Mothra モスラ (Heisei)


Mothra Larva - Mothra
Mothra Larva
Mothra Larva

Length : 120 meters
Mass : 15,000 tons

Powers / Weapons

Web attack

Appearances

Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)

Series // Heisei

Sound Effect

Description

12,000 years ago, there was a grand kingdom belonging to the Cosmos, a race of small humanoids. They were in touch with nature, dedicating their lives to protecting Earth’s harmony. Watching over and protecting them was their guardian: Mothra. A glorious winged insect with immense power and even greater compassion, she shielded them from danger.

However, one day the Cosmos created a device to control the world’s weather, enraging the Earth itself. The planet bore a dark clone of Mothra, called Battra, to destroy the device. Mothra and Battra waged a fierce battle, the dark fiend eventually being defeated and sealed away in the ice of the north. Yet he had successfully destroyed the weather controller, leading to a flood which drowned the civilization except for two denizens, the priestesses of Mothra herself. The divine moth laid an egg on Infant Island, a tropical oasis located in the modern day Indonesian Archipelago, to be hatched when the world needed her again.

12 millennia later, an asteroid slammed into the planet, immediately causing havoc. Tectonic plates shifted, leading to floods and landslides across Japan and the surrounding area. What was more pressing, though, was what creatures awoke during the event. Godzilla stirred from his slumber due to the impact, while Battra tore his way from his frigid prison with the intent to resume his crusade of desolation.

Meanwhile on Infant Island, amidst the rolling turmoil of shifting land and water, a massive egg was unearthed. This same island was being overhauled by the Marutomo Corporation for land development, with the Japanese government endorsing the process. They enlisted the help of Takuya Fujita, former archaeologist and current artifact thief, to explore the detection of a massive unidentified item. Alongside his ex-wife Masako Tezuka and Marutomo employee Kenji Ando, he ventured out and soon discovered the egg of Mothra. The three were baffled by the giant egg, until the two Cosmos emerged from hiding to tell their story and reveal that dark times were encroaching. Between the recent asteroid impact and humanity’s treatment of Earth, the end of humankind much like how the Cosmos ended was approaching. Thankfully, the twins offered to help, to spread their message to the human race and for Mothra to save them. 

Mothra LarvaSoon, the Marutomo Corporation had Mothra’s egg loaded on a carrier attached to a ship, heading for the mainland with the Cosmos accompanying. As the ship traveled the long journey to Japan, a powerful pillar of bright blue energy ripped through the surf. Godzilla emerged and approached the ship. In order to keep their vessel safe from the nuclear menace, Fujita cut the ropes to the egg's transport, leaving it behind. Afterward, the egg began to crack and glow. From the colorful shell emerged the brown larva of Mothra, blue eyes shining brightly. The larva rushed into the sea to avoid Godzilla's heat ray, and found her way behind the monster. She bit the trunk-like tail, but Godzilla tossed the larva aside. Mothra reared back up on the other side of the platform, ducking beneath another set of explosions as Godzilla fired upon her. A stream of silk shot forth from her maw, coating the ebony beast. He bellowed as it began to irritate his hide. A retaliatory thermonuclear ray, though, sent Mothra reeling back yet again. The persistent insect leaped at the creature, but the massive monster yet again repelled the larva.

It appeared as though Mothra was in dire straits, if not for the jagged creature that suddenly appeared in the distance. It was the Battra larva and though it used its horn to maliciously toss Mothra aside, the beast targeted Godzilla. This unknowingly gave Mothra a chance to escape, as she swam off to safety. As Battra and Godzilla pulled each other under the sea and eventually into a lava flow beneath the Earth's crust, Mothra set off to return home to Infant Island.

Mothra was eventually called back into action by her priestesses, though, who had been stolen by Ando and taken to the Marutomo Corporation for publicity. Heading toward Japan to save them, a naval battalion engaged Mothra off the shores of Japan. She pushed through their assault, though, at one point even bashing her body through a DDH-142 Haruna Class Destroyer in order to continue pressing on. When she reached land, the destruction was quick and efficient as she barreled through anything in her path.

Eventually she reached the Cosmos in a hotel near the Diet Building, who calmed her wrath with the assurance that they were alive and unharmed. The military fired upon her for a moment, before calling it off at the realization that she was near civilians. Mothra writhed and cried out, then crawled over towards the Diet Building. Rearing up, she spat her silk into the air, letting it fall down upon her until a cocoon was formed.

