Godzilla ゴジラ [Showa]

Godzilla [Showa Series]
Godzilla

Height : 50 meters
Mass : 20,000 tons

Powers / Weapons

Atomic Ray; super regenerative power; flight; kangaroo kick; charged magnetic force

Appearances

Godzilla Raids Again (1955); King Kong vs. Godzilla; Mothra vs. Godzilla; Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster; Invasion of Astro-Monster; Ebirah, Horror of the Deep; Son of Godzilla; Destroy All Monsters; All Monsters Attack; Godzilla vs. Hedorah; Godzilla vs. Gigan; Godzilla vs. Megalon; Zone Fighter Episode 4, Episode 11, Episode 15, Episode 21, Episode 25; Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla; Terror of Mechagodzilla; Bye-Bye Jupiter (stock footage); Godzilla: Final Wars (stock footage); 20th Century Boys 2: The Last Hope (stock footage)

Series // Showa

Sound Effect

Description

With the destruction of the menace Godzilla, Japan, if not the world, breathed a sigh of relief. Rebuilding the mangled remains of what was left in the leviathan's wake was soon set in motion. Businesses thrived once more, and life returned to normal. That is until a pilot embarked on a rescue mission to locate a missing pilot near a remote island. Upon discovering the stranded pilot, the Earth shook with a thundering roar. Looking back behind them, the pilots witnessed a spiny shelled, quadruped reptile in mortal combat with another demon, a creature that closely resembled the horrific devil that struck Japan like a typhoon just a year before: Godzilla. Another of the loathed species had survived its ancient sleep, and was now poised to threaten humankind once more. The men watched in terror as the titanic battle cast the duo into the sea. They could still see the war rage beneath the waves. Days passed before the two titans reached the mainland and resumed their battle. Osaka was transformed into a war zone, but in the end the mighty Godzilla prevailed. Tearing Anguirus' throat and bathing the carcass in a torrent of flames, the dorsal finned fiend returned to the sea. Reports were received that the new Godzilla had taken resort on a floating glacier. Taking advantage of the beast's location, the military shelled the icy walls with bombs and rockets, thereby causing an avalanche, burying the creature.

A few years passed before Japan would see the beast again. The hunk of ice which held the monster prisoner broke off and floated away from the Arctic Ocean. Drifting into the warmer waters near Japan, the tomb became weak and brittle. In such a weakened state, the glacier did not hold when the monster finally awoke. Breaking through the ice, the behemoth swam to Japan, destroying a military base on its way. Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical company had come across the legendary giant King Kong. With the creature drugged, the firm decided to transport the animal to Japan, but the act was met with disaster as the ape god was released. Traveling to Japan, it was fate that brought the two titans -King Kong and Godzilla- together. On the first bout, Godzilla had surprised Kong with his atomic ray, and sent the ape in retreat to contemplate a plan of action. Round two was fought and, with the help of a lightning storm, the ape was able to stand against Godzilla. However, a victor of the battle was not decided before the two fell off a cliff. Sinking beneath the waves, of the two Kong was the only one to surface.

After the colossal battle, a typhoon struck Japan, submerging parts of the land in ocean. Seeking to reclaim their property from the waves, pumps and water jets were put in place to expel the water back into the ocean. However, the waves brought something else ashore. Rising from the silty sediment, Godzilla showed his godly form again. Walking away from the once submerged earth, the nuclear giant instinctively made his way to the heart of the city. Factories, towers, buildings, nothing stood long before his wrath. The public cried out for heroes, and the military tried to fill the void. Several different tactical assaults were thrown against the behemoth, but none succeeded. As the military sacrificed needless lives to the god's power, a group of reporters headed to Infant Island, to beg for Mothra's help. Their pleas were almost passed up, but the benevolent insect agreed, despite the fact that the battle would be more than enough to kill her. Soaring to Japan, she met the monster Godzilla, and battled to her death. Though she could not overpower the creature, Mothra, in her dying act, flew to her egg -which had washed upon the Japanese mainland- and collapsed on top of it in a last attempt to protect her unborn offspring. With Mothra's defeat, Godzilla pressed on, leaving behind the giant egg as the military established further blockades for the nuclear menace. Meanwhile, with their god gone, the Infant Islanders joined in prayer as the mammoth egg split, birthing not one, but two Mothra Larvae. The babies then instinctively headed to battle Godzilla. Finding the destroyer on a remote island, the twins cocooned the monster in a web sack. Onlookers cried in joy as they gazed upon Godzilla when he fell from the cliff and into the ocean below.

