Godzillasaurus

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Godzillasaurus® trademark icon
Godzillasaurus®
Godzillasaurus in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Alternate names Godzilla, Godzillasaur, Gojirasaurus,
Godzilla-Saurus,[1] Godzilla Saures,[2]
Dinosaur of Lagos Island[3]
Subtitle(s) Ancient Dinosaur
(古代恐竜,   Kodai Kyōryū)[4]
King of the Dinosaurs
(恐竜王,   Kyōryūō)[5]
Species Theropod dinosaur
Height 12 meters[4][6][note 1]
Weight 60 metric tons[4][6][note 2]
Forms Godzilla (irradiated form)
Enemies American Army and Navy, AnguirusKM
Created by Shinji Nishikawa, Kazuki Omori,
Tomoyuki Tanaka, Shogo Tomiyama
Played by Wataru Fukuda
First appearance Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Roar(s)
More roars
You don't know about this dinosaur, you don't know what it was like, but I certainly do. He is close by, and he watches over all of us. I'm not sure where he hides, but he can see us, and if we ever become helpless and desperate, the dinosaur will come back to us and save us from tragedy and disaster, just as it did before on that doomed World War II battlefield we once faced.
„ 

— Masukichi Ikehata (Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah)

Godzillasaurus (ゴジラザウルス,   Gojirazaurusu) is a fictional species of theropod dinosaur that first appeared in the 1991 Toho Godzilla film Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

In 1944, Japanese and American garrisons battling on Lagos Island during the Pacific War encountered a Godzillasaurus, which proceeded to attack and repel the American forces in order to defend its territory. The dinosaur later collapsed from injuries sustained in the battle, while the Japanese garrison paid their respects to the creature before departing. In a misguided attempt to erase Godzilla from history, a group of time travelers used the ship KIDS to teleport the wounded Godzillasaurus into the Bering Sea where they expected it would die far from nuclear testing. Decades later, a Soviet nuclear submarine crashed in the dinosaur's vicinity, the released radiation revitalizing it and transforming it into Godzilla. In 1994, a team of Japanese researchers recovered what seemed to be an intact Pteranodon egg from Adonoa Island and brought it back to Kyoto. To the scientists' surprise, the egg hatched into a Godzillasaurus, which was given the name BabyGodzilla. Professor Hiroshi Omae came to the conclusion Baby may have been a parasite egg laid in a Pteranodon nest by another Godzillasaurus. Baby was subsequently adopted by Godzilla, with prolonged exposure to his radiation gradually transforming him into another Godzilla.

Name

Godzillasaurus' name is a combination of "Godzilla" and the suffix -saurus, derived from the Greek saûros, meaning "lizard." As with Gorosaurus and Titanosaurus, the "saurus" part of Godzillasaurus' name uses the less common Japanese spelling ザウルス (zaurusu), using the voiced character ザ (za). Shinji Nishikawa's concept art for the creature, however, spells it as ゴジラサウルス (Gojirasaurusu).[7] Though the creature's official trademarked name is Godzillasaurus, some Japanese sources offer the alternate spellings of Godzilla-Saurus[1] and Godzilla Saures.[2] In Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, the Futurians refer to the Godzillasaurus on Lagos Island as the Dinosaur of Lagos Island (ラゴス島の恐竜,   Ragosutō no Kyōryū). In Omni Productions' English dub of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, BabyGodzilla is called a "Godzillasaur" rather than a Godzillasaurus.

Development

Concept art of the Godzillasaurus by Shinji Nishikawa

According to concept artist Shinji Nishikawa, Godzilla was originally written to be a Tyrannosaurus rex prior to being mutated in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.[7][8] Nishikawa prepared concept art of the dinosaur, but said that he couldn't accept the idea that Godzilla was mutated from a Tyrannosaurus.[8] Instead, he came up with the idea for the Godzillasaurus and submitted concept art of it to Toho, leading to its inclusion in the film.[8] At least one piece of concept art was also known to have been created by artist "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken. Godzillasaurus was portrayed by suit actor Wataru Fukuda, and his suit was created by Fuyuki Shinada and his company buildup Co., Ltd.[9] In addition to the suit, close-up models of the Godzillasaurus' flesh and the tip of his tail were also constructed. Originally, Fukuda was meant to portray King Ghidorah instead of the Godzillasaurus, but he was too small to wear the Ghidorah suit and was assigned to the smaller Godzillasaurus suit instead.[10]

