King Ghidorah
| Godzilla film series character | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| King Ghidorah | |
| Alias | Ghidrah Monster Zero Thousand-Year Old Dragon |
| Abilities/Weapons | Flight Breath weapons Interplanetary Travel |
| Allies | Gigan (Shōwa era) Baragon/Mothra (Millennium series) |
| Major Enemies | Godzilla Rodan Mothra |
| First appearance | Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster |
| Created by | Eiji Tsuburaya |
King Ghidorah (キングギドラ Kingu Gidora) (also known as King Ghidrah, King Ghidora and Monster Zero) is a kaiju, a fictional Japanese monster featured in several of Toho Studios' Godzilla films. Ghidorah appears as an armless, three-headed dragon with large wings and two tails.
Contents |
[edit] Appearances
[edit] Shōwa series
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964): The original version of the monster is an alien who travels to Earth in a magnetic meteorite, and devastates Japan until repelled by Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra.
- Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965): Ghidorah is now the mind-controlled pawn of aliens from "Planet X", and refer to Ghidorah as "Monster Zero". The "Xians" covet Earth's water resources and also take control of Godzilla and Rodan in an attempt to conquer the planet. When Earth forces free Godzilla and Rodan, the pair drive Ghidorah off into space.
- Destroy All Monsters (1968): Set in the future, Ghidorah is controlled by the alien Kilaaks. The monster is eventually killed by Godzilla and several other monsters.
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972): Set in the present day, Ghidorah teams with fellow monster Gigan until both are driven away by Godzilla and Anguirus.
[edit] Heisei series
- Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991): Time-travelers from the 23rd century (called "Futurians") travel to the past to release three genetically-engineered bat-like creatures called "Dorats" at the location at which a Godzillasaurus was to be exposed to radiation and become Godzilla. The irradiated Dorats fuse into King Ghidorah, which the Futurians then use to devastate present-day Japan. Godzilla eventually battles and cripples Ghidorah, with the wounded monster falling into the ocean. The Futurians, however, locate Ghidorah in the future, and using advanced technology create the cyborg "Mecha-King Ghidorah". The monster battles Godzilla to a standstill, before both disappear into the ocean.
[edit] Millennium series
- Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001): Godzilla again attacks Japan and is repelled by the combined might of the world guardian monsters (Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah) and the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
- Godzilla: Final Wars (2004): Godzilla defeats every monster ever encountered before battling "Monster X", a disguise for a version of "Keizer Ghidorah".
[edit] Other Appearances
The monster also featured in two films in the Mothra trilogy, both of which involved time-travel and different versions of Ghidorah:
- Rebirth of Mothra (1996): A version of Ghidorah, referred to as "Desghidorah" (or Death Ghidorah) appeared as a black, quadrupedal, three-headed extraterrestrial dragon. Freed from imprisonment in a prehistoric cave, the creature battles both an adult and larvae form of Mothra before being entombed once again.
- Rebirth of Mothra III (1998): Ghidorah appears in a more traditional form known as "Grand King Ghidorah" and battles Mothra Leo, who undergoes several transformations to match the monster.
[edit] In other media
[edit] Television
Ghidorah appeared in two episodes of the tokusatsu superhero TV series, Zone Fighter (1973).
[edit] Video games
Godzilla: Monster of Monsters (1989, Nintendo Entertainment System), Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters (1992, Nintendo Entertainment System), Super Godzilla (1993, Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Godzilla: Battle Legends (1993, Turbo Duo), Godzilla Trading Battle (1998, Playstation), Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (2002, Nintendo GameCube and Xbox. Released in Japan in 2002 as Godzilla: Domination! for the Game Boy Advance), Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004, Playstation 2 and Xbox), Godzilla: Unleashed (2007, Playstation 2 and Wii. Also released in 2007 as Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash for the Nintendo DS).
[edit] Abilities
Showa King Ghidorah: Flight at mach 3; can travel through space; Gravity beams from mouths; hurricane winds from wings; able to incase itself in a meteor that has magnetic properties
Heisei King Ghidorah: Flight at mach 3; able to fire Gravity beams from its mouths; hurricane winds from wings; constricting necks
DesGhidorah (Rebirth of Mothra): Flight at mach 23; releases hurricane winds from wings; able to breath Hell's Flame from its middle head; can fire Lava Gout energy bolts from all three-heads; able to perform Shock Pulse, a powerful shockwave emitted from all over the body; can send a electric surge through its bites; able to do Fiery Prye Road by causing the ground to split open and release flames from within the earth
Cretaceous King Ghidorah (Rebirth of Mothra 3) Fireballs from mouths; flight at mach 3; hurricane winds from wings; can travel in space by encasing itself within a meteor using the extracted life essences it consumes; able to grow his body back from severed parts
Grand King Ghidorah (Rebirth of Mothra 3): Flight at mach 3; hurricane winds from wings; gravity beams from mouths; able to fly even with the loss of its wings using a zero gravity field; scales manipulate the light from projectiles to form a protective barrier; can shoot six bolts of electricity from each wing; able to create a dome that allows objects to pass through, yet has a corrosive effect when they try to leave; dome's exterior is laced with tentacles; can teleport smaller beings inside the dome; able to travel in space by encasing itself within a meteor using the extracted life essences it consumes; can install a weak mind control
Ghidorah (Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack): Thunder Spark electric bite; able to burrow
King Ghidorah(Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack): Flight at mach 3; hurricane winds from wings; Thunder Spark electric bite; able to create an energy shield to absorb projectiles and release them; able to fire gravity beams from mouths when it merges with a piece of its temple statue
Keizer Ghidorah (Godzilla: Final Wars): Able to fire Gravity beams from its mouths; can drain energy through its bite
[edit] External links
- Toho Kingdom - fan site
