Information AboutGodzilla |
For the Japan ese Film s series see Godzilla (film Series) . :''For the 1998 film, see Godzilla (1998 Film) ('' Godzilla Vs. SpaceGodzilla '', 1994 )]] Godzilla (ゴジラ - ''Gojira'') is a Fictional Kaiju featured in Japan ese Film s. He was first seen in the 1954 film '' Gojira '', produced by Toho Film Company Ltd . To date, Toho has produced 28 Godzilla films. In 1998, TriStar Pictures produced a modern film, set in contemporary New York City . Godzilla is one of the defining aspects of Japanese Popular Culture for many Americans. The word "Godzilla" is popularly associated with special effects featuring "men in rubber suits", poor Dubbing , and Saturday morning television. Though his popularity has waned slightly over the years, he is still one of the most popular kaiju in the world. To this day, Godzilla remains an important facet of Japanese films, embodying the "giant monster" subset of the Tokusatsu genre. In the Japanese movies, Godzilla is depicted as a gigantic, charcoal-colored reptile whose iconic design includes small pointed ears, rough bumpy Scales , a powerful Tail , and bony colored Dorsal Fin s shaped like Maple Leaves . His origins vary somewhat from film to film, but he is almost always described as prehistoric, and his first attacks on Japan are linked to atomic testing in the Pacific Ocean. In particular, nuclear mutation is presented as being an explanation for his great size and strange powers. GOJIRA (GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS) Height: 50 meters/164.04 feet/1968.48 inches Mass: 20,000 metric tons/22,000 tons/44,000,000 lbs. Also appears in: (stock footage). Powers: Atomic fire produced from the mouth. High degree of resistance to harm. :The original Godzilla was a prehistoric monster that was disturbed by American atom bomb testing in the Pacific Ocean. After attacking Tokyo , destroying much of the city and killing tens of thousands, Godzilla was defeated when the scientist Serizawa ( Akihiko Hirata ) sacrificed himself to use an experimental weapon, the Oxygen Destroyer , which dissolved Godzilla’s flesh from his bones. It was stated at the end of the film that it was doubtful that there was only one creature, alluding not only to the many incarnations of Godzilla that would later appear but also to all the other kaiju monsters that would be featured in movies produced by Toho. :The following series would use the events of the first movie as part of their narrative but would occur in their own continuity separate from each other. THE SHōWA SERIES (昭和ゴジラシリーズ) 1954–1975 Godzilla Height: 50 meters/164 feet/1968.48 inches Mass: 20,000 metric tons/22,000 tons/44,000,000 lbs. First Appearance: Godzilla Raids Again Powers: heat ray, various martial arts techniques, super regeneration, and can absorb electricity and release it to become a magnetic force. He has also shown the ability to use his breath as propulsion to produce a limited form of flight. :As alluded to at the end of the original movie, another Godzilla monster surfaced at first as a menace but would soon become Japan's greatest hero. He would team up with Mothra, Rodan and Anguirus to battle a variety of foes both mundane( Ebirah , Kumonga and Kamakiras ) and bizarre( Hedorah , Gigan and Megalon ). He even gained a son in the form of Minilla . The series ended with Terror Of Mechagodzilla in 1974. The final scene depicted Godzilla wading off into the sea, not to be seen until his return in the heisei series ten years later. :Godzilla’s appearance would gradually transform from being reptilian ( King Kong Vs Godzilla ) to doggish ( Mothra Vs Godzilla ) and eventually being friendlier and humanistic towards the end of the series. THE VERSUS/HEISEI SERIES (ＶＳシリーズ) 1984–1995 Godzilla Height: 80 meters/262.464 feet/3149.568 inches Mass: 50,000 metric tons/55,000 tons/110,000,000 lbs. First Appearance: The Return Of Godzilla Powers: Godzilla is able to breath a blue atomic flame. His powers of regeneration are enough to heal his wounds very quickly after the battle with Biollante. :Rather than being disturbed by atom bomb testing in the Pacific Ocean, the second Godzilla monster of the versus series is the direct result. After his battle with the Super X Godzilla would be lured to Mount Mihara by Professor Hayashida where he would be dropped into the lava below. There he entered a state of dormancy. :During his slumber Japan would develop the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria (ANB) as a contingency in case Godzilla ever returned. :Reawakened by explosions, Godzilla headed for Lake Ashino where he would do battle with Biollante , the hybrid monster of Godzilla’s own DNA and the cells of a rose. In their battle the ANB had taken effect forcing the battle to draw. Biollante was mortally wounded