Rodan is depicted as a colossal, prehistoric, irradiated species of Pteranodon.[2] In 2014, IGN ranked Rodan as #6 on its "Top 10 Japanese Movie Monsters" list,[3] while Complex listed the character as #15 on its "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time" list.[4]
It was changed to Rodan for English-speaking markets in order to avoid confusion with the element radon.[5] However, in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, the English version of the film used the original name Radon.
Development
As with Godzilla, writer Ken Kuronuma turned to prehistoric animals for inspiration in developing the character, though unlike the former, whose species is largely left ambiguous, Rodan is explicitly stated to be a kind of Pteranodon.[5] Just as Godzilla was conceived as a symbol of an American nuclear threat, Rodan was seen as an embodiment of the same danger originating from the Soviet Union.[6]
A model of an early Rodan design.
Rodan's debut appearance was the first and only time the character was given a chestnut color. It originally had a menacing face with a jagged, toothed beak, which would disappear in later incarnations as the character became more heroic. Rodan was portrayed via a combination of suitmation and wire-operated puppets for flight sequences. During suitmation sequences, Rodan was portrayed by Haruo Nakajima, who almost drowned when the wires holding the 150 lb. suits above a water tank snapped.[5] In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, the Rodan suit was of visibly lesser quality than the previous one, having a more comical face, a thick neck which barely concealed the shape of the performer's head within, and triangular wings.[7] The modification of the character's face was deliberate, as Rodan was meant to be a slapstick character rather than the tragic villain seen in its film debut.[8] A new suit was constructed for Invasion of Astro-Monster which more closely resembled the first, having more rounded wings and a sleeker face. The sleek face was retained in Destroy All Monsters, though the wings and chest area were crudely designed.[7]
Rodan was revived in 1993's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, this time portrayed entirely via a wire-manipulated marionette[9] and hand puppets. Having received criticism for his emphasis on battle sequences relying heavily on beam weapons, special effects artist Koichi Kawakita sought to make the confrontation between Godzilla and Rodan as physical as possible.[10]
Rodan appears in a post-credits scene of Kong: Skull Island. It is in the depicting cave paintings showing him, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Godzilla in the footage that is shown to James Conrad and Mason Weaver.[12]
A casting call confirmed that Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah would be featured in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.[13] Viral marketing describes him as a titanic kaiju with the skeletal structure of a Pteranodon and magma-like skin serving as plate armor. The film's promotional website, Monarch Sciences, identifies the fictional island of Isla de Mara off the eastern coast of Mexico as Rodan's location and describes him as being 154 ft (46.94 m) tall with a weight of 39,043 tons and a wingspan of 871 ft (265.48 m), making it the shortest version of the character, yet also the heaviest and the one with the greatest wingspan, though part of the short height is this version of Rodan being a quadruped like a real pterosaur as opposed to an upright biped like the Toho versions. He is also stated to be powerful enough to level cities with thunderclaps generated by his wings.[14][15][16]
In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Colonel Alan Jonah uses Dr. Emma Russell to have the ORCA device awaken Rodan from Monarch's Mexican outpost 56. With Rodan awoken, Monarch's jets lead him into fighting King Ghidorah where he is defeated. After Godzilla is (seemingly) killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, Rodan sides with Ghidorah before being defeated by Mothra in Boston and then switching loyalties to Godzilla after Ghidorah is destroyed, leading the other Titans into bowing to him. According to a news clipping shown in the end credits, Rodan returned to hibernation in a mountain north of Fiji.
Reiwa (2017–2021)
The skeletal remains of an individual Rodan appears in the prologue of Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, having been killed in China. This is expanded upon in the prequel novel Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, in which it is revealed the Rodan emerged from Paektu Mountain in November 2005, attacked China, and battled Anguirus before they were both killed by a bio-weapon created by the Chinese military called Hedorah. In 2036, a flock of Rodans took over Siberia, competing against a swarm of Megaguiruses to prey on European refugees on the Trans-Siberian Railway. In Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle's prequel novel Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla, a second Rodan was said to have attacked Kyushu in 2029 while another flock of Rodans attacked Rome to prey on humans and eventually took over the Italian Peninsula in the mid-2030s. While enacting "Operation: Long March" and "Operation: Great Wall" in 2044 and 2045 respectively, United Earth forces faced attacks from an individual Rodan, among other monsters, in North Africa as well as a third flock of Rodans feeding on Meganulon in China.
In Godzilla Singular Point, the show features various Rodans which are based off of the Quetzalcoatlus. Most times, Rodan is smaller than its older counterparts, however, a larger, dark Rodan appears in the show, which is shortly killed by Godzilla.
Roar
The character's shriek was created by sound technician Ichiro Minawa, who sought to replicate the "contrabass technique" composer Akira Ifukube used for Godzilla. He layered it with a sped up human voice.[17] The sound would be remixed and reused for several other Toho monsters, including the Heisei incarnation of King Ghidorah[18] and Battra.[19]
^Kalat, David (2010). A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 77. ISBN978-0-7864-47-49-7.
^Kalat, David (2010). A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 199. ISBN978-0-7864-47-49-7.
^Kalat, David (2010). A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. p. 188. ISBN978-0-7864-47-49-7.
Berry, Mark F. (2005). The Dinosaur Filmography. McFarland & Company. ISBN978-0786424535.
"Miniatures" by Stephen Dedman, Eidolon Magazine summer 1996, volume 5, issue 3 (also known as whole number issue 20 and the "Harlan Ellison Conference Issue"). Eidolon Publications, North Perth, Australia. ISSN1038-5657.
