Battra

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Battra
Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra
Battra Larva in Godzilla vs. Mothra
Alternate names Black Mothra, Battle Mothra,
Bad Mothra,G(A) Battora,[1]
Monster MG:PM[2]
Subtitle(s) Combat Beast of Destruction
(戦闘破壊獣,   Sentō Hakai-jū)
Demon Beast of Destruction
(破壊魔獣,   Hakai Majū)[3]
Black Mothra
(黒いモスラ,   Kuroi Mosura)[4]
Destroyer from DarkG:BL
Monster MothG:BL
Guardian Deity of the Earth
(大地の守護神,   Daichi no Shugojin)G:TB
Species Dark divine moth
Length 90 meters larva)[5]
73 meters (imago)[5]
Wingspan 180 meters[5]
Weight 20,000 metric tons (larva)[5]
30,000 metric tons (imago)[5]
Forms Larval stage, imago stage
Controlled by Minette and MalloryIDW
Relations Mothra (counterpartGvM; love interestGJM)
Allies Mothra, Megalon, Destoroyah, RodanGKoM, TitanosaurusG:O
Enemies Godzilla, Mothra, Mothra Leo, Rodan, Mechagodzilla, MOGUERA, Ebirah, MegalonGHCW, Kumonga, SpaceGodzillaG:O, King GhidorahG:C, TrilopodGRoE, King CaesarGRoE
Designed by Kei Yoshida
Played by "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken (larva), puppets
First appearance Latest appearance
Godzilla vs. Mothra Godziban
Roar(s)
Larva:Imago:Godzilla Island:More roars
Cosmos: “Over 12,000 years ago, there was a guardian of the Earth named Mothra. At that time, there was an advanced civilization on Earth and the Cosmos were in perfect order. But then something terrible happened. Some scientists created a device to control Earth's climate. This device greatly offended the Earth.
Masako Tezuka: “Offended the Earth?
Cosmos: “The Earth is a living being. It can also be offended.
Masako Tezuka: “Since its climate was being controlled, it felt that it was in danger.
Cosmos: “Oh, yes it did. So it created the black Mothra.
Takuya Fujita: “The black Mothra?
Cosmos: “Yes, my friend. Battra was its name, and it was a very fierce beast. It destroyed everything and anything that was endangering the life of the Earth.
― The Cosmos explain the history of Mothra and Battra to Takuya Fujita, Masako Tezuka, and Kenji Andoh (Godzilla vs. Mothra)

Battra (バトラ,   Batora) is a dark divine moth kaiju who first appeared in the 1992 Toho Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Mothra.

A dark counterpart of Mothra, Battra was created by the Earth itself 12,000 years ago after an ancient civilization created a climate-controlling device. Battra served his purpose and destroyed the device, but came to see all of humanity as a blight on the planet and sought to exterminate the human race. Mothra took issue with this and fought Battra in a battle that caused the utter destruction of the ancient world, finally defeating and sealing him in the North Sea. In 1993, a meteor impacted the Earth and reawakened Battra, who continued his ancient crusade against mankind. Battra attacked Nagoya and eventually challenged Godzilla himself to battle, only to vanish after falling into a volcanic fault. However, Battra soon resurfaced in his imago form and traveled to Yokohama for a final clash with Mothra. When Godzilla arrived as well, Mothra and Battra decided to put aside their differences to fight against their common foe. Mothra and Battra successfully defeated Godzilla, but at the cost of Battra's life. Battra's only film appearance to date came in 1992's Godzilla vs. Mothra, though he has made appearances in official non-film media such as video games and comic books.

