M.O.G.U.E.R.A.

M.O.G.U.E.R.A. ＭＯＧＥＲＡ (Mogera) is a U.N.-built mecha created by Toho that first appeared in the 1994 Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.

Name
M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s Japanese name comes from the original Moguera, and is spelled "ＭＯＧＥＲＡ." ("M.O.G.E.R.A.") The M.O.G.U.E.R.A. acronym stands for "Mobile Operation Godzilla Universal Expert Robot Aero-type."

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
M.O.G.U.E.R.A was constructed from the left over pieces of MechaGodzilla in another attempt to kill Godzilla. It could split up into two different vehicles: Land Moguera and Star Falcon. It was first sent to fight SpaceGodzilla when he was detected flying toward Earth. M.O.G.U.E.R.A was sent flying out of control into space by SpaceGodzilla, but it managed to make it back to Earth. It was sent out again after repairs to engage SpaceGodzilla in Fukuoka, but pilot Akira Yuki, who held a grudge against Godzilla, redirected the mech and attacked Godzilla instead. The other pilots, Koji Shinjo and Kiyoshi Sato, knocked Yuki out and flew to Fukuoka. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. battled SpaceGodzilla alone until Godzilla arrived and joined the battle. M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s pilots decided to focus their attacks on SpaceGodzilla, and assist Godzilla in knocking out SpaceGodzilla's power source, the Fukuoka Tower. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. split into the Star Falcon and Land Moguera, and with Godzilla's help managed to destroy the tower. After reforming, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. managed to destroy SpaceGodzilla's shoulder crystals with its spiral grenade missiles. Godzilla and M.O.G.U.E.R.A. seemed to have the upper hand, but SpaceGodzilla responded by using his tail crystals to stab and throw M.O.G.U.E.R.A. at a building, causing it to become trapped. Shinjo and Sato escaped the downed mech, but Yuki stayed behind and attempted to fly M.O.G.U.E.R.A. back into the battle, only causing it to crash into another building and become catastrophically damaged. Shinjo rescued Yuki from the wreckage before Godzilla used his hyper spiral ray to finish SpaceGodzilla, which also destroyed M.O.G.U.E.R.A. in the process.

Godzilla Island
In this series, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is one of the G-Guard Commander's mechs, and is kept alongside its predecessors, Proto-Moguera, Jet Jaguar and MechaGodzilla.

Weapons
M.O.G.U.E.R.A. has an expansive arsenal of weapons, essentially making it a mobile weapons platform. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is in fact, the mechanical kaiju who is most dependent on ranged weapons as a means of offense. The most heavily-utilized and standard weapon are the plasma laser cannons built into its eyes, which rapidly fire yellow plasma shots. A drill bit is located in the center of its face, which can be used for close range fighting. Its cone-shaped hands are capable of releasing blue energy beams, known as auto-lasers. Furthermore, the hands can open up and launch Spiral Grenade missiles. Its chest secretly conceals a Plasma Maser cannon, a powerful energy weapon. It can fly through earth's atmosphere at Mach 1 and through space at Mach 44. It is also capable of moving on land via independent leg action, or with the treads built into its feet and legs. These treads make M.O.G.U.E.R.A. faster than the average kaiju, and he can easily attack while moving at such fast speeds. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is the combined form of two vehicles: Land Moguera, a tracked armored fighting vehicle able to drill through the earth; and the Star Falcon, a VTOL craft capable of space flight.

Due to budget restraints, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. does not have heavy armor like its predecessor, MechaGodzilla, so its below average endurance could be considered a major weakness.

In the video game Godzilla: Unleashed, the mole-based machine can launch an EMP bomb that instantly detonates and leaves a blast radius for a short duration; and in the game's predecessor can create a Photonic Storm, in which a huge ring of orange-and-blue-colored energy blasts out of M.O.G.U.E.R.A., hitting everything around it. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. can also use its arms and legs to fight in the games.

Filmography

 * Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
 * Godzilla Island

Video Game Appearances

 * Godzilla: Giant Monster March
 * Godzilla: Archipelago Shock
 * Godzilla: Heart-Pounding Monster Island!!
 * Godzilla Movie Studio Tour
 * Godzilla: Trading Battle
 * Godzilla: Save the Earth
 * Godzilla: Unleashed
 * Godzilla: Unleashed Double Smash
 * Godzilla: Kaiju Collection
 * Godzilla: The Game (Kaiju Guide)

Godzilla: Save the Earth
M.O.G.U.E.R.A. appears in Godzilla: Save the Earth as M.O.G.U.E.R.A. 2, as well as in Godzilla: Unleashed and Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash, however, it is unplayable in the latter. Its special attack stat (projectiles and beams) and speed are significantly higher than most other monsters, but its physical offense and defense are very low. To be effective in a fight, MOGUERA must attack from a distance while dodging and retreating, making him a hit-and-run fighter. When it runs out of energy, MOGUERA can temporarily shut down his power and recharge, though this makes it vulnerable as it temporarily cannot move.

Godzilla: Unleashed
Height: 120 meters Weight: 160,000 tons "M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was the GDF's first successful anti-monster robot, employing a wide variety of weapons and defensive systems linked by a powerful auto-targeting supercomputer. Although relatively effective, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was deemed too physically frail to continue to serve as the GDF's first plan of defense against monster threats. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is still in use today, but most often relegated to provide long-range support fire to the GDF's more modern anti-monster robots."

