Godzilla

For the film franchise, see Godzilla (franchise). For other uses, see Godzilla (disambiguation).

"ゴジラ" redirects here. For other uses, see Gojira.

"Godzillasaurus" redirects here. For the dinosaur, see Gojirasaurus.

Godzilla
Godzilla character
Godzilla as portrayed by Haruo Nakajima via suitmation in Godzilla (1954)[1]
First appearance	Godzilla (1954)[2]
Created by	Tomoyuki Tanaka[3][4] Eiji Tsuburaya[5][a] Ishirō Honda[6][a] Shigeru Kayama [ja][4]
Designed by	Akira Watanabe[7] Teizō Toshimitsu[7]
Portrayed by	Various Shōwa era: Haruo Nakajima[8] Katsumi Tezuka[7] Hiroshi Sekida[9] Seiji Onaka[9] Shinji Takagi[10] Isao Zushi[11] Toru Kawai[11] Heisei era: Kenpachiro Satsuma[12] Hurricane Ryu (Adventure! Godzilland)[13] Naoki Bandō (Get Going! Godzilland)[14] TriStar Pictures: Kurt Carley[15] Millennium era: Tsutomu Kitagawa[16] Mizuho Yoshida[17]
Voiced by	Various Shōwa era: Ted Thomas[18][b] Hanna-Barbera: Ted Cassidy (vocal effects)[19] Heisei era: Yūko Mita (Get Going! Godzilland)[14] TriStar Pictures: Frank Welker (vocal effects)[20]
Motion capture	Legendary Pictures: T. J. Storm[21][22][23] Reiwa era: Mansai Nomura[24]
In-universe information
Alias	Gigantis[25] Monster Zero-One[26] Titanus Gojira[27]
Species	Prehistoric monster[28]
Family	Minilla and Godzilla Junior (adopted sons)

Godzilla (/ɡɒdˈzɪlə/ ɡod-ZIL-ə)^[c] is a fictional monster, or kaiju, that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda.^[2] 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.

Originally and in most iterations of the creature, Godzilla is a colossal prehistoric reptilian or dinosaurian monster that is amphibious 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,^[29] Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for nuclear weapons.^[30] 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.^[31][32][33] 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,^[34] natural disasters, and the human condition.^[35]

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 offspring, including Godzilla Junior and Minilla. Godzilla has also battled characters and creatures from other franchises in crossover media —such as King Kong— as well as various Marvel Comics characters, like S.H.I.E.L.D.,^[36] the Fantastic Four,^[37] and the Avengers,^[38] as well as DC Comics characters such as the Justice League,^[39] the Legion of Doom^[40] and the Green Lantern Corps.^[41]

Appearances

Main article: Godzilla (franchise)

See also: Godzilla (Heisei), Godzilla (Monsterverse), Shin Godzilla (character), and Godzilla (Godzilla Minus One)

First appearing in 1954, Godzilla has starred in a total of 38 films: 33 Japanese films produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. and five American films, one produced by TriStar Pictures and four produced by Legendary Pictures. He has also appeared in countless other entertainment mediums, which include comic book lines, novelizations, and video games; each appearance expands upon the universe created by the films.

Development

Naming

Although the process of creating Godzilla's first film is comprehensively recorded, exactly how its name came to be remains unclear.^[42] The most widely accepted report of its origin is that producer Tomoyuki Tanaka named the monster after sturdy Toho worker Shirō Amikura, the later chief of the theater club of Toho, who was jokingly dubbed "Gujira" (グジラ) then "Gojira" (ゴジラ), a portmanteau of the Japanese words gorira (ゴリラ, "gorilla") and kujira (鯨（クジラ）, "whale") due to his burly build to resemble a gorilla and his habit to favor whale meat.^[43][44][45] The account has been acknowledged by Toho themselves,^[43] director Ishirō Honda,^[43][46] producer Tanaka,^[47][46] special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya,^[46] producer Ichirō Satō [ja],^[48] and production head Iwao Mori [ja],^[47] with Satō and Mori recalling that the employee was Amikura.^[48][47] However, Honda's widow Kimi dismissed the employee-name story as a tall tale in a 1998 BBC documentary on Godzilla, believing that Honda, Tanaka, and Tsuburaya gave "considerable thought" to the name of the monster, stating, "the backstage boys at Toho loved to joke around with tall stories, but I don't believe that one".^[43] Honda's longtime assistant director Kōji Kajita [ja] added: "Those of us who were closest to them don't even know how and why they came up with Gojira."^[49]

Toho later translated the monster's Japanese name as "Godzilla" for overseas distribution.^[50][49] The first recorded foreign usage of "Godzilla" was printed in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald on November 20, 1955.^[51]

