Amin Abbas

Yuji Kaida is a Japanese veteran illustrator and mechanical designer who is known for his work on giant monsters and kaijus such as Godzilla.

Known as the painter of kaijus, Kaida’s other works for major Japanese franchises include Ultraman, Gundam and giant robots.

Kaida shared exclusively to Arab News Japan about his inspiration for illustration: “I get a lot of inspiration from Japanese monster movies and special effects movies. I was born the year before the first Godzilla movie was released, and grew up looking forward to the Toho special effects movies that were released every year, so those movies had a big influence on me.”

Kaida mentioned that his first professional works were the Science Patrol Base Map Guide and Ultra Guard Base Interior Diagram, which were published in The Wonderful World of Ultraman Special Effects Videos by Asahi Sonorama in 1977.

Kaida said that every job comes with many challenges. Although the challenges vary depending on the job, the common challenge is to understand what kind of illustration the client wants most.

About his work on Godzilla franchise, Kaida said: “I was especially impressed by the cover art I did for the Godzilla Legend album series released by my friend, musician Makoto Inoue. The album revived Godzilla music for the modern era using synthesizers and other instruments, and I was able to portray Godzilla from a perspective that had never been seen before.”

Last year was the 70th anniversary of Godzilla franchise, Kaida shared his feelings of being a part of this global phenomenon.

“Godzilla has had many booms and gone by now. Godzilla is a character with a high level of recognition, strong appeal, and a deep background, but if we continue to make shoddy films that ride the boom, he will lose his power as a mere expendable item.”

“Now that Godzilla has celebrated its 70th anniversary, a new Godzilla boom is upon us, but I hope that Godzilla films will continue to be made that do not end up as a mere fad, without being held back by the old-fashioned film industry customs that say audiences will come even if a sequel to a hit film is made easily, and I sincerely hope that I can help with that as a monster illustrator,” he added.

About his work on major Japanese franchises such as: Ultraman, Gundam and other giant robot series over the years, Kaida said: “As for the Ultraman series, the package illustration for the laser disc of Ultra Q is the most memorable. Thanks to an understanding client, I was able to freely draw the world of Ultra Q that I wanted to depict. As for the Gundam series, my best memory is working on many package illustrations for the plastic models that are the core of the merchandising.”

Kaida mentioned that he has only been to the Middle East once in a transit trip through Dubai International Airport, but he has never visited a country in the Middle East and experienced its culture directly. In Dubai, he was overwhelmed by the scale of one of the world’s largest and busiest airports.

Kaida said that he would like to publish two collections of his work this year.

About his recommendations for those who want to be an illustrator for video games, anime and manga, Kaida said: “Having a world that you love the most, a work or genre that you feel a strong affection for, is a very powerful weapon as an illustrator. Use that as a foundation and expand your own world of illustration.”