Godzilla [Showa Series]Fighting from his binds, Godzilla soon returned to Japan. Rising from the waves, he obliterated an ocean liner, and soon made his presence felt again. Yet it was not just Godzilla that Japan was fearful of. Rising from the ashes of his confines, Rodan soared the blue skies again. Fate approached, as the winged samurai of the winds and the wading disaster of the ages met. Several short-but-fierce battles ensued between the creatures, with no decisive winner arising from the confrontations. Meanwhile, as the two battled, an asteroid that had crashed on Earth hatched to unleash King Ghidorah. The celestial space dragon took to the air, showering humanity in dazzling ribbons of golden lightning. An emergency meeting was called in the parliament to meet with the threats against their lands. Once again, the plan was to ask for Mothra's aid. Begging the twin fairies who were visiting Japan, the people asked for the moth monster to defeat King Ghidorah. Knowing full and well that after Japan, Infant Island would be next, the Shobijin priestesses called for their god. The voices were heard over the crashing ocean, and Mothra ventured to Japan. Arriving on the land, she set out to convince Godzilla and Rodan to stop their fighting and help her defeat the murderous King Ghidorah. Her pleas were ignored, and the gentle caterpillar was forced to face the demon alone. Seeing Mothra's courage, Godzilla and Rodan put aside their difference and helped against the war with King Ghidorah. The three kaiju headed into battle, and, in the end, overcame the creature's power, sending the space monster back from whence it came.

After the monumental battle, strange radio waves were heard from outer space. A space shuttle called the P1 was sent out with two astronauts, Glen and Fuji, to find out the source of the disturbance. In their search they stumble upon the mysterious world dubbed Planet X. The ship landed on the rocky sphere, but the astronauts were soon abducted and taken beneath the planet's surface. There, they encountered a race of machine-like beings, calling themselves the Xilien, asking for their help. Since King Ghidorah had been vanquished from Earth, the monster descended on Planet X. The alien race pleaded for humanity to give them Godzilla and Rodan to once again meet the demon's threat. Glen and Fuji were hesitant to grant such a request, but the Xilien made a tempting deal. In exchange for the creatures, the aliens would give the earthlings a new miracle drug, one that would cure all disease. The trade was made post-haste, and together Godzilla and Rodan eliminated the threat of King Ghidorah from the planet. Fulfilling their end of the bargain, the Xilien gave the astronauts a tape which gave instructions on how to produce the "miracle drug." However, upon arriving back on Earth, they discovered that the tape was nothing more than a series of demands to surrender. The tape told the Earth to lay down its defenses, or the monsters Godzilla, Rodan, and King Ghidorah would be unleashed against them, now under the complete thrall of the Xilien invaders. Never backing down, humanity fought back and managed to sever the Xilien's control of the monsters. Free from the alien race's control, the beasts waged their ongoing war. The three monsters, all grappling, fell into the gaping sea below. King Ghidorah, defeated, rose from the waves and escaped into space.

Time passed before the famous irradiated reptilian beast was seen again. After crash landing on remote Letchi island, a group of survivors discovered Godzilla, dormant in a cave. Somehow, after the great Xilien war, the leviathan had swum to this remote area and now lay hibernating inside a vast cavern. The sailors, though, were not afraid of the sleeping giant, but rather were more concerned about the Red Bamboo army that had set up residency on the island. The army possessed mutations that guarded the island - the Giant Condor and Ebirah - that made escape from the place impossible. Seeing their only chance for survival, they awoke Godzilla using a metal lightning rod. Several bolts struck the still, sleeping mass, until finally he awoke. Godzilla burst from the mountain's side and waded out to sea as Ebirah emerged to meet the titan's challenge. Showering the crimson red lobster with his atomic ray, Godzilla dispatched the animal back into the depths. Roaring victoriously, Godzilla returned to the land and dealt with the Giant Condor along with most of the Red Bamboo's arsenal. Unfortunately, during his rampage, the saurian set off a self-destruction button located in the base. Time ticked down as Godzilla re-engaged his war with the mutant Ebirah. Fate, however, was on Godzilla's side as he was able to defeat the horror of the undersea world, and escape from the island unharmed.

