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		{{About\|the monster\|the 1954 film\|Godzilla (1954 film)\|the 1998 film\|Godzilla (1998 film)\|an overview of the franchise\|Godzilla (franchise)}}
		{{other uses}}
		{\| class="infobox" style="width: 21em; font-size: 90%; text-align: left"
		\|-
		! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size:larger; background:#001; color:#ffa;"\| Godzilla
		\|-
		\| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" \| ]
		\|-
		! First appearance:
		\| '']'' (1954)
		\|-
		! Last appearance:
		\| '']'' (2004)
		\|-
		! Created by:
		\| ]
		\|-
		! Height:
		\| 50<ref name = "eniqfb">{{cite web\|url=http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/godzilla54.htm \|title=''Godzilla'' (1954) \|publisher=Tohokingdom.com \|date= \|accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref>–100<ref name = "nevmso">{{cite web\|url=http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/godzilla_heisei.htm#91 \|title=Godzilla (Heisei) \|publisher=Tohokingdom.com \|date= \|accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref> meters (164–328 feet)
		\|-
		! Weight:
		\| 20,000<ref name = "eniqfb"/>–60,000<ref name = "nevmso"/> tons
		\|-
		! Portrayed by:
		\| '''Shōwa Series''':<br />]<ref name="Godzilla">{{cite video\|people=] (writer) and ] (writer/director)\|title=]\|medium=]\|publisher=]\|date=2006}}</ref><ref name="Am. Godzilla">{{cite video\|people=] (writer) and ], ] (writers/directors)\|title='']''\|medium=]\|publisher=]\|date=2006}}</ref><br />]<ref name="Godzilla"/><ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br />]<ref name="Godzilla"/><ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br />Ryosaku Takasugi<ref name="Am. Godzilla"/><br />]<br />Shinji Takagi<br />Isao Zushi<br />]<br />'''Heisei Series''':<br />]<br />'''Millennium Series''':<br />]<br />]
		\|}

		{{nihongo\|'''Godzilla'''\|ゴジラ\|\|Gojira}} is a ],is a monster that nobody likes, he is terrible in every way. Anyone who watches it is a sad lonely person ], first appearing in ]'s 1954 film '']''. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide ] icon starring in 28 films produced by ] The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including ], novels, ], television series, and an ]. Another separate American remake is currently in production by ].

		With the ] still fresh in the Japanese consciousness, Godzilla was conceived as a monster created by nuclear detonations and a metaphor for ] in general. As the film series expanded, the stories took on less serious undertones portraying Godzilla in the role of a hero, while later movies returned to depicting the character as a destructive monster.

		erests of people during the time period of production, Heisei-era Godzilla films made some attempts at making statements on popular topics for their time period. One good example would be '']'', which made explicit warnings against research involving genetic engineering. '']'' touched on US-Japanese relations stemming from World War II and introduced a time-travel plot. Other themes in the movies included commenting on research into hazardous material and making environmental statements.

		===American remake===
		''Main article: ]''

		In 1998, ] produced a remake set in New York City, directed by ] and starring ]; the film's name was simply '']''. Despite negative to mixed reviews from film critics and negative reception from the fans of the original Japanese Godzilla, the film was a financial success, taking in nearly $380 million worldwide, and spawned an animated television series called '']'', which drew much better reception all-around. However, no sequel was made.
		Toho classifies the monster in this movie as ], and it was featured briefly in their film '']''. Makers of this film stated in cinematic magazine interviews that the American incarnation of the monster did not merit having "God" in his name. Previous to the "Zilla" announcement, the creature was widely referred to by traditional Godzilla fans as Fraudzilla, for obvious reasons, or GINO for Godzilla In Name Only.

		===Millennium series===
		The Millennium series of ''Godzilla'' films are the third and currently last of the film series. There are six of these films, making them slightly under a fourth the total of the series.

		The Millennium series attempted to bring Godzilla back to his roots by eliminating a few of the things that the Heisei-era films had done. The most notable of these changes are, with one exception, the lack of any real continuity in the movies. Godzilla is, however, still a hazard in the Millennium series, and is always a destructive force.

