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{{Kaiju Infobox|info-name=yes|info-phys=yes|info-affil=yes|info-real=yes|info-misc=yes
{{Kaiju Infobox|info-name=yes|info-phys=yes|info-affil=yes|info-real=yes|info-misc=yes
|type1            =Brown
|type1            =Gold
|type2            =Orange
|type2            =Dark
|copyrighticon    =Monster Icons - Mothra.png
|copyrighticon    =Monster Icons - Mothra.png
|altimage        =<tabs style="color:black; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">
|image            =GSP Mothra.png
<tab name="Imago">[[File:MonsterVerse Mosu in Flight.png|330px|Mothra Imago in Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]</tab>
|caption          =Mothra in Godzilla Singular Point
<tab name="Larva">[[File:Mothra MonsterVerse Larva.png|330px|Mothra Larva in Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]</tab>
|name            =Mothra{{tt|®|Mothra and モスラ are registered trademarks of Toho Company, Ltd.}}
</tabs>
|subtitle        =Giant Moth {{small|{{Nihongo|巨蛾|Kyoga}}}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]-[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|MvG]], [[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS|GMMG]]}}<ref name="CKofG-Showa-Mill">{{cite book|title=[[Common Knowledge of Godzilla]]|date=6 July 2014|publisher=Futabasha|pages=29, 33, 43, 51, 89, 123, 143|isbn=978-4-575-30696-5}}</ref><br>Giant Supersonic Moth<br>{{Nihongo|超音速巨蛾|Chōonsoku Kyoga}}{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]}}<ref name="TSEAMEncyclopedia2">{{cite book|title=[[Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia]]|date=23 July 2014|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=34|isbn=4-096-82090-3}}</ref><br>God of the Sea<br>{{Nihongo|海の神|Umi no Gami}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}}<ref name="GTGMPBook">{{cite book|title=[[Godzilla Toho Giant Monster Pictorial Book|ゴジラ東宝大怪獣図鑑]]|date=1 April 2005|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=92|isbn=4-09-280052-5}}</ref><br>Giant Moth Monster<br>{{Nihongo|巨大蛾怪獣|Kyodai Ga Kaijū}}{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]-[[Godzilla Final Wars|GFW]]}}<ref name="TSEAMEncyclopedia">{{cite book|title=[[Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia]]|date=23 July 2014|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=98|isbn=4-096-82090-3}}</ref><br>Queen of the Monsters{{Sup|[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters|GKotM]]}}<ref name="Monarch Cryptid Profile">[[File:Mothra Monarch Sciences.png|100px]]</ref><br>Supersonic Queen<br>{{Nihongo|超音速女王|Chōonsoku Jōo}}{{sup|[[Magic: The Gathering|MTG]]}}
|name            =Mothra{{tt|®|Mothra is a registered Trademark of Toho Company Ltd.}}
|subtitle        =Giant Moth {{Nihongo|巨蛾|Kyoga}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]-[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|MvG]], [[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|GMMG]]}}<ref name="CKofG-Showa-Mill">{{cite book|title=[[Common Knowledge of Godzilla]]|date=6 July [[2014]]|publisher=Futabasha|pages=29, 33, 43, 51, 89, 123, 143|isbn=978-4-575-30696-5}}</ref><br>Supersonic Giant Moth<br>{{Nihongo|超音速巨蛾|Chō Onsoku Kyoga}}{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]}}<ref name="TSEAMEncyclopedia2">{{cite book|title=[[Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia]]|date=23 July [[2014]]|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=34|isbn=4-096-82090-3}}</ref><br>God of the Sea<br>{{Nihongo|海の神|Umi no Gami}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}}<ref name="GTGMPBook">{{cite book|title=[[Godzilla Toho Giant Monster Pictorial Book|ゴジラ東宝大怪獣図鑑]]|date=1 April [[2005]]|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=92|isbn=4-09-280052-5}}</ref><br>Giant Moth Monster<br>{{Nihongo|巨大蛾怪獣|Kyodai Ga Kaijū}}{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]-[[Godzilla: Final Wars|GFW]]}}<ref name="TSEAMEncyclopedia">{{cite book|title=[[Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia]]|date=23 July [[2014]]|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=98|isbn=4-096-82090-3}}</ref><br>Queen of the Monsters{{Sup|[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters|G:KotM]]}}<ref name="Monarch Cryptid Profile">[[File:Mothra Monarch Sciences.png|100px]]</ref>


|species          =Giant divine moth
|species          =Giant divine moth


|nicknames        =Mosura, The Thing, Mosla,<ref name="Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works">''[[Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works]]''. Mothra; Pages 54-57.</ref><br>Mosura-San,{{sup|[[Get Going! Godzilland|GZL]]}}<br>The Queen of Monsters,{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]}}<ref name="Mothra Soundtrack">[[File:Mothra Original Soundtrack.jpg|150px]]</ref><ref name="Mothra VHS">[[File:Mothra The Queen of Monsters VHS.jpg|150px]]</ref><ref name="Mothra LD">[[File:Mothra The Queen of Monsters LD.jpg|150px]]</ref><br>[[Houtua]]'s God,{{sup|[[Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle|G:CotEoB]]-[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater|G:TPE]]}}<br>The Egg,{{sup|[[Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle|G:CotEoB]]-[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater|G:TPE]]}} Butterfly{{sup|[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater|G:TPE]]}}
|nicknames        =Mosla,<ref name="Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works">''[[Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works]]''. Mothra; Pages 54-57.</ref> The Thing, Mrs. Mothra,{{sup|[[Get Going! Godzilland|GZL]]}}<br>The Queen of Monsters,{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]}}<ref name="Mothra Soundtrack">[[File:Mothra Original Soundtrack.jpg|150px]]</ref><ref name="Mothra VHS">[[File:Mothra The Queen of Monsters VHS.jpg|150px]]</ref><ref name="Mothra LD">[[File:Mothra The Queen of Monsters LD.jpg|150px]]</ref><br>[[Houtua]]'s God,{{sup|[[GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle|GCotEoB]]-[[GODZILLA: The Planet Eater|GTPE]]}}<br>The Egg,{{sup|[[GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle|GCotEoB]]-[[GODZILLA: The Planet Eater|GTPE]]}} butterfly{{sup|[[GODZILLA: The Planet Eater|GTPE]]}}


|height          ='''[[MonsterVerse]]:''' {{tt|15.8 meters|52 feet}}<ref name="Monarch">[http://www.monarchsciences.com/ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences]<br>[[File:TITANUS MOSURA - Monarch Sciences.png|100px]]</ref><ref name="Japanese stats">[[File:MonsterVerse Mothra Japanese stats.jpg|150px]]</ref>
|height          ='''[[Monsterverse]]''': {{tt|15.8 meters|52 feet}}<ref name="Monarch">[http://www.monarchsciences.com/ "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences]<br>[[File:TITANUS MOSURA - Monarch Sciences.png|100px]]</ref><ref name="Japanese stats">[[File:MonsterVerse Mothra Japanese stats.jpg|150px]]</ref>


|length          ={{ishowa}}{{small|180 meters {{Small|(Larva)}}}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]}},<ref name="GCompletelyDeciphered">{{cite book|title=[[Godzilla Completely Deciphered]]|date=26 June 2014|publisher=Takarajimasha|page=88|isbn=4800228964}}</ref><ref name="GodzillaCompendium">{{cite book|title=[[The Official Godzilla Compendium]]|author=J.D. Lees, Marc Cerasini|date=24 March [[1998]]|publisher= [[Random House]]|page=136|isbn=0279888225}}<br>[[File:Compendium26.png|150px]]</ref><br>80 meters {{Small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]}},<ref name="GCompletelyDeciphered"/><br>40 meters {{small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]-[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster|GTTHM]]}},<ref name="GCompletelyDeciphered"/><br>65 meters {{small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]-[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep|EHoD]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>40 meters {{Small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Destroy All Monsters|DAM]]}}<br>{{iheisei}}120 meters {{Small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>65 meters {{small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>25 meters {{small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]}}<br>{{imill}}30 meters {{Small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>24 meters {{Small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>43 meters {{small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|GMMG]]}},<br>36 meters {{Small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|GMMG]]}},<br>72 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla: Final Wars|GFW]]}}
|length          ={{ishowa}}180 meters {{small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]}},<ref name="GCompletelyDeciphered">{{cite book|title=[[Godzilla Completely Deciphered]]|date=26 June 2014|publisher=Takarajimasha|page=88|isbn=4800228964}}</ref><ref name="GodzillaCompendium">{{cite book|title=[[The Official Godzilla Compendium]]|author=J.D. Lees, Marc Cerasini|date=24 March 1998|publisher= [[Random House]]|page=136|isbn=0279888225}}<br>[[File:Compendium26.png|150px]]</ref><br><!--


|weight          ={{ishowa}}{{small|15,000 metric tons {{small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]}},<ref name="CKofG p142">[[Common Knowledge of Godzilla|ゴジラの常識]]. Page 142.</ref>}}<br>15,000 metric tons {{Small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]}},<ref name="GCompletelyDeciphered"/><br>{{small|10,000 metric tons {{Small|(Larva)}}}}{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]-[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep|EHoD]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>15,000 metric tons{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]-[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep|EHoD]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>8,000 metric tons{{sup|[[Destroy All Monsters|DAM]]}}<br>{{iheisei}}{{small|15,000 metric tons}} {{Small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>{{small|20,000 metric tons}} {{small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>{{small|6,000 metric tons (Imago)}}{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]}}<br>{{imill}}{{small|10,000 metric tons}} {{small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>15,000 metric tons {{small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>9,000 metric tons {{Small|(Larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|GMMG]]}},<br>12,000 metric tons {{small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|GMMG]]}},<br>25,000 metric tons {{small|(Imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Final Wars|GFW]]}}
-->80 meters {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]-[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]}},<ref name="GCompletelyDeciphered"/><ref name="ImagoLengthInconsistent" group="note">The first generation imago from ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' is sometimes inconsistently listed as being 65 meters or 135 meters long despite being the same individual as the 80 meter long imago from ''Mothra''.</ref><br><!--


|wingspan        ={{ishowa}}250 meters{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]}}<ref name="GCompletelyDeciphered"/>,<br>135 meters{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]-[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep|GvSM]]}}<br>{{iheisei}}175 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}}, 50 meters{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]}}<br>{{imill}}75 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>108 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|GMMG]]}}, 216 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla: Final Wars|GFW]]}}<br>'''[[MonsterVerse]]:''' {{tt|244.8 meters|803 feet}}<ref name="Monarch"/><ref name="Japanese stats"/>
-->40 meters {{small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]-[[Destroy All Monsters|DAM]]}},<ref name="GCompletelyDeciphered"/><ref name="GtTHMprogram">''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' [[theater programs|theater program]]. 1964. p. 10.</ref><ref name="LarvaLengthInconsistent" group="note">Media contemporary to ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' applies Mothra's original 180 meter length to the second generation larvae. However, this is corrected to just 40 meters by the ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'' theater program and numerous other subsequent sources. Other inconsistent figures include 53 meters and 150 meters. Sources contemporary to ''Destroy All Monsters'' are unclear on the length of the third generation larva, stating it to be "40~100 meters." It may be assumed that this larva retains the same 40 meter length as the second generation larvae, however, as is supported by numerous subsequent sources.</ref><br><!--


|forms            =Larval Stage, Imago Stage,<br>Fire Mothra{{sup|[[Godzilla: Final Wars|GFW]]}}
-->65 meters {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep|EHotD]]}}<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><ref name="ImagoLengthInconsistent2" group="note">The second generation imago from ''Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'' is sometimes erroneously given the first generation imago's length of 80 meters, including in the film's theater program. This is corrected to 65 meters by later sources, however, being more accurately proportional to this incarnation's 40 meter imago length and 135 meter wingspan.</ref><br><!--


|allies          =[[Shobijin]], [[Godzilla|{{tt|Godzilla|Whenever he's a hero}}]],<br> [[Rodan]], [[Anguirus]], [[Varan]], [[Gorosaurus]], [[Baragon]], [[Kumonga]], [[Manda]], [[Minilla]], [[Battra|{{tt|Battra|Only at the end of Godzilla vs. Mothra}}]], [[Fairy Mothra]], [[King Ghidorah]]{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}}, [[Mechagodzilla/Heisei|Mechagodzilla]], [[MOGUERA]], [[Kiryu]], [[Biollante]], [[Kamacuras]], [[Gojirin]]
-->{{iheisei}}120 meters {{Small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>65 meters {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>25 meters {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]}}<br>{{imill}}30 meters {{Small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>24 meters {{Small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>43 meters {{small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS|GMMG]]}},<br>36 meters {{Small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS|GMMG]]}},<br>72 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla Final Wars|GFW]]}}


|enemies          =[[King Ghidorah]], [[Gigan]], [[Battra]], [[Godzilla|{{tt|Godzilla|Whenever he's a villain}}]], [[Megalon]], [[Destoroyah]], [[Hedorah]], [[Desghidorah]], [[Monster X]], [[Megaguirus]], [[Meganulon]], [[Rodan]]{{sup|[[Godzilla: Oblivion|Obliv]], [[Godzilla: King of the Monsters|GKotM]]}}
|weight          ={{ishowa}}<br>15,000 metric tons {{small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]}},<ref name="CKofG">{{cite book|title=[[Common Knowledge of Godzilla]]|date=6 July 2014|publisher=Futabasha|page=142|isbn=978-4-575-30696-5}}</ref><ref name="LarvaWeightInconsistent" group="note">The first generation larva's weight is variably listed as 8,000, 12,000, 15,000, or 20,000 metric tons.</ref><br><!--


|relationships    =[[Mothra Leo]] {{Small|(son)}},<br>Baby Mothra {{small|(daughter)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla Island (Series)|GI]]}},<br>[[Battra]] {{Small|(counterpart)}},<br>[[Primitive Mothra]] {{Small|(ancestor)}},<br>[[Godzilla/Legendary|Godzilla]] {{Small|(symbiont)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters|GKotM]]}}
-->{{small|20,000 metric tons {{Small|(imago)}}}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]-[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><ref name="ImagoWeightInconsistent" group="note">The first generation imago's weight is variably listed as 10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 metric tons.</ref><br><!--


|controlled      =[[Kilaaks]]{{Sup|[[Destroy All Monsters|DAM]]}}
-->{{small|10,000 metric tons {{Small|(larva)}}}}{{sup|[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]-[[Destroy All Monsters|DAM]]}},<ref name="GtTHMprogram"/><ref name="LarvaWeightInconsistent2" group="note">The second generation larvae are sometimes erroneously given the first generation larva's weight of 15,000 metric tons. Other inconsistent figures include 3,000 and 8,000 metric tons. However, the theater program for ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'' provides the accurate measurement of 10,000 metric tons, scaling more reasonably with this larva's 40 meter length. Sources also disagree on the third generation larva's weight, with measurements ranging from 8,000 to 15,000 metric tons. However, it can be assumed that this larva weighs the same as the second generation version, due to possessing the same length measurement.</ref><br><!--


|portrayed        =Puppets, [[Haruo Nakajima]] {{Small|(Larva 1961)}}, [[Kazue Ikura]] {{small|(Voice, imago)}}{{sup|[[Get Going! Godzilland|GZL]]}},<br>[[Sakurako Kishiro]] {{small|(Voice, larva)}}{{sup|[[Get Going! Godzilland|GZL]]}}
-->15,000 metric tons {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep|EHoD]]}}<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br><!--
 
-->{{iheisei}}{{small|15,000 metric tons}} {{Small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>{{small|20,000 metric tons}} {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}},<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><br>{{small|6,000 metric tons (imago)}}{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]}}<br>{{imill}}{{small|10,000 metric tons}} {{small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>15,000 metric tons {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>9,000 metric tons {{Small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS|GMMG]]}},<br>12,000 metric tons {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS|GMMG]]}},<br>25,000 metric tons {{small|(imago)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla Final Wars|GFW]]}}
 
|wingspan        ={{ishowa}}250 meters{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]-[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|MvG]]}},<ref name="MvGprogram">''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' [[theater programs|theater program]]. 1964.</ref><ref name="InconsistentWingspan" group="note">Numerous sources give the imago from ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' a wingspan of 135 meters despite being the same individual as the 250 meter imago from ''Mothra'', likely due to her apparent size difference when compared to Godzilla. However, media contemporary to both ''Mothra'' and ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'', such as the films' theater programs, agree on a 250 meter measurement.</ref><br><!--
 
-->135 meters{{sup|[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep|EHotD]]}}<ref name="GodzillaCompendium"/><ref name="InconsistentWingspan2" group="note">The second generation imago from ''Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'' is sometimes erroneously given the first generation imago's wingspan of 250 meters, including in the film's theater program. This is corrected to 135 meters in later sources, being more accurately proportional to this incarnation's 40 meter larva length and 65 meter imago length.</ref><br><!--
 
-->{{iheisei}}175 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|GvM]]}}, 50 meters{{sup|[[Rebirth of Mothra|RoM]]}}<br>{{imill}}75 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}},<br>108 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS|GMMG]]}}, 216 meters{{sup|[[Godzilla Final Wars|GFW]]}}<br>'''[[Monsterverse]]''': {{tt|244.8 meters|803 feet}}<ref name="Monarch"/><ref name="Japanese stats"/>
 
|forms            =Larval stage, imago stage,<br>Fire Mothra{{sup|[[Godzilla Final Wars|GFW]]}}
 
|allies          =[[Shobijin]], [[Godzilla|{{tt|Godzilla|Whenever he's a hero}}]],<br> [[Rodan]], [[Anguirus]], [[Varan]], [[Gorosaurus]], [[Baragon]], [[Kumonga]], [[Manda]], [[Minilla]], [[Battra|{{tt|Battra|Only at the end of Godzilla vs. Mothra}}]], [[Fairy Mothra]], [[King Ghidorah]]{{sup|[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]}}, [[Mechagodzilla (Heisei)|Mechagodzilla]], [[Moguera|MOGUERA]], [[Kiryu]], [[Biollante]], [[Kamacuras]], [[Gojirin]]
 
|enemies          =[[King Ghidorah]], [[Gigan]], [[Battra]], [[Godzilla|{{tt|Godzilla|Whenever he's a villain}}]], [[Megalon]], [[Destoroyah]], [[Hedorah]], [[Desghidorah]], [[Monster X]], [[Megaguirus]], [[Meganulon]], [[Rodan]]{{sup|[[Godzilla: Oblivion|Obliv]], [[Godzilla: King of the Monsters|GKotM]]}}, [[Bagan]]
 
|relationships    =[[Mothra Leo]] {{Small|(son)}}, {{small|Baby Mothra {{small|(daughter)}}}}{{sup|[[Godzilla Island (series)|GI]]}},<br>{{small|[[Battra]] {{Small|(counterpart)}}, [[Primitive Mothra]] {{Small|(ancestor)}}}},<br>[[Godzilla (Monsterverse)|Godzilla]] {{Small|(symbiont)}}{{sup|[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters|GKotM]]}}
 
|controlled      =[[Kilaak]]s{{Sup|[[Destroy All Monsters|DAM]]}}
 
|portrayed        =Puppets, [[Haruo Nakajima]] {{Small|(larva)}}{{sup|[[Mothra (film)|MOT]]}}, [[Kazue Ikura]] {{small|(voice, imago)}}{{sup|[[Get Going! Godzilland|GZL]]}},<br>[[Sakurako Kishiro]] {{small|(voice, larva)}}{{sup|[[Get Going! Godzilland|GZL]]}}


|debut            =''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]''
|debut            =''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]''
|last            =''[[Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire|Godzilla x Kong:<br>The New Empire]]''


|last            =''[[Godziban]]''
|roar            ='''Larva (1961)''':[[File:Mothra (1961) Roar 01.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''Larva''':[[File:Mothra_Roars_Showa.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]{{Ishowa}}[[File:Showa Mothra SFX.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Heisei era|Heisei]], [[Reiwa era|Reiwa]]''':[[File:Heisei Mothra SFX.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|2001]]''':[[File:GMK Mothra SFX.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''Larva (2003)''':[[File:Mothra Larva (2003) Roar.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS|2003]]''':[[File:Mothra_Roars_Tokyo_SOS.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Godzilla Final Wars|2004]]''':[[File:GFW Mothra SFX.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Monsterverse]]''':[[File:MonsterVerse Mothra roar.ogg|180px|center|nicon]]
 
|roar            ='''Larva (1961):'''[[File:Mothra (1961) Roar 01.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''Larva:'''[[File:Mothra_Roars_Showa.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]{{Ishowa}}[[File:Showa Mothra SFX.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Heisei era|Heisei]], [[Reiwa era|Reiwa]]:'''[[File:Heisei Mothra SFX.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|2001]]'''[[File:GMK Mothra SFX.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''Larva (2003):'''[[File:Mothra Larva (2003) Roar.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.|2003]]:'''[[File:Mothra_Roars_Tokyo_SOS.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[Godzilla: Final Wars|2004]]:'''[[File:GFW Mothra SFX.ogg|center|180px|noicon]]'''[[MonsterVerse]]:'''[[File:MonsterVerse Mothra roar.ogg|180px|center|nicon]]
{{More Roars}}
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{{Quote|If the world lives to see another century, please remember what '''Mothra''' did for you and the planet you live on.|[[Shobijin|Cosmos]] (''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'')}}
{{Quote|If the world lives to see another century, please remember what '''Mothra''' did for you and the planet you live on.|[[Shobijin|Cosmos]] (''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'')}}
'''Mothra''' {{Nihongo|モスラ|Mosura}} is a giant divine moth [[kaiju]] who first appeared in the [[1961]] serialized novel ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]'', which was adapted the same year by [[Toho]] into the [[:Category:Films|film]] ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]''. Mothra made her first appearance alongside [[Godzilla]] in the [[1964]] [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] film, ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]''. Her latest appearence was in the [[2019]] [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] film ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''.
'''Mothra''' {{Nihongo|モスラ|Mosura}} is a giant divine moth [[kaiju]] who first appeared in the [[1961]] serialized novel ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]'', which was adapted the same year by [[Toho]] into the [[:Category:Films|film]] ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]''. Mothra made her first appearance alongside [[Godzilla]] in the [[1964]] ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' film ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]''.


Mothra's major distinction among Toho's library of kaiju, aside from being the first female monster in the Godzilla series, is her benevolent nature and relationship to mankind. While other monsters like Godzilla frequently menace humanity with their very existence, Mothra fights to protect humanity from monsters that threaten it. Mothra is accompanied by two miniature twin priestesses named the [[Shobijin]], who speak to humanity on her behalf. However, Mothra has still wrought destruction herself, though this is only to rescue her Shobijin when they are kidnapped or when she is under the control of the [[Kilaaks]].
Mothra's major distinction among Toho's library of kaiju, aside from being the first female monster in the ''Godzilla'' series, is her benevolent nature and relationship to mankind. While other monsters like Godzilla frequently menace humanity with their very existence, Mothra fights to protect humanity from monsters that threaten it. Mothra is accompanied by two miniature twin priestesses named the [[Shobijin]], who speak to humanity on her behalf. However, Mothra has still wrought destruction herself, though this is only to rescue her Shobijin when they are kidnapped or when she is under the control of the [[Kilaak]]s. Since her introduction, Mothra has become Toho's most popular and prolific monster character behind only Godzilla himself, earning the title "Queen of the Monsters."
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In Mothra's onscreen debut, she laid waste to [[Tokyo]] and [[New Kirk City]] in her quest to recover the Shobijin and return them to [[Infant Island]]. Mothra returned in ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'', where she traveled to Japan to battle Godzilla when he threatened her unhatched egg that had washed ashore there. Mothra was killed in the battle, but two twin larvae hatched from her egg and carried on her battle against Godzilla, eventually triumphing over him. One of the larvae died sometime afterward, but the surviving one took her mother's place as the goddess of Infant Island. Mothra was soon called upon to defend Earth against the evil [[King Ghidorah/Showa|King Ghidorah]], and managed to recruit both Godzilla and [[Rodan/Showa|Rodan]] to her cause. Mothra eventually matured into an adult and rescued her people from [[Letchi Island]] after they were kidnapped and enslaved by the terrorist group known as the [[Red Bamboo]]. By the end of the 20th century, a larval Mothra was contained on [[Monsterland]], only to be released when the Kilaaks took over the island and assumed control of the monsters. Mothra was soon freed from Kilaak control and fought alongside the other Earth monsters to kill King Ghidorah once and for all and defeat the alien menace.
In Mothra's onscreen debut, she laid waste to [[Tokyo]] and [[New Kirk City]] in her quest to recover the Shobijin and return them to [[Infant Island]]. Mothra returned in ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'', where she traveled to Japan to battle [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]] when he threatened her unhatched egg that had washed ashore there. Mothra was killed in the battle, but two twin larvae hatched from her egg and carried on her battle against Godzilla, eventually triumphing over him. One of the larvae died sometime afterward, but the surviving one took her mother's place as the goddess of Infant Island. Mothra was soon called upon to defend Earth against the evil [[King Ghidorah (Showa)|King Ghidorah]], and managed to recruit both Godzilla and [[Rodan (Showa)|Rodan]] to her cause. Mothra eventually matured into an adult and rescued her people from [[Letchi Island]] after they were kidnapped and enslaved by the terrorist group known as the [[Red Bamboo]]. By the end of the 20th century, a larval Mothra was contained on [[Monsterland]], only to be released when the Kilaaks took over the island and assumed control of the monsters. Mothra was soon freed from Kilaak control and fought alongside the other Earth monsters to kill King Ghidorah once and for all and defeat the alien menace.


Mothra was reintroduced in the [[Heisei era|Heisei series]] film ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', where she fought alongside a dark counterpart named [[Battra]] to defeat Godzilla. After the Godzilla Heisei series ended, a standalone trilogy of films focusing on Mothra was released from 1996 to 1998. This trilogy introduced [[Mothra Leo]], Mothra's son, who would go on to star in the trilogy's second and third entries following his mother's death. Mothra made an appearance in the third entry in the [[Millennium era|Millennium series]] of Godzilla films, ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', as one of the three [[Guardian Monsters]], who defended Japan against Godzilla. Mothra returned two films later in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'', where she and her twin larvae supported [[Kiryu]] in his battle against Godzilla. In ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'', Mothra aided Godzilla in his battle against [[Monster X]] and [[Gigan]], and sacrificed her own life to destroy Gigan. Mothra made a cameo through a cave painting in the film ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'', the second entry in [[Legendary Pictures]] and [[Warner Bros.]]' [[MonsterVerse]], and went on to appear in ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' in 2019, the sequel to Legendary's ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' from 2014. Mothra is also a major player in the universe of the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy, though she does not appear directly. Rather, in the backstory of this universe, Mothra defended a surviving segment of the human population from [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]] in 2048, and helped to relocate them to the [[Mount Fuji]] area, where they evolved over time into the [[Houtua]] and continued to worship the egg Mothra left behind.
Mothra was reintroduced in the [[Heisei era|Heisei series]] film ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', where she fought alongside a dark counterpart named [[Battra]] to defeat [[Godzilla (Heisei)|Godzilla]]. After the ''Godzilla'' Heisei series ended, a standalone trilogy of films focusing on Mothra was released from 1996 to 1998. This trilogy introduced [[Mothra Leo]], Mothra's son, who would go on to star in the trilogy's second and third entries following his mother's death. Mothra made an appearance in the third entry in the [[Millennium era|Millennium series]] of ''Godzilla'' films, ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', as one of the three [[Guardian Monsters]], who defended Japan against [[Godzilla (GMK)|Godzilla]]. Mothra returned two films later in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'', where she and her twin larvae supported [[Kiryu]] in his battle against [[Godzilla (Kiryu series)|Godzilla]]. In ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'', Mothra aided [[Godzilla (Godzilla Final Wars)|Godzilla]] in his battle against [[Monster X]] and [[Gigan]], and seemingly sacrificed her own life to destroy Gigan. Mothra made a cameo through a cave painting in the film ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'', the second entry in [[Legendary Pictures]] and [[Warner Bros.]]' [[Monsterverse]], and went on to appear in ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' in 2019, the sequel to Legendary's ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' from 2014. Mothra is also a major player in the universe of the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy, though she does not appear directly. Rather, in the backstory of this universe, Mothra defended a surviving segment of the human population from [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]] in 2048, and helped to relocate them to the [[Mount Fuji]] area, where they evolved over time into the [[Houtua]] and continued to worship the egg Mothra left behind.


This is an overview page. To view information on specific incarnations of Mothra, please visit the [[Mothra#Incarnations|Mothra incarnations subpages]].
This is an overview page. To view information on specific incarnations of Mothra, please click on their corresponding boxes in the table below.
{|
{|
|{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/First Generation|name=Mothra (1st Gen)|image=Godzilla.jp_-_4_-_ShodaiMosuImago_Mothra_1964.jpg}}
|{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (First Generation)|name=Mothra (1st Gen)|image=Godzilla.jp_-_4_-_ShodaiMosuImago_Mothra_1964.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Second Generation|name=Mothra (2nd Gen)|image=Mosu2ndgen cropped.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Second Generation)|name=Mothra (2nd Gen)|image=Mosu2ndgen cropped.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Third Generation|name=Mothra (3rd Gen)|image=Godzilla.jp_-_9_-_SoshingekiMosuImago_Mothra_Larva_1968.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Third Generation)|name=Mothra (3rd Gen)|image=Godzilla.jp_-_9_-_SoshingekiMosuImago_Mothra_Larva_1968.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Heisei|name=Mothra (Heisei)|image=Godzilla.jp_-_19_-_HeiseiMosuImago_Mothra_1992.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Godzilla vs. Mothra)|name=Mothra (''GvM'')|image=Godzilla.jp_-_19_-_HeiseiMosuImago_Mothra_1992.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Rebirth of Mothra|name=Mothra (1996)|image=19426686259_2fd84be1d0.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Godzilla Island)|name=Mothra (''GI'')|image=Parent Mothra in Godzilla Island.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra Leo|name=Mothra Leo|image=Rainbow_mothra_01.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Rebirth of Mothra)|name=Mothra (''RoM'')|image=ROMMosu portal.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/GMK|name=Mothra (2001)|image=GMK_-_Mosura.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra Leo|name=Mothra Leo|image=LeoMosu portal.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Tokyo_S.O.S._(Imago)|name={{small|Mothra Imago (2003)}}|image=SOSMosu cropped.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Primitive Mothra|name=Primitive Mothra|image=PrimitiveMosu portal.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Tokyo_S.O.S._(Larvae)|name={{small|Mothra Larvae (2003)}}|image=Godzilla.jp_-_Mothra_Larva_2003.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (GMK)|name=Mothra (''GMK'')|image=GMKMosu portal.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Final Wars|name=Mothra (2004)|image=Godzilla.jp_-_28_-_FinalMosuImago_Mothra_2004.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS)|name=Mothra (''SOS'')|image=SOSMosu cropped.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Anime|name=Mothra (Anime)|image=Godzilla The Planet Eater - Mothra 1.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Godzilla Final Wars)|name=Mothra (''GFW'')|image=Godzilla.jp_-_28_-_FinalMosuImago_Mothra_2004.jpg}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra/Legendary|name={{small|Mothra (MonsterVerse)}}|image=Mosu_portal_pic.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (anime trilogy)|name=Mothra {{small|(anime trilogy)}}|image=AniMosu portal.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Monsterverse)|name=Mothra (MV)|image=DougheMosu portal.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Chibi Mothra|name=Chibi Mothra|image=Chibi Mothra.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu|name={{small3|Moshu-Moshu / Moshuu-Moshuu}}|image=GZB29 - Sunset Moshu Moshus.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Godziban)|name=Mothra (''Godziban'')|image=GodziMosu portal.png}}
{{portalskinsmall|articlename=Mothra (Godzilla Singular Point)|name=Mothra (''S.P'')|image=GSP Mothra link.png}}
|}
|}
{{TOC}}
{{TOC|limit=2}}
==Name==
==Name==
The name "Mothra" is the suffixation of "[[-ra]]" (a common last syllable in kaiju names) to "moth." Since the Japanese language does not have dental fricatives, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. Originally, Mothra's name was approximated in English as "Mosla," but it was later corrected to "Mothra" by the time of the release of her [[Mothra (film)|debut film]]<ref name="Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works"/>. In the American dubbing and various posters for ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'', Mothra is also referred to as "The Thing." She is among Toho's most popular characters, primarily among female fans, and she has appeared in every Godzilla film era. Toho even honored Mothra with the title "Queen of Monsters" for the soundtrack and home video releases of ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', illustrating her proximity in status to Godzilla himself. This subtitle is also used for her in ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''.
The name "Mothra" is the suffixation of "-ra" (a common last syllable in kaiju names) to "moth." Since the Japanese language does not have dental fricatives, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. Originally, Mothra's name was approximated in English as "Mosla," but it was later corrected to "Mothra" by the time of the release of her [[Mothra (film)|debut film]]<ref name="Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works"/>. In the American dubbing and various posters for ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'', Mothra is also referred to as "The Thing." She is among Toho's most popular characters, primarily among female fans, and she has appeared in every ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' film era. Toho even honored Mothra with the title "Queen of Monsters" for the soundtrack and home video releases of ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', illustrating her proximity in status to Godzilla himself. This subtitle is also used for her in ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''.