Japan watched the silk construct with eager eyes as Godzilla emerged from Mount Fuji in a sea of molten fire, Battra rising from the ocean floor and rising to the surface as his own transformation began. Soon, the cocoon began to crack, revealing a new Mothra...


Powers / Weapons
Web Attack

Web Attack

Mothra's larval state could fire a stream of silk from her mandibles.

This feat could be used offensively, causing extreme irritation to Godzilla's body when used against him, or to build a cocoon to let Mothra undergo metamorphosis.


Background and Trivia
  • Mothra's antenna-like prong on her tail is able to absorb energy from the sun to help give Mothra strength. Noted in The Ultimate Godzilla Monster Illustration Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063042790).
  • The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587) cites Mothra's powers in her larval form as a "thread attack" and her ability to bite. The Godzilla Movie Studio Tour also refers to her silk ability as "emitting thread from its mouth", while it was also called a "web attack" in English for The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225).
  • Mothra's egg is 70 meters in diameter. Listed in Godzilla Fierce Fighting Super Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004).
  • For the props, the larva was made in two sizes, with one 2.4 meters and the other 1.6 meters. Each featured a built-in self-propelled wheel mechanism. The larger prop was mainly used for land scenes, while the smaller one used for water sequences. Mentioned in Godzilla Character Encyclopedia: Toho Special Effects Movie Complete History (ISBN 9784062190046).
  • To transport Mothra's egg from Infant Island to Japan, the movie's staff considered depicting this through having it on an airship or inside of a cargo ship. Ultimately, though, they went with a carrier that was dragged by another ship. Discussed in Encyclopedia of Godzilla: New Mothra Edition (ISBN: T1062537732204).
  • To create Mothra's webbing the production crew melted styrofoam and shot this out using compressed air. Referenced in Encyclopedia of Godzilla: New Mothra Edition (ISBN: T1062537732204).
  • For the scene where the Mothra larva is facing off against the DDH-142 Haruna Class Destroyers out at sea, the larva prop was covered in a fire-resistant and heat-resistant coating. This allowed it to move through the wall of fire that is setup as a defense attempt in the film without seriously damaging it. Noted in The Pictorial Book of Godzilla 2 (ISBN: 4894251175).
  • On the artwork poster for Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) by artist Noriyoshi Ohrai, two Mothra larva are depicted. While two do appear in Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), only one shows up in the 1992 film. This is not an ode to the older movie, though, but rather because when Ohrai was hired the concept for the film wasn't finalized. Special effects director Koichi Kawakita mentioned that the concept the artist was briefed about was Godzilla vs. Gigamoth, which does indeed feature two Mothra larva although one is heavily mutated. Mentioned in Mothra Films Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784862487612).



Mothra [Heisei]
Mothra

Length : 65 meters
Wingspan : 175 meters
Mass : 20,000 tons

Powers / Weapons

Flight at mach 3; Ultrasonic Beams; electromagnetic scales; lightning discharge; sealing energy; space travel; Fairy Mothra proliferation

Appearances

Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992); Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (stock footage); Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla

Series // Heisei

Sound Effect

Description

White fur glistened in the moonlight as gossamer wings of myriad colors stretched out. Glowing blue eyes carrying the warmth of a goddess of nature took in the world before her. With the beat of her wings, she took off into the sky, her purpose clear...

Mothra and Battra met in the dark skies, reigniting a battle older than human civilization. They flew past each other, striking with their wings. Turning, the dark moth unleashed Prism Beams from his eyes, which the Goddess of Peace avoided with grace. The people of Japan found themselves transfixed as they watched the dueling deities, a spectacle that was truly once in a lifetime.

The bringer of light clashed head-on with the dark divinity, the two struggling to overpower the other. They forced each other back, Battra unleashing his beams once more and forcing Mothra to retreat. He pursued her for miles, unleashing his rays until they struck her back, sending her into a downward plummet. Battra fired madly upon the prone guardian, relishing in letting loose the hatred he had stored for millennia.

...Until Godzilla announced with a mighty roar that he had arrived, drawing Battra's fury towards the foe he had not finished before. As Mothra tried to recover her strength, Battra unleashed his power upon Godzilla, burying the colossus under a building's rubble. He drew close, eager to continue flexing his new power, only to be caught off guard as Godzilla burst from the rubble. Mothra watched as Battra was grabbed and tossed to the earth like she had been before. Despite how Battra had attacked her, she felt no hatred for him. The dark moth was simply doing what he believed to be right for the planet. They both ultimately fought for the same thing.

