Rebirth of Mothra III (1998-Film)

## *.Rebirth of Mothra III (1998)*

***Rebirth of Mothra 3*** (モスラ 3 キングギドラ来襲, *Mosura Surī Kingu Gidora Raishū*, released in Japan as ***Mothra 3: Invasion of King Ghidorah***) is a 1998 Japanese *kaiju* film directed by Okihiro Yoneda, written by Masumi Suetani, and produced by Shōgo Tomiyama. Produced and distributed by Toho Studios, it is the final film in the *Rebirth of Mothra* trilogy, following the previous year's *Rebirth of Mothra II*.

*Rebirth of Mothra III* stars Megumi Kobayashi, Misato Tate, Aki Hano, Atsushi Ohnita, and Miyuki Matsuda, and features the fictional giant monster characters Mothra and King Ghidorah. The film was released theatrically in Japan on December 12, 1998, and was released direct-to-video in the United States on May 31, 2003.

## Plot.

Moll, Lora, and Belvera, the Elias sisters, are at odds again. Belvera seeks the secret power of their ancestors, three power units that transform the sisters' small daggers into powerful swords. She steals the units from Infant Island, but is thwarted by Fairy Mothra, Moll and Lora's pet, and fails to retrieve the proper unit for her sword. Moll and Lora end up with a unit that transforms Moll's sword.

Shortly afterward, a huge meteor lands on Earth. The next day, preteen Shota plays ditches school to investigate. Meanwhile, children all over the city mysteriously vanish. Moll and Lora examine the meteor's remains and realize a great evil has been released. King Ghidorah, a three-headed space monster who visited Earth in its past and destroyed the dinosaurs, returns with the captured children to a secluded spot near the meteor; trapping them in an organic dome. Leo arrives in his Rainbow Mothra form to battle King Ghidorah, but the latter easily dominates the battle, forcing the former to escape. Later, Moll and Lora encounter Ghidorah, who hypnotizes Lora. Under Ghidorah's spell, Lora attacks Moll and attempts to drag them both into the dome, but Fairy Mothra saves Moll. Belvera, intrigued by Ghidorah's arrival, gets too close and is dragged inside as well.

As the space monster wreaks havoc on the city, Moll encounters Shota, who learned that his brother Shuehei and sister Tamako were captured as well. Moll tells Shota about Ghidorah's plan to feed on the children's life force and convinces him to accompany her to see Rainbow Mothra. Communicating telepathically, Moll and Rainbow Mothra come up with a plan. Once the former gives the latter her remaining powers, Leo transforms into Light Speed Mothra so he can travel 65 million years in the past and confront a weaker version of Ghidorah when he first arrived on Earth.

In the meantime, Moll gives Shota her sword and asks him to go inside the dome to find Lora and convince her to use her powers to help Mothra. After Shota reluctantly agrees, a weakened Moll falls into a state of suspended animation. Shota allows Ghidorah to capture him so he can find Lora. Inside, Lora encounters a worried Belvera, who tells her that Ghidorah plans to destroy the Earth. Lora takes Belvera's unit and uses it to transform her dagger. Still under Ghidorah's spell, the two fairies engage in a sword fight, with Belvera begging Lora to see reason and to work with her, to no avail. Shota finds Lora, but she attacks him. Belvera tries to stop her as Shota reminds her of who she is. Ghidorah's spell breaks and Lora falls into Shota's hands; her sword combining with Moll's. Belvera finally realizes that the Elias triangle represents the three of them, so she uses the last unit to transform her dagger, and combines her sword with Lora and Moll's. Using the newly created sword, she attempts to break open the dome as Lora recovers.

Meanwhile, Leo reaches the past and turns back into Rainbow Mothra before engaging the past iteration of Ghidorah, but faces another losing battle. As the dome shakes violently, Shota realizes that Leo is losing the fight and asks Lora to use her powers to help him. As Lora sings, Leo recovers his energy and immobilizes Ghidorah long enough for him to drop the dragon into a nearby volcano, though not before a severed piece of Ghidorah's tail burrows itself into the ground. The volcano erupts, destroying Ghidorah. Seriously injured by the battle, Leo crashes to the ground, and is on the brink of death. However, three Mothra larvae of an ancient, primitive species arrive and wrap him in a cocoon, where he spends the ensuing 65 million years healing and undergoing metamorphosis.

Back in the present, Ghidorah and the dome disappear, freeing the children and the fairies. Shota reunites with his siblings and join Belvera and Lora as they kneel by Moll's body; unsure of how to save her. As Belvera notes she should be awake since Ghidorah was destroyed in the past, a new Ghidorah suddenly appears and recaptures the children, being derived from the tail of Ghidorah that escaped destruction by Leo.

Suddenly, the cocoon explodes, revealing Leo's strongest form yet, Armor Mothra. Another battle takes place, but Ghidorah loses and ends up disintegrated. Mothra tells Belvera and Lora to channel their powers through their sword to revive Moll. The fairies do as they are told and while the sword vanishes, Moll revives. The reunion is short-lived however, as Belvera flies off. The children are released once again and reunite with their parents. Shota, Shuehei, Tamako and their parents watch as Moll, Lora, Fairy Mothra, and Leo, now in a new Eternal Mothra form, fly off into the sunset.