Mechagodzilla (GvMG)

The Showa  メカゴジラ (Mekagojira) is an alien mecha created by Toho Studios that first appeared in the 1974 Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla.

Name
MechaGodzilla's name comes from the word "mecha," which is derived from "mechanical," meaning a robot that can be controlled from the inside, and from another monster, Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira). The "1" in its name universally comes from the fact that it is the first MechaGodzilla, while the "2" in the name of its rebuilt version from Terror of MechaGodzilla comes from the fact that it is the second MechaGodzilla.

Appearance
MechaGodzilla is a robot that resembles Godzilla from the 1960's through 1970's.

The original MechaGodzilla in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla has short and stubby finger missiles, a metal piece with three bolts on the hand plate, a less defined and prominent shoulder frill, one orange button each on the chest and above the crotch, a bottom-half pentagon underneath the chest cannon, two circular pieces coming from the chest canon, smooth grooves that runs along the back feet, the knee plates gets smaller as they go towards the back of its legs, a smooth and solid tail blade, the plates on the tail are smooth and run straight across, and red "MG" initials on its arms that stands for "Mecha Godzilla".

The rebuilt MechaGodzilla from Terror of MechaGodzilla has longer finger missiles, one big metal piece on its hand plate, a more defined and prominent shoulder frill, one silver button on the chest, one silver button underneath the chest cannon and two silver buttons above the crotch, a triangle underneath the chest cannon, two lightning-like pieces coming up the chest, sharp spurs that stick out of the back of the feet, the knee plates get really small and thin half way and goes around the back, a smooth and solid tail blade with three big bolts in it, the plates on the tail are V-shaped, and blue and orange "MG2" initials on its arms that stands for "Mecha Godzilla 2", thus giving it the name MechaGodzilla 2 メカゴジラ2 (Mekagojira Tsu).

Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla
MechaGodzilla was first revealed when it battled Godzilla as Fake Godzilla. After breaking Anguirus' jaw, its disguise was destroyed by Godzilla, but it continued to fight. MechaGodzilla and Godzilla both fired their beams, but the beams exploded as soon as they touched each other. MechaGodzilla was damaged, and Godzilla was severely injured. MechaGodzilla was fixed a while later, and he was sent to stop King Caesar from being awakened. He did not arrive on time, but he was still more powerful than Caesar. He almost killed King Caesar, but Godzilla arrived. The two fought MechaGodzilla, and Godzilla used his new magnetic powers to draw MechaGodzilla into himself, allowing him to remove its head. MechaGodzilla had been disabled, and the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens were defeated.

Terror of MechaGodzilla
MechaGodzilla was rebuilt by the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens aliens in Terror of MechaGodzilla in another attempt to take over the Earth. It was recovered from the ocean and rebuilt, this time with seemingly enhanced powers. It was sent out to attack Tokyo with Titanosaurus, who was under the control of Dr. Mafune and the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens, but the two were confronted by Godzilla. Titanosaurus attacked Godzilla head-on, while MechaGodzilla fired at him with its weaponry. With the help of the Japanese military, Titanosaurus was held off, and Godzilla attacked MechaGodzilla. Godzilla ripped off MechaGodzilla's head again, but MechaGodzilla survived. It continued to fight, but it stopped working when Dr. Mafune's daughter, Katsura, who had been turned into a cyborg that controlled both MechaGodzilla and Titanosaurus, committed suicide. MechaGodzilla was then destroyed by Godzilla's atomic breath after being thrown into a ditch by Godzilla.

Weapons
The Showa MechaGodzilla has armor constructed out of a mysterious alloy known as "Space Titanium," which actually proved to not be particularly durable, as a brief fight with Godzilla caused enough damage for it to need to be called back for repairs. It is also equipped with a staggering amount of firepower.

MechaGodzilla is capable of firing a rainbow colored optical laser that seems to be equal in power to Godzilla's atomic breath- its head can rotate 360 degrees, allowing the robotic dinosaur to shoot down an opponent that might attempt to approach from behind. Spinning its head at high speed allows MechaGodzilla to raise a forcefield. When disguised as Godzilla, MechaGodzilla could fire a heat ray from its mouth. Curiously, after MechaGodzilla shedded its disguise, it never used the heat ray again. When MechaGodzilla had its head removed in Terror of MechaGodzilla by Godzilla, it could fire a small concentrated beam from a small antenna.

