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King Ghidorah can fly at speeds up to mach 4 by flapping his wings. King Ghidorah is very maneuverable while in the air, allowing him to evade and destroy several of the [[JSDF]]'s fighter jets.
King Ghidorah can fly at speeds up to mach 4 by flapping his wings. King Ghidorah is very maneuverable while in the air, allowing him to evade and destroy several of the [[JSDF]]'s fighter jets.
===Gravity Beams===
===Gravity Beams===
[[File:Ff3ewk.png|thumb|right|200px|King Ghidorah fires his gravity beams at Godzilla]]
The Heisei King Ghidorah retains the character's trademark yellow gravity beams that he fires from his mouths. The beams are extremely powerful, easily leveling city blocks and even causing [[Godzilla/Heisei|Godzilla]] visible pain.
The Heisei King Ghidorah retains the character's trademark yellow gravity beams that he fires from his mouths. The beams are extremely powerful, easily leveling city blocks and even causing [[Godzilla/Heisei|Godzilla]] visible pain.
{{Clear}}
===Wings===
===Wings===
King Ghidorah can produce powerful hurricane-force winds by flapping his wings. He can also use his wings like a defensive shield to block Godzilla's atomic breath.
King Ghidorah can produce powerful hurricane-force winds by flapping his wings. He can also use his wings like a defensive shield to block Godzilla's atomic breath.

Revision as of 20:39, 7 July 2017

King Ghidorah Incarnations
← Showa King Ghidorah
Heisei King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah 1998 →
King Ghidorah® (Heisei) trademark icon
King Ghidorah® (Heisei)
King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Alternate names King Ghidora, KingGhidora
Subtitle(s) Super Dragon Monster
(超ドラゴン怪獣,   Chō Doragon Kaijū)[1]
Species Mutated Dorats
Height 140-150 meters[2]
Wingspan 150-175 meters[2]
Weight 70,000 metric tons[2]
Forms Dorats,
Mecha-King Ghidorah
Controlled by Futurians
Relations Futurians (creators)
Allies None
Enemies Godzilla
Created by Ishiro Honda, Tomoyuki Tanaka,
Shinichi Sekizawa, Eiji Tsuburaya,
Kazuki Omori, Shinji Nishikawa,
Koichi Kawakita
Played by Hurricane Ryu Hariken
First appearance Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Latest appearance Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Design(s) HeiseiGhido
Roar(s)
More roars
This article covers the King Ghidorah that appeared in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. For the revived cybernetic form of this King Ghidorah, see Mecha-King Ghidorah, or for the King Ghidorah from Rebirth of Mothra III, see King Ghidorah/Rebirth of Mothra III.
“
Godzilla has disappeared, and now King Ghidorah has taken his place.
„ 

— Wilson (Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah)

The Heisei King Ghidorah (キングギドラ,   Kingu Gidora) is an incarnation of King Ghidorah that appeared in the 1991 Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

Standing at either 140 or 150 meters tall, the Heisei King Ghidorah is the tallest incarnation of King Ghidorah, as well as the tallest monster ever to appear in a Godzilla film.

Name

King Ghidorah's name is composed of "King" (キング,   Kingu) and "Ghidorah." The "Ghidorah" part of King Ghidorah's name comes from the Japanese word for "hydra" (ヒドラ,   Hidora), which is spelled very similarly to the Japanese katakana for Ghidorah.

The Heisei King Ghidorah is designated in official books as Super Dragon Monster King Ghidorah (超ドラゴン怪獣キングギドラ,   Chō Doragon Kaijū Kingu Gidora). It is also sometimes referred to as Living Ghidorah (生ギドラ,   Nama Gidora), to contrast the cybernetic Mecha-King Ghidorah. From right to left, King Ghidorah's heads were nicknamed Ichiro (一郎,   Ichirō), Jiro (二郎,   Jirō) and Saburo (三郎,   Saburō) by the film's staff to distinguish between them.

Initially, Toho' international department gave this incarnation of King Ghidorah the English name "KingGhidora," though this would later be corrected to the monster's official English name. When TriStar released Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah on VHS in the United States, it spelled his name as "King Ghidora" on the cover.

Appearance

Main article: HeiseiGhido.

The Heisei King Ghidorah very closely resembles the Showa incarnation of the monster, being a giant bipedal, gold-colored three-headed dragon with two tails. The most noticeable physical difference between the Showa and Heisei King Ghidorahs is their heads. The Heisei King Ghidorah's heads are adorned with a set of straighter, devil-like horns running down their sides, instead of the single pair of curved horns and crescent sported by the Showa King Ghidorah. The Heisei King Ghidorah additionally lacks the manes of hair on his heads that the Showa version possessed. The Heisei King Ghidorah also stands straighter than the Showa King Ghidorah, without leaning forward as much. The Heisei King Ghidorah's eyes are red and reptilian.

