Sandbox:Godzilla (Godzilla: The Half-Century War)

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Godzilla comic Incarnations
Godzilla (Godzilla: Legends #5)
Godzilla (Godzilla: The Half-Century War)
Godzilla (Godzilla: Cataclysm)
Godzilla trademark icon
Godzilla
Godzilla in Godzilla: The Half-Century War
Alternate names A hundred and fifty feet of walking "bad weather", Giant irradiated lizard, Fire-breathing lizard, Radiation-breathing lizard, Big Guy, The Big Guy
Subtitle(s) A King of All Monsters
Species Giant radioactive amphibious saurian-like reptile
Height 100m/328ft[note 1]
Place(s) of emergence Tokyo, Japan (1954)#1,
Bikini Atoll (February 28th, 1955)#1,
Sea of Japan (May 15th, 1955)#1,
Hanoi, Vietnam (1967)#2,
Istanbul, Turkey (1971; 1974)G70A,
Accra, Ghana (1975)#3,
Bombay, India (1987)#4,
Antarctica (2002)#5
Allies Rodan (not initially), Mothra (not initially), Battra (not initially), Kumonga (not initially), Ebirah (not initially), Megalon (not initially), Hedorah (not initially), Mechagodzilla,
New Mechagodzilla (initially)
Enemies humans, Anguirus, Rodan, Battra, Megalon, Kumonga, Mothra, Ebirah, Hedorah, Mechagodzilla (initially), SpaceGodzilla, King Ghidorah, Gigan, New Mechagodzilla
First appearance Latest appearance
Godzilla: The Half-Century War #1 Godzilla: 70th Anniversary "The Half Century Bore"
...Sometimes I think that you ruined me, you big ugly bastard.
„ 

Ota Murakami (Godzilla: The Half-Century War issue 4)

Godzilla is a kaiju that appears in the 2012-2013 IDW Publishing comic book series, Godzilla: The Half-Century War. First appearing in 1954, Godzilla ravaged Tokyo before lieutenant Ota Murakami and his best friend, Ken, lured him away until he returned to the sea. Following his rampage, Godzilla survived an attempt to kill through the use of an unknown chemical device. Subsequently, Godzilla would return to human civilization numerous times over the years, coming into conflict with the A.M.F and battling other giant monsters. Godzilla's most impactful encounters occurred in 1967, 1975, 1987 and 2002. In a final effort to rid the world of him by the A.M.F, Godzilla found himself in Antarctica facing King Ghidorah and Gigan alongside the Ota Murakami-piloted Mechagodzilla before all four monsters were caught in a black hole projected by the Dimension Tide. While humanity celebrated his seeming demise, Godzilla's dorsal plates breached the ocean surface as the triumphant King of the Monsters swam off.

Name

Main article: Godzilla#Name.

Godzilla's Japanese name, Gojira (ゴジラ), comes from a combination of the Japanese approximation of "gorilla" (ゴリラ,   gorira), and kujira (クジラ), the Japanese word for "whale."

In-universe, Godzilla wasn't named until after his supposed demise in 1954, the origins of his name being ambiguous.

Design

Godzilla's appearance mostly utilizes the Kiryu Saga Godzilla's design as a basis while possessing its own distinctly unique traits. One such characteristic is the presence of taller, thicker, slightly slanted backward dorsal plates that bear a highly crystalline texture and purple tint. Most prominently, this Godzilla's black skin possesses a purple hue that most other IDW incarnations lack. Additionally, his snout is shorter than that of the Kiryu Saga Godzilla's design and his face has a highly aggressive appearance in comparison. His ears are slightly longer, but they are also significantly thinner. This Godzilla's skin has a flatter, trimmed, less pointy texture, particularly resembling the skin of the 2004 incarnation. The scales composing Godzilla's hide are paved, concrete-like structures composed of strong fibers. His eyes are typically pale lavender and pupil-less, otherwise in certain panels and covers, his eyes are completely white in the same manner as the GMK Godzilla. His sclera is naturally yellow. His legs appear to have the same proportions as that of the Heisei Godzilla's 1994 design, though they are far more muscular in contrast and his lower legs are as wide as his upper legs. His feet are relatively large and wide like that of the original and Singular Point designs. Godzilla's tail is segmented.

