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Godzilla, truly a god incarnate.
― Kayoko Ann Patterson
Overview

Godzilla (ゴジラ,   Gojira?), also dubbed Shin Godzilla (シン・ゴジラ,   Shin Gojira?) is the first and only Godzilla of the Shin Godzilla continuity, and the first in the Reiwa era of films.

This incarnation of the monster first appeared in the 2016 film, Shin Godzilla, where it's detailed how the monster arrived and proceeded to wreak havoc on Japan. It served as the main antagonist for the film.

Name[]

During the events of the movie, the name Gojira comes from Goro Maki's referral to him as such. At his home of Odo Island, this term means "Incarnation of God". On top of the Japanese native name given to the newly discovered creature, Maki also gave him the English name of "Godzilla". Unlike previous incarnations of Godzilla, the name Goro Maki gave it is spelled in ateji (呉爾羅,   Gojira?) as opposed to katakana.

This English translation was adopted by the Department of Energy, and was referred to as the "DOE's codename".

Throughout the film's running time, Godzilla's multiple forms are never given specific names, and are just referred to by numbered titles, such as the 'fourth form'. However there are some names (the names are never revealed in the film) like Godzilla's second form is named 'Kamata-kun', his third form named 'Shinagawa-kun' and his fourth form named 'Kamakura-san'. However, there are no names for his first and fifth forms.

Design[]

Development[]

The 2016 Godzilla underwent large developmental changes during the film's production. Said changes range from basic design elements to abilities being altered over time, and were detailed in The Art of Shin Godzilla.

Head designs for the beast's early forms went through a myriad of incarnations, ranging from more traditional head sculpt designs, to designs that look identical to a Tyrannosaurus rex. Additionally, Godzilla's earlier forms were illustrated in a more whale-like fashion, looking very much akin to a Basking shark, featuring a wide-open mouth, and a ribbed neck and throat. Webbed toes for the creature was a design aspect that was also played with but ultimately dropped in favor of a more traditional foot design.

Also, the arm size of early forms, alongside the creature's posture was different early on, with Godzilla originally crawling on all fours, rather than dragging itself along the ground.

The first-ever created concepts for the 2016 Godzilla's fourth form, created by Mahiro Maeda, had the monster bearing a closer resemblance to the 1954 monster, right down to including small "ears". Changed aesthetics for the monster's fourth form included Godzilla originally possessing a body much more akin to the Heisei era's Godzilla. These traits included similarly designed dorsal plates, the traditional tail-dragging posture, and larger arms.

The fourth form originally possessed different abilities, including self-replication, a concept cut from the film, although the remnants of the plot point made its way into deleted scenes. Self-replication was depicted as Godzilla growing additional heads and body parts. Certain concept art pieces showed Godzilla possessing a conjoined twin dynamic, with Godzilla having two upper bodies, split around the waist, while others had a second Godzilla growing off the back of the original. This concept was ultimately rejected by Toho.

Concept art for the monster's original fifth form was also detailed greatly. While the designs for the fifth form remained relatively similar to the final product, different aesthetics were played with, including different types of eyes for the creatures. The dorsal plates also differed in design, being more crystal-like in appearance, looking akin to SpaceGodzilla's. Some other dorsal plate designs took more wing-like liberty, stretching the established designs to look like wings.

Multiple facial concepts for the creatures were created, as well. A female design featured a very blank expression, with no nose, and small eyes. Another variant of the monster possessed a longer head, seemingly one eye, and a larger nose and mouth. Some designs looking much akin to the final film's featured eyes, a sharp row of teeth akin to Godzilla's fourth form and exaggerated skull-like features around the cheeks.

Oddly enough, some preliminary designs for the fifth form featured prominent male genitalia, however, a female design would forgo this design element, only being drawn and molded with basic breasts. This would seemingly be dropped in the final film's design.

Appearance[]

Godzilla's appearance changes multiple times throughout the film due to the creature's incredible evolutionary capacity.

The first form only shows its tail during the beginning of the movie. It's large, and very much resembles the second form's tail in regards to aesthetic, being yellow-hued, with a frayed end. The first form did not have the physical nor physiological conditions to withstand being on land as many sea creatures are often crushed by their weight if they even attempt to make landfall, including mammals such as whales. The first form's tail had a great amount of mobility, swinging around and toppling nearby boats.

