Godzilla (Japanese: ゴジラ, Hepburn: Gojira), or sometimes known as Heisei Godzilla (Japanese: 平成ゴジラ, Hepburn: Heisei Gojira) is a giant monster, or kaiju, and the main protagonist of the Heisei era of the Godzilla franchise. One of the last living members of a prehistoric species of dinosaurs called Godzillasaurus that used to inhabit Lagos Island, Godzilla was exposed to a massive dose of radiation through being teleported to Bering Sea by humans from the year 2204 and subsequent crash of Soviet nuclear submarine in 1970s, mutating him into an enormous atomic beast single-mindedly set on completely destroying Japan and locating other living members of his kind. Over the course of his series, Godzilla evolved from being purely the main antagonistic force to being anti-hero merely happening to save humanity by defeating other monsters. He ultimately met his demise in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah after absorbing the uranium deposits from Baas Island, dying over the course of days as his body began melting down, being succeeded by Godzilla Junior.
Overview
Name When Godzilla vs. Biollante had been released, Godzilla at the time was commonly called the New Godzilla (Japanese: 新ゴジラ, Hepburn: Shin Gojira). This name would be used to dub Godzilla Junior's adult form in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995). For Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, the Baby Godzilla's species is named "Godzillasaurus", a combination of "Godzilla" and the suffix -saurus, derived from the Greek term "saûros", meaning "lizard" in English. In Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, after absorbing massive amounts of radiation, Godzilla reaches a burning state that causes his body to slowly melt down. Although it is usually known as Burning Godzilla (Japanese: バーニングゴジラ, Hepburn: Bāningu Gojira), some concept art refers to this form of Godzilla as Red Godzilla (Japanese: 赤きゴジラ, Hepburn: Akaki Gojira).
Character's biography In the continuity of the Heisei series, Godzilla is the second member of his kind to appear, succeeding the original Godzilla that attacked Tokyo in 1954 and was subsequently killed by the Oxygen Destroyer. Both individuals were originally of a species of theropod dinosaur called Godzillasaurus that survived the K-T Extinction, and were living in the Marshall Islands. While one Godzillasaurus would go on to be mutated by the Castle Bravo thermonuclear test and become the Godzilla that would attack in 1954, the other would be living on the island of Lagos in 1944 when Japanese and American forces fought there during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign in World War II. Stumbling into the middle of a naval exchange between the two military forces, the Godzillasaurus drove the Americans away, inadvertently saving the Japanese soldiers, only to be grievously injured by naval gunfire. Soon after, a group of time travelers called the Futurians from the 23rd century arrived on Lagos Island. As part of a scheme to prevent Japan from becoming a global economic superpower in the future, the Futurians sought to erase Godzilla from history, seeing him as the main obstacle in their plan. They teleported the Godzillasaurus to the Bering Sea, believing it would prevent it from being mutated by Castle Bravo. However, the Futurians misinterpreted this Godzillasaurus as being the same individual that would become the 1954 Godzilla; this new Godzillasaurus would remain in a comatose state beneath the sea until a Soviet nuclear submarine crashed into its vicinity in the 1970s. The radiation from the submarine ended up mutating the dinosaur into a new Godzilla anyway. In 1984, Godzilla would be roused to the surface by a volcanic eruption, setting in motion the events of The Return of Godzilla (1984).
The Return of Godzilla (1984) Godzilla makes his first appearance when the eruption draws him to the surface near Daikoku Island. His emergence is witnessed by the crew of the Japanese fishing vessel Yahata Maru, and though Godzilla ignores the ship, sea lice mutated and enlarged from feeding on his irradiated blood invade it and slaughter the crew. Godzilla later attacks a Soviet nuclear submarine, which causes an international crisis across Japan. Godzilla finally arrives in Japan, coming ashore to feed on a nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture. His attack is stalled, however, when he is distracted by a homing signal from a passing flock of birds. Godzilla attacks again later that night, this time rampaging through the heart of Tokyo. He obliterates a Japan Self-Defense Forces attack force that attempts to stop him, and then battles the Super X, an advanced aerial vehicle. The Super X nearly kills Godzilla using radiation-numbing cadmium armaments, but a radioactive lightning storm caused by an accidental orbital nuclear strike by the Soviets revitalizes him. Godzilla destroys the Super X, but is then lured out of Tokyo and to Mount Mihara on Ōshima Island by an artificial homing signal. A subsequent controlled volcanic eruption buries Godzilla alive in the mountain.
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) Samples of Godzilla's DNA are recovered from the ruins of his rampage, falling into the hands of multiple organizations and leading to the creation of an Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria (ANEB) and a plant-hybrid entity known as Biollante. Five years later, Godzilla is released from Mt. Mihara by terrorists from the genetics corporation BioMajor, and immediately begins attacking Japan. He confronts Biollante in her rose form at the Lake Ikeda laboratory of Dr. Genishiro Shiragami, defeating her easily. Godzilla then begins making his way to Tsuruga to feed on a nuclear power plant, only to be redirected to Osaka by the psychic Miki Saegusa. During his rampage through Osaka, Godzilla is successfully injected with a dose of the ANEB by Colonel Goro Gondo. The ANEB does not immediately take effect, but a second battle with a regenerated Biollante at Wakasa Bay heats up Godzilla's body temperature, allowing the ANEB to weaken him. While Biollante disintegrates, Godzilla weakly trudges his way back into the ocean.
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