Desghidorah

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Desghidorah® trademark icon
Desghidorah®
Desghidorah in Rebirth of Mothra
Alternate names Death Ghidorah, Deathghidorah, Deathghidora,[1] Desgidorah
Subtitle(s) Super Space Demon Beast
(宇宙超魔獣,   Uchū Chō Majū)[2]
Space Monster
(宇宙怪獣,   Uchū Kaijū)[3]
Super Darkness Monster
(暗黒超怪獣,   Ankoku Chō Kaijū)G:TB
Species Demonic extraterrestrial
three-headed dragon
Height 50 meters[2]
Length 100 meters[4]
Wingspan 80 meters[4]
Weight 75,000 metric tons[2]
Running speed 180 kilometers per hour[4]
Flight speed Mach 23 (Earth),[4][note 1]
Near-light speed (space)[4]
Forms Land Form, Final Form[4]
Place(s) of emergence Space[3]
Relations King Ghidorah (relative)
Enemies Mothra, Mothra Leo, Sakuya,
Godzilla-kun, Little, Minilla
Designed by Minoru Yoshida
Modeled by Shinichi Wakasa, Shigeaki Ito,
Fumihiko Yagi, Hiroshi Sagae,
Hidenori Yamaoka, Tsutomu Watanabe,
Nobuhiro Ekubo, Rikiya So
Played by Mizuho Yoshida
First appearance Latest appearance
Rebirth of Mothra Godziban
Roar(s)
More roars

Desghidorah (デスギドラ,   Desugidora, lit. "Death Ghidorah") is a demonic three-headed dragon kaiju who first appeared in the 1996 Toho film Rebirth of Mothra.

An evil three-headed space monster, Desghidorah reduced Mars to an uninhabitable wasteland millions of years ago before turning his attention to the neighboring planet Earth. The planet's natural guardians, a race of giant moths known as Mothra which defended the Elias civilization, managed to defeat Desghidorah and seal him away. However, in the present day a company accidentally awakened Desghidorah from his tomb while clearing a forest. The space monster resumed its reign of terror, attempting to wipe out all life on the planet, but was confronted by the last remaining Mothra. The two ancient enemies battled, but the elderly Mothra was outmatched. However, her newborn son Mothra Leo hatched prematurely and joined his mother in the battle. Mothra used the last of her strength to carry Leo to safety after Desghidorah destroyed a dam, then subsequently drowned. In order to avenge his mother, Leo matured into his imago stage and confronted Desghidorah once more, finally managing to defeat him and seal him back into his tomb. While Desghidorah was stopped, Mothra Leo would be confronted by another, more powerful member of the Ghidorah species two years later: the dreaded King Ghidorah.

Name

Desghidorah's name comes from desu (デス), the Japanese transliteration of "death," and "Ghidorah" (ギドラ,   Gidora), referencing his relationship to King Ghidorah. While the creature's name would normally be translated to English as Death Ghidorah, which is used in the official English subtitles for Godziban, Toho opted to trademark the romanization "Desghidorah" instead.

Origins

Desghidorah is a space monster who drains energy from planets. He left Mars an uninhabitable wasteland 65 million years ago, then sought after a neighboring planet - Earth. He was confronted by a race of Mothras sent by the Elias, who defeated him and sealed him away within the Earth, but not without most members of the Elias race being killed and the dinosaurs going extinct.

History

Heisei era

Rebirth of Mothra

Millions of years ago, Desghidorah first appeared on the planet Mars, destroying it and turning it into a wasteland. It then flew to the planet Earth with more intent to destroy it. It began attacking the planet, but it was met with a revolt. A race called the Elias, small human-like beings, sent Mothras to defeat him. Desghidorah was defeated and locked away in a chamber so no one could ever release him. The Elias' civilization was nearly destroyed.

In the year 1997, a company is clearing out a forest when a worker stumbled across a buried structure with ancient writing on it. The worker took a small pendant from the stone, and gave it to his daughter as a gift. Not long after, the girl was visited by Belvera, one of the last surviving members of the Elias. The other survivors, Moll and Laura, came to try and take the pendant, which was called "the seal of Elias." The seal would awaken and release Desghidorah, and Belvera would try to control it.

Belvera went to Desghidorah's tomb, and caused it to rise from the ground. She managed to break it open, and Desghidorah was released. Desghidorah rose from the tomb and began to absorb energy from the forest around him.

Moll and Laura sent Mothra to defeat him, but she was quickly overpowered. Her egg hatched prematurely, into Mothra Leo, and he came to save his mother. Even the combined efforts of Mothra and Leo, they couldn't defeat it. Mothra flew off with her child and died over the ocean.

