Godzilla (GMK)

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Godzilla incarnations
Godzilla (2000)
Godzilla (2001)
Godzilla (Kiryu Saga)
Godzilla® (2001) trademark icon
Godzilla® (2001)
Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Alternate names Gojira, King of the Monsters, G, Goji, GMK Godzilla, GMKGoji, Godzilla 2001
Subtitle(s) God of Destruction
(破壊神,   Hakaishin)[1]
King of the Monsters (怪獣王,   Kaijūō)[2]
Species Collective spirits of
victims of World War II
Height 60 meters[2][3]
Length 85 meters (total body)[3]
Weight 30,000 metric tons[2][3]
Forms Disembodied heart
Enemies Baragon, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Humans
Created by Ishiro Honda, Tomoyuki Tanaka,
Eiji Tsuburaya, Shusuke Kaneko
Played by Mizuho Yoshida
First appearance Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Design(s) GMKGoji
Roar(s)
Hirotoshi Isayama: “Artillery shells can do nothing to stop it. This animal has survived for eons. Atomic weapons and energy have given it extraordinary capacities for survival. But it's still an animal and it can still be defeated. But, I repeat, not with any weapons. This animal represents the collective will to survive of many thousands of people.
Yuri Tachibana: “Collective will?
Hirotoshi Isayama: “This animal contains the restless souls of the countless people who perished during the terrible battles that took place during the Pacific conflict.
Yuri Tachibana: “Their souls? In Godzilla?
Hirotoshi Isayama: “In Godzilla, the souls of all those people have combined to bring life to the monster. Believe me, I have tried to warn people but they refused to listen. They think I'm mad.
Yuri Tachibana: “But tell me, why does Godzilla keep attacking Japan? Why does it want to destroy us?
Hirotoshi Isayama: “Because the Japanese people want to forget what happened... They have deemed it preferable to forget the pain and agony they inflicted on all those people!
― Hirotoshi Isayama and Yuri Tachibana discuss the reason why Godzilla has come to destroy Japan. (Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack)

The GMK Godzilla (GMKゴジラ,   Jī Emu Kei Gojira) is a kaiju that appeared in the 2001 Godzilla film, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.

It is the third incarnation of Godzilla to appear in the Millennium series of films and the seventh onscreen incarnation of the character overall. Unlike other interpretations of the character, this Godzilla is a supernatural entity inhabited by the restless souls of those killed in the Pacific theater during World War II. Godzilla sought revenge against Japan for forgetting and ignoring the past, and came ashore to punish the nation by obliterating its cities. To combat the beast, the prophet Hirotoshi Isayama awakened three Guardian Monsters, Baragon, Mothra and King Ghidorah, in the hopes they would defend the country. Godzilla easily defeated all three monsters, but their efforts exploited a weakness in Godzilla that the JSDF used to finally defeat him. However, even after Godzilla's body was destroyed, his heart was left behind, continuously beating on the sea floor.

Name

The name "Godzilla" is a transliteration of Gojira (ゴジラ), a combination of two Japanese words: gorira (ゴリラ), meaning gorilla, and kujira (鯨 or クジラ), meaning whale. At one planning stage of the original film, the concept of "Gojira" was described as "a cross between a gorilla and a whale." The two words "whale" and "gorilla" describe Godzilla's traditional characteristics. The word whale represents his aquatic lifestyle and his bulky size. The word gorilla represents his sheer strength and the strategic thinking he uses when fighting against other monsters.

Contrary to popular belief, the name "Godzilla" is not the idea of the American distributor. Before Toho sold the original film to US distributors, Toho's international division had originally marketed an English-subtitled print under the title of Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, which was shown briefly in Japanese-American theaters. Toho came up with "Godzilla" as an English transliteration of the name "Gojira"." The Japanese-to-English translation method of the Americans in the 1950's also proved that Godzilla was the correct English translation of Gojira.

Design

Main article: GMKGoji.

The Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack departs from the design sported by the previous incarnations of Godzilla in the Millennium series, and bears a design reminiscent of several past designs, including the original 1954 design. This Godzilla once again has rough charcoal-gray skin and smaller bone-white Template:Scutes. The head is smaller and more rounded once again, with prominent fangs extending from the mouth. Perhaps most distinct are this Godzilla's white pupil-less eyes, which are meant to give him the appearance of being undead and otherworldly. This Godzilla has very large white claws on his hands and feet. His feet and legs are relatively large compared to the rest of his body. Rather than standing completely upright, this Godzilla leans forward slightly, holding his neck at a downward angle.

Personality

The Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is unique among other incarnations in that, instead of being either an anti-hero or force of nature with no true malicious intent, he is completely evil and malevolent. This Godzilla seeks nothing except for the complete and utter destruction of Japan and all of its people as punishment for forgetting the deaths and atrocities that occurred during World War II. This version of Godzilla actively seeks out individual humans and attempts to kill them, shown when he spots a crowd of civilians and blasts them with his atomic breath. For this reason, this is the only version of Godzilla to be truly evil.

Origins

The Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is a malicious entity created from a combination of the restless souls of those killed as a result of the Japanese military's actions during World War II, which have conglomerated inside of Godzilla's body, who comes ashore in modern-day Japan to seek vengeance against the nation. A prevalent misconception alleges that this is the same Godzilla from the original film. GMK never directly addresses the identity of this Godzilla in relation to the first Godzilla which attacked Tokyo in 1954, although characters in the film clearly state that the original Godzilla was killed. The 2012 informational book Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works distinguishes between both Godzillas, calling the 1954 Godzilla the "first generation Godzilla" and the individual featured in the film the "second Godzilla," while also mentioning that the second Godzilla is larger in size than the original.[4][note 1]

History

Millennium era

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

In 1954, Japan suffered an attack from Godzilla. The monster laid waste to Tokyo, transforming the once-proud capital of Japan into ground zero of a nuclear disaster overnight. Godzilla was finally killed with an experimental chemical weapon, while the weapon's inventor took his own life to ensure it could never be used again. In order to avoid facing ridicule for failing to stop Godzilla and ensure the citizens of Japan they were safe from future attacks, the JSDF claimed credit for killing Godzilla. Over the next several decades, humanity gradually began to forget about Godzilla, with many assuming the creature never existed and was simply a legend. In 1998, a giant reptilian monster attacked New York City, with American experts identifying the creature as Godzilla. The JSDF doubted that the monster was Godzilla, but could not ignore the appearance of another giant monster. In the years following the New York attack, sightings of giant monsters skyrocketed around the world, forcing the JSDF to be on high alert for the possible return of Godzilla. In 2002, an American nuclear submarine vanished off the coast of Guam. The Japanese research submersible Satsuma investigated the wreckage, noticing huge claw marks in the sub's hull. Just then, the ground shook, causing the Satsuma's sister craft to crash into a rock. Just then, the vessel's pilot witnessed Godzilla's Template:Scutes briefly appear behind several large rocks.

When the Satsuma operator's story was reported to the JSDF, units were scrambled to search for Godzilla. The monster came ashore in the Bonin Islands, stomping on several houses during a storm. The JSDF searched the waters all around Japan, but could find no trace of Godzilla. Several of the soldiers began assuming Godzilla never really did exist, and search operations were called off. Not long after, Godzilla appeared from a harbor and came ashore in Japan once again. The beast destroyed a small town and marched through the countryside, eventually being attacked by the Guardian Monster Baragon, who had been awakened by the prophet Hirotoshi Isayama to stop Godzilla. Godzilla easily overpowered the smaller monster, and after a short fight obliterated Baragon with his atomic breath. Godzilla continued his march across Japan, as it became apparent that he was once again approaching Tokyo. Fighter jets were deployed to attack Godzilla, but their missiles had no effect and Godzilla easily shot the jets down with his atomic breath. Eventually, Godzilla reached Yokohama, where the JSDF had erected a last line of defense to prevent Godzilla from reaching Tokyo. Godzilla showed no mercy and easily annihilated the JSDF's forces in the city, but was interrupted by the arrival of Mothra, a second Guardian Monster. Godzilla fired his atomic breath at Mothra, but she dodged it, causing the beam to hit the Yokohama Landmark Tower instead. As Godzilla was fighting Mothra, the third Guardian Monster, Ghidorah, arrived, and helped Mothra take on Godzilla. Godzilla proved to be more than a match for both beasts, knocking Mothra aside with his tail and tearing into Ghidorah's necks with his teeth before slamming him onto a building. Godzilla fired his atomic breath at the unconscious Ghidorah, intending to finish him once and for all, but Mothra flew in front of him and was blasted away by the beam. Godzilla then turned his attention to the JSDF's battleships docked in the harbor, destroying several of them with his atomic breath. As Godzilla prepared to destroy the last few ships, Mothra flew up behind him, intending to take him by surprise. Suddenly, Godzilla turned around and fired his beam at Mothra, vaporizing her.

