From Wimp To Badass

[BlankAccount]

We've talked about how Rodan and King Ghidorah have been watered down over the years being less the badass they use to be, and Mechagodzilla to an extent. But what monsters do you think went from being a wimp to badass?

1. Kamacuras: In the Showa era these guys were a joke, 3 of them easily being dispatched by Godzilla at once, Kumonga makes a meal of them. Really they only seem to be a threat to humans and baby monsters like Minlla. In the Random House novel Godzilla: 2000 they are easily killed by bullets and bombs and the real big problem is their numbers.

But then came Godzilla: Final Wars. There is one Kamacuras and it was BADASS. It took down a super weapon (the Eclair) and took missiles and seemed only mildly bothered by it. It flew really fast and did I mention it can camouflage? I feel like the concept of a giant monster going invisible was kind of wasted. Kamacruas was butchered in second along with most of the cast, like Hedorah.

Wouldn't it have been cool to see Godzilla trying to fight and struggle against this and get his ass kicked?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crdNjfYAwJE

It'd be like when Megaguirus kicked Godzilla's ass in Godzilla vs Megaguirus for most of their fight. Using a combination of high flight speed and invisibility.

Hopefully we'll see a monster with this ability be allowed to pull it off effectively in a future film and see Godzilla get his ass kicked. Who knows, maybe they'll give a future mech or Mechagodzilla stealth cameo, like the Predator. It's not used all that often in kaiju movies and I think you could do a cool effect with it like footprints appearing in the street. We did see Mothra Leo use it in larval form but he was a baby and trying to escape. Final Wars wasted a chance at a cool fight with Kamacuras in my opinion, a fast flying invisible monster like a ninja mantis monster.

2. Baragon: Yeah oddly enough, I think GMK Baragon would crush Showa Baragon. Actually I think most monsters would crush Showa Baragon. GMK Baragon seems like he could give Gorosauras and Angillas a run for their money.

3. Meganulon: Not the form itself pre say but what it changes into. In Rodan we only saw the larval form but in Millennium we see them transform into Meganula and attack Godzilla. It's actually kind of scary seeing them swarm Godzilla like Legion Solider did Gamera. I feel like they missed a chance of having a military vs them fight like they did with the cops and Destoroyah. And even before they grow wings they are terrorfying with the liquid they spit that blinds you and claws strong enough to crush heads. And a special one turns into Megaguirus, which as I pointed out earlier, kicked Godzilla's ass for most of the fight through speed and energy draining.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Actually, I think a strong candidate is Godzilla himself. Not that he was ever a wimp, but Godzilla has consistently gotten new abilities, and a definite increase in badass imagery over the years.

For instance in the original movie Godzilla was pretty much just a giant underwater creature that breathed fire/nuclear energy/whatever(I use the term fire only because the beam was more like a weak combustible spray). Sure he couldn't be killed by tanks, and easily got past the electricity, but who knows if 54 would be able to fight off Heisei and Millenium tech. 1954, or even Showa, Godzilla never even had regenerative cells (maybe toho's retconned it in, but in the films it's never stated) until possibly Godzilla vs Biolante or G2000. Godzilla also used to be way more straight forward, but has been given tons of weirder and more powerful moves, even in the Showa era. Like again, basic Dino to drop kicks, flying with the beam, magnetization, etc...Then of course he got a major buff in the form of the nuclear AOE in the Heisei series, the fact that his spines physically heat up and his beam got a severe upgrade in the Heisei series.

Godzilla also started to become portrayed as more of a badass, or someone not to fuck with. Sure you can see that in KKVG but compare the imagery of the early Showa era to how Godzilla looks and is feared in GMK or GFW. So yeah, Godzilla has consistently had a really strong power creep.

The other easy choice is Mothra. Mothra used to just be a giant moth, with no special abilities but has since been given a barrage of special and new abilities. For instance in the Heisei Godzilla films Mothra was granted tons of magical abilities, like all the energy beams. The Rebirth of Mothra series took it to the next level with all the transformations in addition to some crazy energy abilities. And while less of an upgrade GMK Mothra got that stinger weapon and a few other nice things.

[Showa Gojira]

Actually, I think a strong candidate is Godzilla himself. Not that he was ever a wimp, but Godzilla has consistently gotten new abilities, and a definite increase in badass imagery over the years.