Some of Godzilla's proportions alter from panel to panel. His dorsal plates are sometimes straighter or more slanted backwards, his snout is occasionally elongated, and his body parts' musculature are frequently emphasized via vein-like outlining. Most noticeably, Godzilla's physique is relatively bulky and hunched over in some instances such as the panels in issue 2 depicting him marching through Vietnam.

Personality

Godzilla is highly aggressive but more so mysterious, his behavior akin to a natural disaster or a force of nature. For reasons undetermined, Godzilla suddenly appeared in Tokyo in 1954 and ravaged the city, obliterating structures with his atomic breath and demolishing buildings with his sheer size. When fired upon by JSDF tanks, he immediately retaliated before continuing his way. When lieutenant Ota Murakami and his best friend Ken agitated Godzilla with tank shells to lure him away, he became fixated on the vehicle and pursued back towards the sea, going as far as to cleave a skyscraper with his tail in an attempt to destroy his attacker. Having chased the two men all the way into Tokyo Bay, Godzilla simply returned to the sea with no further violence. The subsequent attempt at killing Godzilla through the use of a chemical device regardless of its results brought forth no return from the King of the Monsters until he suddenly began to appear numerous times across Japan and its territories.

At some point prior to the events of 1967, Godzilla attacked Yokohama due to being drawn by an experimental device.

His behavior changed out of the blue by 1967, when he appeared in Hanoi, Vietnam and endured the A.M.F's forces with no reciprocated aggression over the course of multiple nations, even traversing directly through the Annamite mountains with persistence. Lieutenant Murakami described this behavior as "almost as if he's chasing something." When the military forces under General Carson's command initiated their plan of attack against Godzilla, The King of the Monsters retaliated with a blast of atomic breath cleaving through the nearby hills. When Dr. Randall's Maser Cannons succeeded in harming him, Godzilla roared in pain until his attention was called upon by an emerging adversary: Anguirus. Subsequently, Godzilla waged battle with the other monster, who proved a difficult opponent until he countered a surprise pounce with a powerful tail-whip that sent Anguirus tumbling into a hill. When General Carson's bombing attempt prevented him from finishing off Anguirus, Godzilla suddenly turned back towards the sea. The A.M.F during such discovered the source of his pursuit: a stolen Psionic Transmitter.

In the 1970s, it became clear that Godzilla and the other monsters were not simple instinct-driven creatures but rather living forces of nature. Godzilla's appearances in Istanbul, Turkey in 1971 and 1974 were to confront Hedorah. A year later in 1975, Godzilla and all of the other kaiju were drawn to Accra, Ghana by a particularly powerful Psionic Transmitter. An intense fight between Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Battra, Ebirah, Hedorah, and Megalon devastated the capital city while a handful of A.M.F's forces snaked through the fight to stop the Psionic Transmitter responsible for the destruction. Godzilla remained engaged in the conflict until the device's signal was tuned to its maximum strength, ceasing the battle and instead drawing him and the other seven monsters to the radio station emitting the signal. After destroying the building and its radio towers, Godzilla and the other monsters peacefully left the city.

Godzilla struck mankind many times over the course of thirteen years with no change in his behavior until he attacked Bombay, India in 1987. When his attention was drawn to an enormous metal container dropped off by the A.M.F, Godzilla roared at it as its content was unveiled: Mechagodzilla. After the Mecha attacked him, Godzilla immediately engaged it. When their fight was cut short by the sudden appearance of SpaceGodzilla, who proceeded to send the robot into a building and impaled with crystals, Godzilla became infuriated. Retaliating with atomic breath, Godzilla was visibly caught off-guard by SpaceGodzilla's photon shield before charging at his enemy, only to find himself overwhelmed. When the now Ota Murakami-piloted Mechagodzilla weakened SpaceGodzilla by firing at his enormous crystal formation, Godzilla noticed and reacted by obliterating SpaceGodzilla with his atomic breath. Triumphant, Godzilla bellowed a victory roar.