Godzilla's still-beating heart at the end of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

The battle was not over, as Mothra's energy showered onto Ghidorah, reviving him as the Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, King Ghidorah. King Ghidorah formed an energy shield and took to the air, screeching at Godzilla. Godzilla fired his atomic breath at King Ghidorah, but his shield deflected it. King Ghidorah dropped his shield onto Godzilla, causing a massive explosion that blasted Godzilla into the sea and left a wound on his neck. King Ghidorah flew out over the water and attacked Godzilla again, but was pulled underwater. At the same time, the Satsuma, piloted by Taizo Tachibana, and another submarine piloted by Commander Yutaka Hirose were deployed to fire a D-03 Missile into Godzilla's neck wound. Hirose fired his sub's missile at Godzilla, who promptly pulled King Ghidorah into its path - knocking out the dragon once again. Godzilla surfaced, while King Ghidorah was reawakened by an ancient stone that fell into the water after Yuri Tachibana dropped it. King Ghidorah flew out of the water and blasted Godzilla with his gravity beams, electrocuting him. After taking several hits, Godzilla absorbed the gravity beams, then combined them with his atomic breath in a powerful spiral-wrapped beam that obliterated King Ghidorah in a single hit. The combined spirits of the Guardian Monsters then flew into Godzilla, dragging him underwater, where he swallowed the Satsuma whole. Inside of Godzilla, the Satsuma fired a D-03 Missile into Godzilla's neck wound, which tore it open until it was a gaping hole. Godzilla surfaced and prepared to fire his atomic breath at Yuri and her friend, but the beam shot out of his neck wound instead. Godzilla tried to fire his atomic breath again, with the same result. Godzilla fell back underwater in agony, while the Satsuma escaped his body. Godzilla saw the Satsuma swimming away and charged his atomic breath again. This time, Godzilla's wound flashed brightly and he suddenly exploded. Godzilla completely vanished from all radar and tracking systems, and it appeared he was finally gone. As Japan celebrated, Godzilla's disembodied heart began continuously beating on the sea floor.

Abilities

Atomic Breath

Godzilla uses his atomic breath against Baragon.

Godzilla's signature weapon is his powerful Atomic Breath (放射熱線,   Hōsha Nessen, lit. Radioactive Heat Ray). The GMK Godzilla's atomic breath returns to the traditional bluish-hued laser of the Heisei series rather than the incendiary fiery-orange beam fired by the first two Millennium Godzillas. When charging the beam, Godzilla's Template:Scutes actually stand up as they are surrounded by an intense blue glow. This Godzilla's atomic breath is extremely powerful, and is capable of producing a mushroom cloud upon impact or crippling or destroying other kaiju in a single hit. It also possesses pinpoint accuracy, demonstrated when Godzilla easily blasts numerous fighter jets out of the sky with it. The beam is also not impeded when fired underwater, shown when Godzilla uses it against King Ghidorah when they are fighting underwater.

Gravitational Atomic Breath

Godzilla fires his gravitational atomic breath to destroy King Ghidorah

Godzilla demonstrates a variation of his normal atomic breath at the end of the film, when he absorbs energy from King Ghidorah's gravity beams into his dorsal plates and combines it with his atomic breath, producing an even stronger blue beam wrapped in a yellow electrical spiral, called the Gravitational Atomic Breath (引力放射熱線,   Inryoku Hōsha Nessen). This beam was powerful enough to completely destroy King Ghidorah in a single hit.

