understanding what we are, part seven (continued)

[edit] VS or Heisei series (1984-1995)
The VS series is in the era known as the Heisei Period wherein, not only did Godzilla return after more than a decade's absence, but it marked a transition between the reign of the Showa Emperor Hirohito to that of his son Akihito now dubbed the Heisei Emperor.

In The Return of Godzilla, rather than being disturbed by atom bomb testing in the Pacific Ocean, the second Godzilla monster of the Versus series, 80 meters tall and 50,000 metric tons, is the direct result. Return of Godzilla ignored all previous films in the series aside from the original, and the following Heisei series would hold some varying ambigiuity over whether the Godzilla awoken in Return was in fact the original, or another of its species. Awakened by volcanic erruption and hungering for nuclear energy, the new Godzilla attacked a Russian nuclear submarine before turning towards Japan's nuclear powerplants. After his battle with the Super X, Godzilla was lured to Mount Mihara by Professor Hayashida where he would be dropped into the lava below. There he entered a state of dormancy.

During his slumber, Japan developed the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria (ANB) as a contingency in case Godzilla ever returned.

Reawakened by explosions, Godzilla headed for Lake Ashino where he would do battle with Biollante, the hybrid monster of Godzilla’s own DNA and the cells of a rose that had bonded with the soul of a scientist's daughter. After their first batttle was done, Godzilla was confronted by a new Super X-2 that distracted the monster so soldiers could administer the ANB through rocket propelled grenades. Super X-2 was destroyed in the battle. In an attempt to activate the ANB, Godzilla was lured to a site with experimental lightning generators whose purpose would be to increase Godzilla's core temperature so the bacteria could function properly. At the site, a new form of Biollante arrived and besieged the weakening Godzilla. The ANB had taken effect and forced the battle to draw. Biollante was mortally wounded and Godzilla had fallen into the ocean, where he would die from the ANB. The cold waters of the Pacific would lower Godzilla’s body temperature, forcing the ANB to fall dormant and allowing Godzilla to live on.


Godzilla , as portrayed during the late Heisei era. (Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, 1994)In Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, time travelers from the future go back in time to 1944 to relocate the Godzillasaurus (which would become the second Godzilla) in the Bering Sea, and to replace it with their own creation—three tiny Dorats, which were harmless pets of the Futurians—to allow it to undergo Godzilla’s nuclear transformation instead, mutating and combining them into a three headed golden dragon, King Ghidorah.

In efforts to stop the Futurians' monster, those who were tricked into leading the Futurians to the Godzillasaurus made plans to send a nuclear submarine into the Bering Sea in an attempt to create the second Godzilla. Instead of finding the Godzillasaurus, the submarine would come face to face with Godzilla himself, 100 meters tall and 60,000 metric tons. The Futurians’ ignorance of the past leads them to create the second Godzilla in the first place rather than removing him from history. Godzilla would absorb the power of the nuclear sub, and not only would it seem to have cured the monster of the ANB but it would also mutate it even further, becoming powerful enough to defeat King Ghidorah, the Futurians’ monster. Godzilla went on to attack Japan himself, but was stopped when Emmy, one of the Futurians who had turned on her fellows, resurrected Ghidorah as a cyborg, Mecha-King Ghidorah. The two battled in Tokyo, with both falling into the sea at the movie's conclusion.

Further movies showed mankind's efforts in defeating Godzilla while also being challenged by other monsters such as Mothra, Rodan, and SpaceGodzilla. This series featured a team of monster-fighting soldiers called G-Force. Several ways G-Force planned to stop Godzilla included the construction of two "mecha-kaiju", Mecha Godzilla (who would do battle with both Godzilla and Rodan) and M.O.G.U.E.R.A, also called Moguera (Godzilla and SpaceGodzilla). Like in the previous series, Godzilla had a son (Which confused some fans wither Godzilla's a male or female), this time the smaller creature was simply called "Baby Godzilla", "Little Godzilla," and "Godzilla Jr". (Junior for short).

Ultimately this Godzilla would meet his end in the finale of the versus series, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. Everything comes full circle when Godzilla is faced with a monster, Destoroyah, created by the experimental weapon, the Oxygen Destroyer, which was used to kill the first Godzilla in 1954. The end of Godzilla came when the radiation became too much for his body to control, and he finally succumbed to a total nuclear meltdown. This was not the end of Godzilla's legacy, however; the wounded Godzilla Junior absorbed all of the energies from his "father"'s remains and fully matured into an adult Godzilla like him. The future becomes reality as Junior is the Godzilla that never destroys Japan due to the humans he befriended as an infant, and child and becomes a successor of his father.


