King Ghidorah キングギドラ (Heisei)


Dorat - King Ghidorah - Mecha-King Ghidorah
Dorat
Dorat

Height : 30 centimeters
Wingspan :
Mass : 800 grams

Powers / Weapons

Flight; emotion cognition

Appearances

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

Series // Heisei

Sound Effect

Description

In the distant future, humanity has made great advancements in the field of genetic engineering. This sees gene modification surge, kicking off increasingly brazen uses of the technology that far exceed techniques such as gene therapy. In fact, the practice starts to be used toward the actual creation of new animals, almost alien when compared to existing species.

One such creation was toward the goal of producing an ideal urban companion. Called a Dorat, the animal was engineered to be a quintessential pet. This included a cute visage while also perfecting a way for the animal to sense the feelings of their owner through microwave impulses. As a result, the creature could respond, emotionally supporting their owner when needed.

DoratAbout the size of a house cat, the creature was small but had wings for flight to accommodate most situations. The Dorat was also totally subservient to their owner, able to be controlled through specific sound waves. This included, but was not limited to, a whistle-like device that could be used to dispense simple commands.

In 2204, members of the Equal Environment Earth Union procured three Dorats for a time travel expedition to the year 1992. Arriving in Japan, they gave a grave message: that Godzilla would soon attack the country's nuclear reactors and the resulting radioactive pollution would render the country uninhabitable. The Equal Environment Earth Union proposed a solution, that they could time travel to 1944 and prevent Godzilla from being created. The Japanese government agreed with the proposal, lending experts from their time to help in the mission.

Boarding a time-traveling craft called KIDS, the experts were greeted by the three Dorats that were brought back in time. Together, they traveled to 1944 to complete their mission, arriving on Lagos Island during World War II. Locating a Godzillasaurus, the vessel used teleportation technology to move the ancient dinosaur away from the impending nuclear tests that would befall the isle. This, they believed, would prevent the birth of Godzilla.

However, the members of the Equal Environment Earth Union were not being honest, both in their warning or with their intentions. Before leaving the year 1944, they secretly left behind the three Dorats on Lagos Island.

The tiny creatures survived on Lagos for ten years, before they were irradiated by the American H-bomb tests in 1954. The extreme exposure to radiation triggered a horrible mutation, as the Dorats merged and became one. They grew to 140 meters in height and transformed into a fearful dragon-like being. King Ghidorah was born.


Powers / Weapons
Flight

Flight

The Dorats were capable of flight, seen flying around KIDS before they were placed in storage.

It's unknown if their flight ability was strictly due to their wings or they had some sort of gravity manipulation, the way their mutated form did.

   
Emotion Cognition

Emotion Cognition

Genetically designed to be the ideal pet, the Dorats were able to sense and react to the emotions of those around them.

This cognition was achieved through being able to sense feelings through microwave impulses.


Background and Trivia
  • Although often referred to in English as "Drat" in Japanese publications, including Godzilla: Toho Giant Monster Picture Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4092800525) and Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works (ISBN: 9784091014702), the creatures have been synonymous in most other sources as "Dorats". This includes in the international dub, the US book The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225) and the PC title Godzilla Movie Studio Tour. The mobile game Godzilla Battle Line used a different spelling of "Dorat", revealing that Dorats was plural.
  • The name Dorat (ドラット) is derived from the words dragon (ドラゴン - Doragon) and pet (ペット - Petto). Noted in Godzilla and Toho Tokusatsu: Official Mook Vol.11 (ISBN: 9784065314906).
  • In the script, the Dorat is described as a "synthetic creature that looks like a combination of a bat and a cat". Something similar to this is alluded to in the expedition flavor text for the Dorat in Godzilla Battle Line, which states: "Gently pushing through the grass, we were met by three creatures oddly resembling a cross between a bat and a cat. Their adorable faces and sparkling eyes melt my heart in an instant."
  • Controlled through specific sound waves, including commands received from a special whistle that their owners would have as Emmy Kano did. Referenced in Toho Special Effects: All Kaiju Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784096820902).
  • Picturebook of Godzilla & All Monsters (ISBN: 9784065234914) confirms that the Dorat species was created by humanity through genetic engineering.
  • The Godzilla Chronicles Vol. 3 (ISBN: 4812405815) cites that the Dorats were created through sourcing genetic material of a King Ghidorah that was discovered on Venus in the distant future. This would give the Dorat a slight extraterrestrial origin while also revealing the existence of an alien King Ghidorah in the Heisei Godzilla series; however, Toho Kingdom was unable to find another source to back this up. A similar origin is given in the novelization of the events of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) that is found in Godzilla Attacks!! (ISBN: 484540592X), but novelizations are frequently known for adding details outside of what the source material intended.
  • Director Kazuki Omori was displeased with the Dorats in the final film. On the DVD commentary for Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Omori lamented that: "No matter how you look at it, it just looks like a toy".