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.^[52]

Characterization

Within the context of the Japanese films, Godzilla's exact origins vary, but it is generally depicted as an enormous, violent, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation.^[53] Although the specific details of Godzilla's appearance have varied slightly over the years, the overall impression has remained consistent.^[54] Inspired by the fictional Rhedosaurus created by animator Ray Harryhausen for the film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,^[55] Godzilla's character design was conceived as that of an amphibious reptilian monster based around the loose concept of a dinosaur^[56] with an erect standing posture, scaly skin, an anthropomorphic torso with muscular arms, lobed bony plates along its back and tail, and a furrowed brow.^[57]

Art director Akira Watanabe combined attributes of a Tyrannosaurus, an Iguanodon, a Stegosaurus and an alligator^[58] to form a sort of blended chimera, inspired by illustrations from an issue of Life magazine.^[59] To emphasize the monster's relationship with the atomic bomb, its skin texture was inspired by the keloid scars seen on the survivors of Hiroshima.^[60] 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 Godzilla 2000: Millennium.^[61]

In the original Japanese films, Godzilla and all the other monsters are referred to with gender-neutral pronouns equivalent to "it",^[62] 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.^[63] In the 1998 film Godzilla, the monster is referred to as a male and is depicted laying eggs through parthenogenesis.^[64][65] In the Legendary Godzilla films, Godzilla is referred to as a male.^[66][67]

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,^[68] it will fight alongside humanity against common threats. However, it makes no special effort to protect human life or property^[69] 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^[70] and instead sustains itself on nuclear radiation^[71] and an omnivorous or piscivorian diet consisting especially of cetaceans and large fish.^[72][63] 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."^[70] Tomoyuki Tanaka noted in his book that Godzilla and humanity can become temporal allies against greater threats, however they are essentially enemies due to the difficulty to co-exist.^[63]

Abilities

Godzilla's atomic heat beam, as shown in Godzilla (1954)

Godzilla battles King Kong in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962). This film attracted the highest Japanese box office attendance figures in the entire Godzilla series to date.^[73]

Godzilla's signature weapon is its "atomic heat beam" (also known as "atomic breath"^[74]), nuclear energy that it generates inside of its body, uses electromagnetic force to concentrate it into a laser-like high velocity projectile and unleashes it from its jaws in the form of a blue or red radioactive beam.^[75] Toho's special effects department has used various techniques to render the beam, from physical gas-powered flames^[76] to hand-drawn or computer-generated fire. Godzilla is shown to possess immense physical strength and muscularity. Haruo Nakajima, the actor who played Godzilla in the original films, was a black belt in judo and used his expertise to choreograph the battle sequences.^[77]

Godzilla is amphibious: it has a preference for traversing Earth's hydrosphere when in hibernation or migration, can breathe underwater due to pore-shaped gills^[75][63] 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,^[78] 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.^[79]

Various films, non-canonical television shows, comics, and games have depicted Godzilla with additional powers, such as an atomic pulse,^[80] magnetism,^[81] precognition,^[82] fireballs,^[83] convert electromagnetic energy into intensive body heat,^[84] converting shed blood into temporary tentacle limbs,^[85] an electric bite,^[86] superhuman speed,^[87] laser beams emitted from its eyes^[88] and even flight.^[89]

Roar

Godzilla has a distinctive disyllabic roar (transcribed in several comics as Skreeeonk!),^[90][91] which was created by composer Akira Ifukube, who produced the sound by rubbing a pine tar-resin-coated glove along the string of a contrabass and then slowing down the playback.^[92] In the American version of Godzilla Raids Again (1955) titled Gigantis the Fire Monster (1959), Godzilla's roar was mostly substituted with that of the monster Anguirus.^[52] From The Return of Godzilla (1984) to Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), Godzilla was given a deeper and more threatening-sounding roar than in previous films, though this change was reverted from Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) onward.^[93] For the 2014 American film, sound editors Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl refused to disclose the source of the sounds used for their Godzilla's roar.^[92] Aadahl described the two syllables of the roar as representing two different emotional reactions, with the first expressing fury and the second conveying the character's soul.^[94]

Size

Teizō Toshimitsu sculpting a prototype for Godzilla's design

Godzilla's size is inconsistent, changing from film to film and even from scene to scene for the sake of artistic license.^[70] The miniature sets and costumes were typically built at a 1⁄25–1⁄50 scale^[95] and filmed at 240 frames per second to create the illusion of great size.^[96] In the original 1954 film, Godzilla was scaled to be 50 m (164 ft) tall.^[97] This was done so Godzilla could just peer over the largest buildings in Tokyo at the time.^[7] In the 1956 American version, Godzilla is estimated to be 121.9 m (400 ft) tall, because producer Joseph E. Levine felt that 50 m did not sound "powerful enough".^[98]