Leo wanted revenge, and he formed a cocoon and turned into his Imago form. Desghidorah harvested all the energy he could, then regrew his wings. Mothra Leo flew after the monster, and fought him with all his might. After a long battle, Leo sealed Desghidorah back in its tomb, then returned to his island.

Reiwa era

Godziban

Desghidorah in Godziban
"Moshu-Moshu Connected Forever"

Prior to the main events of the series, Mothra battled Desghidorah and was able to seal him away. However, the battle would prove to be Mothra's last and with what energy she had left, she returned to her temple and laid an egg, ensuring the cycle would continue with her children Moshu-Moshu and Moshuu-Moshuu.

"Godzilla-kun to the Woods"

Shown visions of Desghidorah having escaped Mothra's seal and rampaging through the ancient Bio Forest, Godzilla-kun, Minilla and Little were sent by the magic of Mata and Tango to try and assist the Bio Tree Sakuya in saving it. After the Three Godzilla Brothers were attacked by Giant Flytraps and Giant Pitcher Plants, the mushroom people disguised them as plants, only for their new appearance to earn the attention of Desghidorah. The trio tried charging at him, but he headbutted them away, and they fled. After a lengthy chase, the three-headed dragon was suddenly strangled by Sakuya's vines. After getting tossed to the ground, the space dragon bit through his bindings and squared off against the floral monster. The two monsters roared at each other, with Sakuya making the first move, entangling the dragon in her vines again, before Mata and Tango brought the Godzilla Brothers back home, where they resolved to return on the next full moon.

Abilities

Speed and flight

Desghidorah can run at speeds of up to 180 kilometers per hour. Desghidorah's wings enable flight at Mach 23 when in the atmosphere, namely that of Earth, and near-light speed in space.[4]

Thermal beams

Desghidorah breathes fire in Rebirth of Mothra

Desghidorah is able to spit a concentrated 'pyro-beam' of magma energy from each of its three heads, called the Pyroclastic Shot (火砕流撃弾,   Kasairyū Gekidan). This ability can be used in both Desghidorah's land and final forms; however, it becomes over five times as powerful in the latter.[4] If all three of Desghidorah's heads fire the Pyroclastic Shot beams in unison, the attack is instead referred to as either the Triple Vortex Attack Cannon (三重渦撃砲,   Mie Uzu Gekihō)[4] or just Triple Vortex Attack (三重渦撃,   Mie Uzu Geki).[3] An even more powerful form of the Pyroclastic Shot, known as the Flaming Dragon Whirlwind Attack Wave (炎龍旋風撃波,   Honō Ryū Senpūgeki-ha) can be achieved if the speed and rotation of the Triple Vortex Attack is increased.[4]

Desghidorah can also spit a powerful red hot flame from its mouth(s), known as the Fire Dragon Heavy Attack Wave (火龍重撃波,   Hi Ryū Jū Dan Nami). This attack is potent enough to instantly set the environment around it ablaze, annihilating any plants or animals in the vicinity.[4]

Strong Violent Advancing Thunder Quake

In a technique dubbed the Strong Violent Advancing Thunder Quake (剛烈駆雷震,   Tsuyoshi Retsu Ka Kaminari Furue), Desghidorah can create fissures in the earth which gush magma while firing the Fire Dragon Heavy Attack Wave, resulting in the pulverization of its opponents. Desghidorah has the ability to manipulate the magma which erupts from these fissures.[4]

Raging Sky Burst

Desghidorah, after accumulating internal magma energy, can perform a powerful technique called the Raging Sky Burst (天怒爆突,   Tennu Bakutotsu), which entails drawing an enemy close before blowing it back with an explosion.[4]

Electrical Surge

Desghidorah is able to send surges of electricity through its enemies upon biting them.

Thunder Cannon Flash

Desghidorah can protect itself in a barrier of thermal energy, called the Thunder Cannon Flash (轟砲一閃,   Gōhō Issen).[4]


Video games

Gallery

Main article: Desghidorah/Gallery.

Roar

Desghidorah's roars were adapted from stock elephant trumpeting. The roars were later reused for the Ultraman Tiga monster Gatanozoa. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack also briefly sampled Desghidorah's roar for Godzilla after he obliterated Baragon.

Desghidorah's roars

Trivia

Notes

  1. While virtually all sources give Desghidorah an in-atmosphere flying speed of Mach 23, the 2012 publication Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works (p. 254) erroneously lists a speed of merely Mach 3.

References

This is a list of references for Desghidorah. 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. S- l640.jpg
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia. Shogakukan. 23 July 2014. p. 99. ISBN 4-096-82090-3.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Toho Special Effects Movie Complete Works. villagebooks. 28 September 2012. p. 254. ISBN 4-864-91013-8.
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 Rebirth of Mothra Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. December 1996. pp. 20–23. ISBN 4-091-01456-9.

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