King Ghidorah
| Godzilla film series character | |
|---|---|
| File:KingGhidorah.jpg | |
| 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. It appears as an armless, three-headed dragon with large wings and two tails.
Appearances
Shōwa era
- 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 1999, Ghidorah is controlled by the alien Kilaaks. The monster is eventually killed by Godzilla and several other monsters. However, this is the first of many films that contradict several other films, as the showa series ended with Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), as the millenium series began in 1999.
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972): Set in the present day, Ghidorah teams with fellow monster Gigan and wreak havoc until they both are driven away by Godzilla and Anguirus. (Note: this is the first film in which Ghidorah has an ally.)
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.
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 3 world guardian monsters (Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah) and the Japan Self-Defense Forces. This is the first film in which Ghidorah appears as a hero rather than a villain.
- Godzilla: Final Wars (2004): Godzilla defeats every monster ever encountered before encountering and battling "Monster X", a disguise for "Keizer Ghidorah".
Other appearances
A similar 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 larval form of Mothra before being entombed once again.
- Rebirth of Mothra III (1998): a similar Ghidorah appears in a more traditional form and battles Mothra Leo, who undergoes several transformations to match the monster.
In other media
Folklore
Russian national folklore creature Zmei Gorynych, is particularly quite similar to King Ghidorah, sharing same looks and ability to breath fire, albeit being of smaller size.
Music
- Take Me To You Leader is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Daniel Dumile, better known as MF DOOM,[1] released under the alias King Geedorah on June 17, 2003. The character is based on the three-headed gold dragon King Ghidorah
Television
- Ghidorah appeared in two episodes of the tokusatsu superhero TV series, Zone Fighter (1973).
- In the last episode of Muteking, The Dashing Warrior, the three Kurodako Brothers are transformed into a single creature similar to King Ghidorah.
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).
Abilities
The creature is capable of tremendous destruction due to its size, flight (with the creature's wings also generating hurricane strength winds) and possesses several breath weapons (e.g., heat and energy).
External links
- Toho Kingdom - fan site