As the series progressed, Toho would rescale the character, eventually making Godzilla as tall as 100 m (328 ft).^[99] This was done so that it would not be dwarfed by the newer, bigger buildings in Tokyo's skyline, such as the 243-metre-tall (797 ft) 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 20,000 and 60,000 metric tons (22,050 and 66,140 short tons).^[100]

In the American film Godzilla (2014) from Legendary Pictures, Godzilla was scaled to be 108.2 m (355 ft) and weighing 90,000 short tons (81,650 metric tons), making it the largest film version at that time.^[101] 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".^[102] For Shin Godzilla (2016), Godzilla was made even taller than the Legendary version, at 118.5 m (389 ft).^[103][104] In Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017), Godzilla's height was increased further still to 300 m (984 ft).^[105] In Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Godzilla's height was increased to 119.8 m (393 ft) from the 2014 incarnation.^[106][107]

Special effects

Suit fitting on the set of Godzilla Raids Again (1955), with Haruo Nakajima portraying Godzilla on the left

Godzilla's appearance has traditionally been portrayed in the films by an actor wearing a latex costume, though the character has also been rendered in animatronic, stop-motion and computer-generated form.^[108][109] Taking inspiration from King Kong, special effects artist Eiji Tsuburaya had initially wanted Godzilla to be portrayed via stop-motion, but prohibitive deadlines and a lack of experienced animators in Japan at the time made suitmation more practical.^{[citation needed]}

Suitmation

The first suit, weighing in excess of 100 kg (220 lb), consisted of a body cavity made of thin wires and bamboo wrapped in chicken wire for support and covered in fabric and cushions, which were then coated in latex. It was held together by small hooks on the back, though subsequent Godzilla suits incorporated a zipper.^[61] Prior to 1984, most Godzilla suits were made from scratch, thus resulting in slight design changes in each film appearance.^[110] The most notable changes from 1962 to 1975 were the reduction in Godzilla's number of toes and the removal of the character's external ears and prominent fangs, features which would all later be reincorporated in the Godzilla designs from The Return of Godzilla (1984) onward.^[111] The most consistent Godzilla design was maintained from Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), when the suit was given a cat-like face and double rows of teeth.^[112]

Several suit actors had difficulties in performing as Godzilla due to the suits' weight, lack of ventilation and diminished visibility.^[61] 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.^[113] 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.^[114] 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.^[115] 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.^[116] 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 hydraulically powered mechanical endoskeleton covered in urethane skin containing 3,000 computer operated parts which permitted it to tilt its head and move its lips and arms.^[117]

CGI

In Godzilla (1998), special effects artist Patrick Tatopoulos was instructed to redesign Godzilla as an incredibly fast runner.^[118] At one point, it was planned to use motion capture from a human to create the movements of the computer-generated Godzilla, but it was said to have ended up looking too much like a man in a suit.^[119] Tatopoulos subsequently reimagined the creature as a lean, digitigrade bipedal, iguana-like creature that stood with its back and tail parallel to the ground, rendered via CGI.^[120] Several scenes had the monster portrayed by stuntmen in suits. The suits were 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 two metres (six feet) off the ground with their feet bent forward. The film's special effects crew also built a 1⁄6 scale animatronic Godzilla for close-up scenes, whose size outmatched that of Stan Winston's T. rex in Jurassic Park.^[121] Kurt Carley performed the suitmation sequences for the adult Godzilla.^[15]

In Godzilla (2014), the character was portrayed entirely via CGI. Godzilla's design in the reboot was intended to stay true to that of the original series, though the film's special effects team strove to make the monster "more dynamic than a guy in a big rubber suit."^[122] To create a CG version of Godzilla, the Moving Picture Company (MPC) studied various animals such as bears, Komodo dragons, lizards, lions and wolves, which helped the visual effects artists visualize Godzilla's body structure, like that of its underlying bone, fat and muscle structure, as well as the thickness and texture of its scales.^[123] Motion capture was also used for some of Godzilla's movements. T. J. Storm provided the performance capture for Godzilla by wearing sensors in front of a green screen.^[21] Storm reprised the role of Godzilla in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, portraying the character through performance capture.^[23] In Shin Godzilla, a majority of the character was portrayed via CGI, with Mansai Nomura portraying Godzilla through motion capture.^[24] In 2024, Godzilla Minus One was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, becoming the first Godzilla film nominated for an Oscar.^[124] At the 96th Academy Awards ceremony, it won the award.

