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As an enduring and iconic symbol of post-World War II cinematic history, [1] the fictional giant monster Godzilla has been referenced and parodied numerous times in popular culture. [2] Godzilla and other atomic monsters have appeared in a variety of mediums, including cartoons, [3] film, literature, television, and video games.
"-zilla" is a well-known slang suffix, used to imply some form of excess to a person, object or theme; [4] some examples being the reality show Bridezillas and the Netscape-derived web browser Mozilla Firefox. "-Zilla" is rumored to mean "reptilian" as shown in the kaiju name, "Zilla". It has no word before its meaning, therefore it is not purely a suffix. This puts into question whether or not the shows/browser above are abusing the term.
The Mesozoic dinosaur Gojirasaurus quayi is a coelophysid named in Godzilla's honor. Over five meters in length, it was originally considered one of the largest theropods of the Late Triassic period. [5] The species was discovered in New Mexico by paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter, who is an admitted Godzilla fan. [6]
Dakosaurus andiniensis is a marine reptile of the Jurassic Period. It had a uniquely defined head similar to that of theropod dinosaurs, which has led to researchers nicknaming the species "Godzilla". [7]
On at least two occasions, the name Godzilla has been used as a nickname for athletes. Former Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Olaf Kolzig went by the nickname "Godzilla" (sometimes shortened to "'Zilla") and had a depiction of the monster painted on his goalie mask. Japanese former baseball player Hideki Matsui also had the nickname "Godzilla" which represents his powerful hitting. Matsui had a cameo in the film Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.
The Nissan GT-R sports car was famously nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring publication Wheels in its July 1989 edition – a name that has stuck to this day. This became one of the subjects of the car games.
Godzilla has been featured in 38 films from 1954 to the present. The Godzilla films have carved out an enduring and resonant place for themselves in cinematic history. [8] In the United States, Godzilla films from Toho had been airing on television every week since 1960 up until the 1990s. [9]
Motifs from the series have been echoed, parodied or paid tribute to in numerous later films. Godzilla movies were frequently a target for commentary by the Mystery Science Theater 3000 television series, which parodied B-movies.
Bambi Meets Godzilla is the title of a humorous 1969 Canadian cartoon created entirely by Marv Newland. In 1994 it was voted #38 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. Only two minutes long, this cartoon is considered a classic by many animation fans.[ citation needed ]
Hanna-Barbera created an animated TV series about Godzilla in 1978. The series only lasted for two seasons. [10] Tri-Star and Sony created another animated TV series in 1998 that was a sequel to the first American remake. This series also only lasted for two seasons. [11]
Godzilla has appeared in many Robot Chicken parodies. In one, for instance, Godzilla and his wife are lying in bed and his wife says "I don't know, maybe if we use some toys?", then Mechagodzilla walks into frame cheering with a dildo coming out of his chest. [12]
Godzilla made a cameo appearance (in a clip from Godzilla vs. Biollante ) in the 1996 comedy, Mars Attacks! . Godzilla also made an appearance in the Happy Tree Friends episode, 'Wingin' It' when he attacks (and presumably devours) Flaky. A Godzilla action figure was present all throughout the sitcom Roseanne from the series premiere to the series finale.
Steven Spielberg cited Godzilla as an inspiration for Jurassic Park (1993), specifically Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), which he grew up watching. [13] During its production, Spielberg described Godzilla as "the most masterful of all the dinosaur movies because it made you believe it was really happening." [14] Godzilla also influenced the Spielberg film Jaws (1975), [15] [16] and he also included Mechagodzilla in his 2018 film Ready Player One and Godzilla and Rodan frequently in the cartoon series Animaniacs , which Spielberg produced.
Godzilla has been cited as an inspiration by actor Tim Allen and filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton. [17]
The 2007 film Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 featured a cameo appearance from Godzilla. [18]
A snowed up version of Godzilla known as Snow Godzilla makes a couple surprise appearances in the 2019 Japanese anime film Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion the Movie: The Marvelous Fast ALFA-X That Comes From the Future. Godzilla also made a guest appearance in the show Crayon Shin-chan as an antagonist. [19]
In 1991, two Godzilla films, Godzilla vs. Megalon and Godzilla versus the Sea Monster, were shown on the movie-mocking TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000 .
