Parodius ～Tako wa Chikyū o Sukū～ (Meaning:"Parodius: The Octopus Saves the Earth") But it's known as Parodius, is a scrolling shooter video game developed by for the computer and was released in Japan in 1988. The game is notable for being the first title in the , although it is often confused with Parodius Da! －Shinwa kara Owarai e－ in that respect. The name itself is a portmanteau of "Gradius" and "Parody" and, eponymously, the game is a parody of the of space-based horizontally-scrolling shooters. Many of the characters and enemies are derived from that famous shooter series, while other elements are extracted from other Konami titles, such as Antarctic Adventure and Twinbee. This game is of particular note in the series as being heavily infused with Japanese culture and folklore.