Rodan

Rodan is a fictional monster, introduced in Rodan, a 1956 release from Toho Studios, the company responsible for the Godzilla series. Like Godzilla, and Anguirus it is designed after a type of prehistoric reptile (The Japanese name "Radon" is a contraction of "pteranodon " and may also have been chosen to suggest radiation). Radon is usually referred to as Rodan stateside.

Weapons and Abilities
Rodan's primary weapons are his speed and agility; he can create hurricane-force winds in his wake by flying at supersonic speeds at low altitude. He also uses his beak and talons effectively in battle, and his wings, despite their delicate appearance, are quite durable. Rodan can lift creatures several times his weight, for instance, Godzilla. 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 II, 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. Rodan could also withstand Godzilla's atomic breath. They showed that concept in Ghidorah,the three-headed monster.

Origin
Rodan is the surviving offspring of a prehistoric pteradactyl-like creature. His egg was laid deep inside a mine, where it was preserved until disturbed by the miners where it began eating Meganula, after which it went off to cause havoc.

Showa series
In Rodan, two Rodans were unearthed and awakened by mining operations in Kitamatsu along with a swarm of prehistoric insects called Meganulons. After devouring several people and reducing fukuoka (Sasebo in the dub) to ruins, the Rodans are apparently killed in a volcanic eruption triggered by a bombardment of their nest in Mount Aso.

Rodan (presumably one of the two creatures in Rodan) went on to crossover into the Godzilla series, appearing in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster in 1964 to help Godzilla and Mothra defeat King Ghidorah. Rodan appeared with Godzilla again in Invasion of Astro-Monster, where both were mind-controlled by Xilians to destroy Earth's cities and later fought King Ghidorah again when the mind control was broken.

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 Shōwa series in stock footage used for Terror of Mechagodzilla.

Heisei Series
Rodan in the Heisei series appeared in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, where he sought to protect Baby Godzilla, whose egg was in the same nest as Rodan. 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 Godzilla's uranium heat ray as a weapon, with all of its properties. Besides that, Fire Rodan remained basically the same as Rodan.

Millennium series


In the 2004 film, Godzilla: Final Wars, Rodan is used as a weapon of destruction by the Xilians via mind control. He appeared alongside an all-star cast of 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; Toho's way of paying homage to the times in the past all three had fought by his side. This is just idle speculation by the author, as officially, the creator of the movie has stated that Godzilla killed all three off screen. Actually, Toho planned to film a scene where Godzilla destroyed them, but it was cut do 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.

G:FW Rodan combines elements of both the Showa and Heisei versions, such as the Showa's size and the Heisei's coloration (red with some yellow on his stomach, etc.) and physical appearance (besides the head, which was far closer to how it was in the Showa era).

Other Appearances
Rodan (as Fire Rodan) is a playable character in Atari's Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee and Godzilla: Save the Earth video games. Rodan is a very fast character with good combo abilities and extended flight time (his energy bar does not begin to drop until several seconds have passed or until Rodan uses his heat ray, and even then it still drops much slower than King Ghidorah or Mecha-King Ghidorah's energy bars). His weapon rating is also good. On the negative side, Rodan's attacks are generally weak and his defense is low, meaning he is best playing a hit-and-run style of fight.

Video Game Appearances
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee; Gamecube & Xbox Godzilla: Save the Earth; PS2 & Xbox Godzilla: Unleashed; PS2, Wii Godzilla: Unleashed Double Smash; Ds

Trivia

 * Rodan has appeared, either alone or alongside Godzilla, in the Animaniacs cartoon series, The Simpsons, and Family Guy.