The original Godzilla meets the original Kong. Original Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima sits next to the original King Kong armature.
#Godzilla
#ゴジラ
Akira Takarada, a legendary and beloved Japanese actor who starred in countless science fiction films produced by Toho over the course of his extensive career, has passed away on March 14 at the age of 87.
Regrettably, it has been reported that Japanese actor Hiroyuki Watanabe, who played Colonel Ono in the Heisei GAMERA Trilogy, Commander Yutaka Hirose in GMK, and Akio Ishimuro in ULTRAMAN GAIA, was found dead at the age of 66 from suicide on May 3.
Happy birthday to Rie Ota. As the primary suit actress for Baragon in GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK in 2001, she became the first woman to portray a kaiju in the GODZILLA series.
Happy 50th birthday to everyone's favorite bloodthirsty psychopathic cybernetic space dinosaur, Gigan! He made his debut in the film GODZILLA VS. GIGAN on this date in 1972.
We are saddened to learn of the passing of suit actor Kenpachiro Satsuma. He portrayed Godzilla for the entirety of the series' Heisei era from THE RETURN OF GODZILLA (1984) to GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH (1995). Satsuma also portrayed Gigan and Hedorah in the Showa series.
A very Happy 66th Birthday to the King of the Monsters himself, Godzilla! After making his first onscreen appearance in 1954, Godzilla has been reimagined in many different ways throughout countless films. What is your favorite version of Godzilla?
MOTHRA was released to Japanese theaters on this day in 1961. An adaptation of the novel THE LUMINOUS FAIRIES AND MOTHRA, the film was highly successful and marked the onscreen debut of the Queen of the Monsters, who would go on to become one of Toho’s most popular characters.
Six years ago today, Toho released SHIN GODZILLA to Japanese theaters. The first GODZILLA film produced by Toho in over a decade, it received almost unprecedented critical acclaim for a kaiju film and became the most-attended entry in the series since 1966.
Today we remember legendary actor Akira Takarada on what would have been his 90th birthday. One of the most prolific actors in Toho's science fiction films, Takarada was one of only three actors to appear in the Showa, Heisei, and Millennium eras of the GODZILLA series.
Mechagodzilla's operating system in GODZILLA VS. KONG is known as "Kuronuma Paranormal Activity v1.3," referencing the Black Hole Planet 3 Alien commander Kuronuma, who controlled Mechagodzilla in its debut film.
Happy birthday to actress Yumiko Shaku, star of GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA. She has recently reprised her celebrated role as Lieutenant Akane Yashiro from the film by providing her voice to the character in the mobile game GODZILLA BATTLE LINE.
Tomoyuki Tanaka, co-creator of Godzilla and producer of virtually all of Toho's science fiction and kaiju films from 1954 to 1995, was born on this date in 1910.
Within the continuity of the GODZILLA anime trilogy, today, May 4, is the 23rd anniversary of the day the first kaiju, Kamacuras, appeared and attacked New York City and destroyed the World Trade Center.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the U.S. theatrical release of GODZILLA 2000, the first Toho GODZILLA film to be released theatrically in the States since GODZILLA 1985.
We are saddened to learn that Japanese actor Akira Nakao has passed away at the age of 81. Nakao appeared in six GODZILLA films during the Heisei and Millennium series, portraying a military or government official in each.
Happy birthday to suit actor Mizuho Yoshida, whose numerous kaiju roles include Desghidorah, Dagahra, Zedus, half of Mother Legion, and Godzilla in GMK.
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the Japanese theatrical release of Godzilla's 50th anniversary film and the last entry in the Millennium series: GODZILLA: FINAL WARS. This was the last entry in the franchise for a period of ten years.
Happy birthday to the late legendary Willis O'Brien, the stop motion pioneer who brought the creatures of the original KING KONG to life in 1933, whose other work included films such as THE LOST WORLD, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, and THE GIANT BEHEMOTH.
Here's a big recent myth among the fanbase. Did Toho cancel a SHIN GODZILLA sequel with King Ghidorah?
No. Toho has never expressed any plans for a sequel to SHIN GODZILLA, least of all one featuring Ghidorah. The artwork people claim is for this film is promotional artwork.
On this day 50 years ago, GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA was released during the spring Toho Champion Festival. This landmark film not only commemorated the series' 20th anniversary but introduced Godzilla's mechanical doppelganger Mechagodzilla and the Okinawan guardian King Caesar.
Did you know? Turtles do not exist in the universe of the Heisei GAMERA trilogy, and so characters only see Gamera as a "monster" and not a giant turtle.
Today would have been Koichi Kawakita's 78th birthday. Kawakita served as the director of special effects for all of the Heisei series films from GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE through GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH.
