Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Kodansha Manga Series)

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Godzilla, King of the Monsters
The cover of volume 1 of Godzilla, King of the Monsters
The cover of volume 2 of Godzilla, King of the Monsters
Author(s) Hisashi Yasui,
Hiroshi Kawamoto (Illustrator)
Publisher Kodansha Comics
Bombom Comics
Publish date 1992
Genre Manga, Science Fiction
ISBN Volume 1:
ISBN-10: 4063216616
ISBN-13: 978-4063216615
Volume 2:
ISBN-10: 4063216721
ISBN-13: 978-4063216721

Godzilla, King of the Monsters (怪獣王ゴジラ,   Kaijū Ō Gojira, lit. Monster King Godzilla) is a manga series written by Hisashi Yasui and illustrated by Hiroshi Kawamoto. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine DX Bombom from 1992 to 1993, with publishers Kodansha Comics and Bombom Comics collecting the chapters in two volumes.

Set after Godzilla vs. Mothra, the manga showcases Godzilla squaring off against various kaiju (who are revived or genetically altered by a mad scientist called Oniyama) in extremely violent and bloody battles. The monsters Godzilla defeats are usually defeated by his atomic breath, and most of the enemy monster's attacks focus on Godzilla's chest, usually causing dramatic injuries.

In addition to dialogue among the human characters, the kaiju themselves also speak to each other, although humans are unable to understand them.

Plot

A mad scientist named Doctor Oniyama attempts to take over the Earth, and wants to use Godzilla as his main pawn. To get the beast, though, he has to deal with a young boy, Miko Hideo, his friends, and Godzilla himself. Reviving and altering the DNA of several monsters including Megalon, Biollante, Gigan, and others, he attempts to use a time machine to alter the past. The manga ends when Godzilla, Oniyama's ultimate creation King Godzilla and Oniyama fall into the crater of a volcano.

A single-chapter story is included at the end of Volume 2, titled Street Fighter Godzilla. In this story, Godzilla, dressed as Ryu from the Street Fighter series, fights Hedorah (who is dressed up to resemble Blanka from the same series) while a Mothra larva named Mosuko struggles to declare her love for Godzilla.[1]

Monsters

Godzilla

Godzilla is awoken from his slumber after the fight between himself, Mothra and Battra. Making his way inland, he fights several other monsters. The series ends with a brutally wounded Godzilla fighting a genetic twin of his, King Godzilla, and both falling into a volcanic crater.

Sea Baragon

Using the corpse of the original Baragon from 1965, Doctor Oniyama splices its DNA with that of a walrus and narwhal to create Sea Baragon. Sea Baragon is the first foe of Godzilla in the series and has no special powers, instead opting for brute force and stabbing attacks using its horn. Sea Baragon can also use his horn like a drill and can make it spin at high speeds. After stabbing Godzilla in the chest, Godzilla killed Sea Baragon by breaking his horn, swinging him around by the tail and then setting him ablaze with his atomic breath.

Neo Biollante

A revived Biollante called Neo Biollante appeared shortly after death of Sea Baragon, and was joined by Megalon in battle against Godzilla. While essentially the same as the first Biollante, Neo Biollante could use her vines to create 'cages' in an attempt to trap Godzilla, but required doses of water from huge tanks to stay strong, like a real plant.[2] Despite being rooted to the ground and weighing much more than twice his weight, Godzilla was able to lift and throw Biollante. She retains most of her powers from her film incarnation alongside her new 'cage vines.' After rising out of the ground, Neo Biollante fought Godzilla, trapping him in her cage vines. Megalon then appeared shortly afterwards, and started attacking Godzilla. During a break in the attacks from Megalon, Godzilla lost all resolve, and simply stood perfectly still. It took Miki Hideo and Yosuke Hideo crashing a car into one of Biollante's water tanks to make her retract her cage vines and turn the tide of battle in Godzilla's favor. She was killed by Megalon after he accidentally used his horn lightning on her after Godzilla threw her at him. Biollante's DNA was later revealed to be part of King Godzilla's genetic makeup, and her head was used as his ultimate weapon, being repurposed to fire a powerful beam from his chest.

