Godzilla (franchise)

## Godzilla (ゴジラ)

Godzilla 50 Years logo from Godzilla: Final Wars

### Height

Showa: 50 metersHanna-Barbera:122 metersHeisei: 80 meters100 metersTriStar:55 metersMillennium: 55 meters60 meters100 metersMonsterVerse: 108.2 meters119.8 metersReiwa:28 meters (2nd Form)57 meters (3rd Form)118.5 meters (4th Form)50 meters (2030),300 meters (After 20,000 years)

***Godzilla*** is a popular series of giant monster films, games, comics, toys, and any licensed products featuring the character Godzilla. Starting in 1954, the Godzilla series has become the **Longest-Running Film Series in Movie History (With the most Movies)!**

The first film, *Godzilla*, was first released in the United States in 1955 in Japanese-American communities only. In 1956, it was adapted by the American company Jewell Enterprises into *Godzilla, King of the Monsters!*, edited and with added principal scenes featuring actor Raymond Burr. This version became an international success and gave rise to Godzilla's popularity outside of Japan.

Since then, Godzilla has been featured in 29 live-action films produced by Toho, three anime films produced by TOHO Animation and animated by Polygon Pictures, three American-made Hollywood adaptations, and countless books, comics, television shows, video games, toys, and other merchandise. Legendary Pictures' recent 2014 film adaptation has launched a shared cinematic universe featuring King Kong, and was followed by a sequel and an upcoming crossover film with King Kong. Toho, meanwhile released its own reboot to the series titled *Shin Godzilla* in 2016 to enormous critical and box office success. In addition, an animated Godzilla film was released in Japanese theaters in 2017, with two sequels following in 2018.

The original *Godzilla* was greatly inspired by the commercial success of the 1952 re-release of *King Kong*, and the 1953 success of *The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms*. *Godzilla* would go on to inspire other giant monster films such as *Gorgo*, *Gamera*, *Yongary, Monster from the Deep*, *Cloverfield*, and many others. The Godzilla series is responsible for pioneering the tokusatsu style of filmmaking in Japan, as well as popularizing the *daikiaju eiga* (Japanese giant monster films) genre of movies. Godzilla is frequently referenced or parodied in popular culture around the world, reflecting his status as a well-known cultural icon.

## Monsters

The Godzilla series features numerous kaiju, or "giant monsters," the most famous being Godzilla himself. Godzilla films are often characterized by featuring Godzilla doing battle with various other kaiju. The following is a list of some of the most famous recurring monsters in the series.