Rising up, Mothra unleashed streams of energy from her antennae, sending Godzilla falling down from the surprise attack. Instead of pressing the attack, she descended and got face to face with her counterpart. She pleaded with him to aid her against Godzilla, as energy coursed between them. Mothra related how the nuclear fiend was a threat to both of them and the Earth as a whole. Battra seemed unresponsive, even as Godzilla got back to his feet.

Mothra [Heisei]Breaking off contact, Mothra resumed battle, crashing against Godzilla. He was not budged, clawing at her as she frantically beat her wings. Pulling back, the goddess began releasing golden scales from her wings to blanket her foe. Bolts of lightning from her wings struck into the cloud, burning Godzilla as he tried to fight back with his Atomic Ray, only for that to be contorted and sent back upon him. Finally, one of them had obtained the upper hand against the bastard child of human sin.

But it was not to last, as Godzilla's power erupted in a Nuclear Pulse, which dispersed the cloud and sent Mothra reeling back helplessly. She crashed at the base of the Cosmo World Ferris Wheel, which began to creak as it fell towards her. Before she could be trapped by the steel construct, Battra grabbed it, saving her. With his strength he tore it free and used it as a weapon against Godzilla, pinning him beneath it as he and Mothra met once more, ready to put aside their ancient feud and face a true threat to Earth.

Against one, he was an unstoppable force of muscle and nuclear energy. Against both guardians of the world, Godzilla found himself far too slow to deal with the twin moths as they raced through the air, unleashing their respective beams upon him. Eventually he was able to aim true enough to strike both, putting them on the defensive as they thought of a new plan.

Mothra flew overhead, releasing her scales to blanket the nuclear behemoth as Battra unleashed his rays into the cloud. Godzilla cried out as he tried to fight back, the dual assault eventually proving enough to knock him unconscious.

The two grabbed Godzilla, Battra by the upper body and Mothra by the tail, and began to lift. The atomic beast awoke, though. and bit down on Battra's throat. As blood was spilled, Mothra sent electric shocks into the monster's tail in order to keep him still enough to let them carry him out to sea.

Despite the pain wracking his form, the ebony beast still carried the fervor to tear out Battra's flesh, spitting an Atomic Ray where the head connected to the thorax. Battra perished in an instant, eyes growing dim. Mothra released Godzilla's tail, sending both him and the carcass of the dark moth plummeting into the waters. Unleashing her divinity, Mothra flew in a circle above Godzilla, manifesting a holy seal with her symbol emblazoned upon it. It fell down, hammering into the threat to Earth and locking him away.

With the day saved at the cost of a fellow guardian, Mothra returned to dry land and rested. Soon, the Cosmos revealed to the people of Japan that they and the goddess needed to leave to the stars above. The asteroid that began this conflict in the first place was a mere fragment of a behemoth that would destroy the Earth in 1999, and prophecy had demanded Battra go forth and stop it before then. She had promised to do so in his stead if he fell in battle.

Departing into the heavens with her priestesses, Mothra began her years long flight to reach the oncoming asteroid. To help continue safe guarding Earth, though, she released numerous Fairy Mothras so she would still have a presence on this world. As fate would have it, the Fair Mothras acted in helping to defeat an extraterrestrial threat through providing an early warning. Dubbed SpaceGodzilla, the crystalline menace was theorized to have originated from Mothra's trip to space and the G-cells that she carried from her contact with Godzilla.


Powers / Weapons
Flight at Mach 3

Flight at Mach 3

With her newly developed set of wings Mothra could fly at high speeds, up to mach 3.

The earth guardian was also agile in the air, able to keep up with Battra in aerial combat and avoid Godzilla's ray.

   
Prism Beams

Ultrasonic Beams

From her antennae Mothra could fire streams of orange energy at foes. These beams were generated from behind her forehead, roughly where her fur changes color from orange to brown.

The Ultrasonic Beams were powerful enough to swiftly topple Godzilla and could be fired in quick succession.

   
Electromagnetic Scales

Electromagnetic Scales

By beating her wings, Mothra could release a cloud of golden scale powder.

