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

Template:Tabber2Heisei Template:Infobox Monster 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.

Template:TOC

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."

Roar

M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was a unique case in Toho's kaiju 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.

MOGUERA Sounds (Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla Godzilla Unleashed)

Moguera's sounds in the Heisei era

History

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

Moguera in Godzilla Island

In this series, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is one of the G-Guard Commander's mechs, along with Jet Jaguar (and his two variants) and MechaGodzilla. The Showa Moguera also appears, this time named "Proto-Moguera", and is acquired by G-Guard, but stolen by Zaguresu.

Abilities

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.

Drill bit

A drill bit is located in the center of its face, which can be used for close range fighting.

EMP bomb

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.

Hand mounted weaponry

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.

MECM

M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was later modified with a new jamming system called the Magnetic & Electronic Counter Measure (MECM). This countermeasure prevents SpaceGodzilla from disabling M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s control and weapon systems.

Mobility

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.

Plasma cannons

The most heavily-utilized and standard weapon are the plasma laser cannons built into its eyes, which rapidly fire yellow plasma shots.

Plasma Maser

Its chest secretly conceals a Plasma Maser cannon, a powerful energy weapon.

Spark Shower

In the Atari/Pipeworks trilogy of Godzilla video games, M.O.G.U.E.R.A could also emit sparks from its chest to disorient opponents.

Video games

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, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. must attack from a distance while dodging and retreating, making him a hit-and-run fighter. When it runs out of energy, M.O.G.U.E.R.A. can temporarily shut down his power and recharge, though this makes it vulnerable as it temporarily cannot move.

MOGUERA 2 in Godzilla: Save the Earth

Godzilla: Unleashed

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.

― M.O.G.U.E.R.A. Godzilla: Unleashed bio

Godzilla (2014 video game)

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 II" (1993).

― M.O.G.U.E.R.A. Kaiju Guide bio

Godzilla: Kaiju Collection

M.O.G.U.E.R.A. made an appearance in the mobile title Godzilla: Kaiju Collection.

M.O.G.U.E.R.A. in Godzilla: Kaiju Collection

Comics

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 kaiju 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 kaiju 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, or an act of retroactive continuity which was implemented too late to affect the earlier pages of the final issue.

Godzilla in Hell

M.O.G.U.E.R.A. was present in Rio de Janeiro at some point during the battle between Godzilla and SpaceGodzilla in issue #3, but was defeated. M.O.G.U.E.R.A. can be seen wedged in a pile of broken buildings, with the left side of its head and left shoulder on fire. Nearby, the remains of what appears to be Kiryu's arm can be seen, indicating that both mechas were sent to take part in the battle but destroyed.

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.
• M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is the only Godzilla kaiju 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 kaiju Zetton, who also primarily speaks his name.
• 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 the heaviest mecha in the Godzilla series, weighing in at 160,000 metric tons, 10,000 metric tons heavier than the Heisei Mechagodzilla.
• M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is Godzilla's only ally in the Heisei timeline.
• M.O.G.U.E.R.A. is the only monster reused from Showa era who never co-starred alongside Godzilla prior to his Heisei appearance.

List of appearances

Films

• Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (First appearance)
• Godzilla Island

Video games

• 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 (2014 video game) (Kaiju Guide)
• Godzilla: Kaiju Collection

Comics

• Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla
• Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
• Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
• Godzilla in Hell

References

Template:FilmKaijuNavbox