Katsura Mafune (Tomoko Ai) is a cybernetic human who first appeared in the 1975 Toho film, Terror of Mechagodzilla.
History[]
Showa Series[]
Terror of Mechagodzilla[]
Katsura was the daughter of prominent marine biologist Shinzo Mafune (Akihiko Hirata). When her father was fired from the oceanographic institute, Katsura helped him continue his experiments in controlling the monster Titanosaurus from his laboratory in their basement. Katsura was seriously injured in an accident in the lab, only to be saved by a group of mysterious men. Aside from just saving her life, the men turned Katsura into a cyborg. Katsura developed an ability to telepathically summon and control Titanosaurus, possibly through her cybernetic programming. Years later, the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens, the "men" who saved her life, altered Katsura's programming to give her control over Mechagodzilla. Katsura struggled to retain her own free will and maintained a love interest with oceanographer Akira Ichinose (Katsuhiko Sasaki), who was studying Dr. Mafune's work. When Godzilla was battling Mechagodzilla, Katsura came to her senses and realized that only her own destruction would stop Mechagodzilla. She shot herself in the chest and died in Ichinose's arms, her sacrifice allowing Godzilla to triumph over his mechanical double.