and Godzilla had fallen into ocean where he would die from the ANB. The cold waters of the Pacific would lower Godzilla’s body temperature, forcing the ANB to fall dormant and allowing Godzilla to live on. Godzilla (second transformation) Height: 100 meters/328.08 feet/3936.96 inches Mass: 60,000 metric tons/66,000 tons/132,000,000 lbs. First Appearance: Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah Powers: Godzilla in this form would gain the ability to conduct radiation though touch. He also displayed a number of new abilities. He could generate a nuclear pulse emanating from his body that hit eveything around him. After absorbing the life essence of Rodan he gained the ability to generate a golden beam of destruction powerful enough to annihilate Mechagodzilla 2 and Space Godzilla in one blast. :In '' Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah '', time travelers from the future go back in time to 1944 to relocate the Godzillasaurus (which would become the second Godzilla) in the Bering Sea , and to replace it with their own creation - 3 tiny Dorads, which were harmless pets of the Futurians - to allow it to undergo Godzilla’s nuclear transformation instead. :In efforts to stop the Futurians ’ monster, those who were tricked into leading the Futurians to the Godzillasaurus made plans to send a nuclear submarine into the Bering Sea in an attempt to create the second Godzilla. Instead of finding the Godzillasaurus the submarine would come face to face with Godzilla himself. The Futurians’ ignorance of the past leads them to create the second Godzilla in the first place rather than removing him from history. Godzilla would absorb the power of the nuclear sub and not only would it seem to have cured the monster of the ANB but it would also mutate it even further, becoming powerful enough to defeat King Ghidorah , the Futurians’ monster. Godzilla went on to attack Japan himself, but was stopped when Emmy, one of the Futurians who had turned on her fellows, resurrected Ghidorah as a cyborg - Mecha-King Ghidorah . The two battled in Tokyo, with both falling into the sea at the movie's conclusion. Further battles against the likes of Mothra , Mechagodzilla and SpaceGodzilla followed, but ultimately this Godzilla would meet his end in the finalé of the versus series Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah . Everything comes full circle when Godzilla faced with a monster, Destoroyah , created by the experimental weapon, the Oxygen Destroyer , which was used to kill the first Godzilla. The end of Godzilla came when the radiation became too much for his body to control, and he finally succumbs to a total nuclear meltdown. THE MILLENNIUM SERIES (ミレニアムシリーズ) 1999–2004 The millennium series is unique because rather than creating a single continuity that all the films would follow, the series would instead be compromised by a number of discrete narratives, each using only the original ''Godzilla'' film as a backdrop. Godzilla from Height: 55 meters/180.444 feet/2165.328 inches Length: 122.5 meters/401.898 feet/4822.776 inches Mass: 25,000 metric tons/27,500 tons/55,000,000 lbs. Powers: All of Godzilla’s traditional powers return with the addition of being an excellent swimmer and the ability to unleash a tremendous amount of heat from his dorsal spikes while using his atomic ray. Mentioned for the first time is a property of Godzilla's DNA, organizer G1, which allows him to regenerate damaged tissue and injures almost instantaneously. :As a direct sequel of the original movie, the Godzilla depicted here is not related to any other Godzillas seen previously, or to those to come. It is unclear whether this Godzilla is the same as the original, but what is known is that he has been attacking and feeding off of Japan’s energy plants for some time. An alien UFO obtains some of Godzilla’s DNA in order to adapt to Earth’s atmosphere and becomes the monster Orga . The two monsters battle and Godzilla prevails by destroying his foe as it attempted to swallow him whole. ::''For a full a detailed synopsis see the article.'' Godzilla from Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus Height: 55 meters/180.444 feet/2165.328 inches Mass: 25,000 metric tons/27,500 tons/55,000,000 lbs. Powers: New powers possessed by this Godzilla is the ability to burrow and the ability to jump higher then previous Godzillas. He also retains all of his classic powers. :Disregarding the events of Godzilla 2000: Millennium, this Godzilla attacked Tokyo in 1954, the Tokaimura Power Plant in 1966, and Osaka in 1996. In 2001 Godzilla would be the first to encounter the Meganura threat. However, shortly after Godzilla would be lured to Kiganjima Island where he would fall victim to a top secret weapon, the Dimension Tide. The attack would be interrupted