Development

Main article: Gigamoth.
Gigamoth C Type (left) and B Type (right) concept art, presumably for Micro Super Battle: Godzilla vs. Gigamoth

The concept for Battra originated with Gigamoth C Type, a winged monster conceived as Godzilla's foe for the fourth entry in the Heisei series. In the story for Micro Super Battle: Godzilla vs. Gigamoth the creature was, despite its name, to be a bird mutated by radiation leaking from the robot Mechani-Kong as it battled Godzilla. Concept art of another creature, this one a giant larva, called Gigamoth B Type was also created. The story was shelved, but a creature named Gigamoth was included in a later proposal simply titled Godzilla vs. Gigamoth. In this story, Gigamoth hatched from the same egg as Mothra, but was mutated into a poisonous evil larva by nuclear pollution. The creature was to do battle with both Godzilla and Mothra in its larval and imago stages and attempt to lay eggs and reproduce. Numerous pieces of concept art for this version of Gigamoth were commissioned, some bearing a close resemblance to Mothra and others going in a radical new direction and resembling a bipedal mantis. Ultimately, the Gigamoth concept was tweaked into a dark counterpart to Mothra named Battra, who was an ancient deity rather than a mutation and an anti-hero rather than a villain.[6]

Battra larva concept art

Battra's final design was created by Kei Yoshida, and the suit and props were modeled based on a "replica" of the design. The modelers were instructed by Toho to make the monster's design "flashy," and as such the larva and imago were both made very colorful. Special effects director Koichi Kawakita stated that Battra's imago stage was portrayed using props while the larva was portrayed using a suit worn by "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken because the imago's movements were more "monotonous." Only one suit was created for Battra's larval stage, and was composed of two halves which could be separated or rejoined depending on what the scene required. Some shots required the suit's lower half to be removed because its feet interfered with Hariken walking. The larva's long tail had a built-in wheel system which allowed it to move independently, and for scenes of Battra swimming the suit was filmed with no actor inside and mechanisms causing the wheels to move. There were two imago Battra props, both with radio-controlled moving parts: a ten-shaku (3.5 meter) and a three-shaku (1 meter) prop. Most action shots from the film's final battle utilized the smaller of the two props.

Name

Battra's name comes from the common Japanese practice of shortening two words to make one; in this case the combination of the Japanese spelling of Battle Mothra (バトルモスラ,   Batoru Mosura), as described in the Super Godzilla video game manual. Battra is also referred to as the Black Mothra (黒いモスラ,   Kuroi Mosura) at one point by the Cosmos in Godzilla vs. Mothra, a nickname which is also listed as the monster's subtitle in some publications.

Design

Like Mothra, Battra has both larva and imago forms. Battra's imago form has a predominately black body with very large wings that have patterns of red, black and yellow. He also has yellow horns on his head, six legs, and red eyes which glow purple when firing his beam, as well as a red line which runs down his body's sides.

His larval form is mostly black but with a lot of yellow and a dark red underside. He also has a giant horn, similar to Destoroyah's, which is yellow and glows when he uses his beam attacks, and two tusks on each cheek. Battra's larval form also has bigger, more powerful legs than Mothra's larval form, which are yellow and horn-like. Much like his imago form, his eyes are red. Battra's larval form is also, physically, much larger than Mothra's, being almost as large as Godzilla himself.

Personality

Battra is solely concerned with the defense of the Earth, and will do whatever he can to protect it. Unlike Mothra, Battra sees humanity as a blight on the Earth that must be destroyed if the planet is to survive. Battra has made it his mission to eradicate the human race, which puts him into conflict with Mothra. However, despite his typical personality, he has occasionally shown heroic traits, as seen when he decided to help Mothra after Godzilla nearly killed her.

Origins

According to the Cosmos, Battra was created by the Earth itself twelve thousand years ago, when an ancient civilization created a climate-controlling device, which greatly angered the Earth. Battra's purpose was to destroy the device, but he went well beyond his purpose and eradicated the entire civilization, intending to wipe out all of the human race as well. Mothra challenged Battra and defeated him, sealing him in the North Sea.