Megalon

Megalon surfaced from the ground while Godzilla was trapped by Neo Biollante's cage vines. After Megalon wounded Godzilla with his drills and napalm bombs, Godzilla threw Neo Biollante at him. In an attempt to protect himself, he used his lightning beam, accidentally disintegrating Biollante. Shortly afterwards, Godzilla knocked off the top of Megalon's horn with his tail, then destroyed him with his atomic breath.

Mechagodzilla III

Doctor Oniyama apparently rebuilt the original Mechagodzilla, calling it Mechagodzilla III, and sent it and a newly reconstructed Mechani-Kong II to attack Tokyo. At first, Mechagodzilla III was disguised as Godzilla, but his disguise was foiled after a G-Team ASTOL-MB93 piloted by Yosuke Hideo shot out some of his artificial skin on his forearm. Godzilla soon arrived, but Mechagodzilla and Mechani-Kong fought back, impaling him through the chest and damaging his eyes using his eye beams. Mechagodzilla III was destroyed when Godzilla blasted him into Tokyo Bay with his atomic breath, breaking off his outer casing. After Mechagodzilla III taunted Godzilla one final time, Godzilla shot him again with his atomic breath, destroying the machine in a huge explosion.

Mechani-Kong II

Mechani-Kong was reconstructed by Doctor Oniyama, and used to double-team Godzilla, holding the beast while Mechagodzilla III impaled him with its hand. Mechani-Kong II was flung over Godzilla's shoulder and slammed into the ground, deactivating the machine.

Rodan

A Rodan appeared under the control of Doctor Oniyama, flying across Tokyo and dropping large bombs from his talons. He later attacked Godzilla while he was out at sea and carried him off to be frozen by Oniyama. Shortly after Godzilla was revived by two submarines, Godzilla and Rodan fought again. Rodan fought valiantly, only to get slammed into the ground and have his wing torn off by Godzilla.

Anguirus

Unlike the original Anguirus, this one was a new species of Ankylosaurus on display at a dinosaur Eepo festival. During the distant past, this Ankylosaur was a natural rival to the Godzillasaurus. At first, Anguirus was revived by Oniyama as a large Ankylosaurus, who fought Godzilla after he had been forcibly devolved by Oniyama into an Godzillasaurus. Aware that the Ankylosaur was losing the fight, Oniyama and his past self shot a huge dart from KIDS that made the Ankylosaur evolve into Anguirus. After Godzilla re-evolved, Anguirus and Godzilla fought again. Anguirus, with the help of his new abilities, being able to fly by rotating his shell and being able to slice Godzilla with his shell, fought as best as he could, but was defeated after Godzilla was given some shells from Yosuke's ASTOL-MB93 and rammed them down Anguirus's throat. Anguirus tried to flee alongside Oniyama in KIDS, only to explode violently, destroying Anguirus and the time machine and leaving Oniyama's fate unknown.

Godzillasaurus

After Doctor Oniyama revived Anguirus, he used his time machine to forcibly devolve Godzilla into a Godzillasaurus so that he would be unable to fight Oniyama's Anguirus once he had mutated it from the Ankylosaur. Godzilla, as the Godzillasaurus, fought well and managed to subdue the Ankylosaur until Oniyama mutated it into the much larger Anguirus, who leapt into the air and seemingly crushed him beneath his much larger body. All hope seemed lost until Godzilla suddenly rose, back in his fully-evolved and mutant form - the devolution had only worked for a short time.

Gigan

Gigan traveled to Earth with King Ghidorah. He appeared to have been refurbished, and had a variety of powers that he originally didn't have. He was ultimately defeated by Godzilla in the second volume.