Fifteen years later following King Ghidorah and Gigan's arrival in Antarctica after they had already reduced half of human civilization to ruin, Godzilla appeared to confront the extraterrestrial monsters. Wasting no time, Godzilla engaged the duo despite being overwhelmed. After the Ota Murakami-piloted new Mechagodzilla came to his aid, Godzilla saved the robot by restraining King Ghidorah and forcing one of the dragon's heads to shoot Gigan out of the sky. After Mechagodzilla returned the favor by knocking back King Ghidorah with its firepower, Godzilla locked gazes with it in understanding. The two of them briefly teamed up on Gigan until the countdown for the Dimension Tide forced Murakami to carry Gigan over to King Ghidorah in time for the weapon to project a black hole right at the aliens. Godzilla initially resisted the gravitational pull before being surprised by Mechagodzilla's interference. As its cockpit was torn open to reveal Ota Murakami screaming at Godzilla to notice him, Godzilla coldly stared off into the distance. After the phenomenon ceased, Godzilla disappeared into the sea with no further conflict.

Origins

Godzilla's origins in the series are not explored outside of his first appearance in 1954, though Colonel Schooler mentions him to be irradiated. His backstory remains unknown even 48 years later in 2002, with Ota Murakami himself stating that despite his theories and reasonings, Godzilla is "a bigger puzzle than one man can ever understand in a lifetime."

History

Godzilla: The Half-Century War

"Japan, 1954"

In 1954, Godzilla suddenly appeared in Tokyo, emerging from Tokyo Bay into Shinagawa concealed in a cloud of smoke with the exception of his dorsal plates, which illuminated the surrounding area in an intense glow of white. Nearby, lieutenant Ota Murakami and his best friend, Kentaro Yoshihara, were stationed with their Sherman Tank platoon to aide in disaster relief under the advised expectation of "bad weather." Suddenly, a bright, fiery beam of energy cleaved through a building in close proximity. Before the members of the platoon could comprehend the situation, a thunderous roar followed by a massive step unveiled the source of the destruction: Godzilla. The King of the Monsters' sheer mass sent many buildings crumbling to the ground before Murakami gave the order to open fire. The tank shell barrage having only succeeded in acquiring his attention, Godzilla turned to his attackers as his dorsal plates glowed. He subsequently fired a blast of atomic breath that obliterated the entire platoon with the exception of the tank housing Murakami and Yoshihara, who barely drove off the street in time. Godzilla continued east downtown towards north Shinagawa, where civilian evacuation was stalled. With "group 2" for whatever reason unable to tend to the situation, Murakami and Yoshihara put it upon themselves to keep Godzilla occupied long enough for the civilians to evacuate. Before long, Godzilla gained in on a fleeing crowd, only to be halted by the fire of the remaining Sherman tank. Coldly enraged, Godzilla bellowed and stomped into pursuit of the vessel, managing to almost hit it with an atomic blast. While the two soldiers believed they had lost Godzilla in the surrounding smoke, the Monster King cleaved a building in half with his tail to topple on them, from which, they again barely escaped. When they once again thought to have eluded him, Godzilla suddenly appeared behind them and nearly steps on them. Persisting the pursuit, Godzilla charged up his atomic breath once more before an artillery barrage stopped him from firing. With no other option, Murakami ordered Yoshihara to drive off the street into the canal, saving themselves as Godzilla came to a stop. Surrounded by smoke, Godzilla stared off into the sky before returning to the bay off-panel.

Some time later, Godzilla was tracked down just outside of Tokyo Bay. There, as "the guys in the company" explained to Murakami and Yoshihara after they experienced the event, a "new secret weapon" presumably killed Godzilla.

Multiple times over the course of a few months, Godzilla had been spotted at multiple nearby locations such as Bikini Atoll and the Sea of Japan. Whether Godzilla had survived or a new individual was discovered, Murakami and Yoshihara joined the Anti-Megalosaurus Force or A.M.F..

"Vietnam, 1967"

For 13 years following the events of 1954, Godzilla had remained within the stretch of Japan and the various islands under its occupation. During this time, lieutenant Ota Murakami and the rest of A.M.F. had picked up on this pattern and exploited it to predict Godzilla's appearances.

