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{{three other uses|the character|the film|Godzilla (1954 film)|an overview of the franchise|Godzilla (franchise)}} |
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{| class="infobox" style="width: 21em; font-size: 90%; text-align: left" |
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|- |
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! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size: larger; background-color: #001; color: #ffa;" | Godzilla |
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|- |
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| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | [[Image:Godzilla collage.jpg|320px]] |
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|- |
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! Species |
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| Mutant dinosaur |
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|- Gender: Male |
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! Alias: |
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| Gojira<br>King of the Monsters<br>Gigantis, the Fire Monster<br>Monster Zero-One<br>Big G |
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|- |
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! Form(s) |
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| Godzilla 1954<br>Godzilla 1955-1975<br>Godzilla 1984-1995<br>Godzilla 1998<br>Godzilla 1999<br>Godzilla 2000<br>Godzilla 2001<br>Godzilla 2002-2003<br>Godzilla 2004 |
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|- |
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! First appearance: |
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| ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954) |
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|- |
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! Latest appearance: |
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| ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' (2004) |
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|- |
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! Height: |
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| 50<ref name = "eniqfb">[http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/godzilla54.htm ''Godzilla'' (1954)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>–100<ref name = "nevmso">[http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/godzilla_heisei.htm#91 Godzilla (Heisei)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> meters (164–328 feet) |
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|- |
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! Weight: |
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| 20,000<ref name = "eniqfb"/>–60,000<ref name = "nevmso"/> tons |
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|- |
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! Major enemies: |
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| [[King Ghidorah]] <br>[[Mechagodzilla]] |
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|- |
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! Allies |
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| [[Anguirus]] <br>[[Rodan]] <br>[[King Caesar]] <br>[[Mothra]] (ally and rival)<br>[[Jet Jaguar]] <br>[[Godzilla Junior]] <br>[[Minilla]] <br> |
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|- |
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! Created by: |
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| [[Tomoyuki Tanaka]] |
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|- |
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! Portrayed by: |
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| '''Shōwa Series''':<br>[[Haruo Nakajima]]<ref name="Godzilla">{{cite video|people=[[Takeo Murata]] (writer) and [[Ishirō Honda]] (writer/director)|title=[[Godzilla (1954 film)|''Godzilla'']]|medium=[[DVD]]|publisher=[[Classic Media]]|date=2006}}</ref><ref name="Am. Godzilla">{{cite video|people=[[Al C. Ward]] (writer) and [[Ishirō Honda]], [[Terry Morse]] (writers/directors)|title=''[[Godzilla, King of the Monsters!]]''|medium=[[DVD]]|publisher=[[Classic Media]]|date=2006}}</ref><br>[[Katsumi Tezuka]]<ref name="Godzilla"/><ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br>[[Yū Sekida]]<ref name="Godzilla"/><ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br>Ryosaku Takasugi<ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br>[[Seiji Onaka]]<br>Shinji Takagi<br>Isao Zushi<br>[[Toru Kawai]]<br>'''Heisei Series''':<br>[[Kenpachiro Satsuma]]<br>'''Millennium Series''':<br>[[Tsutomu Kitagawa]]<br>[[Mizuho Yoshida (actor)|Mizuho Yoshida]] |
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|} |
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{{nihongo|'''Godzilla'''|ゴジラ|Gojira}} is a [[Kaiju|daikaijū]], a fictional Japanese giant monster. His first film was [[Ishiro Honda]]'s 1954 film ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Gojira]]'', and since then, he has made many more appearances, and has become a [[pop-culture]] icon. In total, Godzilla has appeared in 28 films, all of which were produced by [[Toho|Toho Company Ltd.]] Godzilla has also appeared in numerous [[Godzilla (comics)|comic books]], [[Godzilla video games|video games]], novels and even an American remake. |
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==Name== |
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{{nihongo|''Gojira''|ゴジラ}} is a combination of two Japanese words: {{nihongo3|"[[gorilla]]"|ゴリラ|gorira}}, and {{nihongo3|"[[whale]]"|鯨（くじら）|kujira}}, which is fitting because in one planning stage, Godzilla was described as "a cross between a gorilla and a whale",<ref name=A>Steve Ryfle. ''Japan's Favorite Mon-Star''. ECW Press, 1998. Pg.22</ref> alluding to his size, power and aquatic origin. A popular story is that "Gojira" was actually the nickname of a hulking stagehand at Toho Studio.<ref>[http://www.godzillaondvd.com/mediapageloads/still05.html] Gojira Media. Retrieved 2006-09-23</ref> The story has not been verified, however, because in the fifty years since the film's original release, no one claiming to be the employee has ever stepped forward and no photographs have ever surfaced. |