King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah

Height : 140 meters
Wingspan : 150 meters
Mass : 70,000 tons

Powers / Weapons

Flight at mach 4; gravity beams; constricting necks; protective magnetic casing

WEAKNESSES

Sound wave disruption

Appearances

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991); Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (stock footage)

Series // Heisei

Sound Effect

Description

Golden scales enshrouded a fiend of human origin. The Dorats had mutated, becoming a single deadly war machine. A means to carry out the twisted desires of the silver-tongued time travelers.

For decades the gigantic beast waited, away from human sight. That is until the order was given in 1992, as Chuck Wilson and Glen of the Equal Environment Earth Union were eager to see if their plan would come to proper fruition. Using similar sound waves as to control the Dorats, they commanded King Ghidorah to fly towards Japan and raze it to the ground. Without hesitation, the three-headed monster did so, soon arriving and igniting a terror the country had not known for two years.

Gravity beams coursed forth from their jaws, shredding buildings apart and gutting the streets. The wind shear of a colossus of their bulk moving at Mach 4 also reduced buildings to powder. In a matter of minutes, Fukuoka was a flattened ruin, King Ghidorah’s rampage only just beginning as the commands of their masters set their eyes on the rest of the Land of the Rising Sun.

King GhidorahThe diabolical schemers of the future were ecstatic, their plans to cripple Japan and ensure it would never rise to become a global superpower were flawless. Even with Emmy’s change of heart at hearing the full scope of their plans, Chuck and Glen felt like kings.

Japan refused to back down, resorting to drastic measures. Visions from the psychic Miki Saegusa suggested that the Godzillasaurus was still alive, so a nuclear sub was sent towards it in hopes of recreating a Godzilla that could battle King Ghidorah. A fatal miscalculation was made, however. Godzilla had never been erased from history, the displacement of the Godzillasaurus had put it in the path of a nuclear submarine’s crash in the 1970s, leading to the atomic leviathan Japan was all too familiar with. Godzilla tore into the nuclear payload destined for the dinosaur, purging his system of the ANEB and growing an extra 20 meters.

Furious at the potential wrench in their plans, the members of the Equal Environment Earth Union demanded King Ghidorah go forth and smite Godzilla. The two soon met at Hokkaido on the Abashiri Plain, and a battle of artificial gods began.

Immediately, an exchange of rays was given, as gravity beams and heat rays ignited the Abashiri Plain. However, a protective magnetic casing allowed the three-headed monster to effortlessly block Godzilla's ray with its wings. Taking to the sky, King Ghidorah retaliated in kind with a torrent of gravity beams at their master’s command. Godzilla was forced back, allowing King Ghidorah to unleash more of their golden bolts to tear apart the ground and agonize their foe.

Launching a new strategy, King Ghidorah crashed their bulk against Godzilla in a flying kick, dropping the ebony beast to the dirt. Circling back around, the three-headed monster began to brutally stomp upon their foe, bruising flesh and cracking bone with each slam.

As this battle continued to unfold, chaos began on the MOTHER ship. Emmy returned with Terasawa and a reprogrammed android M11 to stop the plans of the Equal Environment Earth Union from the inside. The trio proved able enough to fight past the defenses and plant explosives upon the control device of the golden serpents, detonating it in a fiery flash.

The sound wave link was gone, as was the control of King Ghidorah. Assaulted by the agony of their brains being shocked by the feedback of the event, the beast dropped like a stone to the earth. Godzilla was on his own feet in a matter of seconds, proving his new body to be as indomitable as his will. The weakened hydra found itself grabbed by the tails and bashed into the ground repeatedly, helpless before the brute strength of their foe. Soon Godzilla tossed them aside, but King Ghidorah was just as ruthless as their adversary.