Beams fired into the electromagnetic cloud, either from the outside or from within, would be reflected into the center. However, it was not capable of stopping Godzilla's Nuclear Pulse, which dispersed the cloud and affected Mothra regardless.

   
Space Travel

Lightning Discharge

Mothra could unleash bolts of lightning from her wings. She was only shown using this in conjunction with her reflective scales, though could presumably use this power by itself.

Through her legs, Mothra could also conduct electrical shocks into a target. She used this against Godzilla to keep him from breaking free of her and Battra's grip.

   
Sealing Energy

Sealing Energy

Mothra could utilize the power to seal an enemy away. By flying in a circle above them, a glowing symbol would fall down and freeze the target on contact. It can be assumed that she used this power against Battra 12,000 years ago.

The duration of the seal is unknown, as shown with Godzilla being active a year later despite being struck with this.

   
Space Travel

Space Travel

Mothra was capable of breathing in space and traveling through it under her own power, as she moved towards the asteroid prophesied to hit Earth in 1999.

   
Fairy Mothra Proliferation

Fairy Mothra Proliferation

When she flew into space to stop the asteroid, Mothra released numerous Fairy Mothras as she ascended.

This was likely to be able to keep a presence on Earth even as she was not on it, as shown with the psychic connection she had with the Fairy Mothra which warned the psychic Miki Saegusa of SpaceGodzilla.


Background and Trivia
  • In Japanese, such as in Godzilla Fierce Fighting Super Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004), Mothra's beam attack is called "超音波ビーム" (Choonpa Bimu). Translating this, it could literally be "Ultra Soundwave Beam"; however, "超音波" can also mean Ultrasonic or Ultrasound. As a result, it's probably not too surprising that the English appearance of the name has appeared both ways. On the trivia on Godzilla for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4, it's called a "Ultrasonic Beam". In contrast, on the Godzilla Movie Studio Tour, the attack is called a "Ultrasound Beam".
  • The Ultimate Godzilla Monster Illustration Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063042790) mentions that Mothra's Ultrasonic Beams were generated from a "sack" area located inside her forehead, around where the orange and brown fur intersect.
  • Mothra's reflective scales are often in publications referred to as simply a powder attack. The 1992 Godzilla Fierce Fighting Super Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004) is more specific, noting this as a "electromagnetic powder" ability. The 2014 Toho Special Effects: All Kaiju Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784096820902) gives a different way of presenting this as "electromagnetic scales" (電磁鱗粉 - Denji Rinpun).
  • In both Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003), Mothra's use of her scale powder attack is a last resort. This takes inspiration from real world moths, who can shed the scales on their wings to escape predators but at the cost of lowering their life expectancy due to issues with thermoregulation. For the Heisei series Mothra, though, there is no indication in the film or that have been discovered in publications that mention the use of her scales negatively impacting her. A possible exception might be in the video game Godzilla Battle Line where it refers to them as "Lifeforce Scales". However, it should be noted that in the game this ability also heals allies, so the name might allude to the artistic license at play.
  • The Godzilla Movie Studio Tour mentions many of Mothra's abilities in English. This includes her "lightning discharge" attack, that was released from her wings and feet, along with a "sealing energy that freezes a foe on contact". It also talks about Mothra being able to inject energy in others through her antenna, but it's not clear what this might entail. This could simply be in reference to the way Mothra and Battra were glowing with energy while communicating near the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel.
  • In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), it's theorized that either Biollante or Mothra were the sources for bringing G-cells into outer space that eventually became SpaceGodzilla. The English codex entry for the space monster in Godzilla Defense Force cites that the source was actually Mothra.
  • Seven wires were needed to control Mothra. There were two wires for each wing, one for the body and a final wire attached to the rear. In addition, a crane was sometimes used in order to rotate Mothra while she was in midair. Discussed in Encyclopedia of Godzilla: New Mothra Edition (ISBN: T1062537732204).
  • To prevent wires from being overly visible, in some aerial scenes where the ground isn't in the frame Mothra was filmed upside down. Noted in Encyclopedia of Godzilla: New Mothra Edition (ISBN: T1062537732204).
  • When Mothra is emerging from her cocoon, computer graphic imagery was tested on showing the wings form. This was deemed to not give the right look and didn't make it into the final cut. Mentioned in Encyclopedia of Godzilla: New Mothra Edition (ISBN: T1062537732204).