Rodan

Rodan (ラドン, Radon) is a giant pteranodon created by Toho that first appeared in the 1956 Toho film, Rodan.

Name
The Japanese name of Rodan, "Radon", is a contraction of "pteranodon" and may also have been chosen to suggest radiation. In the United States, the monster's name was changed to and trademarked as "Rodan."

Rodan
In Rodan, two Rodans, whose relationship is unknown, were unearthed and awakened by mining operations in Kitamatsu along with a swarm of prehistoric insects called Meganulons. After devouring several people, raiding various Pacific countries such as the Philippines and Sasebo to ruins, one Rodan is maimed in a bombardment of their nest in Mount Aso and falls, apparently fatally, into a volcanic eruption triggered by the attack. The other grief-stricken Rodan flies into the volcano to join the first. Briefly, the original Japanese version is much darker in tone. It also has one of the two Rodans injured by a jet fighter, causing it to dive into a river. Later we find that this injury prevents it from achieving supersonic flight, as now only one Rodan can do.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Rodan went on to cross over into the Godzilla series. Whether another Rodan entirely, or a survivor from 1956, this Rodan was resurrected by accumulated volcanic gas, appearing in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster in 1964 when he broke out of the crust of the volcano and helped Godzilla and Mothra defeat King Ghidorah. In this appearance and all subsequent appearances in the Showa series Rodan is as tall as Godzilla with a wingspan a little wider than he is tall.

Invasion of Astro-Monster
Rodan appeared with Godzilla again in Invasion of Astro-Monster, where both were mind-controlled by Xiliens to destroy Earth's cities and later fought King Ghidorah again when the mind control was broken.

Destroy All Monsters
In Destroy All Monsters, Rodan was again used by aliens to wreak havoc on Earth, this time by the Kilaaks. Again the mind control was broken and the monsters fought King Ghidorah. Rodan would only appear again in the Showa series in stock footage used for Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. Megalon, and Terror of MechaGodzilla.

Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2
Rodan returned in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2, where he sought to protect Baby Godzilla, whose egg was in Rodan's nest. Rodan played a vital role in the film's climax, sacrificing his own life to revive Godzilla by transferring his life-energy to him.

Heisei Rodan is notably much smaller than his appearances in the Showa series, standing only about 1/3 as tall as Godzilla and having a wingspan 1/2 Godzilla's height. The prominent rows of spines on his belly are replaced with overlapping ridges of bone, and he has three spines on his head instead of two (the outer two curve outwards and the center curves up), as well as a wider beak and more predatory face. Heisei Rodan does have some of his predecessor's durability, withstanding several blasts from both Godzilla and MechaGodzilla, and kept his speed and shockwave abilities as well as a stronger pecking attack that can shatter boulders.

After being defeated and left for dead by Godzilla following a fight on the small island where his and Baby Godzilla's eggs are found, Rodan was revived by the psychic song of an ancient plant that had covered the eggs. Godzilla's radiation mutated Rodan into Fire Rodan, changing his colors from brown and tan to brick red and light yellow/gold. Fire Rodan also gained a uranium heat ray as a weapon, similar to Godzilla's atomic breath. Besides that, Fire Rodan remained basically the same as Rodan.

Fire Rodan
Fire Rodan (ファイヤーラドン, Faiya Radon) is a more powerful form of Rodan that appeared in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2.

As a children's choir sang to Baby Godzilla, Rodan heard the song miles away on the island where he was killed. He absorbed the nuclear energy from Godzilla and transformed into Fire Rodan, and he took off to save his surrogate brother. He caught the capsule that was carrying the baby, and flew it off towards a city. He was attacked by the Garuda and then by MechaGodzilla, who made him fly into a building. The humans' attention was then turned to the arriving Godzilla, and they battled him. Godzilla was defeated and killed by Super MechaGodzilla, and Fire Rodan acted to save the life of his surrogate brother, and flew on top of Godzilla's body. He gave his life force and melted on Godzilla, healing his damaged second brain and giving him the power of the Spiral Beam. With Fire Rodan's power, Godzilla destroyed Super MechaGodzilla, and took Baby Godzilla out to sea.

Godzilla: Final Wars
In Godzilla: Final Wars, the original Rodan is used as a weapon of destruction by the Xiliens via mind control. He first appears wreaking havoc in the city of New York, utilizing his famed supersonic abilities to destroy buildings and evade attacks from the Rumbling, a high-tech warship. He appeared alongside an all-star cast of other classic monsters, as they wreaked havoc on the major cities of the world and were sent to fight Godzilla. Rodan, Anguirus and King Caesar were the only monsters Godzilla did not kill. Originally, Toho planned to film a scene where Godzilla destroyed them, but it was cut due to the fact that the fight scene was one of the first scenes filmed. Toho needed the costumes to film in other parts of the movie, and destroying them and making new costumes would interfere with the movie's budget, so the sequence was never filmed.

Godzilla 2
On July 26, 2014, Rodan was confirmed to be appearing in Godzilla 2, along with Mothra and King Ghidorah.

Abilities
Aside from his impressive speed and agility, Rodan possesses a variety of special abilities. He is capable of creating destructive shockwaves when flying, which he has used to demolish major cities such as Tokyo and Moscow. In addition, Rodan can cause powerful winds while on the ground by simply flapping his wings. He also uses his beak and talons effectively in battle(as shown in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2, where his beak was powerful enough to crush boulders), and his wings, despite their delicate appearance, are quite durable. Rodan can lift creatures several times his weight, for instance, Godzilla. Rodan also usually has spikes on his head and chest, which he may use in battle.

