King Kong (King Kong vs. Godzilla)

King Kong Incarnations
← King Kong 1933	King Kong 1962	King Kong 1967 →

King Kong (1962) Alternate names Kong Subtitle(s) Great Strong Monster (大怪力怪獣,   Dai Kairiki Kaijū), Giant Devil (巨大なる魔神,   Kyodainaru Majin) Species Giant Ape Height 45 meters Weight 20,500 metric tons Enemies Giant Octopus, Godzilla Created by Merian C. Cooper, Willis O'Brien, Shinichi Sekizawa, Eiji Tsuburaya, Ishiro Honda Played by Shoichi Hirose First appearance King Kong vs. Godzilla Design(s) 1962 King Kong Roar(s) More roars

The King Kong (キングコング,   Kingu Kongu) from King Kong vs. Godzilla is an incarnation of King Kong that appeared in the 1962 Toho film, King Kong vs. Godzilla.

It is the first incarnation of Kong to appear in a film produced by Toho, followed by the Kong from King Kong Escapes.

Name

King Kong's name was conceived by the character's creator, Merian C. Cooper, after he read his friend Douglas Burden's account of traveling to the island of Komodo and encountering Komodo dragons there. In Burden's book, Dragon Lizards of Komodo, he referred to the animal as the "King of Komodo." Fond of hard-sounding words beginning with a "k" sound, Cooper was inspired by this phrase as well as "Congo" to give his giant ape creation the name of Kong. David O. Selznick eventually added "King" to the title of Cooper's film in order to prevent audiences from confusing it with a docudrama, as Cooper had previously produced multiple such films with one-word titles.

Whereas in the 1933 film Kong is never referred to by his full name of King Kong in dialogue, the 1962 Kong is almost exclusively referred to by his full name. His name is phonetically approximated in Japanese as Kingu Kongu (キングコング).

Appearance

The 1962 King Kong resembles a gigantic ape that stands upright like a human. The majority of Kong's body is covered in dark brown fur, with gray skin exposed on his face, pectoral muscles, hands and feet. Kong's head resembles that of a gorilla, with a large mouth lined with almost rounded teeth inside the lips, a short nose, relatively small eyes, and a sagittal crest on the top of his head. Kong's arms are longer than his legs, and he tends to hold them at his sides or suspend them above his head while walking, rather than knuckle-walk like most non-human apes.

In 1966, the suit was loaned to Tsuburaya Productions, where it was slightly modified and used to portray the giant monkey Goro in Ultra Q. The suit was returned to Toho the very next year for the film King Kong Escapes, where it was modified to resemble the 1967 King Kong suit and used to portray Kong in water scenes.

Personality

While still incredibly destructive and aggressive, Kong is portrayed as being somewhat more sympathetic than Godzilla. Kong seems to be mostly content living on Farou Island, staying behind the huge wall constructed by the islanders in exchange for the Farolacton juice and worship they provide him. Kong acts as an unintentional defender of the native populace as well, fending off the Giant Octopus when it comes ashore in the village. Kong takes an interest in the human woman Fumiko Sakurai, abducting her from a train while wandering through Tokyo and climbing with her to the top of the National Diet Building. Kong seems to be less aggressive than Godzilla, retreating promptly from their first battle and hiding from Godzilla for a large part of their second battle.

Origins

This Kong's origins are unclear. All that is known is that he is a gigantic ape that resides in the jungles of the remote Farou Island, living behind a huge wall constructed by the native humans. The humans worship Kong as their mighty god, and frequently pray to him and prepare offerings of Farolacton juice.

The American re-edit of King Kong vs. Godzilla suggests that Kong and the other creatures of Farou Island attained their gigantic size by consuming the berries indigenous to the island, called "Soma" in this version of the film. However, no such suggestion is made in the original Japanese version of the film, while the American version frequently contradicts the established canon of Toho's Godzilla films.

History

Showa Series

King Kong vs. Godzilla

King Kong in King Kong vs. Godzilla

King Kong was discovered by an expedition to Farou Island, which was sent there by Mr. Tako, marketing executive for Pacific Pharmaceuticals, in order to find a legendary monster worshiped by the natives. The expedition only heard Kong's roar from the mountains, but saw the beast himself when he battled a Giant Octopus that attacked a village on the island. After chasing the octopus off, Kong began to drink jugs of the Farolacton berry juice that the natives had prepared, and fell asleep. The expedition members had Kong tied to a raft and taken back to Japan to be used as publicity for the company, but their boat was stopped by the Japanese Coast Guard, who informed Tako that he would be liable for any damage caused by King Kong in Japan. Suddenly, Kong began to stir and try to break free of the raft. The crew members opened fire on the dynamite attached to the raft, causing it to explode. Kong emerged from the water unharmed, and swam to the Japanese mainland. Kong rampaged along the coastline until he encountered Godzilla in the wilderness. Kong tossed a boulder at Godzilla, who responded with a blast of his thermonuclear breath, which singed Kong's fur and set much of the forest ablaze. Kong scratched his head and walked away in defeat.

