Where Did Godzilla Come From? Curious Monster Movie Facts For Kids

All Godzilla films have recorded great success at the box office and have left the audiences thinking about the king of the monsters.

Godzilla is a fictional 'kaiju' character and also a media franchise owned by Toho. Godzilla is the anglicized version of the word 'Gojira' (ゴジラ) in Japanese which is a combination of two Japanese words, gorira (ゴリラ), 'gorilla', and kujira (クジラ), 'whale'.

The word Gojira symbolizes its immense strength and aquatic origin. Godzilla is the longest-running film franchise, continuously producing films since 1954. In total, this franchise has produced 36 films. Haruo Nakajima was the first-ever person to play the role in the original film 1954 Godzilla.

In earlier years, the film Godzilla featured political and social undertones relevant to Japan at the time. Even though the first Godzilla featured political and social undertones, the later movies are not just limited to that.

The later movies are also based on complex internal mythological themes, dark undertones, action movies with aliens and giant monsters, and children-friendly themes. To appease the North American audience, the film was introduced as 'Godzilla, King of the Monsters'.

It was a big hit in the states and to date, the Godzilla franchise remains one of the people's favorites. The Godzilla movies have become an important icon of Japanese pop culture and the film industry.

Godzilla movies are especially popular due to their vivid special effects. After reading all about the king of the monsters, do read about where did the name America come from and where did the titans come from?

What creature is Godzilla?

Godzilla king is a fictional character of kaiju (monster) originating from a series of Japanese films.

Godzilla is a gigantic, prehistoric dinosaur-like creature. He is often seen as indestructible and is known as the 'King of Monsters'.

Originally, Godzilla was supposed to be a giant mutated octopus created by a nuclear test, but later the filmmakers decided to make it a hybrid Tyrannosaurus Rex-like creature. Over the course of years, his appearance changes a bit from film to film but he remains a dinosaur-like creature that stands on his hind limbs, like a human.

According to the films, Godzilla is over 250 million years old. He has long been portrayed as a nearly indestructible and unstoppable force.

Godzilla could survive atomic bombs used during World War II. He is seen as the alpha predator with an atomic breath.

Apparently, when Godzilla was created, the radiation from the nuclear testing of weapons that he absorbed, made him transform into his current monstrous being. In 1971 Godzilla Vs. Hedorah, Godzilla directs his atomic breath against the ground in order to fly. Godzilla's atomic breath isn't the only way in which he can use his atomic abilities.

He can also concentrate the atomic power running in his veins, and create atomic pulses that radiate out of his body and cause destruction. This makes Godzilla no less destructive than nuclear power weapons.

Godzilla's sex is undetermined. In the Japanese movies, the pronouns are "it", but in the English versions, he's addressed with male pronouns. In a later movie, he is seen having a son but it's not clear whether Godzilla is the father or the mother. There's no mention of his mate anywhere in the series.

Even after being the King of Monsters, Godzilla has a fatal weakness that very few know of. For the otherwise imperishable Godzilla, his weakness lies in the fact that he has two brains.

We might wonder why having two brains can be a fatal flaw, but the issue lies in the position where the second brain is situated. His second brain is situated where his tail meets his torso.

This second brain is responsible for controlling Godzilla’s movements and locomotion. This is his weak spot that can be targeted to paralyze Godzilla and later kill him.

What island did Godzilla come from?

Godzilla used to be a prehistoric theropod dinosaur-like creature called Godzillasaurus. He was called the 'King of Dinosaurs' before he turned into the 'King of Monsters'. He used to live on the Island of Lagos in the Japanese peninsula. After he was transformed into a Godzilla, he left the island and went to live in the ocean.

In a spinoff of the Godzilla story, a series called 'Godzilla Island' was produced. Here Godzilla is shown living on an island in the south pacific.

This island is the tropical paradise where all of the earth's monsters live. Godzilla also comes from this island. Other habitats of the Godzilla island include Godzilla Junior, Mothra, Mothra Leo, Rodan, Fire Rodan, King Ghidorah, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla (the Heisei version), Anguirus, Gigan, Hedorah.

What led to the birth of Godzilla?

The story of Godzilla's birth is one of a kind. It is indeed very interesting. But in fact, the truth is that Godzilla wasn't born. He was created.

