Atlantis
Atlantis (アトランティス Atorantisu) is a legendary mythical island nation and civilization first spoken of in the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato's parable Critias. Within Plato's story, Atlantis was a idyllic place, abundant in natural resources, including the mythical metal orichalcum. Despite this, it became an antagonistic naval power that invaded Ancient Athens, who repelled its attack with a degree of bravery and strength unlike any other nation in the world. After the attack, Atlantis fell out of favor with the gods; the nation was destroyed, then sunk beneath the Atlantic Ocean.
Atlantis has since spread extensively into literature, history, culture, and popular fiction. It often continues to serve as an allegory for a decadent civilization that fell victim to its own hubris, but is also often used to evoke a sense of wonder and mystery as an ancient lost utopia. Many subsequent stories about Atlantis have imagined it as technologically advanced. Because of its legendary status, it has appeared in media within the Godzilla, Gamera, and King Kong franchises.
Description
In Gamera the Giant Monster, it is suggested that Gamera was a species of gigantic turtle that lived on the continent of Atlantis in the ancient past. In this continuity, Atlantis is believed to have existed in what is now the Arctic, with the Inuit people being descendants of the ancient Atlantean civilization and Gamera being buried beneath the Arctic ice in the former location of Atlantis.
In Gamera the Guardian of the Universe, Gamera's ties to Atlantis are retained but the specifics are altered. Naoya Kusanagi proposes that the myth of Atlantis spread across the folklore of countless cultures around the world, but had a factual basis. The advanced civilization that inspired the Atlantis myth existed in the Pacific Ocean rather than the Atlantic, and harnessed the ability to manipulate the energy known as mana. The Atlanteans used their scientific prowess to genetically engineer the creature known as Gyaos, which turned on its creators and multiplied out of control. The Atlanteans created Gamera as a last-ditch effort to exterminate Gyaos, and though he managed to stop them he could not prevent the fall of Atlantis. The Atlanteans then sealed Gamera within an atoll along with several magatama and an inscribed obelisk explaining his purpose to future generations in case Gyaos returned.
Atlantis is central to the 2000 television program Kong: The Animated Series, wherein Atlantis was once a global empire with Kong as its protector. By the 21st Century, there was only one living Atlantean left, with Kong Island as the last remaining remnant of the civilization, excepting a splinter group of Atlantean descendants living in Loch Ness. The city itself finally appears in the 2005 film continuation of the series, Kong: King of Atlantis.
Within the Godzilla franchise, Atlantis is featured in an episode of the Hanna-Barbera animated series, Godzilla, in which it is depicted as an extraterrestrial spaceship that sank into the ocean during a great earthquake, forcing its inhabitants to enter suspended animation to survive. The city's guardian robot, Colossus, malfunctioned during the earthquake and forced the Atlanteans to remain in stasis until the city rose again in the present. After Godzilla destroyed the robot, the Atlanteans were freed and departed Earth within Atlantis.
History
- Gamera the Giant Monster (1965) [mentioned]
- Godzilla (TV 1978-1979)
- Gamera the Guardian of the Universe (1995) [mentioned]
- Kong: The Animated Series (TV 2000-2001) [mentioned]
- Kong: King of Atlantis (2005)
Godzilla
"The Colossus of Atlantis"
Following a series of tremors that nearly capsized their ship, the Calico crew bore witness to the inexplicable surfacing of a vast city in the middle of the ocean - the lost city of Atlantis. A tractor beam being projected from one of the city's towers promptly dragged the Calico into the city and crushed the vessel, though its crew were able to escape unharmed with help from Godzooky. Godzilla was also caught in another mysterious beam, which teleported him into the city. While exploring the seemingly empty city, Dr. Quinn Darian and Brock Borden discovered discs documenting the fall of Atlantis during the "Great Quake". As Atlantis was sinking into the ocean in an earthquake, Kara-El, the chief scientist of Atlantis, pleaded for his fellow Atlanteans to "escape through time" via a time machine housed in Atlantis; however, the panicked Atlanteans instead fled for the sleep chambers, which placed the people of Atlantis, including Kara-El, in a state of suspended animation. Quinn and Brock then used the time machine to travel back in time to before the fall of Atlantis, only to arrive too late just as the earthquake struck, forcing them to enter the sleep chambers to survive the fall. In the present, Captain Carl Majors, Pete, and Godzooky encountered a giant robot patrolling the city called Colossus, which immediately attacked them, though they were able to get away. They later met with a mental projection of Kara-El's consciousness, who explained that Colossus was once the guardian of Atlantis, but malfunctioned during the Great Quake and has kept the Atlanteans trapped in suspended animation ever since. In order to free their friends (who were now also trapped in stasis), the crew tricked the robot into awakening Godzilla (who had also been placed in stasis by Colossus), who proceeded to destroy Colossus, resulting in Quinn, Brock, and the Atlanteans being freed from their slumber. Grateful for the crew's help, Kara-El sent the crew back in time to before the Calico was destroyed while also announcing his intentions to return the Atlanteans to their true "home". The crew pondered what Kara-El had meant, believing that Atlantis was the home of the Atlanteans. However, they quickly learned the truth when a dome materialized over the city which proceeded to levitate into the sky, revealing Atlantis to be a massive spaceship. The Atlanteans then departed Earth's atmosphere and ventured into space to return to their home planet.
