When was Godzilla's Regeneration Ability Really Introduced in the Godzilla Franchise?

[BlankAccount]

He grew his eye back after it was stabbed out by Kumonga. Not during the movie but the next film.

The super fast regeneration wasn't a thing till Godzilla 2000 though. I know the Random House Novel Godzilla Returns had it. It seems in the old films it was more of a lizard thing. You know, lizard grow their tails back after losing them kind of deal.

It wasn't stabbed out. It was poked. By a poison stinger.

Guess I should have told the cops my niece poked me with the kitchen knife, not stabbed.

[edgaguirus]

The Showa era never defined that Godzilla had remarkable regeneration abilities. He just healed; Sometimes, he was wounded one moment, but a minute later, he looks just fine.

Biollante would be the first time regeneration was hinted at. The Godzilla cells are implied to be immortal and will keep Erica alive. That would seem to say that the cells have incredible regenerative powers. Not to mention how Biollante could survive getting the back of her head blown out.

[Ivo-goji]

^I don't think a distinction between 'healing' and 'regeneration' holds up given the nature of the character. Godzilla is an animal that walked away from a nuclear explosion.

[Legion1979]

Crushed internal organs? That's a stretch.

[Ivo-goji]

In the first Mechagodzilla movie, he gets his internal organs crushed by the shockwave from the beam fight (we see blood rise to the top of the water despite no visible injuries). The fact that he survived this at all shows that he has regenerative powers

Let's talk about how in Terror of Mechagodzilla a missile explodes inside his stomach and smoke rises out of his mouth, and he gets better right away.

[Rodan]

Re: above:

He's at least very durable in the Showa series, and his ability to survive nuclear testing is a major plot element in the first film, but it's not quite the same kind of "His cells grow rapidly!" plot point that emerges as a major detail in movies like Biollante, 2000 and Shin.

It's also not so far removed that it feels like a surprise when that element is added/more explicitly brought up later.

[Janjira-York]

he had no official regeneration until either biollante or g2k.



I guess someone at toho while making the ''new'' movies at the time was like ''wait how does he survives that wound in the old movies?'' or ''would it be neat if we gave himm a regeneration power since he's a mutant?



In the showa the regeneration is not stated if my memory serves me right, it was just ''he's a monster, hes hard to kill''

[BoulderFaceplant]

Crushed internal organs? That's a stretch.

Yeah it sounds like it, but how else would a million gallons of blood gush up to the top of the water? Just deductive reasoning.

[eabaker]

So much of what's going on in this thread assumes precise continuity across Showa era entries, and real world logic/science that the movies never indicate they subscribe to...

[Legion1979]

So much of what's going on in this thread assumes precise continuity across Showa era entries, and real world logic/science that the movies never indicate they subscribe to...

Exactly.

You know why Godzilla seems to instantly heal from a shoulder laceration in "Godzilla vs Gigan"? Because the blood geyser shot was probably filmed on its own and they weren't going to completely stain the crap out of the costume by adhering to real world logic and have the wound continue to gush blood. It's why most monsters seem to bleed for a few seconds and then look fine not long after. It's a special effects thing. Doesn't have anything to do with the filmmakers of that era trying to depict some super regenerative ability, something that was only added to Godzilla retroactively anyway.

Everyone growing up with Godzilla before regeneration became a thing just saw Godzilla as a seriously tough mofo who could take a ton of punishment without wearing down. And I'm positive that's how the people making the older films saw him too.

[HedorahGrabber]

Yeah, I believe that all the moments of Godzilla getting hurt then healing in the Showa era were just continuity errors which the Showa era is know for.

[LamangoKaijura]

He grew his eye back after it was stabbed out by Kumonga. Not during the movie but the next film.

The super fast regeneration wasn't a thing till Godzilla 2000 though. I know the Random House Novel Godzilla Returns had it. It seems in the old films it was more of a lizard thing. You know, lizard grow their tails back after losing them kind of deal.

It wasn't stabbed out. It was poked. By a poison stinger.

Guess I should have told the cops my niece poked me with the kitchen knife, not stabbed.

[BlankAccount]

I think I was too pissed to be shocked truth be told.

[LSD Jellyfish]

You have to take into consideration Godzilla "regenerating" such as the thing with his hand in Godzilla vs Hedorah also might just flat out be a mistake.

[edgaguirus]

Well, Yamane spoke as to the creature's durability in the first film. He had serious doubts a monster capable of surviving a nuclear blast could be destroyed by man. Over the years, Godzilla also survived various beams, projectiles, and poisons from other monsters. Godzilla was seen as just being tough before script writers and directors rationalized how he could be so tough.