Meet the Monsters: A Kaiju Guide for ‘Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters’

I remember watching the most recent trailer for Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters. I could feel my inner child breaking free, clawing at the surface as the trailer played. I could barely contain my joy when I saw the magnificent King Ghidorah lunge towards Godzilla in a godly stand-off. Beautiful.

I would call myself a Godzilla fan. A big one. I love the mythology behind the Kaiju, the absurdity of it all, and just the idea of giant monsters. Then it hit me. Some of the older films in which the Kaiju originated from are difficult to find, they aren’t easily accessible- apart from the Hollywood versions like Godzilla (1998) which I’m sure many people have repressed, and the most recent Godzilla (2014) which despite launching a universe, criminally used Godzilla for a pitiful 11 minutes.

There is a lot of hype for the sequel. On a personal note, with all the films coming in 2019 like Captain Marvel, Endgame, Shazam and Star Wars Episode IX, Godzilla 2 is easily top of the list for my most anticipated movie of 2019, without a doubt.

When considering that many new fans of Godzilla and the Kaiju universe might not know the stories behind some of the new monsters introduced in the sequel, I thought I would help by just offering an insight into the new Kaiju while simultaneously immersing myself in Kaiju magic.

Mothra
Titanus Mosura
52 ft tall
803 ft wingspan

Yes. Mothra is a giant moth. Don’t laugh just yet… she is actually a fan favourite. She first appeared in her own film in 1961 before appearing in several Godzilla movies as well as landing her own trilogy in 1990. Unlike the other giant Kaiju, Mothra is usually depicted as the hero and is sometimes accompanied by 2 singing priestesses who speak on behalf of Mothra- though I can’t see that happening in 2019. In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Mothra is actually the monster that attempts to build an alliance between Godzilla and Rodan in order to defeat Ghidorah. Over the years Mothra has gained many wonderful abilities like energy beams which fire from her antennae and poisonous gas which is usually her last resort if the fight is looking one sided. In Godzilla 2 however, it looks as though her new ability will involve emitting blinding ‘god rays’, this could be useful when going up against Ghidorah.

Rodan
Titanus Rodan
154 ft tall
871 ft wingspan

To put it simply, Rodan is a giant prehistoric Pteranodon. Much like Mothra, he first appeared in his own film in 1956 where two Rodans were awakened underground by a mining operation. They both met their demise when they fell into Mount Aso. However, in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Rodan is resurrected and breaks out of Mount Aso but refuses to fight Ghidorah due to his hatred of mankind, until he sees Mothra fighting the dragon alone. Yes, these monsters know sympathy and compassion. Rodan’s ability originally involved emitting wind from his mouth but eventually transformed to spitting uranium beams. While his abilities seem limited, his size and wing span are his true weapons. In Godzilla 2, Rodan has an estimated wingspan of 871 ft which is roughly the same length as an Aircraft Carrier. In addition to that, this new incarnation has given Rodan geothermal armor and a magma internal combustion system granting him an array of potential pyrokinetic abilities.

King Ghidorah
Monster Zero
521 ft tall
N/A wingspan

This colossal beast is essentially every child’s dream monster. Not only is he a dragon, but he’s big, he has 3 heads, he’s golden, and he breathes lightning. What more could you possibly want? Originally, Ghidorah was an extraterrestrial monster that went around destroying planets. He attacked Venus and obliterated it, rendering it a barren wasteland. His first appearance was in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster in which Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra teamed up to defeat him. Out of all the Kaiju, King Ghidorah is on par with Thanos. He is the big bad, the doom bringer, and a relentless force of evil. The fact he is appearing in Godzilla 2 is bad news not only for the monsters but the entire planet as well. His abilities tend to vary but typically include his iconic beams, as well as energy shields and even magnetism. In Godzilla 2 it is hard to predict how Ghidorah will turn out but just looking at his size indicates that we may be dealing with something audiences have never seen before. Ghidorah stands at 521 ft tall, dwarfing Godzilla who stands at 355 ft tall. When it comes to Ghidorah’s wingspan… well, it’s so big that no one has confirmed just how big it is yet, but it looks as though his wings along can pack one hell of a punch. The description for Ghidorah from the Monarch website reads:

if Monster Zero were to fly again, the stratosphere would be torn open by an otherworldly tempest of thunder and lightning our sky has never seen.

Are you excited for Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters? The highly anticipated sequel is due out in May 2019. While you wait, go and do some research on the infamous Kaiju, there is an entire catalog of unique Kaiju that have been brought to life by the creative teams at Toho. Thanks to them, Godzilla and his multiple friends and foes have survived almost 65 years in the limelight. This new universe established by Legendary is sure to kick start a wide variety of new Godzilla related films, so with that who would you like to see appear in a sequel?

You can also check out the trailer below!

Source from Screen Rant:
https://screenrant.com/godzilla-2-new-monsters-rodan-mothra-ghidorah-explained/