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Godzilla's name was spelled in [[kanji]] as {{nihongo3||呉爾羅|Gojira}}, but for sound only (the meanings of the characters have no significance).<ref>Many Japanese books on Godzilla have referenced this, including ''B Media Books Special: Gojira Gahô'', published by Take-Shobo in three different editions (1993, 1998 {{cite book |
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- | year = 1998 |
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- | title = ''B Media Books Special: The Godzilla Chronicles Ver. 2: The History of Toho Fantastic Movies, 1935-1998'' |
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- | location = Japan |
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- | publisher = Take-Shobo |
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- | id = ISBN 4-8124-0408-8 |
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- }}, and 1999)</ref> |
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The Japanese pronunciation of the name is {{IPA-ja|ɡodʑiɽa||Godzilla.ogg}}; the Anglicized form is {{IPA-en|ɡɒdˈzɪlə|}}, with the first syllable pronounced like the word "god", and the rest rhyming with "gorilla". When Godzilla was created (and Japanese-to-English transliteration was less familiar), it is likely that the [[kana]] representing the second syllable was misinterpreted{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}<!-- perhaps it was intentional? --> as {{IPA|[dzi]}}; in the [[Hepburn romanization]] system, Godzilla's name would have been rendered as "Gojira", whereas in the [[Kunrei romanization]] system it would have been rendered as "Gozira". |
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==Attributes== |
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{{Main|Powers and abilities of Godzilla}} |
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Godzilla's appearance has changed over the years, but many of his characteristics have remained constant. His roar has remained the same, only changing in pitch. Godzilla's approximate appearance, regardless of the design of the suit utilized for the creature, remains the same general shape, which is instantly recognizable: a giant, mutant dinosaur with rough, bumpy charcoal-gray [[scale (zoology)|scales]], a long powerful [[tail (anatomy)|tail]], and jagged, bone-colored [[dorsal fins]]. Godzilla's iconic character design is a blended chimera inspired by various prehistoric reptiles, gleaned from children's dinosaur books and illustrations from an issue of ''Life'' magazine: Godzilla has the head and lower body of a ''[[Tyrannosaurus]]'', a triple row of dorsal plates reminiscent of a ''[[Stegosaurus]]'', the neck and forearms of ''[[Iguanodon]]'' and the tail and skin texture of a [[crocodile]].<ref>William M. Tsutsui, ''Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters'' (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003), p. 23.</ref><ref>''Gojira'' Classic Media audio commentary</ref> Godzilla's dorsal plates have themselves altered in size and appearance over the years. |
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Godzilla's body and facial structure changed often from film to film. The first films depicted the creature with a more feral head and facial structure, to indicate his status as a feared threat. As the character became more of a heroic figure – particularly to children, who became a large part of Godzilla's target audience from 1965 until 1978 in the Showa era – the creature's look was softened somewhat, and made to look more intelligent in order to reflect the change in Godzilla's role. When the Heisei era of films was produced, Godzilla's appearance was generally uniform. It was meant to show Godzilla as an implacable force of nature and was thus given a harder and more menacing quality. Godzilla's appearance was uniform in four out of the six films of the Millennium era, looking more wild. The creature was depicted as having human or near-human intelligence in most films. Godzilla was originally believed by many to be green when the original black and white film was produced, and promotional artwork in America and other English speaking countries depicted him as such. The creature was also depicted as being green in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon and a number of toys in the United States prior to the Trendmasters toy line, which depicted Godzilla in his actual coloration. Godzilla actually has a greenish hue about him in ''[[Godzilla 2000]]'' and again in ''[[Godzilla vs. Megaguirus]]'', but returns to his classic charcoal gray in subsequent films in the Millennium series starting with ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''. |
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Although his origins vary somewhat from film to film, he is always described as a prehistoric creature, who first appeared and attacked Japan at the beginning of the [[Atomic Age]]. In particular, mutation due to atomic radiation is presented as an explanation for his size and powers. The most notable of Godzilla's resulting abilities is his atomic breath: a powerful heat ray of thermonuclear energy that he is able to fire from his mouth. Godzilla is also depicted as being resistant to damage thanks to a tough hide and an advanced [[healing factor]], which itself became a focal point in ''[[Godzilla vs. Biollante]]'' and ''[[Godzilla 2000]]''. He is portrayed as being strong and dexterous, sometimes utilizing martial arts techniques in combat. Described as a transitional form between aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates in the original film, Godzilla is able to survive in the ocean for indefinite periods of time and is as adept a fighter underwater as he is on land. |
