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Rodan

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Rodan (ラドン,   Radon?) is a giant pteranodon kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 1956 Toho film, Rodan, and made his first appearance alongside Godzilla in the 1964 Godzilla film, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.

Fire Rodan (ファイヤーラドン,   Faiyā Radon?) is a form of Rodan that first appeared in the 1993 Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.


Name

The Japanese name of Rodan, "Radon," is a contraction of "pteranodon" and may also have been chosen to suggest radiation. The spelling of Radon in Japanese also corresponds to the name of Ladon, the dragon-like monster represented in Greek Mythology. In the United States, the monster's name was changed to and trademarked as "Rodan."

Appearance

Main articles: ShodaiRado, SanDaikaijuRado, SoshingekiRado, HeiseiRado, FinalRado and ReiwaRado.

Rodan resembles a large pterosaur that walks upright on two legs. Rodan generally has either brown or burgundy skin with a spiky chest and two to three horns on the back of his head.

Roar

Rodan's roar was reused for many of the kaiju, such as the Heisei King Ghidorah and Battra.

Personality

In the original Rodan, the two Rodans are depicted as horrific and dangerous creatures who, despite their destructive nature, care deeply for each other and are unwilling to live without one another. In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Rodan displays a great deal of personality, openly mocking Godzilla when the latter is covered in Mothra's silk. According to the translation of the monsters' conversation by the Shobijin, Rodan agrees with Godzilla's sentiment that he only hates humans because they hate him. Rodan claims he has no obligation to protect human beings and prefers to continue his pointless fight with Godzilla. However, upon seeing Mothra bravely take on King Ghidorah by herself, Rodan joins with Godzilla to battle the extraterrestrial creature. In subsequent films in the Showa series, Rodan is seen as a loyal ally of Godzilla who assists him and the other Earth monsters in fighting off King Ghidorah.

In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2, Rodan sees Baby Godzilla as his brother and will go to great lengths to protect him, nearly being killed by both Godzilla and Mechagodzilla. After seeing that Baby Godzilla is a Godzillasaurus and not a pteranodon like him, Rodan willingly sacrifices himself to save Godzilla from Mechagodzilla so he can raise Baby Godzilla.

Origins

Every one of Rodan's Toho interpretations have had largely consistent origins, always portrayed as a species of Pteranodon that survived the K-Pg extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period and was enhanced by nuclear radiation. The means in which he was exposed to radiation has varied in each of his appearances, however

In the Showa series, there were originally two Rodans, a male and a female, whose eggs laid dormant deep underground on the island of Kyushu. Kept alive by radiation deposits in the surrounding soil, the eggs were eventually unearthed by miners from the nearby village of Kitamatsu and subsequently hatched. In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, a third Rodan emerged from the same volcano where the previous two perished, though it is never specified if this individual was an offspring or one of the original two who had managed to survive.

In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2, Rodan was the sole surviving offspring of a Pteranodon that nested on Adonoa Island. Alongside a lone Godzillasaurus egg that was inserted into the nest as a form of brood parasitism, Rodan's egg was exposed to nuclear dumping on the island by the Russians, mutating him as he hatched and grew.