The second form is very much reminiscent of a moray eel or frilled shark, having a long body, neck, and tail, while also possessing stubby, undeveloped hind legs for land movement, and stubs on its chest that are shown to be underdeveloped arms. Unlike Godzilla's later forms, this form possesses a sickly yellow complexion, with red, exposed muscle on its back and shark-like gills that frequently bleed, showing that it struggles to breathe outside the water. The dorsal plates of this design are underdeveloped, much like its other body parts. The eyes of this design are also very large compared to its body, almost resembling that of the colossal or giant squid in appearance. Being too weak to stand up, it moves by wriggling on its belly, pushing itself forward with its stubby hind legs and thrashing its tail.

The third form of Godzilla is very much like traditional incarnations in regards to appearance. This form is bipedal, with stronger, more developed hind limbs and the ability to assume a stance much like modern Godzilla possesses small forelimbs and a long neck compared to its body. Unlike his second form, which possesses a sickly yellow skin tone, the change in appearance for this form altered the skin tone of Godzilla to a dark orangey-red, with exposed muscle changing from a red, to a glowing orange. The scutes or ostoderms of the design also become more defined and larger with this evolution. In this form, heat can be visibly seen from its dorsal plates, meaning its mutation consumed much energy and produced a lot of heat. Its gills also have shrunk and closed up, suggesting that this form has now adapted to breathe on land. Despite being bipedal, its legs had not fully developed, causing its legs to noticeably shake as it struggled to not to fall while it was walking. However, its legs were enhanced enough to allow it to move fast enough to run, compared to the second form's slithering and the third form's initial stumbling. When it started to overheat, it reverted to the stance of its second form to more quickly retreat to the ocean.

The fourth and final form of Godzilla is very much akin to other traditional designs, being fully bipedal, with a fully developed row of dorsal spines, and a much taller height in comparison to his prior form. The shade of skin for this form is a much darker black color, with red, glowing highlights around exposed areas of the body, such as his neck, back, and legs.

This form's head possesses no cheeks or lips, and multiple rows of jagged, gnarled, and deformed teeth which protrude in and out of the skin around his mouth, a pronounced nose with large round nostrils, small white, seemingly-lidless eyes and a jawline that extends widely to the sides of his head. Additionally, the eyes have a brille, a protective lens, in place of traditional eyelids that can protect its eyes from harm. The brille is strong enough to resist bombs being dropped on its face. His lower jaw is similar to that of a snake, granting the fourth form of Godzilla to open it mouth to more than a terrifying 90 degrees is also able to split open when Godzilla uses his "Compressed Atomic Heat Ray" during the movie.

Adding to the differences is his arm to body ratio, with small arms that barely reach out past his chest and remain mostly immobile in the movie, bar a few movements from his fingers.

Unlike most Godzillas before this one, this Godzilla's tail is very long and consistently swings around and above his head. Inside his tail is a giant human-like skull. His tail also happens to be where he spawns multiple copies of his next evolutionary form.

Godzilla's fifth form takes on an eerily human shape, with Godzilla-like dorsal plates running up their spines. Models for the evolution show they lack eyes, despite the concept art of the design originally possessing them, and a large divide runs down their cranium.

Like its predecessor form, the humanoid forms aren't muscular and appear to be very emaciated, with a large hole present in their chests.

Godzilla's atomic breath underwent an aesthetic makeover for the film. It's very thin in comparison to prior Godzilla incarnations which tended to be wide beams of concussive energy, with the same traits being passed onto his dorsal spines. Behind the scenes videos for the film also show how his atomic powers changed in development, ranging from hyper-thin beams to slightly transparent incarnations of the current film's beams.

Portrayal[]

Godzilla is portrayed through the use of CGI and chroma keys in the film, aided by motion capture from Mansai Nomura in the case of the monster's fourth form. Initially, Godzilla's fourth form was to utilize an animatronic puppet that was manned by multiple members of the production crew by remote controls, and specifically placed wires. It was large, having been built in 1/38 scale to the actual creature, and featured articulation in multiple areas, including the fingers, mouth, eyes, and spinal regions, allowing for a wide range of movement. The puppet was to be shot in front of a blue chroma key and inserted into scenes in the film, much like other practical effects for the monster.

This animatronic puppet was later scrapped in favor of CGI and motion capture, but the giant prop can be seen on special features for the film's Japanese Blu-ray release, being used as late as August 2015. Interestingly enough, the first leaked reveals of the monster involved low-resolution shots of this puppet.