History

Heisei Series

Godzilla vs. Mothra

Battra Larva in Godzilla vs. Mothra

Thousands of years after being sealed in the North Sea by Mothra, Battra was awakened by a meteorite in Siberia. Battra swam to the coast of Japan and burrowed, reappearing and attacking Nagoya. The JSDF fought Battra but were no match, and Battra left a wrecked city behind as he burrowed again. Battra appeared in the waters off the archipelago of the Philippines, where Godzilla and Mothra were battling. Battra knocked Mothra aside and engaged Godzilla, whom he deemed to be the bigger threat. The two monsters battled down to the sea floor in the Philippine Trench, where a volcanic fault opened up and swallowed them both, leading the JSDF to declare them both dead. But Battra and Godzilla lived on, as Battra appeared from the ocean depths and Godzilla rose from the crater of Mount Fuji. Upon metamorphosing from his larval form into his imago form, Battra flew to Yokohama to exact his revenge on Mothra. The sinister moth seemed to have an upper hand against his less violent counterpart, but soon, in the heat of the battle, Godzilla reappeared, and began to relentlessly attack Mothra, nearly killing her several times. Noticing this, Battra intervened, and rescued his counterpart. After a brief conversation between the two moths, Mothra and Battra teamed up to combat Godzilla together in defense of both Earth and humankind. Once Godzilla was defeated by their combined efforts, Battra and Mothra carried him out to sea. However, Godzilla, still conscious, killed Battra by tearing out his throat, then attacking him with an atomic ray at point-blank range while he was being transported. Mothra was forced to drop Godzilla and Battra into the ocean below. Mothra then flew in a circle and placed a seal over the final resting place of Battra, honoring his sacrifice. It was later discovered that an asteroid was travelling towards Earth. Battra would have traveled into space to destroy the asteroid, but because he was killed by Godzilla, Mothra had to make the journey instead, and departed Earth's atmosphere to begin the vital mission to save the Earth.

Godzilla Island

To be added.

Battra in Godzilla Island


Abilities

Physical abilities

In his larval form, Battra is an extremely brutal combatant who attacks his opponents relentlessly. In this form, he possesses a massive, yellow horn which can be put to use as a battering ram or bludgeoning weapon. In his imago stage, Battra has developed three pairs of legs and can utilize them for grasping objects. While in his imago form, Battra sports yet more enhanced strength, being able to grab and throw large objects such as the Cosmo Clock 21 with ease when working together with Mothra. With the assistance of Mothra, Battra is capable of lifting and transporting Godzilla.

Beams

Battra fires beams from his eyes.

Battra is capable of firing orange electrical blasts from his horn while in his larval stage. He can fire similar electrical blasts of a purple color from his crimson eyes. However, these beams often fly wildly about, with Battra not appearing to have any precise control over their direction. The titanic larva can also create energy pulses from his massive horn as another form of attack.

Burrowing

While in his larval stage, Battra is able to burrow.

Amphibiousness

As a larva, Battra can swim great distances and also come onto land. He is extremely destructive while on land and is a capable combatant in the water as well, easily throwing the larval Mothra aside and fighting Godzilla to a standstill on the ocean floor.

Flight

In his imago form, Battra attains flight at Mach 3 speed with his new wings, allowing for easier and more effective travel.

Prism Beams

Battra fires his prism beams.

In his imago stage, Battra's single horn is replaced with three, smaller horns. These horns are incapable of releasing energy beams anymore, but Battra has developed more powerful optic beams known as Prism Beams (プリズム光線,   Purizumu Kōsen) in their place. Unlike the beams used in his larval form, the adult Battra has complete control over the prism beams, which also are far more powerful. By using Mothra's scales, Battra is also able rebound his prism beams towards opponents endlessly, making the technique far more accurate.

Energy projection

The imago form of Battra can release energy from his feet in order to subdue foes while in close combat. In the manga adaptation of Godzilla vs. Mothra, the dark insect can unleash damaging energy spheres from his horn, discharge energy through the stinger-like attachment on his tail, and instantly form his cocoon which also acts as a defensive shield.

Powder

Battra unleashing his powder on Godzilla

In episode 166 of Godzilla Island, "Baby Mothra Awakes," Battra briefly keeps Godzilla at bay with a orange-brown powder released from his wings.

Weaknesses

While Battra is mostly resistant to Godzilla's atomic breath, repeated blasts from it temporarily knock him out of commission during their battle in Yokohama. Battra is mortally wounded when Godzilla bites down on his throat, causing him to bleed profusely. Godzilla finally kills Battra by firing his atomic breath into the open wound.

