Shimo
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Shimo (シーモ is a reptilian Shīmo)Titan[6][3] who appeared in the 2024 Legendary Pictures film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, serving as the film's secondary antagonist after the Skar King. Her existence was first alluded to in the 2022 Call of Duty collaboration with Godzilla vs. Kong, depicted in a cave painting engaged in battle with Godzilla.[9]
An ancient and legendary Titan whose ability to control ice caused the Last Ice Age, Shimo was captured and enslaved by the Skar King, who controlled her with pain inflicted by a crystal shard attached to his Whipslash. After keeping her chained within his fiery Hollow Earth kingdom for many years, the Skar King eventually forced Shimo into battle with Kong and Godzilla in 2027 in a bid to conquer the surface. However, the young ape Suko destroyed the control shard using Kong's battle axe, allowing Shimo to turn against her master. Now free, she peacefully returned to the Skar King's former kingdom in the Hollow Earth with Kong and Suko.
Name
Shimo (霜) is a Japanese word meaning "frost" or "gray hair." Perhaps coincidentally, it is also a Swahili word for "hole" or "abyss". The name was first revealed on a Jada Toys Metalfigs figure at the 2023 Singapore Comic Con.[10] Monarch assigns Shimo the Titan classification Titanus Shimo.[5]
Development
Shimo was designed by Jared Krichevsky, who described the process as "very challenging".[8][11] Directed to create an "ice Godzilla," his initial designs were deemed to be too dragon-like.[12] Another version was based on the Gamera kaiju Barugon.[13] Ultimately, Krichevsky took inspiration from Komodo dragons and polar bears, with chameleons also factoring into the face design.[12] According to him, Shimo was also originally intended to be male.[14]
Wētā FX visual effects supervisor Kevin Smith described multiple elements of Shimo as "technically and artistically challenging," those being her skin, scales, crystals, and Frost Bite Blast. He described Wētā's efforts to make the Titan beautiful but still threatening. Animation supervisor Ludovic Chailloleau compared Shimo's movements to that of a cat, in contrast to Godzilla's lizard- or dog-like behavior.[15]
Design
Shimo is a reptilian monster with some similarities to Godzilla's evolved form. A quadrupedal creature with white scales that have an iridescent sheen, she possesses Stegosaurus-like thagomizers in the shape of a trident on the tip of her tail and crystalline spines down her back, both of which are blue. The spines cover her entire back and thin into a line of spines going down the length of her tail. Shimo is also adorned with many crystals arranged in a crown-like formation protruding at a horizontal angle from the back of her head. A continuous row of sharp scutes located on her sides run from where the back of her head connects to her neck to the thagomizers on her tail. Despite her large size, Shimo's abdomen and legs are very slim. Her eyes appear to be blue with black pupils, though her pupils are obscured when she glows bright blue. Shimo usually walks on all fours in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, assuming a bear-like stance, but certain scenes and some concept art (seen above) and merchandise show her standing bipedally.[2][16][17]
Personality
While under the Skar King's control, Shimo was ruthless and aggressive, violently causing widespread destruction and attacking everyone around her. However, she appeared to do this unwillingly, as exemplified when she seemed to struggle against firing her beam at Kong during their first encounter. She became more docile when liberated from the Skar King's influence, ultimately collaborating with Godzilla, Kong, and Suko to defeat him. She stared up in awe as Godzilla dispelled the clouds she had summoned with a blast of his atomic breath following their fight. Afterwards, she was friendly towards Kong and Suko, allowing them to ride on her back and showing affection as Kong petted her head.