The second form was mostly portrayed by CGI, but also had some key sequences utilizing chroma keys and practical effects, including miniature sets and a roughly designed Godzilla head used for destroying them. These were utilized for shots of the second form pushing through houses.

The third form followed in the second's footsteps, using CGI primarily while having some practical effects mixed into its actions. A good example of these practical effects includes the third form's sprint through a building as it escapes, which causes mass destruction. This scene was composed of over nine individual shots of practical effects being used that were spliced together on top of a CGI backdrop.

The fourth form was primarily handled with CGI, with bodily movements being motion captured by Mansai Nomura. Mansai would be clad in a bodysuit, Godzilla mask, and a small set of dorsal plates, and walk around in a green chroma keyed room. To emulate the sensation of weight without being bound to a suit in the same fashion as the famous Haruo Nakajima, a large weight would be secured to Nomura's waist as he walked, giving Godzilla the slow, determined gait seen in the film.

Like the second form, practical effects were also utilized in small manners for the fourth. These would be seen when Godzilla steps on a large wall. Godzilla's foot would be inserted into the shot of the practical effect wall being destroyed, resulting in the film's final, convincing shot of destruction.

Godzilla's atomic breath also went through portrayal revisions in the film. Multiple behind the scenes videos show new physics tests for destruction involving the blowtorch-like beam, resulting in realistic collapses for structures. Unlike prior Toho films, the effects caused by the atomic beam weren't practical and were mostly handled in a CGI environment, as seen in the video below.

Roar[]

Godzilla's roar in this film changes based on his form, however, not all of his forms can roar. The first and second forms are vocally silent, likely because at this point it still is unable to properly breathe on land.

The third form possesses the roar of the 1954 Showa era Godzilla. Interestingly enough, this Godzilla's '54 era roars have a noticeable audio overlap, making the middle part of the roar sound like it's repeating, whereas the original roar lacks this.

The fourth form utilizes the roar of the 1962 to 1975 Showa era Godzilla, and also possesses a roar akin to the Heisei era Godzilla, which it unleashes shortly before utilizing its atomic breath. Said Heisei-like roar is also heard in the North American trailers for the film.

Upon the culmination of Yaguchi's "Operation: Yashiori" in Godzilla's final seconds, he lets out the 1984 roar of the Heisei era Godzilla.

Personality[]

This Godzilla's personality is starkly different in regards to those coming before it, especially coming off the heels of Legendary's Godzilla. Rather than being openly heroic, antagonistic, or some shade of gray in between, Godzilla in this movie is outright detached from everything in the movie emotionally.

Throughout the film and his raids on the multiple cities he travels through, Godzilla shambles forward slowly, but methodically, almost ignoring everything in his way, be it civilians, buildings, or the fire from a combined force of Japanese helicopters and tanks. With this, he shows no outright intentional hostile expressions. This Godzilla may be a mindless force of destruction, with no course of thought, emotion, or intent. Alternatively, it is also possible that he is in a constant state of pain, agony and suffering from its mutation and disfigurement, fitting the description that Godzilla "is equally a victim of the atomic bomb”. Possibly, Godzilla is suicidal and wants to die but as his body doesn't let him die he is in absolute agony.

Godzilla's zombie-like demeanor is only broken when bunker busters dropped onto his back physically harm him, resulting in a focused and enraged reaction towards his attackers. The same expression of reaction is also present when Operation: Yashiori is enacted, where Godzilla reacts in this manner towards the force attacking him once more, ultimately leading to his defeat.

Godzilla also displayed some intelligence as it reserved some energy to surprise attack the squadron of Japanese workers who attempt to inject it with a coagulant.

Origins[]

The Godzilla in Shin Godzilla features a radically different origin story than its predecessors despite still originating from prehistoric creatures. Rather than being a prehistoric reptilian creature before being exposed to nuclear radiation, Godzilla is proposed to be an entirely new form of super-organism evolved from some kind of prehistoric marine animal that in the 1950,s found itself surrounded by nuclear waste dumped into its habitat on the seafloor.

As said creature became irradiated by nuclear waste, it mutated to the point of developing the ability to withstand and even consume the radioactive material and evolved into a gigantic creature. The result of this evolution was Godzilla, though other forms that this super-organism developed beforehand included an eel-like aquatic form and a bipedal theropod-like form. Even after Godzilla's seeming defeat, a new evolved form of his arose, being human-like in appearance, taking after the same organisms that defeated it in the first place.