History

Showa Series

Rodan

Rodan in Rodan

In 1956's Rodan, there were two Rodans, a male and a female, both implied to be mates. They were awakened by mining operations in Kitamatsu along with a swarm of prehistoric insects called Meganulons. One of the creatures hatched from an egg located inside an underground cavern and proceeded to devour several Meganulons before flying out of the cavern. Rodan performed an elusive airborne prowl across various Pacific countries such as China, the Philippines and Okinawa before finally revealing itself after it emerged from the foot of Mount Aso. As word spread of the monster's existence, no time was wasted, as the Japanese air force pursued the threat, leading directly to the city of Fukuoka. Following a fierce aerial dogfight, a fighter jet crashed into Rodan's wing, injuring the beast and neutralizing its ability to fly at supersonic speeds, although this does not stop Rodan from laying waste to the city. Soon enough, a second Rodan appears to escort the other to safety, ending the rampage. As the two monsters prepare to hibernate by returning to their nest in Mount Aso, Japan's defense force performs a last-ditch effort to defeat the Rodans by bombarding the active volcano, triggering an eruption. As the two monsters attempt to escape, one is incapacitated by the lava and falls, burning to death. The second Rodan flew down to its dying companion, incinerating itself, leaving both Rodans to burn away in the molten rock.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Rodan in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Rodan went on to cross over into the Godzilla series. Whether another Rodan entirely, or a survivor from 1956, perhaps the baby who hatched from an egg, this Rodan was resurrected by accumulated volcanic gas under Mount Aso, appearing in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster in 1964 when he broke out of the crust of the volcano and started fighting Godzilla. When Mothra asked Godzilla and Rodan to assist her in fighting King Ghidorah, the humans asked the Shobijin to translate the conservation between the monsters. The Shobijin translated that Rodan argued that it does not matter to him if the human race perishes, to which Godzilla agreed and stated that they have always had trouble with men and men hate them. Mothra gave up convincing the two to help her out, and resolved to fight King Ghidorah alone, much to the humans' dismay, knowing that the larva wouldn't stand a chance. Rodan and Godzilla, suddenly feeling sympathetic for Mothra after watching King Ghidorah attack her, came to help her out as she had requested. Rodan helped get Mothra to ride him and shoot silk at Ghidorah as Godzilla grabbed Ghidorah from behind and held him still so he could become cocooned in the silk. Ghidorah was overwhelmed by the combined force of the three kaiju and flew back to space. Godzilla and Rodan then watched Mothra and the Shobijin swim back to Infant Island. In this film, Rodan is portrayed as being about as tall as Godzilla with a wingspan a little wider than he is tall, while later installments portrayed Rodan as significantly smaller than Godzilla.

Invasion of Astro-Monster

Rodan in Invasion of Astro-Monster

Rodan appeared again with Godzilla in Invasion of Astro-Monster, where they were both transported to Planet X. They battled King Ghidorah before being mind-controlled by the Xiliens and sent to destroy Earth's cities. The two monsters again fought King Ghidorah when the mind control was broken by the A-Cycle Light Ray Gun.


Destroy All Monsters

Rodan in Destroy All Monsters

In Destroy All Monsters, Rodan was again controlled by aliens, the Kilaaks, to attack Moscow. Again the mind control was broken and the monsters fought King Ghidorah. After King Ghidorah was defeated, Rodan was set on fire by a rogue Fire Dragon, but he recovered, and is later shown with the other monsters to be peacefully inhabiting Monsterland. Rodan would only appear again in the Showa series through stock footage in Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. Megalon, and Terror of Mechagodzilla.

Godzilla vs. Megalon

While Rodan only appears through stock footage, his small role in the film is somewhat significant. Rodan and Anguirus are resting on Monster Island when a Nuclear Bomb is tested nearby, creating a massive fissure and a massive earthquake which crippled both the island and the capital city of Seatopia under the ocean close by. Rodan tries to escape, but Anguirus falls on him and both of the kaiju fall into the growing chasm. This act of destruction by the humans was the last straw for the Seatopian people, who commanded Megalon to attack the humans for their perceived crimes.

Heisei Series

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

Rodan in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

Rodan returned in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2, where he sought to protect Baby Godzilla, whose egg was in Rodan's nest. Rodan played a vital role in the film's climax, sacrificing his own life to revive Godzilla by transferring his life-energy to him.

In this film, Rodan, while larger than his Showa incarnation, is noticeably proportionally much smaller compared to Godzilla than in his appearances in the Showa series, standing only about two-thirds as tall as Godzilla and having a wingspan not too much larger than Godzilla's height. The prominent rows of spines on his belly are replaced with overlapping ridges of bone, and he has three spines on his head instead of two (the outer two curve outwards and the center curves up), as well as a wider beak and more predatory face. Heisei Rodan does have some of his predecessor's durability, withstanding several blasts from both Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, and kept his speed and shockwave abilities as well as a stronger pecking attack that can shatter boulders.

After being defeated and left for dead by Godzilla following a fight on the small island where his and Baby Godzilla's eggs are found, Rodan was revived by the psychic song of an ancient plant that had covered the eggs. Godzilla's radiation mutated Rodan into Fire Rodan, changing his colors from brown and tan to brick red and light yellow/gold. Fire Rodan also gained a uranium heat ray as a weapon, similar to Godzilla's atomic breath. Besides that, Fire Rodan remained basically the same as Rodan.