* **Godzilla** - The primary monster in the franchise, Godzilla is often recognized by the title "King of the Monsters," and is considered the most powerful kaiju in the series. A giant irradiated prehistoric reptile, Godzilla made his debut in the 1954 film *Godzilla* and has appeared in nearly 30 films since. Godzilla's alignment varies between being a violent menace that threatens humanity or a heroic savior who defends Japan from aliens and other monsters. Generally, Godzilla is portrayed as a highly territorial and destructive yet intelligent creature who holds no love for humanity, but often ends up defending the planet from greater threats to it than him. In each series, Godzilla at some point ends up having an adopted son, who acts as a bridge between Godzilla and humanity and shows Godzilla's softer and more caring nature.
* **Anguirus** - The first monster to battle Godzilla, Anguirus debuted in the 1955 film *Godzilla Raids Again*. Anguirus is a giant ankylosaur, with a spiky carapace that he often uses in battle. Anguirus is generally perceived as weaker than Godzilla and many of the other monsters, lacking any extraordinary abilities such as a beam weapon, but he is extremely bold and fierce and is willing to take on any opponent, no matter its size. Despite debuting as Godzilla's enemy, Anguirus has since become Godzilla's most frequent ally and in various media is often portrayed as Godzilla's closest friend.
* **Rodan** - Rodan is a giant Pteranodon that first appeared in the 1956 film *Rodan*. Rodan is an incredibly fast flier, easily breaking the sound barrier any time he takes flight. Rodan first encountered Godzilla in the film *Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster* in 1964, where he was initially his enemy and ultimately joined forces with him against King Ghidorah. Like Anguirus, Rodan is one of Godzilla's most frequent allies, and has earned a reputation as one of the most famous and well-known monsters in the franchise. Rodan is one of four monsters besides Godzilla to appear in all of the first three eras of Godzilla films, and was also featured in the recent American film *Godzilla: King of the Monsters*.
* **Mothra** - Mothra is a giant divine moth who resides on the remote Infant Island, watching over the tribe of natives who worship her as their deity. Mothra first appeared in the 1961 film *Mothra*, then made her debut in the Godzilla series in *Mothra vs. Godzilla* in 1964. Unlike most other kaiju, Mothra is perceived as benevolent and friendly to humanity, using two miniature fairies often called the Shobijin to communicate with humans. Mothra frequently is seen carrying out the lepidopteran life cycle, beginning life as a giant egg which hatches into a huge larva, which eventually builds a cocoon and transforms into an imago. Mothra has been Godzilla's ally and his enemy in the past, aiding him in battle against extraterrestrial threats such as King Ghidorah and battling him when he threatens humanity. Mothra is by far Godzilla's most famous costar as well as the first female monster in the series, appearing in all of the first three eras of Godzilla films as well as the recent American film *Godzilla: King of the Monsters*, and even received her own spin-off trilogy of films starring her and her son Mothra Leo.
* **King Ghidorah** - A giant three-headed golden dragon, King Ghidorah is widely considered to be Godzilla's arch-enemy. King Ghidorah made his debut in the film *Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster* in 1964 as an evil extraterrestrial terror bent on destroying the Earth, forcing Godzilla to join forces with Mothra and Rodan to stop him. King Ghidorah returned in several films in the Showa series, with Godzilla seeking help from other monsters to stop him each time. King Ghidorah was reintroduced in the Heisei series film *Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah*, where he was the result of terrorists from the future exposing three creatures called Dorats to a hydrogen bomb test. King Ghidorah received a more powerful mechanical form called Mecha-King Ghidorah in this film as well. In the Millennium series film *Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack*, King Ghidorah was reinvented as an ancient guardian monster defending Japan from Godzilla. Most recently, Ghidorah served as the antagonist in the third entry of the *GODZILLA* anime trilogy, *GODZILLA: The Planet Eater*, as well as the third entry in the MonsterVerse, *Godzilla: King of the Monsters*. King Ghidorah also made an appearance as the main antagonist in the film *Rebirth of Mothra III*. Other monsters based on King Ghidorah have also appeared: Desghidorah in *Rebirth of Mothra* and Keizer Ghidorah in *Godzilla: Final Wars*.
* **Ebirah** - A giant lobster that battled Godzilla in the 1966 film *Ebirah, Horror of the Deep*, Ebirah defended the waters around the mysterious Letchi Island, where the terrorist group known as the Red Bamboo operated. Ebirah confronted Godzilla twice in the water, with Godzilla emerging victorious and removing both of the beast's claws. Ebirah also made an appearance through stock footage in the film *All Monsters Attack* in 1969. Ebirah made his return decades later in the film *Godzilla: Final Wars* in 2004, where he battled Earth Defense Force soldiers at Tokai, then fought Godzilla at Tokyo Bay alongside Hedorah before being defeated.