History[]

Shin Godzilla[]

Shin Godzilla (2016 film) - 00017

In 2016 the Japanese coast guard investigates an abandoned yacht in Tokyo Bay, something in the water attacks their boat. Soon afterward, the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line is mysteriously flooded and collapses. After seeing a viral video showing a massive entity moving in the area, Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Rando Yaguchi is convinced that the incident was caused by a living creature. His theory is initially dismissed but later confirmed when news reports show a massive tail coming out of the ocean.

Later, a massive eel-like creature makes landfall, emerging from the water and causing havoc as it struggles to drag itself along the streets of Tokyo. Before evacuations can be done, the creature destroys everything in its path, causing major casualties, and suddenly begins to mutate, evolving into a form that stands on two legs before returning to the sea.

Shin Godzilla (2016 film) - 00043

The top government officials focus on military strategy and civilian safety, while Yaguchi is put in charge of a task force to research the creature. Due to high radiation readings, the creature is theorized to be energized through nuclear fission. The US sends a special envoy, Kayoko Ann Patterson, who reveals that a disgraced zoology professor, Goro Maki, had been studying mutations due to radioactive contamination and theorized the appearance of the creature but the US covered it up. The yacht abandoned in Tokyo Bay had belonged to Maki and he had left his investigative notes there before disappearing. From those notes, it was revealed that the creature was originated from ancient prehistoric marine animal mutated from exposure to nuclear wastes in its habitat that it developed the ability to withstand and even consuming radioactive waste (as pictures of barrels of radioactive materials in the bottom of the ocean shown them had been partially eaten by the earlier, unseen form of evolving creature).

The creature, now named Godzilla (呉爾羅 Gojira) after Maki's research, reappears, now twice its original size, and makes landfall near Kamakura en route for Tokyo. The Japanese Self Defense Forces are mobilized, but their attacks have no effect on Godzilla and they suffer major casualties. The US offers its intervention in exchange for full access to study the creature, and the Japanese government reluctantly agrees.

Shin Godzilla (2016 film) - 00128

Several Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers sent by the US attack Godzilla with GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs), but it is barely injured and responds with highly destructive atomic rays fired from its mouth and dorsal fins. The battle destroys a major part of Tokyo, along with both the US bombers and helicopters carrying most of the Japanese government officials. After depleting his energy, Godzilla enters a dormant state and becomes immobile.

Yaguchi's team discovers that Godzilla's fins and blood work as a cooling system, allowing them to theorize that through the use of a coagulating agent, they could trigger a reaction and cause Godzilla to freeze. Furthermore, after analyzing tissue samples, they find that Godzilla can survive as long as air and water are available due to both required as sustenance to synthesize radioactive isotope that provided him with energy, and that the creature can reproduce asexually due to Godzilla's regenerative ability so potent that any pieces that fall from his body would regrow into new Godzillas. The UN, headed by the US government and unaware of this weakness, informs Japan that the use of thermonuclear weapons against Godzilla is inevitable. Unwilling to see nuclear weapons detonated in Japan again, Patterson decides to use her political connections to buy Yaguchi's team as much time as possible to finish the plan, even if it puts her career at stake.

Shin Godzilla (2016 film) - 00161

Against international pressure and the lack of faith from the interim government, the team manages to procure enough coagulant and enacts their plan. They provoke Godzilla into using his atomic breath until its energy's depleted. The team then detonates explosives in the nearby buildings, knocking Godzilla down and allowing nearby tankers full of coagulant access into Godzilla's mouth, enabling the injection of the coagulant. Though many people are killed in the process, the team's plan succeeds and Godzilla is frozen solid.

In the aftermath, the international community agrees to call off the nuclear strike but have the new Japanese government agree that, in the event of Godzilla's reawakening, a thermonuclear bomb will be launched at him. As Yaguchi ruminates on the future, the scene shifts to several human-like skeletal creatures protruding from the end of Godzilla's tail, implying that in his defeat he had begun to evolve once again.

Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D[]

Godzilla made his appearance in Osaka-III before he was attacked by the Evangelion units assuming him to be another Angel but he was able to overpower them and swatted them away before he fired his atomic breath at the sky which blows an invisible meter that held King Ghidorah.

King Ghidorah then fires his gravity beams at the ground, causing the buildings and cars nearby him to rise. Godzilla tries to fire his atomic breath at the three headed hydra but it was soon deflected by his force field. King Ghidorah launches both the cars and buildings at Godzilla which cause him to collapse on the ground.