Cultural impact

Main article: Godzilla in popular culture

Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese popular culture worldwide^[125][126] and remains an important facet of Japanese films, embodying the kaiju subset of the tokusatsu genre. Godzilla's vaguely humanoid appearance and strained, lumbering movements endeared it to Japanese audiences, who could relate to Godzilla as a sympathetic character, despite its wrathful nature.^[127] Audiences respond positively to the character because it acts out of rage and self-preservation and shows where science and technology can go wrong.^[128]

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.^[129][130]

Godzilla 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 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.^[131]

As the series progressed, so did Godzilla, changing into a less destructive and more heroic character.^[132][133] 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.^[134] Godzilla has since been viewed as an anti-hero.^[132] 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.^[135]

Godzilla is considered "the original radioactive superhero" due to his accidental radioactive origin story predating Spider-Man (1962 debut),^[132] though Godzilla did not become a hero until Ghidorah in 1964.^[134] 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.^[136] Godzilla was also voted the most popular movie monster in The Monster Times poll in 1973, beating Count Dracula, King Kong, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Frankenstein Monster.^[137]

Paleontologist Kenneth Carpenter's skeletal diagram of Godzilla in a modern dinosaur posture

In 1996, Godzilla received the MTV Lifetime Achievement Award,^[138] 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: Final Wars.^[139] 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",^[140] two episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000^[141] and the song "Godzilla" by Blue Öyster Cult.^[142] 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.^[143] The commercial was subsequently adapted into a comic book illustrated by Jeff Butler.^[144] Godzilla has also appeared in a commercial for Snickers candy bars, which served as an indirect promo for the 2014 film. Godzilla's success inspired the creation of numerous other monster characters, such as Gamera,^[145][146] Reptilicus of Denmark,^[147] Yonggary of South Korea,^[129] Pulgasari of North Korea,^[148] Gorgo of the United Kingdom^[149] and the Cloverfield monster of the United States.^[150] Dakosaurus is an extinct sea crocodile of the Jurassic Period, which researchers informally nicknamed "Godzilla".^[151] Paleontologists have written tongue-in-cheek speculative articles about Godzilla's biology, with Kenneth Carpenter tentatively classifying it as a ceratosaur based on its skull shape, four-fingered hands, and dorsal scutes and paleontologist Darren Naish expressing skepticism, while commenting on Godzilla's unusual morphology.^[152]

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.^[153] 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.^[154] 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 MV Brigitte Bardot in May 2011, due to legal pressure from Toho.^[155] Gojira is the name of a French death metal band, formerly known as Godzilla; legal problems forced the band to change their name.^[156] 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.^[157]

Steven Spielberg cited Godzilla as an inspiration for Jurassic Park (1993), specifically Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), which he grew up watching.^[158] Spielberg described Godzilla as "the most masterful of all the dinosaur movies because it made you believe it was really happening."^[159] Godzilla also influenced the Spielberg film Jaws (1975).^[160][161] Godzilla has also been cited as an inspiration by filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton.^[162]

A carnivorous dinosaur from the Triassic period was named Gojirasaurus in 1997.^[163] 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.^[164] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on July 11, 2018 (M.P.C. 110635).^[165] 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."^[166]

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.^[167]

Cultural ambassador

In April 2015, the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo named Godzilla a special resident and official tourism ambassador to encourage tourism.^[168][169] During an unveiling of a giant Godzilla bust at Toho headquarters, Shinjuku mayor Kenichi Yoshizumi stated, "Godzilla is a character that is the pride of Japan." The mayor extended a residency certificate to an actor in a rubber suit representing Godzilla, but as the suit's hands were not designed for grasping, it was accepted on Godzilla's behalf by a Toho executive. Reporters noted that Shinjuku's ward has been flattened by Godzilla in three Toho movies.^[169][168]

Notes

1. During a 2010 dispute with Honda's family over Godzilla's copyright ownership, Toho credited Tanaka and Kayama alone as the character's "authors".^[4]
2. Thomas voiced Godzilla in the English dub of Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972).
3. Japanese: ゴジラ, Hepburn: Gojira, IPA: [ɡoꜜʑiɾa] ^ⓘ

