Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2: A Hidden Gem For True Kaiju Enthusiasts
The magic of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters lies in its unrestrained devotion to monster-lore, and the second season’s debut wastes no time diving right in. Long before viewers get lost in the chaos of Titan encounters, a particular scene in episode one sets the tone with a clever reference that only the most experienced kaiju aficionados will catch. The reference? Pulgasari – a mythical figure rooted not in Japan, but Korea, and an icon with a story as wild as any movie plot.
Monarch’s Global Monster Hunt Brings Pulgasari Into The Spotlight
In the very first episode, during a flashback to early Monarch expeditions with Lee Shaw, Bill Randa, and Keiko Miura, the trio shares rumors and research about enigmatic monsters. As they recount the details of a creature that devours metal and reportedly resembles parts of a bear, tiger, rhino, and elephant, the conversation lands squarely on the name Pulgasari. Bill, the group’s resident monster obsessive, eventually recalls the legend, noting its deep roots in Korean mythology—a callout that goes way beyond Godzilla-sized nods and plunges straight into cult cinema history.
Pulgasari, as discussed by the Monarch team, isn’t just a mythical beast; it’s also the centerpiece of a legendary and genuinely bizarre North Korean film. Pulling from real folklore, the Pulgasari of myth is a creature meant to punish evil and protect the oppressed—an archetype tailor-made for kaiju cinema.
Pulgasari: More Than a Monster—A Cinematic Legend With an Unbelievable Backstory
What makes the Pulgasari reference in Monarch so exhilarating is not just the monster itself, but the movie’s real-world origin story. The film, Pulgasari, was infamously directed by Shin Sang-ok, a renowned South Korean filmmaker who, along with his wife, was kidnapped in the late 70s by Kim Jong Il. The motive? To supercharge North Korea’s movie industry. The government literally forced creative talent into producing a kaiju film meant to capture the same spark that made Godzilla a global phenomenon.
Shin and his wife eventually managed to escape to the United States, but not before finishing Pulgasari. The film rocks all the classic monster movie flourishes—suitmation effects, sprawling action scenes, and a monster whose hunger for metal ranges from comical to menacing. And while Toho, the studio behind Godzilla, quietly contributed technical expertise to the project, Pulgasari found cult status precisely because of its combination of true myth, wild history, and cinematic audacity.
The Pulgasari film doesn’t stick close to the original legend in appearance, but it leans into the themes of resistance and justice. And much like fan-favorite kaiju classics from the 50s to the 80s, it boasts that rare blend of camp and power, earning its stripes as a must-see for anyone serious about the genre.
Monarch’s Deep Cuts: Why Pulgasari Matters To Monsterverse Lore
By tossing Pulgasari into the lore pool, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters signals its readiness to not just pay homage, but to expand the kaiju canon beyond standard fare. It’s a move that caters to fans who celebrate the genre’s wildest, most unconventional stories, and it gives Monarch an even more international flavor—tying together the mythic backstories of monsters both famous and obscure.
This level of detailed referencing is exactly why Monarch’s companion show stands out as a fresh exploration of monster fiction. These small but powerfully resonant moments keep the Monsterverse unpredictable and open new doors for the types of creatures and stories fans can expect to see explored as the series rumbles on.