In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', the guardian monster Mothra's name is spelled in kanji but pronounced the same: 最珠羅 (''Mosura''). While Mothra is named in ''[[Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla|GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]'', her name is never spoken in any of the films of the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy. Rather, she is alluded to only as the '''[[Houtua]]'s God''' {{Nihongo|フツアの神|Futsua no Kami}}, while her unhatched offspring is simply referred to as the '''Egg''' {{Nihongo|卵|Tamago}}. When [[Haruo Sakaki]] sees a vision of the imago Mothra, he mistakenly calls her a "'''butterfly'''" {{Nihongo|蝶|Chō}}.
In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', the guardian monster Mothra's name is spelled in kanji but pronounced the same: 最珠羅 (''Mosura''). While Mothra is named in ''[[GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]'', her name is never spoken in any of the films of the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy. Rather, she is alluded to only as the '''[[Houtua]]'s God''' {{Nihongo|フツアの神|Futsua no Kami}}, while her unhatched offspring is simply referred to as the '''Egg''' {{Nihongo|卵|Tamago}}. When [[Haruo Sakaki]] sees a vision of the imago Mothra, he mistakenly calls her a "'''butterfly'''" {{Nihongo|蝶|Chō}}.
==Design==
==Design==
Since her first film, Mothra has been depicted in various stages of the lepidopteran life cycle: Mothra's mammoth egg is decoratively colored in blue and yellow waves. The egg hatches into her larva, a massive brown, segmented caterpillar (resembling a silkworm) with glowing blue, sometimes red, eyes. In rare circumstances, twins may emerge from the egg. The caterpillar eventually spins a silken cocoon around itself (the pupa stage), and from this cocoon the imago (adult) Mothra emerges, a gigantic moth-like creature with brightly-colored wings. Mothra's life cycle—particularly the tendency of an imago's death to coincide with its larvae hatching—echoes that of the Phoenix, resembling resurrection and suggesting divinity.
Since her first film, Mothra has been depicted in various stages of the lepidopteran life cycle: Mothra's mammoth egg is decoratively colored in blue and yellow waves. The egg hatches into her larva, a massive brown, segmented caterpillar (resembling a silkworm) with glowing blue, sometimes red, eyes. In rare circumstances, twins may emerge from the egg. The caterpillar eventually spins a silken cocoon around itself (the pupa stage), and from this cocoon the imago (adult) Mothra emerges, a gigantic moth-like creature with brightly-colored wings. Mothra's life cycle—particularly the tendency of an imago's death to coincide with its larvae hatching—echoes that of the Phoenix, resembling resurrection and suggesting divinity.
[[File:The Luminous Fairies and Mothra First Ever Depiction.png|thumb|left|160px|Mothra's original design]]


[[File:The_Luminous_Fairies_and_Mothra_First_Ever_Depiction.png|thumb|left|200px|Mothra's original design]]In her debut novel ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]'', Mothra had a design more reminiscent of a swallow, her head also being more like a butterfly's. Her larval form was segmented, similarly to the way she would be portrayed in her first film appearance, but had longer legs and possessed a more caterpillar-like face.
In her debut novel ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]'', Mothra had a design more reminiscent of a swallow, her head also being more like a butterfly's. Her larval form was segmented, similarly to the way she would be portrayed in her first film appearance, but had longer legs and possessed a more caterpillar-like face.


In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', Mothra is portrayed with purple eyes, although her eyes are normally blue.
In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', Mothra is portrayed with purple eyes, although her eyes are normally blue.
==Personality==
==Personality==
Despite having wrought destruction worthy of any Toho [[kaiju]], Mothra is almost always portrayed as a kind and benevolent creature, causing destruction only when acting as protector to her worshipers on Infant Island or to her egg, or as collateral damage while protecting Earth from a greater threat. Mothra is usually accompanied by two tiny priestesses or fairies (often called [[Shobijin]]—Japanese for "small beauties") who also speak for her.
Despite having wrought destruction worthy of any Toho [[kaiju]], Mothra is almost always portrayed as a kind and benevolent creature, causing destruction only when acting as protector to her worshipers on Infant Island or to her egg, or as collateral damage while protecting Earth from a greater threat. Mothra is usually accompanied by two tiny priestesses or fairies (often called [[Shobijin]]—Japanese for "small beauties") who also speak for her.
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Mothra's origins have somewhat varied from film to film, but she is always portrayed as a benevolent and ancient creature that possesses some level of divinity.
Mothra's origins have somewhat varied from film to film, but she is always portrayed as a benevolent and ancient creature that possesses some level of divinity.


In the [[Showa era]], ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' and ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'', Mothra is the guardian goddess of the remote [[Infant Island]] in the south [[Pacific Ocean]]. There, she is perpetually reborn through an egg and is worshiped by the island's natives. She is spoken for by two miniature telepathic fairies, called either the [[Shobijin]], Cosmos, or [[Elias]].
In the [[Showa era]], ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'' and ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'', Mothra is the guardian goddess of the remote [[Infant Island]] in the south [[Pacific Ocean]]. There, she is perpetually reborn through an egg and is worshiped by the island's natives. She is spoken for by two miniature telepathic fairies, called either the [[Shobijin]], Cosmos, or [[Elias]].


Mothra's origin is gone into in greater depth in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]''. This film explains that Mothra was the guardian of the ancient world, protecting all life on [[Earth]] from threats. When an ancient civilization created a climate-controlling device, the Earth became offended and created a dark Mothra, called [[Battra]], to destroy it. After destroying the device, Battra proceeded to eradicate the entire civilization and sought to exterminate all of mankind, believing humans to be a blight on the planet. Mothra challenged Battra and defeated him, sealing him away in the North Sea. Following this battle, Mothra and the Cosmos, the only remnants of the ancient civilization, took up residence on the remote Infant Island, where they lived in peace for the next twelve thousand years.
Mothra's origin is gone into in greater depth in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]''. This film explains that Mothra was the guardian of the ancient world, protecting all life on [[Earth]] from threats. When an ancient civilization created a climate-controlling device, the Earth became offended and created a dark Mothra, called [[Battra]], to destroy it. After destroying the device, Battra proceeded to eradicate the entire civilization and sought to exterminate all of mankind, believing humans to be a blight on the planet. Mothra challenged Battra and defeated him, sealing him away in the North Sea. Following this battle, Mothra and the Cosmos, the only remnants of the ancient civilization, took up residence on the remote Infant Island, where they lived in peace for the next twelve thousand years.
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In ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', it is established that Mothra is the last living member of an ancient race of giant guardian moths that defended the Earth throughout its history. In her old age, Mothra lived in solitude with the Elias on Infant Island, and with the last of her strength summoned forth [[Mothra Leo|an egg]] to continue her legacy after her death.
In ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', it is established that Mothra is the last living member of an ancient race of giant guardian moths that defended the Earth throughout its history. In her old age, Mothra lived in solitude with the Elias on Infant Island, and with the last of her strength summoned forth [[Mothra Leo|an egg]] to continue her legacy after her death.


In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', Mothra's origin receives its first major alteration. In this film, Mothra is one of the three [[Guardian Monsters]] and the Goddess of the Sea. In ancient times, Mothra and her fellow guardians [[Baragon]] and [[King Ghidorah]] were slain by Japanese warriors. Mothra was laid to rest under Lake Ikeda while the warriors who slayed her prayed for her soul, that she would return one day to save Japan. Thousands of years later, the prophet Hirotoshi Isayama awakened Mothra by transferring the souls of Japan's honorable dead into her, so that she and the other Guardian Monsters could together stop [[Godzilla/GMK|Godzilla]].
In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', Mothra's origin receives its first major alteration. In this film, Mothra is one of the three [[Guardian Monsters]] and the Goddess of the Sea. In ancient times, Mothra and her fellow guardians [[Baragon]] and [[King Ghidorah]] were slain by Japanese warriors. Mothra was laid to rest under Lake Ikeda while the warriors who slayed her prayed for her soul, that she would return one day to save Japan. Thousands of years later, the prophet Hirotoshi Isayama awakened Mothra by transferring the souls of Japan's honorable dead into her, so that she and the other Guardian Monsters could together stop [[Godzilla (GMK)|Godzilla]].


In the continuity of the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy, Mothra is a mystical creature which lives in isolation in the Amazon rainforest alongside a tribe of humans known as Mothra's People, who worship her as their deity. Mothra's origins and past are unknown, but she has been living in symbiosis with her people for some time, protecting them from harm and providing for their needs. Mothra also possesses a counterpart named Battra, and together the two moth monsters were believed capable of defeating [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]].
In the continuity of the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy, Mothra is a mystical creature which lives in isolation in the Amazon rainforest alongside a tribe of humans known as Mothra's People, who worship her as their deity. Mothra's origins and past are unknown, but she has been living in symbiosis with her people for some time, protecting them from harm and providing for their needs. Mothra also possesses a counterpart named Battra, and together the two moth monsters were believed capable of defeating [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]].


In the [[MonsterVerse]], Mothra is again revered as a benevolent goddess, but her origin lies not on Infant Island but rather in [[China]]'s Yunnan Rainforest. Ancient accounts and paintings of Mothra show that she was worshiped by humans in the ancient past, and she appears in folklore from around the world. Notably, some ancient pictures depict her fighting alongside [[Godzilla/Legendary|Godzilla]] and human warriors against [[King Ghidorah/Legendary|King Ghidorah]], either as an account of an ancient battle or a prophecy for a future one. In [[2009]], a [[Monarch]] team headed by Dr. Emma Russel discovered Mothra's cocoon in an ancient temple in the Yunnan Rainforest, dubbed the "Temple of the Moth."
In the [[Monsterverse]], Mothra is again revered as a benevolent goddess, but her origin lies not on Infant Island but rather in [[China]]'s Yunnan Rainforest. Ancient accounts and paintings of Mothra show that she was worshiped by humans in the ancient past, and she appears in folklore from around the world. Notably, some ancient pictures depict her fighting alongside [[Godzilla (Monsterverse)|Godzilla]] and human warriors against [[King Ghidorah (Monsterverse)|King Ghidorah]], either as an account of an ancient battle or a prophecy for a future one. In [[2009]], a [[Monarch]] team headed by Dr. Emma Russel discovered Mothra's cocoon in an ancient temple in the Yunnan Rainforest, dubbed the "Temple of the Moth."
==Incarnations==
These are incarnations of Mothra that have their own pages or subpages devoted to them.
*[[Mothra/First Generation|First Generation Mothra]] ({{small|''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' and ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Second Generation|Second Generation Mothra]] ({{small|''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' through ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Third Generation|Third Generation Mothra]] ({{small|''[[Destroy All Monsters]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Heisei|Heisei Mothra]] ({{small|''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' and ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Rebirth of Mothra|Parent Mothra]] ({{small|''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]''}})
*[[Mothra Leo]] ({{small|''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' through ''[[Rebirth of Mothra III]]''}})
*[[Mothra/GMK|Mothra 2001]] ({{small|''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Tokyo S.O.S. (Imago)|Mothra Imago 2003]] ({{small|''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Tokyo S.O.S. (Larvae)|Mothra Larvae 2003]] ({{small|''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Final Wars|Mothra 2004]] ({{small|''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Anime|Mothra 2018]] ({{small|''[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater|GODZILLA: The Planet Eater]]''}})
*[[Mothra/Legendary|MonsterVerse Mothra]] ({{small|''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' and ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''}})
==History==
==History==
===[[Showa era|Showa Series]]===
*''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961)
* ''Cheers, Mr. Awamori!'' (1961) [props]
*''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' (1964)
*''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (1964)
*''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'' (1966)
*''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'' (1968)
*''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'' (1972) [stock footage]
*''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'' (1984) [stock footage]
*''[[Adventure! Godzilland]]'' (TV 1992-1993)
*''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' (1992)
*''[[Get Going! Godzilland]]'' (1994, 1996)
*''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'' (1994)
*''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' (1996)
*''[[Godzilla Island (series)|Godzilla Island]]'' (TV 1997-1998) [68 episodes]<ref name="GI list" group="note">Parent Mothra appears in 16 episodes: 18, 21, 28-30, 36, 39-41, 46-47, 49-50, 65, 127, and 152. Child Mothra/New Mothra, better known as Mothra Leo, appears in 55 episodes: 1, 6-7, 9, 11, 21, 39-41, 46-50, 64, 72, 78-79, 83, 102, 111-113, 119, 125, 127, 137-138, 140-141, 144, 150, 152-156, 161-163, 165-168, 190, 192-193, 215, 217, 228, 233, 251-252, and 255-256. Baby Mothra appears in 22 episodes: 150-168, 181, 192, and 228.</ref>
*''[[Rebirth of Mothra 2]]'' (1997)
*''[[Rebirth of Mothra 3]]'' (1998)
*''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'' (2001)
*''[[Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]]'' (2002) [stock footage]
*''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'' (2003)
*''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'' (2004)
*''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' (2017) [cave painting]
*''[[GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle]]'' (2018) [mentioned]
*''[[GODZILLA: The Planet Eater]]'' (2018) [vision]
*''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' (2019)
*''[[Godziban]]'' (web 2019-) [episodes 3, 5-7, 9, 11, 13-14, 18, 20, 25-27, 29, 35, 40, 47, and 54-57; special episodes 3-4 and 10-12]
*''[[I'm Home! Chibi Godzilla]]'' (web 2020-2021) [episodes 6, 9, 16, 20, and 24-25]
*''[[Godzilla Singular Point]]'' (TV 2021) [episode 12]
*''[[Godzilla vs. Kong]]'' (2021) [cave painting; mentioned]
*''[[Chibi Godzilla Raids Again]]'' (TV 2023)
*''[[Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire]]'' (2024)
===[[Showa era]]===
Mothra made her onscreen debut in a [[Mothra (film)|self-titled film]] in [[1961]], which was adapted from the serialized novel which introduced her, ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]''. Following the film's success, [[Toho]] decided to pit her against one of their other most popular monster creations, [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]], in a crossover film titled ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' in [[1964]]. Mothra was subsequently incorporated into the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' series]] and became one of its most popular recurring characters, making appearances in three more films during the [[Showa era]].
====''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]''====
====''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]''====
[[File:Mothra_Larva.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Larva in ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'']][[Mothra/First Generation|Mothra]] was first discovered on [[Infant Island]], where natives to the island worshiped her as a goddess. Invaders from [[Rolisica]] took over the island and stole the [[Shobijin]]. The natives went to a temple, where a giant egg was held. The egg hatched into a larva, called Mothra, which swam across the [[Pacific Ocean]] and destroyed the Orion Maru as she journeyed north towards [[Japan]] to save the Shobijin from the humans. She destroyed [[Tokyo]] while trying to find them, then tore down [[Tokyo Tower]] and formed her cocoon. She emerged from the cocoon in her imago form, having been inadvertently helped by the army's [[Atomic Heat Ray Gun]]s. She went to [[Rolisica|New Kirk City]], and was reunited with the Shobijin at an airport runway after destroying a large portion of the city. Mothra then flew back to Infant Island with the Shobijin to live in peace.
{{Main|Mothra (First Generation)}}
{{Clear}}
[[File:6730.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Mothra (First Generation)|Mothra]] emerges from her cocoon on the [[Tokyo Tower]] in ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'']]
After shipwreck survivors were reportedly rescued by natives of the seemingly uninhabited nuclear testing site of [[Infant Island]], the [[Rolisica]]n and [[Japan]]ese governments organized a joint scientific expedition to the island in order to determine whether it was inhabited. The expedition members encountered a native tribe as well as two miniature women dubbed the [[Shobijin]], prompting the greedy Rolisican entrepreneur [[Clark Nelson]] to abduct them and bring them to Japan to perform in a show he organized. The natives called upon their goddess Mothra to rescue the Shobijin, and she hatched from her gigantic egg and began swimming toward Japan. The [[JSDF]] attacked Mothra at sea with napalm, but she emerged unscathed and came ashore in [[Tokyo]]. Nelson escaped back to Rolisica with the Shobijin while the JSDF attacked Mothra with [[Atomic Heat Ray Gun]]s loaned by the Rolisican military. Mothra cocooned on the [[Tokyo Tower]] and emerged in her imago form before flying to the Rolisican capital of New Kirk City. After Nelson was killed in a gunfight with local police, a group of humans recovered the Shobijin and summoned Mothra to an airport, where she was reunited with them. Mothra then flew back to Infant Island, leaving human civilization in peace.
====''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]''====
====''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]''====
[[File:Godzilla.jp - 4 - ShodaiMosuImago Mothra 1964.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Imago in ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'']][[File:Mothra Larvae -ShodaiMosuLarva- Twins.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Larvae in ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'']] Mothra's egg washed up on the shores of [[Japan]] when a typhoon carried it away from the shores of [[Infant Island]]. Kumayama, the owner of the company Happy Enterprises, bought the egg from the citizens of the area where the egg was found and planned to turn it into the main attraction of his upcoming amusement park The [[Shobijin]] came to Japan to request the egg's return, only for Kumayama and his financier Jiro Torahata to try and capture them as well. The Shobijin escaped and met with a group of sympathetic humans, warning that when the egg hatched the larva would cause much destruction and death while searching for food and attempting to return to Infant Island on its own. When the Shobijin's allies met with Kumayama and Torahata, they refused to return the egg and wanted to buy the Shobijin instead. The Shobijin then returned to Infant Island with Mothra. When [[Godzilla]] emerged in Japan and began heading for the incubator holding Mothra's egg, the three humans who helped the Shobijin traveled to Infant Island, which had been devastated by nuclear bomb tests. They asked the Shobijin for Mothra's help in defeating Godzilla, but they refused. However, Mothra herself, who was living out the last of her days on a sacred rock, agreed to help and flew to Japan, knowing she would never return.
{{Main|Mothra (First Generation)|Mothra (Second Generation)}}
[[File:Mothravsgodzilla-draggingtail.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra fights [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]] in order to defend her egg in ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'']]
After a fierce typhoon struck [[Infant Island]], it unearthed Mothra's egg and washed it ashore in [[Japan]]. Mothra returned to Japan with the [[Shobijin]] to request the egg's return, but the greedy promoters Kumayama and [[Jiro Torahata]] had taken ownership of the egg to be used for a tourist attraction and refused to return it. When [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]], who had also been washed ashore in Japan by the typhoon, awakened and began rampaging, a trio of humans traveled to Infant Island to request Mothra's help. The natives and Shobijin both refused, but Mothra was moved by their pleas and agreed to travel to Japan and fight Godzilla with the last of her strength. Mothra intercepted Godzilla just before he could reach her egg and the two began a fierce struggle. While Mothra was able to hold her own and keep Godzilla at bay with the winds generated by her wings, her strength quickly began to fail her. Godzilla fatally wounded her with a blast of atomic breath, and she collapsed onto her egg, defending it with her dying breath. The prayers of the Shobijin and Infant Islanders caused the egg to hatch into two twin larvae, who pursued Godzilla to [[Iwa Island]]. Working together, the two larvae used hit-and-run tactics to encase Godzilla in a silken cocoon, after which he fell off of the island and into the sea below. The Mothra larvae then returned to Infant Island with the Shobijin.
 
====''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' to ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]''====
{{Main|Mothra (Second Generation)}}
[[File:GTTHM_-_Monster_Brawl.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Mothra (Second Generation)|Mothra]] fights alongside Godzilla and [[Rodan (Showa)|Rodan]] against [[King Ghidorah (Showa)|King Ghidorah]] in ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'']]
Shortly after their battle with [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]], one of the twin Mothra larvae died, though her surviving sister continued to serve as [[Infant Island]]'s guardian deity. The [[Shobijin]] called Mothra to [[Japan]] to recruit Godzilla and [[Rodan (Showa)|Rodan]]'s help in stopping the evil space monster [[King Ghidorah (Showa)|King Ghidorah]] from destroying the [[Earth]]. She interrupted the two monsters' battle at [[Mount Fuji]] with her plea, but they stubbornly refused to put aside their differences and expressed no desire to help humanity. Mothra was forced to confront King Ghidorah by herself, and was hopelessly outmatched by the demon. However, Godzilla and Rodan were both inspired by her courage and charged into battle to help her. The three monsters worked together to overpower King Ghidorah, with Mothra encasing him in a silken cocoon while Godzilla threw him off of a cliff and pelted him with boulders before he finally retreated back to outer space. Mothra and the Shobijin bid farewell to Godzilla and Rodan and returned to Infant Island.


Mothra arrived in Japan just as Godzilla reached Mothra's egg and attacked him. Mothra used the gusts of wind from her wings to knock Godzilla of his feet and tried to slash him with her claws, but she was too feeble to injure him. Mothra released poison powder from her wings against Godzilla, but Godzilla simply blasted her with his atomic breath, causing her to fall on top of her egg and die. While Godzilla continued his rampage across Japan, the Shobijin and the Infant Islanders began to pray for Mothra's egg to hatch. Finally, the egg hatched into two twin [[Mothra/Second Generation|larvae]]. The larvae followed Godzilla to Iwa Island and attacked him there. While the larvae were much smaller and weaker than Godzilla, they used their size to hide behind rocks and sneak up on Godzilla, spraying him with silk. Eventually, Godzilla was trapped in a silken cocoon and fell over a cliff into the ocean below. Victorious, Mothra's larvae and the Shobijin returned to Infant Island.
Only a few years later, Mothra had metamorphosed into an adult and slept on an altar on Infant Island. A terrorist organization headquartered on the nearby [[Letchi Island]], the [[Red Bamboo]], had begun raiding Infant Island to abduct its natives and use them as slaves. The Shobijin led prayers to awaken Mothra, then traveled with her to Letchi Island to rescue the captives. Godzilla, having just defeated [[Ebirah]] in the island's waters, saw Mothra fly overhead and came ashore to challenge her to battle. With the Red Bamboo's nuclear self-destruct system armed, Mothra decided not to waste her time with a fight and used her wing to knock Godzilla down before grabbing a giant net holding the natives and several shipwrecked Japanese citizens and flying back to Infant Island.
{{Clear}}
====''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]''====
====''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]''====
By [[1972]], a larval Mothra was living on the human-monitored [[Monster Island]] along with [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]], [[Anguirus (Second Generation)|Anguirus]], [[Rodan (Showa)|Rodan]], [[Minilla]], [[Kumonga]], [[Gorosaurus]], and [[Kamacuras]]. The evil [[M Space Hunter Nebula Alien]]s planned to destroy the island and its monster inhabitants as part of their invasion of [[Earth]], but Godzilla and Anguirus learned of their plot and defeated them along with their pawns [[Gigan]] and [[King Ghidorah (Showa)|King Ghidorah]], ensuring the safety of Mothra and the others.
[[File:GT3HM_-_Mothra.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'']]In the time after Mothra's battle with [[Godzilla]], one of the twin larvae passed away, leaving its sister as the sole goddess of [[Infant Island]]. When the evil three-headed space monster [[King Ghidorah]] arrived on the [[Earth]], the [[Japan]]ese government asked the [[Shobijin]] to call Mothra to fight him. The Shobijin remarked that the young Mothra had no chance of defeating King Ghidorah on her own, but proposed that if she could recruit the help of Godzilla and [[Rodan]] they may have a chance. The Shobijin called Mothra to Japan, where she sought out Godzilla and Rodan, who were battling at [[Mount Fuji]]. Mothra used her silk to get the monsters to stop fighting and informed them of the threat posed by King Ghidorah. Godzilla and Rodan stubbornly replied that they had no reason to defend humanity from King Ghidorah, and refused to work together until the other apologized. Mothra told them that the Earth was not just for humanity, but for all creatures and that it was their duty to protect it. Unfortunately, Mothra's words failed to sway either monster, and the young larva was forced to take on King Ghidorah by herself. King Ghidorah easily blasted Mothra aside with his gravity beams, attracting the anger of Godzilla and Rodan, who finally joined the battle. Together, the three Earth monsters overpowered King Ghidorah, knocking him to the ground and trapping him in silk. King Ghidorah finally flew off into space, leaving Mothra and her new allies victorious. Mothra reunited with the Shobijin and swam back to Infant Island, while Godzilla and Rodan watched.
====''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]''====
[[File:ShodaiMosuImago needs to take a bath.jpg|thumb|200px|Mothra in ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'']]Mothra, now grown into her imago form, remained asleep on [[Infant Island]] while her people were abducted and enslaved by the terrorist organization known as the [[Red Bamboo]], who operated on nearby [[Letchi Island]]. The [[Shobijin]] and the remaining natives continued to pray to Mothra until she finally awakened and heard their plea. The Shobijin told [[Ryota Kane|Ryota]] and [[Yata Kane]], who had both ended up on Infant Island, to travel to Letchi Island and free the slaves, then create a giant net. The two of them traveled to the island by boat, while Mothra and the Shobijin prepared to fly there as well. When Mothra arrived, the island had been rigged to explode and [[Godzilla]] was in combat with the monster [[Ebirah]], who guarded the island's waters. When Godzilla defeated Ebirah and saw Mothra fly overhead, he approached her and tried to initiate combat. Aware that the whole island was about to detonate in a huge nuclear-force explosion rigged by the Red Bamboo, Mothra simply knocked Godzilla over. While Godzilla was down, Mothra grabbed the net carrying the rescued slaves, then flew away from the island. Godzilla soon jumped into the water, just as the entire island was consumed in a nuclear explosion.
====''[[Destroy All Monsters]]''====
====''[[Destroy All Monsters]]''====
[[File:Godzilla.jp_-_9_-_SoshingekiMosuImago_Mothra_Larva_1968.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'']]By the end of the 20th century, a larval [[Mothra/Third Generation|Mothra]] was living on [[Monsterland]] along with most of [[Earth]]'s other [[kaiju]]. When the [[Kilaaks]] invaded the island, they took control of the monsters and sent them to attack major cities around the globe. Mothra first attacked [[Beijing]], and later resurfaced in [[Tokyo]] along with [[Godzilla]], [[Manda]] and [[Rodan]]. The four monsters completely leveled the city before departing. Thankfully, mankind destroyed the Kilaaks' mind-control device and the Earth monsters assaulted the Kilaaks' lair at [[Mount Fuji]]. The Kilaaks summoned [[King Ghidorah]] to fight off the Earth monsters. Mothra aided in the fight from afar, covering King Ghidorah in webbing alongside [[Kumonga]]. When King Ghidorah and the Kilaaks were defeated, Mothra and the other monsters were returned to Monsterland to live out their days in peace.
{{Main|Mothra (Third Generation)}}
{{Clear}}
[[File:5110_3.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Mothra (Third Generation)|Mothra]] with [[Gorosaurus]] on [[Monsterland]] in ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'']]
====''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]''====
At the close of the 20th century, a larval Mothra was a resident of [[Monsterland]], a facility in the Ogasawara Islands housing the majority of the planet's monsters, far from human civilization where they could cause any damage. When the [[Kilaak]] aliens invaded the island and took control of its inhabitants, they sent Mothra to attack a train just outside of [[Beijing]]. Mothra was next called to [[Tokyo]] to attack the city along with [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]], [[Manda]], and [[Rodan (Showa)|Rodan]]. Fortunately, the [[United Nations]] managed to sever the Kilaaks' control over the monsters and give their own commands to them instead, sending them to destroy the aliens' base near [[Mount Fuji]]. The Kilaaks unleashed [[King Ghidorah (Showa)|King Ghidorah]] to intercept the monsters in the nearby [[Aokigahara]] forest, but Godzilla and a few of his monster allies managed to kill him once and for all. Mothra encased King Ghidorah's carcass in silk in tandem with [[Kumonga]]'s webbing, after which it was swallowed by a fissure as the Kilaak's base exploded. Mothra and her comrades then returned to Monsterland to continue to live in peace.
In [[1972]], a single Mothra larva was living on [[Monster Island]] with a large number of other monsters. It is unknown whether this larva was the offspring of the second generation Mothra, or itself the third generation Mothra.
===[[Heisei era]]===
===[[Heisei era|Heisei Series]]===
After rebooting the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' series]] in [[1984]] following an almost decade-long hiatus, [[Toho]] planned to reintroduce Mothra as well in a new film titled ''[[Mothra vs. Bagan]]'', set in the same universe as the new [[Heisei era|Heisei series]] of ''Godzilla'' films and setting up a future meeting between both monsters. The project was shelved following the disappointing box office returns of ''[[Godzilla vs. Biollante]]'', but the success of [[King Ghidorah]]'s return in [[1991]]'s ''[[Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah]]'' and the continued popularity of Mothra in polls inspired Toho to revive her next. Mothra starred in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' in [[1992]], but despite the film's success she did not reappear in the Heisei series outside of a minor role in [[1994]]'s ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]''. Nonetheless, Mothra's popularity led to the greenlighting of a trilogy of Mothra-focused films following the close of the Heisei ''Godzilla'' series.
====''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]''====
====''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' to ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]''====
[[File:Godzilla_and_Mothra_Battle_For_Earth_-_Mothra_Larva_3.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'']][[File:Mothra92.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Imago in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'']]Twelve thousand years ago, Mothra was the guardian of an ancient civilization. However, this civilization created a climate-controlling device, greatly angering the [[Earth]] itself and leading it to create [[Battra]], a dark version of Mothra. Battra destroyed the device, but soon went beyond his purpose and attempted to destroy all of mankind, seeing them as a blight on the Earth. Mothra tried to stop them, and the two moths engaged in a titanic battle that destroyed the ancient civilization. Mothra defeated Battra and sealed him away in the North Sea, while Mothra and the [[Shobijin|Cosmos]] relocated to [[Infant Island]] to live in solitude. In [[1993]], an expedition sent to the island by the [[Japan]]ese government encountered the Cosmos along with Mothra's egg. The Cosmos explained the story of Mothra and Battra to the explorers, and warned that the meteor that recently struck the Earth could awaken Battra. The Cosmos agreed to allow Mothra's egg to be transported to Japan, but en route the barge carrying it was attacked by [[Godzilla]]. The egg hatched into a larval Mothra, who attempted to defend herself from Godzilla. Eventually, Battra arrived in his larval form and knocked Mothra aside, attacking Godzilla instead. Godzilla and Battra were eventually swallowed up by a volcanic fault and presumed dead, while Mothra returned to Infant Island and the Cosmos were secretly captured by one of the explorers, [[Kenji Andoh]].
{{Main|Mothra (Godzilla vs. Mothra)}}
 
[[File:GvMo13.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Mothra (Godzilla vs. Mothra)|Mothra]] and [[Battra]] carry [[Godzilla (Heisei)|Godzilla]] out to sea after subduing him in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'']]
Andoh brought the Cosmos to his employer, the Marutomo Company, who planned to exploit the tiny fairies as a publicity stunt. The Cosmos prayed to Mothra, who left the island to recover the Cosmos. The [[JSDF]] tried to fight Mothra in the ocean as she approached Japan, but failed to halt the larva. Mothra came ashore in [[Tokyo]], unintentionally leaving a trail of destruction as she searched for the Cosmos. [[Masako Tezuka]], her daughter Midori and [[Miki Saegusa]] recovered the Cosmos and brought them to Mothra, causing her rampage to cease. Unfortunately, the JSDF opened fire on Mothra with artillery, wounding her. Mothra crawled to the [[National Diet Building]] and encased herself in a cocoon. Meanwhile, Godzilla surfaced from the crater of [[Mount Fuji]] while Battra reappeared in the ocean and transformed into his imago form. As both Godzilla and Battra approached the Tokyo area, Mothra emerged from her cocoon in her imago form and flew off to stop Battra. Mothra and Battra clashed in the skies above Yokohama, with Battra overpowering Mothra and causing her to crash to the ground in the Minato Mirai 21 district. Before Battra could kill his light counterpart, Godzilla appeared and attacked them both. Godzilla proved to be more than a match for either moth, subduing Battra and nearly killing Mothra before Battra came to her aid, realizing that Godzilla was a far greater threat. Mothra saved Battra and temporarily knocked Godzilla down. Mothra communicated with Battra, and they decided to put aside their differences to defeat Godzilla. Mothra and Battra joined forces, firing their various beam attacks in tandem against Godzilla. Godzilla was subdued, and Mothra and Battra grabbed him, carrying him out over the ocean. Godzilla bit into Battra's throat and fired his atomic breath, killing him and forcing Mothra to drop both monsters into the sea below. Mothra placed a sacred seal over the water and reunited with the Cosmos at [[Haneda Airport]]. The Cosmos revealed that Battra told Mothra that a larger meteor was going to strike and destroy the Earth in 1999, and it was his duty to stop it. In the event of Battra's death, Mothra agreed to destroy the meteor instead. Mothra and the Cosmos bid farewell to the humans and flew into outer space, preparing to intercept the meteor before it could reach Earth.
Twelve thousand years ago, Mothra served as the guardian of an ancient civilization. When the civilization created a device in order to control the climate, the very [[Earth]] itself became offended and created a dark counterpart to Mothra called [[Battra]] in retaliation. Battra destroyed the climate controlling device, but saw all of humanity as a threat to the planet and decided to drive it to extinction. Mothra objected and fought Battra to defend humanity, with their battle eradicating the ancient civilization before she defeated him and sealed him under the North Sea. Mothra retreated to [[Infant Island]] alongside two miniature priestesses called the [[Shobijin|Cosmos]], living in seclusion for millennia. When a meteor struck the planet in [[1993]], the impact awakened both [[Godzilla (Heisei)|Godzilla]] and [[Battra]]. The Cosmos explained the danger to a group of humans sent to survey Infant Island, and agreed to allow Mothra's egg to be transported to Japan. Godzilla intercepted the ship carrying the egg off the coast of the [[Philippines]], forcing the larval Mothra to hatch from her egg and defend herself. Battra arrived as well and battled Godzilla until both monsters were swallowed up by an underwater volcanic eruption. Mothra swam back to Infant Island, but headed to [[Japan]] when the Cosmos were abducted by the Marutomo Company. Mothra survived a [[JSDF]] napalm attack at sea and reached [[Tokyo]], where she was reunited with the Cosmos. The JSDF continued to attack her, after which she built a cocoon on the [[National Diet Building]]. She emerged in her imago stage and flew to [[Yokohama]] to engage in a final duel with Battra. Battra overpowered Mothra, but Godzilla soon arrived and attacked him. Realizing that individually they were no match for Godzilla, Mothra and Battra agreed to join forces against their common enemy. Their combined assault was enough to subdue Godzilla, after which they grabbed him and began flying him out to sea. Godzilla bit down on Battra's throat and killed him with his atomic breath, forcing Mothra to drop them both into the ocean. Mothra had made an agreement with Battra to destroy another meteor set to impact and destroy the [[Earth]] in [[1999]] in the event of his death, and departed to outer space to intercept it with the Cosmos.
====''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]''====
[[File:Mothra telepathic projections of Fairy Mothras.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'']]
While flying through space to intercept the meteor that was destined to hit [[Earth]] in 1999, Mothra became aware of an evil extraterrestrial clone of [[Godzilla]] called [[SpaceGodzilla]] that was heading to Earth with the intention of killing his Earthling counterpart and conquering the planet. Mothra sent a [[Fairy Mothra]] to Earth, where it revealed itself to [[Miki Saegusa]] and transformed into a projection of the [[Shobijin|Cosmos]], who warned Miki of the impending to disaster and stressed the importance of Godzilla in defending the planet. When SpaceGodzilla was ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of Godzilla and [[G-Force]], the projection of the Cosmos reappeared to Miki and congratulated her on saving the planet.


