Godzilla (Shōwa)

Godzilla (Japanese: ゴジラ, Hepburn: Gojira) is a giant monster, or kaiju, that originated from the Godzilla franchise owned by Toho Co., Ltd.. The Shōwa era iteration of the character debuted in the 1954 film Godzilla, the first entry in the franchise, depicted as a prehistoric reptile awakened by hydrogen bomb testing which wreaks havoc on nearby Tokyo. The first Godzilla is killed, however, a second Godzilla appears in the 1955 film Godzilla Raids Again. The character was depicted through suitmation, mainly portrayed by Japanese stunt actor Haruo Nakajima from 1954 to his retirement in 1972; other stunt actors had also performed as Godzilla during Nakajima's tenure. The direction of Godzilla's character changes as the Shōwa-era films progress, beginning as an antagonist, gradually becoming an anti-hero, and ultimately a hero of the planet — occasionally forming alliances with various kaiju.

Development and design

First iteration (1954)

Manga illustrator Wasuke Abe was lead designer behind the 1954 version of Godzilla. His initial idea was a humanoid beast with a head shaped like a mushroom cloud, the idea which would be later used for the creation of Mushroom Cloud Godzilla. While designing the monster, art director Akira Watanabe and sculptor Teizo Toshimitsu decided to combine the characteristics of a Iguanodon, Stegosaurus, and a Tyrannosaurus rex, taking inspiration from a 1953 issue of Life magazine and a dinosaur book for children. Toshimitsu sculpted three concept marquettes of Godzilla: one with fish-like scales, another had wart-like bumps, and one with skin inspired by crocodiles and other reptiles. Watanabe rejected the first two concepts, explaining that they lacked the necessary power, and approved the third concept. Special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya planned to bring Godzilla to life using stop-motion, but had insufficient time due to the scheduled release of the film in November 1954, and Tsuburaya decided to use a man in a suit in miniature sets of Tokyo, later known as "Suitmation". The top and bottom halves of the suit were later reused, to depict close-ups of Godzilla's feet, and the upper half used for other close-ups. A second suit was also created. A 50-centimetre (500-millimetre; 0.50-metre; 20-inch; 1.6-foot) miniature was employed to depict Godzilla's skeleton. In 2002, during production of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Toho made a replica of the 1954 Godzilla suit's upper half, modelled by Shinichi Wakasa; it was used in the flashback scene, worn by Millennium Godzilla suit actor Tsutomu Kitagawa. Godzilla's skeleton was also recreated for the film.

Other iterations (1955-1975)

Godzilla's design changed repeatedly between 1955 and 1975. The design for Godzilla Raids Again (1955) had a slimmer build and a smaller head. The design addressed the need for flexibility to battle Anguirus in the film. A separate set of legs, worn like boots, was used for close-up shots of Godzilla's feet and lower legs. As with the 1954 Godzilla design, a hand-operated puppet was used for close-ups of the monster's face. This puppet features teeth that protruded outward from the mouth and movable eyes, features not shared by the suit.

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