Durability

Several D-03 Missiles explode harmlessly against Godzilla's hide.

One of the GMK Godzilla's greatest assets is his extreme durability. Godzilla proves to be completely immune to all of the JSDF's weaponry, including the D-03 Missile, an armor-piercing warhead designed to penetrate solid rock, which explodes harmlessly against his armored hide. In addition, the various attacks used against him by the Guardian Monsters, while able to hurt Godzilla, are unable to penetrate his skin. Only a powerful energy ball fired by King Ghidorah and powered by Godzilla's own atomic breath is able to penetrate his skin. Godzilla's capacity for survival extended far beyond that of a natural creature, as even after the destruction of his body, Godzilla's disembodied heart was still beating continuously on the sea floor.

Physical abilities

Aside from his atomic breath, the GMK Godzilla uses other tactics to fight the Guardian Monsters. Godzilla stomps Baragon into the ground during their battle. He bites down on one of King Ghidorah's necks and draws blood, then easily knocks Mothra away with his tail when she attempts to attack him from behind. Godzilla displays impressive strength when he flips King Ghidorah over onto a building by grabbing him by one of his necks. Godzilla also grapples with King Ghidorah while underwater, at one point managing to pull one of his heads into the path of a D-03 Missile.

Weaknesses

Godzilla's atomic breath fires out of a wound on his shoulder.

Despite his near-invulnerability, Godzilla is ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of the Guardian Monsters and the JSDF. A small wound is opened on Godzilla's neck during his battle with King Ghidorah, which is exploited when Godzilla swallows the Satsuma whole, allowing Taizo Tachibana to fire a D-03 Missile at the wound from the inside. The missile actually is able to penetrate through Godzilla's skin, then explodes, opening a gaping wound in his shoulder. When Godzilla attempts to fire his atomic breath, it fires out of the wound multiple times until Godzilla falls over and sinks. While underwater, Godzilla charges his atomic breath once again, but this time the pressure built up from the previous attempts reaches a critical level and causes him to completely explode. Although his entire body was destroyed, Godzilla was not truly killed, as his disembodied heart continued to beat on the sea floor.

Filmography

Video games

Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)

Kaiju Guide

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

Gallery

Main article: GMKGoji#Gallery.

Roar

Godzilla's roars in GMK

Trivia

  • This is the first and so far only incarnation of Godzilla to be supernatural in origin. While other incarnations of Godzilla have usually been a type of prehistoric reptile irradiated by hydrogen bomb tests, the GMK Godzilla is an amalgamation of the restless souls of the countless people killed by the actions of the Japanese military during World War II.
  • This Godzilla is unique in that, instead of causing destruction mostly unintentionally and largely ignoring human beings, he actively attempts to destroy Japan and specifically targets humans due to his desire for vengeance against the nation due to its past crimes. For this reason, this can be the first Godzilla to be considered legitimately evil, even though some past incarnations have been antagonistic.
  • This incarnation of Godzilla was portrayed by experienced suit actor Mizuho Yoshida, whose other roles include the Mother Legion in Gamera 2: Attack of the Legion, Desghidorah in Rebirth of Mothra and Dagahra in Rebirth of Mothra II, and Zedus in Gamera the Brave.
  • The suit used to portray this Godzilla is the tallest Godzilla suit to appear in a film, although the suit used to portray Godzilla in a 2014 Snickers commercial is slightly taller.

Notes

  1. It is the second Godzilla to appear in 50 years, after the first generation Godzilla which reduced Tokyo to scorched earth in 1954 (Showa 29). It is larger in size than the first generation. / 1954(昭和29)年に東京を焦土と化した初代ゴジラ以来、50年ぶりに出現した第2のゴジラ。初代よりひとまわり大きい

References

This is a list of references for Godzilla (GMK). 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. Common Knowledge of Godzilla. Futabasha. 6 July 2014. p. 119. ISBN 978-4-575-30696-5. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 110. ISBN 4-096-82090-3. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 GMK Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. December 2001. p. 10. ISBN 409101481X. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works. Village Books. September 28, 2012. p. 274. ISBN 978-4864910132.

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