gijinka Keikaku anime – PR TIMES](https://prtimes.jp/a/?c=5167&f=d5167-1105-pdf-0.pdf&r=1105)
7. [Ultra Kaiju Gijinka Keikaku merchandise press release – Tsuburaya Fields](https://www.tsuburaya-fields.co.jp/ir/j/files/press/2015/press_20150313a.pdf)
8. [Ultra Kaijyu Gijinka Keikaku Official Fan Book – CDJapan](https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEOBK-2208166)
9. [Kaiju Girls Season 1 introduction – official site](https://kaiju-gk.jp/anime/1st/story/introduction/)
10. [Kaiju Girls Black Anime Announces Cast And Staff – The Tokusatsu Network](https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2018/07/kaiju-girls-black-anime-announces-cast-and-staff/)
11. [Japanese Animation Guide – Agency for Cultural Affairs](https://macc.bunka.go.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2013_JapaneseAnimationGuide.pdf)
12. [Ultra Kaiju Underwater Knee-High Girls Project exhibition notice](https://gigaplus.makeshop.jp/saing/img/media/media7_2.pdf)
13. [『怪獣娘(かいじゅうがーるず)』声優3名が明らかに, アニメイトタイムズ](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1467265686)
14. [tvmaze.com](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/21949/kaiju-girls)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Anime series, episodes, and franchises › Anime television series, 2020s*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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