Later, Kong arrived in Tokyo and easily passed the electrical barrier that had been used to repel Godzilla earlier, actually drawing strength from the electrical currents. Kong smashed several buildings in his path and grabbed a train, and while looking inside was smitten with Fumiko Sakurai. Kong grabbed Fumiko and dropped the train, then climbed to the top of the National Diet Building. The JSDF surrounded the building and loaded rockets with the Soma berry juice while playing a recording of the Farou Islanders' chant, hoping to lull Kong back to sleep. After a few minutes, Kong fell unconscious and slid off the building, allowing the JSDF to rescue Fumiko. The JSDF then formed a desperate plan: bring Kong to Mount Fuji so he can fight Godzilla and the two monsters will destroy each other. Kong was tied to several large balloons with indestructible metal wire and carried to Mt. Fuji. Kong was dropped onto Godzilla, and the two titans resumed their battle. Godzilla again claimed the upper hand, eventually battering Kong into unconsciousness and razing him with his atomic breath. Luckily for Kong, a lightning storm passed over head and Kong was struck by lightning, re-energizing him and surging an electrical current through his body. Kong grabbed Godzilla's tail, electrocuting him with his touch, and the battle raged on, this time with both combatants on equal footing. The monsters fought across the Fuji wilderness until they reached a cliff, where they tackled each other into the ocean below, causing an earthquake. After the tremors settled, Kong emerged from the water, victorious, and began to swim back to his home on Farou Island.

Abilities

Strength

Kong swings Godzilla by his tail.

King Kong is incredibly strong, and demonstrates this by lifting and throwing objects such as boulders at his opponents. Kong's strength allows him to easily break down the huge wall that is meant to keep him out of the Farou Islanders' village. In his battle with the Giant Octopus, Kong pries the giant cephalopod off his face and throws it to the ground, forcing it to retreat. During his final battle with Godzilla, Kong grabs hold of Godzilla's tail and swings him through the air before releasing him. Kong's formidable strength is capable of overwhelming even Godzilla, as Kong is at one point able to pin Godzilla to the ground and relentlessly pummel him with his fists.

Intelligence

Kong uses a tree as an improvised weapon against Godzilla.

Being a primate, Kong is comparatively more intelligent than the reptilian Godzilla. Whereas Godzilla relies primarily on brute force in his encounters with Kong, Kong tends to use strategy and planning in combat. Early in the monsters' final battle, Kong runs away from Godzilla and hides behind a large rock, allowing him to attack Godzilla from behind when he passes by. Kong also makes use of environmental objects as potential weapons against his foes. Kong throws boulders at both Godzilla and the Giant Octopus, and even uses a tree as an improvised weapon against Godzilla, shoving it directly down his enemy's throat.

Additional scenes inserted into the American version of King Kong vs. Godzilla describe Kong as a "thinking animal," and estimate that his brain is approximately ten times larger than a normal gorilla's skull.

Durability

Kong is mostly unharmed after being directly blasted by Godzilla's atomic breath.

Kong is remarkably resistant to Godzilla's various attacks, in particular his atomic breath. While Godzilla's atomic breath has been shown being capable of melting metal and setting both entire city blocks and enemy monsters ablaze, Kong is able to withstand multiple direct blasts from it with no visible damage aside from singed fur. While Kong reacts to these blasts, he does not demonstrate severe pain and immediately resumes his attack. In addition, Kong withstands most of Godzilla's physical blows, although he is knocked unconscious after smashing his head on a boulder.

Electrical Powers

Kong discharges electricity from his hands to shock Godzilla.

Kong's most unique ability is his affinity for electricity. Not only is Kong immune to electricity, but he also derives power from it. When Kong reaches the high-tension wire barrier around Tokyo that was able to repel Godzilla, he simply bites down on the wires and absorbs the voltage. During his final battle with Godzilla, Kong is repeatedly struck by lightning, giving him a second wind and allowing him to turn the tide of battle against Godzilla. After being struck by lightning, Kong gained the ability to release electricity through his touch, which was especially effective against Godzilla given the latter's aversion to electricity.

Filmography

• King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Gallery

Main article: King Kong/Gallery.

Roar

The 1962 King Kong's roar would be recycled for the 1967 incarnation of the character as well, in addition to other kaiju such as Sanda and King Caesar.

King Kong's roars in the Showa series

Trivia

• This incarnation of Kong became the first American-made monster to battle Godzilla in a movie.
• The 1962 incarnation of King Kong was the inspiration for the version of the character featured in the Rankin/Bass and Toei anime series The King Kong Show, itself the basis for the film King Kong Escapes.
• This was the first incarnation of Kong to be depicted in color, as well as the first to not be killed onscreen. This Kong also held the distinction of being the first monster to ever defeat Godzilla.
• Following the success of King Kong vs. Godzilla, Toho considered producing a direct sequel pitting the two monsters against each other once again. This proposed film, simply known by the working title Continuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla, had a screenplay written by Shinichi Sekizawa before it was scrapped.
• A longstanding urban legend first published in the American magazine Spaceman in 1963 claims that Kong is only the victor in the American version of King Kong vs. Godzilla, while Godzilla was allegedly victorious in the original Japanese version. This claim is unfounded, as Kong emerges victorious in both versions of the film, while the actual differences between the endings of the two versions are minimal. Toho's 1963 international sales brochure makes it clear that Kong was intended to be the victor in the original version of the film, stating "A spectacular duel is arranged on the summit of Mt. Fuji, and King Kong is victorious." However, Tomoyuki Tanaka retroactively changed the outcome and officially stated the fight was a draw in the book "Definitive Edition Godzilla Introduction".
• It is sometimes mistakenly believed that this incarnation of King Kong reappeared in the 1967 film King Kong Escapes, which was also produced by Toho. This is not the case, as King Kong Escapes is set in a different continuity, and the version of Kong featured in the film is considerably smaller than the 1962 Kong.
• The suit used to portray this King Kong was reused by Tsuburaya Productions in an episode of the television series Ultra Q to portray the giant monkey Goro. The suit was given a new head and a tail was attached to it. The suit would later be employed to double for the new Kong suit for water scenes in King Kong Escapes.

Trivia

• The 1962 Kong is by far the largest incarnation of the character to date, standing 45 meters or approximately 148 feet tall, and weighing 25,000 metric tons.

Videos

Kaiju Profile: Toho King Kong

References

This is a list of references for King Kong (King Kong vs. Godzilla). 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]