Suddenly, in 1967, Godzilla went south of his typical range of roaming, plowing through Taiwan and the coast of China. By the time the A.M.F. determined his potential target, Godzilla had already traveled deep into war-weary Vietnam, appearing in Hanoi before turning directly south. In spite of the A.M.F.'s hard efforts into steering him towards the coast, Godzilla persisted across multiple nations, even traversing straight across the Annamite mountains as opposed to around them. With the threat of Godzilla tearing through Saigon if not stopped, General Carson conjured up a plan to wait until Godzilla waded deep enough into the muddy valley to be stopped with explosives long enough for B-52 bombers to rain their payload down on him. Unable to prevent the arrogant general from enacting his plan, Murakami and Colonel Schooler put their faith in recruit Dr. Randall's Maser Cannons to piercing through the King of the Monsters' hide. Before long, the ground shook as Godzilla approached the valley. Before his superior left him in charge, Murakami revealed to Schooler that Godzilla was likely "chasing something." As the Monster King entered the valley, explosives beneath his feet detonated and nearby tanks and choppers opened fire on him before being joined by a trio of fighter jets. In retaliation, Godzilla leveled the nearby hills and aircraft with his atomic breath. Closing in on Yoshihara and Randall's position, Godzilla endured heavy firepower without flinching. Randall proceeded to fire all six of his Maser Cannons at Godzilla with point-blank accuracy, successfully causing him to roar in pain. The following celebration was cut short when Viet Cong troops suddenly fled an underground tunnel system as the ground below erupted to reveal another kaiju: Anguirus. Wasting no time, the other monster began closing the distance while Godzilla charged up his atomic breath. Dodging the blast, Anguirus rammed head on into Godzilla before clamping down on his wrist. Unable to knock his opponent off or free his hand, Godzilla toppled onto his back. Managing to pull his hand free of Anguirus' jaws before holding back the other monster, Godzilla flung Anguirus onto his back and into a nearby hill. Blasting the area with his atomic breath, Godzilla was suddenly caught off guard by Anguirus launching himself carapace-first, stunning Godzilla to the point of collapsing onto his hands. As he returned to his feet, Godzilla looked around before finding himself getting hitting by Anguirus' carapace once again. The King of the Monster ferociously roared as he watched Anguirus flee into the nearby cloud of dust. Suddenly, Anguirus pounced at him, only to be countered by a powerful tail-whip from the Monster King, tumbling hard into a hill and left without the strength to continue fighting. Godzilla prepared to finish off his adversary with atomic breath when suddenly, General Carson's bomber barrage commenced. Godzilla endured without a counterattack as B-52 bombers rained explosives on top of him, doing nothing but watching while charged up with energy. During such, Anguirus took the opportunity to burrow down and escape while Yoshihara informed Murakami that the Maser Cannons couldn't get a clear shot on Godzilla, thus meaning that the mission failed. Unopposed, Godzilla proceeded to walk away but not before taking a moment to roar at his surroundings. Turning towards the sea, Godzilla took his leave with no further conflict.

"Ghana, 1975"

While recalling the events leading up to the present moment, lieutenant Ota Murakami explained that at some point prior to the events of 1967, an experimental device was field-tested in Yokohama. Invented to emit a signal that would function as a "mental bug spray" against Godzilla and keep him away from population concentrations, the device instead produced consequences. The field-test went wrong and resulted in Godzilla knocking down a building with his tail that almost crushed the nearby A.M.F. forces.

In the present-day in 1975, Godzilla and numerous other monsters were drawn to the capital city of Accra, Ghana by the perfected Psionic Transmitter. Its inventor, Dr. Deverich, a former A.M.F. scientist that went rogue following the project's shutdown, converted the machine into a device that attracts monsters. Because of his actions, Godzilla and the rest of the living Kaiju at the time were all brought to conflict with each other. The convergence on Accra included Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Megalon, Battra, Ebirah, Kumonga, and Hedorah. Engaging with Ebirah, Hedorah, and Mothra, Godzilla found the former's pincer clamped on his neck before moments later, the latter flew from behind and grappled his head with her clawed-feet. The crustacean and insect kept Godzilla occupied while the other four monsters fought each other and all the while the remaining A.M.F. forces took refuge in a damaged hotel. Determining that Dr. Deverich was broadcasting the Psionic Transmitter from a nearby radio station, Colonel Schooler and a few brave A.M.F. members including Ota Murakami took off in "Team Mothra"'s van to confront their enemy. In the ensuing chase, the speeding vehicle flew over Godzilla's tail as he charged his atomic breath. Barely managing to evade his enormous feet, the A.M.F. forces drove around Godzilla and the other monsters, faintly dodging a blast of atomic breath intended for an unspecified kaiju. While Godzilla aimed his wrath at Megalon, the A.M.F. reached the radio station and began making their way to the Psionic Transmitter's whereabouts. While the A.M.F. watched Dr. Deverich auctioned his invention to mysterious bidders, Godzilla fired his atomic breath at Hedorah. When the A.M.F. revealed themselves to Deverich, the scientist flipped the dial on the Psionic Transmitter to maximum strength, producing a signal so powerful that it halted Godzilla and the other monsters from fighting each other and instead drew them in. Approaching the station, Godzilla fired a blast of atomic breath at the building before he and the other monsters laid destruction to it, killing Colonel Schooler in the process. With their shared feud vanquished, Godzilla and the other monsters peacefully left the city with no further conflict for the time being.