Kong: King of Atlantis
To be added.
Video games
- Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (2007) - Nintendo DS
Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
Atlantis is a stage in the 2007 video game Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash for the Nintendo DS.
Due to the influence of extraterrestrial crystals sent to Earth by SpaceGodzilla, the sunken city of Atlantis is brought to the surface and its inhabitants attack humanity. The player's monsters must traverse the city and battle its military forces, as well as the Earth Defense Force's Atoragon. The stage's final boss is Manda.
Books and short stories
- "King Kong" (1933)
"King Kong" (London Daily Herald)
In Kingsley Long's 1933 newspaper serial adaptation of King Kong, the writer imagined that the giant wall on Skull Island was constructed by Atlanteans, and that Skull Island itself had once been colonized by Atlantis.
Comics
- Gorgo #6 (1962)
- The Return of Gorgo #1 (1962)
- Konga #20 (1965) [mentioned]
- The Last Hope (2017)
- Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #4-6 (2024)
- Godzilla Rivals: Mechagodzilla Vs. King Ghidorah (2024)
Gorgo
As the fish-like people of Atlantis were mounting an assault on the surface world, they came face-to-face with Gorgo and his mother before their invasion could begin. The two giant monsters engaged the Atlanteans and forced them into retreat, but Gorgo and Ogra followed them back to Atlantis and made short work of the city, destroying it entirely.
The Last Hope
Eons ago, having mastered the power of mana, the Atlanteans were able to convert the city of Atlantis into a utopia. However, their unchecked consumption of the world's mana unintentionally attracted a horde of Garasharp to Atlantis. In response, the Atlanteans used their mana to create the vicious Gyaos to fight the serpentine beasts. While the Gyaos successfully wiped out the Garasharp population, they quickly turned upon their creators and ravaged the city. Desperate to save themselves, the Atlanteans created an army of Gameras which were psychically linked to the Atlanteans. While the Gameras successfully drove the Gyaos away and saved Atlantis, only one Gamera survived the great battle.
Though the city would be granted another period of peace, another shadow eventually fell upon Atlantis as a far greater swarm of Gyaos returned. The last Gamera fought valiantly, but in the midst of battle with the Gyaos swarm and a Garasharp matriarch, he realized that the Atlanteans' continued hoarding of Earth's mana would only invite further chaos if it were allowed to continue. Ultimately, Gamera and the general that he was bonded to chose to sacrifice the city, with Gamera subsequently annihilating Atlantis, the Gyaos swarm, and the Garasharp matriarch in one fell swoop.
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
After the Toyman used the Dreamstone to teleport the Titans to his reality, Tiamat attacked the great city of Atlantis. Aquaman and his fellow Atlanteans attempted to repel the beast to no avail, at which point he contacted the Justice League for assistance. Godzilla soon arrived and engaged Tiamat just outside of the city, placing Atlantis and its people in grave danger. After Godzilla was knocked into the city and pierced its dome with his dorsal fins, Aquaman decided to summon the Kraken - the protector of Atlantis. Though the Kraken tried to lead the fight away from the city, Tiamat and Godzilla continued to damage the dome, leaving it with several giant holes that Hal Jordan attempted to seal. Though the strain eventually proved too much for Hal to bear, his fellow Green Lanterns soon arrived to ensure that the city would remain sealed long enough for the Atlanteans to fix the damage caused by the monsters.
Later, after the monsters were repelled and Godzilla was contained thanks to Nth Metal chains, Aquaman reported that the dome repairs were nearing completion and that Atlantis was ready for another attack - one which would fortunately never come thanks to the actions of Superman, who was able to locate the Dreamstone and use it to send the Titans back to their reality.
Gallery
The Atlantis spaceship in Godzilla
Atlantis concept art for Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
Godzilla on the Atlantis stage in Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
Hal Jordan repairs the dome around Atlantis in Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong
Atlantis in Godzilla Rivals: Mechagodzilla Vs. King Ghidorah
External links
Comments
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