King Kong (disambiguation)

King Kong (キングコング, Kingu Kongu) is a giant primate created by a collaboration between Universal Studios and Toho, and is the third monster to appear in a Godzilla series film, facing Godzilla in 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, later appearing in King Kong Escapes.

King Kong vs. Godzilla
Deep in the jungles of a mysterious island, a feral denizen of prehistory silently awaited his explosive debut…

A pharmaceutical/television conglomerate recently discovered soma, a new type of sedative-producing berry, on the remote Farou Island, where it was said that the natives worshiped a giant living "deity". TTV Television, desperate for a ratings boost, sent two of their best men to Farou Island to retrieve more berries; and, in lieu of the recent reemergence of Godzilla, they were also on a mission to locate the legend of Farou Island, in hopes that the story of a monster would attract viewers to their programs.

When the TTV expedition first arrived on the island, the natives were bent on forcing their immediate leave. However, after the Osamu Sakurai and Kinsaburo Furue offered them gifts, in the form of a handheld radio and a slew of cigarettes, the natives quickly acquiesced and allowed them to stay. Suddenly, a severe lightning storm struck, and the natives began to bow down and chant. A spine-chilling roar bellowed from one end of the island to the other, and it soon became clear that King Kong, the legendary beast of Farou Island, was much more than just a legend.

The following day, the natives guided their guests through the thick island brush in search of their quarry, but a surprise rock slide forced them to retreat. As a result of the sudden avalanche, Kinsaburo was hurt and required a dose of the medicinal soma. As a native boy was preparing to procure the fluid from a hut near the outskirts of the village, a giant octopus attacked the little shack. The natives began chucking spears at the monstrous mollusk, and the boy and his mother just barely escaped certain doom. The octopus frantically tore through the hut, seeking the berry juice for which it so longed… when suddenly, from the other side of a towering wall of sharpened logs, a giant appeared. King Kong, the mysterious monster "deity" of which the natives had warned, finally arrived in full force!

Kong tore through the manmade barrier and hurled two boulders at the aggressor, prompting the giant octopus to flee in terror. Grasping four jars of berry juice, the enormous ape drugged himself until he was comatose. In this state, it was relatively easy to restrain and ship the beast back to Japan. The Japanese Self-Defense Force caught up with the transport vessel and ordered Mr. Tako, the president of TTV, to return Kong to Farou Island. Alas, federal law wasn't enough to route the monster, for Kong awoke and started to flail. The explosives aboard his raft were detonated; but Kong survived, and he began to head straight for his instinctive enemy, Godzilla.

When the two titans met on dry land, Godzilla's atomic ray got the better of Kong. The massive ape retreated and fled to Tokyo. An electrical barricade was no match for the hideous creature, for it merely amplified its strength as he absorbed the surging electrical currents. The brute began to wreck havoc on Tokyo, tearing apart everything in his path. Grasping a train, he became enchanted by the beauty of Fumiko Sakurai, the sister of one of the men responsible for his capture earlier. Kong brought his living trophy atop the Diet Building, preparing to defend his honor. The SDF was desperate, but a plan was hatched. By inserting the soma into rockets, they were able to launch the drug into the sky. Coupled with the reproduction of the percussion endemic to the natives of Farou, Kong was lulled into a deep slumber, and his hostage was rescued.

Godzilla, meanwhile, was still quite unstoppable. The military was helpless against the nuclear leviathan, and it became clear that Kong was the only solution. Using special wires, balloons, and helicopters, Kong was airlifted to Mt. Fuji. By morning, he arrived, and came face to face with his reptilian adversary once more.

After the two terrors collided and toppled down the mountainside, the huge ape lured Godzilla to the other side, as he prepared to attack from behind a rock. Though the atomic ray was an insurmountable obstacle for Kong, he continued to chuck boulders at his foe. When he tried to roll toward Godzilla, the scaly menace dodged the attack and Kong's head collided with a stone. Godzilla quickly gained the upper hand, until the arrival of a freak lightning storm.

Rejuvenated by the static discharges, Kong attacked Godzilla with an even greater ferocity than before. They laid ruin to civilization before they made their final plummet from a cliff into the ocean. Their savage brawl generated a terrible earthquake, but the chaos soon subsided.

Bobbing his head out of the water, Kong signaled a silent success, as it became all too clear that Godzilla's fate was a virtual uncertainty. Exhausted, yet victorious, King Kong returned to his island home in peace.

