Godzilla: Surprising facts—like when the Japanese studio said “That’s not Godzilla”

July 1, 2024 Chris Well

Long before Japanese manga comics and anime gripped the world of pop culture, there was already one Japanese brand that ruled the world’s media.

As we get near to the 70th anniversary of the launch of Godzilla, get ready to be mind-blown by these mind-blowing Godzilla facts that will totally change how you see the King of the Monsters!

In the latest episode of the Monster Complex™ Show, host Chris Well shares how the original Godzilla movie was inspired by a real-life disaster! Or that hilarious way that Toho knocked an American movie and said “That’s not OUR Godzilla!” Or the fact that there is a secret group of like a dozen people who decide how Godzilla is going to act in that next movie whether it’s from Japan or it’s from Hollywood!

Get ready to blow your mind with these and MORE Godzilla facts that will totally change how you see the King of Monsters on this episode of Monster Complex™!

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What are the legendary facts about Godzilla?

Hey, monster fans! Get ready to uncover some jaw-dropping Godzilla facts that will blow your mind! One of the most well-known creatures in the world, the Japanese giant monster Godzilla is like a nuclear-powered dinosaur that made his debut in the 1950s. (More on his name in a minute). Let’s start by exploring Godzilla’s origin…

#1) WHERE GODZILLA CAME FROM

Did you know this colossal creature was inspired by a real-life tragedy? In March 1954, there was a real-life incident on a Japanese tuna fishing boat when a crew of 23 people were affected by the nuclear fallout from a weapons test at Bikini Atoll.

Later that same year—on November 3, 1954—the movie Gojira had its official theatrical release in Japan. The film’s opening moments are a direct reference to what happened to that tuna boat crew in real life.

Now, the reason that movie studio Toho was inspired to make a MONSTER movie was because of two other movies that had recently come out: In 1952, the re-release of the classic 1933 movie King Kong made big bucks at the box office. Then there was the big debut of 1953 movie The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms—which was the first live-action film to show a giant monster following the blast of an atomic bomb.

The 1954 movie Gojira was helmed by director Ishiro Honda and special effects master Eiji Tsuburaya. The movie was filled with details that spoke directly to the Japanese audience sitting in the theaters—many of whom had lived through the recent terrors of World War 2 and subsequent events.

Now, if you’ve seen that movie—then you know that the studio clearly had no intention of bringing back the monster. But of course, they did—lots of times.

Find the first Godzilla movie Gojira on Amazon

#2 GODZILLA ISN’T JUST A BIG MONSTER—HE’S A BIG DEAL

As Toho has continued to make Godzilla movies, over the decades they have made an even bigger splash. More than than just speaking to the Japanese audience, Godzilla’s relevance has also grown to touch the hearts of people around the world.

In the decades since his debut, Godzilla has become one of the biggest brands ever—appearing in dozens of movies, TV shows, novels, comic books, video games, and lots more stuff. According to the Guinness World Records, the Godzilla movies are the “longest continuously running film franchise.”

Godzilla is one of the most recognizable symbols in Japanese pop culture around the world. When you see another giant monster, most of the time you can’t help but compare it to Godzilla. And the ongoing success of the Godzilla brand has led to more giant monster movies from different countries all over the world.

There have been close to 40 Godzilla movies—including both those from Toho in Japan, plus those made in Hollywood. In fact, we just saw two more movies—one from Japan and one from Hollywood—hit theaters within a matter of months of each other.

Godzilla has also appeared in, been referenced by, and even made fun of a bunch of times in other movies, cartoons, books, TV, games, and theme park attractions. This includes…

a number of Godzilla books, including original novels, novelizations, and children’s books
Godzilla comic book projects from multiple publishers, including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, IDW, and more
the 1977 rock song “Godzilla” from the band Blue Oyster Cult
the 1978 cartoon show Godzilla Power Hour from Hanna-Barbera
the 1998 cartoon show Godzilla: The Series from Tri-Star and Sony
at least two movies heckled on the TV show Mystery Science Theater 3000
the 2020 rap song from Eminem
all kinds of Godzilla merch

…and more.