		===American reboot===
		{{Main\|Godzilla (2012 film)}}
		It has been confirmed by Variety that Legendary Pictures had acquired the rights to the character and that a new Godzilla movie is being planned for release in 2012.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/36651/godzilla-officially-his-way-back-big-screen \|title=Godzilla Officially on His Way Back to the Big Screen \|publisher=Dreadcentral.com \|date= \|accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref> In addition to Legendary, producers of the new film will be ], ] and ], ], Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will be the executive producers.<ref>{{cite web\|author=By \|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017027.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 \|title='Godzilla' stomps back to screen \|publisher=Variety \|date=2010-03-29 \|accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref>
		Very little is known about the project so far. At the 2010 San Diego Comic Con, representatives from Legendary Pictures were on hand to pass out t-shirts depicting a new Godzilla design. On January 4th, 2011, it was announced that ] will direct the the film. The original script writer ] has been replaced by a new yet-to-be-announced writer.

		===In television and printed media===
		{{Main\|Godzilla (comics)}}
		In Japan, Godzilla was a frequent guest star on the tokusatsu series '']''. In it, Godzilla occasionally fought alongside the protagonist against other monsters, including ] and ], two monsters who had previously appeared in ''Godzilla'' films.

		Godzilla made his American series debut in the 1978 ] Saturday morning show '']''. In this series, Godzilla had a nephew, Godzooky. In addition to his trademark atomic breath, which simply changed to fire in the cartoon, he was given the power to shoot laser beams out of his eyes. Godzilla could be summoned by his human friends, sea-explorers on the ship USS ''Calico'', with a signaling device or by the cry of Godzooky. The series ran until 1981.

		A second series, based on the American '']'', aired on ]. The series featured the surviving baby Godzilla from the end of the live action film, which now had grown to full size. Godzilla traveled around the world with a team called HEAT, including scientist ], battling monsters. Godzilla had the abilities and physical forms of his parent, but the creators of the show gave him more powers and an attitude more resembling the original Japanese Godzilla.

		In Japan, Godzilla (along with a plethora of other Kaiju) appeared in a animated toy show called '']'' that ran from 1997-1998.<ref>http://www.tohokingdom.com/tv/godzilla_island.htm</ref>

		Godzilla has been featured in comic books, most often in American productions (from ] in the late-1970s, and from ] in the 1980s and 1990s). Japanese Godzilla manga comics are also available.

		The Marvel series told original stories and attempted to fit into the official Toho continuity, while avoiding direct references to it. It integrated Godzilla into the ]. It was published from 1977 to 1979, fitting between the ] movies and the ]. This series described the adventures and confrontations of Godzilla in the United States.

		Between 1996 and 1998 ] published four books by ] featuring Godzilla and other kaiju of the Toho franchise: ''Godzilla Returns'', ''Godzilla 2000'' (unrelated to the film of the same name), ''Godzilla at World's End'', and ''Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters''. The release of a fifth book, ''Godzilla and the Lost Continent'' was planned but was canceled when Random House's license for Godzilla expired.

		On September 23, 2004 ''Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters'' by William M. Tsutsui was released by Palgrave Macmillan. The book was released to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Godzilla and looks into some of the ways Godzilla has become a simple part of everyday life for fans.

		==Cultural impact==
		{{Main\|Godzilla in popular culture}}

		].]]

		Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese ] worldwide and remains an important facet of Japanese films, embodying the ] subset of the ] genre. He has been considered a filmographic ] for the United States, as well as an allegory of nuclear weapons in general. The earlier ''Godzilla'' films, especially the ], portrayed Godzilla as a frightening, nuclear monster. Godzilla represented the fears that many Japanese held about the nuclear attacks on ] and ], and the possibility of recurrence.<ref>'''', By Terrence Rafferty, May 2, 2004, NYTimes</ref>