Using their own minds for the first time in the fight, the mutated pets lunged forward, ensnaring the leviathan’s throat with their center neck. Immense pressure was applied, closing off the windpipe of Godzilla and leaving the atomic beast struggling for breath. Foam gurgled forth from his mouth and death encroaching.

However, it was not to be, for Godzilla’s spines soon flashed blue. From his body came a wave of burning energy. The Nuclear Pulse hurled King Ghidorah back with ease, leaving him burnt and dazed. Things only grew worse as Godzilla spat forth a newly empowered Spiral Ray, cleaving the gold dragon’s center head clean off.

Badly injured, King Ghidorah laid motionless as M11 teleported the MOTHER ship onto the battlefield. This proved nothing more than a minor distraction, as Godzilla quickly obliterated the ship. Attempting to flee, the three-headed monster mustered enough strength to become airborne in a desperate bid for survival. However, freedom was not meant to be. With another spray of his nuclear fury, Godzilla tore a hole in King Ghidorah’s wing. Badly injured, the beast managed to fly over the Sea of ​​Okhotsk before it plummeted into the ocean.

Down the three-headed monster drifted until reaching the bottom. Life barely coursed through them, a heartbeat and nothing else. And it was like this they would lay for centuries, until Emmy Kano and other Futurians would desire to truly save their past from Godzilla’s wrath.

King Ghidorah’s comatose body was dredged up from its watery prison, to enter the final phase of its long, cruel life.


Powers / Weapons
Flight at Mach 4

Flight at Mach 4

Despite the golden dragon's size, it could fly at incredible speeds. The winds generated by its flight could destroy buildings and similar structures, as well as detonate fighter jets that attempted to engage King Ghidorah in battle.

Thanks to its natural gravity manipulation, King Ghidorah was also able to perform anti-gravity flight. This was seen when the three-headed monster attempted to flee from Godzilla, barely using its wings in the process as it lifted off. However, its anti-gravity flight appeared to be slower than what it could accomplish when it was also using its wings.

   
Gravity Beams

Gravity Beams

King Ghidorah could unleash golden gravity beams from their three mouths.

These were capable of tearing apart buildings and city blocks with ease, and most impressively, cause damage to Godzilla and keep him from properly fighting back.

   
Constricting Necks

Constricting Necks

Each neck of King Ghidorah was highly flexible and strong like a snake's body, allowing them to constrict around a foe and crush them.

Once constricted, not even Godzilla was able to physically overpower King Ghidorah. Without his Nuclear Pulse, the King of the Monsters would have been powerless once the central neck of King Ghidorah wrapped around him.

   
Protective Magnetic Casing

Protective Magnetic Casing

The three-headed monster was outfitted with a protective magnetic casing, greatly increasing its defensive capabilities. This allowed it to pull off feats such as using its wings as a shield, blocking Godzilla's heat ray in the process.

The integrity of the magnetic casing appeared to suffer during its prolonged battle with the King of the Monsters, witnessed when Godzilla's heat ray was later able to easily blast a hole through a wing that earlier blocked the ray. It's possible this was due to overuse or it could have been a by-product of the severed sound wave link.


Weaknesses
Sound Wave Disruption

Sound Wave Disruption

King Ghidorah was controlled through specific sound waves, which it would receive through the horn-like antennas on its heads. This allowed the Equal Environment Earth Union to issue orders to the monster.

However, if a sound wave link was established and then broken it would have negative effects on King Ghidorah. This included immediate pain, as when the link was broken red energy coursed painfully through the three heads. The monster would also be weakened as a result of this, lowering its combat capabilities and its speed.


