Godzilla Junior

Godzilla Junior (ゴジラジュニア Gojirajunia) is a is a kaiju which first appeared in *Godzilla vs. Destoroyah*.

## History

### *Godzilla vs. Destoroyah*

In 1996, nuclear reactions in Godzilla's heart ignited uranium deposits under Birth Island, causing the island to completely vanish in a fiery explosion. Neither Godzilla nor his adoptive son could be found near the island's former location, and were both initially presumed dead. However, Godzilla, covered in glowing red rashes and dubbed Burning Godzilla, soon surfaced in Hong Kong. LittleGodzilla was still nowhere to be found, and Kenkichi Yamane determined that it was unlikely he survived the explosion. When whales began dying in large numbers in the waters around Japan, Kenichi and Miki Saegusa considered the possibility that the Little One was responsible, having been changed by the explosion. The Little One soon surfaced at Omae Cove, now grown into a sub-adult dubbed Godzilla Junior by G-Force Commander Takaki Aso. From Junior's course, it was apparent he was returning to his nest on Adonoa Island, and Godzilla was following him. With Godzilla about to undergo a catastrophic meltdown that would destroy the planet, G-Force formed a desperate plan to get him to fight Destoroyah, a monster spawned by the Oxygen Destroyer used to kill the first Godzilla in 1954, in the hopes he would be killed in the battle. Miki was forced to reluctantly use her telepathy to bring Junior to Tokyo, knowing Godzilla would follow. Destoroyah attacked the chopper carrying Miki and Meru Ozawa, but Junior defended them and battled Destoroyah. Destoroyah pinned Junior to the ground and began injecting Micro-Oxygen into his bloodstream, causing him to foam at the mouth. Junior used his atomic breath to blast Destoroyah off of him and into a refinery, which exploded. Junior rose back to his feet and roared victoriously, and approached Haneda Airport.

That night, Godzilla and Junior reunited outside of Haneda Airport, calling out to each other. Suddenly, Destoroyah rose from the burning refinery in his demonic final form, then flew to the airport, where he grabbed Junior and carried him high into the air. Destoroyah dropped Junior onto Ariake Coliseum, then blasted him with his Micro-Oxygen beam, mortally wounding him. Miki and Meru landed their chopper near Junior, then watched as he closed his eyes and seemingly died. Both Miki and Godzilla were stricken by grief, while Destoroyah turned his attention to Godzilla. Godzilla battled the evil creature, and eventually defeated him and approached his fallen son. Godzilla tried to breathe energy back into Junior, who briefly opened his eyes before finally passing away. Godzilla roared out in grief, but was attacked by Destoroyah once again. As Godzilla began to melt down, Destoroyah tried to retreat, but was shot down by G-Force's freezer weapons and killed upon colliding with the superheated ground. Godzilla then melted down and died alone in the ruins of Tokyo, with G-Force minimizing the damage by freezing him as he melted down. As catastrophic amounts of radiation poured over Tokyo, it appeared the city would become a ghost town. Suddenly, all of the radiation vanished. Through the smoke, Junior could be seen roaring, having absorbed his father's dying radiation and matured into the new Godzilla.

## Abilities

### Atomic Breath

At the end of *Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla* LittleGodzilla displays a beam attack in the form of a stream of atomic bubbles after he is freed. When Birth Island explodes a year later in *Godzilla vs. Destoroyah*, giving him a massive dose of radiation, he gains the ability to fire atomic breath, like his father. This atomic breath is strong enough to shoot Destoroyah's Flying form out of the sky, sever his Aggregate form's claw, and blast him into a refinery.

### Durability

Much like his father, Godzilla Junior is fairly resilient as a sub-adult, but is comparatively weak and helpless as BabyGodzilla and LittleGodzilla, as shown when he cowers and runs away from SpaceGodzilla. Junior also appears to display a slight resistance to Micro-Oxygen, as when he fought the Aggregate and Flying forms of Destoroyah, he was bitten almost directly over his heart and injected with Micro-Oxygen, yet his durability allowed him to continue the fight and overcome Destoroyah. However, he was no match for the power of Destoroyah's Perfect form, which quickly overpowered and killed him.

### Regeneration

Godzilla Junior possesses an enhanced healing factor, much like his father. He completely regenerates the gaping wound left on his chest by Destoroyah's Aggregate Form in a short period of time. While this may seem to be a continuity error, it is an example of Junior's canonical regenerative capabilities. Just like his father, Junior's regeneration is enhanced when he absorbs more radiation, as demonstrated when he is revived as an adult Godzilla after his lifeless body absorbs the radiation given off by his father's meltdown.

### Weaknesses

LittleGodzilla is helpless against SpaceGodzilla, cowering as the space monster ruthlessly attacks him and relying on his father to defend him. Once Godzilla is knocked down by SpaceGodzilla, LittleGodzilla is left defenseless and easily captured in a crystal prison. Godzilla Junior, while much physically stronger than his previous two forms, is still no match for a kaiju the size of Destoroyah's Perfect form, which is able to lift effortlessly into the air and drop him from a lethal height before finishing him off with a single blast of his Oxygen Destroyer Ray.

## Films & TV

* *Godzilla vs. Destoroyah* (1995)
* *Godzilla Island* (TV 1997-1998) [95 episodes]
* *Godzilla: Final Wars* (2004) [stock footage]
* *Godziban* (TV 2019-) [episodes 1, 3, 5-8, 11-15, 17-25, 27-28; special]