Gamera is a giant monster, or kaiju, that debuted in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster by Daiei Film. The character and the first film were intended to follow the success of Toho's Godzilla film series, while various staffs have participated in both and related franchises, and the two franchises have influenced each other. The Daiei franchise has become a Japanese icon in its own right and one of the many representatives of Japanese cinema, appearing in a total of 12 films produced by Daiei Film and later by Tokuma Shoten and Kadokawa Daiei Studio respectively, and various other mediums such as novels, anime, videos, manga and cartoons, magazines, video games, television programs, shows, other merchandises, and so on.