However Godzilla begins to stand up to fight King Ghidorah and once more tries to blast him again but the dragon was able to fly away from the creature's beam before he lands on top of him to constrict him before he was pushed by the dorsal fin beams and blasted by Godzilla which finally damages Ghidorah but costs him to run out of energy and goes into a dormant state.

After he was awakened by Ghidorah's gravity beams hitting him, Godzilla was able to absorb the power inside which allowed to him to finally kill King Ghidorah with a powerful super charged beam. With his foe defeated, Godzilla returns to the ocean to rest.

Abilities[]

Reactive Adaptation[]

As shown in the film, Godzilla can physically alter his body and methods of attack based on his aggressors, as well as a personal necessity, in a very short time. For example, when humanity's forces successfully attacked from above with bunker busters, Godzilla developed his mouth and dorsal-based rays which decimated his opposition. This ability also changed towards the end of the film and Godzilla began to fire his atomic beam from his tail over his spine, allowing for pinpoint accuracy. He was able to do this without exhausting his energy and requiring a period of rest, unlike his initial usage, suggesting he had adapted to consuming less energy.

On the flip side, Godzilla's appearance changed multiple times throughout the film. His first visible change is the transition from his second to his third form, where he changes his stance and appearance. His second change is not seen outright, but is the dramatic change from his third to his fourth form, where he loses his orange-red skin tone and smaller stature, and becomes a deep black in coloration, with glowing red exposed parts of his body. Finally, the transition from his fourth to his fifth form is seen briefly, where he goes from his traditional aesthetic to that of a humanoid form. What became of this form, and Godzilla is unknown.

It was noted and hypothesized that Godzilla could potentially shrink in size ( or vice versa) or grow wings for airborne locomotion, but these abilities were never displayed.

Godzilla's physical forms, including his fifth form, were visually detailed in the book, The Art of Shin Godzilla.[3][4]

Amphibious Respiration[]

In this continuity, Godzilla began as a prehistoric aquatic organism that fed on nuclear waste on the seafloor, causing its genetics to be more complex and mutated, which granted Godzilla to evolve rapidly. When Godzilla finally came onto land, he possessed gills on the sides of his neck.

When Godzilla initially came ashore, these gills leaked red fluid, possibly his blood, likely suffocating in the air like a landed fish would. The gills closed and decreased in size as Godzilla grew and evolved further, but are still present and could be seen glowing whenever he charges his atomic breath. While the third form managed to solve the problems of breathing and locomotion on land, it still had not evolved a countermeasure to over-heating.

Godzilla was not truly amphibious until its fourth form was reached due to its underdeveloped "cooling system". When it went to land, its body produced too much heat for Godzilla to tolerate and it had to retreat to the sea to cool itself down.

Energy Manipulation[]

Shin Godzilla (2016 film) - 00146

In Shin Godzilla, Godzilla's capability to manipulate nuclear energy for offensive purpose is far more advanced than his predecessors, as he not only fires atomic heat ray from his mouth, but also through his dorsal fins in a form of multiple atomic lasers and the tip of his malformed tail as a means to attack multiple foes at the same time.

In Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D, Godzilla is shown to be capable of absorbing different kinds of energy to power himself up like King Ghidorah's gravity beams where he fired a super charged atomic breath at the latter.

Atomic Breath[]

Shin Godzilla (2016 film) - 00127

Godzilla fires his laser-like atomic breath.

In Shin Godzilla, Godzilla's atomic breath changes according to how he uses it and indicates how much power he has used upon firing it. He first calls upon the ability after being injured by American airstrikes. much of his body begins to radiate a distinct bright red, that transitions into a violet-purple hue that is brightest at his dorsal plates.

Unlike other incarnations, the atomic ray resembles a focused purple energy beam that Godzilla spews out, the effect of which has overwhelming destructive power that doesn't just simply crumble nearby buildings but is powerful enough to slice through multiple skyscrapers on a whim, bisecting entire skylines. After noticing the American planes coming back for another bombing run, he also transfers his energy through his dorsal plates, emitting several purple rays of similar destructive capacity, targeting both incoming bombs and close aircraft.