An early draft for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II called for an opening sequence set in the Cretaceous Period which featured a battle between a Godzillasaurus and a Pteranodon, foreshadowing Godzilla's eventual encounter with Rodan. According to screenwriter Wataru Mimura, this scene was ultimately cut from the film for budgetary reasons.[11]

Design

The Godzillasaurus is different from other theropods because its posture is more upright like a human and it drags its tail on the ground, much like older theropod reconstructions. At 12 meters in height, it is much larger than any other theropod species, probably due to its erect posture. It has a smaller head than a real theropod, and has a double-row of teeth, much like a shark. The Godzillasaurus species is also different from other theropod dinosaurs due to the fact that it possesses a second, or "sacral", brain located in its hip to control lower body functions, like how Stegosaurus was mistaken to have had a second brain. Godzillasaurus is also shown to possess tear ducts when BabyGodzilla is seen crying when Azusa Gojo is forced to leave him behind.

Behavior

According to Godzilla.com, the official English-language Godzilla website, Godzillasaurus is omnivorous.[12] In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Professor Hiroshi Omae suggests that it is possible Godzillasauruses acted as brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other species, due to the presence of BabyGodzilla's egg in a Pteranodon nest.

History

Heisei era

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

Godzillasaurus in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

A Godzillasaurus lived on Lagos Island and was attacked by American soldiers during World War II. This was observed by some of the Futurians and a group of people from the present that had traveled back in time to remove Godzilla from history. The Godzillasaurus fought off the Americans, seemingly 'defending' a bastion of Japanese soldiers who were on the island at the time, but was gravely wounded after multiple naval ships bombarded it with shells and artillery. Badly injured, the Godzillasaurus fell to the ground. After the Japanese soldiers paid their respects and left, the Futurians transported the injured dinosaur to the Bering Sea. However, they failed to prevent Godzilla's creation, as a Soviet nuclear submarine accident in the Bering Sea provided the energy to turn the Godzillasaurus into Godzilla in this new timeline.


Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II through Godzilla vs. Destoroyah

Main article: Godzilla Junior.

Another Godzillasaurus, named BabyGodzilla, was found in Rodan's nest on Adonoa Island in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. This infant Godzillasaurus was raised by U.N.G.C.C. scientists and imprinted on a scientist named Azusa Gojo as its mother, but was adopted by Godzilla after Azusa was forced to part ways with him. BabyGodzilla lived with his new adopted father on Baas Island, where he was exposed to his radiation and mutated into LittleGodzilla. As a juvenile Godzilla, LittleGodzilla was already much larger than the seemingly adult Godzillasaurus found on Lagos Island. After living on the island for one year, LittleGodzilla was exposed to a massive dose of radiation when uranium deposits on Baas Island ignited and exploded, mutating him into a sub-adult Godzilla dubbed Godzilla Junior. Godzilla Junior attempted to return to his birthplace on Adonoa Island, but was lured to Tokyo so that Godzilla would follow and battle the monster Destoroyah. Eventually, Junior was killed by Destoroyah, and the grieving Godzilla fought and killed Destoroyah with the help of G-Force. When Godzilla died of a catastrophic meltdown in his heart, the radiation he released was absorbed by Junior, resurrecting him and transforming him into a new, adult Godzilla.

Abilities

Durability

Despite its relatively small size in comparison to other kaiju, the Godzillasaurus that would eventually become Godzilla displayed a high amount of strength and endurance. Small arms fire and even rocket launchers were unable to damage him, and only barrages from several battleships were the only things strong enough to draw blood and weaken it.

Telepathy

As is shown in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Godzillasauruses seem to be telepathic, as BabyGodzilla can contact his father and Rodan telepathically. Since at this point BabyGodzilla had not yet been mutated, it is possible that all Godzillasauruses naturally have this ability as a form of communication.

Amphibiousness

Godzilla Movie Studio Tour states that Godzillasaurus is capable of swimming out to sea in order to catch its prey. The Random House Godzilla novels written by Scott Ciencin describe Godzillasaurus as being adapted for underwater life and capable of handling the pressures of the deep ocean.

Energy absorption

In an ability exclusively seen in the 1992-1993 Godzilla, King of the Monsters manga, Godzillasaurus was shown to be able to absorb energy, an ability he seemingly retained from his existence as Godzilla prior to being devolved by the Time Warp Beam shot from KIDS. Godzillasaurus used this ability to absorb energy from the explosion of a gas line after Anguirus tried to crush him, causing the effects of the Time Warp Beam to wear off and return him to his normal form.