For instance in the original movie Godzilla was pretty much just a giant underwater creature that breathed fire/nuclear energy/whatever(I use the term fire only because the beam was more like a weak combustible spray). Sure he couldn't be killed by tanks, and easily got past the electricity, but who knows if 54 would be able to fight off Heisei and Millenium tech. 1954, or even Showa, Godzilla never even had regenerative cells (maybe toho's retconned it in, but in the films it's never stated) until possibly Godzilla vs Biolante or G2000. Godzilla also used to be way more straight forward, but has been given tons of weirder and more powerful moves, even in the Showa era. Like again, basic Dino to drop kicks, flying with the beam, magnetization, etc...Then of course he got a major buff in the form of the nuclear AOE in the Heisei series, the fact that his spines physically heat up and his beam got a severe upgrade in the Heisei series.

Godzilla also started to become portrayed as more of a badass, or someone not to skreeonk with. Sure you can see that in KKVG but compare the imagery of the early Showa era to how Godzilla looks and is feared in GMK or GFW. So yeah, Godzilla has consistently had a really strong power creep.

The other easy choice is Mothra. Mothra used to just be a giant moth, with no special abilities but has since been given a barrage of special and new abilities. For instance in the Heisei Godzilla films Mothra was granted tons of magical abilities, like all the energy beams. The Rebirth of Mothra series took it to the next level with all the transformations in addition to some crazy energy abilities. And while less of an upgrade GMK Mothra got that stinger weapon and a few other nice things.

I can kinda see where you're coming from with Godzilla, but I think it especially applies to Showa Godzilla. Not that he was ever a wimp, but he definitely got stronger as the Showa series progressed. In the first couple of movies he relies on his brute strength and atomic breath to defeat his enemies. I get the impression Godzilla was used to being the biggest and the baddest monster around, he probably beat every monster he ever came up against like he did Anguirus. Against King Kong he dominated the fight and taunted the Ape all the while until he received an unexpected boost of power. Godzilla took a second to adjust and seemed like he wasn't used to fighting somebody who was as strong as him.

Then in the following movies he fights Mothra and Rodan who don't quite match him in strength but are considerably faster than him. For all his strength he takes forever to land a single blow on Mothra (though one was all it took) and Rodan fights him pretty much to a draw. Then he fights the three headed space devil and his prodigious strength is completely overwhelmed by the golden Goliath's. I think by this point Godzilla was realizing he wasn't as strong as he once thought he was.

In the following movies Godzilla starts to fight considerably smarter, using martial arts, as well as strategy in his battles. In Ghidorah the three headed monster he starts throwing rocks like Kong once did to him. In Godzilla vs Monster Zero he starts fighting like a boxer against King Ghidorah instead of trying to overpower him with brute force. By the end of the Showa series Godzilla is capable of fighting King Ghidorah on even terms without help, and he beats every monster he faces in close ranged combat. Even his atomic breath seems to become more potent as the series goes on. He overall got stronger, smarter, and more skilled to the point where he definitely deserved the title "King of the Monsters". A big part of why he's my favorite Godzilla!


I disagree with you on Mothra however. Despite getting fancy new powers in the Heisei and Millennium series she just couldn't keep up with Godzilla it seems. In the Showa series she did well against Godzilla in their first fight (even if he did seem drunk in that fight) and managed to knock Godzilla over before running away in Godzilla vs The Sea Monster. In the Heisei series she needed Battra's help to subdue Godzilla and even then Battra died. In GMK Mothra doesn't do much to Godzilla aside from pester him, and even her explosive powder in Tokyo SOS doesn't phase him much. Likewise her Larva wouldn't have been able to stop Godzilla alone in that movie and depended on Kiryu weaken Godzilla before they could web him up. Like Rodan Mothra's effectiveness against Godzilla has diminished throughout the years.

[Mechagigan]

Gamera, 100%. Showa Gamera was friendly and, often, was incapacitated really easily. The came Heisei, and he became a much stronger and more intimidating creature.

Then there was Toto, but...

[BlankAccount]

Actually, I think a strong candidate is Godzilla himself. Not that he was ever a wimp, but Godzilla has consistently gotten new abilities, and a definite increase in badass imagery over the years.

For instance in the original movie Godzilla was pretty much just a giant underwater creature that breathed fire/nuclear energy/whatever(I use the term fire only because the beam was more like a weak combustible spray). Sure he couldn't be killed by tanks, and easily got past the electricity, but who knows if 54 would be able to fight off Heisei and Millenium tech. 1954, or even Showa, Godzilla never even had regenerative cells (maybe toho's retconned it in, but in the films it's never stated) until possibly Godzilla vs Biolante or G2000. Godzilla also used to be way more straight forward, but has been given tons of weirder and more powerful moves, even in the Showa era. Like again, basic Dino to drop kicks, flying with the beam, magnetization, etc...Then of course he got a major buff in the form of the nuclear AOE in the Heisei series, the fact that his spines physically heat up and his beam got a severe upgrade in the Heisei series.