Happy 79th birthday to legendary voice actor Peter Cullen! Best known as the voice of Optimus Prime, Cullen also provided some vocalizations for King Kong in the 1976 remake.
Japanese actor Yusuke Kawazu, best known to kaiju fans for playing the characters Hiroshi Omae in GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II and Akio Nojiri in the Heisei GAMERA Trilogy, has passed away at the age of 86.
SPOILERS FOR GODZILLA VS. KONG!!!!
In the Shogakukan manga adaptation of GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA II, Mecha-King Ghidorah's programming takes over Mechagodzilla and drives it berserk as it tries to kill Godzilla. This is somewhat similar to what happens in GODZILLA VS. KONG.
A happy 22nd anniversary to the third and final entry in Shusuke Kaneko's Heisei GAMERA trilogy, GAMERA 3: REVENGE OF IRIS! Many fans consider it to this day to be one of the greatest kaiju movies ever made.
2021 will be a year of milestone birthdays for several kaiju: including Rodan turning 65, Mothra turning 60, Ebirah turning 55, and Hedorah turning 50.
"New Family: Part 1," the first episode of GODZILLA: THE SERIES, premiered exactly 25 years ago on this day in 1998. The series, a sequel to the Hollywood GODZILLA film released in May, would run for two seasons, with its final aired episode premiering on April 22, 2000.
The Japanese Blu-ray release of GODZILLA VS. KONG comes with English translations of the stats and information for the monsters featured in the film’s Japanese theater program.
The Japanese theater program for GODZILLA VS. KONG reveals some previously unknown information about Mechagodzilla, such as its height being 400 feet. It runs on a "Maser Power Core," and its beam attack is officially known as the "A-74 Proton Scream."
IMDb and Wikipedia are reporting than Shun Oguri's character is named Ren Serizawa. The official novelization for GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS mentions that Serizawa has a son named Ren.
Kong's species, Titanus Kong, is incredibly ancient, having originated from the Titans' evolutionary source in the Hollow Earth. They were presumably driven to Skull Island by Godzilla and his kind, where they found a new mortal enemy in the vicious Skullcrawlers.
A clearer version of the familiar skeleton near
#Godzilla
's temple, from the「Godzilla: King of the Monsters」bonus feature "The Undersea Lair"! It looks like
#Anguirus
, but due to international copyright law, it is not.
Since this has been cropping up again in response to the GODZILLA VS. KONG trailer, reminder that there are NO multiple endings to KING KONG VS. GODZILLA. Both the Japanese and international versions end the same way, with Kong being the monster who surfaces from the ocean.
Happy 4th birthday to SHIN GODZILLA, the most critically successful Godzilla film to date and the most attended since the Showa series. Despite its success, the film is still somewhat controversial among fans. What did you think of the film?
Here's a misconception we've been seeing recently: Is the GMK Godzilla the undead 1954 Godzilla?
While the GMK Godzilla is supernatural in origin, he is never stated to be the same individual as the 1954 Godzilla. In fact, official books state he is a second, larger Godzilla.
Happy 55th Birthday to the Guardian of the Universe: Gamera! Though he hasn't appeared in a film since 2006, Gamera remains beloved among kaiju fans, with the Heisei trilogy starring the character consistently ranking among fans' favorite kaiju films.
First question: What color is Godzilla?
While Godzilla is often colorized green on posters and in non-film media, the only times he has actually been green in a film are in GODZILLA 2000: MILLENNIUM and GODZILLA VS. MEGAGUIRUS. Otherwise, he is usually a charcoal gray color.
Stephen R. Bissette conceptualized monsters to appear in Dark Horse's 1987 GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS SPECIAL comic to act as surrogates for Anguirus, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. The Anguirus surrogate actually appeared in the comic as Kamerus.
How tall is Godzilla?
Godzilla's height has varied substantially throughout his film career. He originally stood 50 meters tall in the entire Showa series, then was scaled up to 80 meters in THE RETURN OF GODZILLA. He grew again to reach 100 meters in GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH.
Wishing a very happy birthday to Japanese suit actor Mizuho Yoshida, who portrayed many iconic villainous kaiju of the 1990s and 2000s including Mother Legion, Desghidorah, Dagahra, and Zedus. Perhaps most famously, Yoshida portrayed Godzilla in 2001's GMK.
And now for a big one: Was the 1998 Godzilla legally renamed "Zilla?"
The answer to this one is a bit complicated. Basically, the monster from the 1998 film specifically is still legally trademarked as "Godzilla," while all incarnations of the monster from 2004 onward are Zilla.
