It first appeared in the Super Contraarcade title from 1988 where it acts as the final boss of the game.
Kimkoh (陰獣 キムコウ Kimukou or "Shadow Beast Kimkoh") is a recurring boss in the Contra series. It is a large arthropod-like alien creature that somewhat resembles a cicada during its nymph phase, but whose body is composed by what appears to be an amalgamation of many other creatures (including a large humanoid face). It seemingly occupies a high rank among the lines of the Red Falconarmy.
Originally, there was a single Kimkoh encountered per game, although later appearances added multiple individuals of its kind in some titles. This brings into question whether the name "Kimkoh" refers to the name of an individual creature or of a whole species, with the latter being the more plausible option. While they usually retain similar behaviors and attack patterns, their body shapes and sizes differ greatly between titles.