		As the series progressed, so did Godzilla, changing into a less destructive and more heroic character as the films became geared towards children. Since then, the character has fallen somewhere in the middle, sometimes portrayed as a protector of the world from external threats and other times as a bringer of destruction. Godzilla remains one of the greatest fictional heroes in the history of film, and is also the second of only three fictional characters to have won the ] Lifetime Achievement ], which was awarded in 1996.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.fanpop.com/spots/godzilla/videos/7584880/title/godzilla-wins-mtv-lifetime-achievement-award-1996 \|title=Godzilla Wins The MTV Lifetime Achievement Award In 1996 - Godzilla video \|publisher=Fanpop \|date=1954-11-03 \|accessdate=2010-04-13}}</ref>

		Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has named its newly acquired, fast interceptor vessel Gojira in deference to the Godzilla character and as an ironic comment on the Japanese whalers' activities. Its purpose is to target and harass Japanese whalers in defence of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.<ref>http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-101129-1.html</ref>

		==Awards==
		* 1985 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''The Return of Godzilla'')
		* 1992 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah'')
		* 1993 Tokyo Sports Movie Awards - Best Leading Actor (''Godzilla vs. Mothra'')
		* 1993 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award and Money-Making Star Award (''Godzilla vs. Mothra'')
		* 1995 Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award (''Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla'')
		* 1996 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award (''Godzilla vs. Destoroyah'')
		* 1996 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (''Godzilla vs. Destoroyah'')
		* 1996 MTV Movie Awards - Lifetime Achievement
		* 2002 Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award (''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'')
		* 2004 ]


		==References==
		{{reflist}}

		==External links==
		* of ] (Japanese)
		*
		* {{imdb character\|id=0005212\|title=Godzilla}}
		* http://archive.tm5150.com/godzilla/
		{{Godzilla}}

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Revision as of 23:29, 26 January 2011

This article is about the monster. For the 1954 film, see Godzilla (1954 film). For the 1998 film, see Godzilla (1998 film). For an overview of the franchise, see Godzilla (franchise). For other uses, see Godzilla (disambiguation).

Godzilla
File:Godzilla collage.jpg
First appearance:	Godzilla (1954)
Last appearance:	Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
Created by:	Tomoyuki Tanaka
Height:	50–100 meters (164–328 feet)
Weight:	20,000–60,000 tons
Portrayed by:	Shōwa Series: Haruo Nakajima Katsumi Tezuka Yū Sekida Ryosaku Takasugi Seiji Onaka Shinji Takagi Isao Zushi Toru Kawai Heisei Series: Kenpachiro Satsuma Millennium Series: Tsutomu Kitagawa Mizuho Yoshida

Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira) is a daikaijū,is a monster that nobody likes, he is terrible in every way. Anyone who watches it is a sad lonely person movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games, novels, comic books, television series, and an American remake. Another separate American remake is currently in production by Legendary Pictures.

With the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still fresh in the Japanese consciousness, Godzilla was conceived as a monster created by nuclear detonations and a metaphor for nuclear weapons in general. As the film series expanded, the stories took on less serious undertones portraying Godzilla in the role of a hero, while later movies returned to depicting the character as a destructive monster.

erests of people during the time period of production, Heisei-era Godzilla films made some attempts at making statements on popular topics for their time period. One good example would be Godzilla vs. Biollante, which made explicit warnings against research involving genetic engineering. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah touched on US-Japanese relations stemming from World War II and introduced a time-travel plot. Other themes in the movies included commenting on research into hazardous material and making environmental statements.

American remake

Main article: Godzilla (1998 film)

In 1998, TriStar Pictures produced a remake set in New York City, directed by Roland Emmerich and starring Matthew Broderick; the film's name was simply Godzilla. Despite negative to mixed reviews from film critics and negative reception from the fans of the original Japanese Godzilla, the film was a financial success, taking in nearly $380 million worldwide, and spawned an animated television series called Godzilla: The Series, which drew much better reception all-around. However, no sequel was made. Toho classifies the monster in this movie as Zilla, and it was featured briefly in their film Godzilla: Final Wars. Makers of this film stated in cinematic magazine interviews that the American incarnation of the monster did not merit having "God" in his name. Previous to the "Zilla" announcement, the creature was widely referred to by traditional Godzilla fans as Fraudzilla, for obvious reasons, or GINO for Godzilla In Name Only.