Origins
According to the Iwi, Shimo was responsible for causing the Last Ice Age. In the non-canon novelization of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, this is determined by Monarch when they find that the geological layer representing the beginning of the Ice Age was made up of ice specifically caused by Shimo. The novel goes on to explain that this same ice was what surrounded King Ghidorah in Antarctica.[18] It is even theorized in the "Meet The Titans" section on the film's Prime Video rental page that Shimo was responsible for freezing the three-headed Titan.[19] Shimo was captured by the Skar King at some point in the past, and he controlled her using a blue crystal attached to his Whipslash that would cause her pain unless she did his bidding. This crystal is repeatedly suggested in the novelization to be a piece broken off from Shimo's back spines.[20]
History
Monsterverse
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Following a battle between the Skar King and Kong in a Hollow Earth cavern, the older ape revealed an icy crystal at the end of his Whipslash. At the sight of this, several of Skar King's Great Apes began to heave vines, dropping two massive boulders over a river of lava on one side of the Skar King's prison, revealing a large cave behind the lavafall. The Skar King pointed the crystal at Kong again, and Shimo emerged from the freshly revealed cave, roaring as almost every ape in the vicinity fled. Kong stared at her and prepared for a fight, and Skar King waved the crystal at her again. Shimo roared in pain and slammed her head against the ground, before she finally took aim at Kong, firing her ice breath at him. Kong dodged her initial blast, and blocked the second with his axe. However, ice slowly encased his arm, forcing the ape to drop the weapon and escape.
After the Skar King learned the location of the Iwi's barrier, which concealed exits from Hollow Earth, the ape had her released from her shackles. Now brandishing Kong's axe, he rode Shimo towards the wall, accompanied by five other apes. The young ape Suko spotted the party as they were nearing the wall, and he traveled back to warn Kong. Fitted with the B.E.A.S.T. Glove to heal his frostbite and give him a power boost, Kong departed to recruit Godzilla on the surface. At the same time, Shimo and the Skar King broke down the wall and entered the Iwi's domain with the apes. The Skar King, having noticed the Iwi's attempts to seal the entrances, used the crystal yet again, pointing it at a pair of quartz pyramids, and Shimo shot another ice beam which froze the pyramids in place. The seven Titans advanced, but were ambushed by a swarm of Vertacines lead by Trapper Beasley, who was piloting a HEAV mimicking the creatures' skin patterns. The creatures swarmed the invaders, distracting the apes with their electricity. The Skar King repeatedly jabbed the crystal at the bio-electric fliers, forcing Shimo to freeze them all. In the midst of the chaos, Kong and Godzilla arrived from Egypt, crashing down into Hollow Earth like a meteor. The two duos rushed at one another right as the ice holding off the pyramids gave way, completely negating the gravity in the area. Shimo crashed into Godzilla in the air, but Godzilla pushed her down and attacked her again as she briefly pursued Kong. Shimo froze Godzilla with her beam, only to cease fire after being stunned by Mothra's God Rays, allowing Godzilla to free himself and tackle Shimo. Soon, the gravity restored itself, and the four warring Titans fell into a portal to the surface.
In Rio de Janeiro, waves in the sea turned to ice, then were shattered as the Skar King and Shimo both flew out onto land. After taking a moment to admire the sun, Skar King used the crystal to force Shimo to fire her beam into the sky, creating a large cloud, before having her shoot into the city. Kong and Godzilla then arrived and resumed the battle. The Skar King tried to get Shimo to attack Kong, but she was pushed into a building by Godzilla as the two saurians resumed their duel. When Skar King was knocked to the ground by Kong, the evil ape used the crystal once more, and Shimo's tail smacked Kong across the city. Shimo then fired on Kong with her ice breath, which he blocked with the B.E.A.S.T. Glove. With Shimo and Kong locked in a stalemate, Godzilla broke the Whipslash, detaching the crystal from the end. Godzilla then fired on Shimo with his atomic breath, and tackled her away from Kong, freeing the ape to resume fighting the Skar King. The apes both went berserk, fighting tooth and nail over the crystal. However, before either could get a solid grasp on the crystal, Suko arrived with Kong's axe and shattered it, freeing Shimo from the Skar King's control.
While Godzilla and Kong tag-teamed Skar King, Shimo watched intently, prominent curiosity on her face, as the Skar King angrily pointed at her and Kong, trying to make her attack him. Godzilla then cued her to take her revenge, and she froze the Skar King with her beam. Kong grabbed the Skar King's frozen body, staring him in the face before smashing him into pieces upon the ground, finally ending his reign of pain. Some time later, Kong and Suko returned to the Skar King's old prison, triumphantly riding upon Shimo's back. They hopped off of her, and Kong offered her a few head pets, before all three of them roared in victory before Kong's new tribe.