A parody creature resembling Godzilla, alongside another parody character resembling what appears to be a hybrid between Ultraman and Kamen Rider, appears in the television special Olive, the Other Reindeer during the song "Merry Christmas After All", during part of which Olive, Santa and the other reindeer are shown passing through Tokyo delivering gifts. The two characters are shown to be friendly and taking part in the song and dance routine shown to include numerous figures, both real and fictional, in the show in various locations visited by the team as they make Santa's annual trip around the world.
Godzilla has been referenced multiple times in the American animated TV sitcom The Simpsons . Godzilla first appeared in the episode "Lisa on Ice" when Lisa imagines herself on Monster Island and is chased by various kaiju, including Godzilla. It has also been referenced in "Treehouse of Horror VI", "Mayored to the Mob" (where Godzilla can be seen signing autographs at the Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con), "Thirty Minutes over Tokyo" (in which the plane carrying the Simpson family is being attacked by Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and Gamera), "Simpsons Tall Tales", "Treehouse of Horror XVI", "Homerazzi", "Wedding for Disaster", "The Real Housewives of Fat Tony", "Treehouse of Horror XXIV" and "Treehouse of Horror XXVI".
Godzilla appeared in the Family Guy episode "The Peanut Butter Kid". In a cutaway gag Godzilla arrives to attack Haiti only to discover that it is already in shambles and return to the ocean.
Many books have been released pertaining to Godzilla and the Godzilla series, including various collection books and manga.[ citation needed ]
Gojiro is the 1991 debut novel by former Esquire columnist Mark Jacobson. It reinterprets the Godzilla film series from the perspective of the daikaiju—not a fictional creature depicted on-screen via suitmation, but an irradiated varanid–turned–B-movie star named Gojiro (an homage to Gojira, the Japanese name for Godzilla).
Random House Publishing produced four novels for teens and young adults by Marc Cerasini based on Godzilla, respectively entitled Godzilla Returns (1996), Godzilla 2000 (1997) (which had no relation to the film that would later use that name), Godzilla at World's End (1998) and Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters (1999). A fifth novel, also by Cerasini, Godzilla and the Lost Continent, which would have finished the series, was completed and planned for a release in 1999, but never published (it remains so to this day). These books, as well as four novels aimed at juvenile readers in their late childhood and early teenage years by Scott Ciencin, respectively entitled Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1996), no relation to the 1956 film of the same name, Godzilla Invades America (1997), Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island (1998) and Godzilla vs. the Space Monster (1998), and several picture books aimed at younger readers ages four and up, were produced during the late 1990s and the first half of 2000. Some of the novels written by Marc Cerasini present Godzilla as a force of nature much like in the Heisei series, neither truly good nor evil, with Mothra appearing in two of the books as a benevolent, supernatural and sentient creature who occasionally made a point to help people when other monsters threatened the Earth.
Godzilla has appeared in Marvel and Dark Horse Comics, both times under the title Godzilla, King of the Monsters. Marvel's run of Godzilla, King of the Monsters was produced in the late 1970s and lasted 24 issues, while Dark Horse had the license for the creature's American appearances since the late 1980s onward and produced a 17-issue run, along with various other appearances and special issues. Dark Horse also produced a six-issue miniseries which was a translated version of a manga adaptation of the Japanese version of the 16th Godzilla film, The Return of Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985 in its American release), under the title Godzilla and it was later collected into a trade paperback under the same title.