by the Meganura allowing Godzilla meet their queen, Megaguirus in battle. After Godzilla's victory he would fall victim once again to the Dimension Tide and be buried deep underneath the city. ::''For a full a detailed synopsis see the Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus article.'' Godzilla from Height: 60 meters/196.848 feet/2362.176 inches Mass: 30,000 metric tons/33,000 tons/66,000,000 lbs. Powers: Unique to this Godzilla are additional powers such as a near-impenetrable hide (which plays a key role in this movie), and the ability to absorb various types of energy, which can be released in the same manner as his atomic ray. His regenerative abilities are powerful enough to begin to regrow his body from just his heart. :Again disregarding the continuity of previous films of the millennium series, this Godzilla is confirmed to be the original monster, now driven by the souls of those who died in the Pacific in World War 2 . This film returns the Godzilla to his roots of being a genuinely malevolent being who deliberately seeks to punish Japan for the sins of WWII. Godzilla would do battle with the Yamato beasts Baragon , Mothra , and King Ghidorah but ultimately would meet his end by the actions of general Tachibana, who piloted a Submersible down Godzilla's throat and out trough a wound causing it to grow bigger. The next two times Godzilla attempted to use his atomic ray it tore him apart starting from the wound. This would not be his end. At the bottom of Tokyo Bay the monster's heart lived on, beginning to rejuvenate his body. ::''For a full a detailed synopsis see the article.'' Godzilla from Height: 55 meters/180.444 feet/2165.328 inches Mass: 25,000 metric tons/27,500 tons/55,000,000 lbs. Powers: Blue atomic fire breath, incredibly durable hide, and powerful fangs and claws. This Godzilla is not shown to have regenerative powers. :For the first time in the millennium series a Godzilla would appear in a series of two movies. As predicted at the end of the original Film a second Godzilla emerges in the middle of a typhoon in 1999 but would be driven away in its attack on Tokyo by the new Mechagodzilla , Kiryu. Godzilla reappeared in 2002 where it would take the combined efforts Kiryu, Mothra and her larva to bring him down. ::''For a full a detailed synopsis see the articles.'' Kiryu ( Mechagodzilla ) Height: 60 meters/196.848 feet/2362.176 inches Mass: 40,000 metric tons/44,000 tons/88,000,000 lbs. Appears in: :After the attack of another Godzilla monster in 1999 the Japanese decided to create a weapon capable of meeting Godzilla on his own terms. To this end they created Mechagodzilla , nicknamed Kiryu. Unlike previous Mechagodzillas, Kiryu was a cyborg built on the remains of the original Godzilla. He would do battle with Godzilla twice and once along side Mothra . Both Godzilla and Kiryu would last be seen plummeting into the depths of Japan’s Trench in the finale of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Godzilla from Height: 100 meters/328.08 feet/3936.96 inches Length: 100 meters/328.08 feet/3936.96 inches Mass: 50,000 metric tons/55,000 tons/110,000,000 lbs. Powers: Atomic ray from mouth. Great durability and regenerative abilities. Impressive leaping ability. :The last Godzilla from Godzilla: Final Wars is the last Godzilla to date though he is not the final. Toho has decided to retire the franchise for a period of 5-10 years to renew interest in the future. :In the 1960s Godzilla was buried in ice at the South Pole by the Earth Defense Force’s aerial battle ship Gotengo. When the Xilians , an insect alien race, used many of the earth own monsters in attempts to conquer it, the EDF would have to be forced to free Godzilla from the ice to fight for mankind. ::''For a full a detailed synopsis see the article.'' POWERS AND ABILITIES Over the years Godzilla has possessed many powers and abilities to use against his foes. Godzilla is generally considered to be the most powerful kaiju in the series -- although Mothra , Biollante , Space Godzilla , and Monster X have also had this claim made about them as well Atomic Breath :Godzilla is able to emit powerful atomic rays from his mouth apparently at will. He has also been able to control the power and the size of the rays. It can be "weak" enough to merely shake a building and strong enough to propel an enemy or an object into space. For example, in Godzilla X Megaguirus the beam was shown to have incredible incendiary properties, while in GMK the beam detonated with the power of an atom bomb. In early films Godzilla has used the rays in various creative ways such as using it to lift himself off to ground in Godzilla Vs Hedorah . A variation on this in the Heisei series was that Godzilla gained a terrifying golden beam as a result of absorbing the essence