Infant Island
Infant Island (インファント島 Infanto-tō) is the name of several locations which appear across the Godzilla and Mothra franchises, first appearing in 1961's Mothra. It is frequently depicted as the home of the miniature Shobijin priestesses and their guardian deity Mothra, and is also occasionally inhabited by an indigenous people. The island has been included or referenced in most works featuring Mothra, even appearing in several comics.
Name
In the American versions of Mothra and Mothra vs. Godzilla, Infant Island is renamed to Beiru Island and Mothra Island, respectively.
Description
The first Infant Island, located in the Caroline Islands of the North Pacific, starred in the original Mothra film from 1961 and became part of the Godzilla series through 1964's Mothra vs. Godzilla. Though initially covered by lush jungles and vegetation, repeated nuclear testing in the island's vicinity severely irradiated it and choked off much of its life by Mothra vs. Godzilla. This original Infant Island is later alluded to and shown through stock footage in the Millennium film Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, which includes Mothra and numerous other Showa kaiju films in its continuity, but not Mothra vs. Godzilla and subsequent Godzilla films.
In Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, the island is instead located in the South Pacific, where its natives were used as slaves by the terrorist organization Red Bamboo on the nearby Letchi Island. This change in location and appearance has resulted in some publications, such as Godzilla vs. Mothra Super Complete Works and Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works, to designate it as a second island separate from the original island.[1][2]
The Infant Island of the Heisei Godzilla series debuted in Godzilla vs. Mothra and is located in the Java Sea as one of the islands which make up Indonesia. This Infant Island was once inhabited by an advanced ancient civilization known as the Cosmos who, after building a machine that could control the weather, incurred the wrath of the Earth itself, which sent out the monster Battra to eliminate this threat to the environment. Though the Cosmos were protected by Mothra, Battra succeeded in destroying the climate control device and resultant flooding forced the civilization to flee to the mountains.
Other Infant Islands (whose precise locations are unknown) appear in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy and Godzilla Final Wars, with another established to exist in the Monsterverse in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
History
- Mothra (1961)
- Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
- Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
- Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
- Rebirth of Mothra (1996)
- Rebirth of Mothra 2 (1997)
- Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998)
- Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003) [mentioned]
- Godzilla Final Wars (2004)
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) [photograph]
Showa era
Mothra
A joint expedition by Japanese and Rolisican scientists arrived on Infant Island to observe the effects of a recent Rolisican nuclear test. There, the expedition encountered the Shobijin and a tribe of natives who worshipped a goddess named Mothra. Clark Nelson, a greedy Rolisican businessman that was part of the expedition, kidnapped the Shobijin from the island and slaughtered several of the natives before bringing them back to Tokyo. The surviving natives on the island called upon Mothra, who hatched from her egg and went to Japan to rescue the Shobijin. After Mothra and the Shobijin were reunited, they returned home to Infant Island to restore peace and happiness.
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Infant Island was the site of various nuclear tests, which devastated the island and reduced it to a nightmarish barren landscape. The only remaining green part of the island was a small sacred spring located in the interior of the island just outside a cave. Two reporters and a scientist from Japan traveled to the island to ask Mothra to stop Godzilla, but the bitter islanders angrily refused. The Shobijin sympathized with the Japanese people's plight, but could not bring themselves to call upon Mothra to fight Godzilla. Ultimately, Mothra herself decided to help the Japanese and fight Godzilla. Though Mothra was ultimately killed, her larvae hatched and defeated Godzilla, then returned to Infant Island.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
One of Mothra's larvae died sometime after the battle with Godzilla, but one survived and took her mother's place as guardian of Infant Island. When King Ghidorah arrived on Earth and threatened to destroy the world, Mothra left Infant Island for Japan, where she convinced Godzilla and Rodan to join forces with her and send King Ghidorah back to space. Mothra then returned to Infant Island with the Shobijin.
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
A few years after the nuclear tests that ravaged Infant Island, the island began to recover and return to its lush green beauty. However, a terrorist organization called the Red Bamboo repeatedly raided the island and captured the natives, enslaving them and forcing them to make nuclear weapons and a special juice to hold off the monster Ebirah on Devil's Island. Yata, a shipwreck survivor, found his way onto the island and lived among the remaining Infant Islanders for a few months. When Yata's brother Ryota arrived to rescue him, the two decided to help the Infant Islanders and stop the Red Bamboo by awakening Mothra from her long sleep. The two men returned to Devil's Island and broke the slaves free, while Godzilla defeated Ebirah and destroyed the Red Bamboo. They then built a net and stood inside of it, when Mothra arrived and carried the net back to Infant Island before the island self-destructed.
Heisei era
Godzilla vs. Mothra
Infant Island, located in Indonesia, was the refuge of Mothra and the Cosmos for thousands of years following Mothra's battle with Battra in the ancient past. An investigative expedition from Japan traveled to the island and encountered the Cosmos, as well as Mothra's egg. The Marutomo Company sent a boat to bring Mothra's egg back to Japan.
Rebirth of Mothra
Infant Island was the home of Mothra, her egg, and the Elias sisters Moll and Lora. One night, Moll and Lora sensed that the Seal of Elias had been removed from a rock that sealed away the dreaded Desghidorah, prompting them to travel to Hokkaido to its location. After the creature awoke and engaged Mothra in battle, Moll and Lora sensed Mothra's son Mothra Leo hatching from the egg and leaving the island to join the battle.