Abilities
The packaging for Shimo's individual Playmates toy summarizes her as a "legendary ice Titan with unstoppable, world-ending powers."[6]
Frost Bite Blast/Breath
Shimo is capable of releasing an ice beam from her mouth. This ability is referred to as a Frost Bite Blast and Frost Bite Breath on the packaging for Playmates' individual Shimo figure and Godzilla vs. Shimo figure set, respectively.[6][21] Shimo is shown using the beam to freeze over Kong's axe and arm, and to cause a massive ice storm by firing it into the sky. During the former, the beam creates large ice chunks upon contact. The beam was powerful enough to give Kong frostbite and completely freeze the Skar King's entire body in seconds. It was also capable of temporarily freezing Godzilla solid, though he freed himself without any lingering injury once Mothra intervened. When using the attack, Shimo's eyes, back spikes, and thagomizers glow a bright blue.
Shimo firing her beam into the skies above Rio de Janeiro
Cryokinesis
In addition to her Frost Bite Blast's capabilities, Shimo's mere presence is capable of freezing her surroundings, first shown when she froze over the ground in her prison. The forests in the Hollow Earth also froze as she walked through them, and the waters off the coast of Rio de Janeiro froze when she emerged on the surface, acting fast enough to freeze breaking waves solid. According to the Iwi's ancient temple tablets, Shimo's "power" was responsible for triggering the Last Ice Age, but this is not elaborated on. The Godzilla x Kong novelization also states that she iced over Greenland 2.5-3 million years ago in "minutes or hours" using a "radiation burst" that "makes atoms stop in their tracks".[22]
Physical capabilities
According to director Adam Wingard in the "Godzilla Evolved" home video featurette, Shimo is "stronger" than Godzilla and was his primary motivation for evolving. Shimo was shown to be able to utilize her spiked tail in combat when she smacked Kong with it, sending him hurtling through the air and into a building. She also used her limbs and jaws numerous times during her duels with Godzilla, even managing to send him flying hundreds of meters away with one forelimb, briefly taking him out of the fight. Her jaws were strong enough to clamp down on Kong's arm and hold him in place, then throw him into a building. Her back was also able to support being ridden on by the Skar King, and later Kong and Suko.
The novelization concurs with Shimo being stronger than Godzilla; during their battle Kong, trying to reach the crystal, had a "bad feeling about it" and doubted Godzilla could win. Hampton also thought that it "seemed like a toss-up".[23]
Durability
Shimo is shown to be incredibly durable, being able take heavy onslaughts from her opponents. During the battle in Rio de Janeiro, she was able to endure being wrestled about by Godzilla, and notably withstood a prolonged, direct blast from his stronger atomic spiral breath without any visible injury.
Weaknesses
The Skar King commanded Shimo using a slender blue crystal which would cause her pain if she did not obey his directives. She was able to temporarily resist the crystal's power, shown most prominently when the Skar King first ordered her to fire on Kong, but she was never shown refusing an order entirely until after its destruction. Though she was durable enough to avoid serious injury from any of her foes, Shimo was vulnerable to being stunned by certain attacks from Godzilla and Mothra, which in some instances were capable of interrupting her from firing her Frost Bite Blast. Early on during the fight in Rio de Janeiro, Shimo groaned in pain from a particularly powerful blast of Godzilla's atomic breath striking her underside.