Background and Trivia
  • Portrayed by Hurricane Ryu, who also did concept work for the three-headed monster.
  • Originally Wataru Fukuda was going to portray King Ghidorah in the film. However, the suit ended up not fitting Fukuda and the role was recast. Noted in Heisei Godzilla Chronicle (ISBN: 4873763193).
  • A lot of King Ghidorah's stats are inconsistent across sources. Toho Kingdom will cover these and where the majority of sources agreed. Starting with the height, most sources list King Ghidorah as being 140 meters tall. Sources with 140 meters include the Picturebook of Godzilla & All Monsters (ISBN: 9784065234914) and Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works (ISBN: 9784091014702) just to name a few of over a dozen sources that Toho Kingdom came across. Discrepancies include The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225) that lists 150 meters for the height and the Godzilla Fierce Fighting Super Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004) that lists 120 meters but likely meant 150 meters since they list this height for Mecha-King Ghidorah.
  • Sources are pretty divided on King Ghidorah's wingspan. The Godzilla Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784773087253) and Godzilla for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 are examples of sources that list 150 meters. Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784063048476) and Encyclopedia of Godzilla: New Mechagodzilla Edition (ISBN: T1062538812202) are samples of ones that list 140 meters for the wingspan. The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225) gives a further curve ball of listing 175 meters for the wingspan.
  • A majority of sources list King Ghidorah as flying at mach 4. This includes Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063045579), Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784063048476) and more. However, The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225) and Toho Special Effects: All Kaiju Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784096820902) both list mach 3 and that it's slower compared with Mecha-King Ghidorah. Ultimately, mach 4 seems to be correct as not only is it in more sources but the Monster Super Power Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004) features a flying speed chart that places King Ghidorah at mach 4 on this comparison asset.
  • Monster Super Power Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004) notes that King Ghidorah was capable of anti-gravity flight, thanks to its gravity manipulation capabilities. It mentions this is seen in the movie when the three-headed monster slowly flies away from Godzilla, its wings hardly moving.
  • The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587) lists King Ghidorah's powers as: Gravity rays, shockwave, constricting necks, trample attack.
  • The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225) gives a power listing of: Flight at Mach 3, gravity beams from mouths, hurricane winds from wings.
  • Controlled via specific sound waves, which are received from the antenna-like horns located on each head. Discussed in The Ultimate Godzilla Monster Illustration Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063042790).
  • Several publications bring up the negative effects of having its sound wave control disrupted. However, the exact effect is a little cryptic. Godzilla Fierce Fighting Super Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004) mentions that King Ghidorah's combat power is decreased when control is broken, although doesn't go into more detail. The Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784063048476) does bring up one thing that it impairs on the three-headed monster, and that is that he's slower after the control is broken.
  • A few publications call out King Ghidorah's ability to use his wings to block Godzilla's heat ray but don't go into specifics on how, with the Godzilla: Toho Giant Monster Picture Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4092800525) being one example of this. This is particularly puzzling as later in the movie Godzilla has no issue using his ray to blow a hole through the three-headed monster's wing. The PC title Godzilla Movie Studio Tour does actually give some detail, though, mentioning that the creature had a protective magnetic casing. Although not known for sure, it's possible that when its sound wave control was broken that the magnetic casing was also weakened or even removed. If this theory is correct, this could explain the discrepancy in terms of the effectiveness of Godzilla's heat ray.
  • King Ghidorah had three hearts, helping him maintain energy over long spans of time. Shown via a cutaway view in The Ultimate Godzilla Monster Illustration Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063042790).
  • Oddly, Monster Super Power Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004) notes King Ghidorah as not having regenerative powers like Biollante, citing how it lay dormant and badly injured at the bottom of the ocean for hundreds of years.
  • In the scene where the center head is blown off, gold dust is spewed out instead of blood. This was done out of consideration for children who might be in the audience along with any potential regulations overseas. Mentioned in Toho Special Effects Movies: Complete Works (ISBN: 9784864910132).
  • On the suit, the mouths were radio controlled. Discussed in the 1991 book Latest Encyclopedia of Godzilla (No ISBN).
  • 40,000 scales were pasted one by one and by hand to make the suit. Noted in The Large Godzilla Anatomical Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784766137842).
  • The cost of the King Ghidorah suit was estimated at ¥30,000,000. Brought up in Toho SF Special Effects Movie Series Volume 6 (ISBN: 4924609382).