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These particular abilities are portrayed consistently among Godzilla's many incarnations, though he also possesses skills, often employed as weapons of last resort that are only seen on rare occasions, such as his nuclear pulse, an unnamed wave of nuclear energy that can be pumped directly into a foe (as seen in the climax of his battle with Orga in ''Godzilla 2000''), magnetic powers, and even the ability to fly. |
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==Appearances== |
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{{Main|List of films featuring Godzilla}} |
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Godzilla is the main character of all of the ''Godzilla'' films, though there are numerous different versions of the monster. The [[silver screen]] is not the only place Godzilla has appeared; there have been literary sources that have [[Expanded Universe|expanded the universe]] of Godzilla. The ''Godzilla'' universe, and the character himself have also starred in comic books, manga, Japanese television and many cartoons. |
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===Showa series=== |
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The Showa-era ''Godzilla'' films were the first of the film series. In total, there are fifteen Showa-era films, amounting to over half the total ''Godzilla'' movies currently in existence. |
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The first film was simply titled ''[[Godzilla (1954 film)|Godzilla]]'' (1954). In the original film, Godzilla was portrayed as a terrible and destructive monster. Following the success of ''Godzilla'', Toho started filming a quickie sequel called ''[[Godzilla Raids Again]]''. In this film, a new Godzilla was set up to fight another dinosaur-like creature, [[Anguirus]]. This second film started a trend for ''Godzilla'' films, where Godzilla would fight other giant monsters. In his fifth film, ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'', Godzilla took the role of a hero. From that point onto the end of the Showa series, Godzilla stayed a hero, protecting Japan against attacks from other monsters, aliens, etc. At one point, Godzilla even adopted a son, [[Minilla]], in ''[[Son of Godzilla]]'', who would make appearances in later Showa-era films. |
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The Showa-era movies played on a lot of fears and interests of people during the time period in which they were made. For instance, ''Godzilla'' was a movie designed to warn people about the use and testing of nuclear weapons. Likewise, ''[[Godzilla vs. Hedorah]]'' was designed to carry a message about the dangers of pollution. As space exploration and the [[Space Age]] were extremely popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s, many of Godzilla's films revolved around Godzilla fighting alien monsters, or involved an alien invasion in some shape or form. For instance, in the movie ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', an alien race had managed to take control of all of earth's monsters, who were eventually freed from their control, and destroyed the aliens who had put them under control. |
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===Heisei series=== |
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The Heisei-era ''Godzilla'' films were the second of the film series. In total, there were seven Heisei-era films, making them amount to one fourth the total ''Godzilla'' movies in existence. |
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The Heisei-era films differed drastically from the Showa-era films in a variety of ways. The most prominent difference is that the Godzilla outfit was changed to look much more intimidating than previous suits. Another significant difference is that Toho did away with Godzilla being the hero of the films. While occasionally Godzilla would take the role of an [[antihero]], he was still consistently portrayed as hazardous to humanity throughout the films. Another change was that the series was given an overall plotline. Each movie happened in some sort of sequence, and generally referenced previous movies to further the plot of the series. |
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As in the Showa era, in the first ''Godzilla'' movie of the Heisei era, ''[[The Return of Godzilla]]'', Godzilla was the only monster to make an appearance. All succeeding Heisei-era movies would have Godzilla fight other giant monsters. Like the Showa series, Godzilla adopted a son, [[Godzilla Junior|Baby Godzilla]], as his own child. In the final Heisei-era movie, ''[[Godzilla vs. Destoroyah]]'', Godzilla dies after undergoing a nuclear meltdown, and his son (by that point almost half as tall as his father and called Godzilla Junior) absorbs the radiation and quickly matures to become the new King of the Monsters. |
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In much the same way that the Showa-era played on fears and interests of people during the time period of production, Heisei-era Godzilla films made some attempts at making statements on popular topics for their time period. One good example would be ''[[Godzilla vs. Biollante]]'', which made explicit warnings against research involving genetic engineering. ''[[Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah]]'' touched very lightly on the subject of Communism, implying a negative view on it, and introduced a time-travel plot. Other themes in the movies included commenting on research into hazardous material and environmental statements. |