Personality

The Heisei King Ghidorah is incredibly violent and destructive, but is completely under the control of the Futurians, who are commanding him to destroy Japan. When the Futurians' mind control is severed, he attacks Godzilla under his own free will, though this may only be in self-defense. King Ghidorah attempts to retreat shortly after Godzilla severs his middle head.

Origins

King Ghidorah is part of a scheme by a group of time traveling terrorists from the year 2204, dubbed the Futurians, to destroy Japan in the past and prevent it from becoming a global superpower in the future. The Futurians traveled back to Lagos Island in the year 1944 and left behind three genetically-engineered creatures called Dorats. In 1954, the Dorats were exposed to the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test conducted at nearby Bikini Atoll, which mutated and merged them together into King Ghidorah. The Futurians then took control of King Ghidorah in the year 1992, directing him to destroy the major cities of Japan.

According to both the novelization of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and an earlier script, the Dorats were engineered using DNA recovered from the corpse of another King Ghidorah found on the surface of Venus. While this is never addressed or alluded to in the film itself, it raises the possibility that if this scenario applies to the film, King Ghidorah is actually an alien creature like the Showa incarnation, and the monster featured in the film is a clone of him.

History

Heisei Series

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

Planning to destroy Japan in the past and prevent it from becoming a corrupt economic superpower by the 23rd century, a group of time-traveling terrorists known as the Futurians traveled to 1992 Japan and claimed that Godzilla would return to destroy Japan in the near future, rendering the nation uninhabitable in the future. The Futurians assembled a team of Japanese citizens and traveled to Lagos Island in 1944, where it was believed a Godzillasaurus would later be exposed to the Castle Bravo H-bomb test conducted at nearby Bikini Atoll in 1954 and transform into Godzilla. The Futurians teleported the Godzillasaurus to the Bering Sea, where they believed it would die, and in its place secretly left behind three genetically-engineered creatures called Dorats. In 1954, the Dorats were exposed to the H-bomb test and merged together into King Ghidorah, who was taken control of by the Futurians in 1992 and unleashed against Japan.

King Ghidorah first attacked Fukuoka, tearing the metropolis apart with his gravity beams. The Futurians demanded that the Japanese government surrender to them and follow their demands for rebuilding the country. The government, unwilling to comply, sent a nuclear submarine owned by a private corporation to the Bering Sea, believing the Godzillasaurus was still dormant there and could be transformed into a new Godzilla by the sub's torpedos. Instead, the sub was intercepted en route by Godzilla, who was never actually erased from the timeline in the first place. Godzilla fed on the submarine's radiation, curing his Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria infection and causing him to grow to 100 meters in height. Godzilla came ashore in Hokkaido, much to the Futurians' irritation. The Futurians sent King Ghidorah to kill Godzilla, and the two titans battled near Hokkaido. King Ghidorah seemed to have the upper hand, until Emmy Kano and her android M11, defectors from the Futurians, assaulted their comrades' ship MOTHER and destroyed the computer controlling King Ghidorah. King Ghidorah was stunned, allowing Godzilla to knock him to the ground and sever his central head with his spiral breath. Emmy used MOTHER's subship KIDS to teleport MOTHER in front of Godzilla, who promptly destroyed it with his atomic breath. King Ghidorah tried to fly away, but Godzilla blasted out his wings with his atomic breath and caused him to fall into the North Sea. The empowered Godzilla began a new rampage across Japan, leaving the nation helpless. Emmy believed that King Ghidorah could be revived with technology from her time so long as his corpse was preserved by the cold water, and traveled back to 2204 in KIDS.

Mecha-King Ghidorah
Mecha-King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

When Emmy discovered King Ghidorah's comatose body in 2204, she outfitted the beast with cybernetic enhancements, including a mechanical central head, metal wings and a metal chest containing electrical capture cables and a machine hand. Emmy and M11 took control of the new Mecha-King Ghidorah (メカキングギドラ,   Meka Kingu Gidora) and traveled back to 1992 Tokyo, where Godzilla had reached the heart of the city. Mecha-King Ghidorah attacked Godzilla with its advanced new weapons, subduing him with its capture cables and machine hand. Mecha-King Ghidorah flew out over the sea with Godzilla, only for him to blast out Mecha-King Ghidorah's wings and send them both plummeting into the ocean. Emmy and M11 escaped the mech inside of KIDS and teleported back to 2204, leaving Godzilla defeated, but still very much alive.

Abilities

Flight

King Ghidorah can fly at speeds up to mach 4 by flapping his wings. King Ghidorah is very maneuverable while in the air, allowing him to evade and destroy several of the JSDF's fighter jets.