Fire Rodan

Fire Rodan in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2

Fire Rodan Copyright Icon
Fire Rodan (ファイヤーラドン,   Faiyā Radon?) is a more powerful form of Rodan that appeared in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2.

As a children's choir sang to Baby Godzilla, Rodan heard the song miles away on the island where he was killed. He absorbed the nuclear energy from Godzilla and transformed into Fire Rodan, and he took off to save his surrogate brother. He caught the capsule that was carrying the baby, and flew it off towards a city. He was attacked by the Garuda and then by Mechagodzilla, who made him fly into a building. The humans' attention was then turned to the arriving Godzilla, and they battled him. Godzilla was defeated and paralyzed by Super Mechagodzilla, and Fire Rodan acted to save the life of his surrogate brother, and flew on top of Godzilla's body. He gave his life force and melted into Godzilla, healing his damaged second brain and giving him the power of the Spiral Beam. With Fire Rodan's power, Godzilla destroyed Super Mechagodzilla, and took Baby Godzilla out to sea.

Godzilla Island

Rodan in Godzilla Island


Fire Rodan

Fire Rodan in Godzilla Island


Millennium Series

Godzilla: Final Wars

Rodan in Godzilla: Final Wars

In Godzilla: Final Wars, Rodan is used as a weapon of destruction by the Xiliens via mind control. He first appears wreaking havoc in the city of New York, utilizing his famed supersonic abilities to destroy buildings and evade attacks from the Rumbling, a high-tech warship, before devastating the city of New York. Later, as Godzilla neared Tokyo, Rodan, Anguirus and King Caesar were deployed in the Japanese countryside by the Xilien UFOs α, ß and γ. Despite putting up an impressive effort against Godzilla, Rodan was eventually knocked unconscious like both his allies. Rodan, Anguirus and King Caesar were the only monsters Godzilla did not kill. Originally, Toho planned to film a scene where Godzilla destroyed them, but it was cut due to the fact that the fight scene was one of the first scenes filmed. Toho needed the costumes to film in other parts of the movie, and destroying them and making new costumes would interfere with the movie's budget, so the sequence was never filmed.

Godzilla: Singular Point

Radon Fly in the sky

Radon Screams


Abilities

Heat breath

in the first film, Rodan was seen emitting a gaslike breath to ignite and explode a tank lorry.

Atomic heat ray

It can be noted that in Godzilla: Domination!, Rodan also sports an "atomic heat ray" which in fact, resembles a fireball rather than an actual ray.

Durability

Rodan was one of the few monsters not affected by Godzilla's atomic breath. In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla uses his breath against Rodan several times but Rodan seemed unaffected by it at all, only shaking his head in an annoyed manner. Rodan also shrugged off King Ghidorah's gravity beams in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of Astro-Monster. He was struck several times on his wings but showed no pain or reaction.

Flight speed

Rodan's most noticeable trait is his flying speed, which has allowed him to effortlessly outmaneuver and outrun supersonic jets. Aside from his impressive speed and agility, Rodan possesses a variety of special abilities. He is capable of creating destructive shockwaves when flying, which he has used to demolish major cities such as Tokyo and Moscow.  In addition, Rodan can cause powerful winds while on the ground by simply flapping his wings. 

Life absorption

In the manga adaptation of the aforementioned film, Fire Rodan can absorb any nearby small animals such as birds, and fish, among others, into his body in order to restore his health and vitality.

Physical traits

He also uses his beak and talons effectively in battle (as shown in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2, where his beak was powerful enough to crush boulders), and his wings, despite their delicate appearance, are quite durable. Rodan can lift creatures several times his weight, for instance, Godzilla. Rodan also usually has spikes on his head and chest, which he may use in battle.

Radioactive mist

In the Gameboy Advance video game Godzilla: Domination!, Rodan can release a radioactive mist from specialized glands located in his torso area for two seconds, which, if it connects, can score up to three hits against the opponent.