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===American remake=== |
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In 1998, [[TriStar Pictures]] produced a remake set in New York City, directed by [[Roland Emmerich]] and starring [[Matthew Broderick]]; the film's name was simply ''[[Godzilla (1998 film)|Godzilla]]''. Despite negative reviews from films critics and fans of the original Japanese Godzilla, the film was a financial success, taking in nearly $380 million worldwide, and had an animated television series called ''[[Godzilla: The Series]]''. |
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===Millennium series=== |
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The Millennium series of ''Godzilla'' films are the third and currently final of the film series. There are six of these films, making them slightly under a fourth the total of the series. |
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The Millennium series attempts to bring Godzilla back to his roots by eliminating a few of the things that the Heisei-era films had done. The most notable of these changes are, with one exception, the lack of any real continuity in the movies. Godzilla is, however, still a hazard in the Millennium series, and is always a destructive force. |
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The 2004 ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'', marked the supposed end to the ''Godzilla'' series. ''Final Wars'' yet again put evil aliens on earth, and combined the earlier films' interpretation of him as a superhero, with the contemporary vision of him as a rampaging beast angry with the world (this is specifically noted in one scene). Several major Godzilla antagonists and allies were in ''Final Wars'', including [[Rodan]] and [[Mothra]]. |
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===Rumored reboot=== |
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On August 13, 2009 Bloody Disgusting.Com reported that [[Legendary Pictures]], an American motion picture company, are in early talks about producing a possible ''Godzilla'' film,<ref name=disgusting>{{cite web|url= http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17061 |title= The Mighty 'Godzilla' Will Roar Once More! |date=2009-08-13 |accessdate=2010-01-26}}</ref> though the likelihood of the project entering production, as well as [[Toho|Toho's]] part in this, is still unclear.<ref name=disgusting /> Toho was asked if this was true and they did not state anything, rather saying that there was no comment. It is now speculated that there will be a Godzilla movie in 2014 as it is the anniversary of Godzilla. <ref>{{cite web|url= http://robojapan.blogspot.com/2009/08/putting-legendary-pictures-godzilla.html |title= Putting Legendary Pictures' Godzilla Into Perspective |author= Armand Vaquer |date=2009-08-14 |accessdate=2010-01-26}}</ref> |
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===In television and printed media=== |
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{{Main|Godzilla (comics)}} |
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In Japan, Godzilla was a frequent guest star on the tokusatsu series ''[[Zone Fighter]]''. In it, Godzilla occasionally fought alongside the protagonist against other monsters, including [[Gigan]] and [[King Ghidorah]], two monsters who had previously appeared in ''Godzilla'' films. |
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Godzilla made his American series debut in the 1978 [[Hanna-Barbera]] Saturday morning show ''[[Godzilla (animated series)|Godzilla]]''. In this series, Godzilla had a nephew, Godzooky. In addition to his trademark atomic breath, which simply changed to fire in the cartoon, he was given the power to shoot laser beams out of his eyes. Godzilla could be summoned by his human friends, sea-explorers on the ship USS ''Calico'', with a signaling device or by the cry of Godzooky. The series ran until 1981. |
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A second series, based on the American ''Godzilla'', aired on [[Fox Kids]]. The series featured a baby Godzilla which had grown to full size. Godzilla traveled around the world with a team called HEAT, including scientist [[Nick Tatopoulos]], battling monsters. Godzilla had the abilities and physical forms of his parent, but the creators of the show gave him more powers and an attitude more resembling the original Japanese Godzilla. |
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Godzilla has been featured in comic books, most often in American productions (from [[Marvel Comics]] in the late-1970s, and from [[Dark Horse Comics]] in the 1980s and 1990s). Japanese Godzilla manga comics are also available. |
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The Marvel series told original stories and attempted to fit into the official Toho continuity, while avoiding direct references to it. It integrated Godzilla into the [[Marvel Universe]]. It was published from 1977 to 1979, fitting between the [[Showa Period]] movies and the [[Heisei Era]]. This series described the adventures and confrontations of Godzilla in the United States. |
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Between 1996 and 1998 [[Random House]] published four books by [[Godzilla (Marc Cerasini series)|Marc Cerasini]] featuring Godzilla and other kaiju of the Toho franchise: ''Godzilla Returns'', ''Godzilla 2000'' (unrelated to the film of the same name), ''Godzilla at World's End'', and ''Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters''. The release of a fifth book, ''Godzilla and the Lost Continent'' was planned but was canceled when Random House's license for Godzilla expired. |