It was also speculated by [[United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center|U.N.G.C.C.]] scientists that SpaceGodzilla's creation may have been due to Mothra unwittingly carrying some of Godzilla's flesh into outer space following their battle, allowing it to be pulled into a black hole and released through a white hole, where it was exposed to supernovas and mutated into a crystalline lifeform.
Two years later, Mothra was still in space flying toward the meteor, but became aware of another threat approaching the Earth: [[SpaceGodzilla]], a creature that may have been spawned from some of Godzilla's cells which Mothra unwittingly carried into space following their battle. She sent a tiny magical projection of herself called [[Fairy Mothra]] to Earth to warn the psychic [[Miki Saegusa]] of the threat. Fairy Mothra transformed into a projection of the Cosmos, who warned Miki that SpaceGodzilla intended to kill Godzilla and conquer the planet, and that Godzilla must be kept alive as he was the only hope against the creature. Miki helped [[G-Force]] collaborate with Godzilla to confront and destroy SpaceGodzilla in [[Fukuoka]], after which Fairy Mothra thanked her for her role in saving the planet.
====''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]''====
====''[[Get Going! Godzilland]]''====
[[File:Mothra96.png|thumb|200px|right|Mothra in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'']]Millions of years ago, a [[:Category:Ghidorah|space monster]] called [[Desghidorah]] arrived to destroy the Earth. This three-headed demonic dragon was forced to deal with resistance in the form of a species of highly advanced, enormous moths, which were known as [[:Category:Mothra|Mothras]]. These moths were the protectors of the [[Elias]], a race of tiny, human-like beings, who inhabited the planet. After the ensuing battle, Desghidorah was defeated and sealed within the Earth, although a great deal of life on the planet Earth was lost. Three Elias: Moll, Lora, and Belvera, were all who were left of their once prosperous civilization. Though Moll and Lora remained benevolent defenders of the Earth, Belvera became twisted and vengeful following her race's demise. These tiny fairies, along with one final Mothra, remained in solitude on [[Infant Island]] for countless millennia.
When [[Godzilla]] and the other monsters were still children, they lived together on an island called Godzilland. Mothra was the only adult monster on the island, and in addition to raising her twin larvae served as a mother figure to the others as well. She often served as the voice of reason when Godzilla would get into fights with his best friend [[Anguirus]], or if other conflicts arose between the younger monsters. She tended a garden on the island, and one time invited the other monsters to a picnic. As the only adult, Mothra often taught Godzilla and the other monsters about the hiragana alphabet, counting, and math.
====''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' to ''[[Rebirth of Mothra 3]]''====
{{Main|Mothra (Rebirth of Mothra)|Mothra Leo|Fairy Mothra|Primitive Mothra}}
[[File:Rebirth-of-Mothra-1996.png|thumb|right|200px|[[Mothra (Rebirth of Mothra)|Mothra]] sits on an altar with her unhatched egg in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'']]
Many millions of years ago, giant moths called Mothras served as the guardians of [[Earth]]. By the present day, the last surviving Mothra lived in seclusion on [[Infant Island]] along with two miniature priestesses named Moll and Lora, who together with their wicked sister Belvera formed an order known as the [[Elias]] Triangle. As her final days approached, Mothra used her powers to summon forth an egg, which would hatch after her death and continue her legacy. When a logging company uncovered the tomb of the evil space monster [[Desghidorah]] in [[Hokkaido]], Belvera planned to awaken the beast in order to wipe out humanity. The Elias and their companion [[Fairy Mothra|Fairy]] tried to stop Belvera, but were too late and Desghidorah was unleashed. As the three-headed monster laid waste to the forests of Hokkaido, the aging Mothra flew from Infant Island to confront him. This caused her egg to hatch prematurely, and her larval son headed to Hokkaido to help her. Even together, Mothra and her son were unable to overcome Desghidorah, and Mothra used the last of her strength to carry her son to safety out at sea. Mothra's strength finally failed her, and she drowned, much to her son's sorrow. The young larva swam to a remote island and formed a cocoon, later emerging as the imago [[Mothra Leo]], made even more powerful than his mother due to the power of the ancient trees near which he built his cocoon. Mothra Leo flew to Hokkaido for a rematch with Desghidorah, successfully sealing him back within his ancient tomb.


In order to preserve her legacy, Mothra summoned an enormous egg, however, she became physically exhausted from the ordeal. Shortly afterwards, a logging company in [[Hokkaido]] uncovered the tomb where the Mothras had sealed Desghidorah long ago. When the seal that had bound the creature was removed from the area, Moll and Lora fought Belvera for control of the artifact. Belvera prevailed and managed to release Desghidorah from its rocky tomb, planning to use it to destroy mankind. Mothra was summoned to stop Desghidorah, which was absorbing the life out of the forests. Mothra fought her hardest to stop Desghidorah, but was simply too old and frail to carry on the fight. Moll and Lora reluctantly prayed to the egg, causing it to prematurely hatch into a larva named [[Mothra Leo]]. Mothra Leo arrived to assist his mother, but Desghidorah grabbed Leo with his teeth and bit into him. Mothra rescued her son and destroyed a dam, causing Desghidorah to be buried in a flood of water. With her enemy distracted, Mothra carried Leo out over the sea, but her strength failed and she fell into the water. Mothra struggled to stay afloat, as Leo desperately tried to hold her up above the surface, but to no avail. Mothra sank underwater and drowned, leaving Leo to carry on her legacy and stop Desghidorah. Leo then swam to a remote island to transform into his imago stage and continue the battle.
[[File:RoM2 - Rainbow Mothra vs. Dagahra.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Mothra Leo|Rainbow Mothra]] battles [[Dagahra]] on the [[Nilai-Kanai Temple]] in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra 2]]'']]
====''[[Rebirth of Mothra II]]''====
The Elias called Mothra Leo to the [[Nilai-Kanai Temple]] to rescue a group of children searching for its ancient treasure from the monster [[Dagahra]]. Dagahra proved more than a match for Leo, and defeated him with a combination of his own attacks and by summoning a swarm of [[Barem]] to attach to Leo and drain his energy. The Elias and their friends learned that the treasure of the [[Nilai-Kanai]] civilization was the small monster [[Ghogo]], which they created to destroy Dagahra, their previous creation. Ghogo merged his life force with the battered Mothra Leo, allowing him to transform into the more powerful Rainbow Mothra. Rainbow Mothra battled Dagahra once more, making use of his newfound ability to transform into AquaMothra to engage him on equal footing underwater. Ultimately, he split apart into countless MicroMothras which swarmed inside Dagahra's body, destroying his Barem-producing organs and incapacitating him. Rainbow Mothra then reformed and carried the motionless Dagahra into the air before dropping him onto the Temple, which exploded.
{{Main|Mothra Leo}}
====''[[Rebirth of Mothra III]]''====
{{Main|Mothra Leo}}
===''[[Get Going! Godzilland]]''===
[[File:Godzilland- Mothra teaches letters.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Adult Mothra in ''[[Get Going! Godzilland]]'']]
[[File:Mothra Larva Godzilland.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A Mothra larva in ''[[Get Going! Godzilland]]'']]
Both imago and larval Mothra appear in the [[1994]] and [[1996]] educational ''[[Get Going! Godzilland]]'' OVAs. In these OVAs, Mothra is one of the more mature and caring residents of Godzilland, and raises her two twin larvae there. Mothra is viewed as a motherly figure by the other [[kaiju]], and is addressed by them as "Mosura-San," being the only adult. In the hiragana episode, Mothra finishes watering her garden, and decides to invite the other residents of Monster Island to a picnic. Godzilla and Anguirus both arrive late, and reveal that they couldn't read Mothra's invitation, so Mothra decides to teach them about the hiragana alphabet. Mothra presents the [[kaiju]] with various objects and animals, and teaches them to sound out their names with hiragana characters.


In the addition episode, Mothra helps Godzilla, [[Gojirin]], and [[Baragon]] rescue Anguirus from [[Mechagodzilla/Showa|Mechagodzilla]], who has kidnapped him to force him to be his friend. Gojirin reveals that she is hungry and the kaiju decide to eat before traveling to the volcano where Mechagodzilla brought Anguirus. Mothra and Rodan help the kaiju add the number of items of food they have, allowing them to learn addition. On the way to the volcano, the monsters are stopped by a large group of ants, who angrily stab Godzilla with spears when he attempts to scare them away. Mothra talks to the ants, and learns that the kaiju were walking over a field of flowers, and the ants were trying to stop them. The kaiju then proceed to the volcano, where Mechagodzilla forces them to take part in a game show where they solve addition problems in order to rescue Anguirus. After the kaiju complete the game, Mechagodzilla begins to cry, and Mothra comforts him. Mothra convinces the other kaiju to let Mechagodzilla be their friend, and they all then take part in a song about addition.
[[File:RoM3 - King Ghidorah pursues Rainbow Mothra.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[King Ghidorah (Rebirth of Mothra 3)|King Ghidorah]] pursues Rainbow Mothra in the air in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra 3]]'']]
===''[[Godzilla Island (Series)|Godzilla Island]]''===
When the evil space monster [[King Ghidorah (Rebirth of Mothra 3)|King Ghidorah]] came to Earth and began abducting children in order to feed on their life forces, Rainbow Mothra arrived to challenge him. Completely outmatched by the King of Terror, he was soundly defeated. Moll gave her life to allow Rainbow Mothra to transform into Light Speed Mothra and travel back to the Cretaceous Period, when King Ghidorah first attacked Earth while he was smaller and weaker. Upon arrival, Mothra battled the younger Cretaceous King Ghidorah and defeated him by dropping him into the mouth of a volcano, though he was badly wounded in the fight. A group of [[Primitive Mothra]]s appeared and used their silk to build a cocoon around Rainbow Mothra, which would preserve and heal him until the present day. While Mothra's actions caused King Ghidorah to temporarily vanish in the present, he soon reappeared, having regenerated from the tip of his tail which Mothra had severed in the past. Mothra burst from the cocoon in his most powerful form, Armor Mothra, and engaged King Ghidorah in a final battle. This time, he was the stronger combatant and successfully destroyed King Ghidorah once and for all. He then shed his armor and became Eternal Mothra, resurrected Moll, and returned to Infant Island with the Elias.
[[File:Cast_mothra.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla Island (Series)|Godzilla Island]]'']]
====''[[Godzilla Island (series)|Godzilla Island]]''====
In the series ''[[Godzilla Island (Series)|Godzilla Island]]'', Mothra is a resident of [[Godzilla Island (Location)|Godzilla Island]] along with Earth's other monsters. She has two children, a son named [[Mothra Leo]] and a daughter named Baby Mothra. Following Mothra's death, Leo grew into his imago form and watched over Baby Mothra, protecting her from enemy monsters like [[Battra]].
Mothra was a resident of [[Godzilla Island (location)|Godzilla Island]] in the year [[2097]], where she lived with her larval son and the egg carrying her unborn daughter. Mothra's son cared for her as she grew old and neared death, but the space monster [[Hedorah]] arrived on the island and threatened them both. Mothra and her son fought together against Hedorah, with Mothra utilizing the last of her strength to carry Hedorah into the air and drop him into the mouth of the Gorath Volcano. Mothra's strength failed her at last, and she fell into the volcano as well. The larva cocooned and transformed into the imago [[Mothra Leo]], then teamed up with [[Godzilla]] to defeat Hedorah once they learned he had survived. Mothra Leo then cared for the egg of his sister, which eventually hatched into a larva named Baby Mothra. Mothra Leo watched over his little sister, defending her from evil monsters such as [[Battra]].
{{Clear}}
===[[Millennium era]]===
===[[Millennium era|Millennium Series]]===
Following the disappointing box office returns of ''[[Godzilla 2000: Millennium]]'' and ''[[Godzilla vs. Megaguirus]]'', Toho decided to increase the marquee value of the third entry in the new [[Millennium era|Millennium series]] of films by requesting director [[Shusuke Kaneko]] incorporate the highly popular Mothra and [[King Ghidorah]] into it. After the success of ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', Mothra was featured in the last two entries of the Millennium series before the ''Godzilla'' franchise began a decade-long hiatus.
Mothra appeared in three of the Millennium series films, ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' and ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'', making her the only monster besides [[Godzilla]] himself to appear in more than two films in the Millennium series.
====''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''====
====''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''====
[[File:SokogekiMosuLarva.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'']]
{{Main|Mothra (GMK)}}
[[File:GMK_-_Mothra_Close-Up.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Imago in ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'']]'''Mothra''' {{Nihongo|最珠羅|Mosura}} was a legendary beast from ancient [[Japan]] and was known as the Goddess of the Water. Ages ago, noble Japanese warriors slayed Mothra and laid her to rest under [[Lake Ikeda]]. The warriors prayed for Mothra's soul, in the hope that she and the other [[Guardian Monsters|guardian monsters]], [[Baragon]] and [[King Ghidorah]], would rise again one day to defend Japan.
[[File:Gmkall.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Mothra (GMK)|Mothra]] supports [[King Ghidorah (Millennium)|Ghidorah]] against [[Godzilla (GMK)|Godzilla]] in ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'']]
In 2002, a group of teenagers disturbed Mothra's shrine after robbing a convenience store near Lake Ikeda. Mothra awakened and pulled the teenagers underwater, wrapping their bodies in a cocoon of silk. Mothra then encased herself in a cocoon which sat on the lake's surface. When the prophet Hirotoshi Isayama called upon the guardian monsters to stop [[Godzilla]], Mothra emerged from her cocoon and flew to [[Yokohama]] to battle him. Mothra perched atop the [[Yokohama Landmark Tower]] and flew at Godzilla, firing poisonous stingers at him and scratching his face with her claws. Godzilla fired his atomic breath at Mothra, but she avoided the blast, which struck and destroyed the Landmark Tower instead. [[King Ghidorah#Ghidorah|Ghidorah]] arrived shortly afterward and joined forces with Mothra against Godzilla. Godzilla easily overpowered both monsters, knocking Ghidorah unconscious and sending Mothra flying into a railroad track after she deflected his atomic breath from striking Ghidorah. Godzilla turned his attention to the [[JSDF]]'s battleships in [[Tokyo Bay]], but Mothra flew behind him to take him by surprise. However, Godzilla turned his head at the last moment and fired his atomic breath at Mothra, vaporizing her. Mothra's life force flowed into Ghidorah's body, reviving him as the [[King Ghidorah#Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, King Ghidorah|Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, King Ghidorah]] and giving him an advantage in the fight.
Many thousands of years ago, ancient [[Japan]]ese warriors slew the monsters Mothra, [[King Ghidorah (Millennium)|Ghidorah]], and [[Baragon]], laying them to rest and praying for their souls that they might one day return to defend Japan. In [[2002]], sensing that [[Godzilla (GMK)|Godzilla]] would soon attack Japan to seek vengeance for the lives lost in World War II, the mystical Professor [[Hirotoshi Isayama]] attempted to awaken the three [[Guardian Monsters]] by destroying ancient stone statues containing the energy from the souls of Japan's honorable dead. Mothra appeared in her larval stage underneath [[Lake Ikeda]], rescuing a dog from a group of hooligans attempting to drown it. She encased their bodies in silk, then constructed a massive cocoon atop the lake's surface. After Godzilla destroyed Baragon and reached [[Yokohama]] during his rampage, Mothra hatched from her cocoon in her imago stage and flew there to confront him. She was joined by Ghidorah, but even the combined efforts of the two Guardian Monsters were futile against Godzilla's colossal strength. After subduing both of his foes, Godzilla prepared to annihilate the [[JSDF]]'s fleet in [[Tokyo Bay]] with his atomic breath. Mothra flew behind him in order to stop him, but he anticipated her attack and turned around in time to incinerate her. Mothra's energy flowed into the unconscious Ghidorah, reviving him as the Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, King Ghidorah. After Godzilla later destroyed Ghidorah, the spirits of all three Guardian Monsters materialized in the sky above him and flowed into his body, dragging him underwater and allowing Admiral [[Taizo Tachibana]] to defeat him using the submersible ''[[Satsuma]]''.
====''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]''====
{{Main|Mothra (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS)}}
[[File:GMMG-Mothra_Makes_A_Sacrafice.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Mothra (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS)|Mothra]] shields her twin larvae from a blast of [[Godzilla (Kiryu series)|Godzilla]]'s atomic breath in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'']]
In [[1961]], [[Mothra (First Generation)|Mothra]] attacked [[Tokyo]] in her quest to rescue the [[Shobijin]] from the villainous [[Rolisica]]n businessman [[Clark Nelson]]. The Rolisican military loaned the [[JSDF]] the use of its experimental [[Atomic Heat Ray Gun]]s to attack the colossal moth. While the weapons burned Mothra's cocoon, she emerged unscathed in her imago form before flying to Rolisica, where she successfully recovered the Shobijin thanks to the efforts of a group of humans. Mothra's attack, in addition to other [[kaiju]] attacks on [[Japan]] dating back to [[Godzilla (First Generation)|Godzilla]] in [[1954]], convinced the JSDF to invest more heavily in weapons capable of harming the creatures. The technology of the Rolisican Heat Ray Guns was later utilized for the revolutionary [[Type 66 Maser Cannon]], which first saw action against [[Gaira]] in [[1966]] and became a staple of the JSDF's arsenal.


When King Ghidorah was ultimately killed by Godzilla, the spirit of all three guardian monsters flew into Godzilla, causing him to sink underwater and allowing the ''[[Satsuma]]'' to fire a [[D-03 Missile]] from within Godzilla's body, opening a gaping wound on his neck that ultimately caused Godzilla to destroy himself when he fired his atomic breath.
In [[2004]], a descendant of the Mothra who attacked Tokyo in 1961 traveled to Japan to request that the first Godzilla's remains be returned to the bottom of the sea, as their use to create the robotic weapon [[Kiryu]] violated the natural order. The Shobijin appealed to Professor [[Shinichi Chujo]], who had played a major role in reuniting them with Mothra over four decades prior, but he could not convince Prime Minister [[Hayato Igarashi]] to shelve the project while the [[Godzilla (Kiryu series)|second Godzilla]] was still at large. The Shobijin had warned that Mothra would be forced to declare war on humanity if Godzilla's bones were not returned to their resting place, but promised that Mothra would defend Japan from Godzilla in Kiryu's place. As Godzilla rampaged through Tokyo, Chujo's grandson Shun recreated Mothra's symbol using desks from a school, summoning Mothra to Tokyo. Mothra battled Godzilla, but was outmatched, forcing Igarashi to deploy Kiryu in order to assist her. Mothra was seriously injured by Godzilla and forced to use her weapon of last resort: poisonous powder released from her wings that reflected Godzilla's atomic breath but compromised her ability to fly. An egg that Mothra had laid on a nearby island hatched into twin larvae, who swam to Tokyo to aid their mother. Godzilla attempted to blast the larvae with his atomic breath, but Mothra used the last of her strength to fly into the path of his beam, causing her to burst into flames and explode. Heartbroken and enraged, Mothra's offspring collaborated with Kiryu to defeat Godzilla. After Kiryu seriously injured Godzilla by opening a wound on his chest, the larvae encased him in a silken cocoon. Kiryu carried Godzilla to the [[Japan Trench]], sinking himself with him. The larvae then departed with the Shobijin, bound for their home of [[Infant Island]].
{{Clear}}
====''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]''====
====''[[Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]]''====
{{Main|Mothra (Godzilla Final Wars)}}
When a [[Godzilla/Kiryu Saga|second Godzilla]] attacked [[Japan]] in [[1999]], the Prime Minister of Japan and the Minister of Science and Technology discussed how ever since the [[Godzilla/1954|first Godzilla]] attacked [[Tokyo]] in [[1954]], giant monsters have often raided the country. One such monster was Mothra, who attacked Tokyo in [[1961]].
[[File:Godzilla_Final_Wars_-_5-4_Gigan_Cuts_Mothra's_Wing.png|thumb|left|200px|[[Gigan|Modified Gigan]] slices off part of [[Mothra (Godzilla Final Wars|Mothra]]'s wing with his Bloody Chainsaw in ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'']]
====''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]''====
Thousands of years ago, Mothra defended the [[Earth]] from an evil alien monster called [[Gigan]]. She managed to defeat Gigan, but his mummified body was uncovered in [[Hokkaido]] by the [[Earth Defense Force]] in the year [[20XX]]. Mothra's [[Shobijin]] warned members of the EDF that Gigan was still incredibly dangerous, a warning that was proven prophetic when the [[Xilien]]s reactivated him to assist in their conquest of Earth. The EDF released [[Godzilla (Godzilla Final Wars)|Godzilla]] from his imprisonment in [[Area G]] in order to battle Gigan and the Xiliens' other monster pawns. While Godzilla was battling the Xiliens' ultimate weapon, [[Monster X]], Mothra left [[Infant Island]] to assist him. The [[Controller of Planet X]] sent the repaired Modified Gigan to intercept her, and he seemingly incapacitated her after a brief clash. Gigan then assisted Monster X against Godzilla, but Mothra recovered and knocked both monsters down while they had Godzilla at their mercy. Gigan once again left to deal with his ancient nemesis, seemingly destroying her with his Gigarium Cluster. However, two Bladed Slicers Gigan had launched at Mothra boomeranged back at him and sliced off his head, after which Mothra flew at him while on fire and destroyed him in an apparent suicide attack. Mothra's sacrifice was not in vain, as Godzilla was then able to defeat Monster X after he transformed into Keizer Ghidorah, while the EDF destroyed the [[Xilien Mothership]].
[[File:Mothra_S.O.S.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Imago in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'']][[File:GMMG - The New Born Mothra Larvae.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Larvae in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'']]Mothra was sighted flying over the skies of [[Japan]], prompting two fighter jets to try and shoot her down. Mothra was unaffected by the jets' missiles and continued flying to Japan. Mothra landed near the home of [[Shinichi Chujo]], a man who had helped reunite Mothra with her [[Shobijin]] in [[1961]]. The Shobijin appeared to Chujo and asked him to tell the government to scrap the [[Kiryu]] project, which utilized the remains of the first [[Godzilla]] as a weapon. The Shobijin claimed this was a crime against nature and the sanctity of life, and that Mothra would be forced to declare war against humanity if the first Godzilla's remains were not returned to the sea. They also promised that Mothra would take it upon herself to defend Japan from Godzilla. When Chujo told his story to Prime Minister [[Hayato Igarashi]], he regretfully told Chujo that the government could not afford to scrap the project, as too much had already been sacrificed for it. When Godzilla appeared in [[Tokyo]], Chujo's grandson [[Shun Chujo|Shun]] used school desks to recreate Mothra's symbol and summon her to Tokyo. Mothra engaged in battle with Godzilla, but due to her old age was easily overwhelmed. Igarashi ordered Kiryu to be launched to aid Mothra, and the machine entered the battle as well. Godzilla defeated Kiryu, while Mothra's egg on [[Infant Island]] hatched into two twin larvae. The larvae arrived in Tokyo to communicate with their mother, but Godzilla noticed them. Godzilla fired his atomic breath at the larvae, only for Mothra to fly in front of the beam, sacrificing herself for her children. Enraged with grief, the larvae attacked Godzilla, distracting him while Kiryu was repaired. Kiryu soon re-entered the battle, defeating Godzilla by using his drill hand to open a previously-inflicted wound on Godzilla's chest. Mothra's larvae encased Godzilla in silk, leaving him trapped and helpless. Rather than kill Godzilla, Kiryu overrode his programming and carried Godzilla out to the sea, sinking them both in the Japan Trench. Mothra's larvae swam back to Infant Island with the Shobijin, content that the souls of the dead could now rest in peace.
===[[Monsterverse]]===
{{Clear}}
Following the box office success of [[Legendary Pictures]]' ''[[Godzilla (2014 film)|Godzilla]]'' in [[2014]], the studio announced that it had licensed Mothra from [[Toho]] along with [[Rodan]] and [[King Ghidorah]] in order to appear in the film's upcoming sequel. All three of Godzilla's co-stars were teased in the post-credits scene of the second [[Monsterverse]] film, [[2017]]'s ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'', and went on to play major roles in the franchise's third entry, ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'', in [[2019]].
====''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]''====
====''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' to ''[[Godzilla vs. Kong]]''====
[[File:Godzilla_Final_Wars_-_5-3_Mothra.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'']]Thousands of years ago, Mothra defended the [[Earth]] from an alien monster known as [[Gigan]], defeating him and entombing him off the coast of [[Hokkaido]]. In the year 20XX, the [[Earth Defense Force]] recovered Gigan's mummified remains, drawing the attention of Mothra and her [[Shobijin]]. The Shobijin appeared to several members of the EDF and warned them that Gigan was evil and could awaken, but promised that Mothra would appear to defend the Earth. When the alien force known as the [[Xiliens]] took control of Gigan and an army of monsters and used them to conquer the planet, Mothra flew to [[Tokyo]] to aid [[Godzilla]] against Gigan and [[Monster X]]. Mothra saved Godzilla from being double-teamed by the enemy monsters, then confronted Gigan once again. Gigan fired two razor discs at Mothra, but she used her reflective scales to avoid them. Gigan responded by blasting Mothra with his laser beam, causing her to erupt in flames. Believing himself victorious, Gigan turned around only for his head to be sliced off by his reflected razor discs. Mothra, still on fire, flew into the headless Gigan and exploded, seemingly killing them both.
{{Main|Mothra (Monsterverse)}}
[[File:KOTM_-_Mothra_Larva_1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The larval [[Mothra (Monsterverse)|Mothra]] hatches from her egg in [[Monarch]]'s Outpost 61 in ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'']]
In the ancient past, human civilizations worshiped a benevolent lepidopteran [[Titan]] known as Mothra, who possessed a symbiotic relationship with [[Godzilla (Monsterverse)|Godzilla]] and had the ability to reincarnate herself by laying an egg before death which would hatch into a larva that genetically retained her mother's memories. When the evil three-headed extraterrestrial dragon known as [[King Ghidorah (Monsterverse)|King Ghidorah]] invaded the [[Earth]], Mothra joined forces with Godzilla to fight him and protect the ancient humans who worshiped them. Godzilla ultimately defeated Ghidorah by sealing him beneath the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] ice. After the ancient Titan-worshiping civilization within the [[Hollow Earth]] ultimately fell, Mothra eventually relocated to [[China]]'s Yunnan rainforest, where her remaining worshipers constructed a massive temple around her egg. In [[2009]], members of the scientific organization known as [[Monarch]] discovered the "Temple of the Moth" and constructed a research outpost around it. In [[2019]], Mothra's egg hatched, but the newborn larva panicked and attacked the Monarch guards surrounding her. Dr. [[Emma Russell]] used her invention, the sonar device [[Orca]], to calm Mothra, allowing her and her daughter [[Madison Russell|Madison]] to get close to the Titan. Eco-terrorists under the command of [[Alan Jonah]] then assaulted the outpost, killing the Monarch personnel and absconding with Emma, Madison, and the Orca. Mothra escaped the temple and cocooned herself under a nearby waterfall. Monarch learned that Emma had been working with Jonah to enact a plan to release all of the Earth's dormant Titans in order to save the planet from the impending ecological disaster caused by human activity. In doing so, they had unleashed King Ghidorah, oblivious to his alien nature. Godzilla attempted to defeat Ghidorah once and for all in the waters off of [[Mexico]], but the [[United States]] military intervened by firing the [[Oxygen Destroyer]] at the battling Titans, critically weakening Godzilla and leaving Ghidorah unharmed. With Godzilla out of the picture, Ghidorah used his status as the new alpha Titan to awaken countless other Titans and bend them to his will.  


The film's end credits show an unharmed Mothra flying back to [[Infant Island]], although it is possible this is simply unused footage and not meant to suggest Mothra survived her battle with Gigan, similar to how footage of [[Hedorah]] destroying Tokyo is also shown during the end credits.
[[File:KOTM_-_Mothra_Guard.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Mothra shields the injured [[Godzilla (Monsterverse)|Godzilla]] from [[King Ghidorah (Monsterverse)|King Ghidorah]] in ''Godzilla: King of the Monsters'']]
{{Clear}}
Mothra emerged from her cocoon in her imago stage and flew to Monarch's Outpost 54 in the waters off of Bermuda, then guided its members to a sunken city within the Hollow Earth where Godzilla's lair was located. Monarch's Dr. [[Ishiro Serizawa]] gave his life to detonate a nuclear warhead which revitalized the weakened Godzilla, allowing him to head to [[Boston]] for a final confrontation with Ghidorah. Mothra joined him in assaulting the three-headed terror, but Ghidorah called [[Rodan (Monsterverse)|Rodan]] to his aid to deal with Mothra. Rodan badly burned Mothra's wings with the molten lava dripping from his own, then pinned her on top of a building. Before he could land a killing blow with his beak, Mothra pierced through his chest with the concealed stinger on her abdomen, taking him out of the fight. Ghidorah, meanwhile, had overpowered Godzilla and was about to finish him. Mothra crawled on top of Godzilla, then spread her wings and defiantly flew at Ghidorah, who promptly vaporized her with his gravity beams. Mothra's life energy floated down onto Godzilla, but Ghidorah bit down on him and tried to drain it through his bite. Emma, seeing the error of her ways, gave her life to draw Ghidorah away from Godzilla using the Orca, allowing Mothra's energy to take effect and transform Godzilla into Burning Godzilla: the final stage of his symbiosis with her. Burning Godzilla unleashed two nuclear pulses which took the shape of Mothra's wings and made the sound of her roar, incinerating Ghidorah's wings and two of his heads. Godzilla then stomped down on Ghidorah's chest and unleashed all of his internal nuclear power in a massive explosion. When the smoke cleared, Godzilla emerged from the debris holding Ghidorah's remaining head in his mouth, then incinerated it with his atomic breath. The Titans who were once subservient to Ghidorah gathered around Godzilla, then one-by-one submitted to him, accepting him as the new alpha.
===[[Reiwa era|Reiwa Series]]===
====''[[Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle|GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle]]''====
20,000 years after the fall of [[humans|mankind]] at the hands of the [[kaiju]], Mothra's surviving egg was kept in the underground temple of the [[Houtua]] civilization, which lived in the shadow of [[Godzilla Earth]] in a caldera under [[Mount Fuji]]. The twin priestesses [[Maina]] and [[Miana]] tended to the egg, [[telepathy|telepathically]] transmitting its messages to their people. When the Houtua captured several [[United Earth]] troops which had returned to reclaim the [[Earth]], they brought them into the temple to interrogate them. Maina and Miana placed their hands on Mothra's egg and telepathically asked the United Earth forces what their purpose was and why they had set fire to the Houtua's land. Captain [[Haruo Sakaki]] explained that they had come to destroy Godzilla. The twins responded that Godzilla was the enemy of Mothra, their God, and had killed her, leaving only the egg behind. The Houtua determined that the United Earth forces were not hostile, and the elder [[Munak]] allowed them to leave. Later, Maina and Miana tried to appeal to the rest of their people to help the United Earth troops before they were destroyed by Godzilla, but Munak stated that Mothra's egg proclaimed nothing. The twins then took matters into their own hands and traveled to [[Mechagodzilla/Anime|Mechagodzilla City]] to help Haruo and his allies.
====''[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater|GODZILLA: The Planet Eater]]''====
[[File:Mothra Planet eater.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in [[Haruo Sakaki|Haruo's]] vision in ''[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater|GODZILLA: The Planet Eater]]'']]
When [[Metphies]] summoned [[King Ghidorah/Anime|Ghidorah]] to Earth and tried to telepathically convince [[Haruo Sakaki|Haruo]] to become his messenger to the rest of mankind, [[Maina]] and [[Martin Lazzari]] placed their hands on Mothra's egg to try and reach Haruo. When their message reached Haruo, it entered his telepathic vision and manifested into a vision of Mothra which flew over the [[Boeing B-29 Superfortress]] that Haruo and Metphies were inside, destroying it and causing Haruo to begin falling through the sky. As he fell, he saw Mothra flying overhead and remarked that she looked like a "butterfly." Maina soon appeared to Haruo in the vision, giving him the strength necessary to finally free himself from Metphies' telepathic manipulation. With the help of Mothra, Maina, and Martin, Haruo was able to overcome Metphies' influence and defeat him, severing Ghidorah's connection to reality and allowing [[Godzilla Earth]] to banish him back to the Void.
{{Clear}}
===[[MonsterVerse]]===
{{Main|Mothra/Legendary}}
====''[[Kong: Skull Island]]''====
[[File:Kong Skull Island Mothra cave painting.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A cave painting of Mothra in ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'']]
After their adventure on [[Skull Island]], [[Monarch]] members [[Houston Brooks]] and [[Lin San]] showed [[James Conrad]] and [[Mason Weaver]] a cave painting of Mothra, along with paintings depicting [[Godzilla/Legendary|Godzilla]], [[Rodan/Legendary|Rodan]] and [[King Ghidorah/Legendary|King Ghidorah]], as proof that the inhabitants of Skull Island were not the only monsters in the world. Mothra was depicted as entirely white in color and surrounded by worshipers in her painting.
{{Clear}}
====''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''====
While discussing the completion of her sonar device the ORCA, [[Monarch]]'s Dr. [[Emma Russell]] and her daughter [[Madison Russell|Madison]] overheard Mothra's roar from their dwelling built in [[China]]'s Yunnan rainforest. Emma was contacted and told to report immediately to Outpost 56, the Temple of the Moth. Upon arrival, they were greeted by entomologist Dr. Tim Mancini, who explained that Mothra's radiation levels have suddenly skyrocketed after she was sleeping peacefully just before. As they entered an observation room overlooking a huge chamber, they witnessed Mothra's glowing blue egg begin to pulse and shift before a huge mass burst from it. Shaking the amniotic fluid from her body, Mothra's larval form finally hatched. Monarch attempted to put a containment field around Mothra, but their systems inexplicably shut down, as if they were being sabotaged by an outside party. Seeing the armed soldiers surrounding her, Mothra began to panic as the soft blue bioluminescent glow being emitted from her body shifted to a red glow. Mothra began to thrash about, spitting silk at the guards and grabbing one guard in her mouth before throwing him into a wall. Emma ran into the chamber with the ORCA and activated it, trying to use it to calm Mothra. As Emma struggled to find the right sonar pattern, Mothra became aggressive and began spitting silk at her. Madison ran into the chamber after her mother, and watched as Mothra was bearing down on both of them. Fortunately, Emma successfully pacified Mothra with the ORCA, and her glow returned once again to the peaceful blue color from when she hatched. Emma and Madison were able to approach Mothra, and Madison placed her hand on the monster's face. Mothra blew air through her nostrils that blew both Emma and Madison back. This peaceful communion between man and monster was interrupted however when a bomb was detonated in the observation room. A group of armed mercenaries entered and gunned down most of the Monarch personnel, then absconded with Emma, Madison, and the ORCA. Mothra subsequently escaped the temple and cocooned herself under a nearby waterfall.