Gravity Beams

King Ghidorah fires his gravity beams at Godzilla

The Heisei King Ghidorah retains the character's trademark yellow gravity beams that he fires from his mouths. The beams are extremely powerful, easily leveling city blocks and even causing Godzilla visible pain.

Wings

King Ghidorah can produce powerful hurricane-force winds by flapping his wings. He can also use his wings like a defensive shield to block Godzilla's atomic breath.

Constricting Necks

King Ghidorah strangles Godzilla with his necks in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

King Ghidorah constricts his necks around Godzilla in an attempt to strangle him, causing him to foam at the mouth.

Durability

King Ghidorah is highly durable and resistant to damage. He is immune to conventional weaponry, and even withstands point-blank blasts from Godzilla's atomic breath. Later in the film, he survives having his middle head decapitated and his wings shredded, and remains alive but comatose for over 200 years laying on the sea floor.

Weaknesses

Though King Ghidorah can withstand Godzilla's atomic breath, a direct hit to the front of his middle neck easily severs it. Godzilla's atomic breath also shreds King Ghidorah's wings while he is trying to fly away, causing him to plummet into the sea below. King Ghidorah is vulnerable to Godzilla's nuclear pulse, which he uses to break free when King Ghidorah is strangling him with his necks. When the computer the Futurians use to control him is destroyed, King Ghidorah is briefly left confused and vulnerable, which allows Godzilla to gain the upper hand against him.

Filmography

Video Games

Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)

King Ghidorah in Godzilla

The Heisei incarnation of King Ghidorah appears in both the PlayStation 3 and 4 versions of Godzilla. Though he possesses the design, roar and abilities of the Heisei King Ghidorah, he is said to be an evil alien monster, like his Showa and 1998 incarnations. King Ghidorah appears as a boss on multiple levels, and an ending boss on the final level of some paths. King Ghidorah is one of the most powerful kaiju in the game. He attacks using his gravity beams, flying kick and melee attacks. He will approach Godzilla quickly by flying through the air and firing his gravity beams. He is a playable character in the PS4 version, which also features Mecha-King Ghidorah.

Moveset

  • Square
    • One tap: Pincer Bite
    • Two taps: Three Headed Bite
    • One tap (Mid Air): Bite Kick
  • Triangle
    • Tap: Three Headed Attack
    • Tap (Mid Air): Rotation Attack
  • X
    • Tap: Jump
    • Hold: Fly
    • Tap (Mid Air): Land
  • Circle
    • Tap: Gravity Beam
    • Down + Tap: Wind Gust
    • Roar + Tap: Triple Discharge
  • R2
    • Tap: Windstorm

Kaiju Guide

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

Gallery

Main article: HeiseiGhido.

Roar

For Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Toho decided to give King Ghidorah a new roar rather than reuse his cackling roar from the Showa series. For King Ghidorah's new roar, Toho modified Rodan's roar to sound more dragon-like and metallic by multi-tuning it in both high and low pitches. This version of King Ghidorah's roar was modified and reused for his incarnation in Rebirth of Mothra III.

King Ghidorah's roars in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

Trivia

  • King Ghidorah was the first kaiju from the Showa series aside from Godzilla to be reintroduced in the Heisei series.
  • The Heisei King Ghidorah's new origin as the fusion of three genetically-engineered creatures was due to the fact that the film's director, Kazuki Omori, reportedly did not want King Ghidorah to be a space monster again. However, the film's novelization explains that the Dorats were genetically engineered from DNA recovered from the corpse of another King Ghidorah found on Venus. Toho planned to produce a direct sequel to the film where Godzilla was to battle another King Ghidorah from outer space called The Return of King Ghidorah, but opted to produce Godzilla vs. Mothra instead.
  • Stock footage of King Ghidorah from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah was to be included as part of a training simulation in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, but the scene was cut.
  • The Heisei King Ghidorah's design has become a very popular design for the character in non-film media, and has been frequently utilized to represent him in video games and comic books. Oftentimes, this design will still be used for King Ghidorah even if he is depicted as a space monster like the Showa incarnation.
  • Early designs for the Heisei King Ghidorah closely resembled his Showa counterpart. According to designer Shinji Nishikawa, the manes of hair on King Ghidorah's heads were removed because it proved too difficult for the special effects staff to superimpose every individual hair over footage of people fleeing.[3]

References

This is a list of references for King Ghidorah (Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah). 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. ↑ Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 81. ISBN 4-096-82090-3. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 J.D. Lees and Marc Cerasini (1998). The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. p. 132-133. ISBN 0279888225 Check |isbn= value: checksum (help). Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ↑ David Milner, "Shinji Nishikawa Interview", Kaiju Conversations (December 1995)
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Kaiju
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Ghidorah


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