King Ghidorah

Another King Ghidorah, called King Ghidorah III, appeared in the second volume, arriving on Earth with the purpose to fight Godzilla. He sported the new power of being able to turn himself invisible. King Ghidorah III died when Godzilla ripped two of his heads off with a nuclear pulse. His DNA was collected by Doctor Oniyama to form King Godzilla, with two of his heads forming King Godzilla's arms.

Flying Ebirah

First appearing in a South Pacific Beach resort, Ebirah was given insect-like wings by Doctor Oniyama, who claimed insects and crustaceans were very similar. It used its new wings to fly around and stab at Godzilla, but was impaled on a palm tree and had its new wings torn off by Godzilla. It was then frozen and destroyed.

Neo Gigan

Appearing shortly after the defeat of Flying Ebirah, Neo Gigan was lent to Doctor Oniyama by the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens to fight Godzilla. Gigan had been further modified by the Nebulans to become somewhat of a bio-mech, with Gigan's head containing a cockpit and command center for a pilot to reside in. Due to the liquid nitrogen that was used to freeze Ebirah cooling the area around it, Godzilla was forced into a hibernation-like state, which Neo Gigan took to its advantage, attacking Godzilla. Neo Gigan later had one of his arms torn off by Godzilla's brute force, before jettisoning his head so that Oniyama could escape. Following this, Neo Gigan's body exploded violently.

Machine G

A powerful Mechagodzilla controlled by G-Team, Machine G was piloted by Miki Hideo, Yosuke Hideo and Linda Miller to fight King Godzilla after Godzilla was defeated by the chimeric kaiju. While Machine G fought well, King Godzilla quickly gained the upper hand after activating his Neo Biollante head, and nearly destroyed Machine G until Godzilla returned to sacrifice himself to destroy King Godzilla and Oniyama.

Battra

Battra and his battle with Godzilla from 1993 were mentioned, but only when Doctor Oniyama used Battra's brain and wings to enhance his "King Godzilla" monster.

King Godzilla

King Godzilla is a monster created by Doctor Oniyama that had the body of Godzilla, two heads and legs from King Ghidorah, and the wings and brain of Battra, and the concealed head of Biollante. Godzilla, weakened from his nonstop brawling, stood no chance, and was mortally wounded by a set of spikes that King Godzilla dropped him onto. It was then that Miki and his friends decided that they'd have to continue the fight alone, and sent Machine G into battle. Machine G managed to stall King Godzilla, but was very nearly destroyed after King Godzilla attempted to crush Machine G's head beneath his foot. Godzilla returned, revived by bolts of lightning, and managed to throw himself into a active volcanic crater while holding King Godzilla. King Godzilla, Godzilla and Oniyama fell into the crater and all presumably burned to death.

Hedorah

Seen exclusively in the Street Fighter Godzilla story placed at the end of Volume 2, Hedorah fought Godzilla, dressed up to resemble Blanka, only to be sent flying when Godzilla, dressed as Ryu, used a Shoryuken on him.

Mothra

A miniature Mothra larva appears on the insert of the cover for Volume 1, being held by Hiroshi Kawamoto in his self-portrait.

Mosuko

Introduced in the Street Fighter Godzilla story, Mosuko is a female Mothra larva who has romantic feelings for Godzilla. Much of the story centers around her trying to confess her love to Godzilla, who only accepts it upon realizing that if he dates Mosuko, he must have access to the Cosmos as well.

Gallery

Volume 1

Volume 2

Street Fighter Godzilla

Trivia

  • The very first kaiju Godzilla fights seems to be a hybrid between Baragon, a walrus and narwhal, called Sea Baragon.
  • Although Biollante is by far the heaviest Godzilla series monster, in the manga Godzilla is easily able to lift Biollante above his head and throw her with little effort.
  • It seems that this manga is set in an alternative Heisei continuity that connects elements of the Showa and Heisei timelines together. While chronologically, the manga takes place after Godzilla vs. Mothra, King Ghidorah is named as King Ghidorah III, indicating that both the Showa and Heisei incarnations of King Ghidorah are present in the same timeline.

External links

References

This is a list of references for Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Kodansha manga). 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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