Millennium series (1999–2004)
The Millennium series is unique because rather than creating a single continuity that all the films would follow, the series would instead be compromised by a number of discrete narratives, each using only the original Godzilla film as a backdrop. It is often called the "Shinsei" (新生) series by Western fans (meaning "rebirth") however the name is not recognized by Toho.


[edit] Godzilla 2000: Millennium
As a direct sequel of the original movie, the Godzilla, 55 meters tall and 25,000 metric tons, depicted in Godzilla 2000: Millennium is not related to any other Godzilla flims seen previously, or to those to come. It is unclear whether this Godzilla is the same as the original, but what is known is that he has been attacking and feeding off of Japan’s energy plants for some time. An alien UFO obtains some of Godzilla’s DNA in order to adapt to Earth’s atmosphere and becomes the monster Orga. The two monsters battle and Godzilla prevails by destroying his foe as it attempts to swallow him whole.


Godzilla, as portrayed during the early Millennium series. (Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, 2000)
[edit] Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
Though Godzilla looks the same in this film as he did in Godzilla 2000: Millennium, this movie takes place in a separate continuity from the previous film. The Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus attacked Tokyo in 1954, the Tokaimura Power Plant in 1966, and Osaka in 1996. In 2000, Godzilla would be the first to encounter the Meganura threat. However, shortly after this, Godzilla would be lured to Kiganjima Island where he would fall victim to a top secret weapon, the Dimension Tide. The attack would be interrupted by the Meganura allowing Godzilla to battle their queen, Megaguirus in battle. After Godzilla's victory he would fall victim once again to the Dimension Tide and be buried deep underneath the city. Shortly after the credits, however, the main character (a child) goes to the window and hears Godzilla's famed roar.

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Godzilla, as depicted during Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001).Again disregarding the continuity of previous films of the millennium series, the Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is confirmed to be the original monster, now driven by the souls of those who died in the Pacific in World War II. This film returns Godzilla to his roots of being a genuinely malevolent being who deliberately seeks to punish Japan for the sins of WWII. Godzilla would do battle with the Yamato beasts Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah but ultimately would meet his end by the actions of general Tachibana, who piloted a submersible down Godzilla's throat and out through a wound in his neck. The next two times Godzilla attempted to use his thermonuclear breath it shot out of his wound, and eventually tore him apart from the inside. This would not be his end. At the bottom of Tokyo Bay the monster's heart lived on, beginning to rejuvenate his body.

GXM and GMM S.O.S
For the first time in the Millennium Series, a specific Godzilla would appear in a series of two movies, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.. As predicted at the end of the original film, a second Godzilla emerges in the middle of a typhoon in 2002 but would be driven away. In his attack on Tokyo, he was temporarily defeated by the new Mechagodzilla, Kiryu. Godzilla reappeared in 2003 where it would take the combined efforts of Kiryu, Mothra and her larva to bring him down.

Godzilla: Final Wars
The Godzilla from Godzilla: Final Wars is the last Godzilla as of 2004; Toho has decided to retire the franchise for a period of 5-10 years to renew interest in the future.
The origins of this Godzilla are left (perhaps intentionally) ambiguous, though through lack of any other explanation it seems this Godzilla was the same from 1954, despite being significantly larger, and had the same actions of all previous incarnations of Godzilla. Decades before the main story starts, Godzilla was buried in ice at the South Pole by the Earth Defense Force’s aerial battle ship Gotengo. When the Xilians, an alien race, used many of Earth's own monsters in attempts to conquer it, the EDF would have to be forced to free Godzilla from the ice to fight for mankind. This Godzilla was lured towards the Xilians' mothership in Tokyo while he fought the Xilians' monsters along the way, defeating/destroying each one in his path including Gigan, Zilla, Kumonga, Kamacuras, Rodan, King Caesar, Anguirus, Ebirah and Hedorah.
He at last arrived in Tokyo just in time for an asteroid to enter Earth's atmosphere. Godzilla attempted to stop it by exhaling his atomic breath on it, causing it to explode and releasing the real threat, Monster X. Mothra came to attack Gigan while the Xilians summoned the revived and rebuilt Gigan. Mothra was quickly dispatched by Gigan, who then joined Monster X to double team Godzilla. Mothra recovers and attacks both Monster X and Gigan, turning the tide of battle. Gigan resumes his battle with Mothra, and both Kaiju are destroyed in a Kamikaze attack by the lepidopteran deity, while Monster X transformed into a new form, Kaiser Ghidorah. He nearly would have killed Godzilla if it weren't for the superhuman Ozaki transferring his mutant powers into Godzilla, restoring his strength and empowering him enough to destroy Keizer Ghidorah. Turning his attention back on his old enemies, Godzilla shot down the Gotengo and was prepared to finish its crew off if Godzilla's infant son, Minilla, had not intervened, pleading Godzilla to stop. Tired from his past battles, Godzilla returns to the ocean with his son.