Swimming from the destroyed Letchi Island, the fanged monster answered a calling, a wailing cry that was being echoed from hundreds of miles away. On another island, where a research team was experimenting with a new weather control system, the beckoning call resounded. After a failed test, the island was hit with a radioactive storm. The burning rains and hot blowing winds transformed a group of mantises into giants. Cowering in their nearly destroyed base, the men watched in stunned disbelief as the herd of Kamacuras' tore away at a huge mound of dirt. What was soon discovered to be inside was a gigantic egg. The Kamacuras attacked the newly unearthed object, and a baby Godzilla was hatched. The insects prepared themselves to gorge on the small creature, until Godzilla arrived on the scene, killing two of the ravenous insects. The third took flight and left the father-and-son monsters to themselves. However, their time of peace spent on the island was not long as a mammoth spider, Kumonga, awoke. Webbing up and nearly killing Godzilla's son, Minilla, the spider almost won, until Godzilla again entered the fray, and together, with his son, destroyed the menace.

Godzilla [Showa Series]After hearing of the fantastic tales from the scientists' recounts, Godzilla was no longer looked upon as a threat by some. A hero was what the children of Japan dreamt of, some even making their own dreams of Monster Island. Humanity's new view of the monster was deserved, as the creature would come to the country's aid on numerous occasions to save them from a variety of threats. One of the greatest of these menaces arrived in 1972.

Traveling to Earth from outer space, the life form found itself in the waters of Japan. Exposed to pollution, the being grew, increasing in power and toxicity. The creature, known later as Hedorah, continued to thirst for more pollutants, more matter to consume and grow from. This prompted to beast to venture on land, where it came into contact with Godzilla. In an early form, the two titans battled at night. Despite Godzilla's atomic ray having no effect, the King of the Monsters out matched the smaller creature, forcing it to retreat back into the water. Later, though, the Smog Monster reappeared on the Japan mainland, this time in a flying form. The toxic beast once more fought Godzilla, this time gaining the upper hand. Leaving Godzilla on the ground, choking on its sulfuric acid mist, Hedorah advanced further into Japan. Eventually the creature made its way to Mount Fuji, evolving into its fourth, standing form on the mountain. There the Smog Monster engaged Godzilla again, this time in a long, fierce battle. Unfortunately, the King of the Monsters was overpowered, unable to defeat Hedorah with his own might. Thankfully, though, the military had erected Giant Electrodes on Mount Fuji in an effort to dry the Smog Monster out. A power outage stopped them from working on their own, but provided the necessary resource for Godzilla to power them with his atomic ray. The surge of electricity had the desired effect, drying out Hedorah. However, the Smog Monster was not yet defeated, attempting to retreat in a smaller form. Godzilla, using his atomic ray as a form of propulsion, flew after the toxic beast. Slamming into it, Godzilla dragged the monster back to the electrodes, using them once more to dry out and end the creature.

Godzilla's struggle against Hedorah was fierce, but his role as a defender of Earth was now solidified. A year later, in 1973, the King of the Monsters faced a different kind of extraterrestrial threat. Hailing from Space Hunter Nebula M, an alien race sought to conquer Earth. Making a base out of an amusement park called World Children's Land, the aliens put their plans in motion. However, they made a fatal error through putting their plans on tape. As a result, a group of humans managed to smuggle one out and plan it. While the noises were undecipherable to them, the recording struck a frequency loud enough to be heard on Monster Island. There, both Godzilla and Anguirus responded to the threat. Taking a leadership role, the King of the Monsters ordered Anguirus to investigate. The spiked creature traveled to Japan, although was fought back by the self-defense forces.