"Bombay, 1987"

In 1987, Godzilla struck Bombay, India, ravaging the city with his atomic breath, obliterating the beloved Taj Mahal and enduring all firepower unleashed upon him as he terrorized everything in his path. As he continued to blaze the area with his atomic breath, an enormous metal container was dropped off by the A.M.F., which caught his attention. The King of the Monsters watched and roared as its content was revealed: a mechanical doppelganger of himself. Wasting no time firing its numerous weapons, Mechagodzilla faced an approaching Godzilla while Ota Murakami pursued and captured Dr. Deverich at last. Before the truly perfected Psionic Transmitter could be shut down, an enormous crystalline structure landed in the city with countless crystals raining down and destroying everything. The resulting shockwave knocked Godzilla and Mechagodzilla down as the threat emerged: SpaceGodzilla. The extraterrestrial monster thunderously roared before sending Mechagodzilla crashing into a building with his corona beam and telekinetically impaling the machine with crystals. Enraged, the furious Godzilla bellowed before blasting his atomic breath at SpaceGodzilla, only for it to be blocked with a forcefield-like photon shield. Caught off guard, Godzilla charged at his enemy before finding himself telekinetically lifted off the ground and slammed down onto nearby buildings. Lying on the ground, Godzilla endured a point-blank blast of SpaceGodzilla's corona beam and a subsequent bombardment of crystals. After Ota Murakami piloted Mechagodzilla and obliterated SpaceGodzilla's enormous crystal formation, thus weakening the monster, Godzilla immediately took notice and rose to his feet before obliterating SpaceGodzilla with his atomic breath. Victorious, Godzilla boomed a victory battle cry as SpaceGodzilla's crystal structure collapsed and Murakami watched in glee.

"2002: The End of the World"

Years after the fight in which Godzilla killed SpaceGodzilla, two new extraterrestrials landed on Earth: King Ghidorah and Gigan. Within the span of a year or so, they brought half of the world to ruin and forced the A.M.F. to develop two final means of fending off the monsters in Antarctica: A new Mechagodzilla with incorporated Godzilla DNA and the black-hole projecting Dimension Tide. As the alien monsters approached the continent in 2002, Godzilla erupted from the ice to face them. Meanwhile, the aging Captain Ota Murakami, with help from lifelong friend and fellow Captain Ken Yoshihara, stole the air suit of Mechagodzilla's assigned pilot and entered the machine to pilot it himself. As an aircraft carrier carrying Gigan crashed into the ice, Godzilla blasted his atomic breath at the cyborg, but he flew away as the attack explosively cleaved the ship. Flying right at him, Gigan slashed the side of Godzilla's neck with his hooked limb, slicing off shreds of his scale-covered hide and causing him to roar in pain. As Gigan swiftly landed on an ice sheet to his left, Godzilla inadvertently provided King Ghidorah with the opportunity to attack him from behind. Three sets of jaws clamping down on his neck muscles and part of his tail, Godzilla was suddenly raised up by King Ghidorah as Gigan swooned in for another attack, only to be shot down by the Captain Ota Murakami-piloted New Mechagodzilla. The newly recreated mech subsequently proceeded to perform a high-speed ram into King Ghidorah in the abdomen, forcing him to drop Godzilla, before flying behind him and unleashing a barrage of its firepower at his back. Retaliating with his own attack, King Ghidorah blasted Mechagodzilla with his gravity beams while Gigan slashed it with his buzzsaw in a flyby. Noticing his chance, Godzilla returned to his feet before grabbing King Ghidorah's left head from behind and forcing it to shoot down Gigan via gravity beam, saving the overwhelmed Mechagodzilla. After Murakami returned the favor by blasting King Ghidorah off his feet with Mechagodzilla's entire arsenal, Godzilla locked comprehending glares with his mechanical doppelgänger. Recognizing the strength of their alliance, Godzilla and Mechagodzilla unleashed their projectile attacks on Gigan before finding themselves attacked from behind by King Ghidorah, who proceeded to pin Godzilla down on his back. With the countdown for the Dimension Tide's blast coming to its end, Mechagodzilla flew to Gigan before carrying the alien to fling at King Ghidorah in a flyby that sent both extraterrestrial monsters flying into the line of fire of the Dimension Tide. The artificial black hole began sucking in everything within close proximity, slowly but eventually swallowing King Ghidorah and Gigan. Standing strong in spite of the intense gravitational pull, Godzilla resisted the phenomenon trying to envelop him. Unwilling to let Godzilla see through another fight, Ota Murakami flew Mechagodzilla to Godzilla as the robot was slowly torn apart. Pushing Godzilla closer into the epicenter of the Black Hole's gravitational pull, Murakami at last came face with face his lifelong adversary. Shouting to be noticed, Murakami received no acknowledgement aside from a cold expression accompanied by a roar. Satisfied with Godzilla's unfazed response, he closed his eyes as he accepted his death. The Black Hole swallowed Godzilla and Mechagodzilla as it reached to critical mass and dispersed, revealing a hole in the ice glowing and emitting smoke. As Captain Ken Yoshihara mourned the peaceful end of his lifelong friend with the book containing his life's work at hand, somewhere nearby in the sea, a set of dorsal plates cut through the ocean surface. Godzilla lived.

