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group=lower-alpha is a giant monster, or kaiju, that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films produced by Toho, five American films, and numerous video games, novels, comic books, and television shows. Godzilla has been dubbed the King of the Monsters, an epithet first used in Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), the American localization of the 1954 film.
Originally and in most iterations of the creature, Godzilla is a colossal, mostly 100 m tall (slightly taller than high-rise buildings and as tall as ), Mesozoic or dinosaurian monster that is Semiaquatic or resides partially in the ocean, awakened and empowered after many years by exposure to nuclear radiation and nuclear testing. With the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Lucky Dragon 5 incident still fresh in the Japanese consciousness,Souder, William (2012); On a Farther Shore - The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson. Broadway Books, New York, 496 pp. ISBN 978-0-307-46221-3 Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for . Others have suggested that Godzilla is a metaphor for the United States, a "giant beast" woken from its "slumber" that then takes terrible vengeance on Japan. As the film series expanded, some storylines took on less serious undertones, portraying Godzilla as an antihero or lesser threat who defends humanity. Later films address disparate themes and commentary, including Japan's apathy, neglect, and ignorance of its imperial past, , and the human condition.
Godzilla has been featured alongside many supporting characters and, over the decades, has faced off against various human opponents, such as the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), in addition to other gargantuan monsters, including Gigan, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla. Godzilla has fought alongside allies such as Anguirus, Mothra, and Rodan and has had offsprings, including Godzilla Junior and Minilla. Godzilla has also battled characters and creatures from other franchises in crossover media—such as King Kong or even basketball players—as well as various Marvel Comics characters, like S.H.I.E.L.D., Godzilla, King of the Monsters (vol. 1) #1 (Marvel Comics, 1977) the Fantastic Four, Godzilla, King of the Monsters (vol. 1) #20 (Marvel Comics, 1979) and the Avengers; Godzilla, King of the Monsters (vol. 1) #23 (Marvel Comics, 1979) as well as DC Comics characters such as the Justice League, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong(vol. 1) #1 (DC Comics and Legendary Comics, 2023) the Legion of Doom, and the Green Lantern Corps. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong(vol. 1) #5 (DC Comics and Legendary Comics, 2024)
Toho later translated the monster's Japanese name as "Godzilla" for overseas distribution. The first recorded foreign usage of "Godzilla" was printed in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald on November 20, 1955.
During the development of the American version of Godzilla Raids Again (1955), Godzilla's name was changed to "Gigantis" by producer Paul Schreibman, who wanted to create a character distinct from Godzilla.
Art director Akira Watanabe combined attributes of a Tyrannosaurus, an Iguanodon, a Stegosaurus and an alligator to form a sort of blended chimera, inspired by illustrations from an issue of Life magazine. To emphasize the monster's relationship with the atomic bomb, its skin texture was inspired by the keloid scars seen on the Hibakusha. The basic design has a reptilian visage, a robust build, an upright posture, a long tail and three rows of serrated plates along the back. In the original film, the plates were added for purely aesthetic purposes, in order to further differentiate Godzilla from any other living or extinct creature. Godzilla is sometimes depicted as green in comics, cartoons, and movie posters, but the costumes used in the movies were usually painted charcoal gray with bone-white dorsal plates up until the film . Making of the Godzilla Suit! . Ed Godziszewski. YouTube (December 24, 2010)
In the original Japanese films, Godzilla and all the other monsters are referred to with gender-neutral pronouns equivalent to "it", while in the English dubbed versions, Godzilla is explicitly described as a male. In his book, Godzilla co-creator Tomoyuki Tanaka suggested that the monster was probably male; but also suggested that the original 1954 version could have been female. In the 1998 film Godzilla, the monster is referred to as a male and is depicted laying eggs through parthenogenesis. In the Monsterverse films, Godzilla is specified as a male.
For the English translations for the Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again novellas, writer Jeffrey Angles settled on male pronouns for Godzilla, stating that "Kayama writer thought about Godzilla as a stand-in for the nuclear bomb, and it was men in America who were developing the hydrogen bombs that frightened Japan so much in 1954. So maybe it's perhaps not inappropriate to call Godzilla 'he'." Angles also noted that Toho prefers to keep Godzilla and their other kaiju characters as gender-neutral as they see them more as objects akin to natural disasters.
