Godzilla

Godzilla, originally Gojira in Japanese, is a fictional giant monster (kaiju) created by Toho Co., Ltd. It first appeared in the 1954 film Gojira, directed by Ishirō Honda, produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. In the story, Godzilla is a prehistoric sea creature awakened and mutated by nuclear radiation; the creature’s appearances often reflect postwar anxieties surrounding nuclear weapons and disaster.

Character and abilities: Godzilla is typically depicted as enormous, with a dorsal fin arrangement along the back and the ability to emit an energy beam from the mouth, commonly called the atomic breath. Depictions vary, portraying him as a destructive adversary, an anti-hero, or a reluctant guardian of humanity. Some continuities emphasize a force of nature beyond human control, while others explore clashes with military and other monsters.

Franchise and media: Toho has produced numerous films across multiple continuities—Showa (1954–1975), Heisei (1989–1995), Millennium (1999–2004)—and later standalone reboots. A notable entry is Shin Godzilla (2016), which reimagines the origin outside the earlier continuities. American productions by Legendary Pictures launched with Godzilla (2014), followed by Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), forming the MonsterVerse. Animated features include Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017), City on the Edge of Battle (2018), and The Planet Eater (2018) by Polygon Pictures, as well as the Netflix series Godzilla Singular Point (2021).

Legacy: Godzilla has become a globally recognized symbol of monster cinema and popular culture, influencing film, television, comics, and video games, with ongoing releases and a broad fan base across generations.