The character Warlock of the New Mutants took on the shape of Godzilla as he appeared in King Kong vs. Godzilla in Web of Spider-Man Annual #2 (1986). Marvel has recently re-released their series in book form as Essential Godzilla, King of the Monsters, which collects the entire 24-issue run in black-and-white. IDW Publishing has also produced various comics based on the Godzilla character since 2011; these include an ongoing mainstream storyline told in three series: Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters (12 issues), Godzilla (13 issues), and Godzilla: Rulers of Earth (25 issues). There were also seven five-issue miniseries, all with separate non-connected storylines: Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths, Godzilla: Legends (an anthology miniseries with five individual stories), Godzilla: The Half-Century War, Godzilla: Cataclysm, Godzilla in Hell, Godzilla: Oblivion, and Godzilla: Rage Across Time.
The first Godzilla game was an unofficial game made by The Code Works for the Commodore 64 PC in 1983. [20] Godzilla would make his first official appearance three years later as one of the playable monsters in The Movie Monster Game by Epyx also for the Commodore 64 PC. [21] In 1983, a Godzilla knock-off called Goshzilla appeared in this game's predecessor, Crush, Crumble and Chomp! [22] Godzilla would get his own games on the NES such as Godzilla: Monster of Monsters and Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters . He had his own game on the original Game Boy simply titled Godzilla. Godzilla would make an unauthorized appearance in early versions of the game Revenge Of Shinobi . Because of the copyright issues, he was removed from latter releases. For the newer consoles, he appeared in the game Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee , the first of a trilogy of Godzilla games. It has since been followed by two sequels, Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed . Godzilla has also appeared in Godzilla Generations and Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact! in Japan. A game for the Tristar Godzilla was released, based on the cartoon show Godzilla: The Series and shared the name of the series when it was released on Game Boy Color. A sequel to this game followed with Godzilla: The Series – Monster Wars (also for Game Boy Color). Godzilla also appears in the game Kyoei Toshi, [23] [24] and a Godzilla costume was also added to Fall Guys . [25] [26]
The "Monster" disaster in the computer game SimCity depicted an unnamed green monster that resembled Godzilla. A scenario in the game: Tokyo, Japan 1954 parodies the original movie. The depiction of the monster in-game and on the boxart led to legal issues with Toho, with Maxis changing the Monster's design in-game and swapping it on the packaging for the "Tornado" disaster instead.
The Rampage series of video games is heavily inspired by both the Godzilla and King Kong films. Players take control of gigantic monsters as they destroy all the buildings in a city and survive onslaughts of military forces. One of the monsters is a female lizard/dinosaur monster named Lizzie, who resembles and is clearly based on Godzilla. In an issue of Nintendo Power in an advertisement for the Rampage: World Tour game for the Game Boy Color, they give the reason why Lizzie is destructive. It is because she broke up with Godzilla and is taking her anger out on the world.
The Pokémon series features Tyranitar, a Pokémon directly influenced by Godzilla. Its powered-up form, "Mega Tyranitar", bears an even greater resemblance to the King of Monsters, with similar body proportions. In addition, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced two Pokemon based on kaiju. The first is the Paldea region's pseudo-legendary Pokemon, Baxcalibur, which evolves from Frigibax at Level 54 as a reference to how the first Godzilla movie came out in 1954. The other is Iron Thorns, a version of Tyranitar that comes from the future via time travel. Its appearance is based on Kaiju, like Tyranitar, but it may also reference the kaiju movies in Pokemon Black and White 2 that you can film at an in-game location called Pokestar Studios.
Game designer Hideki Kamiya (known for games such as Resident Evil 2 , Devil May Cry , Viewtiful Joe , Ōkami , Bayonetta and The Wonderful 101 ) said he loved Godzilla and Ultraman as a child. [27]
In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! "Iwajira", a boss in the game, gets his name from a combination of the word Iwa, which means "rock" in Japanese, and the end of the name Gojira, which is Godzilla's actual Japanese name.
