Godzilla

Godzilla  (ゴジラ Gojira? )    is a   Kaiju  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<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">including <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  video games<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, novels, <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  comic books<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, and <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  television series<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">. A 1998 <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  American reimagining<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">was produced and a <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  second American version<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">is currently undergoing post-production. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">The character is commonly alluded to by the title <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  King of the Monsters<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, an epithet first used in the <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Americanized version<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">of the original 1954 film.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">With the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Lucky Dragon 5 incident still fresh in the Japanese consciousness, Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for nuclear weapons.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  As the film series expanded, some stories took on less serious undertones portraying Godzilla as a hero while other plots still portrayed Godzilla as a destructive monster; sometimes the lesser of two threats who plays the defender by default but is still a danger to humanity.

Name
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Gojira (ゴジラ<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ) is a portmanteau of the Japanese words: gorira (ゴリラ<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">?, "gorilla"), and kujira (鯨（クジラ）<sup style="line-height:1em;">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Installing_Japanese_character_sets <span style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ], "whale"), which is fitting because in one planning stage, Godzilla was described as "a cross between a gorilla and a whale",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-A_11-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  alluding to his size, power and aquatic origin. One popular story is that "Gojira" was actually the nickname of a corpulent stagehand at Toho Studio.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  The story has not been verified, however, and, in the nearly sixty years since the film's original release, no one claiming to be the rumored employee has ever stepped forward nor have any photographs ever surfaced. Kimi Honda (the widow of Ishiro Honda) always suspected that the man never existed as she mentioned in a 1998 interview, "The backstage boys at Toho loved to joke around with tall stories".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Godzilla's name was written in man'yōgana as Gojira (呉爾羅<sup style="line-height:1em;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,238);font-weight:bold;font-size:9px;line-height:normal;padding-right:0.1em;padding-left:0.1em;">? ), where the kanji are used for phonetic value and not for meaning. Many Japanese books on Godzilla have referenced this curious fact, including B Media Books Special: Gojira Gahô, published by Take-Shobo in three different editions (1993, 1998,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  and 1999).

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The Japanese pronunciation of the name is [ɡodʑiɽa] ; the Anglicized form is  /ɡ<span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ɒ/ short 'o' in 'body'">ɒd<span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ˈ/ primary stress follows">ˈz<span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ɪ/ short 'i' in 'bid'">ɪl<span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ə/ 'a' in 'about'">ə/, with the first syllable pronounced like the word "god", and the rest rhyming with "gorilla". When Godzilla was created, Japanese-to-English transliteration was less familiar, so it is possible that the kana representing the second syllable was misinterpreted as [dzi]. In the Hepburn romanization system, Godzilla's name would have been rendered as "Gojira", whereas in the Kunrei romanization system it would have been rendered as "Gozira".

Character overview and development
<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Although the specific details of Godzilla's appearance have varied slightly over the years, the overall impression has remained consistent. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[15] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> Inspired by the fictional  Rhedosaurus<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> created by animator  Ray Harryhausen<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> for the film  The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[16] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> Godzilla's iconic character design was conceived as that of an  amphibious<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> reptilian monster based around the loose concept of a dinosaur <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[17] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> with an erect standing posture, scaly skin, an anthropomorphic torso with muscular arms, spikes on its back and tail, and a furrowed brow. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[18] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> Art director Akira Watanabe combined attributes of a  Tyrannosaurus<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, an  Iguanodon<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, a  Stegosaurus<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> and an  alligator<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[19] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> to form a sort of blended  chimera<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, inspired by illustrations from an issue of  Lifemagazine<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[20] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> To emphasise the monster's relationship with the atomic bomb, its skin texture was inspired by the  keloid<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> scars seen on Hiroshima's survivors. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[21] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> Godzilla's appearance has traditionally been portrayed in the films by  an actor wearing a latex costume<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, though the character has also been rendered in  animatronic<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">,  stop-motion<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> and  computer-generated<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> form. Godzilla has a distinctive roar, which was created by composer  Akira Ifukube<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, who produced the sound by rubbing a resin coated glove along the string of a  contrabass<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> and then slowing down the playback. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-22" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[22] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> Godzilla is sometimes depicted as green in comics, cartoons and movie posters, but the costumes used in the movies were usually painted charcoal grey with bone-white dorsal fins up until the film  Godzilla 2000<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[23]

