Godzilla

Godzilla is the name of a legendary Japanese monster loosely based on a dinosaur, though aspects of a dragon and other monsters are added into his character - the result of a nuclear-explosion Godzilla is believed to represent the fear of nuclear war and the effects such terrible forces could have on the world.



Originally appearing as a force of immense destruction who would rise from the depths and lay waste to the major cities of the world - with a fondness for targetting Tokyo - Godzilla's image has changed somewhat over the years with him being transformed into a more heroic figure who hosts his own popular series of films in Japan that have spawned an entire franchise based around giant-monsters, with Godzilla often fighting to protect Japan and other nations from evil aliens and prehistoric terrors - though his style of heroism is, of course, very destructive and he often causes as much damage as his enemies even if unintentional.

Standing in at an impressive 300ft or more depending on the source Godzilla is worthy of his title as "king of the monsters" and has the ability to emit nuclear-flame in a manner similiar to a dragon, which when added to his immense size and strength makes him a formidable opponent even to other giant monsters.

Although traditionally associated with Japan the success of Godzilla both as a villain and a hero has had the monstrous lizard shipped overseas on a few occassions, the most recent of these was the American-based Godzilla, in which they altered Godzilla's physiology and personality to the extent they could almost be considered different creatures altogether - in this film Godzilla is born pregnant and goes as far as building a nest inside an abandoned building - resulting in New York being overrun by smaller Godzilla babies.

The original Godzilla doesn't seem to share this trait, in fact Godzilla's gender and ability to reproduce are rarely discussed in any film outside the modern American version, in most of the movies he is depicted as a force of nature rather than a being, punishing mankind for their trespasses against nature and, in latter adaptations, becoming a defender of Japan, he is referred to as a male due to the title of "king of the monsters" but this is probably for simplicity's sake rather than scientific fact.