Filmography

Video Games

Godzilla: Save the Earth

Battra makes an unplayable appearance in Godzilla: Save the Earth as a summonable airstrike, much like how Mothra and Hedorah functioned in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. He will appear to assist any monster that collects the purple Atari symbol powerup, and attacks the enemy monster with his prism beams. The Super X3 may appear instead of Battra if this powerup is collected. According to Simon Strange, Battra was in strong contention to appear as a playable monster in the game along with Hedorah, but was ultimately relegated to an airstrike. Battra would go on to be playable in the PlayStation 2 version of Godzilla: Unleashed, the third entry in Atari and Pipeworks' trilogy of Godzilla games.

Godzilla: Unleashed

Battra Imago in Godzilla: Unleashed

Battra appears exclusively in the PlayStation 2 version of Godzilla: Unleashed, where he is a model-swap of Mothra. He possesses the same attacks as Mothra, with his prism beams substituted for Mothra's silk in larval form and her antenna beams in imago form. Like Mothra larva, Battra larva's energy can only be replenished if he hits a yellow crystal, but he regenerates energy normally in imago form. Battra is a member of the Mutants faction.


Godzilla (PlayStation 4)

Battra Imago in Godzilla

Battra appears exclusively in the PlayStation 4 version of Godzilla as a playable monster, in both his larva and imago forms.


Kaiju Guide

Main article: Godzilla (2014 video game)/Kaiju Guide#Battra.

City Shrouded in Shadow

Battra is featured in the survival RPG City Shrouded in Shadow developed by Granzella and Bandai Namco for the PlayStation 4. He appears in his imago form and battles Mothra.

Books

GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla

Battra's existence was first proposed by researchers who discovered the flesh of another kaiju containing moth DNA attached to one of Godzilla's severed dorsal plates. The researchers dubbed the creature the flesh belonged to "Monster M," but psychic children living in Japanese orphanages gave it the name "Battra." In the 2030's, the United Earth launched an investigation attempting to find Battra, believing him to be a monster that could potentially defeat Godzilla. However, the investigation failed to lead to Battra's discovery. In 2048, the shrine maiden Lira of Mothra's tribe revealed the existence of Battra to the United Earth. However, Battra had awakened before Mothra because he sensed the approach of Gorath, an asteroid bound to strike the Earth. Battra was subsequently killed by Godzilla, forcing Mothra to fight Godzilla by herself.[2]

Comics

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters

Battra's egg is first discovered by the twins Minette and Mallory in Kingdom of Monsters #3. Using telepathic powers, the girls kill the soldiers watching the egg, claiming that they can hear the being inside it "singing." The creature hatches, to whom they call Battra, and the monster becomes their bodyguard as they rob an almost entirely deserted Paris. The girls dub themselves the new queens of Paris, as Battra wraps itself in a cocoon. When he emerges in his adult form, he fights Rodan until both are controlled by the twins. They head to where Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, and King Ghidorah are brawling, as the twins want to control Godzilla next. This results with Battra and Rodan fighting Godzilla, but Godzilla defeats them both.

Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths

Battra appears in the miniseries Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths as one of the monsters on Monster Island that later attacks Tokyo. At the end of issue #5, Battra returns to Monster Island peacefully along with the other monsters after the Elias are rescued.

Godzilla: Ongoing

Battra appears wreaking havoc around the globe in issues 1 and 2 of Godzilla: Ongoing. In issue #3, Battra is captured in a gigantic electrical net by Boxer's "Kaiju Kill Crew" and brought to Monster Island to be contained. In issue #11, after being freed from Monster Island, Battra and Titanosaurus battle SpaceGodzilla in London. However, the two Earth monsters are defeated and SpaceGodzilla escapes to join Monster X in New York.

Godzilla: The Half-Century War

Battra appears in issue #3 of Godzilla: The Half-Century War as one of the many monsters battling in Ghana in 1975.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth

Battra was seen in a flashback after the alien spaceship crashed into the Earth, sending all of Earth's monsters into hibernation, burrowing into the ground. Both larva and imago Battra were seen as part of the 'fire' monsters on the Infant Island cave mural, along with Megalon and Baragon.