References

1. "Haruo Nakajima, actor who played original Godzilla in a monster rubber suit, dies at 88". South China Morning Post. Associated Press. August 8, 2017. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
2. Williams, Owen (March 3, 2021). "An Essential Guide To All The Godzilla Movies". Empire. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
3. Ragone 2007, p. 34.
4. "「ゴジラは誰の物か」泥沼裁判に 本多監督の遺族、東宝を訴える" ["Who owns Godzilla?" - Director Honda's family sues Toho in a quagmire of a lawsuit]. Livedoor (in Japanese). March 30, 2022. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
5. Doug, Bolton (July 7, 2015). "Godzilla creator Eiji Tsuburaya celebrated in Google Doodle". The Independent. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
6. Ryfle 1998, p. 24.
7. Ryfle 1998, p. 27.
8. Ryfle 1998, p. 178.
9. Ryfle 1998, p. 142.
10. Ryfle 1998, p. 360.
11. Ryfle 1998, p. 361.
12. Ryfle 1998, p. 263.
13. ゴジラ大百科・メカゴジラ編 [Encyclopedia of Godzilla (Mechagodzilla Edition)] (in Japanese). Gakken. December 10, 1993. p. 170. ISBN 978-4056001747.
14. "Susume! Godzilland (OAV)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 22, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
15. Mirjahangir, Chris (November 7, 2014). "Nakajima and Carley: Godzilla's 1954 and 1998". Toho Kingdom. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
16. Kalat 2010, p. 232.
17. Kalat 2010, p. 241.
18. "Ted Thomas on his time in the spotlight". South China Morning Post. September 28, 2014. Archived from the original on November 26, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
19. Comey, Jonathan (January 1, 1970). "Critter chronology: the history of Godzilla". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
20. Miller, Bob (April 1, 2000). "Frank Welker: Master of Many Voices". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
21. Arce, Sergio (May 29, 2014). "Conozca al actor que da vida a Godzilla, quien habló con crhoy.com". crhoy.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
22. Pockross, Adam (February 28, 2019). "Genre MVP: The Motion Capture Actor Who's Played Groot, Godzilla, and Iron Man". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
23. "Godzilla: King of the Monsters Final Credits". SciFi Japan. May 23, 2019. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
24. Ashcraft, Brian (August 1, 2016). "Meet Godzilla Resurgence's Motion Capture Actor". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
25. Solomon 2017, p. 32.
26. Ryfle 1998, p. 121.
27. Sarah Moran (May 31, 2019). "Every Titan In Godzilla: King Of The Monsters". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
28. Ryfle 1998, p. 19.
29. 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
30. Merchant, Brian (August 25, 2013). "A Brief History of Godzilla, Our Never-Ending Nuclear Nightmare". Vice. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
31. Eric Milzarski (December 12, 2018). "How Godzilla films were actually a metaphor for how postwar Japan saw the world". We Are the Mighty.
32. "Is Godzilla a metaphor for the United States?". Fox News. October 13, 2016.
33. Ambrosia Viramontes Brody (January 23, 2012). "Trojans explore the fantastic aspects of reality". USC News. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
34. Barr 2016, p. 83.
35. Robbie Collin (May 13, 2014). "Gareth Edwards interview: 'I wanted Godzilla to reflect the questions raised by Fukushima'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
36. Godzilla, King of the Monsters (vol. 1) #1 (Marvel Comics, 1977)
37. Godzilla, King of the Monsters (vol. 1) #20 (Marvel Comics, 1979)
38. Godzilla, King of the Monsters (vol. 1) #23 (Marvel Comics, 1979)
39. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong(vol. 1) #1 (DC Comics and Legendary Comics, 2023)
40. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong(vol. 1) #1 (DC Comics and Legendary Comics, 2023)
41. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong(vol. 1) #5 (DC Comics and Legendary Comics, 2024)
42. Ragone 2007, p. 35.
43. Ryfle 1998, p. 23.
44. "Gojira Media". Godzila Gojimm. Toho Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
45. Satoshi Yamaguchi, April 2013, ゴジラ誕生物語, p.20, Bunken Shuppan
46. Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 88.
47. "キネマ旬報: Issues 1109-1112" [Kinema Junpo: Issues 1109-1112]. Kinema Junpo (in Japanese). No. 1109–1112. 1993. p. 119. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Google Books.
48. "文藝春秋: Volume 62" [Bungei Shunjū: Volume 62]. Bungei Shunjū (in Japanese). Vol. 62. November 1984. p. 83. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Google Books.
49. Ryfle & Godziszewski 2017, p. 89.
50. Ryfle 1998, p. 22.
51. "CHRONICLE". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. November 20, 1955. p. 5. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
52. Ryfle 1998, p. 74.
53. Peter Bradshaw (October 14, 2005). "Godzilla | Culture". The Guardian. London. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
54. Biondi, R, "The Evolution of Godzilla – G-Suit Variations Throughout the Monster King's Twenty-One Films", G-Fan #16, July/August 1995
55. Greenberger, R. (2005). Meet Godzilla. Rosen Pub. Group. p. 15. ISBN 1404202692
56. Kishikawa, O. (1994), Godzilla First, 1954 ~ 1955, Big Japanese Painting, ASIN B0014M3KJ6
57. Kravets, David (November 24, 2008). "Think Godzilla's Scary? Meet His Lawyers". Wired. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
58. Snider, Mike (August 29, 2006). "Godzilla arouses atomic terror". USA Today. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
59. Tsutsui 2003, p. 23.
60. "Gojira". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