Later in the film, after Godzilla has been reawakened from a dormant state, drones are sent to distract Godzilla and deplete some of his atomic energy. Godzilla responds to the drones with another volley of atomic rays from his dorsal plates, this lasts for a short while before he transfers the energy back through his mouth, and the tip of his tail, allowing both to fire independently. Before petering out, the rays briefly shift into a less intense stream of flame, signaling his gradual loss of energy.

The ray has a destructive power similar to the one seen in the Heisei series, albeit with less concussive force, not producing any explosions on impact but rather penetrating and vaporizing most of its targets outright. It is very narrow and focused, almost identical to the sonic beams of Gyaos and able to easily and neatly slice through buildings. It was also explained in the movie that when he uses his dorsal rays, he can "control" or "direct" them to any target he desires due to Godzilla possessing "something like a built-in phased array radar" to "instinctively intercept approaching objects" so he won't have to waste too much energy to attack moving targets around him.

Godzilla also shown to fire a more powerful version of the atomic breath which has enough power to destroy King Ghidorah.

Nictiting Membrane Protrusion[]

Godzilla protuded a nictiting membrane to protect his eyes from explosions caused by bombs aimed at his face.

Regenerative Durability[]

In the movie, Godzilla's regenerative ability proved to be very potent that any pieces of his flesh that broke off his body grew into starfish-like creatures. This enables him to reproduce asexually through either fission or even self-mutilation.

Godzilla is also immune to virtually all conventional weaponry, barely seeming to notice when he is attacked. However, Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs that struck Godzilla directly on his exposed back were able to injure him and cause him to bleed, albeit the loss of blood didn't seem to impact his performance.

Superheated Blood[]

When he was in his second form, Godzilla was seen secreting a blood-like substance that was seen melting a destroyed car in a fashion akin to molten lava. In his fourth form, Godzilla was seen "Vomiting" a fiery smoke-like substance from his mouth, decimating those unfortunate enough to be nearby, before spreading across the city, whilst preparing his atomic ray.

Weaknesses[]

Blood coagulant[]

Shin Godzilla (2016 film) - 00166

During the events of the movie, the protagonist of the film, Rando Yaguchi and his team postulate that since he's a nuclear creature, Godzilla has to cool down his "nuclear reactor" somewhere in his body, and "rapid cooling of his blood may not kill him, but can immobilize him" leading to the team's conclusion that they can freeze Godzilla's blood, with the beast freezing as well, using a "Blood coagulating drug".

Yaguchi's team had some difficulties in making the formula but later in the film, they figure out how to make said drug and start production to make the preparations for "Operation: Yashiori", the plan to put the coagulant in Godzilla and render him immobile indefinitely. After producing enough coagulant, "Operation: Yashiori" was initiated. The operation takes place during the final battle of the film, where, after a multiple phase approach intended to weaken and lay Godzilla on the ground, a team of crane arms finally pumped the blood coagulant into the beast's mouth. The first attempt at applying the coagulant failed, due to Godzilla having spare power, which he used to blast the first team with his atomic breath.

Their efforts were not in vain, however, as the 20% of their available supply, they managed to inject drastically slowed his movements. The second attempt was successful in putting the remaining 80% of the coagulant in Godzilla. Initially, Godzilla rose again, but following a loud roar, Godzilla abruptly freezes, unable to move.

Yaguchi's team, later on, discovers that Godzilla's isotope has a half-life of 20 days, and remarks that it will be gone completely in "two or three years", which spells good news for Tokyo citizens and aids greatly in moving residents back to their homes. Yaguchi, later on, states that "now man must co-exist with Gojira" and since Godzilla will not be frozen forever, states that "Now's not the time to quit, and things are still far from settled".

Lack of foresight and intelligence[]

Whereas most Godzilla incarnations show some level of foresight, to the point that they can plan out attacks, this Godzilla attacks without it, which can enable it to be lured into traps easily. Godzilla's intelligence and cognitive abilities is also somewhat comparatively low to other Godzilla incarnations, relying on his animal instincts instead to lead the way.

Limited radioactive energy[]

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Unlike previous incarnations, this Godzilla seems to have a limit to how much nuclear energy he can use before he must enter a dormant state to restore his powers. For example, using his atomic breath in its focused purple beam seems to quickly deplete his radioactive power, requiring him to enter his dormant state.

This dormant state forces Godzilla into an immobile, statue-like form, which can also be his downfall as he can freeze in locations where his enemies can take advantage of the environment against him. If he fully depletes his energy, he must remain dormant for roughly 15 days to fully restore his energy. Although he doesn't seem to remain dormant for the entire 15 days. Once Godzilla accumulated enough energy, its skin will start to glow red and its eyes will open, although it may elect to remain immobile to speed up its recovery process.