Mecha-King Ghidorah
Mecha-King Ghidorah

Height : 140 meters
Wingspan : 150 meters
Mass : 80,000 tons

Powers / Weapons

Anti-gravity flight at mach 4; gravity beams; plasma gravity beam; capture cables; machine hand; laser sonic waves

Appearances

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991); Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

Series // Heisei

Sound Effect

Description

In 2204, King Ghidorah’s barely living body was retrieved from the ocean. The advanced technology of the time was used to rip apart his body and enhance it with cybernetics. The torso was completely replaced, as advanced machinery was inserted to help power the creature through a plasma generation furnace. The damaged wings were also discarded, replaced with solar panels for an additional power source. To augment its flying capabilities, gravity propulsion was equipped inside installed ankle bracers to achieve superior anti-gravity flight. The tips of the tails were also removed, as laser emitters were inserted. Even the organic heads were modified, with control units surgically inserted near the brain and neck areas. Finally, the central head’s empty spot was filled with a robotic doppelgänger, one that had laser sight, an infrared camera and multi-radar features.

With Emmy in the cockpit and M11’s computing brain placed inside to act as a co-pilot, Mecha-King Ghidorah was completed. The robotic dragon was thrust back in time to complete its mission: defeat Godzilla.

Mecha-King GhidorahHeralded by a flash in the sky, Mecha-King Ghidorah appeared back in 1992 above the rampaging Godzilla. The nuclear colossus was quick to attack with his ray, perhaps remembering the cyborg’s fully organic form. The beam tore through the tops of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building as Mecha-King Ghidorah flew overhead, avoiding the attack. Landing before Godzilla, the cybernetic dragon let loose a threefold cry before immediately going on the offensive.

The two organic heads let loose golden gravity beams, as a multicolored laser left the mechanical mouth. Godzilla screamed out as he was assailed by the array of beams, the buildings around him being torn apart as well. The ebony colossus retaliated with his atomic ray, shaking the mechanical dragon and the pilot within.

Mecha-King Ghidorah continued its assault, eventually pushing Godzilla off his feet and back-first into a skyscraper. Blasting off the top of the building, Mecha-King Ghidorah buried Godzilla in a massive pile of rubble. Emmy pushed the cyborg to draw closer, the warnings from M11 to be careful being brushed aside. A nuclear beam surged out of the pile, crashing against the futuristic weapon and forcing it back as Godzilla got to his feet. Deciding a ranged war was a losing battle, M11 commanded Emmy to make Mecha-King Ghidorah jump forward, crashing its bulk against Godzilla.

The nuclear leviathan kept his footing as he was forced back, tearing a hole in one of his foe’s wings with a ray. Mecha-King Ghidorah’s organic heads arched down, latching their jaws onto Godzilla’s body and releasing point-blank gravity beams. Another stream of energy from the ebony beast’s maw ripped a hole in the other wing, forcing the cyborg back and sending it dropping to the ground on its back. Emmy was tossed about inside the cockpit, hurt and unmoving as Godzilla began to walk towards the downed three-headed monster. M11’s urging to get up and continue fighting stirred Emmy awake, prompting her to pull on a nearby lever.

Mecha-King Ghidorah got to its feet, hatches opening on its abdomen and firing shackles attached to cables. The Godzilla capture devices latched onto the beast’s arms and legs, then discharged intense electricity into Godzilla’s body. He still continued walking forward, but was halted when Mecha-King Ghidorah’s midsection opened wide and released a colossal clamp which wrapped around the destroyer’s stomach. Despite the immense shocks he was receiving, Godzilla continued struggling as the future weapon lifted off into the air. It carried him over the ocean, but the cyborg finally shut down after another atomic ray crashed into its body, sending both it and Godzilla rocketing down into the waters below.

When the waves calmed, a small ship arose: the KIDS time machine. Emmy said her good byes to the people she had bonded with in the past, including her ancestor Terasawa, before departing back to the 23rd century.

Godzilla eventually awoke, beneath his latest foe and entangled by the cables and Machine Hand. He soon escaped, while the advanced cyborg continued to rest on the bottom of the ocean. The Japanese government one day recovered the intact machinery, launching their technological process radically forward with the construction of a purely mechanical anti-Godzilla weapon...


Powers / Weapons
Flight at Mach 4

Anti-Gravity Flight at Mach 4

The futuristic cyborg dragon could fly through the usage of anti-gravity generators in its ankle braces. It's possible these generators were used in conjuncture with King Ghidorah's natural anti-gravity capabilities or totally subverted them.

While able to fly at the same max speed as its organic form, the strong anti-gravity traits allowed for additional feats. This includes impressively being able to carry Godzilla and still fly at a speed of mach 4.