Godzilla [Showa Series]Retreating back to Monster Island, the two monsters reconvened. This time Godzilla joined Anguirus and the two headed for Japan. Unfortunately, the Space Hunter Nebula M had already moved to the second phase of their plan. This involved using the tapes to summon Gigan and King Ghidorah from space. The two space titans arrived on Earth, and began leveling Tokyo. They were confronted, though, by the combined might of Godzilla and Anguirus. An epic battle between the four monsters ensued, eventually leading them to World Children's Land. There, a giant Godzilla tower was secretly housing a weapon. Firing a powerful laser against the real Godzilla, the aliens sought to end the conflict. However, humanity intervened, destroying the tower and the aliens. Even with the control over the space monsters broken, though, the fight wasn't finished. Using a burst of energy, Godzilla was able to get back into battle. Together, he and Anguirus finally overcame their space adversaries, sending them into retreat.

A year later, Godzilla was teamed up with Jet Jaguar to thwart another invasion. This attack, though, came not from space, but below Earth's surface. A subterranean race called the Seatopians sought revenge for devastation they faced from nuclear tests. To carry out their vengeance, they unleashed the monster Megalon. Jet Jaguar ultimately proved too powerful for the beast, almost claiming victory. The Seatopians had planned ahead, though. They had sought help from Space Hunter Nebula M, seeking the monster Gigan. The aliens honored the request, sending the cyborg monster. Although the two were powerful enough to beat Jet Jaguar, they were outclassed by the combined might of Godzilla and the robot. Together, the King of the Monsters and Jet Jaguar drove away the threats, Gigan to space and Megalon underground.

Well established as an Earth guardian, the King of the Monsters later joined forces with Zone Fighter, a giant super hero whose secret identity was a normal Japanese man named Hikaru, to protect the planet. Godzilla ended up teaming with Zone Fighter several times to help the giant protect humanity in the face of overwhelming odds. The first time the pair battled together was during Wargilgar and Spylar's attack on Tokyo. The Garoga's plan was nearly foolproof: an agent of the alien race disguised as Tatsuo, an old friend of the Zone Family that was thought to have been killed, was taken in with open arms by the Zone Family. But the heroes would only be met with treachery. Knocking out Kei, the agent summoned the monster Wargilgar to Tokyo. Hikaru was astonished at the sight of the monster on the television, and immediately transformed into Zone Fighter and flew through the screen to fight the bizarre monster. In retaliation, Tatsuo evolved himself into Spyler. Together the twin monstrosities overtook Zone Fighter, and were on the verge of victory. That is until the Zone Family called for Godzilla's help. The leviathan emerged and immediately incinerated Wargilgar, burning the monster to crisps of ash, while Zone Fighter deployed his Missile Might attack against Spyler, destroying the beast.

The next time our reptilian hero was seen was when an old rival reemerged. Killing a well-known race car driver, the Garoga knew that it would have to be Hikaru who would replace him. A few days passed before the human form of Zone Fighter agreed to replace the deceased driver. However, agents of the Garoga race placed traps inside the car, keeping the young man ensnared inside. Laughing with malice, they dragged the vehicle to a car crusher, intending to end the thwarts of Zone Fighter forever. However, the Zone Family intervened, and summoned Godzilla to cut the power from the crusher. Godzilla was reunited with an old foe, though, as the Garoga sent Gigan parachuting down from the skies. Yet even the cyborg's added weaponry was not enough, and Godzilla beat Gigan into submission, while narrowly severing the power to the car crusher in time to save Zone Fighter. Time elapsed before Zone Fighter grew to a gigantic size and ended the threat of Gigan forever.

For the next adventure, the duo would face their single most powerful foe. For the following few months after the Gigan raid, several earthquakes wracked Japan, all the cause of a steel cone-headed terro-beast called Zandolla. Once again, our hero transformed and battled against the heavy-hitting monster, but Zandolla proved to be too strong, and the battle shifted to underground. The altered arena stole any advantage that Zone Fighter once possessed. Meanwhile, the earthquakes disturbed Godzilla, and the titan ventured to help in the fray. Ignoring the severely weakened Zone Fighter, Zandolla rocketed through the ground and fought Godzilla. Their fierce combat caused violent crashes that cracked the ground, thereby releasing the imprisoned Zone Fighter. Attacking the monster together, the two managed to overcome the terrible foe.