Godzilla: 70th Anniversary

"The Half Century Bore"

In 1971, in the waters off the almost landlocked city of Istanbul, Turkey, Godzilla waged battle with the recently emerged Hedorah. Shoved away off-panel, Godzilla charged at the Smog Monster, who proceeded to push him down in the water in an attempt to physically strangle him. Retaliating with a glowing blue light in his mouth, the King of the Monsters obliterated Hedorah into raining pieces of organic sludge, sending the surrounding water away in a forceful churn and covering the area in his enemy's remains. Triumphant, Godzilla bellowed a victory cry before wading out towards the Mediterranean.

Years later in 1974, Godzilla suddenly returned to Istanbul, rising out of the Sea of Marmara as he approached the A.M.F. facility comprised of the tanks containing Hedorah's remains. In a fiery blast of atomic breath, Godzilla obliterated the tanks, freeing Hedorah as he reformed. Slashing and throwing blows at Hedorah, Godzilla overpowered the larger monster while sending chunks of his being all over the place. With a mighty tail-whip, Godzilla recreated his mess from three years prior as he continued to fight Hedorah.

Abilities

Physical abilities

Godzilla is an incredibly fierce combatant with tremendous strength, destroying human architecture without necessary effort and overpowering most other kaiju in one-on-one fights or even groups as with the 1975 and 2002 attacks. The only adversaries that have rivaled his strength are King Ghidorah and SpaceGodzilla. While Anguirus was capable of inflicting powerful physical attacks, Godzilla's well-timed tail-whip struck the other Kaiju with enough force to knock the fight out of him. In his battles with Hedorah in Istanbul, Godzilla overpowered the smog monster despite their size difference, pummeling his enemy hard enough to rile up the surrounding water.

Atomic breath

Godzilla's most powerful and prominent weapon is his atomic breath, which can obliterate and cleave through man-made structures upon contact. A particularly powerful blast blew Hedorah to pieces that flew all around the waters off Istanbul and produced a shockwave that forced away a quantity of water. Similarly, after SpaceGodzilla was weakened following the destruction of his crystal structure, Godzilla's atomic breath brutally obliterated the extraterrestrial monster.

Amphibiousness

Godzilla possesses an amphibious lifestyle despite being a reptile, spending most of his travels in the ocean and isn't hindered either by dry land or open water during battle. Despite appearing mostly at coastal cities, Godzilla retains his prowess even when he is deep inland as with his path of destruction from Taiwan to Vietnam. When he fought Hedorah in the waters outside of Istanbul, Godzilla persisted in both battles while half-submerged.