61. Making of the Godzilla Suit!. Ed Godziszewski. YouTube (December 24, 2010)
62. Tsutsui 2003, p. 12.
63. Tanaka, Tomoyuki (1984) [July 15, 1984]. Definitive Edition Godzilla Introduction (14th ed.). Shogakukan (published November 20, 1996). pp. 18, 30, 117, 120. ISBN 4-09-220142-7.
64. Ryfle 1998, p. 336.
65. Harris, Aisha (May 16, 2014). "Is Godzilla Male or Female?". Slate. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
66. Edwards 2014, 00:05:20.
67. Edwards 2014, 00:44:36.
68. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). Directed by Ishirō Honda. Toho.
69. Godzilla: Unleashed – Godzilla 2000 character profile
70. Schaefer, Mark (November 2004). "Godzilla Stomps into Los Angeles". Penny Blood. Archived from the original on February 3, 2005.
71. The Return of Godzilla (1985). Directed by Koji Hashimoto. Toho
72. Milliron, K. & Eggleton, B. (1998), Godzilla Likes to Roar!, Random House Books for Young Readers, ISBN 0679891250
73. "キングコング対ゴジラ＜高画質版＞". nihon-eiga.com (in Japanese). Nihon Eiga Broadcasting Corp. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
74. Scott, Ryan (April 18, 2019). "Godzilla Blasts His Atomic Breath in Stunning King of the Monsters Poster". MovieWeb. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
75. An Anatomical Guide to Monsters, Shoji Otomo, 1967
76. Interview with Haruo Nakajima. Godzilla – Criterion Collection 2012 Blu-ray/DVD Release.
77. The Art of Suit Acting – Classic Media Godzilla Raids Again DVD featurette
78. Godzilla 2000 (1999). Directed by Takao Okawara. Toho.
79. Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
80. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). Directed by Kazuki Ōmori. Toho
81. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974). Directed by Jun Fukuda. Toho
82. Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989). Directed by Kazuki Ōmori. Toho
83. Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (2002). Pipeworks Software
84. Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
85. Godzilla Singular Point, Episode 9 (2021)
86. CR Godzilla Pachinko (2006). Newgin
87. Zone Fighter (1973). Directed by Ishirō Honda et al. Toho
88. Godzilla (1978 TV series) (1978). Directed by Ray Patterson and Carl Urbano. Hanna-Barbera Productions
89. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971). Directed by Yoshimitsu Banno. Toho
90. Stradley, R., Adams, A., et al. Godzilla: Age of Monsters (February 18, 1998), Dark Horse Comics; Gph edition. ISBN 1569712778
91. Various. Godzilla: Past Present Future (March 5, 1998), Dark Horse Comics; Gph edition. ISBN 1569712786
92. NPR Staff. "What's In A Roar? Crafting Godzilla's Iconic Sound". NPR.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
93. David Milner, "Takao Okawara Interview I" Archived February 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Kaiju Conversations (December 1993)
94. Ray, Amber (May 22, 2014). "'Godzilla': The secrets behind the roar". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
95. "Godzilla". Gvsdestoroyah.dulcemichaelanya.com. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
96. "Amazing and Interesting Facts about Godzilla Special Effects – Special Effects in Godzilla Movies – Hi-tech – Kids". Web Japan. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
97. Lees & Cerasini 1998, p. 124.
98. Tsutsui 2003, p. 54-55.
99. Lees & Cerasini 1998, p. 125.
100. Lees & Cerasini 1998, pp. 124–125.
101. "Godzilla Ultimate Trivia". The Movie Bit. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
102. Owusu, Kwame (February 28, 2014). "The New Godzilla is 350 Feet Tall! Biggest Godzilla Ever!". MovieTribute. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
103. "2016年新作『ゴジラ』 脚本・総監督：庵野秀明氏＆監督：樋口真嗣氏からメッセージ". oricon.co.jp. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
104. Ragone, August (December 9, 2015). "Japanese Press Reveals Shin Godzilla's Size". The Good, the Bad, and Godzilla. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
105. Miska, Brad (December 27, 2017). "The Latest Godzilla is Three Times the Size of its Predecessors!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
106. Whalen, Andrew (May 30, 2019). "'Godzilla' Size Chart Shows How Much the 'King of Monsters' Has Grown Over the Years". Newsweek. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
107. Mancuso, Vinnie (March 29, 2021). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Tale of the Tape: Who Ya Got?". Collider. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
108. Failes, Ian (October 14, 2016). "The History of Godzilla Is the History of Special Effects". Inverse. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
109. Ryūsuke, Hikawa (June 26, 2014). "Godzilla's Analog Mayhem and the Japanese Special Effects Tradition". Nippon.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
110. Kalat 2010, p. 36.
111. Kalat 2010, p. 160.
112. Ryfle 1998, p. 254-257.
113. Fackler, Martin (September 1, 2013). "Rubber Suit Monsters Fade! Tiny Tokyos Relax!". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
114. Clements, J. (2010), Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade, A-Net Digital LLC, pp. 117–118, ISBN 0984593748
115. Kalat 2010, p. 258.
116. Ryfle 1998, p. 298.
117. Ryfle 1998, p. 232.
118. Rickitt, Richard (2006). Designing Movie Creatures and Characters: Behind the Scenes With the Movie Masters. Focal Press. pp. 74–76. ISBN 0-240-80846-0.
119. Rickitt, Richard (2000). Special Effects: The History and Technique. Billboard Books. p. 174. ISBN 0-8230-7733-0.
120. "Godzilla Lives! – page 1". Theasc.com. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
