Rodan (Japanese: ラドン, Hepburn: Radon) is a giant pteranodon-like monster, or kaiju, which first appeared in the eponymous 1956 film, directed by Ishirō Honda and produced and distributed by Toho. Following its standalone debut, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous entries in the Godzilla franchise. Rodan is depicted as a colossal, prehistoric, irradiated species of Pteranodon. In 2014, IGN ranked Rodan as #6 on its "Top 10 Japanese Movie Monsters" list, while Complex listed the character as #15 on its "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time" list.
Overview
Name The Japanese name Radon is a contraction of Pteranodon. The spelling of Radon in Japanese also corresponds to the name of Ladon, the dragon guarding the Hesperides in Greek mythology - since there is no distinction between "l" and "r" in Japanese. It was changed to Rodan for English-speaking markets in order to avoid confusion with the element radon. However, in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, the English version of the film used the original name Radon.
Development As with Godzilla, writer Ken Kuronuma turned to prehistoric animals for inspiration in developing the character, though unlike the former, whose species is largely left ambiguous, Rodan is explicitly stated to be a kind of Pteranodon. Just as Godzilla was conceived as a symbol of an American nuclear threat, Rodan was seen as an embodiment of the same danger originating from the Soviet Union.
Showa era (1956–1968)
Rodan's debut appearance was the first and only time the character was given a chestnut color. It originally had a menacing face with a jagged, toothed beak, which would disappear in later incarnations as the character became more heroic. Rodan was portrayed via a combination of suitmation and wire-operated puppets for flight sequences. During suitmation sequences, Rodan was portrayed by Haruo Nakajima, who almost drowned when the wires holding the 150 lb. suits above a water tank snapped. In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, the Rodan suit was of visibly lesser quality than the previous one, having a more comical face, a thick neck which barely concealed the shape of the performer's head within, and triangular wings. The modification of the character's face was deliberate, as Rodan was meant to be a slapstick character rather than the tragic villain seen in its film debut. A new suit was constructed for Invasion of Astro-Monster which more closely resembled the first, having more rounded wings and a sleeker face. The sleek face was retained in Destroy All Monsters, though the wings and chest area were crudely designed.
Heisei era (1993)
Rodan was revived in 1993's Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, this time portrayed entirely via a wire-manipulated marionette and hand puppets. Having received criticism for his emphasis on battle sequences relying heavily on beam weapons, special effects artist Koichi Kawakita sought to make the confrontation between Godzilla and Rodan as physical as possible.
Reiwa era (2017–2021) The skeletal remains of an individual Rodan appears in the prologue of Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, having been killed in China. This is expanded upon in the prequel novel Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, in which it is revealed the Rodan emerged from Paektu Mountain in November 2005, attacked China, and battled Anguirus before they were both killed by a bio-weapon created by the Chinese military called Hedorah. In 2036, a flock of Rodans took over Siberia, competing against a swarm of Megaguiruses to prey on European refugees on the Trans-Siberian Railway. In Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle's prequel novel Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla, a second Rodan was said to have attacked Kyushu in 2029 while another flock of Rodans attacked Rome to prey on humans and eventually took over the Italian Peninsula in the mid-2030s. While enacting "Operation: Long March" and "Operation: Great Wall" in 2044 and 2045 respectively, United Earth forces faced attacks from an individual Rodan, among other monsters, in North Africa as well as a third flock of Rodans feeding on Meganulon in China. In Godzilla Singular Point, the show features various Rodans which are based on the Quetzalcoatlus. Most times, Rodan is smaller than its older counterparts, however, a larger, dark Rodan appears in the show, which is shortly killed by Godzilla. Rodan would appear in Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle, a 5-minute short film directed by Takashi Yamazaki, In the film, Rodan fights against King Ghidorah, but Ghidorah kills him mid-flight.
Monsterverse (2019–2026)
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