Killer Whales in popular culture

Killer Whales have appeared many times in works of popular culture.

Creatures by the name of "orca" or "orc" have appeared throughout the history of Western literature. In Ludovico Ariosto's epic poem Orlando Furioso, the Orca (sometimes translated orc) was a sea-monster from whom the damsel Angelica was rescued by Orlando. This killer whale-like sea monster also appears in Michael Drayton's epic poem Polyolbion and in John Milton's Paradise Lost.

As late as the 1970s, killer whales were at times depicted negatively in fiction as ravenous predators whose behavior caused heroes to interfere to help a prey animal escape.

The Jaws series and the movie Orca from the mid-1970s may have updated the traditional portrayal of killer whales somewhat.

The poorly received film Orca features the story of a male killer whale going on what appears to be a vengeful rampage after his pregnant mate is killed by humans; yet at the same time, the film shows the killer whale having the intelligence needed both for vengeance and at the film's end, seemingly for forgiveness.

In contrast, the 1974 Walt Disney produced motion picture The Island at the Top of the World portrayed killer whales as blood-thirsty hunters of the protagonists in one particularly brutal scene.

In Jaws (1975), the name of the boat used to hunt the great white shark is the Orca, given the killer whale's status as a known predator of the shark. However, in the sequel Jaws 2, the shark's first victim is a killer whale, which was probably intended more as a Hollywood joke than an accurate portrayal of the eating habits of great white sharks.

In recent years, increased research and the animal's popularity in public venues has brought about a dramatic rehabilitation of the killer whale's image, much as the North American Wolf's image has been changed. It is now widely seen as a respected predator posing little or no threat to humans.

The recent Australian animated children's film Happy Feet portrayed two male killer whales as both powerful and intelligent playful predators and also as victims of human-caused ecological disruptions in a heavily polluted hunting ground. One of the killer whales sports massive propeller scars on its back and shies away in fear of a large fishing vessel. The killer whale's behaviour was dramatically exaggerated, yet based on genuine behaviours such as spy-hopping, iceberg tipping and kicking and tossing of prey.

The film Free Willy (1993) focused on the quest for freedom for a captive killer whale. The killer whale starring in the movie, Keiko, was originally captured in Icelandic waters. After rehabilitation at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon, Keiko was later returned to the waters of the Nordic countries, his native habitat, but continued to be dependent on humans until he died of pneumonia in December 2003.

The Japanese anime series Damekko Doubutsu features an orca named Sakamata, who cannot swim without the use of a floatation device.

A killer whale is featured in the crest of the Japanese football club Nagoya Grampus. The Grampus name (see above) was used as an historical translation of the native term shachihoko, a mythological large fish with a tigerlike head. However, the club's official symbolism portrays the Grampus as a killer whale.

The Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League use a killer whale in their team logo.

Kyogre from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire may also be based on a killer whale.