121. Ryfle 1998, p. 337-339.
122. Dudek, Duane (November 8, 2013). "Oscar winner & Kenosha native Jim Rygiel gets UWM award". Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
123. Carolyn Giardina (December 25, 2014). "Oscars: 'Interstellar,' 'Hobbit' Visual Effects Artists Reveal How They Did It". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
124. Collis, Clark (January 23, 2024). "'Godzilla Minus One' scores monster's first Oscars nomination". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
125. Sharp, Jasper (2011). Historical Dictionary of Japanese Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 67. ISBN 9780810857957.
126. West, Mark (2008). The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture: From Godzilla to Miyazaki. Scarecrow Press. p. vii. ISBN 9780810851214.
127. Interview with Tadao Sato. Godzilla – Criterion Collection 2012 Blu-ray/DVD Release.
128. "The Psychological Appeal of Movie Monsters" (PDF). Calstatela.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
129. Kalat 2010, p. 92.
130. Demoss, David (June 18, 2010). "Yongary, Monster from the Deep". And You Thought It Was...Safe(?). Retrieved March 19, 2018.
131. Rafferty, T., The Monster That Morphed Into a Metaphor, New York Times (May 2, 2004)
132. Lankes, Kevin (June 22, 2014). "Godzilla's Secret History". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
133. Goldstein, Rich (May 18, 2014). "A Comprehensive History of Toho's Original Kaiju (and Atomic Allegory) Godzilla". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
134. Grebey, James (May 28, 2019). "The history of Ghidorah, Godzilla's rival for the title of King of the Monsters". Syfy Wire. NBCUniversal. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
135. Ebert, Roger (2013). Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-7407-9246-5.
136. Glut, Donald F. (2001). "Godzilla, Saurian Superhero". Jurassic Classics: A Collection of Saurian Essays and Mesozoic Musings. McFarland & Company. pp. 225-229 (225-6). ISBN 978-0-7864-6246-9.
137. Kogan, Rick (September 15, 1985). "'It Was A Long Time Coming, But Godzilla, This Is Your Life". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
138. "Godzilla Wins The MTV Lifetime Achievement Award In 1996 – Godzilla video". Fanpop. November 3, 1954. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
139. "USATODAY.com – Godzilla gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star". Usatoday30.usatoday.com. November 30, 2004. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
140. Beck, Jerry (ed.) (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Atlanta: Turner Publishing. ISBN 1-878685-49-X.
141. "Godzilla Genealogy Bop" – MST3K season 2, episode 13, aired February 2, 1991
142. Song Review by Donald A. Guarisco. "Godzilla – Blue Öyster Cult | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
143. Martha T. Moore. "Godzilla Meets Barkley on MTV". USA Today. September 9, 1992. 1.B.
144. Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury. Holy Sh*t! The World's Weirdest Comic Books. St. Martin's Press, 2008. 104.
145. Kalat 2010, p. 23.
146. Phipps, Keith (June 2, 2010). "Gamera: The Giant Monster". AV Club. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
147. Don (June 16, 2015). "Reptilicus: Godzilla Goes To Denmark". Schlockmania. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
148. Romano, Nick (April 6, 2015). "How Kim Jong Il Kidnapped a Director, Made a Godzilla Knockoff, and Created a Cult Hit". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
149. Murray, Noel (May 8, 2014). "Meet Gorgo, the "British Godzilla"". The Dissolve. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
150. Monetti, Sandro (January 13, 2008). "Cloverfield: Making of a monster". Express. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
151. Gasparini Z, Pol D, Spalletti LA. 2006. An unusual marine crocodyliform from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary of Patagonia. Science 311: 70–73.
152. Naish, Darren (November 1, 2010). "The science of Godzilla, 2010 – Tetrapod Zoology". Scienceblogs.com. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
153. Toho sues Subway over unauthorized Godzilla ads, The Japan Times (April 18, 2008)
154. Toho suing Honda over Godzilla, TokyoHive (February 12, 2011)
155. "Sea Shepherd Conservation Society :: The Beast Transforms into a Beauty as Godzilla Becomes the Brigitte Bardot". Seashepherd.org. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
156. Gojira htm Biography and Band at the Gauntlet, The Gauntlet
157. "Voltage Pictures Sued For Copyright Infringement". torrentfreak.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
158. Ryfle 1998, p. 15.
159. Ryfle 1998, p. 17.
160. Freer, Ian (2001). The Complete Spielberg. Virgin Books. p. 48. ISBN 9780753505564.
161. Derry, Charles (1977). Dark Dreams: A Psychological History of the Modern Horror Film. A. S. Barnes. p. 82. ISBN 9780498019159.
162. Kalat 2010, p. 318.
163. "Gojirasaurus". Arctos. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
164. "(101781) Gojira". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
165. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
166. "Pacific undersea province given name 'Godzilla Megamullion'". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
167. "Japan ready to tackle Godzilla". UPI. December 22, 2007.
168. "Godzilla is Tokyo's newest resident and ambassador". New York Post. April 9, 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020.
169. "Godzilla recruited as tourism ambassador for Tokyo". The Guardian. April 9, 2015. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020.