Before World War ll, Godzilla used to be a prehistoric theropod dinosaur-like creature living on the island of Lagos in the pacific. He was called 'Godzillasaurus'. He lived with other prehistoric animals, on Lagos Island, hidden from the human eye.

During the Pacific War, the Japanese and American soldiers had strife on Lagos Island. Halfway through it, the island shook with a monstrous roar and a giant dinosaur emerged from within the trees.

Terrified of the monstrous animal, the American soldiers open fire on Godzillasaurus. This enraged Godzillasaurus and he trampled all the American soldiers. Though he wasn't left unhurt.

The Japanese saluted him and left the island. Godzillasaurus was left alone on the island to heal himself.

After about a decade the Japanese were testing nuclear weapons in that region. Due to the radiation poisoning from the atomic bombs, all organisms present on Lagos Island perished and died, except one. Godzillasaurus, the 'King of Dinosaurs'.

He survived, but at a cost. Due to the atomic radiation, he gets transformed into the monster we know him as.

This is how he became indestructible and got his atomic breath. After Godzilla was transformed he went to live in the ocean. 1974 Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla, Godzilla was repeatedly struck by lightning which turned him into a magnetic Godzilla.

Why is Godzilla’s name Godzilla?

As mentioned earlier, Godzilla is the anglicized version of the word 'Gojira'  (ゴジラ), which is the Japanese word for Godzilla from the original Godzilla 1954 movie. It also stands for ‘a giant whale’.

This was done by the movie studio's foreign sales department when it was introduced to the American audience. This also symbolizes the combination of giant size, immense strength, and provenance in the depths of the ocean. The indestructible monster supercharged with radiation is indeed worthy of this name.

With the Godzilla series spanning over 30 films, there are many different versions of Godzilla. Godzilla's alliances and motivations change from film to film as the filmmakers try to re-imagine his character every few years.

In some movies, Godzilla is seen as the protector of humans and in other movies, he is seen as destroying mankind. Sometimes he fights alone while other times he has company. Sometimes he wreaks terror in Tokyo and New York while at other times he protects the earth.

Godzilla 1954 was initially created as a villain. He can be seen rampaging through Tokyo and other Japanese cities. The Godzilla King was seen as a threat to mankind in Japan. He brought destruction everywhere he went, partially due to his size and partially due to his intentions.

In the films where Godzilla takes the antagonistic roles, he is often portrayed as the symbol of the horror of nuclear weapons. Here are some movies where Godzilla attacks different sides, for different purposes. *Spoiler Alert*

'Shin Godzilla'

In the movie Shin Godzilla, Godzilla evolves throughout the movie, gradually gaining strength. He is the antagonist against whom humans are fighting.

'Godzilla vs Mothra'

This shows Godzilla, Mothra, and Battra engaged in a three-way contest to battle/protect Earth.

'Godzilla Vs Kong'

In this movie, both Godzilla and King Kong are shown as equally powerful. The outcome of the final battle has people divided into various groups. Some say Kong won, some say it's a draw, and others maintain Godzilla should have won (because of Kong's odd lightning power-up).

'The Return of the Godzilla'

In this movie, Godzilla is again seen as a giant monster terrorizing Japanese fishing men and the people of Tokyo.

'Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack'

This movie,  just like the original one, is influenced by WW II. Here Godzilla is the antagonist beast who is possessed by the victims of WW II and leads an all-out attack on humans.

Toho turned Godzilla into a hero in the '60s.

In 1964 Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (a direct sequel to Mothra vs. Godzilla)

The arrival of King Ghidorah posed a threat to Japan. Godzilla helped Mother to fight against Ghidorah. Even though he did it out of shame, he still did the good deed.

'MonsterVerse'

Like all Titans in the MonsterVerse, Godzilla is a natural force whose inherent purpose in the world is to maintain order. He is responsible for keeping all other monsters in line.

The Godzilla films in which Godzilla is an anti-hero (though he's not the bad guy in these films) and attacks him are, Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Biollante, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Destroyah, Godzilla 2000, Godzilla 2014, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Godzilla: Final Wars, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

There can be many reasons due to which Godzilla attacks, and whom he attacks. It can be concluded that Godzilla isn't exactly a fan of humans, although he's willing to work with them whilst fighting a common enemy.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Where Did Godzilla Come From?

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