Intelligence

Godzilla demonstrates impressive cognitive, problem-solving skills, and analytical behavior in his numerous fights. In Tokyo, Godzilla cleaved a building in two with his tail in an attempt to destroy lieutenant Ota Murakami and Kentaro Yoshihara as they fled him. In the events of 1967, Godzilla somehow knew Anguirus' location as he pursued him across multiple southeastern Asian nations without coming into contact until they finally met in Vietnam. After initially struggling against Anguirus' tenacity and potent attacks, Godzilla countered a pounce from the other monster with a powerful tail-whip that knocked out his remaining stamina. In his first fight with Hedorah in 1971, Godzilla eventually defeated the smog monster by obliterating him to pieces with a particularly potent blast of atomic breath. Three years later, Godzilla swiftly gained the advantage once more by inflicting physical blows that knocked away pieces of Hedorah with each hit. After his feud with multiple Kaiju in Ghana was brought to an end with the destruction of a nearby radio station, Godzilla and the other monsters left the city and parted ways with no further conflict for the time being. In 1987, Godzilla recognized that SpaceGodzilla was an adversary that he needed to prioritize over Mechagodzilla and moments later determined that his photon shield would leave any attempted atomic blast at the monster futile, so he resorted to closing the distance prior to being telekinetically rag-dolled. After Mechagodzilla weakened SpaceGodzilla by destroying the crystal structure fueling his power, Godzilla instantaneously noticed his opportunity and proceeded to obliterate SpaceGodzilla. In 2002, when King Ghidorah and Gigan proved too much to defeat on his own, Godzilla allied with the new Mechagodzilla to overcome their shared enemy. Even as the mech pushed him into the epicenter of the black hole projected by the Dimension Tide, Godzilla did not fight back and instead endured the phenomenon to its end.

Durability

Godzilla is merely aggravated by the attacks of M4A3E8 Sherman Tanks and Maser Cannons. Conventional weapons, even ones that have harmed other monsters such as Ebirah, are useless against Godzilla. Even the strongest kaiju have done little against Godzilla's resilience. Many powerful attacks from other kaiju such as Anguirus's carapace and physical brutality, SpaceGodzilla's telekinesis and crystals, Gigan's sharp hooked appendages, Mechagodzilla's firepower, and King Ghidorah's raw strength have done nothing to Godzilla worse than inflicting high quantities of pain and causing physical exhaustion. His most impressive feats of durability include surviving the experimental device used against him after his attack in 1954 and surviving the black hole fired from the Dimension Tide, which had easily succeeded in destroying Mechagodzilla and killing King Ghidorah and Gigan.

Weaknesses

While very powerful, Godzilla demonstrates a few weaknesses. His eyes appear to be a weak spot as seen when he is hit by Maser Cannons in issue 2[note 2]. Like the other kaiju, he is unable to resist the effect of the Psionic Transmitter, though it doesn't seem capable of inflicting any harm on him or any of the other kaiju otherwise. Aside from the experimental device and the Dimension Tide, Godzilla has only been truly harmed by the attacks of Anguirus, SpaceGodzilla, Gigan, and King Ghidorah, though none of them succeeded in inflicting critical damage.

Gallery

Trivia

  • This incarnation of Godzilla was chronologically the first iteration of the character to use a design based on the KiryuGoji design in an IDW comic, excluding Cover B of issue 3 of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters. However, he isn’t the first of IDW's Godzilla incarnations to use the KiryuGoji design as a base, as the Godzilla in the Godzilla: Rulers of Earth continuity debuted years earlier, albeit with a different design initially before changing to KiryuGoji's design.

Roar

While most comic incarnations of the character are depicted with onomatopoeia to express roaring or other natural sounds, this comic gives Godzilla a blurred speech bubble meant to represent his roar. The speech bubble was created by tracing the oscilloscope image of his cinematic roar and then adding vague lettering to it.[1]

Notes

  1. Ota Murakami refers to him as "a hundred and fifty feet of walking 'bad weather'" in issue 1 but the inside cover of the hardcover edition of Godzilla: The Half-Century War estimates that Godzilla is around 100m tall.
  2. The inside of the hardcover edition of the series acknowledges to target Godzilla's eyes while also suggesting that his massive eyelids are a blind spot.

References

This is a list of references for Godzilla (Godzilla: The Half-Century War). 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. Stokoe, James (2015). Godzilla: The Half-Century War (Hardcover Edition). IDW Publishing.

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