In their quest to retrieve the ORCA, Monarch came to realize that Emma had been in league with the eco-terrorist group, led by [[Alan Jonah]], and intended to use the ORCA to reawaken the [[Titan]]s around the globe in order to restore balance to nature before the government could exterminate them. The first Titan they unleashed, [[King Ghidorah/Legendary|King Ghidorah]], proved to not belong to the natural order like the others and emitted a call that awakened all of the other Titans around the world. Each of these Titans responded to Ghidorah's call and began doing his bidding, converting the planet's ecosystem to his liking by causing destruction across the globe. However, Mothra did not respond to Ghidorah's call as she emerged from her cocoon in her imago stage. Monarch's Dr. Ling and Dr. [[Houston Brooks]] watched as the imago Mothra spread her glowing wings. Mothra made her way to Monarch's Castle Bravo underwater base, where Monarch and the U.S. military were discussing countermeasures against Ghidorah and the other Titans now that [[Godzilla/Legendary|Godzilla]] was seemingly killed by the experimental [[Oxygen Destroyer]] weapon that failed to harm Ghidorah. Mothra emitted blinding white bioluminescence from her wings that parted the surrounding stormclouds and revealed her presence to everyone in the base. Monarch discovered that Mothra was using sonar to communicate, and that Godzilla was responding from somewhere. Using her bioluminescent God Rays as a beacon, Mothra led Monarch to Godzilla's location. The submarine they were traveling in was pulled inside the Hollow Earth, where they found an ancient sunken city which contained Godzilla's lair. Dr. [[Ishiro Serizawa]] sacrificed himself to detonate one of the sub's nuclear torpedoes next to Godzilla, with the radiation revitalizing him and allowing him to fight once more.
Having anticipated her demise in the final battle with Ghidorah, Mothra had returned to China and laid an egg before flying to Boston, ensuring her survival. Her sacrifice had also granted Godzilla heightened senses, allowing him to view the entire planet as an extension of himself. He made use of her gift to locate a new home in the Hollow Earth following the destruction of his previous lair. Her egg had yet to hatch by [[2024]], as conspiracy theorist [[Bernie Hayes]] speculated about who its father could be in one of the last episodes of Titan Truth Podcast he recorded before infiltrating the headquarters of [[Apex Cybernetics]].


Godzilla made his way to Boston to confront Ghidorah, supported by the military. Mothra arrived not long after and assisted Godzilla by pinning Ghidorah's heads against a building with her silk attack. Godzilla tackled Ghidorah through the building, but before he could attack again Ghidorah summoned [[Rodan/Legendary|Rodan]] to support him. Rodan intercepted Mothra, and the two flying Titans engaged in an aerial battle across the city as Godzilla and Ghidorah continued to fight on the ground. The molten magma emitted from Rodan's wings burned Mothra's own, causing her to eventually lose her ability to fly. Rodan sent Mothra crashing into a nearby skyscraper, but she used her claws to knock him off and climbed to the top. Rodan flew back around and pinned Mothra to the top of the skyscraper, trying to stab her with his beak. Mothra dodged his attacks and used  her stinger to pierce directly through Rodan's chest. Immobilized by the sting, Rodan fell backward down into the burning city below, shrieking in rage. When Ghidorah dropped Godzilla from the sky and seriously injured him, Mothra intervened by weakly climbing onto Godzilla as Ghidorah closed in. She spread her wings to shield Godzilla, then flew directly at Ghidorah who easily disintegrated her with his gravity beams. Mothra's energy floated down onto Godzilla, causing glowing orange cracks to begin forming in his skin. Ultimately, Mothra's energy provided Godzilla with a huge boost in power which caused his entire body to become covered in these glowing patterns and emit intense heat. Godzilla used his new power to finish Ghidorah once and for all. His dorsal fins sparked with energy as he launched forth a burning nuclear pulse of energy which took the shape of Mothra's wings and made the sound of her roar. This pulse incinerated both of Ghidorah's wings, after which Godzilla fired another pulse that melted his left and right heads. Godzilla stomped onto Ghidorah's chest as the energy inside him built to critical levels and exploded. When the smoke cleared, Godzilla emerged victorious from the rubble, holding Ghidorah's remaining head in his jaws. Godzilla incinerated this head with his atomic breath before being confronted by Rodan and the other Titans which Ghidorah had controlled. With Ghidorah gone, the Titans all one by one submitted to Godzilla, accepting him as the new King of the Monsters.
===[[Reiwa era]]===
While Mothra does not directly appear onscreen in the films of the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy, nor is she ever named, she is chronicled in the second official prequel novel to the trilogy, ''[[GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]''. She is only ever referenced as the [[Houtua]]'s God in ''[[GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle]]'', while her egg appears in ''[[GODZILLA: The Planet Eater]]'', which also features a brief telepathic manifestation of her imago stage. Mothra appears in the web series ''[[Godziban]]'' and ''[[I'm Home! Chibi Godzilla]]'', while the anime series ''[[Godzilla Singular Point]]'' features a flock of large silkworm moths identified as Mothra in supplementary materials.
====''[[GODZILLA: The Planet Eater]]''====
{{Main|Mothra (anime trilogy)}}
[[File:Godzilla_The_Planet_Eater_-_Mothra_3.png|thumb|right|200px|[[Mothra (anime trilogy)|Mothra]] manifests within a telepathic vision experienced by [[Haruo Sakaki]] in ''[[GODZILLA: The Planet Eater]]'']]
Mothra was a benevolent kaiju who lived harmoniously in the Amazon rainforest with an isolated tribe of humans known only as "Mothra's People". While other kaiju began appearing across the world in the 21st century and brought [[human]] civilization to its knees, they remained relatively safe. Mothra possessed a counterpart known as [[Battra]], and together the two were believed to hold enough power to defeat even [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]], the most dreaded and powerful of the kaiju terrorizing mankind. However, Battra had awakened prematurely after sensing the approach of the [[Gorath]] asteroid and was killed by Godzilla, who destroyed Gorath himself. In [[2048]], after 15,000 human refugees selected by an artificial intelligence fled the [[Earth]] aboard the extraterrestrial emigration ships ''[[Oratio]]'' and ''[[Aratrum]]'', Mothra's priestess Lira revealed her people's existence to the remnants of the [[United Earth]] who were left behind. When Godzilla attacked the United Earth's final stronghold in Buenaventura in order to eliminate humanity once and for all, Mothra arrived to intercept him. She forced Godzilla to retreat by reflecting his atomic breath back at him using the protective scales secreted from her wings, which also interfered with Godzilla's shield. The United Earth remnants, led by Akira Sakaki in cooperation with a group known as the Monster Coexistence Sect, organized a plan called Operation Cradle to relocate Mothra's eggs to [[Japan]], where they would remain safe and hidden from Godzilla while her offspring could defend future generations of humanity living there. Mothra's eggs were placed on the flight deck of the [[USS Saratoga|USS ''Saratoga'']], which began transporting them to Japan. Godzilla intercepted the transport, but the wounded imago Mothra arrived and held him off long enough for the ''Saratoga'' to escape and finish the operation, after which she was killed by Godzilla.


Under Godzilla's leadership, the Titans became peaceful and helped to restore damaged ecosystems across the globe. Monarch also discovered a Titan egg, which was speculated to be either another Mothra, or something else entirely.
Sometime during the ensuing millennia, Mothra's eggs hatched, but the next generation of the creature still failed to defeat Godzilla. The carcass of one Mothra crashed into a volcanic caldera within the vicinity of what was once Oyama, then decomposed and left behind a single egg. The remaining humans took up residence within the caldera, evolving into a new humanoid species known as the [[Houtua]], who inherited Mothra's "monster factor" just as all other life on Earth took on traits of Godzilla. The Houtua lived underground in Godzilla's shadow, harvesting [[Nanometal]] left behind from [[Mechagodzilla (anime trilogy)|Mechagodzilla]]'s remains in Hamamatsu in order to forge weapons. After approximately 20,000 years, the twin sisters [[Miana]] and [[Maina]] served as Mothra's priestesses, communing telepathically with her egg and translating her messages to the rest of the tribe. The crew of the ''Aratrum'' returned to Earth after finding their destination of [[Tau Ceti e]] uninhabitable following a 20-year space voyage, then encountered the Houtua during their ill-fated attempt to retake the planet from Godzilla. The Houtua rescued many of the survivors of their disastrous confrontation with Godzilla, who was now 300 meters tall, and treated the wounded, then cautioned them about the futility of continuing to fight Godzilla. Miana and Maina led the troops to Mechagodzilla City, a replica of Mechagodzilla's development plant constructed by the robot's A.I. entirely from Nanometal, but warned of the dangers associated with it before departing. Godzilla destroyed Mechagodzilla City after it was revealed that the [[Bilusaludo]] aliens intended to use the Nanometal to assimilate the entire planet, and the surviving humans took refuge within the Houtua's underground city. The [[Exif]] cardinal [[Metphies]] used the humans' desperation to gather a cult which could summon the Exif God, [[King Ghidorah (anime trilogy)|Ghidorah]], who would destroy both Godzilla and the entire planet. With Miana captured, Maina and [[Martin Lazzari]] called upon Mothra to help Captain [[Haruo Sakaki]] resist Metphies' telepathic influence. Mothra manifested in a vision that Haruo was experiencing, allowing him to speak to Maina and Martin. They informed him that Metphies was guiding Ghidorah somehow, which was how the creature was able to defy the laws of physics within this dimension. Haruo escaped the vision and shattered the [[Garbetrium]] bead in Metphies' eye, allowing Godzilla to dispatch Ghidorah back to the void from whence he came. The remaining humans then assimilated with the Houtua, adopting their peaceful lifestyle and coexisting with Godzilla under Mothra's guidance and protection.
====''[[Godziban]]''====
{{Main|Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu|Mothra (Godziban)}}
[[File:GZB29_-_Moshu_Moshus_close_up.png|thumb|left|200px|[[Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu]] in ''[[Godziban]]'']]
Mothra lived on [[Infant Island]] with her priestesses, Lune and Luna. She battled the evil [[Desghidorah]] and sealed him away, then used the last of her strength to summon forth an egg before dying and ascending into the sky. The egg hatched into the twin larvae [[Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu]], who communed with the spirit of their mother using a cup attached to a string. With Mothra's spirit watching over them, the larvae swam to Godzi Godzi Island, home of the Three Godzilla Brothers and many of [[Earth]]'s other monsters, whom they quickly befriended. Moshu-Moshu in particular demonstrated herself to be one of the most physically powerful monsters on the island, and at one point fought alongside [[Godzilla-kun]] and [[Radon and Rodan|Rodan]] against [[King Ghidorah (Godziban)|King Ghidorah]].
====''[[I'm Home! Chibi Godzilla]]''====
{{Main|Chibi Mothra}}
[[File:I'm Home Chibi Godzilla - Chibi Mothra.png|thumb|right|200px|[[Chibi Mothra]] in ''[[I'm Home! Chibi Godzilla]]'']]
Chibi Mothra was a friend of [[Chibi Godzilla]], and often visited him and his human roommate Satomi along with Chibi Godzilla's other friends [[Chibi Rodan]] and [[Chibi Ghidorah]].
====''[[Godzilla Singular Point]]''====
{{Main|Mothra (Godzilla Singular Point)}}
[[File:Godzilla_Singular_Point_-_Main_Trailer_-_28.png|thumb|left|200px|[[Jet Jaguar]] observes a [[Mothra (Godzilla Singular Point)|Mothra]] that has landed on his hand in ''[[Godzilla Singular Point]]'']]
Huge silkworm moths called Mothras appeared in [[Tokyo]] as [[Goro Otaki]], [[Yun Arikawa]], and other members of the [[Otaki Factory]] made their way toward [[Godzilla (Godzilla Singular Point)|Godzilla]], with one briefly landing on [[Jet Jaguar]]'s hand. A large swarm of Mothras later appeared seemingly out of thin air in the heart of the city. Goro, likening them to yellow butterflies spoken of in the historical chronicle ''[[wikipedia:Azuma Kagami|Azuma Kagami]]'', suggested the creatures were an omen of warfare - a foreshadowing of the confrontation with Godzilla which lay ahead of them.
{{Clear}}


==Abilities==
==Abilities==
Line 204: Line 252:
===Scales===
===Scales===
[[File:Mothra_attack.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra using her reflective scales in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'']]
[[File:Mothra_attack.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra using her reflective scales in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'']]
Typically, Mothra emits "scales" scales from her wings as a last resort, a yellow poisonous powder that can incapacitate enemies. In ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'', Mothra's scales only served to asphyxiate Godzilla and cause him to fall over, while in subsequent incarnations her scales have been given the ability to reflect attacks back at her enemies. In ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', Mothra can use her scales to create a 3-D mirror which causes beam weapons to repeatedly rebound before striking the target, effectively making them impossible to miss. [[Battra]] took advantage of this ability to attack Godzilla by firing his Prism Beams into the scales, allowing them to strike Godzilla over and over again. However, the scales failed to stop Godzilla's Nuclear Pulse, which sent Mothra flying. In ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'', both missiles from a fighter jet and Godzilla's atomic breath ignited her scales on contact, damaging the latter while leaving her unharmed. In ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'', they caused [[Gigan]]'s Bladed Slicers to malfunction, severing his own head. In ''[[Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla|GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]'', her scales interfere with Godzilla's Asymmetrically Permeable Shield, rendering him defenseless as the scales reflect his atomic breath back at him, injuring him.
Typically, Mothra emits "scales" scales from her wings as a last resort, a yellow poisonous powder that can incapacitate enemies. In ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'', Mothra's scales only served to asphyxiate Godzilla and cause him to fall over, while in subsequent incarnations her scales have been given the ability to reflect attacks back at her enemies. In ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', Mothra can use her scales to create a 3-D mirror which causes beam weapons to repeatedly rebound before striking the target, effectively making them impossible to miss. [[Battra]] took advantage of this ability to attack Godzilla by firing his Prism Beams into the scales, allowing them to strike Godzilla over and over again. However, the scales failed to stop Godzilla's Nuclear Pulse, which sent Mothra flying. In ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'', both missiles from a fighter jet and Godzilla's atomic breath ignited her scales on contact, damaging the latter while leaving her unharmed. In ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'', they caused [[Gigan]]'s Bladed Slicers to malfunction, severing his own head. In ''[[GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]'', her scales interfere with Godzilla's Asymmetrically Permeable Shield, rendering him defenseless as the scales reflect his atomic breath back at him, injuring him.
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
===Telepathy===
===Telepathy===
Mothra possesses [[telepathy|telepathic]] abilities which she can use to communicate with her [[Shobijin]] across great distances.
Mothra possesses [[telepathy|telepathic]] abilities which she can use to communicate with her [[Shobijin]] across great distances.
===Silk===
===Silk===
Mothra can spit a stream of silk at her enemies to either disorient or entrap them. Usually this ability can only be used in her larval stage, but in the [[MonsterVerse]] she is able to use her silk attack even as an imago.
[[File:Mosura3.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra spits silk in ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'']]
Mothra can spit a stream of silk at her enemies to either disorient or entrap them. Usually this ability can only be used in her larval stage, but in the [[Monsterverse]] she is able to use her silk attack even as an imago.
{{Clear}}
===Wind===
===Wind===
In her imago stage, Mothra can flap her wings to create gales which tear apart buildings and knock other kaiju down.
In her imago stage, Mothra can flap her wings to create gales which tear apart buildings and knock other kaiju down.
===Antenna Beams===
===Antenna Beams===
In ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' and ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', Mothra can fire laser beams from her antennae. In ''Rebirth of Mothra'', this attack is called the Beam Pulser.
[[File:GvM15.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra fires antennae beams in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]''.]]
In ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' and ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', Mothra can fire laser beams from her antennae. In ''Rebirth of Mothra'', this attack is called the '''Beam Pulser'''.
{{Clear}}
===Lightning===
===Lightning===
[[File:Mothra 1992 arc lightning.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra releases arcs of lightning from her wings in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]''.]]
In ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'', Mothra can fire arcs of lightning through her wings or release this electrical energy through her touch.
In ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'', Mothra can fire arcs of lightning through her wings or release this electrical energy through her touch.
===Stinger===
===Stinger===
[[File:Mothra stings godzilla.gif|thumb|right|200px|Mothra fires stingers in ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'']]
In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]'', Mothra can fire a hail of poisonous dart-like stingers from her abdomen. In ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'', she instead possesses a single larger stinger attached to her abdomen which can immobilize enemies pierced by it.
In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack|GMK]]'', Mothra can fire a hail of poisonous dart-like stingers from her abdomen. In ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'', she instead possesses a single larger stinger attached to her abdomen which can immobilize enemies pierced by it.
{{Clear}}
===Flight===
===Flight===
Mothra is capable of flight, usually at supersonic speeds, while in her imago stage.
Mothra is capable of flight, usually at supersonic speeds, while in her imago stage.
===Eye beams===
===Eye beams===
In ''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'', Mothra fires blue beams from her eyes during her fight against [[Battra]] on [[Infant Island]].
[[File:RCO15.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra fires eye beams at [[Battra]] in ''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'']]
In ''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'', Mothra fires blue beams from her eyes during her fight against [[Battra]] on [[Infant Island]]. Mothra has a similar attack in the NES game, Godzilla Monster of Monsters!
===Stinger Blast===
[[File:Save_the_earth.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra using Stinger Blast on [[Godzilla]] in ''[[Godzilla: Save The Earth]]'']]
In the games ''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]'' and ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]'', while in her imago form, Mothra can shoot white balls of energy from her rear that hone in on targets before exploding. In ''Save the Earth'' specifically, Mothra also uses this technique to enhance some of her melee attacks.
{{Clear}}
===Cry for Peace===
[[File:Unleashed.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra using Cry for Peace on [[Godzilla]] in ''[[Godzilla Unleashed]]'']]
In the [[Pipeworks]] ''Godzilla'' games, while in her imago form, Mothra can send out a rainbow colored shockwave while crying out loudly. Opponents caught in the shockwave receive minor damage but are stunned for a couple of seconds. This ability requires a fair amount of energy to use.
{{Clear}}
==Mothra's Fairies: [[Shobijin]], Cosmos, [[Elias]], [[Maina]] and [[Miana]]==
==Mothra's Fairies: [[Shobijin]], Cosmos, [[Elias]], [[Maina]] and [[Miana]]==
{{Main|Shobijin|Elias|Maina|Miana}}
{{Main|Shobijin|Elias|Maina|Miana}}
Mothra is usually accompanied by two tiny priestesses or fairies (often called Shobijin, Japanese for "small beauties") who also speak for her. For Mothra's first three film appearances these twin fairies were played by the Peanuts, the singing duo of Emi and Yumi Ito. In ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'', they demonstrate [[telepathy|telepathic]] abilities, within speaking range with people and over great distances with Mothra. They explain that while they call to Mothra in prayer and in [[Mothra's Song|song]], they and Mothra are also connected on some deeper level beyond their control, and it is this connection that impels Mothra to find them no matter where they are. These qualities are part of the continuity of all subsequent Mothra appearances. In ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' the Shobijin also demonstrate teleportation, when trying to escape from Kumayama and [[Jiro Torahata]]. In ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' the Shobijin translate not only Mothra's chirps but an entire conversation among her, [[Godzilla/Showa|Godzilla]], and [[Rodan/Showa|Rodan]]. In ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'', the Shobijin are now played by Pair Bambi, but still demonstrate the same telepathic bond with Mothra. Decades later, in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'', two other Shobijin (portrayed by Masami Nagasawa and Chihiro Ôtsuka) demonstrate [[telekinesis]] as well.
Mothra is usually accompanied by two tiny priestesses or fairies (often called Shobijin, Japanese for "small beauties") who also speak for her. For Mothra's first three film appearances these twin fairies were played by the Peanuts, the singing duo of Emi and Yumi Ito. In ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'', they demonstrate [[telepathy|telepathic]] abilities, within speaking range with people and over great distances with Mothra. They explain that while they call to Mothra in prayer and in [[Mothra's Song|song]], they and Mothra are also connected on some deeper level beyond their control, and it is this connection that impels Mothra to find them no matter where they are. These qualities are part of the continuity of all subsequent Mothra appearances. In ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' the Shobijin also demonstrate teleportation, when trying to escape from Kumayama and [[Jiro Torahata]]. In ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' the Shobijin translate not only Mothra's chirps but an entire conversation among her, [[Godzilla (Second Generation)|Godzilla]], and [[Rodan (Showa)|Rodan]]. In ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'', the Shobijin are now played by Pair Bambi, but still demonstrate the same telepathic bond with Mothra. Decades later, in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'', two other Shobijin (portrayed by Masami Nagasawa and Chihiro Ôtsuka) demonstrate [[telekinesis]] as well.


In the [[Heisei era|Heisei series]], Mothra's priestesses (played by Keiko Imamura and Sayaka Osawa) identify themselves as [[Earth]]'s Cosmos, who claim to have been created by the very life force of Earth, along with Mothra and her dark counterpart [[Battra]]. The Cosmos speak not only for Mothra, but for the living Earth as well. The Cosmos say that Battra was first created by the Earth to balance the ecosystem, which was disrupted by the climate-altering device of an advanced civilization, 12,000 years ago. However, Battra proved to be a little too enthusiastic about his task, and attempted to wipe out all of mankind. Mothra, who lived in harmony with humanity, fought Battra to stop his rampage. While the Cosmos are connected to Mothra, they are aware of Battra's activity. They know when Battra has awoken, and what his tasks and motivations are, but Battra is not motivated to seek them out, unlike Mothra, who seems compelled to protect them and talks to them directly.
In the [[Heisei era|Heisei series]], Mothra's priestesses (played by Keiko Imamura and Sayaka Osawa) identify themselves as [[Earth]]'s Cosmos, who claim to have been created by the very life force of Earth, along with Mothra and her dark counterpart [[Battra]]. The Cosmos speak not only for Mothra, but for the living Earth as well. The Cosmos say that Battra was first created by the Earth to balance the ecosystem, which was disrupted by the climate-altering device of an advanced civilization, 12,000 years ago. However, Battra proved to be a little too enthusiastic about his task, and attempted to wipe out all of mankind. Mothra, who lived in harmony with humanity, fought Battra to stop his rampage. While the Cosmos are connected to Mothra, they are aware of Battra's activity. They know when Battra has awoken, and what his tasks and motivations are, but Battra is not motivated to seek them out, unlike Mothra, who seems compelled to protect them and talks to them directly.


In the [[:Category:Rebirth of Mothra|''Rebirth of Mothra'' trilogy]], Mothra's priestesses were the [[Elias]]; the Elias differ from earlier incarnations in that they are not mind-linked twins but individual persons, Moll and Lora. They are also seen to have an older sister, a dark Elias called Belvera. In addition to accompanying Mothra, the Elias would also ride a smaller Mothra called [[Fairy Mothra|Fairy]]. Mothra would reprise the role of ancient guardian, though with only a passing homage to the Shobijin, in ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''. The Shobijin reappear in ''Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.'', and identify themselves as descendants of the two Shobijin who accompanied Mothra in 1961. They appear to [[Shinichi Chujo]] and plead with him to convince the Japanese government to return the [[Godzilla/1954|first Godzilla's]] remains to the sea. In ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'', the Shobijin appear to a group of humans and warn them that the cyborg monster recently uncovered by the [[Earth Defense Force]], [[Gigan]], is an ancient enemy of Mothra who attempted to destroy the Earth. They later summon Mothra to aid [[Godzilla/Final Wars|Godzilla]] against Gigan and [[Monster X]].
In the [[:Category:Rebirth of Mothra|''Rebirth of Mothra'' trilogy]], Mothra's priestesses were the [[Elias]]; the Elias differ from earlier incarnations in that they are not mind-linked twins but individual persons, Moll and Lora. They are also seen to have an older sister, a dark Elias called Belvera. In addition to accompanying Mothra, the Elias would also ride a smaller Mothra called [[Fairy Mothra|Fairy]]. Mothra would reprise the role of ancient guardian, though with only a passing homage to the Shobijin, in ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''. The Shobijin reappear in ''Godzilla: Tokyo SOS'', and identify themselves as descendants of the two Shobijin who accompanied Mothra in 1961. They appear to [[Shinichi Chujo]] and plead with him to convince the Japanese government to return the [[Godzilla (First Generation)|first Godzilla's]] remains to the sea. In ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'', the Shobijin appear to a group of humans and warn them that the cyborg monster recently uncovered by the [[Earth Defense Force]], [[Gigan]], is an ancient enemy of Mothra who attempted to destroy the Earth. They later summon Mothra to aid [[Godzilla (Godzilla Final Wars)|Godzilla]] against Gigan and [[Monster X]].


Two characters based on the Shobijin, [[Maina]] and [[Miana]], are featured in the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy. They are twin sisters and members of the [[Houtua]], a tribe descended from a group of humans that Mothra defended from [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]] 20,000 years ago and helped to relocate to the [[Mount Fuji]] area. Like the Shobijin, Maina and Miana are telepathically bonded to Mothra, in this case her surviving egg, and serve as her priestesses and communicate her messages to others. Maina and Miana are distinct from the Shobijin in that rather than being tiny compared to humans, they are human-sized like the rest of their race.
Two characters based on the Shobijin, [[Maina]] and [[Miana]], are featured in the ''GODZILLA'' anime trilogy. They are twin sisters and members of the [[Houtua]], a tribe descended from a group of humans that Mothra defended from [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]] 20,000 years ago and helped to relocate to the [[Mount Fuji]] area. Like the Shobijin, Maina and Miana are telepathically bonded to Mothra, in this case her surviving egg, and serve as her priestesses and communicate her messages to others. Maina and Miana are distinct from the Shobijin in that rather than being tiny compared to humans, they are human-sized like the rest of their race.
==Filmography==
*''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961)
* ''Cheers, Mr. Awamori!'' (1961) [props]
*''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' (1964)
*''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (1964)
*''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'' (1966)
*''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'' (1968)
*''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'' (1972) [stock footage]
*''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'' (1984) [stock footage]
*''[[Adventure! Godzilland]]'' (TV 1992-1993)
*''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' (1992)
*''[[Get Going! Godzilland]]'' (1994, 1996)
*''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'' (1994)
*''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' (1996)
*''[[Godzilla Island (Series)|Godzilla Island]]'' (TV 1997-1998)
*''[[Rebirth of Mothra II]]'' (1997)
*''[[Rebirth of Mothra III]]'' (1998)
*''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'' (2001)
*''[[Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]]'' (2002) [stock footage]
*''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' (2003)
*''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' (2004)
*''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' (2017) [cave painting]
*''[[Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle|GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle]]'' (2018) [mentioned]
*''[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater|GODZILLA: The Planet Eater]]'' (2018) [vision]
*''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' (2019)
*''[[Godziban]]'' (TV 2019-) [episodes 3, 5-7, 9, 11]
==Attractions==
==Attractions==
*''[[Monster Planet of Godzilla]]'' (1994)
*''[[Monster Planet of Godzilla]]'' (1994)
==Video Games==
==Video games==
*''[[Monster's Fair]]'' (1985) - Microsoft MSX
{{col-begin}}
*''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!]]'' (1988) - Nintendo Entertainment System / Famicom
{{col-2}}
;Original games
*''[[Monster's Fair]]'' (1986) - Microsoft MSX
*''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!]]'' (1988) - Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom
*''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]'' (1992) - Nintendo Entertainment System
*''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]'' (1992) - Nintendo Entertainment System
*''[[Battle Baseball]]'' (1993) - Nintendo Famicom
*''[[Battle Baseball]]'' (1993) - Nintendo Famicom
*''[[Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Game Boy)|Godzilla, King of the Monsters]]'' (1993) - Nintendo Game Boy
*''[[Godzilla, King of the Monsters (video game)|Godzilla, King of the Monsters]]'' (1993) - Nintendo Game Boy
*''[[Godzilla (arcade)|Godzilla]]'' (1993) - Arcade
*''[[Godzilla (arcade game)|Godzilla]]'' (1993) - arcade
*''[[Godzilla (SystemSoft video game)|Godzilla]]'' (1993) - NEC PC-9801
*''[[Godzilla: Great Monster Battle]]'' (1994) - Nintendo Super Famicom
*''[[Godzilla: Great Monster Battle]]'' (1994) - Nintendo Super Famicom
*''[[Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!!]]'' (1995) - Sega Pico
*''[[Godzilla: Archipelago Shock]]'' (1995) - Sega Saturn
*''[[Godzilla: Giant Monster March]]'' (1995) - Sega Game Gear
*''[[Godzilla: Giant Monster March]]'' (1995) - Sega Game Gear
*''[[Godzilla: Archipelago Shock]]'' (1995) - Sega Saturn
*''[[Jumbo Godzilla]]'' (1995) - arcade machine
*''[[Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!!]]'' (1995) - Sega Pico
*''[[Godzilla Movie Studio Tour]]'' (1996) - Microsoft Windows and macOS
*''[[Godzilla Movie Studio Tour]]'' (1998) - PC and Mac
*''[[Mothra Tamagotchi]]'' (1997) - [[Bandai]] Tamagotchi
*''[[Godzilla Generations]]'' (1998) - Sega Dreamcast
*''[[Godzilla: Trading Battle]]'' (1998) - Sony PlayStation
*''[[Godzilla: Trading Battle]]'' (1998) - Sony PlayStation
*''[[Godzilla Generations]]'' (1998) - Sega Dreamcast
*''[[Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly]]'' (1998) - Sega Dreamcast VMU
*''Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly'' (1998) - Sega Dreamcast VMU
*''[[Mothra: Dream Battle]]'' (1998) - Sega Dreamcast VMU
*''[[Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact]]'' (1999) - Sega Dreamcast
*''[[Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact]]'' (1999) - Sega Dreamcast
*''[[Godzilla: Giant Monsters All-Out Typing Attack]]'' (2001) - IBM PC/AT, NEC PC98-NX
*''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]'' (2002) - Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Xbox
*''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]'' (2002) - Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Xbox
*''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]'' (2002) - Nintendo Game Boy Advance
*''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]'' (2002) - Nintendo Game Boy Advance
*''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]'' (2004) - Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox
*''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]'' (2004) - Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox
*''[[CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle]]'' (2006) - Pachinko
*''[[CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle]]'' (2006) - pachinko
*''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]'' (2007) - Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 2
*''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]'' (2007) - Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 2
*''[[Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash]]'' (2007) - Nintendo DS
*''[[Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash]]'' (2007) - Nintendo DS
*''[[Godzilla: Pachislot Wars]]'' (2007) - Pachislot
*''[[Godzilla: Pachislot Wars]]'' (2007) - pachislot
*''[[CR Godzilla: Descent of the Destruction God]]'' (2010) - Pachinko
*''[[Godzilla: Monster Mayhem (3D game)|Godzilla: Monster Mayhem]]'' (2009) - iOS [3D; scrapped]
*''[[Godzilla: Monster Mayhem (2D game)|Godzilla: Monster Mayhem]]'' (2009) - iOS [2D]
*''[[CR Godzilla: Descent of the Destruction God]]'' (2010) - pachinko
*''[[Godzilla on Monster Island (video game)|Godzilla on Monster Island]]'' (2011) - AVP Slot Machine  
*''[[Godzilla on Monster Island (video game)|Godzilla on Monster Island]]'' (2011) - AVP Slot Machine  
*''[[Godzilla (2014 video game)|Godzilla]]'' (2014) - PlayStation 3 and 4
*''[[Godzilla (2014 video game)|Godzilla]]'' (2014) - PlayStation 3 and 4
*''Ace Combat Infinity'' (2014) - PlayStation 3
*''[[Godzilla Kaiju Collection]]'' (2015) - Android and iOS
*''[[Godzilla: Kaiju Collection]]'' (2015) - Android and iOS
*''Pocoron Dungeons'' (2016) - Android and iOS
*''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]'' (2017) - PlayStation 4
*''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]'' (2017) - PlayStation 4
*''Eternal Linkage'' (2018) - Android and iOS
*''[[CR True King of the Monsters Godzilla]]'' (2018) - pachinko
*''[[CR True King of the Monsters Godzilla]]'' (2018) - Pachinko
*''[[Godzilla Defense Force]]'' (2019) - Android and iOS
*''[[Godzilla Defense Force]]'' (2019) - Android and iOS
*''[[Clash of Kings]]'' (2019) - Android and iOS
*''[[PVV! Godzilla Great Monster Assembly!!]]'' (2019) - pachinko
*''[[Monsterverse (slot machine)|Monsterverse]]'' (2020) - Empire DCX slot machine
*''[[Run Godzilla]]'' (2021) - Android and iOS
*''[[Godzilla Destruction]]'' (2021) - Android and iOS
*''[[Godzilla Battle Line]]'' (2021) - Android, iOS, and PC
*''[[Godzilla (Stern pinball machine)|Godzilla]]'' (2021) - pinball
*''[[Pachinko True King of the Monsters Godzilla 2]]'' (2022) - pachinko
*''[[P Godzilla vs. Evangelion: G Cell Awakening]]'' (2022) - Pachinko
*''[[Godzilla Voxel Wars]]'' (2023) - Steam
{{col-2}}
;Collaborations
*''[[Monster Strike]]'' (2013) - Android and iOS
*''[[Ace Combat Infinity]]'' (2014; added in 2015) - PlayStation 3
*''[[Pocoron Dungeons]]'' (2014; added in 2016) - Android and iOS
*''[[Eternal Linkage]]'' (2017; added in 2018) - Android and iOS
*''[[Roblox]]'' (2006; added in 2019) - Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Xbox One [wings; accessory]
*''[[Clash of Kings]]'' (2014; added in 2019) - Android and iOS
*''[[Symphogear XD UNLIMITED]]'' (2017; added in 2019) - Android and iOS
*''[[Dragon Quest of the Stars]]'' (2015; added in 2020) - Android, iOS, and Google Play
*''[[Fall Guys]]'' (2020) - Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Xbox One and Series X/S, Sony PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS [costume]
*''[[Boku & Dragons]]'' (2015; added in 2022) - Android and iOS
*''[[Blankos Block Party]]'' (2022; added in 2022) - Microsoft Windows and macOS
*''[[The Ants: Underground Kingdom]]'' (2021; added in 2022) - Android, iOS, and Google Play
*''[[XR World]]'' (2022) - Android, iOS, and PC
*''[[Evony: The King's Return]]'' (2016; added in 2023) - Android, iOS
*''[[Fleet of Blue Flames]]'' (2017; added in 2023) - Android, iOS, and PC [costume]<ref>https://www.soenkantai.com/cp_202312/</ref>
*''[[Minecraft: Bedrock Edition]]'' (2011; added in 2024) - Windows 10, Windows 11, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Fire OS/TV, Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Samsung Gear VR
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}
===''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]''===
===''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]''===
Mothra appeared as a summonable monster in ''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]''. A Mothra-shaped icon, when picked up, calls in a "Mothra Airstrike," where she flies around the arena firing her antennae beams at all monsters besides the one who retrieved the item. She does little damage with each attack, but can add up. Mothra can be chased off if hit with a beam weapon, but this is difficult to do. Mothra is playable in the game's Game Boy Advance counterpart, ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]'', and was also playable in ''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!]]''. She was also a boss in ''[[Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact]]''.
Mothra appeared as a summonable monster in ''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]''. A Mothra-shaped icon, when picked up, calls in a "Mothra Airstrike," where she flies around the arena firing her antennae beams at all monsters besides the one who retrieved the item. She does little damage with each attack, but can add up. Mothra can be chased off if hit with a beam weapon, but this is difficult to do. Mothra is playable in the game's Game Boy Advance counterpart, ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]'', and was also playable in ''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!]]''. She was also a boss in ''[[Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact]]''.
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Mothra is also playable in ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]'', and played similarly to ''Save the Earth'', but to morph into adult form, the player must press A, B, C, and Z at the same time instead of R2 and L2. Mothra appears in ''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]''. In early missions she is an enemy, but in later missions will appear as a friendly unit if her egg is found (being near the egg heals her). Both her adult and larva forms appear in the game.
Mothra is also playable in ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]'', and played similarly to ''Save the Earth'', but to morph into adult form, the player must press A, B, C, and Z at the same time instead of R2 and L2. Mothra appears in ''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]''. In early missions she is an enemy, but in later missions will appear as a friendly unit if her egg is found (being near the egg heals her). Both her adult and larva forms appear in the game.
===''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]''===
===''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]''===
[[File:Saaassaafs.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Imago in ''Godzilla Unleashed'']]Height: 20 meters<br />Weight: 28,000 tons
[[File:Saaassaafs.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Imago in ''Godzilla Unleashed'']]Height: 20 meters<ref name="Official Godzilla Unleashed Animation Cards">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyGE4cJBHKw|author=Blackheart_Goji|title=Godzilla unleashed card animations w/sfx final|date=26 May 2023|work=YouTube}}</ref><br>Weight: 28,000 tons<ref name="Official Godzilla Unleashed Animation Cards">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyGE4cJBHKw|author=Blackheart_Goji|title=Godzilla unleashed card animations w/sfx final|date=26 May 2023|work=YouTube}}</ref><br>