Happy birthday to composer Michiru Oshima, widely acclaimed for composing the scores to the anime FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST and all three of director Masaaki Tezuka's GODZILLA films. She is the first and so far only woman to compose the score for a GODZILLA film.
As fans of Godzilla from the late 1990s/early 2000s might recall, the 1998 Godzilla was famously nicknamed G.I.N.O. (Godzilla In Name Only) prior to "Zilla" being coined. In Japan, he is humorously referred to by many fans as "Maguro" (tuna) or "Maguro-san" (Mr. Tuna).
DESTROY ALL MONSTERS was released to Japanese theaters on this day in 1968. Originally planned as the last installment in the GODZILLA series, the film brought together the majority of Toho's kaiju roster, introducing some monsters to the Godzilla series for the first time.
Toho will be releasing a Blu-ray set containing the films VARAN, GORATH, DOGORA, and SPACE AMOEBA, as well as a Blu-ray for GUNHED, on June 15 in Japan. It is unclear if and when any of these films might be potentially given new Blu-ray releases outside of Japan.
Godzilla's species, Titanus Gojira, are Titans proposed to have evolved during the Permian, over 250 million years ago, when the Earth's surface was considerably more radioactive. They evolved to feed on this naturally-occuring radiation.
The Criterion Channel's new selection of Ishiro Honda's films includes THE MYSTERIANS, VARAN, ATRAGON, MATANGO, DOGORA, FRANKENSTEIN VS. BARAGON, and SPACE AMOEBA, marking the first time the films have been available in HD in North America.
Anguirus' famous "Anguirus Ball" attack was actually introduced in the video game GODZILLA: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS MELEE before being canonized in GODZILLA: FINAL WARS two years later. Since then, it has been featured in IDW's GODZILLA comics and the PS4 GODZILLA video game.
How many times has Godzilla died onscreen?
While Godzilla has been defeated or reduced to a weakened state numerous times, he has actually only died three times in a film. He dies in the original 1954 GODZILLA, GODZILLA VS. DESTOROYAH, and in GODZILLA (1998).
Is Godzilla indestructible?
While Godzilla is incredibly durable and immune to conventional weaponry, he still has several weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
The original Godzilla was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer, a chemical weapon that asphyxiated and disintegrated him.
What is Godzilla?
Godzilla's origin has actually varied throughout his existence. Originally, Godzilla was a type of intermediary organism possessing traits of both land-dwelling dinosaurs and sea-dwelling reptiles. He was disturbed and irradiated by H-Bomb testing.
Happy fourth anniversary to KONG: SKULL ISLAND, the second entry of Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros.' MonsterVerse, which was released on this date in 2017.
The existence of two King Ghidorahs also occurs in IDW's GODZILLA comics. One King Ghidorah is introduced in GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS, and becomes Mecha-King Ghidorah in RULERS OF EARTH, which also establishes the existence of a second one that destroyed the Cryogs' planet.
Happy birthday to the father of Gamera, the late Noriaki Yuasa. Yuasa directed and handled special effects for all of the Showa GAMERA films save for GAMERA VS. BARAGON, for which he only directed the special effects. Yuasa also directed 22 episodes of ULTRAMAN 80.
The new Godzilla suit, "GMKGoji," was the tallest Godzilla suit ever used in a film. As such, it was worn by Mizuho Yoshida (half of Mother Legion in GAMERA 2, Zedus in GAMERA THE BRAVE), who was taller than regular Millennium Godzilla suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa.
Despite his last-second inclusion in FINAL WARS as what could be interpreted as a joke at the 1998 film's expense, Zilla has since become an official member of Toho's kaiju roster, making appearances in video games, comics, and even the novel GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse.
Happy birthday to Takehiro Murata, star of GODZILLA 2000: MILLENNIUM and supporting actor in GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA. Mr. Murata also makes cameo appearances in GMK and GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA.
Happy Birthday to the late Haruo Nakajima: Godzilla's primary suit actor for the majority of the Showa series, suit actor for countless monsters in Toho's kaiju movies of the era, and an all-around legend!
Thanks to TeamKong on Instagram, we have confirmation from GODZILLA DOMINION writer Greg Keyes that Tiamat was responsible for killing the ancient member of Kong's species whose skull Godzilla sees in the cave:
A new Godzilla suit, dubbed "SOSGoji," was created for the film. It is mostly identical to the previous film's "KiryuGoji," only sporting a large scar in its chest. An "action" suit made from a modified KiryuGoji was also used, as was a mechanical model of Godzilla's upper body.
In GODZILLA: UNLEASHED, GODZILLA for PS3 and PS4, and the main continuity of the IDW GODZILLA comics, the Showa, Heisei, and Millennium incarnations of Mechagodzilla all coexist as different characters. They can even be made to fight each other in the video games.