<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Within the context of the films, Godzilla's exact origins vary, but it is generally depicted as an enormous, violent, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Its size is inconsistent, changing from film to film and even from scene to scene for the sake of artistic license. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-web.archive.org_25-0" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">The miniature sets and costumes are typically built at a 1/25 - 1/50 scale <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">and filmed at 240 frames per second, to create the illusion of great size. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Supplementary information such as character profiles depict Godzilla as being 50 <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">–100 <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">meters (164–328 feet) tall and weighing 20-60,000 tons. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Godzilla's signature weapon is its "atomic breath," a nuclear blast that it generates inside of its body and unleashes from its jaws in the form of a blue or red radioactive heat ray. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ReferenceA_31-0" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Toho’s special effects department has used various techniques to render the breath, from physical gas-powered flames <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">to hand-drawn or computer-generated fire. Godzilla is shown to possess immense physical strength and muscularity. Haruo Nakajima, the actor who played Godzilla in the original films, was a <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  black belt<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">in Judo and used his expertise to choreograph the battle sequences. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Godzilla can breathe underwater, <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ReferenceA_31-1" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">and described in the original film by the character Dr. Yamane as a <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  transitional form<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">between a marine and a terrestrial reptile. Godzilla is shown to have great vitality: it is immune to conventional weaponry thanks to its rugged hide and ability to <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  regenerate<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">and as a result of surviving a nuclear explosion, it cannot be destroyed by anything less powerful. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Godzilla_1954_film_36-0" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Various films, television shows, comics and games have depicted Godzilla with additional powers such as an <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  atomic pulse<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  magnetism<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  precognition<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  fireballs<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, an electric bite, <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  superhuman speed<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  eye beams<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">and even <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  flight<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Godzilla's allegiance and motivations have changed from film to film to suit the needs of the story. Although Godzilla does not like humans,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  it will fight alongside humanity against common threats. However, it makes no special effort to protect human life or property<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]  and will turn against its human allies on a whim. It is not motivated to attack by predatory instinct: it doesn't eat people,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-web.archive.org_25-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]  and instead sustains itself on radiation<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  and an omnivorous diet.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Godzilla_1954_film_36-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  When inquired if Godzilla was "good or bad", producer Shogo Tomiyama likened it to a Shinto "God of Destruction" which lacks moral agency and cannot be held to human standards of good and evil. "He totally destroys everything and then there is a rebirth. Something new and fresh can begin."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-web.archive.org_25-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">The gender of the Godzilla character has been a subject of confusion for English-speaking audiences.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  In the original Japanese films, Godzilla and all the other monsters are referred to with gender-neutral pronouns such as "it",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]  while in the English dubbed versions, Godzilla is explicitly described as a male, such as in the title of ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla,_King_of_the_Monsters! Godzilla, King of the Monsters!]''. The 1998 Hollywood remake contributed to this confusion, in which the titular character (subsequently known as Zilla)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  was depicted laying eggs.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">In the various stories it has appeared in, Godzilla has been featured alongside many supporting characters. It has faced human opponents such as the JSDF, and giant other monsters, from recurring characters like King Ghidorah, Gigan and Mechagodzilla to one-shot characters like Megalon, Biollante and Megaguirus. Godzilla is also shown to have allies, such as Mothra, Rodan and Anguirus (though these characters were initially portrayed as Godzilla's rivals), and children, such as Minilla. Godzilla has even fought against fictional characters from other franchises in crossover media, such as King Kong and the Fantastic Four.

Cultural impact
<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese  popular culture<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> worldwide <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[45] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[46] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> and remains an important facet of Japanese films, embodying the  kaiju<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> subset of the  tokusatsu<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> genre. Godzilla’s vaguely humanoid appearance and strained, lumbering movements endeared it to Japanese audiences, who could relate to Godzilla as a sympathetic character despite its wrathful nature. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[47] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> Audiences respond positively to the character because it acts out of rage and self-preservation and shows where science and technology can go wrong. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[48] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> Godzilla has been considered a filmographic  metaphor<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> for the United States, as well as an allegory of nuclear weapons in general. The earlier  Godzilla<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> films, especially the  original<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, portrayed Godzilla as a frightening, nuclear monster. Godzilla represented the fears that many Japanese held about the nuclear attacks on  Hiroshima<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;"> and  Nagasaki<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, and the possibility of recurrence. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">[49]

<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">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 <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  MTV<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Lifetime Achievement <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Award<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, which was awarded in 1996. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Godzilla was given a star on the <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Hollywood Walk of Fame<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">in 2004 to celebrate the premiere of the character's 50th anniversary film, <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Godzilla: Final Wars<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Godzilla's pop-cultural impact has led to the creation of numerous parodies and tributes, as seen in media such as <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Bambi Meets Godzilla<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, which was ranked as one of the "50 greatest cartoons", <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[53] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">various episodes of <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Mystery Science Theater 3000,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">and the song " Godzilla<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">", by <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Blue Öyster Cult<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[55] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">Godzilla has also been used in advertisements, such as in a commercial for <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc. Nike]<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, where Godzilla lost a game of <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  basketball<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">to NBA player <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Charles Barkley<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56" style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56] <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">The commercial was subsequently adapted into a <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  comic book<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">illustrated by <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Jeff Butler<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">. Godzilla's success inspired the creation of numerous other monster characters, such as <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Gamera<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">, <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Yonggary<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">and <span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">  Gorgo<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:19.1875px;">.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Godzilla's fame and saurian appearance has had an impact on the scientific community. Gojirasaurus is a dubious genus of coelophysid dinosaur, named by paleontologist and admitted Godzilla fan Kenneth Carpenter.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-carp97_57-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[57]  Dakosaurus is an extinct marine crocodile of the Jurassic Period, which researchers informallynicknamed "Godzilla".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Gasparini.27.27et_al..27.27.2C_2006_58-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  Paleontologists have written tongue-in-cheek speculative articles about Godzilla's biology, with Ken Carpenter tentatively classifying it as a ceratosaur based on its skull shape, four fingered hands and dorsal scutes, and paleontologist Darren Naish expressing skepticism while commenting on Godzilla's unusual morphology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Godzilla's ubiquity in pop-culture has led to the mistaken assumption that the character is in the public domain, resulting in litigation by Toho to protect their corporate asset from becoming a generic trademark. In April 2008, Subway depicted a giant monster in a commercial for their Five Dollar Footlong sandwich promotion. Toho filed a lawsuit against Subway for copyright infringement, demanding $150,000 in compensation.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60]  In February 2011, Toho sued Honda for depicting a fire-breathing monster in a commercial for the Honda Odyssey. The monster was never mentioned by name, being seen briefly on a video screen inside the minivan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[61]  The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society christened a vessel Gojira. Its purpose is to target and harass Japanese whalers in defense of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. The Gojira was renamed MV Brigitte Bardot in May 2011 after complaints of copyright infringement by Toho.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  Gojira is the name of a French death metal band, formerly known as Godzilla; legal problems forced the band to change their name.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[63]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;">