Godzilla, alongside King Kong, were added to Call of Duty: Warzone as a part of the limited time "Operation Monarch" game mode. In both Warzone and Call of Duty: Vanguard , a Godzilla themed bundle was released, including a skin for operator Shigenori Ota. [28]
Godzilla appears as an enemy in one of the final missions of the Williams pinball table Red & Ted's Road Show , in which the titular protagonists use a bulldozer to slow him down while he is attacking San Francisco.[ citation needed ]
The Magic the Gathering card game expansion set Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths has a crossover with the Godzilla series with a total of 19 promotional cards. [29]
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In 1977, Blue Öyster Cult had a major hit, "Godzilla", from their album Spectres . The song is a tongue-in-cheek tribute. Scottish indie group Ballboy included a song called "Godzilla vs. The Island of Manhattan (With You and I Somewhere in Between)" on their 2008 album I Worked On The Ships. On the album cover of Stomping Ground for the band Goldfinger, the members of the band are featured as human versions of Godzilla monsters; one member is even seen using Godzilla's trademark atomic breath and Mothra is seen in the background. The album cover of Teri Yakimoto for the band Guttermouth features a picture of Godzilla.
The French metal band Gojira acquired their name from the original Japanese name of Godzilla. Brazilian metal band Sepultura has a song titled "Biotech is Godzilla", co-written with Jello Biafra, which remarks on the impacts of biotechnology in contemporary life. The song is featured in their 1993 album, Chaos A.D. . R&B recording artist Ginuwine sampled Godzilla's roar on the song "What's So Different" from his 1998 sophomore album 100% Ginuwine. Rapper MF DOOM recorded an album titled Take Me to Your Leader under the alias King Geedorah, inspired by Godzilla's famous three-headed nemesis, King Ghidorah.
Oakland, CA rapper Yukmouth titled his third album Godzilla. The rapper also used the monster's name for an independent record label, but closed it down after receiving legal pressure from Toho in May 2007. In the musical The Book of Mormon in the song "Two By Two", Mothra is referenced when one Latter Day Saint is given his mission to Japan. Pharoahe Monch's song "Simon Says" uses sound clips from the movie Godzilla vs. Mothra. The heavy metal band Iron Maiden uses Godzilla footage on their music video "Number of the Beast". Pop singer Kesha has a song describing a relationship with Godzilla on her 2017 album, Rainbow .
Godzilla is mentioned in the lyrics of "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny". Punk rock band Adrenalin O.D. have two instrumental songs titled "A.O.D. Vs. Godzilla" and "A.O.D. Vs. Son of Godzilla" on their albums The Wacky Hi-Jinks of Adrenalin O.D. and HumungousFungusAmongus . The 2001 German documentary film Berlin Babylon featured industrial music performed by Einstürzende Neubauten; one of these musical pieces is called "Godzilla in Mitte" - the monster used here as a metaphor for the extensive rebuilding projects in Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In 2019 American rock band Think Sanity released their debut album featuring songs about Godzilla, Mothra, and Hedorah. The songs are titled "Sad Kaiju", "Mothra", and "Sludge" respectively. The monsters are also mentioned by name on the track "News at Six" in which they are comically described by newscaster Chip Bentley as destroying a nearby town. The band has mentioned in interviews that they have also written songs based on Biollante, King Ghidorah, and Rodan as well.
In January 2020, American rapper Eminem released the album Music to Be Murdered By . The album includes a track titled "Godzilla", featuring rapper Juice Wrld, which was released as a single later that month.
Blue Öyster Cult released the song "Godzilla" in 1977. It was the first track, and the second of four singles, from their fifth studio album Spectres (also 1977). Artists such as Fu Manchu, Racer X and Double Experience have included cover versions of this song on their albums. American musician Michale Graves wrote a song titled "Godzilla" for his 2005 album Punk Rock Is Dead. The lyrics mention Godzilla and several on-screen adversaries such as Mothra, Hedorah, Destoroyah and Gigan. [30] The Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura has a song titled "Biotech is Godzilla" on its 1993 release Chaos A.D. [31]
Composer Eric Whitacre wrote a piece for wind ensemble titled "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!" The work was commissioned by Thomas Leslie of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and was premiered in 1996 by the university's wind band. Annotations on the score instruct performers to dress in costume and a "script" is provided for the audience. Since the piece's premiere, it has been performed by notable ensembles including the United States Marine Band and the Scottish National Wind Symphony. [32]
The French death metal band Gojira named the band after Godzilla's name in Japanese. [33] The song "Simon Says" by Pharoahe Monch is a hip-hop remix of the "Godzilla March" theme song. The instrumental version of this song was notably used in the 2000 film Charlie's Angels . The British band Lostprophets released a song called "We Are Godzilla, You Are Japan" on its second studio album Start Something . The American punk band Groovie Ghoulies released a song called "Hats off to You (Godzilla)" as a tribute to Godzilla. It is featured on the EP Freaks on Parade released in 2002.