Overheating[]

The monster's third form was vulnerable to severe overheating, as seen shortly after it physically changed into its third form. The heat generated was enough to distort the air around the monster, and resulted in it ceasing its land movement to cool down in the ocean. This problem was solved upon the fourth form's arrival, as it didn't suffer from these issues.

Slow speed and agility[]

As Godzilla trundles along sluggishly, it takes a long time to traverse greater distances, allowing the human forces to predict his direction and evacuate in advance. This also makes him an easier target. Godzilla's agility is as bad as his speed. He turn rate is very slow. In fact, Godzilla's tail had the most mobility of Godzilla's body, being able to swing and turn at fast speeds.

Short arms[]

This Godzilla's arms are incredibly short in proportion to its body, and because of this, it is shown to have great difficulty getting back to its feet after being toppled over, something that “Operation Yashiori” exploited to pump the blood coagulant directly into its mouth with relative ease. This also limits his attacks to his atomic breath and back lasers, which drain his nuclear energy much faster than any melee attack would.

Trivia[]

  • This Godzilla incarnation was the first to be able to shift forms.
    • The second Godzilla incarnation who does this is the Godzilla from the Netflix series, Godzilla Singular Point.
  • This Godzilla incarnation was the star of two April Fools Jokes by Toho.
    • On April 1, 2017, Toho Studios unveiled a nonexistent smartphone based upon the second form of Godzilla (Known by fans as "Kamata-kun"). The phone jokingly possesses features such as 55 core processing, a 550 million pixel camera, 555K video capture, and playback, and finally, access to a 55G network that is only available in Haneda, Kamata.[5][6]
    • April 1, 2018, had Toho revealing the "Godzilla Building", or "G Building", which was planned for development in the Tokiwasbashi district. It was reportedly set to be completed in 2027. Gags with the development included the building being built around a then frozen Godzilla, with the building's power coming from the monster's body. To keep the monster frozen, the building's interior was to be cooled to -196°C. To make the most of Godzilla's body, a rollercoaster was to be installed, which ran down the length of the monster.[7]
  • Yashiori of Operation: Yashiori is the name of strong sake to weaken Orochi in Japanese mythology.
  • The Shin Godzilla is the first truly "new" Japanese Godzilla: while the series was rebooted in the Heisei series and several times in the Millennium series, it always held the original 1954 film as shared canon, while the 2016 film ignores that film and creates a whole new backstory and origin for Godzilla.
  • While the production team originally tried to make Godzilla's texture seem like a real animal's, it was insisted by the directors that they give it a feel and texture like a rubber suit, a decision that ironically made the all-CGI Godzilla look more convincing in a live-action environment.
    • Additionally, this Godzilla is the first in the film series to be designed without a tongue.
    • The Art of Shin Godzilla revealed that Godzilla's second form possesses 108,764,238 polygons in its CG model. The fourth form possesses 316,902,016 polygons.
  • The second form of Godzilla, affectionately dubbed "Kamata-kun" by fans, gained a cult following on the internet for its funny-looking appearance which many found somewhat adorable.
  • At 118.5 meters in height, this incarnation of Godzilla is the third tallest incarnation so far within the film series, originally surpassing the Legendary version which held the previous record before it by about 10 meters in height. It was outclassed by Godzilla Earth, which was confirmed to be even taller than the Shin Godzilla incarnation, coming in at 300 meters in height.[8] The Legendary incarnation of Godzilla would surpass Shin Godzilla's height, having grown an additional 11.6 meters in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.[9], thereby surpassing this incarnation of Godzilla by 1.3 meters.
  • Its focused atomic ray is very similar to that of Gyaos from the Gamera films where Anno and Higuchi has been engaged in works, being thin and powerful enough to neatly slice a building in half.
  • This version of Godzilla is unusually silent compared to other incarnations, which instead of roaring and stomping about instead quietly and slowly marches onward in a path of destruction.
  • This Godzilla may be seen as the polar opposite of Legendary's Godzilla:
    • Legendary's Godzilla is designed to look noble, mighty, and regal, while the Shin Godzilla is designed to look gruesome, twisted and horrifyingly deformed.
    • Legendary's Godzilla is portrayed as a bringer of order and a primordial balancing force of nature, while the Shin Godzilla is portrayed as a bringer of chaos and an abominable by-product of violations against nature.
    • Legendary's Godzilla is more benevolent and peaceful compared to most portrayals of Godzilla, while the Shin Godzilla is more malevolent and destructive than most depictions of Godzilla.
    • Legendary's Godzilla's appearance and powers were designed to be more "believable" and "realistic", while the Shin Godzilla exaggerates the features and abilities of an unnatural monster.
  • Interestingly, it was revealed in 2012 that a memo named Shin Godzilla was left by Ishiro Honda; he was planning to create a Godzilla to self-divide, and coalesce enemies and grow larger, enabling aerification and solidification, and the ability to become inanimate.[10]
  • Interestingly, this incarnation of Godzilla is very similar to Destoroyah.
    • Both display numerous forms throughout their debut movie, each being distinct, but maintaining core elements of their design.
      • Both display self-mutating abilities to change form.
      • Both sport a horrific or demonic appearance with numerous jagged teeth.
    • Both originated as prehistoric aqautic organisms that were exposed to man-made chemicals (Destoroyah was exposed to Micro-Oxygen from the Oxygen Destroyer, while Godzilla was exposed to radioactive minerals from nuclear waste), and both evolved over long periods (Destoroyah evolved over 40 years, while Godzilla evolved over 60 years) to incorporate it into their biology.
    • Both feature self-division abilities.
    • Both have numerous abilities that cause large amounts of destruction.
      • Both use a purple-colored beam as their primary/most devastating offensive ability.
  • The fourth form also bears a minor resemblance to the Ultimate Conductor Tyranno monster from the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game.
  • Shin Godzilla's atomic breath sound effect is similar to Destroyah's oxygen destroyer blast, as well as the Heisei Godzilla's atomic breath from Godzilla vs. Mothra.
  • Godzilla's fourth form serves as the basis of the Gomess in Shin Ultraman, similar to how the Godzilla suit created for Mothra vs. Godzilla was modified into Gomess in the original Ultraman series.
  • In a scene that was cut from the film, during Godzilla 's third stage, it pukes some red liquid that appears to be blood as it is shown melting car tires as Godzilla lies surrounded by it.