Battra returns in issue #19, where the psychic twins Minette and Mallory summon him to rescue them from a Russian military plane. After Battra rescues the twins, they order him to attack Infant Island and kill Mothra. Battra arrives on the peaceful tropical island and devastates it with his prism beams. Mothra, still wounded from her previous battle with Destoroyah, attempts to fight Battra off but is easily beaten by her dark counterpart. Knowing her end is near, Mothra buys time for the Shobijin to escape with her twin larvae by surrounding Battra with reflective scales. After the larvae and the Shobijin escape to the ocean, Battra finishes Mothra off with his prism beams, causing all of Infant Island to erupt in a fiery explosion.

Some time later, Battra traveled to the Monster Islands in order to hunt down Mothra's surviving larvae just when the Trilopods arrived. The Trilopods took this opportunity to copy Battra's powers only to be killed by Minette and Mallory. Much later, Battra and King Caesar cross paths, and the same result happens again. However, during the fight, Battra abandoned Minette and Mallory and left them to die at the hands of the Okinawan monster. Oddly enough, despite witnessing the Trilopods carry King Caesar away, Battra made no attempt to help Godzilla when he roared for help.

Godzilla: Oblivion

Battra appeared in the fifth and final issue of Godzilla: Oblivion where he was briefly seen emerging from the ocean in his imago form.

Gojiman

Battra courts two Mothra larvae and faces their wrath once they find out about each other.

Gallery

Main article: Battra/Gallery.

Roar

Battra's roar is a very slightly edited Rodan roar. However, in Godzilla Island, Battra's roar is actually Mothra's roar at a lower pitch.

Battra's roars

In Other Languages

Language Name Meaning
Chinese Flagicon Hong Kong.png Cantonese 巴特拉 Baa1dak6laai1 Transcription of Japanese name
China and Taiwan Flags.png Mandarin 巴特拉 Bātèlā Transcription of Japanese name
Flagicon Russia.png Russian Батра Transliteration of English name

Trivia

  • Within Godzilla vs. Mothra, there is a possible continuity discrepancy involving Battra. In the film, the Cosmos explain Battra's origins and his defeat at the hands of Mothra. They state that Battra's body (either lifeless or still barely alive) was deposited in the Northern Sea. Thousands of years later, in 1993, Battra emerges, in his larval form, from his Siberian ice prison and departs the Northern Sea, heading for Japan. However, the cave painting on Infant Island clearly depicts an imago Battra in combat with Mothra. This raises several questions about the nature of Battra himself, including a possibility of the Battra from 12,000 years ago being a different Battra altogether, and the 1993 Battra being a second creature created by Earth's life force, probably from the remains of the original Battra. If they are, in fact, the same creature, then the fact that Battra emerges 12,000 years after his defeat, once again in his larval form is a potential contradiction. It is possible that Battra can revert back to larva form at will, or that he is reincarnated somehow similar to Mothra, since she is depicted in her imago form on the mural as well only to hatch from an egg in her larval form in the present day.
  • Battra is the only new monster fought by Godzilla in the Heisei series whose origin is not influenced by or related to Godzilla at all, instead being connected to Mothra.
  • In Super Godzilla, when the first Battra is defeated and Godzilla arrives to deal with the second Battra, Battra is said to be in a cocoon state, but the cocoon resembles a Battra larva.
  • Battra's skull makes a brief appearance in Pacific Rim Uprising, during the scene where Hermann Gottlieb examines PPDC records in search of a match for the image Mako Mori transmitted.

Notes

  1. Episodes 51-56, 60-63, 66, 72, 107, 110, 113-114, 119-120, and 127.

References

This is a list of references for Battra. 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]

  1. Bandai Battra toy.jpg
  2. 2.0 2.1 Oki, Renji (25 April 2018). GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla. Kadokawa. pp. 33–39, 164–180. ISBN 9784041063453.
  3. Definitive Edition of Toho Monster Movies!! Godzilla Special Effects Complete Works. Natsumesha. December 1994. p. 36. ISBN 978-4816317750. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 83. ISBN 4-096-82090-3. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 J.D. Lees, Marc Cerasini (24 March 1998). The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. p. 120. ISBN 0279888225 Check |isbn= value: checksum (help). Check date values in: |date= (help)
    Compendium24.png
  6. Heisei Godzilla Perfection. ASCII Media Works. 2012. p. 45. ISBN 978-4-04-886119-9.

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