Showa MechaGodzilla is also equipped with powerful missiles in its fingers, knees, mouth, and even its toes. These missiles can explode on contact with a target, or they may lodge in the flesh of an enemy like darts. Located under a hatch in MechaGodzilla's chest is a weapon that fires a jagged orange energy beam with enough slicing power to cut a mountain in half. Showa MechaGodzilla is no slouch in close combat either, as evidenced in its combat against King Caesar, though it couldn't beat Godzilla in this area. Finally, MechaGodzilla can fly via rockets in its feet able to reach a speed of Mach 5.

Filmography

 * Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla
 * Terror of MechaGodzilla

Video Game Appearances

 * Gojira-Kun
 * Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
 * Godzilla (Gameboy)
 * Battle Soccer
 * Kaiju-Oh Godzilla
 * Godzilla (Arcade)
 * Super Godzilla (American version only)
 * Godzilla: Battle Legends
 * Godzilla: Monster War
 * Godzilla: Archipelago Shock
 * Godzilla Movie Studio Tour
 * Godzilla Trading Battle
 * Godzilla Generations
 * Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact
 * Godzilla: Unleashed (Wii version only)
 * Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash
 * Godzilla: The Game
 * Godzilla: Kaiju Collection

Godzilla: Monster of Monsters
The Showa MechaGodzilla appears in Godzilla: Monster of Monsters for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In which it is one of the strongest monsters fought by Godzilla and Mothra, possessing the most health baring King Ghidorah. It attacks with punches, kicks, and a laser from its eyes. It's attacks are strong so it could prove difficult for Godzilla, but Mothra can beat it easily by flying right under its chin, where none of its attacks can hit her.

Super Godzilla
MechaGodzilla appears as the second boss in the the North American version of Super Godzilla for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Though the Japanese version had the Heisei MechaGodzilla, since the 1993 film had not appeared in America yet, the localization team of game designers for Super Godzilla changed the character to the more-familiar Showa MechaGodzilla for the American version. Despite the change in appearance, it overall the same fight as in the Japanese version, with some minor differences. First, as a reference to the movie, it first appears disguised as Godzilla, though the disguise disappears after one hit. Other then that, the only gameplay difference is that the Showa MechaGodzilla has its finger missiles in place of the Heisei MechaGodzilla's Mega Buster, which do less damage.

Godzilla: Unleashed
MechaGodzilla had a playable appearance in the Wii version of Godzilla: Unleashed making it the first Atari Pipeworks Godzilla game to feature the Showa MechaGodzilla. In this game, the alien creation can spew a flamethrower from its nose and create a force field that reflects all projectiles thrown at it. Both he and MechaGodzilla are the only characters in the game who can knock out a health cell with a beam. Height: 98 meters Weight: 73,000 tons "MechaGodzilla was the first attempt by the Vortaak to subjugate the human population of the Earth. Plated in space titanium, MechaGodzilla proved to be too well armored for any of Earth's monsters to defeat single-handedly. Unfortunately for the Vortaak, the Earth Defenders are more than willing to work as a team when necessary, and through their combined effort, MechaGodzilla was destroyed. In their latest invasion attempt, the Vortaak have rebuilt MechaGodzilla to fight alongside them once more. With allies of his own on hand, Earth's monsters will need to make full use of their speed advantage when battling this indomitable nemesis."

Godzilla: The Game
Both versions of the Showa MechaGodzilla appear in Godzilla: The Game, though the 1974 version is exclusive to the PlayStation 4 release of the game. MechaGodzilla may appear as a boss throughout many levels of the game. He attacks by punching, shooting missiles and eye beams. He can also shoot all of his weapons at once, including his chest beam. He is one of the most common opponents in King of the Monsters mode.

Kodansya's Godzilla Manga
A third rebuild of the Showa MechaGodzilla was created by the mad scientist Dr. Oniyama, who then also rebuilt Mechani-Kong. The two mechas then tag-teamed Godzilla in the Japanese countryside. MechaGodzilla III, as it was called, taunted Godzilla under Oniyama's command while Mechani-Kong II held the beast down. Oniyama's MechaGodzilla then brutally skewered Godzilla through the chest using its arms. Godzilla managed to break free, and then grabbed Mechani-Kong II by the arm, suplexing him on top of MechaGodzilla III, breaking his outer casing and causing both of them to short circuit after sinking into a nearby lake.

Godzilla: Legend
MechaGodzilla was being constructed by a group of Xiliens underneath an unassuming house in the Japanese countryside. It is launched later and fights Godzilla, but is soon defeated.

Godzilla: Legends
MechaGodzilla is teased at the end of Godzilla: Legends #3, where it is shown that the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens are constructing several MechaGodzillas in preparation for their invasion of Earth.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
In Rulers of Earth #13, the leader of the Cryogs secretly created an army of MechaGodzillas while pretending to be a Russian warmonger. To test his new creation, the Cryog leader sends a MechaGodzilla unit disguised as Godzilla to attack Anguirus. In Rulers of Earth #14, the MechaGodzilla badly injures and nearly kills Anguirus. When Godzilla appears in Boston, a senator enlists the help of the disguised Cryog leader and his army of MechaGodzillas to destroy Godzilla once and for all. In the following issue, Godzilla battles the MechaGodzilla army in downtown Boston. Despite being badly wounded in the ensuing battle, Godzilla manages to destroy most of the MechaGodzillas before being abruptly carried off by Mecha-King Ghidorah. A group of MechaGodzillas pick up Kiryu carrying Anguirus to a robotics facility in Russia and shoot Kiryu down. More MechaGodzillas assemble in the facility, which the Cryog leader has converted into a giant battle arena. Mecha-King Ghidorah arrives carrying Godzilla and drops him into the arena. Together, the mechas take the upper hand over Godzilla until Anguirus escapes Kiryu's grip and joins the battle. Godzilla and Anguirus manage to destroy the MechaGodzillas and force Mecha-King Ghidorah to retreat. With his plans foiled, the Cryog leader and his remaining underlings depart for outer space along with two remaining MechaGodzilla units. When the Cryogs' ship is attacked by SpaceGodzilla, the Cryog leader sends both MechaGodzillas to fight him off. The MechaGodzillas are frozen by the cold vacuum of space and are easily destroyed by SpaceGodzilla.

Sightings

 * In the Ugly Americans episode "The Kong of Queens", Kong breaks open the wall of his next door neighbor, MechaGodzilla, who is eating cereal.
 * MechaGodzilla is seen in one of the online game "Movie Star Planet"'s television commercials, as well as the game itself.

In Other Languages

 * Russian: Мехагодзилла 1

Trivia

 * Despite this MechaGodzilla being labeled "MechaGodzilla 2" in Terror of MechaGodzilla, the name "MechaGodzilla 2" is commonly given to the Heisei MechaGodzilla, both by some fans and in a considerable amount of recent media in which the various MechaGodzillas are portrayed as separate characters that exist in the same continuity, such as the IDW Comics and the Atari games, because the English title of the movie it appeared in was "Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2" and it was the second distinct incarnation of the character, although it was first and only one to appear in its respective era.
 * In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, where there are multiple Showa MechaGodzillas, each one has a different number emblazoned under the "MG" initials on its arms.
 * A black version of the Showa MechaGodzilla, called "Black MechaGodzilla," appears in the television series Godzilla Island.
 * MechaGodzilla's suit is one of the oldest known suits to be in good condition, as it was put on display in the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art, where it remains to this day.
 * The Showa MechaGodzilla is the only MechaGodzilla that was created or controlled by aliens. The Heisei MechaGodzilla and Kiryu were both human-made weapons.
 * MechaGodzilla was the second monster to make both Godzilla and Anguirus bleed, after Gigan in Godzilla vs. Gigan.
 * The MechaGodzilla from Godzilla: Unleashed has a smaller head and an almost non-existent tail than the counterpart from the movie.

Also See

 * Fake Godzilla
 * Black MechaGodzilla
 * MechaGodzilla 2
 * Kiryu

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

Konga