List of appearances[]

Films[]

Video games[]

Books[]

References[]

  1. @Khara_inc ゴジラの設定を入手しましたのでお知らせします!この数字にも何やら小ネタが隠されているそうです。シンゴジラ(第2形態時)の設定身長は28メートル。全長は122メートルです。#シン・ゴジラ #シンゴジラ #ゴジラ. Fusetter. Retrieved June 11, 2017
  2. @eiga_natalie (July 28, 2016). ゴジラの正体は野村萬斎だった!「シン・ゴジラ」でモーションキャプチャ担当. Twitter. Retrieved June 11, 2017
  3. Riehiko, Nakajima (December, 2016). シン・ゴジラの科学. Nikkei Science. Retrieved June 11, 2017
  4. (2017). シン・ゴジラ GENERATION, ISBN: 9784798614175. Hobby Japan. Retrieved June 11, 2017
  5. Chapman, Paul (April 1, 2017). "Shin Godzilla" Smart Phone Gag Offers Hideous Communications Technology. Crunchyroll. Retrieved June 19, 2017
  6. (April 1, 2017). 「シン・ゴジラ」より“ゴジラ 第2携帯”が上陸 55G対応で人智を超えた通信速度に. Anime Anime. Retrieved June 19, 2017
  7. 凍結ゴジラが東京駅前ビルに!?「ゴジラ 常盤橋、上陸。」プロジェクト始動. Fashion Press. Retrieved April 5, 2018
  8. (June 13, 2017).アニメ映画「GODZILLA」新ビジュアルで歴代最大サイズのゴジラが初披露!. Eiga. Retrieved June 17, 2017
  9. (April 26, 2019). King of the Monsters Profile. Twitter. Retrieved April 26, 2019
  10. @maGuremono (January 19, 2017). 2012年にNHK BSPで放映された本多猪四郎監督に関する傑作ドキュメンタリー『イノさんのトランク』。終盤に晩年記したゴジラ新作構想メモが出てくるが、表題が『新(神?)ゴジラ』で「(相手を合体して)大きくなる」「分化。ゴジラ数匹発生」など、シン・ゴジラにも通ずるアイデアが。. Twitter. Retrieved June 11, 2017


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