Their friendship strengthened by the battles they faced together, the duo then combat in regular sparring matches with one another to hone each other’s fighting capabilities. However, as they continued their training, a new foe showed itself. The Garoga dropped a capsule to the Earth which contained Jellar. Zone Fighter was the first to attack the creature, but, due to the impotence of his Proton Beam against it, he was overpowered. The Zone Family called upon Godzilla who emerged from his cave and rushed to aid his battered companion. Godzilla became entangled with the creature and managed to tear free an arm from Jellar, but the appendage took on a life of its own, and transformed into Kastam-Jellar. However, the two Jellars were still no match for the heroes, as the combined might of Godzilla and Zone Fighter prevailed.

Godzilla [Showa Series]For Godzilla’s final appearance alongside Zone Fighter, the Garoga went all-out. Concealing their monsters in a series of capsules, the alien race scattered the beasts throughout the city. The Zone Family tried to interfere, but Spider Uros and Garoborg broke free, destroying buildings. A piece of fallen rock trapped our hero Hikaru, keeping him from transforming. However, hope was not lost, and, unexpectedly, Godzilla showed up. Facing not one, but two terro-beasts, the king was sent to one knee. Minutes pass before the Zone Family was able to free their older brother, and the giant went into battle. Aiding Godzilla, the two were able to save the day, for one final time.

With the threat of the Garogas presumably neutralized, Zone Fighter did not emerge again, although Godzilla's job was far from over. In the later part of the 1970's, Godzilla was called forth to thwart the Aliens from the Black Hole and their flag ship war machine: Mechagodzilla. Defeating his mechanical clone with the help of the deity King Caesar, the two titans were to clash once more as when the robot was remade. Godzilla fought against his improved double, Mechagodzilla II, who was joined this time by the aquatic dinosaur Titanosaurus. With the help of humanity, though, Godzilla prevailed once more.

In 1999, Godzilla, and a host of Earth's monsters, found themselves confined to a remote island in the Ogasawara chain dubbed Monsterland. The remote location acted as a research station studying the habits of the beasts, while simultaneously keeping them confined for the sake of humanity’s safety. The sanctity of the island was breached, though, as an alien race calling themselves the Kilaakians quickly descended, utilizing mind control devices on the island's personnel and kaiju. With the monsters under their control, the race quickly dispatched them across the globe in an attempt to beat humanity into submission. However, the strike was unsuccessful as the mind control devices were discovered, both on the Earth and in an underground lair on the moon, and humanity was able to bend the will of the monsters themselves after studying the advanced technology. Unfazed, the Kilaakians sent out their final monster, King Ghidorah, in a final attempt to conquer Earth; however, the space monster was horribly overmatched, and was killed as the remnants of the alien race were sent into permanent hibernation. With the Kilaaks vanquished, Godzilla and the rest of Earth's monsters were returned to their home on Monsterland to live out the rest of their days in peace.


Powers / Weapons
Atomic Ray

Atomic Ray

After his dorsal fins glow for a brief moment, Godzilla would release an atomic ray from his mouth.

Initially this ray was more like a vaporous jet stream with more limited range. However, it eventually changed into a beam-like attack which could travel great distances, even able to strike Gigan for example while he was far off in the sky.

   
Super Regenerative Power

Super Regenerative Power

The nuclear monster was able to endure extreme punishment thanks to its super regenerative power. This enabled the King of the Monsters to recovery from severe wounds. For example, Godzilla had his hand stripped to the bone by Hedorah, but fully healed from this a year later.

While the level of damage that Godzilla could recovery was great, it would sometimes take awhile for the King of the Monsters to completely recover.

   
Flight

Flight

Godzilla was able to fly by using his breath weapon as a means of jet propulsion.

