Titanosaurus
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Titanosaurus (チタノザウルス Chitanozaurusu) is a giant, aquatic dinosaur kaiju created by Toho who first appeared in the 1975 Godzilla film, Terror of Mechagodzilla.
Name
Titanosaurus' name comes from the word "Titan," referring to a member of the first divine pantheon in Greek mythology, and "-saurus," a common suffix for reptiles, derived from the Greek word for lizard, sauros.
Titanosaurus also shares a name with a dubious genus of sauropod dinosaur, though he bears little resemblance to actual Titanosaurs.
Appearance
Titanosaurus is a deep-sea dwelling creature who sports a fin on his tail and along his back up to the top of his head. He also has a pair of smaller fins on the sides of his head. Titanosaurus' neck is very long, and he has a set of four horns on top of his head. Titanosaurus's skin is bright red with black and yellow flecks, and he has a beige underbelly, most likely for countershading purposes. Titanosaurus's eyes are relatively large and are bright yellow-orange in color. The monster also has a forked tongue.
Personality
Titanosaurus is said to have been "a very quiet, friendly dinosaur" by screenwriter Yukiko Takayama.[2] The monster is shown to have a gentle disposition, retreating from his first battle against Godzilla as soon as he was free of the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens' and Dr. Shinzo Mafune's control. Under their influence, however, he fights as fiercely as any kaiju, and displayed a knack for coordinating attacks with Mechagodzilla.
History
Showa Series
Terror of Mechagodzilla
In Terror of Mechagodzilla, a mad scientist named Shinzo Mafune becomes so obsessed with studying the brain patterns of marine life that he loses his academic credentials and is cast out from the scientific community. Quickly, descending into madness, Mafune is able to gain mental control of Titanosaurus, with the help of aliens from Black Hole Planet 3, after he attacks a submarine investigating the remains of the destroyed Mechagodzilla, from the previous film, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. The normally peaceful Titanosaurus becomes a frightening, intense monster, and when Dr. Mafune rebuilds Mechagodzilla, both monsters combine their forces, to begin Mafune's revenge on humanity.
Titanosaurus is unleashed on Tokyo, where he begins to menace buildings and create large fires that begin to consume the city. Mechagodzilla arrives shortly afterwards, and the duo send people running for their lives.
At first, Godzilla arrived at Tokyo to save the people and help the military, thinking that he can take down Titanosaurus more easily without the robot Mechagodzilla. However, Titanosaurus was even more powerful than anyone could have imagined without superpowers. The international police agency, INTERPOL found out if Titanosaurus is exposed to supersonic waves, then Titanosaurus will be easier to beat, and in the process, help save Godzilla the time and energy he needs to defeat Mechagodzilla. The findings thus prompt the creation of the Supersonic Wave Oscillator. After Katsura committed suicide, Mechagodzilla was no longer operative, and Titanosaurus was no longer a slave to the Simians. Godzilla immediately destroyed Mechagodzilla by throwing the cyborg's remains into a deep ditch and aimed his atomic breath at the robot's body, destroying it. He then defeated Titanosaurus by shooting him with two shots of atomic breath after the dinosaur was shot by several waves from the Supersonic Wave Oscillator, which was mounted on a helicopter. After getting shot by the second of Godzilla's beams, Titanosaurus fell down an ocean-side cliff, never to be seen again.
Millennium Series
Godzilla: Final Wars
During the film's opening narration, a brief shot of Titanosaurus from Terror of Mechagodzilla is included in a montage of monsters who have threatened the Earth. A Titanosaurus toy is among the figures the Canadian Child plays with before noticing Anguirus rampaging in Shanghai on TV.
Abilities
- Gale-force winds (or a whirlpool, if underwater) generated by swinging his tail fan. In the Kaiju Guide in Bandai Namco's Godzilla, it is said these winds can reach speeds of up to 320 meters per second.
Titanosaurus lifting Godzilla with his jaw in Terror of Mechagodzilla - A high jump, used to knock Phantom jets out of the sky.
- Swimming and underwater breathing.
- Enormous physical strength, sufficient to lift the 20,000-ton Godzilla off the ground with a bite and send him flying with a kick.
- A sonic wave released from his mouth. This attack was only used in Godzilla: Unleashed, and is ironic given that sonic waves were Titanosaurus' greatest weakness in Terror of Mechagodzilla.
Weaknesses
Supersonic waves generated by a submarine's sonar and a special oscillator designed by Interpol caused him tremendous pain, to the point that he was unable to continue his attacks on the submarine and Godzilla, respectively.
Video Game Appearances
- Battle Soccer: Champion of the Field
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Gameboy)
- Godzilla Movie Studio Tour
- Godzilla: Trading Battle
- Godzilla: Unleashed
- Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
- Godzilla: Kaiju Collection
- Bandai Namco's Godzilla (Kaiju Guide)
Titanosaurus was cut from Godzilla: Save the Earth due to a "licensing issue," with Megaguirus taking his place in the roster.[3] He can still be seen in the concept art, wading in the water of an icy level. Titanosaurus appears as a playable character in Godzilla: Unleashed, as a member of the Mutant faction.