He also could emit a blast of wind from his mouth in the 1956 movie, but this concept was never used again. In Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2, Rodan, as Fire Rodan, develops the ability to emit a radioactive heat beam from his mouth called his uranium heat beam, after exposure to Godzilla and a radioactive waste disposal site. In the manga adaptation of the aforementioned film, Fire Rodan can absorb any nearby small animals such as birds, and fish, among others, into his body in order to restore his health and vitality. Rodan is also shown to withstand Godzilla's atomic breath. They showed that concept in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. In the Game Boy Advance video game Godzilla: Domination!, the aerial terror can release a radioactive mist from specialized glands located in his torso area for two seconds, which, if it connects, can score up to three hits against the opponent. It can also be noted that this Rodan sports an "atomic heat ray" which in fact, resembles a fireball rather than an actual ray.

Rodan was one of the few monsters not affected by Godzilla's atomic breath. In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla uses his breath against Rodan several times but Rodan seemed unaffected by it at all, only shaking his head in an annoyed manner. Rodan also shrugged off King Ghidorah's gravity beams in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of Astro-Monster. He was struck several times on his wings but showed no pain or reaction.

Filmography

 * Rodan
 * Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
 * Invasion of Astro-Monster
 * Destroy All Monsters
 * Godzilla vs. Gigan (Stock Footage)
 * Godzilla vs. Megalon (Stock Footage)
 * Terror of MechaGodzilla (Stock Footage)
 * Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2
 * Godzilla Island
 * Godzilla: Final Wars
 * Godzilla 2

Video Game Appearances

 * Gojira-Kun
 * Godzilla (Gameboy)
 * Battle Soccer
 * Circus Caper (Cameo)
 * Rodan (NES) (Unmade)
 * Kaiju-Oh Godzilla
 * Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters
 * Godzilla (Arcade) (Cameo)
 * Godzilla: Giant Monster March
 * Godzilla: Battle Legends
 * Godzilla: Archipelago Shock
 * Godzilla Trading Battle
 * Godzilla: Domination!
 * Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
 * Godzilla: Save the Earth
 * CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle
 * Godzilla: Unleashed (Wii and PlayStation 2)
 * Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash

Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters
Rodan is one of the encounterable monsters in the game.

Battle Soccer
Rodan is in the SNES game as a goalie for the Godzilla Team.

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
Rodan was playable in both the Nintendo Game Cube and the Xbox versions.

Godzilla: Save the Earth
Rodan re-appears in the sequel again with the same design in both of the games for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Godzilla: Unleashed
Rodan is back in Godzilla Unleashed but with a more fitting name called "Fire Rodan" to match his Uranium Beam. Rodan is part of the Earth Defender Faction and is one of the fastest flyers in the game.

Height: 70 meters Height: 24,000 tons

"Fire Rodan is Earth's largest flier. His element is the air, the clouds, and the wind-swept mountain peaks that scrape against them. Nesting in the tops of active volcanoes, Fire Rodan is virtually immune to heat and lava-based attacks. Rodan is the fastest of all monsters while in the air, and prefers to confront challenges from a lofty height. His great speed also makes him a fierce hand-to-hand combatant, with savage claw, talon, and beak attacks. Fire Rodan defends the Earth's atmosphere - eliminating all airborne threats to the planet's well-being."

Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
Rodan appears in Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash as one of the flyers.

Godzilla: Ongoing
In Godzilla: Ongoing #4, Rodan battles Titanosaurus in Tokyo. Though Titanosaurus is captured after the battle, Rodan escapes. In issue #10, Rodan and Anguirus battle Gigan in Hong Kong. In issue #13, Rodan appears in New York and plays an integral role in helping Godzilla defeat Keizer Ghidorah.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
Rodan appeared in the Rulers of Earth comic series, suddenly attacking Varan and fighting him in a military base. Rodan kept to the air, but the spikes on Varan's back shredded Rodan's wing, forcing him to retreat. Rodan was later seen in a flashback explaining the natural order of monsters, sleeping in a hillside cave. He is also seen on the mural in Infant Island's cave among other flying.

Roar
Rodan's roar was reused for many of the, such as the Heisei King Ghidorah and Battra.

In Other Languages

 * Russian: Родан
 * Chinese: 拉顿

Trivia

 * Rodan is one of the, if not the, fastest monsters in the Godzilla franchise.
 * Kohichi Kawakita, special effects director for the Heisei Godzilla series, made the decision to reduce Rodan's size to smaller than Godzilla, thereby avoiding the previous series' tendency of having every monster Godzilla fights be his size.
 * Rodan, Gyaos, and Chandora resemble bat-like creatures with large wings, although Rodan is more bird-like.
 * In Katakana, the American name for Radon is spelt ロダン.
 * In the simplified Chinese language both the Japanese and American names for Rodan are spelt: 氡 (Dong), implying to Radon, and 罗丹 (Luōdān), implying to Rodan.
 * Along with a few other, Rodan appeared in a occasion in Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump series.
 * "Radon" is also the name of a noble gas discovered in 1898.

Poll
Do you like Rodan? Yes! No. Kind of.