When performing this, the monster would grab its own tail by its hands as the atomic ray slowly lifted the giant creature off the ground. Once airborne, Godzilla would change the tilt of the ray from a diagonal angle to a horizontal angle to push him in the desired direction.

   
Kangaroo Kick

Kangaroo Kick

The King of the Monsters could preform a kangaroo kick, momentarily leaping into the air and kicking its opponent with both of its feet. This attack was performed against King Kong.

A more impressive showing of this attack, though, was used over a decade later against Megalon. In this instance, Jet Jaguar restrained the giant bug while Godzilla ran at his target. After gaining momentum, Godzilla leapt, using the force created from his run to continue traveling forward and slamming his feet into Megalon.

   
Charged Magnetic Force

Charged Magnetic Force

Although this Godzilla was originally weak to electricity, prolonged exposure, such as against the Japanese Self Defense Force's Artificial Lightning Generator, fostered an ability absorb it.

This granted the King of the Monsters the power to charge itself into a magnetic force. As a result, Godzilla could use his body as a giant magnet, able to draw metallic substances toward him. This power was used to both draw high tension towers to him and also to trap Mechagodzilla. In order to use this power, Godzilla must absorb a great deal of electricity, although can store the charge for a prolonged amount of time before releasing it.


Background and Trivia
  • The second Showa series Godzilla was portrayed predominantly by suit actor Haruo Nakajima. This responsibility was sometimes shared with other suit actors, namely Katsumi Tezuka in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964). Due the larger suit, Kiyoji Onaka and Yu Sekita portrayed the character in Son of Godzilla (1967), although the water scenes were still acted by Nakajima. In 1973, Nakajima retired, leading to Shinji Takagi playing the character in Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Isao Zushi playing the character in Zone Fighter and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and Toru Kawai playing the character in Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).
  • In respects to Katsumi Tezuka playing the character in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), he was in the suit for the monster's initial appearance crawling out of the iceberg. This is noted in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Godzilla (self-published).
  • In respects to Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) being Haruo Nakajima's last stint as the character, the suit actor has noted that at an age of 43 it was becoming increasingly hard for him to play the role. He recognized that Godzilla had to keep fighting too and so he decided to retire. This information is listed in Age of the Gods (self-published). However, this account was later disproven by the actor himself. In 2014, in the Haruo Nakajima Monster Photo Book (ISBN 4800305217) which was written by Nakajima, the suit actor notes that he was laid off by Toho around this time. This situation is not unique, as many in the industry had their contracts terminated by Toho in the face of flagging ticket sales due to the rise of television programming.
  • Godzilla [Showa Series]In the 2000 publication The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587), Godzilla's powers are mentioned as "Atomic Heat Ray" (放射熱線 - Hosha Nessen), "Tail" (尻尾 - Shippo), "Punching" (パンチ - Panchi) and "Super Strength" (怪力 - Kairiki). A few movies leave off powers when not present, while others add a few. The additions include "Bite" (噛みつき - Kamitsuki) for Godzilla Raids Again (1955)/Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966), "Trampling" (踏みつけ - Fumitsuke) for Destroy All Monsters (1968), "Kicking" (キック - Kikku) for Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) and "Traveling Incognito Ability" (潜行能力 - Senko Noryoku) for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974). The latter entry seems odd, but possibly refers to the manner in which Godzilla suddenly appeared in the oil refinery to attack Fake Godzilla.
  • Godzilla's regenerative properties, for this version of the character, are referenced in The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225).
  • Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) director Yoshimitsu Banno notes that he sought feedback of the idea of Godzilla flying in the climax with many others at Toho. However, the director got very little in the way of a response until someone in the PR department noted that "children might like the idea." Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, who was in the hospital during the filming, was reportedly horrified after seeing the scene. This information can be read in Age of the Gods (self-published).
  • In 2015, Iwakura released a model of Godzilla doing his kick from Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), citing the model as Godzilla doing a "Kangaroo Kick" (カンガルーキック - Kangaru Kikku).
  • The wire and bicycle handle setup, which was used to control mouth movements on the original suit in Godzilla (1954), was replaced with a radio-control device starting for King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962). This detail is found in Age of the Gods (self-published).