Godzilla: The Game
M.O.G.U.E.R.A., the Anti-Godzilla Weapon M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is the premier anti-Godzilla combat weapon developed under the supervision of Professor Alexander Mammilov of the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center (UNGCC) for G-Force. It is a combination of the "Land Moguera," a special tank that comprises its upper half, and the "Star Falcon," a large-scale fighter constituting its lower half. Its name is an acronym for "Mobile Operation Godzilla Universal Expert Robot Aero-Type". In addition to walking with its legs, it can also use the large-scale treads on each leg for high-speed maneuverability. It also features an enhanced anti-Godzilla fixed armament. When SpaceGodzilla was charging in from an asteroid belt to attack, it switched to a propulsion system that allowed it to intercept the incoming foe outside the atmosphere.

M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was originally a draft of a robot that was scrapped during the planning stages of "Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2" (1993).

■ Specifications Height: 120 meters Weight: 160,000 tons Abilities: Plasma laser cannon Plasma Maser cannon Auto-laser cannon Spiral grenade missiles (additional equipment for SpaceGodzilla) Rotating cephalic horn (drill) Appearances: "Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla"

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla Manga
In this manga adaptation of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla by Shogakukan, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. has mostly the same role as in the film, but its fate and combat strategies are different. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is stolen by Akira Yuki, the main human protagonist, and is taken to Birth Island to use Little Godzilla to draw out Godzilla so he can kill him. G-Force sends the rebuilt MechaGodzilla to battle M.O.G.U.E.R.A., but it is destroyed by the newer mech. However, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. and its pilot are knocked down by SpaceGodzilla after the cosmic attacks Birth Island. In addition, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. also suffers very little damage during the final battle with SpaceGodzilla, and is eventually taken back by the U.N.G.C.C.. However, Godzilla disarms the machine by breaking its weapon systems before he departs, wary that the humans could try to harm him and his son again.

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Manga
In this manga (which is a sequel to the Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla manga), two new M.O.G.U.E.R.A. units, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. 2 and 3, are introduced due to their predecessor having been phased out. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. 3 is darker than M.O.G.U.E.R.A. 2, and has heavier armour plating. The two units are deployed by the U.N.G.C.C. in an attempt to stave off Godzilla's impending meltdown, but are both damaged beyond repair due to the massive increase in power Godzilla had received as his meltdown began.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
M.O.G.U.E.R.A. made its first IDW appearance in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #6, where it was sent to fight Gigan and Godzilla, who were battling in Las Vegas, Nevada. When it arrived, it briefly fought Gigan and was soon caught by the massive hands of Orga, who pulled M.O.G.U.E.R.A. in half. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was able to transform into Star Falcon and Land Moguera and assisted in fighting the two alien until Jet Jaguar arrived and destroyed Orga temporarily.

M.O.G.U.E.R.A later took part in the large brawl against the Trilopods alongside Kiryu and Godzilla. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. rammed itself into the frozen Baragon-Trilopod after it was hit by Kiryu's Absolute Zero, but was later torn apart by the Kumonga-Trilopod and Titanosaurus-Trilopod. Strangely, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is later seen battling Magita despite having been destroyed beforehand, and is not seen afterwards. This may just be a mistake on the part of the artist.

Roar
M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was a unique case in Toho's library, as it did not have any actual roars, but it did, however, have sounds for its engines and beam attacks. To make up for this fact, in Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was given a voice and it could repeat its own name. Additionally, in Godzilla Trading Battle, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. and Moguera were both given the same brief robotic footstep sound.

Trivia

 * M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s role in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla was originally going to be filled by MechaGodzilla, but in order to balance the fight between Godzilla and SpaceGodzilla, Toho decided to bring back and update the weaker Moguera from The Mysterians instead.
 * This also was utilised as a way to demonstrate Godzilla's enhanced strength after being powered up by Fire Rodan - M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was actually described in the film as being stronger than MechaGodzilla, despite ultimately being destroyed. This suggests that it was not a case of M.O.G.U.E.R.A. being weaker than its predecessor, but that it was significantly outmatched by Godzilla and SpaceGodzilla.
 * M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is the only Godzilla that can say its own name, let alone speak, though only in Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed. Some say that this could be a reference to Pokémon. This could also be partly inspired by the Ultraman series  Zetton, who also primarily speaks his name.
 * As the purpose for M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s construction was to do what MechaGodzilla had come so close to doing, killing Godzilla, it is quite possible that M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was, or was going to be, outfitted with a G-Crusher system like MechaGodzilla's. Without one, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. would be no more useful against Godzilla than MechaGodzilla was before it was outfitted with its G-Crusher. However the Spiral Grenade Missiles that are equipped to M.O.G.U.E.R.A. could possibly have been made to preform the same function, as they clearly have the power to penetrate a monster's hide when they demolished SpaceGodzilla's shoulder crystals. M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s drill nose is also shown to be incredibly powerful, as it was able to break through SpaceGodzilla's partially-crystalline skin.
 * M.O.G.U.E.R.A. could be considered the "grand-child" of Mecha-King Ghidorah, as it was constructed from the wreckage of MechaGodzilla, who was himself constructed from Mecha-King Ghidorah's wreckage.
 * M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is a tribute to Showa Moguera from The Mysterians, sharing most of the same characteristics.

Poll
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