The American artist Doctor Steel released a song called 'Atomic Superstar' about Godzilla on his album People of Earth in 2002. In 2003, the British singer Siouxsie Sioux released the album Hái! with her band The Creatures; the album had a Japanese theme with a song dedicated to the monster, simply titled "Godzilla!". The record label Shifty issued the compilation album Destroysall with 15 songs from 15 bands, ranging from hardcore punk to doom-laden death metal. Not all of the songs are dedicated to Godzilla, but all do appear connected to monsters from Toho Studios. Fittingly, the disc was released on August 1, 2003, the 35th anniversary of the Japanese release of Destroy All Monsters.
King Geedorah (a.k.a. MF DOOM) released Take Me to Your Leader , a hip-hop album featuring guests from the group Monsta Island Czars, another Godzilla-themed hip-hop group. These albums include multiple Godzilla samples throughout the series. Taiwanese American electronic musician Mochipet released the EP Godzilla Rehab Center on August 21, 2012, featuring songs named after monsters in the series including Gigan, King Ghidorah, Moguera and Hedorah.
In 2019, American rock band Think Sanity released their debut album featuring songs based on Godzilla, Mothra, and Hedorah. The songs are titled "Sad Kaiju", "Mothra", and "Sludge", respectively. The monsters are also mentioned by name on the track "News at Six" in which they are comically described by newscaster Chip Bentley as destroying a nearby town. The band has mentioned in interviews that they have also written songs based on Biollante, King Ghidorah, and Rodan as well.
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The largest megamullion, located 600 kilometres 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 who owns the rights to Godzilla. 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." [39]
J.W. Marriott opened on April 24, 2015, in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo a 30-storey Hotel Gracery. [40] The hotel is in the background of a massive kaiju statue. [41] The structure of the hotel was built by Shinjuku Toho Kaikan theater in Kabuki. [42] The Mayor of Tokyo District Shinjuku Kenichi Yoshizumi awarded an actor in a Godzilla suit special resident and tourism ambassador status, presenting a residency certificate to Toho executive Minami Ichikawa on behalf of Godzilla. [43]
From 1994 to 1998, Sanrio Puroland featured the 3D motion simulator film Monster Planet of Godzilla , which featured Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan and utilized their Heisei-era suits and puppets.
On October 10, 2020, an attraction called Godzilla Interception Operation Awaji opened in Nijigen no Mori theme park on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. [44] It features a theater with an exclusive short film, a zipline that leads guests into the mouth of a huge Godzilla statue, a shooting game and the Godzilla Museum. [44]
As part of Seibu-en's 2021 overhaul, a Godzilla motion simulator opened at the park titled Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle. [45] Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the attraction puts guests in the middle of a battle between Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah, with Godzilla's design bearing a close resemblance to the one that would appear in the 2023 film Godzilla Minus One .
In 1992, a Nike commercial aired featuring Godzilla and Charles Barkley going head to head, playing basketball in a cityscape. Charles Barkley gave Godzilla an elbow to the face on the way to a slam dunk after the latter tried to slap the ball away from Barkley using his tail. The advertisement received positive reception and inspired a brief T-shirt line, a series of wall posters and its own comic book version from Dark Horse Comics.
Pharoahe Monch released his first single in 1999 called "Simon Says". The song became a major hit; however, he was later sued for the use of a Godzilla sample for the beat and forced to remove the song from the album as a result.
