Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Kodansha manga)
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Godzilla, King of the Monsters (怪獣王ゴジラ is a manga series illustrated by Hiroshi Kawamoto from a story by Hisashi Yasui. It was originally serialized by Kaijū-ō Gojira)Kodansha in the manga magazine DX BomBom from 1992 to 1993. It was collected into two volumes by Kodansha Comics on December 5, 1992 and June 5, 1993.
Set after Godzilla vs. Mothra, the manga showcases Godzilla squaring off against various kaiju (who are commanded by a mad scientist called Mad Oniyama) in extremely violent and bloody battles. The monsters Godzilla defeats are usually defeated by his atomic breath, and most of the enemy monster's attacks focus on Godzilla's chest, usually causing dramatic injuries.
In addition to dialogue among the human characters, the kaiju themselves also speak to each other, although humans are unable to understand them (with the exception of Mad Oniyama in the final story arc).
Plot
A mad scientist named Mad Oniyama attempts to take over Earth, and wants to use Godzilla as his main pawn. To get the beast, though, he has to deal with two brothers, Hideo Kaneko and his brother and Team G agent Yosuke; their friends; and Godzilla himself. Reviving and altering the DNA of several monsters including Megalon, Biollante, Gigan, and others, he is at one point aided by a version of himself from the 25th century, who uses a time machine in an attempt to alter the past. The manga ends when Godzilla, Oniyama's ultimate creation King Godzilla and Oniyama fall into the crater of a volcano.
A single-chapter story is included at the end of Volume 2, titled Street Fighter Godzilla. In this story, Godzilla, dressed as Ryu from the Street Fighter series, fights Hedorah (who is dressed up to resemble Blanka from the same series) while a Mothra Larva named Mosuko struggles to declare her love for Godzilla.[1]
Contents
Volume 1
- Challenge from Mad Oniyama! (Godzilla vs. Baragon) マッド鬼山からの挑戦!(ゴジラVSバラゴン) (p. 6)
- Godzilla's Angry Atomic Breath (Godzilla vs. Biollante and Megalon) ゴジラ怒りの放射熱線(ゴジラVSビオランテ・メガロ) (p. 42)
- The Mecha Monsters' Mayhem (Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Mechani-Kong) メカ怪獣の狂騒曲(ゴジラVSメカゴジラ・メカニコング) (p. 77)
- Godzilla is Executed!? (Godzilla vs. Rodan) ゴジラ処刑される!?(ゴジラVSラドン) (p. 115)
- Monster vs. Dinosaur!! (Godzilla vs. Anguirus) 怪獣VS恐竜!!(ゴジラVSアンギラス) (p. 153)
Volume 2
- True Identity of the WXiliens!? (Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah) WX星人の正体とは!?(ゴジラVSキングギドラ) (p. 5)
- The Red Sea Trap!! (Godzilla vs. Ebirah) 赤い海のワナ!!(ゴジラVSエビラ) (p. 39)
- Wake Up, Godzilla! (Godzilla vs. Gigan) 目ざめよゴジラ(ゴジラVSガイガン) (p. 73)
- The Greatest Battle in History: Part One (Godzilla vs. King Godzilla) 史上最大の決戦(前編)(ゴジラVSキングゴジラ) (p. 103)
- The Greatest Battle in History: Part Two (Godzilla and Machine G vs. King Godzilla) 史上最大の決戦(後編)(ゴジラ・マシーン
G VSキングゴジラ) (p. 135) - Godzilla Museum ゴジラ博物館 (p. 165)
Appearances
Characters
Monsters
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Weapons, vehicles, and races
Locations
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Gallery
Volume 1
A self-portrait of Hiroshi Kawamoto with a Mothra larva
Sea Baragon appears and attacks a ship
Megalon rises from underneath the ground
Biollante appears
Fake Godzilla appears
Mechagodzilla III appears
Mechani-Kong II grabs Godzilla
Rodan dive-bombs Godzilla
Anguirus is revived as an Ankylosaurus, and attacks the Dinosaur Expo
Godzilla as a Godzillasaurus after being devolved by KIDS
Gigan and King Ghidorah approach Earth at the end of the manga's first volume
Volume 2
King Ghidorah III arrives
Street Fighter Godzilla
Trivia
- In 2018, Hiroshi Kawamoto published an independent sequel to this series in the form of a story included in King of the Monsters Champion Festival, a fanmade anthology by various manga illustrators and authors. In this story, the Godzilla from the manga encounters Shin Godzilla, with Mad Oniyama also returning.
- Although Biollante is one of the heaviest monsters in the Godzilla series, in this manga, Godzilla is easily able to lift her above his head and throw her with little effort.
- This manga seems to be set in an alternate version of the Heisei continuity that connects elements of the Showa and Heisei timelines together. Most prominently, the manga's version of King Ghidorah is introduced as King Ghidorah III, implying that both the Showa and Heisei incarnations of the character have both previously appeared. Events from certain movies are also referenced explicitly, such as Baragon's battle with Frankenstein in Frankenstein vs. Baragon, and Godzilla and Minilla's susceptibility to cold at the end of Son of Godzilla.
External links
- Volume 1 review by Nicholas Driscoll, Toho Kingdom
- Volume 2 review by Nicholas Driscoll, Toho Kingdom
References
This is a list of references for Godzilla, King of the Monsters (Kodansha manga). 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]
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