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Overview

Mothra (モスラ,   Mosura?) is a giant divine moth kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 2003 Toho film, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S..

Name[]

The name "Mothra" is the suffixation of "-ra" (a common last syllable in kaiju names) to "moth." Since the Japanese language does not have dental fricatives, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. Originally, Mothra's name was approximated in English as "Mosla," but it was later corrected to "Mothra" by the time of the release of her debut film.

Design[]

Appearance[]

Like previous versions, Mothra is depicted as a lepidopteran moth kaiju. She has various life stages: egg, larva, and adult (imago). Her larva form, TokyoMosuLarva, is similar to the Heisei design, only darker. The other difference is that her eyes can glow either red or blue.

Her Imago state featured a number of departures from her predecessor, returning to her fluffy and soft look and losing the wasp-like appearance. The trimmed-down approach gives her a more realistic appearance compared to the other Heisei and Showa incarnations.

Portrayal[]

The larva is remote controlled, with the imago form being controlled by wires. This puppet was also used for Godzilla: Final Wars.

Roar[]

Mothra's chirps are actually Anguirus's roars sped up.

Personality[]

Mothra retains her benevolent nature, acting as protector to nature and humans. However, she becomes wrathful and causes destruction when she senses life on Earth is threatened from a greater threat. Mothra is usually accompanied by the Shobijin who also speak for her.

History[]

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.[]

Mothra S.O

Mothra in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

GMMG - The New Born Mothra Larvae

Mothra in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

Mothra was sighted flying over the skies of Japan, prompting two fighter jets to try and shoot her down. Mothra was unaffected by the jets' missiles and continued flying to Japan. Mothra landed near the home of Shinichi Chujo, a man who had helped reunite Mothra with her Shobijin in 1961. The Shobijin appeared to Chujo and asked him to tell the government to scrap the Kiryu project, which utilized the remains of the first Godzilla as a weapon. The Shobijin claimed this was a crime against nature and the sanctity of life, and that Mothra would be forced to declare war against humanity if the first Godzilla's remains were not returned to the sea. They also promised that Mothra would take it upon herself to defend Japan from Godzilla.

When Chujo told his story to Prime Minister Hayato Igarashi, he regretfully told Chujo that the government could not afford to scrap the project, as too much had already been sacrificed for it. When Godzilla appeared in Tokyo, Chujo's grandson Shun used school desks to recreate Mothra's symbol and summon her to Tokyo. Mothra engaged in battle with Godzilla, but due to her old age was easily overwhelmed. Igarashi ordered Kiryu to be launched to aid Mothra, and the machine entered the battle as well. Godzilla defeated Kiryu, while Mothra's egg on Infant Island hatched into two twin larvae.

The larvae arrived in Tokyo to communicate with their mother, but Godzilla noticed them. Godzilla fired his atomic breath at the larvae, only for Mothra to fly in front of the beam, sacrificing herself for her children. Enraged with grief, the larvae attacked Godzilla, distracting him while Kiryu was repaired. Kiryu soon re-entered the battle, defeating Godzilla by using his drill hand to open a previously-inflicted wound on Godzilla's chest.

Mothra's larvae encased Godzilla in silk, leaving him trapped and helpless. Rather than kill Godzilla, Kiryu overrode his programming and carried Godzilla out to the sea, sinking them both in the Japan Trench. Mothra's larvae swam back to Infant Island with the Shobijin, content that the souls of the dead could now rest in peace.

Abilities[]

Bite[]

She has a knack for biting and clinging to foes' tails.

Flight[]

In her imago state, Mothra can fly at the speed of mach 3 (2,301.81 mph).

Strength[]

As an adult, her wings can (and generally do) create gales which tear apart buildings and send other kaiju flying. Her great bulk of a body is commonly used to her advantage in battle to slam into opponents (both in larva and adult form), and her surprising levels of strength can help her to drag and even lift monsters like Godzilla.

Poison scales[]

Her final strategy is to emit "scales," a yellow poisonous powder that can usually asphyxiate an enemy. However she only uses that attack when she knows she is going to die, this is speculated, because the extreme loss of scales will cause her to lose flight.

Power reflection[]

In Tokyo S.O.S. , Mothra's powder was able to redirect both energy and physical projectiles back to their original senders, but some individuals believe that the powder of the Final Wars incarnation of Mothra instead has the ability to cause a short-circuit in electronics.

Psychic abilities[]

Mothra is one of the most powerful psychics in the Toho universe. She uses this power benevolently, to communicate with humans, or defensively, to destroy her enemies. As suggested earlier, Mothra is assumed to be divine and draws many parallels to the Phoenix, which makes her one of the more powerful kaiju of the Toho universe.

Silk[]

As a larva, Mothra sprays her opponents with a stream of silk as a ranged attack (to entrap or disorient an enemy).

Mothra's fairies[]

During the events of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., two new Shobijin (portrayed by Masami Nagasawa and Chihiro Ôtsuka) appear, and demonstrate telekinesis. The duo present here are much like the other fairies Mothra's around past this new ability, however.

Video games[]

Godzilla: Unleashed[]

Mothra is a guardian of the earth, and only exists to defend the earth from pollution, corruption and devastation. Mothra begins life as a giant larvae, with a barbed tail and a web-spinning snout. Once danger threatens, however, Mothra cocoons herself and transforms into her flying adult form.

As an adult, Mothra creates powerful gusts of wind from her wings and create clouds from her scales to reflect energy attacks. Although her wings appear frail, Mothra is a very capable melee opponent, using her superior mobility to strike her opponents quickly and then retreat. Mothra is devoted to rooting out the crystal corruption, and abhors monsters who absorb their energies for personal advancement.
Godzilla: Unleashed

Mothra is also playable in Godzilla: Unleashed, and played similarly to Save the Earth, but to morph into adult form, the player must press A, B, C, and Z at the same time instead of R2 and L2. Mothra appears in Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters. In early missions, she is an enemy, but in later missions will appear as a friendly unit if her egg is found (being near the egg heals her). Both her adult and larva forms appear in the game.

Godzilla (2014 video game)[]

Each of Mothra's appearances in the Millennium series had different backgrounds. In "Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" (2001), it was "Mothra, Guardian of the Sea", one of the three guardian monsters that protect Japan. In "Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S." (2003), it was a descendant of the original Mothra. In "Godzilla: Final Wars" (2004), it was the guardian deity of Infant Island.
― The Millennium Mothra's Kaiju Guide bio

Godzilla: Kaiju Collection[]

The Millennium Mothra seen during the events of Tokyo S.O.S. makes an appearance within the Kaiju Collection game for mobile devices.

Trivia[]

  • Though Mothra is a female kaiju, merchandise for Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. differentiates the two larvae from the film as male and female, with the male having darker colored skin than the female.

List of appearances[]

Films[]

Video games[]

References[]

Kaiju


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