"Mothra is a guardian of the earth, and only exists to defend the earth from pollution, corruption and devastation. Mothra begins life as a giant larvae, with a barbed tail and a web-spinning snout. Once danger threatens, however, Mothra cocoons herself and transforms into her flying adult form. As an adult, Mothra creates powerful gusts of wind from her wings and create clouds from her scales to reflect energy attacks. Although her wings appear frail, Mothra is a very capable melee opponent, using her superior mobility to strike her opponents quickly and then retreat. Mothra is devoted to rooting out the crystal corruption, and abhors monsters who absorb their energies for personal advancement."
"Mothra is a guardian of the earth, and exists only to defend the earth from pollution, corruption, and devastation. Mothra begins life as a giant larva, with a barbed tail and a web-spinning snout. Once danger threatens, however, Mothra cocoons herself and transforms into her flying adult form. As an adult, Mothra can fire stingers from her tail, create powerful gusts of wind from her wings, and create clouds of her scales to reflect energy attacks. Although her wings appear frail, Mothra is a very capable melee opponent, using her superior mobility to strike her opponents quickly and then retreat. Mothra is devoted to rooting out the crystal corruption, and abhors monsters who absorb their energies for personal advancement."
<gallery widths="120" position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small">
<gallery widths="120" position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small">
gu mothra bio.png|Mothra's bio from page 33 of the ''Godzilla: Unleashed'' instruction manual booklet
gu mothra bio.png|Mothra's bio from page 33 of the ''Godzilla: Unleashed'' instruction manual booklet
</gallery>
</gallery>
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
===[[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'' (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)]]===
===[[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'' (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)]]===
[[File:Mothra (PS3).png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Imago in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'']]]][[File:PS3_Godzilla_Mothra_Larva.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Larva in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'']]]]Mothra appears in both larva and imago form as a boss in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'']] for the PlayStation 3 and 4. Mothra can be randomly encountered by the player in either form. She possesses the powers and appearance of her [[Mothra/Heisei|Heisei incarnation]]. In larva form, Mothra is very small and attacks by jumping at [[Godzilla]] and biting him and spitting silk at him. In imago form, Mothra can ram Godzilla, smack him with her wings, or use her antenna beams or reflective scales. Mothra is one of the easier opponents faced in the game, and for this reason is one of the first opponents faced in King of the Monsters Mode. Both forms of Mothra are fully playable in the Defend variation of God of Destruction Mode in the PlayStation 4 version of the game.
[[File:Mothra (PS3).png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Imago in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'']]]][[File:PS3_Godzilla_Mothra_Larva.png|thumb|right|200px|Mothra Larva in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'']]]]Mothra appears in both larva and imago form as a boss in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'']] for the PlayStation 3 and 4. Mothra can be randomly encountered by the player in either form. She possesses the powers and appearance of her [[Mothra (Godzilla vs. Mothra)|Heisei incarnation]]. In larva form, Mothra is very small and attacks by jumping at [[Godzilla]] and biting him and spitting silk at him. In imago form, Mothra can ram Godzilla, smack him with her wings, or use her antenna beams or reflective scales. Mothra is one of the easier opponents faced in the game, and for this reason is one of the first opponents faced in King of the Monsters Mode. Both forms of Mothra are fully playable in the Defend variation of God of Destruction Mode in the PlayStation 4 version of the game.
====Moveset====
====Moveset====
=====Larva=====
=====Larva=====
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{{Main|Godzilla (2014 video game)/Kaiju Guide#Mothra}}
{{Main|Godzilla (2014 video game)/Kaiju Guide#Mothra}}
===''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]''===
===''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]''===
Mothra is featured in the upcoming survival RPG ''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]'', developed by Granzella and Bandai Namco for the PlayStation 4. She will appear on the game's second stage in her imago form, and will do battle with [[Battra]].
Mothra is featured in the survival RPG ''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]'', developed by Granzella and Bandai Namco for the PlayStation 4. She appears in her imago form and does battle with [[Battra]].
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="center" orientation="none" spacing="small" position="center">
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="center" orientation="none" spacing="small" position="center">
Monster's_Fair_-_Mothra_Larva.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Monster's Fair]]''
Monster's_Fair_-_Mothra_Larva.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Monster's Fair]]''
Monster's_Fair_-_Mothra_Larva_2.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Monster's Fair]]''
Monster's_Fair_-_Mothra_Larva_2.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Monster's Fair]]''
Monster's_Fair_-_Mothra_Imago.png|Mothra Imago in ''[[Monster's Fair]]''
Monster's_Fair_-_Mothra_Imago.png|Mothra Imago in ''[[Monster's Fair]]''
Mothra GMoM.gif|Mothra Imago's Sprite in ''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!]]''
Mothra GMoM.gif|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!]]''
Godzilla 2 - Mothra Larva Sprite.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]''
Godzilla 2 - Mothra Larva Sprite.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]''
Godzilla 2 - Mothra Imago Sprite.png|Mothra Imago's Sprite in ''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]''
Godzilla 2 - Mothra Imago Sprite.png|Mothra Imago in ''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]''
Godzilla_Arcade_Game_-_Mothra_Larva.png|Mothra Larva in the ''[[Godzilla (arcade)|Godzilla Arcade Game]]''
Godzilla_Arcade_Game_-_Mothra_Larva.png|Mothra Larva in the [[Godzilla (arcade game)|''Godzilla'' arcade game]]
Godzilla_Arcade_Game_-_Mothra_Imago.png|Mothra Imago in the ''[[Godzilla (arcade)|Godzilla Arcade Game]]''
Godzilla_Arcade_Game_-_Mothra_Imago.png|Mothra Imago in the [[Godzilla (arcade game)|''Godzilla'' arcade game]]
File:03b_mothra.png|Mothra's sprite in Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly
File:03b_mothra.png|Mothra in ''Collect Godzilla: Giant Monster Assembly''
Gojira_Godzilla_Domination_-_Character_Sprites_-_Mothra.png|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Godzilla_Domination_-_Character_Sprites_-_Mothra.png|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Godzilla_Domination_-_Character_Icons_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's icon in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Godzilla_Domination_-_Character_Icons_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's icon in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
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Gojira_Godzilla_Domination_-_Battle_Sprites_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's battle sprite in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Godzilla_Domination_-_Battle_Sprites_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's battle sprite in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Godzilla_Domination_Mothra_Larva.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Godzilla_Domination_Mothra_Larva.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Kaiju_Dairantou_Advance_-_Character_Sprites_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's Japanese sprite in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Kaiju_Dairantou_Advance_-_Character_Sprites_-_Mothra.png|Mothra in the Japanese version of ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Kaiju_Dairantou_Advance_-_Character_Icons_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's Japanese icon in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Kaiju_Dairantou_Advance_-_Character_Icons_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's icon in the Japanese version of ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Kaiju_Dairantou_Advance_-_Character_Boxes_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's Japanese character box in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Kaiju_Dairantou_Advance_-_Character_Boxes_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's character box in the Japanese version of ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Kaiju_Dairantou_Advance_-_Battle_Sprites_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's Japanese battle sprite in ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Gojira_Kaiju_Dairantou_Advance_-_Battle_Sprites_-_Mothra.png|Mothra's battle sprite in the Japanese version of ''[[Godzilla: Domination!]]''
Godzilla_Save_The_Earth_MOTHRA_LARVA.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]''
Godzilla_Save_The_Earth_MOTHRA_LARVA.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]''
Godzilla_Save_The_Earth_MOTHRA_IMAGO.png|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]''
Godzilla_Save_The_Earth_MOTHRA_IMAGO.png|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]''
Godzilla Unleashed - Mothra Larva.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]''
Godzilla Unleashed - Mothra Larva.png|Mothra Larva in ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]''
Unleashed - Mothra Imago.png|Mothra Imago in ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]''
Unleashed - Mothra Imago.png|Mothra Imago in ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]''
CR Godzilla - Mothra Icon.png|Mothra Slot Machine Icon from ''[[CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle]]''
CR Godzilla - Mothra Icon.png|Mothra slot machine icon in ''[[CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle]]''
PS3_Godzilla_Mothra_Larva.png|Mothra Larva in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'' (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)]]
PS3_Godzilla_Mothra_Larva.png|Mothra Larva in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'' (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)]]
Mothra (PS3).png|Mothra in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'' (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)]]
Mothra (PS3).png|Mothra in [[Godzilla (2014 video game)|''Godzilla'' (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)]]
GKC Mothra Larva 1961.jpg|Mothra Larva 1961 in ''[[Godzilla: Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Larva 1961.jpg|Mothra Larva 1961 in ''[[Godzilla Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Imago 1961.jpg|Mothra Imago 1961 in ''[[Godzilla: Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Imago 1961.jpg|Mothra Imago 1961 in ''[[Godzilla Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Larva 1992.jpg|Mothra Larva 1992 in ''[[Godzilla: Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Larva 1992.jpg|Mothra Larva 1992 in ''[[Godzilla Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Imago 1992.jpg|Mothra Imago 1992 in ''[[Godzilla: Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Imago 1992.jpg|Mothra Imago 1992 in ''[[Godzilla Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Imago 2003.jpg|Mothra Imago 2003 in ''[[Godzilla: Kaiju Collection]]''
GKC Mothra Imago 2003.jpg|Mothra Imago 2003 in ''[[Godzilla Kaiju Collection]]''
CSiS Mothra.png|Mothra in ''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]''
CSiS Mothra.png|Mothra in ''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]''
Eternal_Linkage_Mothra_Render.png|Mothra in ''Eternal Linkage''
Eternal_Linkage_Mothra_Render.png|Mothra in ''Eternal Linkage''
Character_mothra_1992-larva.png|Mothra (larva) in ''[[Godzilla Battle Line]]''
Character_mothra_1992-Imago.png|Mothra (imago) in ''[[Godzilla Battle Line]]''
Unit_mothra_leo.jpg|[[Mothra Leo]] in ''[[Godzilla Battle Line]]''
File:Fdw9NyKWQAELZ-L.png|Mothra in ''Blankos Block Party''
</gallery>
</gallery>


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*''[[Godzilla at World's End]]'' (1998)
*''[[Godzilla at World's End]]'' (1998)
*''[[Godzilla vs. the Space Monster]]'' (1998)
*''[[Godzilla vs. the Space Monster]]'' (1998)
*''[[Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse|GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse]]'' (2017) [referenced]
*''[[GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse]]'' (2017) [referenced]
*''[[Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla|GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]'' (2018)
*''[[GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]'' (2018)
===''[[Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla|GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]''===
*''[[Love from Godzilla]]'' (2023)
 
=== [[Godzilla on Monster Island (book)|''Godzilla on Monster Island'']] ===
Mothra's cocoon washed ashore on the beach of [[Monster Island]] after a storm and was discovered by [[Varan]] and [[Anguirus]] the morning after. Anguirus and [[Godzilla]] decided to protect the cocoon from their dangerous neighbors like [[Kamacuras]], [[Kumonga]], and [[Gigan]], as well as [[Mechagodzilla]], which was sent to recover the cocoon for human study. When Mothra finally emerged, Godzilla and his friends welcomed her to the island.
 
===''[[GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]''===
Mothra was the guardian of an indigenous tribe known as "Mothra's People" that lived in the Amazon rainforest in South America. She possessed healing powers and also used scales released from her wings to defend herself. She originally had a counterpart named [[Battra]], and it was said that their combined strength would be enough to defeat [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]]. However, Battra had awakened before Mothra in response to the approach of an asteroid called [[Gorath]], and was killed by Godzilla. In 2048, Mothra's People, led by the shrine maiden Lira, revealed themselves to the remaining [[United Earth]] forces which had been left behind by the Extraterrestrial Emigration Plan.
Mothra was the guardian of an indigenous tribe known as "Mothra's People" that lived in the Amazon rainforest in South America. She possessed healing powers and also used scales released from her wings to defend herself. She originally had a counterpart named [[Battra]], and it was said that their combined strength would be enough to defeat [[Godzilla Earth|Godzilla]]. However, Battra had awakened before Mothra in response to the approach of an asteroid called [[Gorath]], and was killed by Godzilla. In 2048, Mothra's People, led by the shrine maiden Lira, revealed themselves to the remaining [[United Earth]] forces which had been left behind by the Extraterrestrial Emigration Plan.


On July 31, 2048, several months after the Extraterrestrial Emigration Plan was enacted, Godzilla attacked the city of Buenaventura, where the remnants of humanity had gathered, intent on destroying the last bastion of human resistance. However, Mothra appeared to challenge Godzilla and successfully forced him to retreat following a fierce battle, in which she used her scales to reflect Godzilla's atomic breath back at him. Because Mothra could not defeat Godzilla alone, a group known as the Monster Coexistence Sect or [[Shobijin|Cosmos]], which wanted to emulate Mothra's People and live in harmony with Mothra, proposed that Mothra's eggs be transported to [[Japan]] so that her offspring could one day defend humans still living there. Their plan, codenamed "Operation: Cradle" and headed by Akira Sakaki, was put into action, with the [[USS Saratoga|USS ''Saratoga'']] carrying Mothra's eggs to Japan. Godzilla appeared and intercepted the convoy on August 15, and the injured adult Mothra fought him to defend her offspring and ensure the operation's success.<ref name="Project Mechagodzilla">{{cite book|author=Oki, Renji|title=[[Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla|GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]|publisher=[[Kadokawa]]|date=25 April 2018|pages=164-180|isbn=9784041063453}}</ref>
On July 31, 2048, several months after the Extraterrestrial Emigration Plan was enacted, Godzilla attacked the city of Buenaventura, where the remnants of humanity had gathered, intent on destroying the last bastion of human resistance. However, Mothra appeared to challenge Godzilla and successfully forced him to retreat following a fierce battle, in which she used her scales to reflect Godzilla's atomic breath back at him. Because Mothra could not defeat Godzilla alone, a group known as the Monster Coexistence Sect or [[Shobijin|Cosmos]], which wanted to emulate Mothra's People and live in harmony with Mothra, proposed that Mothra's eggs be transported to [[Japan]] so that her offspring could one day defend humans still living there. Their plan, codenamed "Operation: Cradle" and headed by Akira Sakaki, was put into action, with the [[USS Saratoga|USS ''Saratoga'']] carrying Mothra's eggs to Japan. Godzilla appeared and intercepted the convoy on August 15, and the injured adult Mothra fought him to defend her offspring and ensure the operation's success.<ref name="Project Mechagodzilla">{{cite book|author=Oki, Renji|title=[[GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]|publisher=[[Kadokawa]]|date=25 April 2018|pages=164-180|isbn=9784041063453}}</ref>
 
==Comics==
==Comics==
*''[[Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths]]'' #1-5 (2011)
*''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla (manga)|Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' (1964)
*[[Godzilla vs. Mothra (Kodansha manga)|''Godzilla vs. Mothra'']] (1992) <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Kodansha]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>
*[[Godzilla vs. Mothra (Shogakukan manga)|''Godzilla vs. Mothra'']] (1992) <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Shogakukan]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>
*''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters - Monster Island Unleashed!]]'' (1994)
*''[[Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths]]'' #1-5 (2011)
*''[[Godzilla: Legends]]'' #3 (2012)
*''[[Godzilla: Legends]]'' #3 (2012)
*''[[Godzilla: Ongoing]]'' #6, 8-10 (2012-2013)
*''[[Godzilla (IDW comic)|Godzilla]]'' #6, 8-10 (2012-2013)
*''[[Godzilla: The Half-Century War]]'' #3 (2012)
*''[[Godzilla: The Half-Century War]]'' #3 (2012)
*''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'' #1, 4, 9, 17-20, 23, 25 (2013-2015)
*''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'' #1, 4, 9, 17-20, 23, 25 (2013-2015)
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*''[[Godzilla: Oblivion]]'' #1, 4-5 (2016)
*''[[Godzilla: Oblivion]]'' #1, 4-5 (2016)
*''[[Godzilla: Rage Across Time]]'' #3, 5 (2016)
*''[[Godzilla: Rage Across Time]]'' #3, 5 (2016)
*''[[Gojiman]]'' #5 (2019)
*''[[Godziban#Manga adaptation|Godziman]]'' #5 (2019)
*''[[Godzilla Dominion]]'' (2021)
*''[[Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors]]'' #1-2, 4-5 (2021)
*''[[Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Mothra]]'' (2021)
*''[[Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Battra]]'' (2022)
*''[[Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - All Hail the King!]]'' #4 (2023) [cave painting]
*''[[Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. Titanosaurus]]'' (2023)
*''[[Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - Summer Smash]]'' (2023)
*''[[Legends of the Monsterverse: The Omnibus|Godzilla: Fight or Flight]]'' (2023)
*''[[Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons]]'' #3 (2023)
*''[[Godzilla: War for Humanity]]'' #2-4 (2023-2024)
*''[[Godzilla Rivals: Vs. Mechagodzilla]]'' (2023) [monitor]
*''[[Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A.]]'' (2024)
*''[[Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted]]'' (2024) [name]
*[[Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II|''Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II'']] (2024)
===''[[Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters]]''===
===''[[Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters]]''===
[[File:Shobijin GKoM.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Shobijin]] in ''[[Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters Issue 3|Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #3]]'']]Mothra does not actually appear in ''[[Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters]]'', however she is teased through the presence of the [[Shobijin]] in [[Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters Issue 3|issue #3]], where they express their concern over recent events when watching [[Battra]] on a television screen.
[[File:Shobijin GKoM.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[Shobijin]] in ''[[Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters issue 3|Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #3]]'']]Mothra does not actually appear in ''[[Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters]]''; however, she is teased through the presence of the [[Shobijin]] in [[Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters issue 3|issue #3]], where they express their concern over recent events when watching [[Battra]] on a television screen.
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
===''[[Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths]]''===
 
[[File:Mothra G&G.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths]]'']]Mothra has a major role in the miniseries ''[[Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths]]''. She appears on [[Monster Island]] in the first issue, where she saves human protagonist Detective Makato Sato from being killed by [[Godzilla]]. In the later issues, Mothra arrives in Tokyo along with several other monsters from Monster Island to retrieve the [[Elias]], who have been brought there by Sato as part of his plan to end the criminal operations of the Takahashi crime syndicate. Once the Elias are saved, Mothra and the other [[kaiju]] return to Monster Island peacefully.
===''[[Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths]]''===
[[File:Mothra G&G.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths]]'']]Mothra has a major role in the miniseries ''[[Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths]]''. She appears on [[Monster Island]] in the first issue, where she saves human protagonist Detective Makato Sato from being killed by [[Godzilla]]. In the later issues, Mothra arrives in Tokyo along with several other monsters from Monster Island to retrieve the [[Elias]], who have been brought there by Sato as part of his plan to end the criminal operations of the Takahashi crime syndicate. Once the Elias are saved, Mothra and the other [[kaiju]] return to Monster Island peacefully.
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
===''[[Godzilla: Ongoing]]''===
===''[[Godzilla (IDW comic)|Godzilla]]''===
[[File:Mothra Ongoing.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Ongoing]]'']]Mothra first appears in [[Godzilla: Ongoing Issue 6|''Godzilla: Ongoing'' #6]], where she saves a family from Godzilla in California and convinces the monster king to leave the area. The Shobijin then appear at a conference with the United Nations to warn of an impending invasion by the space monsters [[Gigan]], [[Hedorah]], [[SpaceGodzilla]], and [[Monster X]]. In [[Godzilla: Ongoing Issue 9|issue #9]], Mothra battles Monster X in New York, but is defeated.
[[File:Mothra Ongoing.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla (IDW comic)|Godzilla]]'']]Mothra first appears in [[Godzilla (IDW comic) issue 6|''Godzilla'' #6]], where she saves a family from Godzilla in California and convinces the monster king to leave the area. The Shobijin then appear at a conference with the United Nations to warn of an impending invasion by the space monsters [[Gigan]], [[Hedorah]], [[SpaceGodzilla]], and [[Monster X]]. In [[Godzilla (IDW comic) issue 9|issue #9]], Mothra battles Monster X in New York, but is defeated.
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
===''[[Godzilla: The Half-Century War]]''===
===''[[Godzilla: The Half-Century War]]''===
Mothra appears in [[Godzilla: The Half-Century War Issue 3|''The Half Century War'' #3]] as one of the many monsters battling in Ghana in 1975.
Mothra appears in [[Godzilla: The Half-Century War issue 3|''The Half Century War'' #3]] as one of the many monsters battling in Ghana in 1975.
<gallery widths="120" position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small">
<gallery widths="120" position="center" captionalign="center" spacing="small">
Half century war Mothra.jpg|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: The Half-Century War]]'' #3
Half century war Mothra.jpg|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: The Half-Century War]]'' #3
</gallery>
</gallery>
===''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]''===
===''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]''===
[[File:RoE_Mothra.jpg|thumb|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'']]Mothra first appeared in [[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth Issue 1|''Rulers of Earth'' #1]] in a panel when Dr. Kenji Ando was explaining Megazoology in a convention in Honolulu, Hawaii.
[[File:RoE_Mothra.jpg|thumb|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'']]Mothra first appeared in [[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth issue 1|''Rulers of Earth'' #1]] in a panel when Dr. Kenji Ando was explaining Megazoology in a convention in Honolulu, Hawaii.


In [[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth Issue 4|''Rulers of Earth'' #4]], Mothra fought [[Destoroyah]] with [[Godzilla]] by her side. She was gravely injured and had to be assisted by her twin larvae. After the fight with Destoroyah, Godzilla bids farewell to Mothra and she is carried back to [[Infant Island]] by her twin larvae. Mothra is then seen in [[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth Issue 9|''Rulers of Earth'' #9]], resting on Infant Island with her twin larvae. The [[Shobijin]] remark that Mothra may never recover from the injuries she sustained in her battle with Destoroyah.
In [[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth issue 4|''Rulers of Earth'' #4]], Mothra fought [[Destoroyah]] with [[Godzilla]] by her side. She was gravely injured and had to be assisted by her twin larvae. After the fight with Destoroyah, Godzilla bids farewell to Mothra and she is carried back to [[Infant Island]] by her twin larvae. Mothra is then seen in [[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth issue 9|''Rulers of Earth'' #9]], resting on Infant Island with her twin larvae. The [[Shobijin]] remark that Mothra may never recover from the injuries she sustained in her battle with Destoroyah.


In [[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth Issue 19|''Rulers of Earth'' #19]], the Shobijin arrived at the [[Monster Island]]s with Mothra's larvae and explained that [[Infant Island]] was recently attacked by [[Battra]], who was under the control of [[Minette and Mallory]]. They told [[Steven Woods]] that Mothra was killed in the battle and the entire island was destroyed, with only them and the larvae escaping. Shortly after, Battra arrived at the islands with Minette and Mallory, intent on finishing the job. However, before Battra could kill Mothra's larvae, the [[Trilopod]]s arrived, attacking Battra and the other monsters on the islands. The larvae escaped capture by the Trilopods and remained on the islands. After the Trilopods and the [[Cryogs]] were defeated by the other Earth monsters in Los Angeles, Mothra's larvae were seen cocooning themselves on a security monitor on the Monster Islands.
In [[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth issue 19|''Rulers of Earth'' #19]], the Shobijin arrived at the [[Monster Island]]s with Mothra's larvae and explained that [[Infant Island]] was recently attacked by [[Battra]], who was under the control of [[Minette and Mallory]]. They told [[Steven Woods]] that Mothra was killed in the battle and the entire island was destroyed, with only them and the larvae escaping. Shortly after, Battra arrived at the islands with Minette and Mallory, intent on finishing the job. However, before Battra could kill Mothra's larvae, the [[Trilopod]]s arrived, attacking Battra and the other monsters on the islands. The larvae escaped capture by the Trilopods and remained on the islands. After the Trilopods and the [[Cryog]]s were defeated by the other Earth monsters in Los Angeles, Mothra's larvae were seen cocooning themselves on a security monitor on the Monster Islands.
===''[[Godzilla: Cataclysm]]''===
===''[[Godzilla: Cataclysm]]''===
[[File:Mothra Cataclysm.jpg|thumb|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Cataclysm Issue 2|Godzilla: Cataclysm #2]]'']]Mothra is initially seen in a flashback by Arata's grandfather, showing her as part of a massive battle in Tokyo between [[Godzilla]], [[King Ghidorah]], [[Manda]], and [[Anguirus]]. The grandfather later recalls that some of the people in his village pray to Mothra to bring them good fortune. Later, Mothra herself actually appears and joins the battle between Godzilla and [[Biollante]]. After Godzilla incinerates Biollante, he blasts Mothra in the wing with his atomic breath, forcing her to retreat.
[[File:Mothra Cataclysm.jpg|thumb|200px|Mothra in ''[[Godzilla: Cataclysm issue 2|Godzilla: Cataclysm #2]]'']]Mothra is initially seen in a flashback by Arata's grandfather, showing her as part of a massive battle in Tokyo between [[Godzilla]], [[King Ghidorah]], [[Manda]], and [[Anguirus]]. The grandfather later recalls that some of the people in his village pray to Mothra to bring them good fortune. Later, Mothra herself actually appears and joins the battle between Godzilla and [[Biollante]]. After Godzilla incinerates Biollante, he blasts Mothra in the wing with his atomic breath, forcing her to retreat.


Later, Arata's grandfather hypothesizes that Mothra was protecting Biollante so that she could restore the Earth, while Godzilla wanted to destroy her to prevent humanity from ever being able to hurt him again. While Biollante regenerates, she attracts [[Megaguirus]] and her swarm of [[Meganulon|Meganula]]. The giant dragonflies try to feed on Biollante, but Mothra arrives to battle them. Mothra and Megaguirus clash in the skies, and the Meganula swarm onto Mothra. Mothra knocks the Meganula aside with her wings and prepares to attack Megaguirus again, but a sudden blast of Godzilla's atomic breath separates the two monsters. Mothra and Godzilla do battle, but Mothra is badly wounded by repeated blasts from Godzilla's atomic breath, shredding her wings. Mothra fights bravely but is defeated when Godzilla blasts her with his hyper spiral ray.
Later, Arata's grandfather hypothesizes that Mothra was protecting Biollante so that she could restore the Earth, while Godzilla wanted to destroy her to prevent humanity from ever being able to hurt him again. While Biollante regenerates, she attracts [[Megaguirus]] and her swarm of [[Meganulon|Meganula]]. The giant dragonflies try to feed on Biollante, but Mothra arrives to battle them. Mothra and Megaguirus clash in the skies, and the Meganula swarm onto Mothra. Mothra knocks the Meganula aside with her wings and prepares to attack Megaguirus again, but a sudden blast of Godzilla's atomic breath separates the two monsters. Mothra and Godzilla do battle, but Mothra is badly wounded by repeated blasts from Godzilla's atomic breath, shredding her wings. Mothra fights bravely but is defeated when Godzilla blasts her with his hyper spiral ray.
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Following the emergence of [[Destoroyah]], Mothra flies back into battle to assist Godzilla against the demonic creature. Destoroyah vaporizes Mothra with his micro-oxygen beam, but is subsequently destroyed by the combined efforts of Godzilla and the regenerating Biollante. Though Mothra gave her life in the battle, Godzilla returns to the sea to leave mankind alone, while Biollante begins the process of restoring the greenness of the Earth. Meanwhile, a larval Mothra hatches from a colorful egg, with another identical egg next to it beginning to hatch, showing that Mothra will be reborn along with the rest of the world.
Following the emergence of [[Destoroyah]], Mothra flies back into battle to assist Godzilla against the demonic creature. Destoroyah vaporizes Mothra with his micro-oxygen beam, but is subsequently destroyed by the combined efforts of Godzilla and the regenerating Biollante. Though Mothra gave her life in the battle, Godzilla returns to the sea to leave mankind alone, while Biollante begins the process of restoring the greenness of the Earth. Meanwhile, a larval Mothra hatches from a colorful egg, with another identical egg next to it beginning to hatch, showing that Mothra will be reborn along with the rest of the world.
===''[[Godzilla: Oblivion]]''===
===''[[Godzilla: Oblivion]]''===
Two Mothra larvae appeared in [[Godzilla: Oblivion Issue 1|the first issue]] of ''[[Godzilla: Oblivion]]'', where they fought two small [[Rodan]]s in an alternate dimension.
Two Mothra larvae appeared in [[Godzilla: Oblivion issue 1|the first issue]] of ''[[Godzilla: Oblivion]]'', where they fought two small [[Rodan]]s in an alternate dimension.