Godzilla's allegiance and motivations, as well as its level of intelligence, have changed from film to film to suit the needs of the story. Although Godzilla does not like humans, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). Directed by Ishirō Honda. Toho. it will fight alongside humanity against common threats. However, it makes no special effort to protect human life or property – Godzilla 2000 character profile and will turn against its human allies on a whim. It is generally not motivated to attack by predatory instinct; it does not usually eat people and instead sustains itself on nuclear radiation The Return of Godzilla (1985). Directed by Koji Hashimoto. Toho and an omnivorous or piscivorian diet consisting especially of cetaceans and large fish.Milliron, K. & Eggleton, B. (1998), Godzilla Likes to Roar!, Random House Books for Young Readers, When inquired if Godzilla was "good or bad", producer Shōgo Tomiyama likened it to a Shinto "God of Destruction" which lacks moral agency and cannot be held to human standards of good and evil. "He totally destroys everything and then there is a rebirth. Something new and fresh can begin." Tomoyuki Tanaka noted in his book that Godzilla and humanity can become temporary allies against greater threats, but they are essentially enemies due to the difficulty to co-exist. Later Showa film's heroic and child-friendly representations of the character distancing from fears and destructions were controversial among their own filmmakers, such as by Ishiro Honda and Yukiko Takayama; the latter described the period a "sad era" for Godzilla for its heroic deeds, lacks of city destructions, and insufficient budgets.
Godzilla is Semiaquatic: it has a preference for traversing Earth's hydrosphere when in hibernation or migration, can breathe underwater due to pore-shaped (a diegetic explanation for the costume's breathing holes) and is described in the original film by the character Dr. Yamane as a transitional form between a marine and a terrestrial reptile. Godzilla is shown to have great vitality: it is immune to conventional weaponry thanks to its rugged hide and ability to regenerate, Godzilla 2000 (1999). Directed by Takao Okawara. Toho. and as a result of surviving a nuclear explosion, it cannot be destroyed by anything less powerful. One incarnation possesses an electromagnetic pulse-producing organ in its body which generates an asymmetrical permeable shield, making it impervious to all damage except for a short period when the organ recycles. (2017)
Various films, non-canonical television shows, comics, and games have depicted Godzilla with additional powers, such as an atomic pulse, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). Directed by Kazuki Ōmori. Toho magnetism, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974). Directed by Jun Fukuda. Toho precognition, Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989). Directed by Kazuki Ōmori. Toho fireballs, (2002). Pipeworks Software convert electromagnetic energy into intensive body heat, (2018) converting shed blood into temporary tentacle limbs, Godzilla Singular Point, Episode 9 (2021) an electric bite, CR Godzilla Pachinko (2006). Newgin superhuman speed, Zone Fighter (1973). Directed by Ishirō Honda et al. Toho laser beams emitted from its eyes Godzilla (1978 TV series) (1978). Directed by Ray Patterson and Carl Urbano. Hanna-Barbera Productions and even flight. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971). Directed by Yoshimitsu Banno. Toho
As the series progressed, Toho would rescale the character, eventually making Godzilla as tall as . This was done so that it would not be dwarfed by the newer, bigger buildings in Tokyo's skyline, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building which Godzilla destroyed in the film Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). Supplementary information, such as character profiles, would also depict Godzilla as weighing between .
In the American film Godzilla (2014) from Legendary Pictures, Godzilla was scaled to be and weighing , making it the largest film version at that time. Director Gareth Edwards wanted Godzilla "to be so big as to be seen from anywhere in the city, but not too big that he couldn't be obscured". For Shin Godzilla (2016), Godzilla was made even taller than the Legendary version, at . In (2017), Godzilla's height was increased further still to . In (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Godzilla's height was increased to from the 2014 incarnation.