Godzilla was voted the most popular movie monster in The Monster Times poll in 1973—beating Dracula, King Kong, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Frankenstein’s Monster.

Godzilla got an MTV Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. He got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004.

Steven Spielberg says that old Godzilla movies—especially 1956’s Godzilla, King of the Monsters!—were among his inspirations when directing the 1993 movie Jurassic Park. Spielberg called Godzilla “the most masterful of all the dinosaur movies because it made you believe it was really happening.”

And how about this: Did you know that Godzilla was granted Japanese citizenship in 2015? In April 2015, the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo named Godzilla a special resident and official tourism ambassador to encourage tourism. That mayor said, “Godzilla is a character that is the pride of Japan.” That’s right, this fictional monster was officially recognized as a cultural ambassador, solidifying its status as a beloved icon in Japan.

#3 WHY HE IS CALLED “GODZILLA”—EVEN THOUGH THAT’S NOT HIS ORIGINAL NAME

A couple of interesting questions about the big monster are What is his actual name? and Where does the name “Godzilla” come from?

First of all, he was created in Japan—and the Japanese actually know him by the name Gojira. That word is actually a combination of the Japanese words for gorilla (gorira) and whale (kujira).

When Toho Studios repackaged the movie Gojira for overseas distribution, they changed the monster’s name to Godzilla to make it easier for American audiences to understand. Reportedly, the first time the name “Godzilla” was used in in English was printed in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald on November 20, 1955.

In fact, one of the fun moments in the 1998 movie made in Hollywood is that the monster in that movie is actually called “Godzilla” by mistake. (We’re going to talk about that movie—and the actual name of that monster—in a bit.)

Find the Japanese Godzilla movie Gojira at Amazon

Find the America re-edit Godzilla, King of Monsters on Amazon

#4 WHY GODZILLA IS SOMETIMES A HERO, SOMETIMES THE BAD GUY—BUT ALWAYS A FORCE OF NATURE

The first Godzilla movie is full of political and social undertones relevant to audiences in Japan at the time. And in that movie, the creature was obviously all about destruction.

But in the years since then, Godzilla has played different roles again and again. Over the course of dozens of movies and other media appearances, one of the unique traits for Godzilla has been that he sometimes seems to be the bad guy (2023’s Godzilla Minus One), sometimes he’s the good guy (2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), and sometimes he’ seven an anti-hero (1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster).

However, the reason that Godzilla so often turns in different directions—and humans still have to get out of the way—is that Godzilla is actually a force of nature. Like a hurricane or tornado. No matter his intentions, he will always be a danger to those in the way. Because he’s just part of a bigger picture.

Now, a big part of that is how Toho sees the monster. And has set up the rules. In fact, they stepped up in 2016 to actually create a “Godzilla Room” where a team of 14 people keep their eyes on the Godzilla brand to make sure that nobody messes it up. The people who meet in the Godzilla Room actually researched all the previous Godzilla movies and came up with a set of official rules for future Godzilla projects and merchandise.

And they figured out the logic that sometimes Godzilla is a danger and sometimes Godzilla is saving us. Which is why Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire both fit the bigger picture.

#5 GODZILLA HAS MET UP WITH LOTS OF CROSSOVERS —INCLUDING SOME PRETTY WEIRD ONES

Godzilla’s impact on pop culture has led to lots of people wanting him to come play in THEIR sandbox. This includes the 1969 short Bambi Meets Godzilla, there were two episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 where they heckled Godzilla movies, and there is the song “Godzilla” by the rock band Blue Oyster Cult. Godzilla has also spent time in the Marvel Comics universe (where he met The Avengers and the Fantastic Four), and the DC Comics universe (where he and Kong met the Justice League). And the IDW comic book people had Godzilla meet The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers—twice.