King Kong Escapes
Near Mondo Island in the South Pacific, the submarine Explorer hit a snag while performing a routine mission. A rockslide damaged the rudders, and repairs were deemed necessary before continuing. Meanwhile, the three high-ranking officers: Carl Nelson, Susan Watson, and Jiro Nomura, came ashore. As Carl and Jiro investigated the island, Susan stood guard over their hover car, but disaster soon struck. The gargantuan dinosaur Gorosaurus attacked the woman, and upon hearing her cries for help, something amazing emerged from the jungle. King Kong, an ape of astonishing size, placed the woman in the canopy of a tall tree to ensure her safety. Kong turned his attention to his powerful enemy and landed crashing blows on his foe. While Gorosaurus clenched his teeth on Kong's right ankle, the crew of the Explorer returned to the hover car and began to rush back to the submarine. Kong finally gained the upper hand and broke Gorosaurus' jaw, and then turned his attention toward the fleeing craft. Chasing after the hover car, the monster suddenly came face-to-face with the Giant Sea Snake. Tossing a boulder at the leviathan in hopes of distracting it, Kong gave the hover car enough time to escape. Upon defeating this new enemy, Kong continued to pursue his plans to procure Susan. Susan's beauty and voice soothed the beast as she pleaded with him to return to the island. The intelligent creature finally obeyed, and the Explorer returned to New York.

As the news of King Kong's existence soon became public, the international Judas Dr. Who concocted a plan abscond with the beast, for he wanted the mammoth ape to mine the highly radioactive Element X for his own diabolical purposes. The cruel doctor sent helicopters to drop ether bombs in order to trap the poor creature. The plan was a success, and an unconscious Kong began his long journey to the North Pole.

Shackled to a cement block in Dr. Who's hidden fortress, King Kong awoke to the sight of his robotic counterpart: Mechani-Kong. Using a hypnotic beam, Dr. Who placed his newly acquired slave under mind control and forced the creature to dig for Element X. The radiation of the rare substance was too strong however, and the mind control was completely severed. King Kong sought revenge! Ravaging the facility, he fled the Arctic and swam toward Tokyo, but the forces of evil were not far behind. Since Kong posed an immediate threat to the immense metropolis, the military was summoned to destroy the monster, but Susan intervened and made it known that the ape meant no harm.

Unfortunately, Mechani-Kong arrived on the scene and attempted to bring Kong under its master's command once more through its mind control technology. The attempt was thwarted, though, as Jiro Nomura interfered, shooting the device with a rifle. However, Mechani-Kong was not yet down and out, for it blinded Kong with its beams and took Susan in its grasp, as it began to climb Tokyo Tower. Dr. Who threatened to drop Susan if he did not receive full cooperation, but Kong pursued his mechanical doppelganger nevertheless. Susan was allowed to plummet to the ground below, but Kong managed to save his human friend and set her down. Mechani-Kong soon gained the upper hand however, and almost killed his organic counterpart. Thankfully, the controls on Dr. Who's ship were sabotaged, and the mechanized beast fell to the Earth and erupted into numerous pieces on the pavement. Kong, now eager to finish the fight, then attacked Dr. Who's ship, and the maniacal mastermind was crushed by his own equipment.

With his enemies destroyed and his friends saved, Kong returned to the peace and tranquility of Mondo Island.

Go! Greenman
King Kong, now called Gorilla due to the rights of the character for use by Toho being lost, appears in the mini-series Greenman, where he is seen kidnapping a kid. The King Kong suit is from 1967's King Kong Escapes.

Abilities
In both of his Toho incarnations, King Kong is a extremely capable melee combatant, using his large arms, powerful muscles, and mighty fists to strike fear in foes such as the Gorosaurus, Oodako, and even Godzilla himself. In his first incarnation in King Kong vs. Godzilla, the mighty primate cannot be harmed by electrical currents, and instead, feeds on their power in order to revitalize or awaken him from a state of unconsciousness. He can also use those same electrical currents (whether they are man-made or natural) to allow him to release surges of electricity from his hands, a powerful tool against Godzilla. The second incarnation of the creature (who appeared in King Kong Escapes lacked these abilities but instead was immune to the radioactive Element X.

Trivia

 * King Kong was the first American monster to fight Godzilla.
 * King Kong was supposed to return in the Heisei era, but Turner Entertainment Inc. prevented this stating that Kong shouldn't be in a Japanese monster film, and even blocked Mechani-Kong's return in the Heisei series.
 * He is one of the eight who share "King" in their names. The others are King Ghidorah, King Ceasar, Red King, Kingsaurus III, Jumbo King, Grand King and Godzilla, who is called "King of the Monsters".
 * He is much taller than the original King Kong, who stood 18 feet tall in the original 1933 film and approximately 145 feet in King Kong vs. Godzilla, and 60 feet in King Kong Escapes.
 * Toho's King Kong was the basis for the American/Japanese anime TV Show, "The King Kong Show." Toho was not involved in its development.
 * His electrical powers are based on the monster Dr. Frankenstein made.
 * This version of King Kong was going to be one of the playable characters in Godzilla: Unleashed but was scrapped due to legal problems with Peter Jackson's version.
 * In the German version of Godzilla vs. Megalon, Jet Jaguar is said to be King Kong in a robot suit.
 * King Kong was voted at number two on Cinemassacre's Top 10 Giant Monsters.
 * King Kong's suit could have been created from Snowman's.
 * King Kong is the first monster to defeat Godzilla and the first monster not to be killed by Godzilla.

Poll
Do you like Toho's King Kong? Yes! No. Kind of.