Several suit actors had difficulties in performing as Godzilla due to the suits' weight, lack of ventilation and diminished visibility. Haruo Nakajima, who portrayed Godzilla from 1954 to 1972, said the materials used to make the 1954 suit (rubber, plastic, cotton, and latex) were hard to find after World War II. The suit weighed 100 kilograms after its completion and required two men to help Nakajima put it on. When he first put it on, he sweated so heavily that his shirt was soaked within seconds. Kenpachiro Satsuma in particular, who portrayed Godzilla from 1984 to 1995, described how the Godzilla suits he wore were even heavier and hotter than their predecessors because of the incorporation of animatronics.Clements, J. (2010), Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade, A-Net Digital LLC, pp. 117–118, Satsuma himself suffered numerous medical issues during his tenure, including oxygen deprivation, near-drowning, concussions, electric shocks and lacerations to the legs from the suits' steel wire reinforcements wearing through the rubber padding. The ventilation problem was partially solved in the suit used in 1994's Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, which was the first to include an air duct that allowed suit actors to last longer during performances. In Godzilla (1998), several scenes had the monster portrayed by stuntmen in suits similar to those used in the Toho films, with the actors' heads being located in the monster's neck region and the facial movements controlled via animatronics. However, because of the creature's horizontal posture, the stuntmen had to wear metal leg extenders, which allowed them to stand off the ground with their feet bent forward. Kurt Carley performed the suitmation sequences for the adult Godzilla.
In The Return of Godzilla (1984), some scenes made use of a 16-foot high robotic Godzilla (dubbed the "Cybot Godzilla") for use in close-up shots of the creature's head. The Cybot Godzilla consisted of a Hydraulics mechanical endoskeleton covered in Polyurethane skin containing 3,000 computer operated parts which permitted it to tilt its head and move its lips and arms. For Godzilla (1998), the film's special effects crew built a scale animatronic Godzilla for close-up scenes, whose size outmatched that of Stan Winston's "Rexy" in Jurassic Park.
In Shin Godzilla, a majority of the character was portrayed via CGI, with Mansai Nomura portraying Godzilla through motion capture. In 2024, Godzilla Minus One was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, becoming the first Godzilla film nominated for an Academy Awards. At the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, it won the award.
In 1967, the Keukdong Entertainment Company of South Korea, with production assistance from Toei Company, produced Yongary, Monster from the Deep, a reptilian monster who invades South Korea to consume oil. The film and character has often been branded as an imitation of Godzilla.
Godzilla has been considered a filmographic metaphor for the United States, as well as an allegory of Nuclear power weapons in general. The earlier Godzilla films, especially the original, portrayed Godzilla as a frightening nuclear-spawned monster. Godzilla represented the fears that many Japanese held about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the possibility of recurrence.Rafferty, T., The Monster That Morphed Into a Metaphor , New York Times (May 2, 2004)
As the series progressed, so did Godzilla, changing into a less destructive and more heroic character. Ghidorah (1964) was the turning point in Godzilla's transformation from villain to hero, by pitting him against a greater threat to humanity, King Ghidorah. Godzilla has since been viewed as an anti-hero. Roger Ebert cited Godzilla as a notable example of a villain-turned-hero, along with King Kong, Jaws ( James Bond), the Terminator and John Rambo.
Godzilla is considered "the original radioactive superhero" due to his accidental radioactive origin story predating Spider-Man (1962 debut), though Godzilla did not become a hero until Ghidorah in 1964. By the 1970s, Godzilla came to be viewed as a superhero, with the magazine King of the Monsters in 1977 describing Godzilla as "Superhero of the '70s." Godzilla had surpassed Superman and Batman to become "the most universally popular superhero of 1977" according to Donald F. Glut. (2026). 9780786462469, McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786462469 Godzilla was also voted the most popular movie monster in The Monster Times poll in 1973, beating Count Dracula, King Kong, the Werewolf fiction, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Frankenstein Monster.