Video games
- Call of Duty: Warzone (2020; added in 2022-2024) - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S [cave painting, Scorch Skin and miscellaneous non-physical appearances]
- Call of Duty: Vanguard (2021; added in 2022) - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S [cave painting]
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023; added in 2024) - Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S [Scorch Skin and miscellaneous non-physical appearances]
- Lords Mobile (2016; added in 2024) - Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, iPadOS, Fire OS
- Godzilla Battle Line (2021; added in 2024) - Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows
Cave painting of Godzilla battling Shimo in Call of Duty
Cave painting of Shimo in Call of Duty
"Shimo's Rise" photo in Lords Mobile
Photo of Shimo from Lords Mobile
Shimo in the Discover A New Empire event in Lords Mobile
Godzilla Battle Line
- Stars: ★★★★
- Energy cost: 5
- Attack speed: 2.7 seconds
- Target: Leader/Ground/Aerial/Facility
- Movement speed: 8
- Search range: 80
- Reach: 70
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Books
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization
When she was a recent Monarch recruit, Dr. Ilene Andrews became the first person in the organization to find a record of Shimo, in the form of a cave painting on a Pacific island showing Godzilla locked in combat with her. Some time later, in 2016, she was part of a Monarch detachment, led by Drs. Ishiro Serizawa, Vivienne Graham, and Emma Russell, that visited Dr. Magezi Maartens in Greenland over her discovery that the worldwide layer of ice correlating to the beginning of the Last Ice Age froze unnaturally quickly, left signatures of radiation, and was identical to the ice imprisoning King Ghidorah.[18] Monarch was unable to prove Shimo was still alive, or even that the painting and ice were evidence of the same Titan, until 2027.[24] Her role in defeating King Ghidorah in ancient times, if any, was not clarified further.
The crystal the Skar King used to control Shimo is repeatedly suggested to have been broken off her back crystals throughout the novelization.[25][26] Monarch Director Hampton assessed her possible existence as "something on the level of Monster Zero. Or worse."[27] Unaware of her kind nature, the organization had "hoped she wasn't real or died long ago".[28] Following his death, Monarch Director Hampton worried that Shimo's immense power would motivate a human "takeover of Hollow Earth", but Andrews reassured her that the Titan did not seem to be naturally destructive, and trying to attack her would pose the real danger.[29]
Comics
- Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted (2024) [cave painting]
Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted
As Kong investigated a bone-filled cave in the Hollow Earth, he uncovered several massive cave paintings depicting different monsters. The last displayed a battle between Godzilla and Shimo.
Gallery
- Main article: Shimo/Gallery.
Roar
In Godzilla Battle Line, Shimo is given additional roars not featured in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
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In other languages
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Trivia
- The cave painting of Shimo seen in Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted first appeared in the Godzilla vs. Kong/Call of Duty crossover event close to two years prior.
- Standing at 162.45 meters tall, Shimo is the tallest monster to appear in a live-action Godzilla film, the tallest monster to appear in any King Kong film, and the tallest of any known Titan in the Monsterverse; she surpasses the previous-tallest Titan, King Ghidorah, by 3.65 meters. However, she is neither the largest live-action Godzilla monster nor Monsterverse Titan in size overall, as she would be surpassed in both categories by the ~258-meter-long Tiamat, as well as in the latter category by the comic-exclusive Na Kika, who measures ~274 meters long.
- It is worth noting, however, that Shimo primarily stands on all-fours in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, with this stance instead measuring 375 feet (~114 meters) tall.[7]
- Shimo bears some similarities to Ghidorah, as both are Titans capable of manipulating the weather to such degrees that it can threaten the globe. However, Shimo's natural disposition is docile and friendly, while Ghidorah is heartless and violent.
- Likewise, she is also similar to the Frost Vark, as both are quadrupedal Titan antagonists with freezing powers. Like with Ghidorah, though, they have contrasting personalities.
- Shimo is the second confirmed-female monster to be a primary antagonist in a Monsterverse film, after the female MUTO in Godzilla.
- Shimo is the first major Monsterverse film antagonist to not be killed by Godzilla or Kong, and the second major Monsterverse antagonist overall not to be killed at the end of its appearance after Camazotz.
- Shimo is also the first major Monsterverse film antagonist who later became an ally of Godzilla and Kong, as well as the first not to be inherently evil or intentionally destructive in nature, as her violent actions were a result of being controlled and commanded by the Skar King. She is also the second secondary antagonist in the Monsterverse to survive her debut film, after the Monsterverse incarnation of Rodan.
References
This is a list of references for Shimo. 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]
Bibliography
- Keyes, Greg (23 April 2024). Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - The Official Movie Novelization. Titan Books. ISBN 978-1803368108.
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