  • The New Godzilla Walker - The New Legend of the King of the Monsters (ISBN: 9784048956321) cites the history of weaponry, which as a result gives dates for several of the movies which differ from when the film was released. It also adds context to a few that state themselves vaguely during the film, like occurring in 196X or 197X. The time line listing includes Godzilla Raids Again (1955) happening in 1955, King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) taking place in 1961, Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) taking place in 1962, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) taking place in 1964, Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) taking place in 1965, Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) taking place in 1972 and Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) taking place in 1973. The movies themselves make a few references to when they occur, including Destroy All Monsters (1968) taking place in 1999, Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)'s 196X date or Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) stating the events at the start of the film took place in 197X. The latter is interesting as the dubbed version credits this as 1971, although the movie takes place after Gigan first appeared and therefore the dubbed version can be discredited there.
  • Godzilla appears in Bye-Bye Jupiter (1984) through stock footage while Captain Hoger Kinn watches the actual movie Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). This footage is full screen at certain moments, showing Godzilla fighting King Ghidorah alongside Rodan and Mothra.
  • Godzilla [Showa Series]The King of the Monsters shows up in 20th Century Boys 2: The Last Hope (2009). This is seen when the character Kanna Endo reflects on her parentage, seeing her father as a monster. While Kanna allows this to sink in, the relationship is likened to Godzilla and his son, to which footage of Godzilla and Minilla from Son of Godzilla (1967) is shown.
  • Godzilla's design for the second member of the species for the Showa series changed through the course of the films. One of these changes was to the toes of the character, which were four on each foot for Godzilla Raids Again (1955) before being changed to three toes on each foot for the subsequent Showa series films.
  • The Godzilla suit from Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) was later reused in Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra Q show in 1966. Appearing in the episode Defeat Gomess!, it was used to represent the monster Gomess. This same suit was also reused in 1966 to represent the monster Jirass in the Ultraman show, appearing in episode The Mysterious Dinosaur Base. However, this time the head was replaced with by the one used for the Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) Godzilla suit.
  • For King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), the pupils for the Godzilla costume were painted onto a clear plastic shield which covered the white of the eyes. This meant the shadows of the pupils would change depending on position relative to studio lighting, helping with the illusion that Godzilla was a living creature. This is cited in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Godzilla (self-published).
  • Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) was the first film in which the Godzilla suit was equipped with radio-controlled eyes. This detail is found in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Godzilla (self-published).
  • Although Godzilla was already somewhat heroic after the events in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster(1964), producer Henry G. Saperstein claims some of the credit for Godzilla's shift toward a more heroic persona. In a 1994 interview, Saperstein noted that he "went to Tokyo to talk to Toho about playing [Godzillla] as the hero he was, rather than cloaking it in a metaphorical message." He went on to note that if Toho did this "Godzilla would become a worldwide phenomenon." Saperstein was one of the producers on Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965). Noted in Japan's Favorite Mon-Star (ISBN: 1550223488).
  • Although several different sources have claimed credit for coming up with Godzilla's victory dance on Planet X in Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), called a "shie" pose, actor Yoshio Tsuchiya states he was the one who gave the idea to special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya. Noted in Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo (ISBN: 0922915474).
  • In regards to Godzilla's "shie" pose, SFX cameraman Teisho Arikawa mentioned that he "was totally against it". However, Arikawa notes that special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya simply stated "nevermind, it will make children happy." Regardless, Arikawa recalled that even after the talk he ended up filming the scene reluctantly. Mentioned in Japan's Favorite Mon-Star (ISBN: 1550223488).
  • Suit actor Haruo Nakajima was against the "shie" pose as well in Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965). Noted in Japan's Favorite Mon-Star (ISBN: 1550223488).
  • Suit actor Kiyoji Onaka, a novice who shared some of the duties for playing Godzilla in Son of Godzilla (1967), remarked how good the pay was at the time. The usual salary for most stunt actors in the golden days of the studio was 20,000 yen/month plus 800 yen/day; but stunt actors who played as monsters had the potential to earn up to eight times as much. This information can be read in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Godzilla (self-published).