In 1996, Godzilla received the MTV Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as being given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004 to celebrate the premiere of the character's 50th anniversary film, . Godzilla's pop-cultural impact has led to the creation of numerous parodies and tributes, as seen in media such as Bambi Meets Godzilla, which was ranked as one of the "50 greatest cartoons",Beck, Jerry (ed.) (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Atlanta: Turner Publishing. . two episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000"Godzilla Genealogy Bop" – MST3K season 2, episode 13, aired February 2, 1991 and the song "Godzilla" by Blue Öyster Cult. Godzilla has also been used in advertisements, such as in a commercial for Nike, where Godzilla lost an oversized one-on-one game of basketball to a giant version of NBA player Charles Barkley.Martha T. Moore. "Godzilla Meets Barkley on MTV". USA Today. September 9, 1992. 1.B. The commercial was subsequently adapted into a comic book illustrated by Jeff Butler.Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Holy Sh*t! The World's Weirdest Comic Books. St. Martin's Press, 2008. 104. Godzilla has also appeared in a commercial for Snickers, which served as an indirect promo for the 2014 film. Godzilla's success inspired the creation of numerous other monster characters, such as Gamera, Reptilicus of Denmark, Yonggary of South Korea, Pulgasari of North Korea, Gorgo of the United Kingdom and the Cloverfield monster of the United States. Dakosaurus is an extinct Thalattosuchia of the Jurassic, which researchers informally nicknamed "Godzilla".Gasparini Z, Pol D, Spalletti LA. 2006. An unusual marine crocodyliform from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary of Patagonia. Science 311: 70–73. Paleontologists have written tongue-in-cheek speculative articles about Godzilla's biology, with Kenneth Carpenter tentatively classifying it as a Ceratosauria based on its skull shape, four-fingered hands, and dorsal scutes and paleontologist Darren Naish expressing skepticism, while commenting on Godzilla's unusual morphology.
Godzilla's ubiquity in pop culture has led to the mistaken assumption that the character is in the public domain, resulting in litigation by Toho to protect their corporate asset from becoming a generic trademark. In April 2008, Subway depicted a giant monster in a commercial for their Five Dollar Footlongs sandwich promotion. Toho filed a lawsuit against Subway for using the character without permission, demanding $150,000 in compensation. Toho sues Subway over unauthorized Godzilla ads , The Japan Times (April 18, 2008) In February 2011, Toho sued Honda for depicting a fire-breathing monster in a commercial for the Honda Odyssey. The monster was never mentioned by name, being seen briefly on a video screen inside the minivan. Toho suing Honda over Godzilla , TokyoHive (February 12, 2011) The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society christened a vessel the MV Gojira. Its purpose is to target and harass Japanese whalers in defense of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. The MV Gojira was renamed the in May 2011, due to legal pressure from Toho. Gojira is the name of a French death metal band, formerly known as Godzilla; legal problems forced the band to change their name. Gojira htm Biography and Band at the Gauntlet , The Gauntlet In May 2015, Toho launched a lawsuit against Voltage Pictures over a planned picture starring Anne Hathaway. Promotional material released at the Cannes Film Festival used images of Godzilla.
Steven Spielberg cited Godzilla as an inspiration for Jurassic Park (1993), specifically Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), which he grew up watching. Spielberg described Godzilla as "the most masterful of all the dinosaur movies because it made you believe it was really happening." Godzilla also influenced the Spielberg film Jaws (1975). Godzilla has also been cited as an inspiration by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton.
A carnivorous dinosaur from the Triassic period was named Gojirasaurus in 1997 . The main-belt asteroid 101781 Gojira, discovered by American astronomer Roy Tucker at the Goodricke-Pigott Observatory in 1999, was named in honor of the creature. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on July 11, 2018 (). The largest megamullion, located 600 kilometers to the south-east of Okinotorishima, the southernmost Japanese island, is named the Godzilla Megamullion. The Japan Coast Guard played a role in name, reaching an agreement with Toho. Toho's Chief Godzilla officer Keiji Ota stated that "I am truly honored that (the megamullion) bears Godzilla's name, the Earth's most powerful monster."
In a 2007 interview, Japanese defense minister Shigeru Ishiba said that he would mobilize the Japan Self-Defense Forces in response to an appearance by Godzilla.
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