Godzilla: Unleashed
Height: 115 meters
Weight: 61,000 tons
"Titanosaurus is a prehistoric throwback-a primitive monster from an ancient age who has managed somehow to persist in contemporary times. Titanosaurus lives deep in the ocean, hibernating for hundreds of years in a stretch. In recent years, humans have disturbed Titanosaurus, increasingly incurring his wrath. Though not specifically evil, Titanosaurus holds no allegiance to any particular ideology, and would not hesitate to secure additional power for himself should the opportunity arise. This frequently places himself in opposition to Earth Defenders and the Global Defense Force. Titanosaurus employs his towering height, powerful tail, and sonic waves to intimidate or subjugate any beings who dare to disrupt his ancient lifecycle."
Bandai Namco's Godzilla
- Main article: Godzilla (2014 video game)/Kaiju Guide#Titanosaurus.
Titanosaurus in Godzilla: Unleashed
Titanosaurus in Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
Titanosaurus in Godzilla: Kaiju Collection
Comics
Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths
Titanosaurus appears in issue #4 of the miniseries Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths as one of the monsters that attacks Tokyo when the Elias are captured. In issue #5, once the Elias are retrieved, Titanosaurus leaves peacefully along with the other monsters.
Godzilla: Legends
Titanosaurus is the focus of issue #3 of IDW's miniseries Godzilla: Legends. In this issue, a psychic boy named Travis is enrolled in an academy for psychics run by Miki Saegusa and the mysterious Mugal. Travis unwittingly forms a psychic link with Titanosaurus and draws the monster to civilization, where he causes major destruction. It is later revealed that Mugal is a member of the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens, an alien race whose homeworld is dying. Mugal had intentionally manipulated Tristan to form a link with Titanosaurus so that the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens would be able to use Titanosaurus along with their fleet of Mechagodzillas to conquer Earth.
Godzilla: Ongoing
Titanosaurus first appears in Godzilla: Ongoing #4 attacking Tokyo, where he is attacked by Boxer and his "Kaiju Kill Crew." Rodan soon appears in the city and does battle with Titanosaurus. Boxer's team manages to detonate a building and topple it onto the two monsters. Rodan flies away, but Titanosaurus is captured and taken to Monster Island.
Later in issue #10, the now-free Titanosaurus joins forces with Battra and battles SpaceGodzilla in London. Despite the two Earth monsters' efforts, they are defeated and SpaceGodzilla escapes.
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
Titanosaurus, along with fellow monsters, Gezora and Manda attacked a fleet of aircraft carriers in the ocean. The attack was halted by Godzilla, who sent the three into retreat. Godzilla gave chase but couldn't catch up with them. It was revealed by Mothra's fairies that Titanosaurus and his two allies, were not actual alien kaiju, but were three water monsters that upheld the natural balance.
Titanosaurus was later seen being transported to new Monster Islands, but joined the brawl between Godzilla, Gezora, Manda and the newly revived Destoroyah. The military intervened and sent the three aquatic monsters into retreat with a blast from their new sonar guns, only with Godzilla grabbing onto Titanosaurus' foot, dragging him down. Titanosaurus suffered a broken arm in the fight, but he went on to destroy the Cryogs' spaceship, before retreating to heal his injuries. Titanosaurus is later seen in the oceans of the Monster Islands.
It was revealed later that the Trilopods captured Titanosaurus and took on his characteristics, then imprisoned him in their hive. When King Caesar went on a rampage in the Trilopod hive, Titanosaurus was among the monsters set free. Titanosaurus and the other monsters then joined with Godzilla to battle the Trilopods in Los Angeles. Titanosaurus briefly battled his Trilopod clone before Zilla stepped in and mauled it. He later took part in the battle against Magita, but did little but annoy the massive Trilopod. After the defeat of Magita, Titanosaurus and the other monsters followed Godzilla back the ocean.
Gallery
- Main article: Titanosaurus/Gallery.
Roar
Titanosaurus's roars are modified Brocken roars.
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In Other Languages
- Spanish: Titanosaurio
- Russian: Титанозавр
- Serbian: Титаносаурус
Trivia
- In Terror of Mechagodzilla screenwriter Yukiko Takayama's original scenario, the role of Titanosaurus was filled by two dinosaurs called Titans, who became violent only when their necks were entangled.[2]
- Takayama deliberately had characters refer to Titanosaurus as a dinosaur instead of a kaiju to emphasize that the acts of destruction he committed were not in his nature, but a result of Mafune's control.[2]
- According to special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano, the roars of Titanosaurus and Mechagodzilla were created "with a mixture of sounds from music instruments and electronic sounds," including violins.[2]
- Titanosaurus' roars were reused for the Crocomire and Phantoon bosses of the Metroid series.
- Titanosaurus is the last kaiju to be defeated by Godzilla in the Showa series. He is also one of the few kaiju to be defeated by the combined efforts of Godzilla and humans.
Videos
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References
This is a list of references for Titanosaurus. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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