Two larvae later appeared along with an adult Mothra at the end of the [[Godzilla: Oblivion Issue 4|fourth issue]], alongside Rodan, [[Anguirus]], [[Biollante]], [[Zilla]] and [[King Caesar]] as they crossed through the inter-dimensional border while [[Mecha-King Ghidorah]] was fighting [[Godzilla]]. In the [[Godzilla: Oblivion Issue 5|following issue]], where the monsters were now joined by [[Hedorah]], Mecha-King Ghidorah attacked one of the Mothra larvae, leading its parent to attack the cyborg monster herself, leaving him vulnerable to Anguirus' attacks. She then turned her attention towards Godzilla and attacked him alongside Rodan. Later, after Mecha-King Ghidorah was defeated by Godzilla, all of the monsters were left behind as the humans left the [[Earth]] as it became covered by tiny robotic cells that served as interdimensional doorways.
Two larvae later appeared along with an adult Mothra at the end of the [[Godzilla: Oblivion issue 4|fourth issue]], alongside Rodan, [[Anguirus]], [[Biollante]], [[Zilla]] and [[King Caesar]] as they crossed through the inter-dimensional border while [[Mecha-King Ghidorah]] was fighting [[Godzilla]]. In the [[Godzilla: Oblivion issue 5|following issue]], where the monsters were now joined by [[Hedorah]], Mecha-King Ghidorah attacked one of the Mothra larvae, leading its parent to attack the cyborg monster herself, leaving him vulnerable to Anguirus' attacks. She then turned her attention towards Godzilla and attacked him alongside Rodan. Later, after Mecha-King Ghidorah was defeated by Godzilla, all of the monsters were left behind as the humans left the [[Earth]] as it became covered by tiny robotic cells that served as interdimensional doorways.
===''[[Skull Island: The Birth of Kong]]''===
===[[Legendary Comics]]===
[[File:Birth of Kong Easter eggs.JPG|thumb|right|200px|An image of Mothra taped to a map in [[Houston Brooks]]' office in the first issue of ''[[Skull Island: The Birth of Kong]]'']]
[[File:Dominion - Mothra vision.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A vision of [[Mothra (Monsterverse)|Mothra]] witnessed by [[Godzilla (Monsterverse)|Godzilla]] as he remembers her sacrifice in ''[[Godzilla Dominion]]'']]
A photograph of what appears to be a cave painting of Mothra was taped to a map in [[Houston Brooks]]' office in 2012.
Mothra has made two non-corporeal cameos in Legendary Comics' graphic novels set in the continuity of the MonsterVerse, ''[[Skull Island: The Birth of Kong]]'' and ''[[Godzilla Dominion]]''. In [[Skull Island: The Birth of Kong issue 1|first issue]] of the former, a photograph of what appeared to be a cave painting of her was taped to a map in [[Monarch]] agent [[Houston Brooks]]' office in 2012; in the latter, Godzilla experienced a vision of her while tapping into the new senses she granted him.
{{Clear}}
{{Clear}}
===''[[Gojiman]]''===
===''[[Gojiman]]''===
[[Battra]] courts two Mothra larvae and faces their wrath once they find out about each other.
[[Battra]] courts [[Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu]] and faces their wrath once they find out about each other.
===''[[Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons]]''===
Mothra was among the various kaiju known to the Sons of Giants, a secret society that sought to conceal the existence of the monsters from the rest of the globe during the 16th century.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
{{Main|Mothra/Gallery}}
{{Main|Mothra/Gallery}}
==Sightings==
==Sightings==
*In episode 40 of the Kimagure Orange Road anime TV series, the cast are making an amateur movie referencing certain elements from Mothra. They use the Kasuga family cat to play the part of a giant monster heading towards Tokyo with a final confrontation at Tokyo Tower and the Kasuga Twins playing the part of lost princesses that the monster is seeking. The twins even sing to the monster in order to calm it down and they ride on the monster back to their island paradise.
*In Episode 40 of the ''Kimagure Orange Road'' anime TV series, the cast are making an amateur movie referencing certain elements from Mothra. They use the Kasuga family cat to play the part of a giant monster heading towards Tokyo with a final confrontation at Tokyo Tower and the Kasuga Twins playing the part of lost princesses that the monster is seeking. The twins even sing to the monster in order to calm it down and they ride on the monster back to their island paradise.
*In the Rumiko Takahashi series, ''Urusei Yatsura'', Mothra, along with other [[kaiju]] co-stars, make multiple background cameos.
*In the Rumiko Takahashi series ''Urusei Yatsura'', Mothra, along with other [[kaiju]] co-stars, make multiple background cameos.
*In the Love Hina anime, Motoko has a dream where Mutsumi Otohime appears as two tiny versions of herself who sing to summon a giant version of Tama-chan in a similar fashion to how Mothra is summoned by her fairies.
*In the ''Love Hina'' anime, Motoko has a dream where Mutsumi Otohime appears as two tiny versions of herself who sing to summon a giant version of Tama-chan in a similar fashion to how Mothra is summoned by her fairies.
*Mothra has a brief appearance in an episode of The Simpsons where Godzilla is attacking the plane the family is on along with Gamera and Rodan.
*Mothra has a brief appearance in an episode of ''The Simpsons'' where Godzilla is attacking the plane the family is on along with Gamera and Rodan.
*A song by We Are Scientists, released on their 2002 LP Safety, Fun, and Learning (in that Order) is titled "Mothra Versus We Are Scientists."
*A song by We Are Scientists, released on their 2002 LP ''Safety, Fun, and Learning (in that Order)'', is titled "Mothra Versus We Are Scientists."
*In Class of 3000 Mothra and Godzilla made a few appearances.
*In ''Class of 3000'', Mothra and Godzilla made a few appearances.
*Mothra is the name of a track on the Nosferatu album by The Stranglers' lead-singer and guitarist Hugh Cornwell and Captain Beefheart percussionist Robert Williams.
*Mothra is the name of a track on the album ''Nosferatu'' by The Stranglers' lead-singer and guitarist Hugh Cornwell and Captain Beefheart percussionist Robert Williams.
*The Toe Jammers wrote a song about Mothra, in which Godzilla sings Mothra a letter he wrote that begs for her forgiveness.
*The Toe Jammers wrote a song about Mothra, in which Godzilla sings Mothra a letter he wrote that begs for her forgiveness.
*During the events entailed in Silent Hill 1, the lead protagonist, Harry Mason encounters a large larva that he must fight. Later on, it is shown to have evolved into a very Mothra-like giant moth, who seeks revenge.
*During the events entailed in ''Silent Hill 1'', the lead protagonist, Harry Mason, encounters a large larva that he must fight. Later on, it is shown to have evolved into a very Mothra-like giant moth, who seeks revenge.
*A common enemy in the Legend of Zelda series is a giant poisonous moth known as Mothula, an apparent play on Mothra's name.
*A common enemy in the ''Legend of Zelda'' series is a giant poisonous moth known as Mothula, an apparent play on Mothra's name.
*In the [[Pokémon]] anime, Giratina has Mothra's chirps and screeches.
*The German strategy guide for ''The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening'' uses a Mothra larva in its illustration of the Tail Key item.
*In the ''[[Pokémon]]'' anime, Giratina has Mothra's chirps and screeches.
*Mothra looks strikingly similar to the Generation III [[Pokémon]] Beautifly, even having an almost identical color scheme.
*Mothra looks strikingly similar to the Generation III [[Pokémon]] Beautifly, even having an almost identical color scheme.
*The [[Pokémon]] anime makes a direct reference to Mothra through Caterpie. In an episode a giant Caterpie attacks a city similar to Tokyo and it evolves into Metapod while on a tower similar to Tokyo Tower.
*The ''[[Pokémon]]'' anime makes a direct reference to Mothra through Caterpie. In an episode a giant Caterpie attacks a city similar to Tokyo and it evolves into Metapod while on a tower similar to Tokyo Tower.
*In the Generation V [[Pokémon]] video games, Volcarona (a giant, fire-controlling moth [[Pokémon]]) is likely to have been influenced by Mothra.
*In the Generation V [[Pokémon]] video games, Volcarona (a giant, fire-controlling moth [[Pokémon]]) is likely to have been influenced by Mothra.
*At the end of the Mad Cartoon Sketch: "Linkong", the [[Shobijin]] from 1961's ''Mothra ''(plus their various appearances in several Godzilla films) appear, narrating the epilogue and summoning Mothra Washington. Mothra flies on-screen, with authentic chirps.
*At the end of the ''Mad'' Cartoon Sketch: "Linkong", the [[Shobijin]] from 1961's ''Mothra ''(plus their various appearances in several Godzilla films) appear, narrating the epilogue and summoning Mothra to Washington. Mothra flies on-screen, with authentic chirps.
*In the Sonic X anime, the giant moth Mothmacin is a reference to Mothra.
*In the ''Sonic X'' anime, the giant moth Mothmacin is a reference to Mothra.
*In the Kirby series, a parody is seen in the anime. A monster named Mosugaba and the small twin girls were known as the Twin Nuts.
*In the ''Kirby'' series, a parody is seen in the anime. A monster named Mosugaba and the small twin girls were known as the Twin Nuts.
*Mothra is part of a miniskit in the comedy show Saturday Night Live.
*Mothra is part of a miniskit in the comedy show ''Saturday Night Live''.
*Mothra makes a pseudo-cameo in [[Godzilla (2014 film)|Legendary Pictures' ''Godzilla'']]. When [[Joseph Brody|Joe]] and [[Ford Brody]] are searching through the ruins of the quarantine zone, the word "Mothra" can be seen printed below a glass terrarium. Also, in Ford's classroom, there is a diagram featuring several moths and butterflies, the largest of which has Mothra's coloration.
*Mothra makes a pseudo-cameo in [[Godzilla (2014 film)|Legendary Pictures' ''Godzilla'']]. When [[Joseph Brody|Joe]] and [[Ford Brody]] are searching through the ruins of the quarantine zone, the word "Mothra" can be seen printed below a glass terrarium. Also, in Ford's classroom, there is a diagram featuring several moths and butterflies, the largest of which has Mothra's coloration.
*In August of 2014, the [[Godzilla (1998 film)|1998 film]] was mocked by RiffTrax Live, which was created by and shares many of the former members of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. During the riffing, they made witty references to King Ghidorah and [[Mothra]].
*In August of 2014, the [[GODZILLA (1998 film)|1998 film]] was mocked by RiffTrax Live, which was created by and shares many of the former members of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. During the riffing, they made witty references to King Ghidorah and [[Mothra]].
*A small U.S. poster for ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' appears on the wall of a video store in the 2002 film ''Men in Black II''.
*A small U.S. poster for ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' appears on the wall of a video store in the 2002 film ''Men in Black II''.
*In ''The Lego Ninjago Movie'', the cat who destroyed Ninjago City was named Meowthra.


==Roar==
==Roar==
Mothra's chirps are sped-up [[Anguirus]] roars. This is most evident during a scene in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' where Mothra is hit by artillery and moans in pain, emitting a sound that is almost identical to Anguirus' roar. According to the "Godzilla Quiz" included with the home video release of the ''[[Monster Planet of Godzilla]]'' short film, the Japanese onomatopoeia for Mothra's cry is "squeak" {{Nihongo|キィー|kyī}}. In ''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'', the imago Mothra's cries are rendered as "CHEERNT."
Mothra's chirps are a combination of heavily sped-up [[Anguirus]] roars and various [[Rodan]] screeches, including the raw material that would be used to make [[Maguma]]'s roars. This is most evident during a scene in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' where Mothra is hit by artillery and moans in pain, emitting a sound that is almost identical to Anguirus' roar. According to the "Godzilla Quiz" included with the home video release of the ''[[Monster Planet of Godzilla]]'' short film, the Japanese onomatopoeia for Mothra's cry is "squeak" {{Nihongo|キィー|kyī}}. In ''[[Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'', the imago Mothra's cries are rendered as "CHEERNT."
{{videos|
{{videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">VF5KS1h_boo</youtube>|Mothra's chirps in the [[Showa era|Showa series]]}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">VF5KS1h_boo</youtube>|[[Mothra (First Generation)|First]] and [[Mothra (Second Generation)|Second Generation]] Mothra chirps in the [[Showa era|Showa series]]}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">F3lintstLuQ</youtube>|Mothra's chirps in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]''}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">KlOELhnG54A</youtube>|[[Mothra Leo|Mothra Leo's]] chirps in the ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' films}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">IqkKGUiWPe8</youtube>|Mothra's chirps in ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]''}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">WSWjDSFyvn4</youtube>|[[Mothra (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS)|Mothra]] and the [[Mothra (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS)|Mothra Larvae's]] chirps in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]''}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">IqkKGUiWPe8</youtube>|[[Mothra (Godzilla Final Wars)|Mothra's]] chirps in ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]''}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">>bg9wkL6bZNM</youtube>|[[Mothra (Monsterverse)|Mothra's]] chirps in ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''}}
}}
}}
==In Other Languages==
==In other languages==
Mothra's name remains the same across many languages employing the Latin alphabet.
Mothra's name remains the same across many languages employing the Latin alphabet.
{{Other languages
{{Other languages
Line 478: Line 587:
|ru=Мотра|rumeaning=Transliteration of English name
|ru=Мотра|rumeaning=Transliteration of English name
|yi=מאָטהראַ|yimeaning=Transliteration of English name
|yi=מאָטהראַ|yimeaning=Transliteration of English name
|it=Watang {{small|([[Mothra/First Generation|1st Generation]])}},<br>Matra {{small|([[Mothra/Second Generation|2nd Generation]])}},<br>Polluk {{small|([[Mothra/Third Generation|3rd Generation]])}}|itmeaning=Watang,<br>Matra,<br>Polluk
|it=Watang {{small|([[Mothra (First Generation)|1st Generation]])}},<br>Matra {{small|([[Mothra (Second Generation)|2nd Generation]])}},<br>Polluk {{small|([[Mothra (Third Generation)|3rd Generation]])}}|itmeaning=Watang,<br>Matra,<br>Polluk
|zh_yue=魔斯拉 ''Mo1 si1 laai1''
|zh_yue=魔斯拉 ''Mo1 si1 laai1''
|zh_yuemeaning=Transcription of Japanese name
|zh_yuemeaning=Transcription of Japanese name
|zh_cmn=魔斯拉 ''Mó sī lā''
|zh_cmn=魔斯拉 ''Mó sī lā''
|zh_cmnmeaning=Transcription of Japanese name
|zh_cmnmeaning=Transcription of Japanese name
}}
|he=מות'רא|hemeaning=Transliteration of English name}}
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Mothra was the first Toho [[kaiju]] [[Godzilla]] faced that did not debut in the [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]] series but was instead incorporated into and absorbed by it, becoming one of the series' recurring characters.
*Mothra was the first Toho [[kaiju]] [[Godzilla]] faced that did not debut in the ''[[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla]]'' series but was instead incorporated into and absorbed by it, becoming one of the series' recurring characters.
**Mothra is also the only Toho kaiju to receive films dedicated to herself and her kind (''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' and its [[Rebirth of Mothra II|two]] [[Rebirth of Mothra III|sequels]]) after appearing in the Godzilla series.
**Mothra is also the only Toho kaiju to receive films dedicated to herself and her kind (''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' and its [[Rebirth of Mothra 2|two]] [[Rebirth of Mothra 3|sequels]]) after appearing in the Godzilla series.
*Mothra has become one of [[Godzilla]]'s most challenging opponents, having achieved the greatest success rate against him in battle. She has once overcome Godzilla in imago form, and twice Godzilla has fought her to her death only later to be bested by her newborn larvae. It should be mentioned that Mothra has never beaten Godzilla alone in her imago form. The only victories by Mothra over Godzilla were the twin Mothra larvae in ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' in the [[Showa era|Showa series]], imago Mothra and imago Battra in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' in the [[Heisei era|Heisei series]] and the twin larvae and [[Kiryu]] in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' in the [[Millennium era|Millennium series]].
*Mothra has become one of [[Godzilla]]'s most challenging opponents, having achieved the greatest success rate against him in battle. She has once overcome Godzilla in imago form, and twice Godzilla has fought her to her death only later to be bested by her newborn larvae. It should be mentioned that Mothra has never beaten Godzilla alone in her imago form. The only victories by Mothra over Godzilla were the twin Mothra larvae in ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' in the [[Showa era|Showa series]], imago Mothra and imago Battra in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' in the [[Heisei era|Heisei series]] and the twin larvae and [[Kiryu]] in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'' in the [[Millennium era|Millennium series]].
*Mothra was the first kaiju fought by Godzilla to be female, the first one to be an insect, and the first one capable of flight. She was also the second insect kaiju to appear in a Toho film, predated only by the [[Meganulon]] from ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]''.
*Mothra was the first kaiju fought by Godzilla to be female, the first one to be an insect, and the first one capable of flight. She was also the second insect kaiju to appear in a Toho film, predated only by the [[Meganulon]] from ''[[Rodan (film)|Rodan]]''.
*Mothra is widely considered to be Toho's second most popular kaiju behind Godzilla, due to her numerous film appearances both in and outside of the Godzilla franchise. Toho has even given Mothra the title "Queen of (the) Monsters," a counterpart to Godzilla's "King of the Monsters."<ref name="Mothra Soundtrack"/><ref name="Mothra VHS"/><ref name="Mothra LD"/>
*Mothra is widely considered to be Toho's second most popular kaiju behind Godzilla, due to her numerous film appearances both in and outside of the Godzilla franchise. Toho has even given Mothra the title "Queen of (the) Monsters," a counterpart to Godzilla's "King of the Monsters."<ref name="Mothra Soundtrack"/><ref name="Mothra VHS"/><ref name="Mothra LD"/>
*Toho had intended to follow ''[[Godzilla vs. Biollante]]'' with a revival of Mothra in her own spin-off film, ''[[Mothra vs. Bagan]]''. However, following the unimpressive box office performance of ''Biollante'', Toho discarded the project in favor of another Godzilla film, ''[[Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah]]''. A 1992 survey revealed that Mothra was Toho's most popular [[kaiju]] among women, an observation which inspired Toho to again revise its plans, abandoning a [[The Return of King Ghidorah (Heisei)|proposed direct sequel]] to ''King Ghidorah'' in favor of a Godzilla–Mothra film. Following the end of the Heisei Godzilla series, Toho produced the ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' trilogy. Mothra thus became the first Toho [[kaiju]] to lead its own films after its incorporation into the Godzilla franchise.
*Toho had intended to follow ''[[Godzilla vs. Biollante]]'' with a revival of Mothra in her own spin-off film, ''[[Mothra vs. Bagan]]''. However, following the unimpressive box office performance of ''Biollante'', Toho discarded the project in favor of another Godzilla film, ''[[Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah]]''. A 1992 survey revealed that Mothra was Toho's most popular [[kaiju]] among women, an observation which inspired Toho to again revise its plans, abandoning a [[The Return of King Ghidorah (Heisei)|proposed direct sequel]] to ''King Ghidorah'' in favor of a Godzilla–Mothra film. Following the end of the Heisei ''Godzilla'' series, Toho produced the ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' trilogy. Mothra thus became the first Toho [[kaiju]] to lead its own films after its incorporation into the ''Godzilla'' franchise.
*According to an interview with [[Kenpachiro Satsuma]], Koichi Kawakita originally wanted Mothra to be killed in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' and appear in a sequel as [[MechaMothra]].<ref name="MechaMothra">[http://web.archive.org/web/20140419012759/http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/satsum2.htm Kenpachiro Satsuma Interview II by David Milner. Translation by Yoshihiko Shibata. MechaMothra concept discussed near end of interview. (Conducted in July 1994)]</ref>
*According to an interview with [[Kenpachiro Satsuma]], Koichi Kawakita originally wanted Mothra to be killed in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' and appear in a sequel as [[MechaMothra]].<ref name="MechaMothra">[http://web.archive.org/web/20140419012759/http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/satsum2.htm Kenpachiro Satsuma Interview II by David Milner. Translation by Yoshihiko Shibata. MechaMothra concept discussed near end of interview. (Conducted in July 1994)]</ref>
*Mothra is one of the few monsters that has appeared in the Showa, Heisei, and Millennium Godzilla series, and she is slated to appear in [[MonsterVerse|Legendary's series of Godzilla films]] as well.
*Mothra is one of Toho's "Big Five" most popular monsters, which are the only monsters to have appeared in the films of the [[Showa era|Showa]], [[Heisei era|Heisei]], [[Millennium era|Millennium]], and [[Reiwa era|Reiwa series]], as well as the [[Monsterverse]].
*Despite dying frequently in her film appearances, Mothra has only ever been killed by Godzilla and [[Desghidorah]], though she did seemingly kill both herself and Gigan instantaneously in ''Godzilla: Final Wars''.
*Despite dying frequently in her film appearances, Mothra has only ever been killed by Godzilla or a [[:Category:Ghidorah|Ghidorah]], though she did seemingly kill both herself and Gigan instantaneously in ''Godzilla Final Wars''.
*Although Mothra is one of Godzilla's most frequent allies, she has only been his ally in the films ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'', ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'' and briefly in ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]''. In all of her other film appearances alongside Godzilla so far, Mothra has been his enemy.
*Although Mothra is one of Godzilla's most frequent allies, she has only been his ally in the films ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'', ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'', although briefly, and ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''. In all of her other film appearances alongside Godzilla so far, Mothra has been his enemy.
*In addition to her appearance on [[Monster Island]] via stock footage in ''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'', Mothra can be very briefly seen during the film's final battle, appearing behind Godzilla as he walks towards King Ghidorah. This "cameo" is unintentional, a result of the film's extensive use of stock footage from ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'' and other Showa Godzilla films.
*In addition to her appearance on [[Monster Island]] via stock footage in ''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'', Mothra can be very briefly seen during the film's final battle, appearing behind Godzilla as he walks towards King Ghidorah. This "cameo" is unintentional, a result of the film's extensive use of stock footage from ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'' and other Showa ''Godzilla'' films.
*Though Mothra is in general a female kaiju, there have been male members of her kind. In ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', Mothra has a son named [[Mothra Leo]], who goes on to star in the next two films of the trilogy. Mothra Leo reappears as Mothra's son in ''[[Godzilla Island (Series)|Godzilla Island]]'', where he has a sister named Baby Mothra. Sometimes, Mothra's twin larvae possess different genders. In the [[Godzilland]] merchandise line released in 1984, one of Mothra's larvae is depicted as a boy and the other as a girl. Merchandise for ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' differentiates the two larvae from the film as male and female, with the male having darker colored skin and longer tusks and tail projections than the female. During production of the film, the male larva was nicknamed "Taro" by the staff. The American dub of ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' refers to the larval Mothra as male, however this only applies to the dub and all other official translations refer to the character as a female.
*Though Mothra is in general a female kaiju, there have been male members of her kind. In ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'', Mothra has a son named [[Mothra Leo]], who goes on to star in the next two films of the trilogy. Mothra Leo reappears as Mothra's son in ''[[Godzilla Island (series)|Godzilla Island]]'', where he has a sister named Baby Mothra. Sometimes, Mothra's twin larvae possess different genders. In the ''[[Godzilland]]'' merchandise line released in 1984, one of Mothra's larvae is depicted as a boy and the other as a girl. Merchandise for ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'' differentiates the two larvae from the film as male and female, with the male having darker colored skin and longer tusks and tail projections than the female. During production of the film, the male larva was nicknamed "Taro" by the staff, while they called the female "Hanako." The American dubs of ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' and ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' refer to Mothra as a male, though this only applies to the dubs and all other official translations refer to the character as a female.
*''[[Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse|GODZILLA: Monster Apocalypse]]'', the prequel novel to ''[[Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters|GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters]]'', makes reference to Mothra through the mention a monster living in South America that fights using silk and powder and is friendly to humans, though Mothra is not actually mentioned by name. The novel's sequel ''[[Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla|GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla]]'', however, confirms that the monster in South America is in fact Mothra.
*In the [[Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - All Hail the King! issue 1|first issue]] of [[IDW Publishing]]'s comic miniseries ''[[Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - All Hail the King!]]'', the character Cedric Nishimura states that Mothra smells like maple syrup.
*Early concept art by [[Tohl Narita]] for the monster Guesra from ''Ultraman'' revealed that the monster was initially envisioned as a spiky caterpillar-like creature, and would have been portrayed with a modified Mothra larva prop.<ref name="Guesra">[[File:Guesra concept art.png|150px]]</ref>
*Early concept art by [[Tohl Narita]] for the monster [[w:c:ultra:Guesra|Guesra]] from ''[[w:c:ultra:Ultraman (series)|Ultraman]]'' envisioned the monster as a spiky, caterpillar-like creature who would have been portrayed with a modified Mothra larva prop.<ref name="Guesra">[[File:Guesra concept art.png|150px]]</ref> [[Tsuburaya Productions]] ended up modifying the [[w:c:ultra:Peter|Peter]] suit from ''[[w:c:ultra:Ultra Q|Ultra Q]]'' instead.
[[File:Mothra_surrogate_concept.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Concept art of Steve Bissette's [[Unused Dark Horse monsters#'Mothra' character|unused Mothra surrogate]] from ''[[Godzilla, King of the Monsters Special]]'']]
*Steve Bissette conceptualized a [[Unused Dark Horse monsters#'Mothra' character|surrogate monster]] for Mothra when working on [[Dark Horse]]'s ''[[Godzilla, King of the Monsters Special]]'' comic in [[1987]], along with similar analogues for both [[Anguirus]] and [[King Ghidorah]]. While the Anguirus stand-in became [[Kamerus]], both the Mothra and Ghidorah surrogates were discarded, though the monster [[Inagos]] from the finished comic shares some similarities with Mothra.
{{clear}}
 
==Videos==
==Videos==
{{Videos|
{{Videos|
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">OrbU5Pp-Hos</youtube>|{{WZYT|Kaiju Profile: Showa Mothra}}}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">OrbU5Pp-Hos</youtube>|{{WZYT|Kaiju Profile: Showa Mothra}}}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg1ULIt_j5A</youtube>|{{WZYT|Kaiju Profile: GMK Guardians|Kaiju Profile: Mothra and<br>King Ghidorah (GMK)}}}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">PcHoc3k2JQA</youtube>|{{WZYT|Kaiju Profile: Mothra Leo|Kaiju Profile: The Mothras (Rebirth of Mothra Trilogy)}}}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg1ULIt_j5A</youtube>|{{WZYT|Kaiju Profile: GMK Guardians|Kaiju Profile: Mothra and<br>King Ghidorah (Millennium)}}}}
{{vid|<youtube width="300" height="169">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4cGxaentjY</youtube>|{{WZYT|Kaiju Profile: GKOTM Trio|Kaiju Profile: King Ghidorah, Mothra & Rodan (2019)}}}}
}}
}}
==Video==


==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Toho Monsters}}
{{Toho Monsters}}
{{Comments}}
{{Comments}}
{{Era|TOH|SHO|HEI|MIL|MV|KAI|MOT}}
{{Era|TOH|NET|LEG|WB|SHO|HEI|MIL|REI|MV|GSP|KAI|MOT}}
<seo metakeywords="mothra, wikizilla, godzilla, wiki, monsterverse, kong skull island, rebirth, ghidorah, battle for earth, tokyo sos, gmk, final wars, ebirah"/>
[[Category:Monsters]]
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[[Category:Toho Kaiju]]
[[Category:Toho Kaiju]]
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[[Category:Heisei Kaiju]]
[[Category:Heisei Kaiju]]
[[Category:Millennium Kaiju]]
[[Category:Millennium Kaiju]]
[[Category:Female Kaiju]]
[[Category:Female monsters]]
[[Category:Bug Kaiju]]
[[Category:Bug Kaiju]]
[[Category:Flying Creatures]]
[[Category:Flying Creatures]]

Latest revision as of 22:22, 26 March 2024

Article

Mothra® trademark icon
Mothra®
Mothra in Godzilla Singular Point
Name information
null
Alternate names Mosla,[1] The Thing, Mrs. Mothra,GZL
The Queen of Monsters,RoM[2][3][4]
Houtua's God,GCotEoB-GTPE
The Egg,GCotEoB-GTPE butterflyGTPE
Subtitle(s) Giant Moth (巨蛾,   Kyoga)MOT-MvG, GMMG[5]
Giant Supersonic Moth
(超音速巨蛾,   Chōonsoku Kyoga)MvG[6]
God of the Sea
(海の神,   Umi no Gami)GMK[7]
Giant Moth Monster
(巨大蛾怪獣,   Kyodai Ga Kaijū)RoM-GFW[8]
Queen of the MonstersGKotM[9]
Supersonic Queen
(超音速女王,   Chōonsoku Jōo)MTG
Physical information
null
Species Giant divine moth
Height Monsterverse: 15.8 meters[10][11]
Length Showa: 180 meters (larva)MOT,[12][13]
80 meters (imago)MOT-MvG,[12][note 1]
40 meters (larva)MvG-DAM,[12][14][note 2]
65 meters (imago)EHotD[13][note 3]
Heisei: 120 meters (larva)GvM,[13]
65 meters (imago)GvM,[13]
25 meters (imago)RoM
Millennium: 30 meters (larva)GMK,
24 meters (imago)GMK,
43 meters (larva)GMMG,
36 meters (imago)GMMG,
72 metersGFW
Wingspan Showa: 250 metersMOT-MvG,[15][note 4]
135 metersEHotD[13][note 5]
Heisei: 175 metersGvM, 50 metersRoM
Millennium: 75 metersGMK,
108 metersGMMG, 216 metersGFW
Monsterverse: 244.8 meters[10][11]
Weight Showa
15,000 metric tons (larva)MOT,[16][note 6]
20,000 metric tons (imago)MOT-MvG,[13][note 7]
10,000 metric tons (larva)MvG-DAM,[14][note 8]
15,000 metric tons (imago)EHoD[13]
Heisei15,000 metric tons (larva)GvM,[13]
20,000 metric tons (imago)GvM,[13]
6,000 metric tons (imago)RoM
Millennium10,000 metric tons (larva)GMK,
15,000 metric tons (imago)GMK,
9,000 metric tons (larva)GMMG,
12,000 metric tons (imago)GMMG,
25,000 metric tons (imago)GFW
Forms Larval stage, imago stage,
Fire MothraGFW
Affiliation information
null
Controlled by KilaaksDAM
Relations Mothra Leo (son), Baby Mothra (daughter)GI,
Battra (counterpart), Primitive Mothra (ancestor),
Godzilla (symbiont)GKotM
Allies Shobijin, Godzilla,
Rodan, Anguirus, Varan, Gorosaurus, Baragon, Kumonga, Manda, Minilla, Battra, Fairy Mothra, King GhidorahGMK, Mechagodzilla, MOGUERA, Kiryu, Biollante, Kamacuras, Gojirin
Enemies King Ghidorah, Gigan, Battra, Godzilla, Megalon, Destoroyah, Hedorah, Desghidorah, Monster X, Megaguirus, Meganulon, RodanObliv, GKotM, Bagan
Real world information
null
Played by Puppets, Haruo Nakajima (larva)MOT, Kazue Ikura (voice, imago)GZL,
Sakurako Kishiro (voice, larva)GZL
Other information
null
First appearance Latest appearance
Mothra Godzilla x Kong:
The New Empire
Roar(s)
Larva (1961):Larva:ShowaHeisei, Reiwa:2001:Larva (2003):2003:2004:Monsterverse: More roars
If the world lives to see another century, please remember what Mothra did for you and the planet you live on.
„ 

Cosmos (Godzilla vs. Mothra)

Mothra (モスラ,   Mosura) is a giant divine moth kaiju who first appeared in the 1961 serialized novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, which was adapted the same year by Toho into the film Mothra. Mothra made her first appearance alongside Godzilla in the 1964 Godzilla film Mothra vs. Godzilla.

Mothra's major distinction among Toho's library of kaiju, aside from being the first female monster in the Godzilla series, is her benevolent nature and relationship to mankind. While other monsters like Godzilla frequently menace humanity with their very existence, Mothra fights to protect humanity from monsters that threaten it. Mothra is accompanied by two miniature twin priestesses named the Shobijin, who speak to humanity on her behalf. However, Mothra has still wrought destruction herself, though this is only to rescue her Shobijin when they are kidnapped or when she is under the control of the Kilaaks. Since her introduction, Mothra has become Toho's most popular and prolific monster character behind only Godzilla himself, earning the title "Queen of the Monsters."


In Mothra's onscreen debut, she laid waste to Tokyo and New Kirk City in her quest to recover the Shobijin and return them to Infant Island. Mothra returned in Mothra vs. Godzilla, where she traveled to Japan to battle Godzilla when he threatened her unhatched egg that had washed ashore there. Mothra was killed in the battle, but two twin larvae hatched from her egg and carried on her battle against Godzilla, eventually triumphing over him. One of the larvae died sometime afterward, but the surviving one took her mother's place as the goddess of Infant Island. Mothra was soon called upon to defend Earth against the evil King Ghidorah, and managed to recruit both Godzilla and Rodan to her cause. Mothra eventually matured into an adult and rescued her people from Letchi Island after they were kidnapped and enslaved by the terrorist group known as the Red Bamboo. By the end of the 20th century, a larval Mothra was contained on Monsterland, only to be released when the Kilaaks took over the island and assumed control of the monsters. Mothra was soon freed from Kilaak control and fought alongside the other Earth monsters to kill King Ghidorah once and for all and defeat the alien menace.

Mothra was reintroduced in the Heisei series film Godzilla vs. Mothra, where she fought alongside a dark counterpart named Battra to defeat Godzilla. After the Godzilla Heisei series ended, a standalone trilogy of films focusing on Mothra was released from 1996 to 1998. This trilogy introduced Mothra Leo, Mothra's son, who would go on to star in the trilogy's second and third entries following his mother's death. Mothra made an appearance in the third entry in the Millennium series of Godzilla films, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, as one of the three Guardian Monsters, who defended Japan against Godzilla. Mothra returned two films later in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, where she and her twin larvae supported Kiryu in his battle against Godzilla. In Godzilla Final Wars, Mothra aided Godzilla in his battle against Monster X and Gigan, and seemingly sacrificed her own life to destroy Gigan. Mothra made a cameo through a cave painting in the film Kong: Skull Island, the second entry in Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros.' Monsterverse, and went on to appear in Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019, the sequel to Legendary's Godzilla from 2014. Mothra is also a major player in the universe of the GODZILLA anime trilogy, though she does not appear directly. Rather, in the backstory of this universe, Mothra defended a surviving segment of the human population from Godzilla in 2048, and helped to relocate them to the Mount Fuji area, where they evolved over time into the Houtua and continued to worship the egg Mothra left behind.

This is an overview page. To view information on specific incarnations of Mothra, please click on their corresponding boxes in the table below.

Name

The name "Mothra" is the suffixation of "-ra" (a common last syllable in kaiju names) to "moth." Since the Japanese language does not have dental fricatives, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. Originally, Mothra's name was approximated in English as "Mosla," but it was later corrected to "Mothra" by the time of the release of her debut film[1]. In the American dubbing and various posters for Mothra vs. Godzilla, Mothra is also referred to as "The Thing." She is among Toho's most popular characters, primarily among female fans, and she has appeared in every Godzilla film era. Toho even honored Mothra with the title "Queen of Monsters" for the soundtrack and home video releases of Rebirth of Mothra, illustrating her proximity in status to Godzilla himself. This subtitle is also used for her in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the guardian monster Mothra's name is spelled in kanji but pronounced the same: 最珠羅 (Mosura). While Mothra is named in GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, her name is never spoken in any of the films of the GODZILLA anime trilogy. Rather, she is alluded to only as the Houtua's God (フツアの神,   Futsua no Kami), while her unhatched offspring is simply referred to as the Egg (卵,   Tamago). When Haruo Sakaki sees a vision of the imago Mothra, he mistakenly calls her a "butterfly" (蝶,   Chō).

