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In Pacific Rim, the Kaiju emerge from The Breach and show up on the radar. They are identified and the Jaeger(s) deployed.

It was my understanding from the movie that

each of the Kaiju that comes through is eventually killed; they are not escaping back into The Breach and then returning again. It is mentioned that the Kaiju seem to be evolving, each one different from the last, furthering the argument that they are not the same ones returning.

When Choi identifies the Kaiju, he refers to them by their "codename" (Leatherback, Raiju, Knifehead, etc) - but who came up with these, and when?

phantom42
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2 Answers2

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Tendo Choi comes up with each of the names when the Kaiju cross the Breach.

From the Official Movie Novelization:

He [Tendo] could get solid information on a kaiju's mass, speed, and physical form within seconds of it emerging from the Marianas Trench.

and

He [Newton] wondered what ridiculous code name Tendo Choi had come up with. Fang? Wendigo?

Valorum
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Cara
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The impression given by that scene is the names of the Kaiju are designated upon confirmation of their arrival in the transdimensional portal in the same fashion as storms are given names once they have reached a certain size.

  • These names do not appear to be descriptive since they are naming them before they are even visibly seen on the surface.

  • It is possible the Kaiju have distinctive signatures that can be detected before they even reach our dimension completely. While that is unconfirmed, the size of the Kaiju is definitely able to be determined and listed as a "class" from "Class One" to "class Five."

  • Likely with five years of dealing with Kaiju attacks they use a list of codenames to differentiate the Kaiju to the Jaeger pilots. These codenames are also used to identify the Kaiju parts.

Later it is determined the same Kaiju are returning, that they are grown and cloned for their assault against the inhabitants of the Earth.

From the notations on the wiki, it indicates the silicon nature of the Kaiju revealed their size, their mass, their physical characteristics like a fingerprint. So once they were seen, they could always be identified.

Thaddeus Howze
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  • But who comes up with the names? When most of them show up on Choi's screen, they've already got names. I don't recall if the ones who never surfaced were ever identified. Knifehead could arguably be named after his most prominent feature. And it was my understanding that they were judging the class system based on the dilation of the Breach (they mention meter dimensions a few times). – phantom42 Jul 15 '13 at 11:00
  • I also didn't interpret the Kaiju evolution to be the same. Charlie Day was saying that their dna was identical because they were cloned, but that's not the same as saying the same Kaiju is coming back. Same base model (upgraded over time), but not the same physical Kaiju warrior. – phantom42 Jul 15 '13 at 11:03
  • The designations could be assigned automatically for all we are able to tell. We were not part of the process for more than a minute. Unless we get a novelization or a more detailed analysis from a producer, there wasn't much coherent detail. – Thaddeus Howze Jul 15 '13 at 14:54
  • Books and comics are being released this week. The art book is already out. – phantom42 Jul 15 '13 at 15:11
  • @phantom42 - it could be that they've already generated a list of codenames, and they know what the next x kaiju will be named. I think that's generally the case with hurricanes, too. – Chris B. Behrens Jul 15 '13 at 17:59
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    The fact that Knifehead and Leatherback would just coincidentally match their namesakes so well makes that less believable, IMO. – phantom42 Jul 15 '13 at 18:18
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    From the notations on the wiki, it indicates the silicon nature of the Kaiju revealed their size, their mass, their physical characteristics like a fingerprint. So once they were seen, they could always be identified. – Thaddeus Howze Aug 03 '13 at 19:23