* **Minilla** - Minilla is Godzilla's son who first appeared in the film *Son of Godzilla* in 1967. Minilla was found by Godzilla on Sollgel Island, where the hatchling was being attacked by three Kamacuras. Godzilla defended the infant, then began to raise it as his own son and train him to take up his mantle. Unlike his father, Minilla is friendly towards humans and prefers to avoid conflict with other monsters when possible. Minilla returned in *Destroy All Monsters*, where he assisted Godzilla and the other Earth monsters against King Ghidorah. Minilla was a focus in the film *All Monsters Attack*, where a young boy named Ichiro Miki imagined himself on Monster Island, where he befriended Minilla and helped him fight back against the bully monster Gabara. Aside from stock footage, Minilla did not return in a film until *Godzilla: Final Wars* in 2004. Minilla was an attempt by Toho to increase the Godzilla series' appeal towards child audiences and further develop and humanize Godzilla as a character. Godzilla had another adopted son named Godzilla Junior in the Heisei series, who was based on Minilla but made slightly more realistic.
* **Kamacuras** - Kamacuras is a giant praying mantis that debuted in *Son of Godzilla* in 1967. In the film, Kamacuras is the result of giant praying mantises native to Sollgel Island being mutated to kaiju size by a radiation storm. The Kamacuras were the secondary antagonists of the film, threatening Godzilla's son Minilla until they were all killed by either Godzilla or the film's primary villain, Kumonga. Kamacuras appeared briefly in the film *All Monsters Attack* in 1969, then did not appear again until *Godzilla: Final Wars* in 2004. Kamacuras also made a brief appearance during the opening credits sequence of *GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters*.
* **Kumonga** - A giant spider, Kumonga appeared in the film *Son of Godzilla* living on Sollgel Island. Kumonga captured Minilla and a Kamacuras with its web and prepared to feed on them both. However, Godzilla arrived and rescued Minilla, then joined forces with his son to defeat Kumonga. Kumonga returned in the film *Destroy All Monsters*, aiding Godzilla and the other Earth monsters against King Ghidorah in the final battle by firing its web at the dragon. Kumonga's next film appearance was in *Godzilla: Final Wars*, where it was mind-controlled by the Xiliens and forced to fight Godzilla in New Guinea.
* **Baragon** - A giant subterranean reptile, Baragon first appeared in the 1965 film *Frankenstein vs. Baragon*, where he battled against a giant version of Frankenstein's monster. Baragon made his debut in the Godzilla series in 1968 in the film *Destroy All Monsters*, appearing in a few brief shots as one of the Earth monsters living on Monsterland. Despite his few film appearances, Baragon became incredibly popular among fans, and his costume was frequently modified and reused by Tsuburaya Productions in their *Ultra* series productions. Baragon returned in a film in *Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack* in 2001, as the God of the Earth and an ancient guardian monster of Japan. Baragon maintains his popularity in part due to his perception as being "cute," due to his large ears and eyes and dog-like appearance.
* **Manda** - Manda is a giant sea serpent that first appeared in the 1963 film *Atragon*. In this film, Manda was the guardian of the Mu Empire, and was sent to battle the Gotengo when it assaulted their kingdom. Manda joined the Godzilla series in *Destroy All Monsters*, as one of the monsters living on Monsterland who is controlled by the Kilaaks and forced to assault major cities. Manda attacked Tokyo along with Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra in this film, and was later present during the final battle against King Ghidorah, in which he did not directly take part. Manda later appeared at the beginning of *Godzilla: Final Wars*, where he battled the Gotengo underwater near the English Channel.
* **Hedorah** - Hedorah, also known as the Smog Monster, is an alien spore creature from the Dark Gaseous Nebula of the Orion who arrived on the Earth in a meteor. Hedorah first appeared as Godzilla's opponent in the film *Godzilla vs. Hedorah* in 1971, where it terrorized Japan by feeding on pollution and spreading toxins throughout the environment. Hedorah proved to be one of Godzilla's toughest opponents, costing him an eye and a hand and requiring Godzilla to cooperate with humanity to finally defeat him. Hedorah returned in a minor role in 2004's *Godzilla: Final Wars*, where it battled Godzilla in Tokyo Bay along with Ebirah while under the control of the Xiliens.