Design

Since her first film, Mothra has been depicted in various stages of the lepidopteran life cycle: Mothra's mammoth egg is decoratively colored in blue and yellow waves. The egg hatches into her larva, a massive brown, segmented caterpillar (resembling a silkworm) with glowing blue, sometimes red, eyes. In rare circumstances, twins may emerge from the egg. The caterpillar eventually spins a silken cocoon around itself (the pupa stage), and from this cocoon the imago (adult) Mothra emerges, a gigantic moth-like creature with brightly-colored wings. Mothra's life cycle—particularly the tendency of an imago's death to coincide with its larvae hatching—echoes that of the Phoenix, resembling resurrection and suggesting divinity.

Mothra's original design

In her debut novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, Mothra had a design more reminiscent of a swallow, her head also being more like a butterfly's. Her larval form was segmented, similarly to the way she would be portrayed in her first film appearance, but had longer legs and possessed a more caterpillar-like face.

In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Mothra is portrayed with purple eyes, although her eyes are normally blue.

Personality

Despite having wrought destruction worthy of any Toho kaiju, Mothra is almost always portrayed as a kind and benevolent creature, causing destruction only when acting as protector to her worshipers on Infant Island or to her egg, or as collateral damage while protecting Earth from a greater threat. Mothra is usually accompanied by two tiny priestesses or fairies (often called Shobijin—Japanese for "small beauties") who also speak for her.

Origins

Mothra's origins have somewhat varied from film to film, but she is always portrayed as a benevolent and ancient creature that possesses some level of divinity.

In the Showa era, Godzilla vs. Mothra, Rebirth of Mothra, Godzilla: Tokyo SOS and Godzilla Final Wars, Mothra is the guardian goddess of the remote Infant Island in the south Pacific Ocean. There, she is perpetually reborn through an egg and is worshiped by the island's natives. She is spoken for by two miniature telepathic fairies, called either the Shobijin, Cosmos, or Elias.

Mothra's origin is gone into in greater depth in Godzilla vs. Mothra. This film explains that Mothra was the guardian of the ancient world, protecting all life on Earth from threats. When an ancient civilization created a climate-controlling device, the Earth became offended and created a dark Mothra, called Battra, to destroy it. After destroying the device, Battra proceeded to eradicate the entire civilization and sought to exterminate all of mankind, believing humans to be a blight on the planet. Mothra challenged Battra and defeated him, sealing him away in the North Sea. Following this battle, Mothra and the Cosmos, the only remnants of the ancient civilization, took up residence on the remote Infant Island, where they lived in peace for the next twelve thousand years.

In Rebirth of Mothra, it is established that Mothra is the last living member of an ancient race of giant guardian moths that defended the Earth throughout its history. In her old age, Mothra lived in solitude with the Elias on Infant Island, and with the last of her strength summoned forth an egg to continue her legacy after her death.

In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Mothra's origin receives its first major alteration. In this film, Mothra is one of the three Guardian Monsters and the Goddess of the Sea. In ancient times, Mothra and her fellow guardians Baragon and King Ghidorah were slain by Japanese warriors. Mothra was laid to rest under Lake Ikeda while the warriors who slayed her prayed for her soul, that she would return one day to save Japan. Thousands of years later, the prophet Hirotoshi Isayama awakened Mothra by transferring the souls of Japan's honorable dead into her, so that she and the other Guardian Monsters could together stop Godzilla.

In the continuity of the GODZILLA anime trilogy, Mothra is a mystical creature which lives in isolation in the Amazon rainforest alongside a tribe of humans known as Mothra's People, who worship her as their deity. Mothra's origins and past are unknown, but she has been living in symbiosis with her people for some time, protecting them from harm and providing for their needs. Mothra also possesses a counterpart named Battra, and together the two moth monsters were believed capable of defeating Godzilla.

In the Monsterverse, Mothra is again revered as a benevolent goddess, but her origin lies not on Infant Island but rather in China's Yunnan Rainforest. Ancient accounts and paintings of Mothra show that she was worshiped by humans in the ancient past, and she appears in folklore from around the world. Notably, some ancient pictures depict her fighting alongside Godzilla and human warriors against King Ghidorah, either as an account of an ancient battle or a prophecy for a future one. In 2009, a Monarch team headed by Dr. Emma Russel discovered Mothra's cocoon in an ancient temple in the Yunnan Rainforest, dubbed the "Temple of the Moth."

History

Showa era

Mothra made her onscreen debut in a self-titled film in 1961, which was adapted from the serialized novel which introduced her, The Luminous Fairies and Mothra. Following the film's success, Toho decided to pit her against one of their other most popular monster creations, Godzilla, in a crossover film titled Mothra vs. Godzilla in 1964. Mothra was subsequently incorporated into the Godzilla series and became one of its most popular recurring characters, making appearances in three more films during the Showa era.

Mothra

Main article: Mothra (First Generation).
Mothra emerges from her cocoon on the Tokyo Tower in Mothra

After shipwreck survivors were reportedly rescued by natives of the seemingly uninhabited nuclear testing site of Infant Island, the Rolisican and Japanese governments organized a joint scientific expedition to the island in order to determine whether it was inhabited. The expedition members encountered a native tribe as well as two miniature women dubbed the Shobijin, prompting the greedy Rolisican entrepreneur Clark Nelson to abduct them and bring them to Japan to perform in a show he organized. The natives called upon their goddess Mothra to rescue the Shobijin, and she hatched from her gigantic egg and began swimming toward Japan. The JSDF attacked Mothra at sea with napalm, but she emerged unscathed and came ashore in Tokyo. Nelson escaped back to Rolisica with the Shobijin while the JSDF attacked Mothra with Atomic Heat Ray Guns loaned by the Rolisican military. Mothra cocooned on the Tokyo Tower and emerged in her imago form before flying to the Rolisican capital of New Kirk City. After Nelson was killed in a gunfight with local police, a group of humans recovered the Shobijin and summoned Mothra to an airport, where she was reunited with them. Mothra then flew back to Infant Island, leaving human civilization in peace.

Mothra vs. Godzilla

Main articles: Mothra (First Generation), Mothra (Second Generation).
Mothra fights Godzilla in order to defend her egg in Mothra vs. Godzilla

After a fierce typhoon struck Infant Island, it unearthed Mothra's egg and washed it ashore in Japan. Mothra returned to Japan with the Shobijin to request the egg's return, but the greedy promoters Kumayama and Jiro Torahata had taken ownership of the egg to be used for a tourist attraction and refused to return it. When Godzilla, who had also been washed ashore in Japan by the typhoon, awakened and began rampaging, a trio of humans traveled to Infant Island to request Mothra's help. The natives and Shobijin both refused, but Mothra was moved by their pleas and agreed to travel to Japan and fight Godzilla with the last of her strength. Mothra intercepted Godzilla just before he could reach her egg and the two began a fierce struggle. While Mothra was able to hold her own and keep Godzilla at bay with the winds generated by her wings, her strength quickly began to fail her. Godzilla fatally wounded her with a blast of atomic breath, and she collapsed onto her egg, defending it with her dying breath. The prayers of the Shobijin and Infant Islanders caused the egg to hatch into two twin larvae, who pursued Godzilla to Iwa Island. Working together, the two larvae used hit-and-run tactics to encase Godzilla in a silken cocoon, after which he fell off of the island and into the sea below. The Mothra larvae then returned to Infant Island with the Shobijin.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster to Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

Main article: Mothra (Second Generation).
Mothra fights alongside Godzilla and Rodan against King Ghidorah in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Shortly after their battle with Godzilla, one of the twin Mothra larvae died, though her surviving sister continued to serve as Infant Island's guardian deity. The Shobijin called Mothra to Japan to recruit Godzilla and Rodan's help in stopping the evil space monster King Ghidorah from destroying the Earth. She interrupted the two monsters' battle at Mount Fuji with her plea, but they stubbornly refused to put aside their differences and expressed no desire to help humanity. Mothra was forced to confront King Ghidorah by herself, and was hopelessly outmatched by the demon. However, Godzilla and Rodan were both inspired by her courage and charged into battle to help her. The three monsters worked together to overpower King Ghidorah, with Mothra encasing him in a silken cocoon while Godzilla threw him off of a cliff and pelted him with boulders before he finally retreated back to outer space. Mothra and the Shobijin bid farewell to Godzilla and Rodan and returned to Infant Island.

Only a few years later, Mothra had metamorphosed into an adult and slept on an altar on Infant Island. A terrorist organization headquartered on the nearby Letchi Island, the Red Bamboo, had begun raiding Infant Island to abduct its natives and use them as slaves. The Shobijin led prayers to awaken Mothra, then traveled with her to Letchi Island to rescue the captives. Godzilla, having just defeated Ebirah in the island's waters, saw Mothra fly overhead and came ashore to challenge her to battle. With the Red Bamboo's nuclear self-destruct system armed, Mothra decided not to waste her time with a fight and used her wing to knock Godzilla down before grabbing a giant net holding the natives and several shipwrecked Japanese citizens and flying back to Infant Island.

Godzilla vs. Gigan

By 1972, a larval Mothra was living on the human-monitored Monster Island along with Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, Minilla, Kumonga, Gorosaurus, and Kamacuras. The evil M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens planned to destroy the island and its monster inhabitants as part of their invasion of Earth, but Godzilla and Anguirus learned of their plot and defeated them along with their pawns Gigan and King Ghidorah, ensuring the safety of Mothra and the others.

Destroy All Monsters

Main article: Mothra (Third Generation).

At the close of the 20th century, a larval Mothra was a resident of Monsterland, a facility in the Ogasawara Islands housing the majority of the planet's monsters, far from human civilization where they could cause any damage. When the Kilaak aliens invaded the island and took control of its inhabitants, they sent Mothra to attack a train just outside of Beijing. Mothra was next called to Tokyo to attack the city along with Godzilla, Manda, and Rodan. Fortunately, the United Nations managed to sever the Kilaaks' control over the monsters and give their own commands to them instead, sending them to destroy the aliens' base near Mount Fuji. The Kilaaks unleashed King Ghidorah to intercept the monsters in the nearby Aokigahara forest, but Godzilla and a few of his monster allies managed to kill him once and for all. Mothra encased King Ghidorah's carcass in silk in tandem with Kumonga's webbing, after which it was swallowed by a fissure as the Kilaak's base exploded. Mothra and her comrades then returned to Monsterland to continue to live in peace.

Heisei era

After rebooting the Godzilla series in 1984 following an almost decade-long hiatus, Toho planned to reintroduce Mothra as well in a new film titled Mothra vs. Bagan, set in the same universe as the new Heisei series of Godzilla films and setting up a future meeting between both monsters. The project was shelved following the disappointing box office returns of Godzilla vs. Biollante, but the success of King Ghidorah's return in 1991's Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and the continued popularity of Mothra in polls inspired Toho to revive her next. Mothra starred in Godzilla vs. Mothra in 1992, but despite the film's success she did not reappear in the Heisei series outside of a minor role in 1994's Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. Nonetheless, Mothra's popularity led to the greenlighting of a trilogy of Mothra-focused films following the close of the Heisei Godzilla series.

Godzilla vs. Mothra to Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla

Main article: Mothra (Godzilla vs. Mothra).
Mothra and Battra carry Godzilla out to sea after subduing him in Godzilla vs. Mothra

Twelve thousand years ago, Mothra served as the guardian of an ancient civilization. When the civilization created a device in order to control the climate, the very Earth itself became offended and created a dark counterpart to Mothra called Battra in retaliation. Battra destroyed the climate controlling device, but saw all of humanity as a threat to the planet and decided to drive it to extinction. Mothra objected and fought Battra to defend humanity, with their battle eradicating the ancient civilization before she defeated him and sealed him under the North Sea. Mothra retreated to Infant Island alongside two miniature priestesses called the Cosmos, living in seclusion for millennia. When a meteor struck the planet in 1993, the impact awakened both Godzilla and Battra. The Cosmos explained the danger to a group of humans sent to survey Infant Island, and agreed to allow Mothra's egg to be transported to Japan. Godzilla intercepted the ship carrying the egg off the coast of the Philippines, forcing the larval Mothra to hatch from her egg and defend herself. Battra arrived as well and battled Godzilla until both monsters were swallowed up by an underwater volcanic eruption. Mothra swam back to Infant Island, but headed to Japan when the Cosmos were abducted by the Marutomo Company. Mothra survived a JSDF napalm attack at sea and reached Tokyo, where she was reunited with the Cosmos. The JSDF continued to attack her, after which she built a cocoon on the National Diet Building. She emerged in her imago stage and flew to Yokohama to engage in a final duel with Battra. Battra overpowered Mothra, but Godzilla soon arrived and attacked him. Realizing that individually they were no match for Godzilla, Mothra and Battra agreed to join forces against their common enemy. Their combined assault was enough to subdue Godzilla, after which they grabbed him and began flying him out to sea. Godzilla bit down on Battra's throat and killed him with his atomic breath, forcing Mothra to drop them both into the ocean. Mothra had made an agreement with Battra to destroy another meteor set to impact and destroy the Earth in 1999 in the event of his death, and departed to outer space to intercept it with the Cosmos.

Two years later, Mothra was still in space flying toward the meteor, but became aware of another threat approaching the Earth: SpaceGodzilla, a creature that may have been spawned from some of Godzilla's cells which Mothra unwittingly carried into space following their battle. She sent a tiny magical projection of herself called Fairy Mothra to Earth to warn the psychic Miki Saegusa of the threat. Fairy Mothra transformed into a projection of the Cosmos, who warned Miki that SpaceGodzilla intended to kill Godzilla and conquer the planet, and that Godzilla must be kept alive as he was the only hope against the creature. Miki helped G-Force collaborate with Godzilla to confront and destroy SpaceGodzilla in Fukuoka, after which Fairy Mothra thanked her for her role in saving the planet.

Get Going! Godzilland

When Godzilla and the other monsters were still children, they lived together on an island called Godzilland. Mothra was the only adult monster on the island, and in addition to raising her twin larvae served as a mother figure to the others as well. She often served as the voice of reason when Godzilla would get into fights with his best friend Anguirus, or if other conflicts arose between the younger monsters. She tended a garden on the island, and one time invited the other monsters to a picnic. As the only adult, Mothra often taught Godzilla and the other monsters about the hiragana alphabet, counting, and math.

Rebirth of Mothra to Rebirth of Mothra 3

Main articles: Mothra (Rebirth of Mothra), Mothra Leo, Fairy Mothra, Primitive Mothra.
Mothra sits on an altar with her unhatched egg in Rebirth of Mothra

Many millions of years ago, giant moths called Mothras served as the guardians of Earth. By the present day, the last surviving Mothra lived in seclusion on Infant Island along with two miniature priestesses named Moll and Lora, who together with their wicked sister Belvera formed an order known as the Elias Triangle. As her final days approached, Mothra used her powers to summon forth an egg, which would hatch after her death and continue her legacy. When a logging company uncovered the tomb of the evil space monster Desghidorah in Hokkaido, Belvera planned to awaken the beast in order to wipe out humanity. The Elias and their companion Fairy tried to stop Belvera, but were too late and Desghidorah was unleashed. As the three-headed monster laid waste to the forests of Hokkaido, the aging Mothra flew from Infant Island to confront him. This caused her egg to hatch prematurely, and her larval son headed to Hokkaido to help her. Even together, Mothra and her son were unable to overcome Desghidorah, and Mothra used the last of her strength to carry her son to safety out at sea. Mothra's strength finally failed her, and she drowned, much to her son's sorrow. The young larva swam to a remote island and formed a cocoon, later emerging as the imago Mothra Leo, made even more powerful than his mother due to the power of the ancient trees near which he built his cocoon. Mothra Leo flew to Hokkaido for a rematch with Desghidorah, successfully sealing him back within his ancient tomb.

The Elias called Mothra Leo to the Nilai-Kanai Temple to rescue a group of children searching for its ancient treasure from the monster Dagahra. Dagahra proved more than a match for Leo, and defeated him with a combination of his own attacks and by summoning a swarm of Barem to attach to Leo and drain his energy. The Elias and their friends learned that the treasure of the Nilai-Kanai civilization was the small monster Ghogo, which they created to destroy Dagahra, their previous creation. Ghogo merged his life force with the battered Mothra Leo, allowing him to transform into the more powerful Rainbow Mothra. Rainbow Mothra battled Dagahra once more, making use of his newfound ability to transform into AquaMothra to engage him on equal footing underwater. Ultimately, he split apart into countless MicroMothras which swarmed inside Dagahra's body, destroying his Barem-producing organs and incapacitating him. Rainbow Mothra then reformed and carried the motionless Dagahra into the air before dropping him onto the Temple, which exploded.

King Ghidorah pursues Rainbow Mothra in the air in Rebirth of Mothra 3

When the evil space monster King Ghidorah came to Earth and began abducting children in order to feed on their life forces, Rainbow Mothra arrived to challenge him. Completely outmatched by the King of Terror, he was soundly defeated. Moll gave her life to allow Rainbow Mothra to transform into Light Speed Mothra and travel back to the Cretaceous Period, when King Ghidorah first attacked Earth while he was smaller and weaker. Upon arrival, Mothra battled the younger Cretaceous King Ghidorah and defeated him by dropping him into the mouth of a volcano, though he was badly wounded in the fight. A group of Primitive Mothras appeared and used their silk to build a cocoon around Rainbow Mothra, which would preserve and heal him until the present day. While Mothra's actions caused King Ghidorah to temporarily vanish in the present, he soon reappeared, having regenerated from the tip of his tail which Mothra had severed in the past. Mothra burst from the cocoon in his most powerful form, Armor Mothra, and engaged King Ghidorah in a final battle. This time, he was the stronger combatant and successfully destroyed King Ghidorah once and for all. He then shed his armor and became Eternal Mothra, resurrected Moll, and returned to Infant Island with the Elias.

Godzilla Island

Mothra was a resident of Godzilla Island in the year 2097, where she lived with her larval son and the egg carrying her unborn daughter. Mothra's son cared for her as she grew old and neared death, but the space monster Hedorah arrived on the island and threatened them both. Mothra and her son fought together against Hedorah, with Mothra utilizing the last of her strength to carry Hedorah into the air and drop him into the mouth of the Gorath Volcano. Mothra's strength failed her at last, and she fell into the volcano as well. The larva cocooned and transformed into the imago Mothra Leo, then teamed up with Godzilla to defeat Hedorah once they learned he had survived. Mothra Leo then cared for the egg of his sister, which eventually hatched into a larva named Baby Mothra. Mothra Leo watched over his little sister, defending her from evil monsters such as Battra.

Millennium era

Following the disappointing box office returns of Godzilla 2000: Millennium and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Toho decided to increase the marquee value of the third entry in the new Millennium series of films by requesting director Shusuke Kaneko incorporate the highly popular Mothra and King Ghidorah into it. After the success of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Mothra was featured in the last two entries of the Millennium series before the Godzilla franchise began a decade-long hiatus.

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

Main article: Mothra (GMK).

Many thousands of years ago, ancient Japanese warriors slew the monsters Mothra, Ghidorah, and Baragon, laying them to rest and praying for their souls that they might one day return to defend Japan. In 2002, sensing that Godzilla would soon attack Japan to seek vengeance for the lives lost in World War II, the mystical Professor Hirotoshi Isayama attempted to awaken the three Guardian Monsters by destroying ancient stone statues containing the energy from the souls of Japan's honorable dead. Mothra appeared in her larval stage underneath Lake Ikeda, rescuing a dog from a group of hooligans attempting to drown it. She encased their bodies in silk, then constructed a massive cocoon atop the lake's surface. After Godzilla destroyed Baragon and reached Yokohama during his rampage, Mothra hatched from her cocoon in her imago stage and flew there to confront him. She was joined by Ghidorah, but even the combined efforts of the two Guardian Monsters were futile against Godzilla's colossal strength. After subduing both of his foes, Godzilla prepared to annihilate the JSDF's fleet in Tokyo Bay with his atomic breath. Mothra flew behind him in order to stop him, but he anticipated her attack and turned around in time to incinerate her. Mothra's energy flowed into the unconscious Ghidorah, reviving him as the Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, King Ghidorah. After Godzilla later destroyed Ghidorah, the spirits of all three Guardian Monsters materialized in the sky above him and flowed into his body, dragging him underwater and allowing Admiral Taizo Tachibana to defeat him using the submersible Satsuma.

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS

Main article: Mothra (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS).
Mothra shields her twin larvae from a blast of Godzilla's atomic breath in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS

In 1961, Mothra attacked Tokyo in her quest to rescue the Shobijin from the villainous Rolisican businessman Clark Nelson. The Rolisican military loaned the JSDF the use of its experimental Atomic Heat Ray Guns to attack the colossal moth. While the weapons burned Mothra's cocoon, she emerged unscathed in her imago form before flying to Rolisica, where she successfully recovered the Shobijin thanks to the efforts of a group of humans. Mothra's attack, in addition to other kaiju attacks on Japan dating back to Godzilla in 1954, convinced the JSDF to invest more heavily in weapons capable of harming the creatures. The technology of the Rolisican Heat Ray Guns was later utilized for the revolutionary Type 66 Maser Cannon, which first saw action against Gaira in 1966 and became a staple of the JSDF's arsenal.

In 2004, a descendant of the Mothra who attacked Tokyo in 1961 traveled to Japan to request that the first Godzilla's remains be returned to the bottom of the sea, as their use to create the robotic weapon Kiryu violated the natural order. The Shobijin appealed to Professor Shinichi Chujo, who had played a major role in reuniting them with Mothra over four decades prior, but he could not convince Prime Minister Hayato Igarashi to shelve the project while the second Godzilla was still at large. The Shobijin had warned that Mothra would be forced to declare war on humanity if Godzilla's bones were not returned to their resting place, but promised that Mothra would defend Japan from Godzilla in Kiryu's place. As Godzilla rampaged through Tokyo, Chujo's grandson Shun recreated Mothra's symbol using desks from a school, summoning Mothra to Tokyo. Mothra battled Godzilla, but was outmatched, forcing Igarashi to deploy Kiryu in order to assist her. Mothra was seriously injured by Godzilla and forced to use her weapon of last resort: poisonous powder released from her wings that reflected Godzilla's atomic breath but compromised her ability to fly. An egg that Mothra had laid on a nearby island hatched into twin larvae, who swam to Tokyo to aid their mother. Godzilla attempted to blast the larvae with his atomic breath, but Mothra used the last of her strength to fly into the path of his beam, causing her to burst into flames and explode. Heartbroken and enraged, Mothra's offspring collaborated with Kiryu to defeat Godzilla. After Kiryu seriously injured Godzilla by opening a wound on his chest, the larvae encased him in a silken cocoon. Kiryu carried Godzilla to the Japan Trench, sinking himself with him. The larvae then departed with the Shobijin, bound for their home of Infant Island.

Godzilla Final Wars

Main article: Mothra (Godzilla Final Wars).
Modified Gigan slices off part of Mothra's wing with his Bloody Chainsaw in Godzilla Final Wars

Thousands of years ago, Mothra defended the Earth from an evil alien monster called Gigan. She managed to defeat Gigan, but his mummified body was uncovered in Hokkaido by the Earth Defense Force in the year 20XX. Mothra's Shobijin warned members of the EDF that Gigan was still incredibly dangerous, a warning that was proven prophetic when the Xiliens reactivated him to assist in their conquest of Earth. The EDF released Godzilla from his imprisonment in Area G in order to battle Gigan and the Xiliens' other monster pawns. While Godzilla was battling the Xiliens' ultimate weapon, Monster X, Mothra left Infant Island to assist him. The Controller of Planet X sent the repaired Modified Gigan to intercept her, and he seemingly incapacitated her after a brief clash. Gigan then assisted Monster X against Godzilla, but Mothra recovered and knocked both monsters down while they had Godzilla at their mercy. Gigan once again left to deal with his ancient nemesis, seemingly destroying her with his Gigarium Cluster. However, two Bladed Slicers Gigan had launched at Mothra boomeranged back at him and sliced off his head, after which Mothra flew at him while on fire and destroyed him in an apparent suicide attack. Mothra's sacrifice was not in vain, as Godzilla was then able to defeat Monster X after he transformed into Keizer Ghidorah, while the EDF destroyed the Xilien Mothership.

Monsterverse

Following the box office success of Legendary Pictures' Godzilla in 2014, the studio announced that it had licensed Mothra from Toho along with Rodan and King Ghidorah in order to appear in the film's upcoming sequel. All three of Godzilla's co-stars were teased in the post-credits scene of the second Monsterverse film, 2017's Kong: Skull Island, and went on to play major roles in the franchise's third entry, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, in 2019.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters to Godzilla vs. Kong

Main article: Mothra (Monsterverse).
The larval Mothra hatches from her egg in Monarch's Outpost 61 in Godzilla: King of the Monsters

In the ancient past, human civilizations worshiped a benevolent lepidopteran Titan known as Mothra, who possessed a symbiotic relationship with Godzilla and had the ability to reincarnate herself by laying an egg before death which would hatch into a larva that genetically retained her mother's memories. When the evil three-headed extraterrestrial dragon known as King Ghidorah invaded the Earth, Mothra joined forces with Godzilla to fight him and protect the ancient humans who worshiped them. Godzilla ultimately defeated Ghidorah by sealing him beneath the Antarctic ice. After the ancient Titan-worshiping civilization within the Hollow Earth ultimately fell, Mothra eventually relocated to China's Yunnan rainforest, where her remaining worshipers constructed a massive temple around her egg. In 2009, members of the scientific organization known as Monarch discovered the "Temple of the Moth" and constructed a research outpost around it. In 2019, Mothra's egg hatched, but the newborn larva panicked and attacked the Monarch guards surrounding her. Dr. Emma Russell used her invention, the sonar device Orca, to calm Mothra, allowing her and her daughter Madison to get close to the Titan. Eco-terrorists under the command of Alan Jonah then assaulted the outpost, killing the Monarch personnel and absconding with Emma, Madison, and the Orca. Mothra escaped the temple and cocooned herself under a nearby waterfall. Monarch learned that Emma had been working with Jonah to enact a plan to release all of the Earth's dormant Titans in order to save the planet from the impending ecological disaster caused by human activity. In doing so, they had unleashed King Ghidorah, oblivious to his alien nature. Godzilla attempted to defeat Ghidorah once and for all in the waters off of Mexico, but the United States military intervened by firing the Oxygen Destroyer at the battling Titans, critically weakening Godzilla and leaving Ghidorah unharmed. With Godzilla out of the picture, Ghidorah used his status as the new alpha Titan to awaken countless other Titans and bend them to his will.

Mothra shields the injured Godzilla from King Ghidorah in Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Mothra emerged from her cocoon in her imago stage and flew to Monarch's Outpost 54 in the waters off of Bermuda, then guided its members to a sunken city within the Hollow Earth where Godzilla's lair was located. Monarch's Dr. Ishiro Serizawa gave his life to detonate a nuclear warhead which revitalized the weakened Godzilla, allowing him to head to Boston for a final confrontation with Ghidorah. Mothra joined him in assaulting the three-headed terror, but Ghidorah called Rodan to his aid to deal with Mothra. Rodan badly burned Mothra's wings with the molten lava dripping from his own, then pinned her on top of a building. Before he could land a killing blow with his beak, Mothra pierced through his chest with the concealed stinger on her abdomen, taking him out of the fight. Ghidorah, meanwhile, had overpowered Godzilla and was about to finish him. Mothra crawled on top of Godzilla, then spread her wings and defiantly flew at Ghidorah, who promptly vaporized her with his gravity beams. Mothra's life energy floated down onto Godzilla, but Ghidorah bit down on him and tried to drain it through his bite. Emma, seeing the error of her ways, gave her life to draw Ghidorah away from Godzilla using the Orca, allowing Mothra's energy to take effect and transform Godzilla into Burning Godzilla: the final stage of his symbiosis with her. Burning Godzilla unleashed two nuclear pulses which took the shape of Mothra's wings and made the sound of her roar, incinerating Ghidorah's wings and two of his heads. Godzilla then stomped down on Ghidorah's chest and unleashed all of his internal nuclear power in a massive explosion. When the smoke cleared, Godzilla emerged from the debris holding Ghidorah's remaining head in his mouth, then incinerated it with his atomic breath. The Titans who were once subservient to Ghidorah gathered around Godzilla, then one-by-one submitted to him, accepting him as the new alpha.

Having anticipated her demise in the final battle with Ghidorah, Mothra had returned to China and laid an egg before flying to Boston, ensuring her survival. Her sacrifice had also granted Godzilla heightened senses, allowing him to view the entire planet as an extension of himself. He made use of her gift to locate a new home in the Hollow Earth following the destruction of his previous lair. Her egg had yet to hatch by 2024, as conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes speculated about who its father could be in one of the last episodes of Titan Truth Podcast he recorded before infiltrating the headquarters of Apex Cybernetics.

Reiwa era

While Mothra does not directly appear onscreen in the films of the GODZILLA anime trilogy, nor is she ever named, she is chronicled in the second official prequel novel to the trilogy, GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla. She is only ever referenced as the Houtua's God in GODZILLA: City on the Edge of Battle, while her egg appears in GODZILLA: The Planet Eater, which also features a brief telepathic manifestation of her imago stage. Mothra appears in the web series Godziban and I'm Home! Chibi Godzilla, while the anime series Godzilla Singular Point features a flock of large silkworm moths identified as Mothra in supplementary materials.

GODZILLA: The Planet Eater

Main article: Mothra (anime trilogy).
Mothra manifests within a telepathic vision experienced by Haruo Sakaki in GODZILLA: The Planet Eater

Mothra was a benevolent kaiju who lived harmoniously in the Amazon rainforest with an isolated tribe of humans known only as "Mothra's People". While other kaiju began appearing across the world in the 21st century and brought human civilization to its knees, they remained relatively safe. Mothra possessed a counterpart known as Battra, and together the two were believed to hold enough power to defeat even Godzilla, the most dreaded and powerful of the kaiju terrorizing mankind. However, Battra had awakened prematurely after sensing the approach of the Gorath asteroid and was killed by Godzilla, who destroyed Gorath himself. In 2048, after 15,000 human refugees selected by an artificial intelligence fled the Earth aboard the extraterrestrial emigration ships Oratio and Aratrum, Mothra's priestess Lira revealed her people's existence to the remnants of the United Earth who were left behind. When Godzilla attacked the United Earth's final stronghold in Buenaventura in order to eliminate humanity once and for all, Mothra arrived to intercept him. She forced Godzilla to retreat by reflecting his atomic breath back at him using the protective scales secreted from her wings, which also interfered with Godzilla's shield. The United Earth remnants, led by Akira Sakaki in cooperation with a group known as the Monster Coexistence Sect, organized a plan called Operation Cradle to relocate Mothra's eggs to Japan, where they would remain safe and hidden from Godzilla while her offspring could defend future generations of humanity living there. Mothra's eggs were placed on the flight deck of the USS Saratoga, which began transporting them to Japan. Godzilla intercepted the transport, but the wounded imago Mothra arrived and held him off long enough for the Saratoga to escape and finish the operation, after which she was killed by Godzilla.

Sometime during the ensuing millennia, Mothra's eggs hatched, but the next generation of the creature still failed to defeat Godzilla. The carcass of one Mothra crashed into a volcanic caldera within the vicinity of what was once Oyama, then decomposed and left behind a single egg. The remaining humans took up residence within the caldera, evolving into a new humanoid species known as the Houtua, who inherited Mothra's "monster factor" just as all other life on Earth took on traits of Godzilla. The Houtua lived underground in Godzilla's shadow, harvesting Nanometal left behind from Mechagodzilla's remains in Hamamatsu in order to forge weapons. After approximately 20,000 years, the twin sisters Miana and Maina served as Mothra's priestesses, communing telepathically with her egg and translating her messages to the rest of the tribe. The crew of the Aratrum returned to Earth after finding their destination of Tau Ceti e uninhabitable following a 20-year space voyage, then encountered the Houtua during their ill-fated attempt to retake the planet from Godzilla. The Houtua rescued many of the survivors of their disastrous confrontation with Godzilla, who was now 300 meters tall, and treated the wounded, then cautioned them about the futility of continuing to fight Godzilla. Miana and Maina led the troops to Mechagodzilla City, a replica of Mechagodzilla's development plant constructed by the robot's A.I. entirely from Nanometal, but warned of the dangers associated with it before departing. Godzilla destroyed Mechagodzilla City after it was revealed that the Bilusaludo aliens intended to use the Nanometal to assimilate the entire planet, and the surviving humans took refuge within the Houtua's underground city. The Exif cardinal Metphies used the humans' desperation to gather a cult which could summon the Exif God, Ghidorah, who would destroy both Godzilla and the entire planet. With Miana captured, Maina and Martin Lazzari called upon Mothra to help Captain Haruo Sakaki resist Metphies' telepathic influence. Mothra manifested in a vision that Haruo was experiencing, allowing him to speak to Maina and Martin. They informed him that Metphies was guiding Ghidorah somehow, which was how the creature was able to defy the laws of physics within this dimension. Haruo escaped the vision and shattered the Garbetrium bead in Metphies' eye, allowing Godzilla to dispatch Ghidorah back to the void from whence he came. The remaining humans then assimilated with the Houtua, adopting their peaceful lifestyle and coexisting with Godzilla under Mothra's guidance and protection.

Godziban

Main articles: Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu, Mothra (Godziban).

Mothra lived on Infant Island with her priestesses, Lune and Luna. She battled the evil Desghidorah and sealed him away, then used the last of her strength to summon forth an egg before dying and ascending into the sky. The egg hatched into the twin larvae Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu, who communed with the spirit of their mother using a cup attached to a string. With Mothra's spirit watching over them, the larvae swam to Godzi Godzi Island, home of the Three Godzilla Brothers and many of Earth's other monsters, whom they quickly befriended. Moshu-Moshu in particular demonstrated herself to be one of the most physically powerful monsters on the island, and at one point fought alongside Godzilla-kun and Rodan against King Ghidorah.