Millennium series

The Millennium series of Godzilla films are the third and currently last of the film series. There are six of these films, making them slightly under a fourth the total of the series.

The Millennium series attempted to bring Godzilla back to his roots by eliminating a few of the things that the Heisei-era films had done. The most notable of these changes are, with one exception, the lack of any real continuity in the movies. Godzilla is, however, still a hazard in the Millennium series, and is always a destructive force.

American reboot

Main article: Godzilla (2012 film)

It has been confirmed by Variety that Legendary Pictures had acquired the rights to the character and that a new Godzilla movie is being planned for release in 2012. In addition to Legendary, producers of the new film will be Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers, Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will be the executive producers. Very little is known about the project so far. At the 2010 San Diego Comic Con, representatives from Legendary Pictures were on hand to pass out t-shirts depicting a new Godzilla design. On January 4th, 2011, it was announced that Gareth Edwards will direct the the film. The original script writer David Callaham has been replaced by a new yet-to-be-announced writer.

In television and printed media

Main article: Godzilla (comics)

In Japan, Godzilla was a frequent guest star on the tokusatsu series Zone Fighter. In it, Godzilla occasionally fought alongside the protagonist against other monsters, including Gigan and King Ghidorah, two monsters who had previously appeared in Godzilla films.

Godzilla made his American series debut in the 1978 Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning show Godzilla. In this series, Godzilla had a nephew, Godzooky. In addition to his trademark atomic breath, which simply changed to fire in the cartoon, he was given the power to shoot laser beams out of his eyes. Godzilla could be summoned by his human friends, sea-explorers on the ship USS Calico, with a signaling device or by the cry of Godzooky. The series ran until 1981.

A second series, based on the American Godzilla, aired on Fox Kids. The series featured the surviving baby Godzilla from the end of the live action film, which now had grown to full size. Godzilla traveled around the world with a team called HEAT, including scientist Nick Tatopoulos, battling monsters. Godzilla had the abilities and physical forms of his parent, but the creators of the show gave him more powers and an attitude more resembling the original Japanese Godzilla.

In Japan, Godzilla (along with a plethora of other Kaiju) appeared in a animated toy show called Godzilla Island that ran from 1997-1998.

Godzilla has been featured in comic books, most often in American productions (from Marvel Comics in the late-1970s, and from Dark Horse Comics in the 1980s and 1990s). Japanese Godzilla manga comics are also available.

The Marvel series told original stories and attempted to fit into the official Toho continuity, while avoiding direct references to it. It integrated Godzilla into the Marvel Universe. It was published from 1977 to 1979, fitting between the Showa Period movies and the Heisei Era. This series described the adventures and confrontations of Godzilla in the United States.

Between 1996 and 1998 Random House published four books by Marc Cerasini featuring Godzilla and other kaiju of the Toho franchise: Godzilla Returns, Godzilla 2000 (unrelated to the film of the same name), Godzilla at World's End, and Godzilla vs. the Robot Monsters. The release of a fifth book, Godzilla and the Lost Continent was planned but was canceled when Random House's license for Godzilla expired.

On September 23, 2004 Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters by William M. Tsutsui was released by Palgrave Macmillan. The book was released to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Godzilla and looks into some of the ways Godzilla has become a simple part of everyday life for fans.

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 and remains an important facet of Japanese films, embodying the kaiju subset of the tokusatsu genre. He has been considered a filmographic metaphor for the United States, as well as an allegory of nuclear weapons in general. The earlier Godzilla films, especially the original, portrayed Godzilla as a frightening, nuclear monster. Godzilla represented the fears that many Japanese held about the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the possibility of recurrence.

As the series progressed, so did Godzilla, changing into a less destructive and more heroic character as the films became geared towards children. Since then, the character has fallen somewhere in the middle, sometimes portrayed as a protector of the world from external threats and other times as a bringer of destruction. Godzilla remains one of the greatest fictional heroes in the history of film, and is also the second of only three fictional characters to have won the MTV Lifetime Achievement Award, which was awarded in 1996.

