Beam-Fight
A phenomenon in which two kaiju's beam weapons collide, termed a Beam-Fight[1] or beam fight[2] in the Atari-Pipeworks Godzilla video games, is featured in numerous pieces of Godzilla media. It is also commonly referred to as a "beam lock" by fans. Though Godzilla and Kumonga clashed projectiles seven years earlier in Son of Godzilla, the Beam-Fight as it is known today was undoubtedly established by 1974's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. When directing the special effects for the 1993 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Koichi Kawakita included another Beam-Fight between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla as an homage to the original. It was referenced a second time close to three decades later in Adam Wingard's Godzilla vs. Kong. Beam-Fights were notably featured as a mechanic in the video games Godzilla: Save the Earth and Unleashed.
Effects
Beam-Fighting is described in the Godzilla: Save the Earth manual thusly:
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When two monsters fire their beam weapons at nearly the same time, the beams lock together. The monsters must then struggle for dominance and send pulses of energy along the beam[.] As the fight progresses, both monsters lose energy. The first monster to run out of energy loses the beam fight, and is thrown backward with a tremendous explosion.[2]
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and in the Godzilla: Unleashed manual:
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If two monsters fire their beams at one another, they might get locked into a Beam-Fight! [...] Eventually one monster will take the brunt of both beams in a huge explosion.[1]
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Several things may occur once two beams are locked. In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and vs. Mechagodzilla II, the beams collided at a central point, resulting in an explosion which blew one or both monsters off their feet.
The video game Godzilla: Save the Earth was the first to introduce a struggle between the two beams; by variously tapping buttons on the controller, the player could send bursts of energy down their monster's beam, pushing the point of collision closer toward the opponent. The first monster to lose all of their energy would be the loser, resulting in an explosion which knocks them to the ground, damaging them. A similar mechanic was carried over to Godzilla: Unleashed, though here if the beams collide at too close a distance, they will immediately explode. This 'push fighting' also appeared in Godzilla Final Wars (released just months after Save the Earth) and Godzilla vs. Kong.
Rarely, the two beams will simply vanish upon locking, having no effects at all, possibly due to both monsters ceasing fire at the exact same time. This was seen in Son of Godzilla, as well as the Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga.
In the IDW comic Godzilla in Hell, a Beam-Fight is integral to the plot; Godzilla and SpaceGodzilla lock beams at close range, resulting in an immediate explosion which killed them both instantly and destroyed the entire planet.
History
- Son of Godzilla (1967)
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
- Godzilla (TV 1978-1979)
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
- Godzilla Final Wars (2004)
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Showa era
Son of Godzilla
At two separate points in Son of Godzilla, Godzilla fired his Atomic Breath at Kumonga, who returned fire with its webbing. Though the webbing was not technically a beam, it seemed to successfully lock with the Atomic Breath, resulting in a stalemate both times.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
When Godzilla first faced off with Mechagodzilla, the mech's Space Beams collided with Godzilla's Atomic Breath, resulting in an explosion that knocked both monsters back. Mechagodzilla was badly damaged by the Beam-Fight, while Godzilla fell into Tokyo Bay and began to bleed profusely, having been knocked unconscious.
Godzilla (Hanna-Barbera)
"The Magnetic Terror"
During their first battle, Godzilla breathed fire at the Magnetic Monster, who expelled magnetic waves from its mouth that collided with Godzilla's fire breath and caused fireballs to scatter through the air and ignite the spilled oil surrounding the Calico.
Heisei era
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
Godzilla's Atomic Breath locked with Mechagodzilla's Mega Buster ray during their duel in Makuhari, resulting in an explosion which knocked Godzilla to the ground and caused Mechagodzilla to begin overheating.
Millennium era
Godzilla Final Wars
In Godzilla Final Wars, when Godzilla battled the evil Monster X, its Destroyed Thunder gravitational beams struck the Atomic Heat Ray, resulting in a brief push fight which ended in an explosion. Later, Godzilla fought X's advanced form, Keizer Ghidorah. Another Beam-Fight ensued, though this time Keizer Ghidorah managed to successfully push the beam into Godzilla, blasting him back.
MonsterVerse
Godzilla vs. Kong
Godzilla's atomic breath collides with Mechagodzilla's Proton Scream, and the two beams become locked. Though Godzilla briefly held his own, the machine overpowered him by unleashing even more energy into its beam, knocking Godzilla to the ground and producing a searing burn across his chest.
Attractions
Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D
After firing his Atomic Breath at King Ghidorah to no avail, Godzilla suddenly seized up. The space monster fought briefly with Evangelion Units-00, 01 and 02, but quickly turned its attention back to Godzilla, saturating the King of the Monsters in Gravity Beams. However, Godzilla's dorsal plates began to glow purple, and he unleashed another blast of Atomic Breath, locking with Ghidorah's beams. Godzilla's ray managed to push past them, colliding with Ghidorah and causing a blinding explosion; when the dust cleared, Ghidorah was no longer.
Video games
- Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004) - Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox
- Godzilla: Unleashed (2007) - Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 2
Godzilla: Save the Earth
In this game, Beam-Fights resulting in push struggles are possible when the following monsters fire their beams at each other simultaneously:
- Godzilla 90's
- Godzilla 2000
- Rodan
- Gigan
- King Ghidorah
- Megalon
- Megaguirus
- Mothra
- Orga
- Mecha-King Ghidorah
- SpaceGodzilla
- Kiryu
Godzilla: Unleashed
Monsters can engage in Beam-Fights in a similar manner to Save the Earth. Every single monster can beam lock except for Anguirus, Mothra's larval form, and in the PS2 version, Battra's larval form.
Comics
This section is a - Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1992-1993)
- Godzilla: Cataclysm #4 (2014)
- Godzilla in Hell #3-4 (2015)
Godzilla, King of the Monsters
In their first battle at Satan Atoll, Godzilla and King Godzilla engaged in a locking of beams, but it ended in a stalemate.
Godzilla: Cataclysm
In issue #4, during a flashback from right after the kaiju went berserk following an attempt to use mind control to render them docile, Battra and King Ghidorah engaged in a beam lock after Battra blasted King Ghidorah while he was grappling with Manda in the sky.
Godzilla in Hell
In a flashback showing how Godzilla arrived in Hell, Godzilla battled SpaceGodzilla in Rio de Janeiro. Both monsters fired their beams at each other at close range, bathing each other in flames and vaporizing the ruined city around them as the beams locked. Eventually, the monsters fired their beams at full intensity at close range, causing them to lock and create a massive explosion that destroyed the entire Earth, sending both monsters to Hell. Later, Godzilla battled Destoroyah and King Ghidorah in Hell, who were both constantly healed and resurrected in order to torment Godzilla. At one point, both Destoroyah and King Ghidorah fired their beams, which combined and briefly locked with Godzilla's atomic breath.
References
This is a list of references for Beam-Fight. 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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