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| Godzilla (Heisei era) | |
|---|---|
| Godzilla film series character | |
 | |
| First appearance | The Return of Godzilla (1984) |
| Last appearance | Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) |
| Portrayed by | Kenpachiro Satsuma Wataru Fukuda (Godzillasaurus) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Mutated amphibious dinosaur |
| Gender | Male |
| Family | Godzilla Junior (adopted son) |
| Home | Lagos Island (1944)[a] Baas Island (1995)[a] |
Godzilla (Japanese:ゴジラ,Hepburn:Gojira), or sometimes known asHeisei Godzilla (Japanese:平成ゴジラ,Hepburn:Heisei Gojira) is a giant monster, orkaiju, and the main protagonist of Heisei era of theGodzilla franchise.
One of the last living members of prehistoric species of dinosaurs calledGodzillasaurus that used to inhabit Lagos Island, Godzilla was exposed to a massive dose of radiation through being teleported toBering Sea by humans from the year 2204 and subsequent crash of Soviet nuclear submarine in 1970s, mutating him into a ginormous atomic beast single-mindedly set on completely destroyingJapan 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 end inGodzilla vs. Destoroyah after absorbing the uranium deposits from Baas Island, dying over the course of days as his body began melting down, being succeeded byGodzilla Junior.
WhenGodzilla vs. Biollante had been released, Godzilla at the time was commonly called theNew Godzilla (Japanese:新ゴジラ,Hepburn:Shin Gojira). This name would be used to dubGodzilla Junior's adult form inGodzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).[1] ForGodzilla 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.[2]
InGodzilla vs. Destoroyah, after absorbing massive amounts of radiation, Godzilla reaches a burning state causing his body to slowly melt down. Although its mostly known asBurning Godzilla (Japanese:バーニングゴジラ,Hepburn:Bāningu Gojira), some concept art, refers to this form of Godzilla is referred to asRed Godzilla (Japanese:赤きゴジラ,Hepburn:Akaki Gojira).[3]
In 1992, an elderly Japanese woman came across a Godzilla suit that washed up on a beach while on a walk in the town of Lake Okutama. She later alerted Toho about the suit, and Toho then retrieved the missing suit. It was claimed by an American news report that a group of unknown thieves stole the Godzilla suit from one of the Toho warehouses, while Toho was makingGodzilla vs. Mothra. The suit involved in the theft was the suit used inGodzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991).[8]
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In 1995, a statue of the Heisei Godzilla was built and displayed at theHibiya Godzilla Square, but in 2016, it was replaced by a 3-metre (9.8-foot; 300-centimetre; 120-inch) tall statue ofShin Godzilla. The Heisei Godzilla statue was moved inside theToho Cinemas Hibiya building.[9]
In 1999, a 8.75-metre (28.7-foot; 875-centimetre; 344-inch) tall Heisei Godzilla slide was built atKurihama Flower World, though it has the outward appearance of a statue. This statue was constructed for children under the age of 12.[10]
On December 8, 2014, an announcement was made that theGodzilla head would be constructed on the 8th floor terrace of theHotel Gracery Shinjuku inTokyo, Japan.[11] The construction work of the Godzilla head was completed on April 10, 2015 and is currently located at theShinjuku Toho Building in Kabukichō, Shinjuku.
In February 2022, Coolprops announced that they would release an official life-sized bust of the Heisei Godzilla, in collaboration withToho.[12]