Godzilla has also shown up in ads, like that Nike commercial where Godzilla played one-on-one basketball with Charles Barkley. Godzilla was also in a Snickers candy bar ad which also promoted one of the Godzilla movies. There was a knockoff version of Godzilla in an ad for the Subway sandwiches that led to a lawsuit. That also happened with carmaker Honda.

Versions of Godzilla have shown up multiple times on The Simpsons and on Robot Chicken. On the sitcom Roseanne, apparently a Godzilla action figure was there throughout the sitcom’s entire run. And another version of Godzilla showed up in the Christmas TV special Olive, the Other Reindeer.

On the Ultraman show, a character that looked a lot like Godzilla showed up in the first season—because the man who created the original costume for Toho was also making the Ultraman show. (So, they were reusing that actual costume.)

UPDATE: Right as we were already editing this episode of the Monster Complex™ Show, Marvel Comics announced how they are going to be celebrating Godzilla in the Marvel Universe with a BUNCH of variant comic book cover!

From Marvel: “This year, Marvel Comics proudly reprints its classic ‘70s Godzilla comic book series in GODZILLA #1 FACSIMILE EDITION and the highly-anticipated GODZILLA: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS, collecting Doug Moench and Herb Trimpe’s entire 24-issue run in color for the first time!

“To celebrate this exciting collaboration with Toho International, the Japanese studio’s U.S.-based subsidiary that has brought global sensation Godzilla to life, Marvel Comics will also be producing brand-new Godzilla Variant Covers on select issues this September.

“See the King of the Monsters tower over iconic Marvel characters in 21 explosive covers! Drawn by some of the industry’s hottest artists, these breathtaking battles and daring team-ups depict Godzilla alongside super hero icons including the Avengers, the X-Men, Spider-Man, and Deadpool.” (SOURCE)

What are YOUR favorite Godzilla moments?

BEFORE WE REVEAL THE FINAL SECRET: In the comments below, let us all know your favorite thing about Godzilla! Whether it’s your favorite movies or TV shows or even those fun crossovers—what are your favorite appearances of Godzilla? Share your favorite Godzilla facts in the comments below.

Also—if you want more info about Godzilla and other classic monsters—check out the links in the description for this video! I’m sharing links to several fun articles on Monster Complex™! And if you enjoyed this deep dive into Godzill’'s world, make sure to subscribe for more intriguing videos about popular monsters!

Which brings us to what I consider one of the funniest Godzilla facts of all…

#6 TOHO SAYS THAT 1998 MONSTER IS NOT GODZILLA

For more than 25 years, Hollywood’s 1998 movie titled “Godzilla” has been complained about by lots of Godzilla fans—including those who work at Toho. Now, to be fair, I don’t hate this movie... but the movie only works on its own terms. And if you realize that monster is not actually Godzilla.

Which is why it’s great that Toho helped us out there. In the 2001 Japanese movie GMK (a.k.a. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack), there is actually a line in GMK where it’s mentioned that a monster that attacked New York was called “Godzilla” by mistake.

That alone was pretty funny. But then Toho took that idea to a whole next level with 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars. Now in Final Wars, which is a love letter to classic Godzilla films from the 1960s and 1970s, is chock-full of monsters that showed up in those movies... like the giant spider and the giant lobster plus Rodan and Anguirus and King Caesar and the Smog Monster and more.

And then in one surprising—and amazingly short—scene, Godzilla is set up to fight that Hollywood monster. You know, from that 1998 movie. Where it was just a giant lizard. Who is now officially named “Zilla.”

So, Final Wars is so hilarious where it pretends for a moment that this fight is going to be a big deal… and then it’s just over. Having that licensed rock song as part of the moment just makes it even funnier.

Find GMK on Amazon

Find Godzilla: Final Wars on Amazon