of Rodan . This beam was powerful enough that only one blast of it was sufficient to completely destroy Mechagodzilla 2 and SpaceGodzilla . Durability :Godzilla has displayed an almost immortal ability to absorb punishment over the years. The only times he has visibly bled was when Gigan 's alien made blades cut open his skin and from Mecha-Godzilla 's alien-made weapons in Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla (1974). One common explanation for this is that Godzilla possesses a Wolverine -like regenerative ability that enables him to heal wounds almost as soon as they are inflicted (this ability was even a crucial plot point of Godzilla 2000 ). Combined with his incredibly tough hide and ultra-tough scales, this makes Godzilla practically indestructible. Psychic Deterrent :Godzilla has shown to be unaffected by most psychic attacks and control. Mothra's powerful psychic abilities often have had little to no effect on Godzilla forcing their battles to occur in the physical arena. Indeed, Mothra's psychic seal was shown to have no effect against Godzilla. Because of it's nature, being created from the same DNA as Godzilla, SpaceGodzilla is one of the only foes to be able to successfully use psychic attacks against Godzilla. Physical Abilities :Godzilla has displayed varied levels of strength such as being able to toss opponents high into the air as in the shōwa series. In the versus and millennium series he has also been able to leap high into the air( as in Godzilla X Megaguirus) or moving very quickly in spite of his size. His tail is also a formidable weapon, having been shown as being able to move very quickly to hit even airborne objects, and even to be prehensile. In all his incarnations he has been shown to have powerful fangs and claws, although these are more prominent in some incarnations than in others. However many of the films( including GMK and nearly all of the Heisei series) show Godzilla preferring to battle his opponents with his atomic breath rather than close up close. THE AMERICAN MOVIE (1998) 1998 saw the release of an American movie called ''Godzilla'', which, in many ways, bears strikingly little resemblance to previous works. With modern special effects, but poor writing, this film is amusing but probably is best thought of as an homage to the Godzilla franchise. Oddly enough, the American Godzilla was used in ''''. It was the only monster generated entirely via CG, and was quickly defeated by the real Godzilla. According to the back of the DVD case, Toho has given this "version" of Godzilla the name "Zilla." Prior to this, many fans took to referring the American version of Godzilla as GINO, for "Godzilla In Name Only," or "Fraudzilla". actually made an amusing reference to the American attempt at a Godzilla film. Two members of a Japanese Godzilla defense force are seen discussing a giant monster attack that occurred on "a major East-Coast American city" (New York, obviously). One asks the other if it was Godzilla, and the other's reply is something along the lines of: "That's what the Americans are saying, but our guys aren't so sure." Godzilla made his American series debut in the 1978 Saturday morning show The Godzilla Power Hour . Godzilla cartoons were paired with cartoons featuring Jana Of The Jungle . The series ran, both as part of the hour and with the Godzilla segments airing as a separate half-hour show, until 1981. Based off the events of the 1998 American movie, the Godzilla animated series featured an offspring of the movie Godzilla which had grown to full size. In a similar fashion to earlier animated works, Godzilla traveled around the world with a group of humans, including scientist Nick Tatopoulos, battling monsters. As a result of its parent, this Godzilla had all the abilities of the original and a few more besides. While the film version only breathed fire twice (possibly due to the engines of the cars exploding) the cartoon version had the ability to breath a green atomic flame like the original. Also, like the original, the cartoon version's dorsal plates glowed whenever it was about to blast something. It was also a lot more durable than the film version. This series also paid homage to the movie in another way. During a multi-part episode, the Carcass of the parent Godzilla was revealed to have been reanimated as a cyborg by the Tachyon aliens. Affected by the alien monster control virus, the second Godzilla was made to work in tandem with it's "parent" before destroying it in battle. This cyborg Godzilla was likely a homage to the cyborgs of the Japanese works, especially Mechagodzilla . In addition to the usual Godzilla abilities, it had a special device that could reflect any attack. EXTERNAL LINKS Official Information
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