Sources

• Barr, Jason (2016). The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema's Biggest Monsters. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786499632.
• Edwards, Gareth (2014). Godzilla. Warner Bros. Pictures.
• Galbraith IV, Stuart (1998). Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo! The Incredible World of Japanese Fantasy Films. Feral House. ISBN 0922915474.
• Godziszewski, Ed (1994). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Godzilla. Daikaiju Enterprises.
• Honda, Ishiro (1970). Monster Zero (English version). Toho Co., Ltd/United Productions of America.
• Iwahata, Toshiaki (September 1, 1994). テレビマガジン特別編集 誕生40周年記念 ゴジラ大全集 [TV Magazine Special Edition: 40th Anniversary of the Birth of Godzilla Complete Works] (in Japanese). Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-178417-X.
• Kalat, David (2010). A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series (second ed.). McFarland. ISBN 9780786447497.
• Lees, J.D.; Cerasini, Marc (1998). The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. ISBN 0-679-88822-5.
• Motoyama, Sho; Matsunomoto, Kazuhiro; Asai, Kazuyasu; Suzuki, Nobutaka; Kato, Masashi (2012). 東宝特撮映画大全集 [Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works] (in Japanese). villagebooks. ISBN 978-4-864-91013-2.
• Nagayama, Yasuo (2002). Why do Monsters Attack Japan?. Chikuma Shobō. ISBN 978-4480823519.
• Nelson, Arvid (2019). Godzilla: Aftershock. Legendary Comics. ISBN 978-1681160535.
• Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1538103739.
• Ragone, August (2007). Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters. Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-6078-9.
• Rhoads, Sean; McCorkie, Brooke (2018). Japan's Green Monsters: Environmental Commentary in Kaiju Cinema. McFarland. ISBN 9781476663906.
• Ryfle, Steve (1998). Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G. ECW Press. ISBN 9781550223484.
• Ryfle, Steve; Godziszewski, Ed (2017). Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 978-0-8195-7087-1.
• Solomon, Brian (2017). Godzilla FAQ: All That's Left to Know about the King of the Monsters. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. ISBN 9781495045684.
• Tanaka, Tomoyuki (1983). 東宝特撮映画全史 [The Complete History of Toho Special Effects Movies] (in Japanese). Toho Publishing Business Office. ISBN 4-924609-00-5.
• Tsutsui, William M. (2003). Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1403964742.

External links

• Official Godzilla website by Toho Co., Ltd
• Official website of Toho Co., Ltd (Japanese)
• Godzilla on IMDb