In 2002, Toho Studios sued Rugrats creators Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó over Reptar's similarities to Godzilla. This lawsuit resulted in Reptar making less appearances in subsequent Rugrats episodes. [46] [47]
In 2010 the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society named their most recently acquired scout vessel MV Gojira. In May 2011, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was served with a notice from the copyright holders of the Godzilla franchise, regarding the unauthorized use of the trademark. The Society promptly changed the vessel's name to the MV Brigitte Bardot in honor of the French fashion model, actress, and singer whom Paul Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd, took on an anti-sealing trip in 1977. [48]
A Seattle video game retailer was founded as Pink Godzilla Games and was known by that name for many years, until Toho, owner of the Godzilla franchise, claimed that the store was infringing upon its trademark. Pink Godzilla announced in 2009 that it would change its name to Pink Gorilla, rather than engage in a legal fight. [49]
Voltage Pictures were sued by Toho in 2015 for unauthorized usage of Godzilla's image and stills from Godzilla films in emails and press documents sent to potential investors for the upcoming film Colossal . [50] A settlement between Toho and Voltage Pictures was reached that October. [51]
The character Godzilla has received acclaim and is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese popular culture worldwide. Audiences respond positively to the character because he acts out of rage and self-preservation and shows where science and technology can go wrong.
As the series progressed, so did Godzilla, changing into a less destructive and more heroic character. [52] [53] 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. [54] Godzilla has since been viewed as an anti-hero. [52] Roger Ebert cites Godzilla as a notable example of a villain-turned-hero, along with King Kong, Jaws (James Bond), the Terminator, and Rambo . [55]
Godzilla is considered "the original radioactive superhero" due to his accidental radioactive origin story predating Spider-Man (1962 debut), [52] though Godzilla did not become a hero until Ghidorah in 1964. [54] 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. [56] Godzilla was also voted the most popular movie monster in The Monster Times poll in 1973, beating Count Dracula, King Kong, Wolf Man, The Mummy, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Frankenstein's monster. [57] In 1977, a survey in Los Angeles found that 80% of boys aged between four and nine years old were Godzilla fans. [58]
Godzilla was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards. He is one of only three fictional characters to date ever granted the award. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004. 20 years later it was now awarded an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in the 96th Academy Awards for Godzilla Minus One.
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or kaiju, that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and cowritten by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films produced by Toho Co., Ltd., 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.
Destroy All Monsters is a 1968 Japanese epic kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects directed by Sadamasa Arikawa and supervised by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the ninth film in the Godzilla franchise, and features eleven monster characters, including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, Anguirus, and Minilla. The film stars Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi and Yoshio Tsuchiya.
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is a 1991 Japanese kaiju film written and directed by Kazuki Ōmori and produced by Shōgo Tomiyama. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 18th film in the Godzilla franchise, and is the third film in the franchise's Heisei period. The film features the fictional monster characters Godzilla and King Ghidorah, and stars Kōsuke Toyohara, Anna Nakagawa, Megumi Odaka, Katsuhiko Sasaki, Akiji Kobayashi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, and Robert Scott Field. The plot revolves around time-travelers from the future who convince Japan to travel back in time to prevent Godzilla's mutation, only to reveal their true motives by unleashing King Ghidorah onto the nation.
Godzilla vs. Mothra is a 1992 Japanese kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara, with special effects by Kōichi Kawakita. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 19th film in the Godzilla franchise, and is the fourth film in the franchise's Heisei era. The film features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Mothra, and Battra, and stars Tetsuya Bessho, Satomi Kobayashi, Takehiro Murata, Megumi Odaka, Shiori Yonezawa, Makoto Otake, Akiji Kobayashi, Koichi Ueda, Shinya Owada, Keiko Imamura, Sayaka Osawa, Saburo Shinoda and Akira Takarada, with Kenpachiro Satsuma as Godzilla. The plot follows Battra and Mothra's attempts to stop Godzilla from attacking Yokohama.
Kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. A subgenre of science fiction, it was created by Eiji Tsuburaya and Ishirō Honda. The term can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monsters.
Rodan is a fictional monster, or kaiju, which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film Rodan, produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous entries in the Godzilla franchise, including Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II and Godzilla: Final Wars, as well as in the Legendary Pictures-produced film Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Mothra is a fictional monster, or kaiju, that first appeared in the 1961 film Mothra, produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho tokusatsu films, most often as a recurring monster in the Godzilla franchise. She is typically portrayed as a colossal sentient larva (caterpillar) or imago, accompanied by two miniature fairies speaking on her behalf. Unlike other Toho monsters, Mothra is a largely heroic character, having been variously portrayed as a protector of her own island culture, the Earth and Japan. Mothra's design is influenced by silk worms, their imagos, and those of giant silk moths in the family Saturniidae. The character is often depicted hatching offspring when approaching death, a nod to the Saṃsāra doctrine of numerous Indian religions.
King Ghidorah is a fictional monster, or kaiju, which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. The monster was initially created by Tomoyuki Tanaka, Eiji Tsuburaya and Shinichi Sekizawa as an homage to the eight-headed mythological Japanese dragon Yamata no Orochi. Although the name of the character is officially trademarked by Toho as "King Ghidorah", the character was originally referred to as Ghidorah or Ghidrah in some English markets.
Godzilla vs. Gigan, is a 1972 Japanese kaiju film directed by Jun Fukuda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects-based subsidiary Toho-Eizo, it is the 12th film in the Godzilla franchise, and features the fictional monster characters Godzilla, Gigan, Anguirus, and King Ghidorah. The film stars Hiroshi Ishikawa, Yuriko Hishimi, Tomoko Umeda, and Minoru Takashima, alongside Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla, Kenpachiro Satsuma as Gigan, Koetsu Omiya as Anguirus, and Kanta Ina as King Ghidorah. It is the last film in which Godzilla was portrayed by Nakajima after playing the character since the original 1954 film; he subsequently retired from suit acting.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a 1964 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., it is the fifth film in the Godzilla franchise, and was the second Godzilla film produced that year, after Mothra vs. Godzilla. The film stars Yosuke Natsuki, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akiko Wakabayashi, with Haruo Nakajima as Godzilla, Masanori Shinohara as Rodan, and Shoichi Hirose as King Ghidorah. In the film, an extraterrestrial from Venus, possessing the body of a princess, warns humanity of the pending destruction by the alien-dragon King Ghidorah, with Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra being their last hope for survival.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, is a 1993 Japanese kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara, with special effects by Kōichi Kawakita. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 20th film in the Godzilla franchise, as well as the fifth film to be released during the franchise's Heisei era. The film features the fictional monster character Godzilla, along with Baby Godzilla and the mecha character Mechagodzilla. Despite its English title, the film is not a sequel to the 1974 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.
Mechagodzilla is a fictional mecha character that first appeared in the 1974 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. In its debut appearance, Mechagodzilla is depicted as an extraterrestrial villain that confronts Godzilla. In subsequent iterations, Mechagodzilla is usually depicted as a man-made weapon designed to defend Japan against Godzilla and other kaiju. In all incarnations, the character is portrayed as a robotic doppelgänger with a vast array of weaponry, and along with King Ghidorah, is commonly considered to be an archenemy of Godzilla.
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is a 2001 Japanese kaiju film directed and co-written by Shusuke Kaneko, with special effects by Makoto Kamiya. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 26th film in the Godzilla franchise and the third film in the Millennium era. The film stars Chiharu Niiyama, Ryudo Uzaki, Masahiro Kobayashi, Hideyo Amamoto, and Shirō Sano, with Mizuho Yoshida as Godzilla, Akira Ohashi as King Ghidorah, and Rie Ōta as Baragon. In the film, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon defend Japan from Godzilla, who has been possessed by the souls of those that were killed during the Pacific War. Like the other films in the franchise's Millennium period, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack serves as a direct sequel to the original 1954 Godzilla film, ignoring the events of every other installment in the series, minus a small reference to Godzilla (1998).