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has named its newly acquired, fast interceptor vessel Gojira in deference to the Godzilla character and as an ironic comment on the Japanese whalers' activities. Its purpose is to target and harass Japanese whalers in defence of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.Photo of Gojira

Awards

1985 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (The Return of Godzilla)
1992 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah)
1993 Tokyo Sports Movie Awards - Best Leading Actor (Godzilla vs. Mothra)
1993 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award and Money-Making Star Award (Godzilla vs. Mothra)
1995 Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award (Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla)
1996 Best Grossing Films Award - Golden Award (Godzilla vs. Destoroyah)
1996 Japan Academy Award - Special Effects (Godzilla vs. Destoroyah)
1996 MTV Movie Awards - Lifetime Achievement
2002 Best Grossing Films Award - Silver Award (Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack)
2004 Hollywood Walk of Fame

References

^ "''Godzilla'' (1954)". Tohokingdom.com. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
^ "Godzilla (Heisei)". Tohokingdom.com. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
^ Takeo Murata (writer) and Ishirō Honda (writer/director) (2006). Godzilla (DVD). Classic Media.
^ Al C. Ward (writer) and Ishirō Honda, Terry Morse (writers/directors) (2006). Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (DVD). Classic Media.
"Godzilla Officially on His Way Back to the Big Screen". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
By (2010-03-29). "'Godzilla' stomps back to screen". Variety. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
http://www.tohokingdom.com/tv/godzilla_island.htm
The Monster That Morphed Into a Metaphor, By Terrence Rafferty, May 2, 2004, NYTimes
"Godzilla Wins The MTV Lifetime Achievement Award In 1996 - Godzilla video". Fanpop. 1954-11-03. Retrieved 2010-04-13.
http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-101129-1.html

External links

Godzilla

Films

Japanese

Shōwa era	Godzilla (1954) Godzilla Raids Again (1955) King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) Son of Godzilla (1967) Destroy All Monsters (1968) All Monsters Attack (1969) Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
Heisei era	The Return of Godzilla (1984) Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
Millennium era	Godzilla 2000 (1999) Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000) Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) Tokyo S.O.S. (2003) Final Wars (2004)
Reiwa era	Shin Godzilla (2016) Planet of the Monsters (2017) City on the Edge of Battle (2018) The Planet Eater (2018) Godzilla Minus One (2023)

American

Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
Godzilla 1985 (1985)
Godzilla (1998)
Godzilla (2014)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Television

Japanese	Zone Fighter (1973) Godzilland (1992–1996) Godzilla Island (1997–1998) episodes Godzilla Singular Point (2021) Chibi Godzilla Raids Again (2023)
American	Godzilla (1978–1979) Godzilla: The Series (1998–2000) Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)

Music

Soundtracks	"Godzilla (Main Theme)" Godzilla: The Album (1998) Final Wars Godzilla (2014) Shin Godzilla (2016) King of the Monsters Godzilla vs. Kong Godzilla Minus One Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Related	"Godzilla" (Blue Öyster Cult) "Godzilla" (Eminem) "Who Will Know" (Shiro Sagisu)

Miscellaneous

Related films	The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969) Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 3D (unproduced) Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley (1992) Monster Planet of Godzilla (1994) Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) Ready Player One (2018) Shin Ultraman (2022)
Kaiju	Godzilla Heisei Monsterverse Shin Earth Minus One Anguirus Rodan Varan Mothra King Kong Monsterverse King Ghidorah Baragon Minilla Hedorah Gigan Megalon Mechagodzilla Kiryu Biollante Godzilla Junior SpaceGodzilla Megaguirus Zilla MUTO Tiamat Zilla Junior
Other	The Movie Monster Game Battle Soccer: Field no Hasha Godzilla Game Godzilla (Ciencin novel series) Godzilla (Cerasini novel series) Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again G-Fest Rhedosaurus Gotengo Miki Saegusa Super X Toho SciFi Japan TV King Kong franchise Hibiya Godzilla Square Shin Japan Heroes Universe Kamen Rider franchise Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise Ultraman franchise Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D

Category

Categories: