King Ghidorah (キングギドラ Kingu Gidora?) is a three-headed dragon kaiju created by Toho that first faced Godzilla in the 2001 Godzilla film, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.
Name
In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the guardian monster Ghidorah's name is spelled in kanji but pronounced the same: 魏怒羅 (Gidora). When Ghidorah is revived to fight Godzilla again, he is now known as King Ghidorah.
Design
SokogekiGhido
The SokogekiGhido suit is based on the original ShodaiGhido suit, but with more modern updates. The wings are more dragon-like in appearance, the heads looks very similar to that of a mythological dragon, and the scales and the feet are very dragon-like in appearance as well. As with the HeiseiGhido suit, the eyes on the SokogekiGhido suit are also colored red, but the pupils appear more human-like in appearance, much like the ShodaiGhido suit.
One thing to note about the SokogekiGhido suit is that it has Varan-like fins on each side of all three heads. This is mainly because Fuyuki Shinada, who designed the suits for all the monsters in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, was disappointed that Varan, his all-time favorite monster, wasn't going to be in the film. Seeing as Varan, along with Anguirus, were supposed to be in the movie at first instead of Mothra and King Ghidorah, he compromised by putting Varan's facial fins on each side of all three heads of this suit.
Portrayal
King Ghidorah was brought to life on the movie screen by a stunt actor inside an elaborate three-piece suit, with a team of puppeteers to control the suit's many appendages allowing realistic movement. His design was mostly created by Eiji Tsuburaya based on a minimal description in the script: "It has three heads, two tails, and a voice like a bell."
Roar
In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack , King Ghidorah's new roar was modified from his Showa roar.
Personality
In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, King Ghidorah is one of the Guardian Monsters, being the God of the Sky. King Ghidorah was a protector of Japan, making Ghidorah a protagonist for the first, and so far, only time.
Origins
In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, King Ghidorah is reinvented as a heroic monster for the first, and so far only time. In this film, King Ghidorah is the God of the Sky and one of the three Guardian Monsters, along with Mothra and Baragon. An ancient Yamata no Orochi, an eight-headed dragon from Japanese mythology, King Ghidorah was slain by Japanese warriors thousands of years ago and laid to rest underneath Mount Fuji. The warriors prayed for King Ghidorah's soul, and, over the next several centuries, he slowly regenerated, empowered by the souls of Japan's honorable dead. However, he was awakened before he could grow back all eight of his heads, instead growing only three.
History
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Ghidorah
Ghidorah in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Thousands of years ago, King Ghidorah, an eight-headed dragon known as a Yamata no Orochi, was slain by ancient Japanese warriors and laid to rest in the forests around Mount Fuji, with the warriors praying for his soul so that he would rise again one day to defend Japan. In 2002, the still-regenerating Ghidorah (魏怒羅 Gidora?), who had only grown back three of his eight heads, was discovered dormant underground by a suicidal man. Hirotoshi Isayama, a prophet attempting to revive Japan's ancient Guardian Monsters to stop Godzilla, traveled to Ghidorah's grave and channeled the souls of Japan's honorable dead to revive him. King Ghidorah rose and traveled to Yokohama, where his fellow guardian Mothra was battling Godzilla. Ghidorah arrived and bit Godzilla, electrocuting him through his bite. Godzilla swatted Mothra aside with his tail and bit down on Ghidorah's necks before slamming him onto a building. Before Godzilla could finish Ghidorah with his atomic breath, Mothra flew in front of the beam and was blasted away. Godzilla turned his attention to the J.S.D.F., attempting to wipe out their battleships with his atomic breath. Mothra tried to surprise Godzilla from behind, but was vaporized by his atomic breath.
Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, King Ghidorah
Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, King Ghidorah in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Mothra's energy flowed into the unconscious Ghidorah, reviving him as the Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, King Ghidorah (千年竜王 Chitose ryūō?, lit. Thousand-Year Dragon King). King Ghidorah took flight and surrounded himself with an energy shield, which deflected Godzilla's atomic breath. King Ghidorah launched his energy shield at Godzilla, blasting him out of the harbor and into the ocean. King Ghidorah flew over the water and kicked Godzilla when he surfaced, only for Godzilla to drag him underwater. As the monsters battled beneath the waves, the Satsuma attempted to fire a D-03 Missile at a wound on Godzilla's neck, but it struck King Ghidorah's neck instead and rendered him unconscious on the sea floor. Godzilla swallowed the Satsuma whole and surfaced, destroying a suspension bridge and sending Yuri Tachibana and her friend falling into the water.
Yuri dropped a sacred stone into the water, which revitalized King Ghidorah and allowed him to fly out of the water. King Ghidorah blasted Godzilla with his golden gravity beams, but Godzilla managed to absorb them into his dorsal plates. Godzilla fired a powerful blast of atomic breath wrapped in a golden spiral, which obliterated King Ghidorah in a single hit. King Ghidorah's spirit, along with the spirits of Mothra and Baragon, flowed into Godzilla and caused him to sink. The Satsuma then fired a D-03 Missile from inside Godzilla that expanded Godzilla's neck wound. When Godzilla surfaced and fired his atomic breath, it fired out of the wound and caused him to fall back underwater.
As the Satsuma floated out of Godzilla, Godzilla charged his beam one more time, only for it to cause him to explode. When the Satsuma surfaced, Taizo Tachibana exited the submarine and saluted the sacrifices of the J.S.D.F. soldiers and the Guardian Monsters that had died to stop Godzilla.
Abilities
Durability
In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, King Ghidorah's durability is reduced, but he still survives being knocked out by Godzilla multiple times and withstands multiple blasts from his atomic breath.
Electric Bite
In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Ghidorah can release a strong electric shock through his bite.
Gravity Beams
After Ghidorah transformed, he could fire lightning bolt-like Gravity beams from his mouths. These beams capable of causing large-scale explosions when fired.
Magnetism
In the Video Game Godzilla: Domination!, Ghidorah can fire Magnetic beams from his mouths.
Flight
Initially, Ghidorah could not fly, as his wings had not fully developed at the time of his awakening. After Mothra perished, her life force empowered Ghidorah, unfurling his wings, allowing him to fly.
Energy Shield
In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, after absorbing Mothra's energy, King Ghidorah can form a golden round energy shield that deflects Godzilla's atomic breath. King Ghidorah can release this energy shield and send it colliding with the ground, which will cause a massive explosion.
Weaknesses
Close Combat
Smaller and weaker than Godzilla, King Ghidorah is easily overpowered by his foe in close combat. In both instances where he attempts to battle Godzilla up close, King Ghidorah is knocked unconscious.
Relatively Weak Skin
King Ghidorah's skin is easily penetrated by Godzilla's teeth, drawing blood and seriously injuring him.
Video games
Godzilla (2014 video game)
| “ | In the Millennium series movie "Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" (2001), it appeared as "Ghidorah," on of the three sacred guardian monsters who protected Japan that had been stuck in hibernation under Mt. Fuji for 10,000 years, Once its energy was fully restored, it transformed into its complete form, the "Thousand Year Dragon King". | „ |
— King Ghidorah Kaiju Guide bio |
In other languages
- Spanish: Rey Ghidorah
- Russian: Кинг Гидора
- Chinese: 王者基多拉
- Cantonese (Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, VHS dub): 大水怪
- Cantonese (Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, DVD dub): 三頭金龍王
Trivia
- King Ghidorah's uncharacteristic heroic portrayal as well as his status as a terrestrial monster in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is due to the fact that Shusuke Kaneko originally intended the role for Varan, but Toho pressured him to include King Ghidorah and Mothra in the film to increase the marquee value. As a result, King Ghidorah is portrayed as a hero for the first time and is smaller and weaker than Godzilla. King Ghidorah also possesses Varan's facial fins on his three heads in this film. King Ghidorah was included in early drafts for Godzilla: Final Wars, but was replaced by Monster X and Keizer Ghidorah.
- The SokogekiGhido suit was also used to characterize King Ghidorah in Toho's CR Godzilla 3S-T Battle games in 2006 and 2010.[2]
- The SokogekiGhido suit varies from other King Ghidorah suits as in the odd placement of the heads and its short necks. It is possible that King Ghidorah's side heads might have been controlled by the actor's arms at some points.
- Despite Shusuke Kaneko's intention on making the monsters smaller and weaker to make Godzilla the strongest monster in the film, the SokogekiGhido suit was actually the same height as the SokogekiGoji suit, this is shown in the scene where King Ghidorah lets go of Godzilla after giving him electrical bites and leaves him to fall onto a building.[3]
List of appearances
Films
- Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (First appearance)
Video games
- Godzilla (2014 video game) (Mentioned in Kaiju Guide)