Rebirth of Mothra 2
While watching Mothra Leo flying around Infant Island, the Elias sensed a disturbance and called upon Fairy to help them investigate, quickly discovering hordes of Barem in the ocean. They later called Mothra Leo away from the island to help them stop Dagahra.
Rebirth of Mothra 3
Within the temples of Infant Island, the wicked Elias Belvera searched for a secret power known as the Elias Triangle, discovering magical jewels in the process that could fit into their swords and instill them with more power. Belvera promptly called upon Garugaru in an effort to snatch all three gems for herself, though the other Elias called upon Fairy to knock two of the gems out of her hands. Moll and Lora later left the island to investigate a meteor shower that preceded the arrival of King Ghidorah.
Millennium era
Godzilla: Tokyo SOS
While speaking with Shinichi Chujo, Hio and Mana revealed themselves to be relatives of the original Shobijin who Chujo had met on Infant Island forty-three years prior.
Mothra's egg later hatched on Himago Island rather than Infant Island.
Godzilla Final Wars
While researching the mummified body of Gigan, a group of Earth Defense Force personnel happened upon historical records of Infant Island, which included photographs of a cave mural depicting Gigan battling Mothra. The Shobijin then teleported the trio to the island itself to reveal Gigan's past and provide the group with a sacred dagger. Mothra later flew from Infant Island to Tokyo for a rematch with Gigan.
Comics
- Godzilla: Rulers of Earth (2013-2015)
- Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors (2021)
- Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - All Hail the King! (2022-2023)
- Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors - Summer Smash (2023)
- Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. (2024)
- Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II #3 (2024)
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
Infant Island was an uncharted island that served as the home of the Shobijin, Mothra and her larvae, and a tribe of humans descended from a long-lost civilization that was decimated by a battle between King Caesar and Megalon centuries ago. Lucy Casprell washed up on the shores of Infant Island after surviving a monster attack, where the Shobijin greeted her and confided in her the secret history of Earth's monsters, hoping that she could serve as something of an ambassador for them to the people of the outside world. Years later, Battra found the island and sought to kill Mothra under the direction of the psychic twins Minette and Mallory. During the battle, Battra incinerated many of the natives and gravely injured Mothra, who sacrificed herself to buy time for her larvae, the Shobijin, and surviving natives to flee the island. After Battra killed Mothra, the entire island was engulfed in a great explosion, destroying it.
Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors
Infant Island was the home of Mothra and the Shobijin, May and June. One day, May and June experienced a psychic vision of the future in which Godzilla wiped out humanity following recent actions of the Linival Corporation, which incited Godzilla's wrath. Realizing that they needed to intervene to prevent this possible future, May and June left the island on a journey to convince Godzilla that mankind deserved a second chance, and later called Mothra away from the island to aid them. After fulfilling their quest, the Shobijin and Mothra returned to the island in peace.
Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. M.O.G.U.E.R.A.
In a bid to eradicate all kaiju from the planet and allow humanity to become Earth's dominant species, a terrorist organization known as the Restorers stole the W.K.O. mechs Mechagodzilla and M.O.G.U.E.R.A., plotting to eliminate one of the most powerful kaiju of all - Mothra. To accomplish this, the Restorers sought Mothra's egg on Infant Island, as the destruction of the egg would end Mothra's cycle of rebirth for good. Following a battle against Ebirah in Tokyo that left Mothra weakened, one of the terrorists used Mechagodzilla to lay waste to the unguarded island, mercilessly slaughtering fleeing Infant Islanders and demolishing their settlements - but before it could destroy the egg, the W.K.O. dispatched Jet Jaguar to intervene and protect the egg at all costs. The Restorers sent M.O.G.U.E.R.A. to the island as well, who soon overwhelmed Jet Jaguar until the Garuda arrived, at which point the W.K.O. was able to regain control over Mechagodzilla. With Mothra's help, Mechagodzilla defeated M.O.G.U.E.R.A. and stopped the terrorists, saving Mothra's egg.
Gallery
Shinichi Chujo exploring Infant Island in Mothra
Infant Islanders praying to Mothra's egg in Mothra
Mothra on Infant Island in Mothra vs. Godzilla
The nuclear bomb-ravaged shores of Infant Island in Mothra vs. Godzilla
Mothra in her temple in Rebirth of Mothra
Infant Island in Rebirth of Mothra 3
Rainbow Mothra flies over Infant Island in Rebirth of Mothra 3
Infant Island in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
Mothra's temple on Infant Island in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
Aerial view of Infant Island in Godzilla: Monsters & Protectors
Trivia
- In the comic series Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths, Monster Island incorporates elements typically reserved for Infant Island, as it is depicted as the home of both Mothra and the Elias.
See also
Comments
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- ↑ Sagami, Yasuyuki, ed. (28 March 2014). Godzilla vs. Mothra Super Complete Works (Kindle ed.). Shogakukan. p. 52. ISBN 978-4-09-101433-7.
- ↑ Mamiya, Naohiko (27 June 2014). Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works (Kindle ed.). Shogakukan. p. 197. ISBN 978-4-09-101470-2.
