Godzilla
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Godzilla (ゴジラ Gojira) |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | Toho |
| Date(s): | 1954 - present |
| Medium: | films, books, cartoons, etc |
| Country of Origin: | Japan |
| External Links: | Wikipedia |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
Godzilla is a major Japanese franchise.
Godzilla (Japanese: ゴジラ, Gojira in Romanji) is a fictional monster who comes from a series of Japanese films of the same name.
Godzilla first appeared in Ishiro Honda's 1954 film Godzilla and became a giant pop culture icon, making appearances in various media, including 32 films produced by Toho, four Hollywood films and video games, novels, comic books and television shows. Godzilla has been dubbed the King of the Monsters, a phrase first used in Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, the Americanized version of the original film. (Not to be confused with the 2019 film).
Godzilla is a massive mutated dinosaur who was awakened by nuclear radiation. With the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Lucky Dragon 5 incident[1] still fresh in the Japanese consciousness, Godzilla came to be a metaphor for nuclear weapons. He was often seen as a force of nature, like an earthquake or a tornado, something humans were helpless against.
As the film series expanded, some stories assumed less serious undertones that were a little more friendly to children.
The later Showa era (1954-1974) films showed Godzilla as an antihero, or a lesser threat who defended humanity. The Heisei era (1984-1995) focused on Godzilla’s tragic past and loneliness. The Millennium era (1999-2004) themes included Japan's youth neglecting its past, devastating natural disasters and human frailty. The Reiwa era (2016 and ongoing) swung from a terrifying modern day Godzilla origin story to futuristic tales of taking Earth back from the giant behemoth.
The American Godzilla 1998 film portrayed Godzilla as an iguana mutated by nuclear tests. Many Godzilla fans frown on this film as not really being Godzilla. The creature is colloquially referred to as Zilla or GINO (Godzilla In Name Only).
The American Monsterverse series (2014 and ongoing) portrayed Godzilla as an ancient alpha predator dinosaur from a time when Earth was far more radioactive, and the bomb tests at Bikini Atoll were the cover story of Americans attempting to destroy the creature. In these films, Godzilla was a bringer of balance who arose to restore order when nature went out of order, and it’s heavily indicated that ancient humans worshiped him as a god..
Canon
Toho productions
1. Godzilla- 1954
2. Godzilla Raids Again- 1955
3. King Kong vs. Godzilla- 1962
4. Mothra vs. Godzilla- 1964
5. Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster- 1964
6. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero- 1965
7. Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster- 1966
8. Son of Godzilla- 1967
9. Destroy All Monsters- 1968
10. Godzilla's Revenge- 1969
11. Godzilla vs. Hedorah- 1970
12. Godzilla vs. Gigan- 1972
13. Godzilla vs. Megalon- 1973
14. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla- 1974
15. Terror of MechaGodzilla- 1975
16. The Return of Godzilla- 1984
17. Godzilla vs. Biollante- 1989
18. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah- 1991
19. Godzilla vs. Mothra- 1992
20. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2- 1993
21. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla- 1994
22. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah- 1995
23. Godzilla 2000- 1999
24. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus- 2000
25. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack- 2001
26. Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla- 2002
27. Godzilla Tokyo SOS- 2003
28. Godzilla Final Wars- 2004
29. Shin Godzilla- 2016
30. Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters- 2017
31. Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle- 2018
32. Godzilla: The Planet Eater- 2018
American productions
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
- Godzilla 1985 (1985)
- Godzilla (1998)
- Godzilla (2014)
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Fandom
Fanworks
- When Aliens Attack! - a giant collaborative fanfic that features monsters from across the entire Godzilla franchise battling it out. Set mostly in the Showa era. Truly a labor of love!
- Song of the Tiny Ones - a short retelling of a scene from Godzilla: King of the Monsters from Godzilla’s POV. Got noticed by the director of the movie and declared canon. Set in Monsterverse.
The Kiryuu Saga is a collection of Millennium era stories based around MechaGodzilla (Kiryuu in the fics, rather than Kiryu) becoming sentient.
Archives and Communities
- Kaijuphile - a huge community hub for all things Godzilla and giant monsters.
- KaijuGalaxy - an outlet for fans to share their creative giant monster works.
Resources
- Barry's Temple of Godzilla- an ancient and wonderful Godzilla website from the 90s that still retains its charm.
- IMDB page of Godzilla movies - listed in order
- Goji-pedia - a massive wiki that deep dives into in-universe Godzilla lore.
References