Unmade Film
Intended Release: 1995

Godzilla: Great Naval Battle

ゴジラ大海戦
[Gojira Dai Kaisen]

The abuse of limited nuclear weapons in conflict zones in the Middle East attracts Godzilla, who is drawn to the various energy sources. Additionally, three new monsters appear in countries around the world, transformed into monstrous creatures due to the influence of the nuclear weapons used in the various conflict zones. Time is of the essence as the three rivaling monsters destroy everything in their respective paths to prey upon Godzilla, the ultimate nuclear energy source.

Keenly aware of the ensuing devastation, G-Force deploys their latest and greatest weapons across the globe in an effort to save as many human lives as possible from the threat of the four monsters, to include a new machine called Mechagodzilla II Kai built specifically for underwater warfare.

At some point, one of these new monsters attacks and defeats Godzilla in combat, but is unable to permanently strike down its foe. Instead, it targets another nuclear-rich source as its prey: LittleGodzilla. Brought near death, G-Force attempts to save the young monster's life at a facility located off the coast of Japan. Then, from the sea, Godzilla and the new monster arrive, and round two begins...

LOST PROJECT HISTORY

Following the completion of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)'s filming, a "proposal tournament" was held among assistant directors of Kawakita's staff group to see who could pen the next film in the series. One submission included Godzilla: Great Naval Battle by Yosuke Nakano (referred to hereafter by his professional name, Yo★Nakano), which would have largely centered around G-Force responding to the appearance of four monsters terrorizing the world.

The first draft of this plot - referred to as Godzilla vs. the Undersea Monster ~ Little Dies! - was later retitled in full to Godzilla: Great Naval Battle (Godzilla vs. G Predatory Creatures vs. G-Force). Yo★Nakano wrote two endings: one tragic ending where LittleGodzilla is eaten by the new monster and dies; and one hopeful ending where LittleGodzilla recovers, joins forces with Godzilla, and defeats the new monster once and for all. Following the second draft, multiple plots retitled "Godzilla: Great Naval Battle" exist, with some that questioned the future direction of the Heisei VS Series.

The three new monsters introduced in this proposal were based on rare sea creatures such as ammonites and sea scorpions, and all three monsters were to converge in a climactic battle against Godzilla. Despite being of low intelligence and sporting different abilities and appearances from one another, the origins of the new monsters were intentionally made to mirror Godzilla's own birth, monsters born from war and nuclear weapons due to human folly.

Yo★Nakano's primary objective was to write a proposal that took full advantage of the sea, a setting typically reserved for the first half of Godzilla movies, all the way up to the story's climax. In addition, troops from around the world were written into the story to participate in the battle against the four monsters, providing a movie rich in realistic military action. An underwater-adept Mechagodzilla called "Mechagodzilla II Kai" was also involved in the story in some capacity, a machine created by G-Force in the form of a sea serpent from an ancient legend.

Despite the unique ocean-focused setting and grand scale of the story, Godzilla: Great Naval Battle was never realized for the big screen.

Monsters

Aliens, SDF & Misc.

Background and Trivia

• Some minor details regarding this story proposal can be found in the 2017 book, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Perfection (ISBN: 4798615811).
• The new enemy monsters introduced in the story were never given actual names, instead simply referred to as "New Monster" (新怪獣 - Shin Kaiju) A, B, and C, though Yo★Nakano supplied concept art for the monsters and their confrontation with Godzilla to Toho. Deep-sea creatures were used at a motif for these monsters as such underwater creatures carried a sense of mystery and "romance" about them. In addition, while concept art was not necessary to accompany his proposal, Yo★Nakano felt it necessary to more properly convey the story's appeal to Toho's executives: "The story is important in a monster movie, but I think the visual power - especially the charm of monsters who appear in it - is as important as the story."
  Special thanks goes to Yo★Nakano, who shared a wealth of information concerning the specifics of his story with Toho Kingdom staff. Upon further reflection, he also concluded: "This movie costs too much."
• Additional plot details can be found in Godzilla & Toho Tokusatsu Official Mook vol.15: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (ISBN 9784065314968), to include the name of "Mechagodzilla II Kai" (メカゴジラII改 - Mekagojira II Aratame) and the illustration found in the image gallery below. Note the artwork was created specifically for use in the mook by Yo★Nakano.
• The movie draft list can be found in Godzilla & Toho Tokusatsu Official Mook vol.09: Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla / Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (ISBN 9784065314944).

Images

Concept Evolution