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla is a 2002 Japanese kaiju film directed by Masaaki Tezuka, with special effects by Yūichi Kikuchi. Distributed by Toho and produced under their subsidiary Toho Pictures, it is the 27th film in the Godzilla franchise and the fourth film in the franchise's Millennium period, and is also the 26th Godzilla film produced by Toho. The film features the fictional giant monster character Godzilla, along with an updated version of the mecha character Mechagodzilla, who is referred to in the film as Kiryu. The film stars Yumiko Shaku, Shin Takuma, Kou Takasugi, Yuusuke Tomoi, Kumi Mizuno, and Akira Nakao, with Tsutomu Kitagawa as Godzilla and Hirofumi Ishigaki as Kiryu.
Varan is a fictional monster, or kaiju, that first appeared in the 1958 film Varan the Unbelievable directed by Ishirō Honda and produced and distributed by Toho. Varan is depicted as a giant prehistoric reptile capable of gliding flight, and has gone on to appear in the 1968 film Destroy All Monsters, the ninth film in the Godzilla franchise.
Monster Planet of Godzilla is a 1994 Japanese kaiju short film directed by Kōichi Kawakita. The film served as a theme park attraction that was screened at Sanrio Puroland and Harmony Land from March 18, 1994 to July 1, 1998. It is a 3-D motion simulator featuring specially filmed sequences of Godzilla battling the monsters Mothra and Rodan. All the monsters were portrayed using the costumes and props from the early 1990s Godzilla films. In addition, a new super-plane named Earth is introduced to thwart the monsters' destructive rampage.
Godzilla Island is a television show spinoff of the Godzilla franchise. It premiered on October 6, 1997, and ran for a total of 256 three-minute episodes, finishing on September 30, 1998.
Godzilla is a Japanese monster, or kaiju, media franchise consisting of films, television series, novels, comic books, video games, and other merchandise. The franchise is centered on the fictional kaiju Godzilla, a prehistoric reptilian monster awakened and powered by nuclear radiation. The franchise is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "longest continuously running film franchise", having been in ongoing production since 1954, with several hiatuses of varying lengths. The film franchise consists of 38 films: 33 Japanese films produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd.; and five American films, the first of which was produced by TriStar Pictures and the remaining four by Legendary Pictures, with the latest being released in March 2024.
Godzilla is a series of novels written by author Marc Cerasini, based on the film series of the same name produced by Toho. While all set within the same continuity, each novel has its own plot and storyline, with Toho's kaiju featured as the stars.
Chibi Godzilla Raids Again is a Japanese short anime television series in Toho's Godzilla franchise. Produced by Pie in the Sky and Toho, the first season aired on TV Tokyo and on YouTube as a web series from April to June 2023. The second season premiered on April 3, 2024. The show takes place on Monster Island, which is inhabited by small chibi-style kaiju from the franchise.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The Toho Co. of Tokyo, which made all 21 Godzilla films going back to the original 1954 classic, " Godzilla, King of the Monsters," announced last week that it had decided to make just one last movie (...) Henry J. Saperstein, whose company, UPA Productions of America, has distributed the films in the United States (...) Toho says 85 million Japanese have seen the films. Saperstein said that in the United States, a Godzilla film has been aired on some television station every week since 1960. In the past nine months alone, he said, he sold 3 million Godzilla toys.
Toho's American agent, Henry Saperstein (...) The films cost about $1.2 million each to make, and gross about $20 million worldwide, he says; about $5 million of that gets back to Toho, which has been releasing two films a year recently. (...) Marvel says its first Godzilla comic book sold 200,000 copies, and that future monthly press runs are being increased. Mattell says it will show its Godzilla toys next February, buoyed by a recent survey showing that 80 per cent of the male population of Los Angeles between the ages of four and nine are Godzilla fans.
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