* **Gigan** - Gigan is a cybernetic alien creature that first appeared in the film *Godzilla vs. Gigan* in 1972, where he teamed up with King Ghidorah to destroy human civilization under the command of the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens. Gigan and King Ghidorah were repelled by the combined might of Godzilla and Anguirus, but the monster was called upon again a year later in *Godzilla vs. Megalon*, where he aided Megalon against Godzilla and Jet Jaguar. Gigan was defeated once more, but was taken control of by the Garogas and featured in the show *Zone Fighter*, where he battled Godzilla once more and was ultimately killed by Zone Fighter. Although his first two films were not well-received, Gigan became incredibly popular, earning a reputation as a brutal and sadistic opponent and one of Godzilla's most nefarious enemies. Gigan finally returned in a film in 2004, as one of the primary monster antagonists in *Godzilla: Final Wars*. Gigan battled Godzilla twice, once with the aid of Monster X, but was defeated both times and ultimately destroyed by Mothra.
* **Mechagodzilla** - Mechagodzilla is a robotic duplicate of Godzilla, and one of the most popular recurring monsters in the series. The first version of Mechagodzilla debuted in the film *Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla* in 1974, where it was controlled by the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens and used as part of their attempted conquest of Earth, only to be defeated by the combined might of Godzilla and King Caesar. This version of Mechagodzilla was featured in the next year's film *Terror of Mechagodzilla*, where it was rebuilt by its alien masters and teamed with Titanosaurus to annihilate Tokyo. A second version of Mechagodzilla was featured in the film *Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II*, where it was constructed by the United Nations to combat Godzilla and protect humanity. The 2002 film *Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla* introduced a third distinct iteration of Mechagodzilla, dubbed Kiryu, which was built around the skeleton of the original Godzilla from 1954 and used to fight the current Godzilla. Kiryu was also featured in the film *Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.* the next year. A fourth incarnation of Mechagodzilla was introduced in the 2017 animated film *GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters* and played a major role in the film's 2018 sequel, where it had grown into a mechanized fortress dubbed "Mechagodzilla City" 20,000 years in the future. Mechagodzilla, like Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah, is one of the only monsters besides Godzilla himself to appear in all three eras of Japanese Godzilla films.
* **King Caesar** - King Caesar is a monster directly based on the mythical Shisa creature of Okinawan mythology. King Caesar was featured in the film *Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla*, where he aided Godzilla in battle against Mechagodzilla in Okinawa. King Caesar is unique among kaiju in that he is mammalian in appearance, but also appears to not be organic in nature, instead being constructed primarily of bricks and stone. King Caesar returned in the film *Godzilla: Final Wars* in 2004, where he was controlled by the Xiliens and forced to attack Okinawa, then joined with Rodan and Anguirus at Mount Fuji to fight Godzilla. Unlike most of Godzilla's opponents in the film, King Caesar, Rodan and Anguirus were all spared by Godzilla, a nod to their status as his allies in the Showa series.
* **Godzilla Junior** - Godzilla Junior, like Minilla before him, filled the role of Godzilla's son in the Heisei series. Junior first appeared in the film *Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II* as Baby Godzilla, an infant Godzillasaurus found in Rodan's nest that is discovered by Japanese scientists and raised by a human researcher named Azusa Gojo. At the film's end, Baby is adopted by Godzilla and forced to part with his human mother. In the next film, *Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla*, Baby had grown from exposure to Godzilla's radiation and become known as Little Godzilla. Little Godzilla was abducted by SpaceGodzilla, forcing Godzilla to join forces with the mecha MOGUERA to rescue him. In *Godzilla vs. Destoroyah*, Junior had grown into a sub-adult and was heading to his nest on Adonoa Island, only to be diverted to Tokyo and battle Destoroyah. Junior was ultimately killed by Destoroyah, only to be revived by energy released by his adoptive father when he melted down and become the new Godzilla. Junior is similar to Minilla, being a young member of Godzilla's species who is friendly towards humans and cared for by Godzilla. Unlike Minilla, Junior ultimately reached adulthood and actually took his father's place.
* **Orga** - Godzilla's first new foe of the Millennium series, Orga was the result of the Millennian aliens absorbing Godzilla's Organizer G-1, the substance in his cells that grants him his impressive regeneration, in their quest to adapt to the Earth's environment and establish an empire. The aliens could not handle the Organizer G-1, and mutated into the hulking Orga. Orga battled Godzilla in Tokyo, ultimately being destroyed after attempting to swallow Godzilla headfirst, with Godzilla unleashing a lethal nuclear pulse while inside of his enemy's maw. Orga returned to the big screen briefly in the opening credits sequence of *GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters*, which depicts his attack on Turkey in May of 2022. This attack is explored in greater detail in the film's official prequel novel, *GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse*.

## Gallery

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