Uranium heat beam

Fire Rodan fireing his Uranium Beam in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2

Rodan could emit a blast of wind from his mouth in his first appearance, but this ability has never been used again. In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2, Rodan, as Fire Rodan, develops the ability to emit a purple-colored radioactive heat beam from his mouth called the uranium heat beam, following exposure to Godzilla and radioactive waste on Adonoa Island. Similar to Godzilla's atomic breath in many ways, this uranium heat beam was relatively powerful, capable of creating large explosions upon contact.

Wing Shockwave

In the 2014 Godzilla video game, Rodan had the ability to emit energy shockwaves from his wings simply by flapping them.

Video games

Gojira-kun

Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters

Rodan is one of the monsters encountered in the game.

Battle Soccer

Rodan is in the SNES game as a goalie for the Godzilla Team.

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee

Rodan was playable in both the Nintendo Game Cube and the Xbox versions.

Godzilla: Domination!

Rodan appeared within the game Godzilla: Domination!.

Godzilla: Save the Earth

Rodan re-appears in the sequel again with the same design in both of the games for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Godzilla: Unleashed

“ Fire Rodan is Earth's largest flier. His element is the air, the clouds, and the wind-swept mountain peaks that scrape against them. Nesting in the tops of active volcanoes, Fire Rodan is virtually immune to heat and lava-based attacks. Rodan is the fastest of all monsters while in the air, and prefers to confront challenges from a lofty height. His great speed also makes him a fierce hand-to-hand combatant, with savage claw, talon, and beak attacks. Fire Rodan defends the Earth's atmosphere - eliminating all airborne threats to the planet's well-being. „ 

— Rodan's Godzilla: Unleashed bio
Rodan returns in Godzilla: Unleashed but under the name "Fire Rodan," to coincide with the use of his Uranium Beam. Rodan is part of the Earth Defender Faction and is one of the fastest flyers in the game.

Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash

Rodan appears in Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash as one of the flyers.

Godzilla (2014 video game)

“ A monster hatched from the spontaneously-mutated egg of a Pteranodon that lay dormant at the foot of Mt. Aso. First debuting in the film "Rodan" (1956), Rodan was branded as one of Toho's major three giant monsters along with Godzilla and Mothra, but it only made its second appearance in "Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster" 8 years later (1964). It boasts combat abilities rivaling those of Godzilla, flapping its wings to create powerful gusts of wind and lift its enemy high into the sky before dropping it to the ground. In its duel with the space monster King Ghidorah, it demonstrated its proficiency in combat by charging in the air with Mothra on its back spraying silk from the skies. In cooperation with Godzilla, it became a savior of the earth.

The version in "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2" (1993) took the form of a descendant of a pteranodon that hatched and mutated from its egg after lying in a dormant state since the Mesozoic era on the Island of Adonoa in the Bering Sea. Stimulated by the wavelengths of ancient lotus japonicus plants that were amplified by a chorus of girls from the ESP Research Institute, it spit heat rays and mutated into "Fire Rodan".

The Rodan in "Godzilla: Final Wars" (2004) was controlled by the Xiliens, invading New York and wreaking mass destruction. It also took down the Earth Defense Force (EDF)'s airship "Rumbling", subsequently attacking Godzilla at the foot of Mt. Fuji along with King Caesar and Anguirus, but it found itself in an ambush instead. 		„ 

— Rodan Kaiju Guide bio
Rodan appears exclusively in the PlayStation 4 version of the 2014 Godzilla video game as a playable monster. He is based on his 1956 appearance from Rodan. Rodan has the ability to fly around the map far faster than the other flying monsters in the game, and can produce powerful sonic booms by clapping his wings together.

Moveset

Square One tap: Peck
Two taps: Peck
Three taps: Multi-Peck
X Tap: Jump
Hold: Hover
Roar + Tap: Swooping Shockwave
Tap (Mid-Air): Land
Triangle Tap: Kick Up
Tap (Mid-Air): Double Kick
Circle Tap: Wing Shockwave
Roar + Tap: Sonic Ram
Tap (Mid-Air): Wing Shockwave
R2 Tap: Area Shockwave

Godzilla: Kaiju Collection

Rodan appeared in his many incarnations within the game Godzilla: Kaiju Collection.


Comics

Godzilla, King of the Monsters

In this manga, Rodan appears under the control of Doctor Oniyama, flying across Tokyo and dropping large bombs from his talons. He later attacks Godzilla while he is out at sea and carries him off, only to get slammed into the ground and get his wing torn off by Godzilla. One of his extra bombs was later used by Godzilla as a weapon to kill Anguirus.


Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters

Godzilla: Legends


Godzilla: The Half-Century War

Godzilla: Ongoing

In Godzilla: Ongoing #4, Rodan battles Titanosaurus in Tokyo. Though Titanosaurus is captured after the battle, Rodan escapes. In issue #10, Rodan and Anguirus battle Gigan in Hong Kong. In issue #13, Rodan appears in New York and plays an integral role in helping Godzilla defeat Keizer Ghidorah.

Godzilla: Rulers of Earth

Rodan appeared in the Godzilla: Rulers of Earth comic series, suddenly attacking Varan and fighting him in a military base. Rodan kept to the air, but the spikes on Varan's back shredded Rodan's wing, forcing him to retreat. Rodan was later seen in a flashback explaining the natural order of monsters, sleeping in a hillside cave. He is also seen on the mural in Infant Island's cave among other flying kaiju. Rodan was later transferred to the Monster Islands, his wing healed, and lived in peace there until the Trilopods attacked. Rodan fell, had his DNA copied by a Trilopod, and was taken to the Trilopod hive along with the other residents of the islands. Much later, King Caesar rampaged through the Trilopod hive, freeing the imprisoned Earth monsters, and Rodan flew to Los Angeles to assist Godzilla in battle. Rodan managed to kill the Anguirus-Trilopod, and fought against Magita, though he was easily swatted aside by the massive Trilopod. After the battle, Rodan, along with the other kaiju, followed Godzilla out to sea.

Godzilla in Hell

A demonic version of Rodan appeared in the second issue of the IDW mini-series Godzilla in Hell, where he confronted Godzilla in a city in Hell. The demon Rodan charged at Godzilla and dodged his atomic ray. The demon Rodan then soared into the clouds to try a sneak attack on Godzilla, but Godzilla defeated the demon by slamming his tail into him, causing him to crash into the doomed cities of Hell.

Godzilla: Oblivion

Several small Rodans appear in the first issue of Godzilla: Oblivion, where they live in an extra-dimensional version of Earth. One of them rose up from a pile of rubble and killed a soldier with his heat beam. He was then confronted by Kiryu, who easily overwhelmed the Rodan until more of his kind showed up and gained the upper hand. Two Rodans were then seen fighting two Mothra larvae when the human team decided to head back to their own dimension.

A Rodan appeared in issue #4 alongside Anguirus, Biollante, Zilla, King Caesar and Mothra as they crossed through an interdimensional portal while Mecha-King Ghidorah was fighting Godzilla

In other languages

  • Russian: Родан
  • Chinese: 拉顿(Lā Dùn)

Trivia

  • Koichi Kawakita, special effects director for the Heisei Godzilla series, made the decision to reduce Rodan's size to smaller than Godzilla, thereby avoiding the previous series' tendency of having every monster Godzilla fights be his size.
  • Rodan, Gyaos, and Chandora all resemble bat-like creatures with large wings, although Rodan is more bird-like.
  • Strangely, despite being referred to as 'Fire Rodan' in the game Godzilla: Unleashed, and keeping the use of the form's Uranium Beam, Rodan is still represented in his normal form's appearance. This was most likely made as an excuse to give Rodan a beam weapon since, in Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee and Godzilla: Save the Earth, he is normal Rodan but was given the Uranium Beam, which is an ability that Rodan never uses in his regular form. As a result of this, Fire Rodan's copyright icon is utilized in Godzilla: Unleashed, but Rodan's regular icon is not.
  • In Katakana, Rodan's English name is written as ロダン (Rodan).
  • "Radon" (Rodan's Japanese name) is also the name of a noble gas discovered in 1898.
  • Rodan is one of a select few monsters to appear in all three series of Godzilla films, along with Mothra, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Godzilla's son, and Godzilla himself. Rodan is also confirmed to be appearing in the MonsterVerse along with Mothra and King Ghidorah.
  • Rodan, like his kaiju cohorts has appeared in external media outside of the movies and series' he's featured in.

List of appearances

Films

Video games

Comics

References

This is a list of references for Rodan. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Official Godzilla Compendium. Profiles of the Monsters; Page 138.
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