Godzilla also started to become portrayed as more of a badass, or someone not to skreeonk with. Sure you can see that in KKVG but compare the imagery of the early Showa era to how Godzilla looks and is feared in GMK or GFW. So yeah, Godzilla has consistently had a really strong power creep.

The other easy choice is Mothra. Mothra used to just be a giant moth, with no special abilities but has since been given a barrage of special and new abilities. For instance in the Heisei Godzilla films Mothra was granted tons of magical abilities, like all the energy beams. The Rebirth of Mothra series took it to the next level with all the transformations in addition to some crazy energy abilities. And while less of an upgrade GMK Mothra got that stinger weapon and a few other nice things.

I can kinda see where you're coming from with Godzilla, but I think it especially applies to Showa Godzilla. Not that he was ever a wimp, but he definitely got stronger as the Showa series progressed. In the first couple of movies he relies on his brute strength and atomic breath to defeat his enemies. I get the impression Godzilla was used to being the biggest and the baddest monster around, he probably beat every monster he ever came up against like he did Anguirus. Against King Kong he dominated the fight and taunted the Ape all the while until he received an unexpected boost of power. Godzilla took a second to adjust and seemed like he wasn't used to fighting somebody who was as strong as him.

Then in the following movies he fights Mothra and Rodan who don't quite match him in strength but are considerably faster than him. For all his strength he takes forever to land a single blow on Mothra (though one was all it took) and Rodan fights him pretty much to a draw. Then he fights the three headed space devil and his prodigious strength is completely overwhelmed by the golden Goliath's. I think by this point Godzilla was realizing he wasn't as strong as he once thought he was.

In the following movies Godzilla starts to fight considerably smarter, using martial arts, as well as strategy in his battles. In Ghidorah the three headed monster he starts throwing rocks like Kong once did to him. In Godzilla vs Monster Zero he starts fighting like a boxer against King Ghidorah instead of trying to overpower him with brute force. By the end of the Showa series Godzilla is capable of fighting King Ghidorah on even terms without help, and he beats every monster he faces in close ranged combat. Even his atomic breath seems to become more potent as the series goes on. He overall got stronger, smarter, and more skilled to the point where he definitely deserved the title "King of the Monsters". A big part of why he's my favorite Godzilla!


I disagree with you on Mothra however. Despite getting fancy new powers in the Heisei and Millennium series she just couldn't keep up with Godzilla it seems. In the Showa series she did well against Godzilla in their first fight (even if he did seem drunk in that fight) and managed to knock Godzilla over before running away in Godzilla vs The Sea Monster. In the Heisei series she needed Battra's help to subdue Godzilla and even then Battra died. In GMK Mothra doesn't do much to Godzilla aside from pester him, and even her explosive powder in Tokyo SOS doesn't phase him much. Likewise her Larva wouldn't have been able to stop Godzilla alone in that movie and depended on Kiryu weaken Godzilla before they could web him up. Like Rodan Mothra's effectiveness against Godzilla has diminished throughout the years.

Guys.

Read the title. Godzilla was never a wimp (unless you wanna count 1998).

[LSD Jellyfish]

I know that^ but this is way more interesting to talk about. And either way we are talking about respective power creeps. Godzilla was never a creep, but you can't deny his image has morphed into a badass more than he might have ever intended to be.

[edgaguirus]

Manda. In the Showa era, Manda doesn't do much. When it attacks the Gotengo, it is driven off by electric current. In GFW, Manda shows itself to be pretty tough. The Gotengo went underground, but Manda was still able to hold on as it dug through solid rock and earth. Only the heat of a volcano is sufficient to get Manda to let go. Manda is defeated quickly, but it shows better durability than the Showa version.

[g2vd]

In GFW, Manda shows itself to be pretty tough. The Gotengo went underground, but Manda was still able to hold on as it dug through solid rock and earth. Only the heat of a volcano is sufficient to get Manda to let go. Manda is defeated quickly, but it shows better durability than the Showa version.

And probably better durability than 80% of GFW's cast.

[BlankAccount]

In GFW, Manda shows itself to be pretty tough. The Gotengo went underground, but Manda was still able to hold on as it dug through solid rock and earth. Only the heat of a volcano is sufficient to get Manda to let go. Manda is defeated quickly, but it shows better durability than the Showa version.

And probably better durability than 80% of GFW's cast.

Yeah it's weird how almost everyone else got horribly nerfed in GFW (Hedorah, Kumonga, Rodan, Ghidorah, and Gigan V1 should not be killed that easily) Manda and Kamacuras actually got buffed.