Books

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Godzilla's mutation from a Godzillasaurus was shown from his perspective. Living under the sea off the coast of a small island near Japan, the Godzillasaurus was a lonely creature looking for others of his kind. When traveling close to the surface, the explosion of an atomic test transformed him into a giant monster, ensuring that even if Godzilla found other dinosaurs, he would always be alone.

Comics

Godzilla, King of the Monsters

After Doctor Mad Oniyama, with the assistance of his 25th century descendant, revived Anguirus as an Ankylosaurus, he forcibly devolved Godzilla into a Godzillasaurus using KIDS. After Godzilla fought the Ankylosaurus and managed to gain the upper hand in spite of his exposure to and devolution from KIDS' Time Warp Beam, the two Oniyamas fired the Monster Evolution Accelerator from KIDS at the Ankylosaurus, mutating it into the much larger Anguirus. The un-mutated Godzilla seemingly stood no chance against Anguirus, who leapt into the air and crushed the Godzillasaurus beneath him. However, an explosion suddenly burst out of the ground; the force of the impact had driven Godzillasaurus into the ground and ruptured a gas line, which proceeded to explode. Godzillasaurus absorbed the energy from the explosion, which caused the effects of the Time Warp Beam to wear off, restoring Godzilla to his normal form.

Video games

Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)

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

Gallery

Main article: Godzillasaurus/Gallery.

Roar

Like many other monsters in the Heisei era, the Godzillasaurus' roar was reused from other kaiju: Rodan, extremely slowed down, and Gamera, slightly sped up, when he screams in agony.

Godzillasaurus' roars

In other languages

  • Serbian: Godzilasaurus / Годзиласаурус
  • Spanish: Godzillasaurio
  • Russian: Годзиллазавр
  • Portuguese: Godzillassauro

Trivia

Notes

  1. While virtually all sources agree on the Godzillasaurus' height of 12 meters, concept art for the creature created by "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken lists a height of "8 meters (or 12 meters)" with a chart showing him standing at 8 meters. Additionally, due to a misprinting, the Godzillasaurus is given the Dorats' height of 30 centimeters in the publication Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works (p. 226).
  2. Though generally accepted to weigh 60 metric tons, some sources give the Godzillasaurus a weight of just 8 metric tons, such as Godzilla Completely Deciphered (p. 107) and Shin Godzilla Walker: The New Legend of the King of the Monsters (p. 70). In concept art of the Godzillasaurus created by "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken, its weight is listed as 5 metric tons. Additionally, due to a misprinting, the Godzillasaurus is given the Dorats' weight of 800 grams in the publication Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works (p. 226).

References

This is a list of references for Godzillasaurus. 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. 1.0 1.1 Encyclopedia of Godzilla (Mechagodzilla Edition). Gakken. 10 December 1993. p. 110. ISBN 405600174X.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Monster Complete Works. Kodansha. 5 December 1991. p. 18. ISBN 4-06-177720-3.
  3. Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works. villagebooks. 28 September 2012. p. 226. ISBN 4-864-91013-8.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 80. ISBN 4-096-82090-3.
  5. Godzilla Giant Monsters Super Encyclopedia. Kodansha. 15 March 1994. p. 11. ISBN 4-06-304270-7.
  6. 6.0 6.1 J.D. Lees, Marc Cerasini (24 March 1998). The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. p. 128. ISBN 9780679888222.
    Compendium11.png
  7. 7.0 7.1 Shinji Nishikawa (9 June 2016). Shinji Nishikawa: Drawing Book of Godzilla. Yosensha. p. 26. ISBN 978-4800309594.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Milner, David. "Shinji Nishikawa Interview". Kaiju Conversations. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  9. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 20 June 1992. p. 59. ISBN 978-4-09-101428-3.
  10. Nishikawa, Shinji (1999). Japanese Special Effects Filmmakers Legend: Godzilla Madness. Kodansha. p. 58. ISBN 4-06-334265-4.
  11. Milner, David. "Wataru Mimura Interview". Kaiju Conversations. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  12. "Godzillasaurus". GODZILLA. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  13. Mirjahangir, Chris (10 March 2024). "Interview: Takashi Yamazaki (02/14/2024)". Toho Kingdom.

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