I'm Home! Chibi Godzilla

Main article: Chibi Mothra.

Chibi Mothra was a friend of Chibi Godzilla, and often visited him and his human roommate Satomi along with Chibi Godzilla's other friends Chibi Rodan and Chibi Ghidorah.

Godzilla Singular Point

Main article: Mothra (Godzilla Singular Point).
Jet Jaguar observes a Mothra that has landed on his hand in Godzilla Singular Point

Huge silkworm moths called Mothras appeared in Tokyo as Goro Otaki, Yun Arikawa, and other members of the Otaki Factory made their way toward Godzilla, with one briefly landing on Jet Jaguar's hand. A large swarm of Mothras later appeared seemingly out of thin air in the heart of the city. Goro, likening them to yellow butterflies spoken of in the historical chronicle Azuma Kagami, suggested the creatures were an omen of warfare - a foreshadowing of the confrontation with Godzilla which lay ahead of them.

Abilities

Physical abilities

In her larval stage, Mothra's primary form of physical attack involves using her mandibles to bite opponents. Typically she bites onto an enemy's tail, causing them physical pain while she holds on.

In her imago stage, Mothra slams her massive body into enemies and sometimes strikes them with her wings. She also uses her sharp claws to scratch or stab opponents. Mothra's surprising levels of physical strength allow her to drag and even lift monsters like Godzilla.

Scales

Mothra using her reflective scales in Godzilla vs. Mothra

Typically, Mothra emits "scales" scales from her wings as a last resort, a yellow poisonous powder that can incapacitate enemies. In Mothra vs. Godzilla, Mothra's scales only served to asphyxiate Godzilla and cause him to fall over, while in subsequent incarnations her scales have been given the ability to reflect attacks back at her enemies. In Godzilla vs. Mothra, Mothra can use her scales to create a 3-D mirror which causes beam weapons to repeatedly rebound before striking the target, effectively making them impossible to miss. Battra took advantage of this ability to attack Godzilla by firing his Prism Beams into the scales, allowing them to strike Godzilla over and over again. However, the scales failed to stop Godzilla's Nuclear Pulse, which sent Mothra flying. In Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, both missiles from a fighter jet and Godzilla's atomic breath ignited her scales on contact, damaging the latter while leaving her unharmed. In Godzilla Final Wars, they caused Gigan's Bladed Slicers to malfunction, severing his own head. In GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, her scales interfere with Godzilla's Asymmetrically Permeable Shield, rendering him defenseless as the scales reflect his atomic breath back at him, injuring him.

Telepathy

Mothra possesses telepathic abilities which she can use to communicate with her Shobijin across great distances.

Silk

Mothra spits silk in Destroy All Monsters

Mothra can spit a stream of silk at her enemies to either disorient or entrap them. Usually this ability can only be used in her larval stage, but in the Monsterverse she is able to use her silk attack even as an imago.

Wind

In her imago stage, Mothra can flap her wings to create gales which tear apart buildings and knock other kaiju down.

Antenna Beams

Mothra fires antennae beams in Godzilla vs. Mothra.

In Godzilla vs. Mothra and Rebirth of Mothra, Mothra can fire laser beams from her antennae. In Rebirth of Mothra, this attack is called the Beam Pulser.

Lightning

Mothra releases arcs of lightning from her wings in Godzilla vs. Mothra.

In Godzilla vs. Mothra, Mothra can fire arcs of lightning through her wings or release this electrical energy through her touch.

Stinger

In GMK, Mothra can fire a hail of poisonous dart-like stingers from her abdomen. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, she instead possesses a single larger stinger attached to her abdomen which can immobilize enemies pierced by it.

Flight

Mothra is capable of flight, usually at supersonic speeds, while in her imago stage.

Eye beams

Mothra fires eye beams at Battra in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth

In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Mothra fires blue beams from her eyes during her fight against Battra on Infant Island. Mothra has a similar attack in the NES game, Godzilla Monster of Monsters!

Stinger Blast

Mothra using Stinger Blast on Godzilla in Godzilla: Save The Earth

In the games Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed, while in her imago form, Mothra can shoot white balls of energy from her rear that hone in on targets before exploding. In Save the Earth specifically, Mothra also uses this technique to enhance some of her melee attacks.

Cry for Peace

Mothra using Cry for Peace on Godzilla in Godzilla Unleashed

In the Pipeworks Godzilla games, while in her imago form, Mothra can send out a rainbow colored shockwave while crying out loudly. Opponents caught in the shockwave receive minor damage but are stunned for a couple of seconds. This ability requires a fair amount of energy to use.

Mothra's Fairies: Shobijin, Cosmos, Elias, Maina and Miana

Main articles: Shobijin, Elias, Maina, Miana.

Mothra is usually accompanied by two tiny priestesses or fairies (often called Shobijin, Japanese for "small beauties") who also speak for her. For Mothra's first three film appearances these twin fairies were played by the Peanuts, the singing duo of Emi and Yumi Ito. In Mothra, they demonstrate telepathic abilities, within speaking range with people and over great distances with Mothra. They explain that while they call to Mothra in prayer and in song, they and Mothra are also connected on some deeper level beyond their control, and it is this connection that impels Mothra to find them no matter where they are. These qualities are part of the continuity of all subsequent Mothra appearances. In Mothra vs. Godzilla the Shobijin also demonstrate teleportation, when trying to escape from Kumayama and Jiro Torahata. In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster the Shobijin translate not only Mothra's chirps but an entire conversation among her, Godzilla, and Rodan. In Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, the Shobijin are now played by Pair Bambi, but still demonstrate the same telepathic bond with Mothra. Decades later, in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, two other Shobijin (portrayed by Masami Nagasawa and Chihiro Ôtsuka) demonstrate telekinesis as well.

In the Heisei series, Mothra's priestesses (played by Keiko Imamura and Sayaka Osawa) identify themselves as Earth's Cosmos, who claim to have been created by the very life force of Earth, along with Mothra and her dark counterpart Battra. The Cosmos speak not only for Mothra, but for the living Earth as well. The Cosmos say that Battra was first created by the Earth to balance the ecosystem, which was disrupted by the climate-altering device of an advanced civilization, 12,000 years ago. However, Battra proved to be a little too enthusiastic about his task, and attempted to wipe out all of mankind. Mothra, who lived in harmony with humanity, fought Battra to stop his rampage. While the Cosmos are connected to Mothra, they are aware of Battra's activity. They know when Battra has awoken, and what his tasks and motivations are, but Battra is not motivated to seek them out, unlike Mothra, who seems compelled to protect them and talks to them directly.

In the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy, Mothra's priestesses were the Elias; the Elias differ from earlier incarnations in that they are not mind-linked twins but individual persons, Moll and Lora. They are also seen to have an older sister, a dark Elias called Belvera. In addition to accompanying Mothra, the Elias would also ride a smaller Mothra called Fairy. Mothra would reprise the role of ancient guardian, though with only a passing homage to the Shobijin, in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. The Shobijin reappear in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, and identify themselves as descendants of the two Shobijin who accompanied Mothra in 1961. They appear to Shinichi Chujo and plead with him to convince the Japanese government to return the first Godzilla's remains to the sea. In Godzilla Final Wars, the Shobijin appear to a group of humans and warn them that the cyborg monster recently uncovered by the Earth Defense Force, Gigan, is an ancient enemy of Mothra who attempted to destroy the Earth. They later summon Mothra to aid Godzilla against Gigan and Monster X.

Two characters based on the Shobijin, Maina and Miana, are featured in the GODZILLA anime trilogy. They are twin sisters and members of the Houtua, a tribe descended from a group of humans that Mothra defended from Godzilla 20,000 years ago and helped to relocate to the Mount Fuji area. Like the Shobijin, Maina and Miana are telepathically bonded to Mothra, in this case her surviving egg, and serve as her priestesses and communicate her messages to others. Maina and Miana are distinct from the Shobijin in that rather than being tiny compared to humans, they are human-sized like the rest of their race.

Attractions

Video games

Original games
Collaborations

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee

Mothra appeared as a summonable monster in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. A Mothra-shaped icon, when picked up, calls in a "Mothra Airstrike," where she flies around the arena firing her antennae beams at all monsters besides the one who retrieved the item. She does little damage with each attack, but can add up. Mothra can be chased off if hit with a beam weapon, but this is difficult to do. Mothra is playable in the game's Game Boy Advance counterpart, Godzilla: Domination!, and was also playable in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters!. She was also a boss in Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact.

Mothra became playable once again in Godzilla: Save the Earth. Players start as a larval Mothra, who is slow and has a high defense and a moderate attack. Larva Mothra can use her Silk Shot to immobilize foes, and can spear with her tail and roll around the arena to attack. Pressing R2 and L2 at the same time causes her to metamorph into adult Mothra. Trading speed for defense and attack for weapons, Mothra relies on long-range assaults and a good strategy. She can reflect most beam weapons away from her, and stun opponents when getting up or with a greenish mist. Mothra is unique in that she does not enter Rage Mode, instead she treats the Rage power-up as Health and Energy Recover.

Mothra is also playable in Godzilla: Unleashed, and played similarly to Save the Earth, but to morph into adult form, the player must press A, B, C, and Z at the same time instead of R2 and L2. Mothra appears in Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters. In early missions she is an enemy, but in later missions will appear as a friendly unit if her egg is found (being near the egg heals her). Both her adult and larva forms appear in the game.

Godzilla: Unleashed

Mothra Imago in Godzilla Unleashed

Height: 20 meters[18]
Weight: 28,000 tons[18]

"Mothra is a guardian of the earth, and exists only to defend the earth from pollution, corruption, and devastation. Mothra begins life as a giant larva, with a barbed tail and a web-spinning snout. Once danger threatens, however, Mothra cocoons herself and transforms into her flying adult form. As an adult, Mothra can fire stingers from her tail, create powerful gusts of wind from her wings, and create clouds of her scales to reflect energy attacks. Although her wings appear frail, Mothra is a very capable melee opponent, using her superior mobility to strike her opponents quickly and then retreat. Mothra is devoted to rooting out the crystal corruption, and abhors monsters who absorb their energies for personal advancement."


Godzilla (PlayStation 3 / PlayStation 4)

Mothra Imago in Godzilla
Mothra Larva in Godzilla

Mothra appears in both larva and imago form as a boss in Godzilla for the PlayStation 3 and 4. Mothra can be randomly encountered by the player in either form. She possesses the powers and appearance of her Heisei incarnation. In larva form, Mothra is very small and attacks by jumping at Godzilla and biting him and spitting silk at him. In imago form, Mothra can ram Godzilla, smack him with her wings, or use her antenna beams or reflective scales. Mothra is one of the easier opponents faced in the game, and for this reason is one of the first opponents faced in King of the Monsters Mode. Both forms of Mothra are fully playable in the Defend variation of God of Destruction Mode in the PlayStation 4 version of the game.

Moveset

Larva
  • Square
    • One tap: Bite
    • Two taps: Headbutt Rush
  • Triangle
    • Tap: Tail Blow
    • Up + Tap: Jump Bite
  • X
    • Tap: Quick Dash
  • Circle
    • Tap: Thread
    • Roar + Tap: Thread Barrage
  • R1
    • Tap: Tumble Frenzy
  • L1 + L1/R1 + R1: Left Right Roll Dodge
Adult
  • Square
    • One tap: Rotating Feather Attack
    • Two taps: Charge
  • Triangle
    • Tap: Gliding Ram
    • Roar + Tap: Powder Emission
  • X
    • Tap: Climbing Revolution
  • Circle
    • Tap: Ultrasound Beam
    • Roar + Tap: Ultrasound Beam Combo
  • R2
    • Tap: Wing Rotation Attack
  • L1 + L1/R1 + R1: Left Right Dodge

Kaiju Guide

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

City Shrouded in Shadow

Mothra is featured in the survival RPG City Shrouded in Shadow, developed by Granzella and Bandai Namco for the PlayStation 4. She appears in her imago form and does battle with Battra.

Books

Godzilla on Monster Island

Mothra's cocoon washed ashore on the beach of Monster Island after a storm and was discovered by Varan and Anguirus the morning after. Anguirus and Godzilla decided to protect the cocoon from their dangerous neighbors like Kamacuras, Kumonga, and Gigan, as well as Mechagodzilla, which was sent to recover the cocoon for human study. When Mothra finally emerged, Godzilla and his friends welcomed her to the island.

GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla

Mothra was the guardian of an indigenous tribe known as "Mothra's People" that lived in the Amazon rainforest in South America. She possessed healing powers and also used scales released from her wings to defend herself. She originally had a counterpart named Battra, and it was said that their combined strength would be enough to defeat Godzilla. However, Battra had awakened before Mothra in response to the approach of an asteroid called Gorath, and was killed by Godzilla. In 2048, Mothra's People, led by the shrine maiden Lira, revealed themselves to the remaining United Earth forces which had been left behind by the Extraterrestrial Emigration Plan.

On July 31, 2048, several months after the Extraterrestrial Emigration Plan was enacted, Godzilla attacked the city of Buenaventura, where the remnants of humanity had gathered, intent on destroying the last bastion of human resistance. However, Mothra appeared to challenge Godzilla and successfully forced him to retreat following a fierce battle, in which she used her scales to reflect Godzilla's atomic breath back at him. Because Mothra could not defeat Godzilla alone, a group known as the Monster Coexistence Sect or Cosmos, which wanted to emulate Mothra's People and live in harmony with Mothra, proposed that Mothra's eggs be transported to Japan so that her offspring could one day defend humans still living there. Their plan, codenamed "Operation: Cradle" and headed by Akira Sakaki, was put into action, with the USS Saratoga carrying Mothra's eggs to Japan. Godzilla appeared and intercepted the convoy on August 15, and the injured adult Mothra fought him to defend her offspring and ensure the operation's success.[19]

Comics

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters

Mothra does not actually appear in Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters; however, she is teased through the presence of the Shobijin in issue #3, where they express their concern over recent events when watching Battra on a television screen.


Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths

Mothra has a major role in the miniseries Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths. She appears on Monster Island in the first issue, where she saves human protagonist Detective Makato Sato from being killed by Godzilla. In the later issues, Mothra arrives in Tokyo along with several other monsters from Monster Island to retrieve the Elias, who have been brought there by Sato as part of his plan to end the criminal operations of the Takahashi crime syndicate. Once the Elias are saved, Mothra and the other kaiju return to Monster Island peacefully.


Godzilla

Mothra in Godzilla

Mothra first appears in Godzilla #6, where she saves a family from Godzilla in California and convinces the monster king to leave the area. The Shobijin then appear at a conference with the United Nations to warn of an impending invasion by the space monsters Gigan, Hedorah, SpaceGodzilla, and Monster X. In issue #9, Mothra battles Monster X in New York, but is defeated.


Godzilla: The Half-Century War

Mothra appears in The Half Century War #3 as one of the many monsters battling in Ghana in 1975.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth

Mothra first appeared in Rulers of Earth #1 in a panel when Dr. Kenji Ando was explaining Megazoology in a convention in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In Rulers of Earth #4, Mothra fought Destoroyah with Godzilla by her side. She was gravely injured and had to be assisted by her twin larvae. After the fight with Destoroyah, Godzilla bids farewell to Mothra and she is carried back to Infant Island by her twin larvae. Mothra is then seen in Rulers of Earth #9, resting on Infant Island with her twin larvae. The Shobijin remark that Mothra may never recover from the injuries she sustained in her battle with Destoroyah.

In Rulers of Earth #19, the Shobijin arrived at the Monster Islands with Mothra's larvae and explained that Infant Island was recently attacked by Battra, who was under the control of Minette and Mallory. They told Steven Woods that Mothra was killed in the battle and the entire island was destroyed, with only them and the larvae escaping. Shortly after, Battra arrived at the islands with Minette and Mallory, intent on finishing the job. However, before Battra could kill Mothra's larvae, the Trilopods arrived, attacking Battra and the other monsters on the islands. The larvae escaped capture by the Trilopods and remained on the islands. After the Trilopods and the Cryogs were defeated by the other Earth monsters in Los Angeles, Mothra's larvae were seen cocooning themselves on a security monitor on the Monster Islands.

Godzilla: Cataclysm

Mothra is initially seen in a flashback by Arata's grandfather, showing her as part of a massive battle in Tokyo between Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Manda, and Anguirus. The grandfather later recalls that some of the people in his village pray to Mothra to bring them good fortune. Later, Mothra herself actually appears and joins the battle between Godzilla and Biollante. After Godzilla incinerates Biollante, he blasts Mothra in the wing with his atomic breath, forcing her to retreat.

Later, Arata's grandfather hypothesizes that Mothra was protecting Biollante so that she could restore the Earth, while Godzilla wanted to destroy her to prevent humanity from ever being able to hurt him again. While Biollante regenerates, she attracts Megaguirus and her swarm of Meganula. The giant dragonflies try to feed on Biollante, but Mothra arrives to battle them. Mothra and Megaguirus clash in the skies, and the Meganula swarm onto Mothra. Mothra knocks the Meganula aside with her wings and prepares to attack Megaguirus again, but a sudden blast of Godzilla's atomic breath separates the two monsters. Mothra and Godzilla do battle, but Mothra is badly wounded by repeated blasts from Godzilla's atomic breath, shredding her wings. Mothra fights bravely but is defeated when Godzilla blasts her with his hyper spiral ray.

Following the emergence of Destoroyah, Mothra flies back into battle to assist Godzilla against the demonic creature. Destoroyah vaporizes Mothra with his micro-oxygen beam, but is subsequently destroyed by the combined efforts of Godzilla and the regenerating Biollante. Though Mothra gave her life in the battle, Godzilla returns to the sea to leave mankind alone, while Biollante begins the process of restoring the greenness of the Earth. Meanwhile, a larval Mothra hatches from a colorful egg, with another identical egg next to it beginning to hatch, showing that Mothra will be reborn along with the rest of the world.

Godzilla: Oblivion

Two Mothra larvae appeared in the first issue of Godzilla: Oblivion, where they fought two small Rodans in an alternate dimension.

Two larvae later appeared along with an adult Mothra at the end of the fourth issue, alongside Rodan, Anguirus, Biollante, Zilla and King Caesar as they crossed through the inter-dimensional border while Mecha-King Ghidorah was fighting Godzilla. In the following issue, where the monsters were now joined by Hedorah, Mecha-King Ghidorah attacked one of the Mothra larvae, leading its parent to attack the cyborg monster herself, leaving him vulnerable to Anguirus' attacks. She then turned her attention towards Godzilla and attacked him alongside Rodan. Later, after Mecha-King Ghidorah was defeated by Godzilla, all of the monsters were left behind as the humans left the Earth as it became covered by tiny robotic cells that served as interdimensional doorways.

Legendary Comics

A vision of Mothra witnessed by Godzilla as he remembers her sacrifice in Godzilla Dominion

Mothra has made two non-corporeal cameos in Legendary Comics' graphic novels set in the continuity of the MonsterVerse, Skull Island: The Birth of Kong and Godzilla Dominion. In first issue of the former, a photograph of what appeared to be a cave painting of her was taped to a map in Monarch agent Houston Brooks' office in 2012; in the latter, Godzilla experienced a vision of her while tapping into the new senses she granted him.

Gojiman

Battra courts Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu and faces their wrath once they find out about each other.

Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons

Mothra was among the various kaiju known to the Sons of Giants, a secret society that sought to conceal the existence of the monsters from the rest of the globe during the 16th century.

Gallery

Main article: Mothra/Gallery.

Sightings

  • In Episode 40 of the Kimagure Orange Road anime TV series, the cast are making an amateur movie referencing certain elements from Mothra. They use the Kasuga family cat to play the part of a giant monster heading towards Tokyo with a final confrontation at Tokyo Tower and the Kasuga Twins playing the part of lost princesses that the monster is seeking. The twins even sing to the monster in order to calm it down and they ride on the monster back to their island paradise.
  • In the Rumiko Takahashi series Urusei Yatsura, Mothra, along with other kaiju co-stars, make multiple background cameos.
  • In the Love Hina anime, Motoko has a dream where Mutsumi Otohime appears as two tiny versions of herself who sing to summon a giant version of Tama-chan in a similar fashion to how Mothra is summoned by her fairies.
  • Mothra has a brief appearance in an episode of The Simpsons where Godzilla is attacking the plane the family is on along with Gamera and Rodan.
  • A song by We Are Scientists, released on their 2002 LP Safety, Fun, and Learning (in that Order), is titled "Mothra Versus We Are Scientists."
  • In Class of 3000, Mothra and Godzilla made a few appearances.
  • Mothra is the name of a track on the album Nosferatu by The Stranglers' lead-singer and guitarist Hugh Cornwell and Captain Beefheart percussionist Robert Williams.
  • The Toe Jammers wrote a song about Mothra, in which Godzilla sings Mothra a letter he wrote that begs for her forgiveness.
  • During the events entailed in Silent Hill 1, the lead protagonist, Harry Mason, encounters a large larva that he must fight. Later on, it is shown to have evolved into a very Mothra-like giant moth, who seeks revenge.
  • A common enemy in the Legend of Zelda series is a giant poisonous moth known as Mothula, an apparent play on Mothra's name.
  • The German strategy guide for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening uses a Mothra larva in its illustration of the Tail Key item.
  • In the Pokémon anime, Giratina has Mothra's chirps and screeches.
  • Mothra looks strikingly similar to the Generation III Pokémon Beautifly, even having an almost identical color scheme.
  • The Pokémon anime makes a direct reference to Mothra through Caterpie. In an episode a giant Caterpie attacks a city similar to Tokyo and it evolves into Metapod while on a tower similar to Tokyo Tower.
  • In the Generation V Pokémon video games, Volcarona (a giant, fire-controlling moth Pokémon) is likely to have been influenced by Mothra.
  • At the end of the Mad Cartoon Sketch: "Linkong", the Shobijin from 1961's Mothra (plus their various appearances in several Godzilla films) appear, narrating the epilogue and summoning Mothra to Washington. Mothra flies on-screen, with authentic chirps.
  • In the Sonic X anime, the giant moth Mothmacin is a reference to Mothra.
  • In the Kirby series, a parody is seen in the anime. A monster named Mosugaba and the small twin girls were known as the Twin Nuts.
  • Mothra is part of a miniskit in the comedy show Saturday Night Live.
  • Mothra makes a pseudo-cameo in Legendary Pictures' Godzilla. When Joe and Ford Brody are searching through the ruins of the quarantine zone, the word "Mothra" can be seen printed below a glass terrarium. Also, in Ford's classroom, there is a diagram featuring several moths and butterflies, the largest of which has Mothra's coloration.
  • In August of 2014, the 1998 film was mocked by RiffTrax Live, which was created by and shares many of the former members of Mystery Science Theater 3000. During the riffing, they made witty references to King Ghidorah and Mothra.
  • A small U.S. poster for Mothra appears on the wall of a video store in the 2002 film Men in Black II.
  • In The Lego Ninjago Movie, the cat who destroyed Ninjago City was named Meowthra.

Roar

Mothra's chirps are a combination of heavily sped-up Anguirus roars and various Rodan screeches, including the raw material that would be used to make Maguma's roars. This is most evident during a scene in Godzilla vs. Mothra where Mothra is hit by artillery and moans in pain, emitting a sound that is almost identical to Anguirus' roar. According to the "Godzilla Quiz" included with the home video release of the Monster Planet of Godzilla short film, the Japanese onomatopoeia for Mothra's cry is "squeak" (キィー,   kyī). In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, the imago Mothra's cries are rendered as "CHEERNT."

First and Second Generation Mothra chirps in the Showa series
Mothra Leo's chirps in the Rebirth of Mothra films
Mothra and the Mothra Larvae's chirps in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS
Mothra's chirps in Godzilla Final Wars
Mothra's chirps in Godzilla: King of the Monsters

In other languages

Mothra's name remains the same across many languages employing the Latin alphabet.

Language Name Meaning
Flagicon Bulgaria.png Bulgarian Мотра Transliteration of English name
Chinese Flagicon Hong Kong.png Cantonese 魔斯拉 Mo1 si1 laai1 Transcription of Japanese name
China and Taiwan Flags.png Mandarin 魔斯拉 Mó sī lā Transcription of Japanese name
Flagicon Israel.png Hebrew מות'רא Transliteration of English name
Flagicon Italy.png Italian Watang (1st Generation),
Matra (2nd Generation),
Polluk (3rd Generation)
Watang,
Matra,
Polluk
Flagicon Russia.png Russian Мотра Transliteration of English name
Flagicon Serbia.png Serbian Мотра Transliteration of English name
Yiddish מאָטהראַ Transliteration of English name

Trivia

  • Mothra was the first Toho kaiju Godzilla faced that did not debut in the Godzilla series but was instead incorporated into and absorbed by it, becoming one of the series' recurring characters.
    • Mothra is also the only Toho kaiju to receive films dedicated to herself and her kind (Rebirth of Mothra and its two sequels) after appearing in the Godzilla series.
  • Mothra has become one of Godzilla's most challenging opponents, having achieved the greatest success rate against him in battle. She has once overcome Godzilla in imago form, and twice Godzilla has fought her to her death only later to be bested by her newborn larvae. It should be mentioned that Mothra has never beaten Godzilla alone in her imago form. The only victories by Mothra over Godzilla were the twin Mothra larvae in Mothra vs. Godzilla in the Showa series, imago Mothra and imago Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra in the Heisei series and the twin larvae and Kiryu in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS in the Millennium series.
  • Mothra was the first kaiju fought by Godzilla to be female, the first one to be an insect, and the first one capable of flight. She was also the second insect kaiju to appear in a Toho film, predated only by the Meganulon from Rodan.
  • Mothra is widely considered to be Toho's second most popular kaiju behind Godzilla, due to her numerous film appearances both in and outside of the Godzilla franchise. Toho has even given Mothra the title "Queen of (the) Monsters," a counterpart to Godzilla's "King of the Monsters."[2][3][4]
  • Toho had intended to follow Godzilla vs. Biollante with a revival of Mothra in her own spin-off film, Mothra vs. Bagan. However, following the unimpressive box office performance of Biollante, Toho discarded the project in favor of another Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. A 1992 survey revealed that Mothra was Toho's most popular kaiju among women, an observation which inspired Toho to again revise its plans, abandoning a proposed direct sequel to King Ghidorah in favor of a Godzilla–Mothra film. Following the end of the Heisei Godzilla series, Toho produced the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy. Mothra thus became the first Toho kaiju to lead its own films after its incorporation into the Godzilla franchise.
  • According to an interview with Kenpachiro Satsuma, Koichi Kawakita originally wanted Mothra to be killed in Godzilla vs. Mothra and appear in a sequel as MechaMothra.[20]
  • Mothra is one of Toho's "Big Five" most popular monsters, which are the only monsters to have appeared in the films of the Showa, Heisei, Millennium, and Reiwa series, as well as the Monsterverse.
  • Despite dying frequently in her film appearances, Mothra has only ever been killed by Godzilla or a Ghidorah, though she did seemingly kill both herself and Gigan instantaneously in Godzilla Final Wars.
  • Although Mothra is one of Godzilla's most frequent allies, she has only been his ally in the films Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla Final Wars, although briefly, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In all of her other film appearances alongside Godzilla so far, Mothra has been his enemy.
  • In addition to her appearance on Monster Island via stock footage in Godzilla vs. Gigan, Mothra can be very briefly seen during the film's final battle, appearing behind Godzilla as he walks towards King Ghidorah. This "cameo" is unintentional, a result of the film's extensive use of stock footage from Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and other Showa Godzilla films.
  • Though Mothra is in general a female kaiju, there have been male members of her kind. In Rebirth of Mothra, Mothra has a son named Mothra Leo, who goes on to star in the next two films of the trilogy. Mothra Leo reappears as Mothra's son in Godzilla Island, where he has a sister named Baby Mothra. Sometimes, Mothra's twin larvae possess different genders. In the Godzilland merchandise line released in 1984, one of Mothra's larvae is depicted as a boy and the other as a girl. Merchandise for Godzilla: Tokyo SOS differentiates the two larvae from the film as male and female, with the male having darker colored skin and longer tusks and tail projections than the female. During production of the film, the male larva was nicknamed "Taro" by the staff, while they called the female "Hanako." The American dubs of Mothra and Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster refer to Mothra as a male, though this only applies to the dubs and all other official translations refer to the character as a female.
  • In the first issue of IDW Publishing's comic miniseries Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - All Hail the King!, the character Cedric Nishimura states that Mothra smells like maple syrup.
  • Early concept art by Tohl Narita for the monster Guesra from Ultraman envisioned the monster as a spiky, caterpillar-like creature who would have been portrayed with a modified Mothra larva prop.[21] Tsuburaya Productions ended up modifying the Peter suit from Ultra Q instead.


Videos

Wikizilla: YouTube Kaiju Profile: Showa Mothra
Wikizilla: YouTube Kaiju Profile: The Mothras (Rebirth of Mothra Trilogy)
Wikizilla: YouTube Kaiju Profile: Mothra and
King Ghidorah (Millennium)
Wikizilla: YouTube Kaiju Profile: King Ghidorah, Mothra & Rodan (2019)

Notes

  1. The first generation imago from Mothra vs. Godzilla is sometimes inconsistently listed as being 65 meters or 135 meters long despite being the same individual as the 80 meter long imago from Mothra.
  2. Media contemporary to Mothra vs. Godzilla applies Mothra's original 180 meter length to the second generation larvae. However, this is corrected to just 40 meters by the Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster theater program and numerous other subsequent sources. Other inconsistent figures include 53 meters and 150 meters. Sources contemporary to Destroy All Monsters are unclear on the length of the third generation larva, stating it to be "40~100 meters." It may be assumed that this larva retains the same 40 meter length as the second generation larvae, however, as is supported by numerous subsequent sources.
  3. The second generation imago from Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is sometimes erroneously given the first generation imago's length of 80 meters, including in the film's theater program. This is corrected to 65 meters by later sources, however, being more accurately proportional to this incarnation's 40 meter imago length and 135 meter wingspan.
  4. Numerous sources give the imago from Mothra vs. Godzilla a wingspan of 135 meters despite being the same individual as the 250 meter imago from Mothra, likely due to her apparent size difference when compared to Godzilla. However, media contemporary to both Mothra and Mothra vs. Godzilla, such as the films' theater programs, agree on a 250 meter measurement.
  5. The second generation imago from Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is sometimes erroneously given the first generation imago's wingspan of 250 meters, including in the film's theater program. This is corrected to 135 meters in later sources, being more accurately proportional to this incarnation's 40 meter larva length and 65 meter imago length.
  6. The first generation larva's weight is variably listed as 8,000, 12,000, 15,000, or 20,000 metric tons.
  7. The first generation imago's weight is variably listed as 10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 metric tons.
  8. The second generation larvae are sometimes erroneously given the first generation larva's weight of 15,000 metric tons. Other inconsistent figures include 3,000 and 8,000 metric tons. However, the theater program for Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster provides the accurate measurement of 10,000 metric tons, scaling more reasonably with this larva's 40 meter length. Sources also disagree on the third generation larva's weight, with measurements ranging from 8,000 to 15,000 metric tons. However, it can be assumed that this larva weighs the same as the second generation version, due to possessing the same length measurement.
  9. Parent Mothra appears in 16 episodes: 18, 21, 28-30, 36, 39-41, 46-47, 49-50, 65, 127, and 152. Child Mothra/New Mothra, better known as Mothra Leo, appears in 55 episodes: 1, 6-7, 9, 11, 21, 39-41, 46-50, 64, 72, 78-79, 83, 102, 111-113, 119, 125, 127, 137-138, 140-141, 144, 150, 152-156, 161-163, 165-168, 190, 192-193, 215, 217, 228, 233, 251-252, and 255-256. Baby Mothra appears in 22 episodes: 150-168, 181, 192, and 228.

References

This is a list of references for Mothra. 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 Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works. Mothra; Pages 54-57.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Mothra Original Soundtrack.jpg
  3. 3.0 3.1 Mothra The Queen of Monsters VHS.jpg
  4. 4.0 4.1 Mothra The Queen of Monsters LD.jpg
  5. Common Knowledge of Godzilla. Futabasha. 6 July 2014. pp. 29, 33, 43, 51, 89, 123, 143. ISBN 978-4-575-30696-5.
  6. Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 34. ISBN 4-096-82090-3.
  7. ゴジラ東宝大怪獣図鑑. Shogakukan. 1 April 2005. p. 92. ISBN 4-09-280052-5.
  8. Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 98. ISBN 4-096-82090-3.
  9. Mothra Monarch Sciences.png
  10. 10.0 10.1 "SPECIMEN: TITANUS MOSURA" - Monarch Sciences
    TITANUS MOSURA - Monarch Sciences.png
  11. 11.0 11.1 MonsterVerse Mothra Japanese stats.jpg
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Godzilla Completely Deciphered. Takarajimasha. 26 June 2014. p. 88. ISBN 4800228964.
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 J.D. Lees, Marc Cerasini (24 March 1998). The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. p. 136. ISBN 0279888225 Check |isbn= value: checksum (help).
    Compendium26.png
  14. 14.0 14.1 Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster theater program. 1964. p. 10.
  15. Mothra vs. Godzilla theater program. 1964.
  16. Common Knowledge of Godzilla. Futabasha. 6 July 2014. p. 142. ISBN 978-4-575-30696-5.
  17. https://www.soenkantai.com/cp_202312/
  18. 18.0 18.1 Blackheart_Goji (26 May 2023). "Godzilla unleashed card animations w/sfx final". YouTube.
  19. Oki, Renji (25 April 2018). GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla. Kadokawa. pp. 164–180. ISBN 9784041063453.
  20. Kenpachiro Satsuma Interview II by David Milner. Translation by Yoshihiko Shibata. MechaMothra concept discussed near end of interview. (Conducted in July 1994)
  21. Guesra concept art.png

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