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On September 23, 2004 ''Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters'' by William M. Tsutsui was released by Palgrave Macmillan. The book was released to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Godzilla and looks into some of the ways Godzilla has become a simple part of everyday life for fans. |
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In 2009, author [[James Morrow]] released a novel ''Shambling Towards Hiroshima'', a fictional retelling of the cinematic origins of a giant, fire-breathing lizard, named Gorgantis, created by the US army during WWII to terrify the Japanese into surrendering. |
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==Cultural impact== |
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{{Main|Godzilla in popular culture}} |
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[[Image:Godzillastar.jpg|right|thumb|Godzilla's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].]] |
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Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese [[popular culture]] worldwide and remains an important facet of Japanese films, embodying the [[Kaijū|kaiju]] subset of the [[tokusatsu]] genre. He has been considered a filmographic [[metaphor]] for the United States, as well as an allegory of nuclear weapons in general. The earlier ''Godzilla'' films, especially the [[Godzilla (1954 film)|original]], portrayed Godzilla as a frightening, nuclear monster. Godzilla represented the fears that many Japanese held about the nuclear attacks on [[Hiroshima]] and [[Nagasaki, Nagasaki|Nagasaki]], and the possibility of recurrence.<ref>[http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/popcult/handouts/metaphor/godzilla/godzilla.html] ''The Monster That Morphed Into a Metaphor'', By Terrence Rafferty, May 2, 2004, NYTimes</ref> |
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As the series progressed, so did Godzilla, changing into a less destructive and more heroic character as the films became geared towards children. Since then, the character has fallen somewhere in the middle, sometimes portrayed as a protector of the world from external threats and other times as a bringer of destruction. Godzilla is also the second of only three fictional characters to have won the [[MTV]] Lifetime Achievement [[Award]], which was awarded in 1996.<ref>http://www.fanpop.com/spots/godzilla/videos/7584880/title/godzilla-wins-mtv-lifetime-achievement-award-1996</ref> |
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==Awards== |
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* 1985 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''The Return of Godzilla'') |
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* 1992 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah'') |
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* 1993 Tokyo Sports Movie Awards - Best Leading Actor (''Godzilla vs. Mothra'') |
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* 1993 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award and Money-Making Star Award (''Godzilla vs. Mothra'') |
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* 1995 Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award (''Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla'') |
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* 1996 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award (''Godzilla vs. Destroyer'') |
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* 1996 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''Godzilla vs. Destroyer'') |
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* 1996 MTV Movie Awards - Lifetime Achievement |
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* 2002 Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award (''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'') |
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* 2004 [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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* [http://www.toho.co.jp/ Official Website] of [[Toho]] (Japanese) |
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* [http://www.godzilla.co.jp Godzilla Official Website (Japanese)] |
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* {{imdb character|id=0005212|title=Godzilla}} |
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{{Godzilla}} |
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[[Category:Godzilla characters]] |
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[[Category:Toho Monsters]] |
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[[Category:Animal superheroes]] |
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[[Category:Film characters]] |
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[[Category:Fictional kings]] |
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[[Category:Fictional dinosaurs]] |
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[[Category:Fictional deities]] |
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[[Category:Fictional mutants]] |
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[[Category:Fictional sea creatures]] |
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[[Category:Fictional amphibians]] |
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[[Category:Fictional sea serpents and lake monsters]] |
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[[Category:Fictional characters with accelerated healing]] |
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[[Category:Fictional characters with superhuman strength]] |
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[[Category:1954 introductions]] |
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[[fa:گودزیلا]] |
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[[he:גודזילה]] |
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[[zh-yue:哥斯拉]] |
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[[zh:哥斯拉]] |
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