   
Gravity Beams

Gravity Beams

The remaining heads of the original King Ghidorah could still spout gravity beams just like before. These beams could be fired off in unison or at different intervals by the two heads.

In addition, the organic heads of the cyborg could bite down and fire these beams at point-blank range, giving off the impression of an almost electric bite.

   
Plasma Gravity Beam

Plasma Gravity Beam

The mechanical central head was outfitted with a laser beam cannon in the mouth area. This emitted an artificial plasma gravity beam.

The beam had great maneuverability, even after being fired as it could arc. In the event the two side gravity beams would be fired into the laser, it would form a powerful Triple Plasma Ray Beam that could be directed at targets. This Triple Plasma Ray Beam technique was not used in its battle against Godzilla.

   
Capture Cables

Capture Cables

From hatches on the front four corners of its torso, Mecha-King Ghidorah could fire capture cables. Specifically designed for Godzilla, these capture devices would attach to Godzilla's limbs, discharging an electric shock as they did so.

Although the cables didn't prevent Godzilla from still advancing, they did limit movement and could course electricity through the King of the Monsters.

   
Machine Hand

Machine Hand

In conjunction with the capture cables, the future weapon could utilize a colossal Machine Hand to fully restrain Godzilla and surge even more energy into the leviathan.

This Machine Hand was also strong enough to carry Godzilla and withstand him bashing it.

   
Laser Sonic Waves

Laser Sonic Waves

Each of Mecha-King Ghidorah's two tails were equipped with beam launchers. These could be used to emit laser sonic waves at enemy targets.

These sonic waves went unused in the cyborg's battle with Godzilla around the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building.


Background and Trivia
  • Unlike its organic form, most sources are consistent on Mecha-King Ghidorah's size. That is 140 meters in height, which is featured in Picturebook of Godzilla & All Monsters (ISBN: 9784065234914), Toho Special Effects: All Kaiju Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784096820902) and dozens of other sources. In addition, the cyborg's wingspan is 150 meters, which doesn't appear as often but is backed up in sources like the Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784063048476) and Godzilla for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4. Some exceptions to this do exist, such as Godzilla Fierce Fighting Super Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004) and The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225) that both cite 150 meters for the height, while the latter also lists 175 meters for the wingspan.
  • Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063045579) notes that not only was Mecha-King Ghidorah able to fly at mach 4 but that it was able to achieve this speed while carrying Godzilla as well.
  • Is controlled by KIDS that is mounted below the central head, although KIDS has been modified with controls such as a joystick and switch panels. M11's AI has also been infused into KIDS, acting as a co-pilot for Emmy and helping to control Mecha-King Ghidorah. Detailed in the Toho SFX Mechanic Chronicle 1954-2003 (ISBN: 477530142X).
  • The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587) lists Mecha-King Ghidorah's powers as: Laser beam, machine hand, gravity rays. This is the same power listing also seen in the Toho SFX Mechanic Chronicle 1954-2003 (ISBN: 477530142X).
  • The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225) gives a power listing of: Laser triple beam, gravity beams, anti-gravity flight at Mach 4, Godzilla capture cables with "machine hand", body armor.
  • Mecha-King Ghidorah's mechanical head is outfitted with a laser sight and infrared camera. Mentioned in Toho SFX Mechanic Chronicle 1954-2003 (ISBN: 477530142X).
  • The Ultimate Godzilla Monster Illustration Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063042790) has a cutaway view that details numerous aspects of the cyborg. This includes that the infrared eye is able to look inside Godzilla's body and that the antenna-like horns on the robotic head are used for radar. It also covers the gravity propulsion machine located in the leg enhancements.
  • Although in Japanese, the Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784063048476) cites the robotic central head as being able to emit an artificial plasma gravity beam. Godzilla for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 notes something similar but in English, saying it could fire a "plasma gravity beam".
  • In the Godzilla Movie Studio Tour the creature is cited as being able to perform a "Triple Plasma Ray Beam, which is generated by the three necks of the monster". This is shown in storyboards, where the cyborg would have fired its plasma gravity beam and then combined its three rays into a single powerful beam that would be released at Godzilla. This was planned to be included in the movie, but ultimately didn't make it in due to complexity to film it. Special effects director Koichi Kawakita noted this was because a single person was in charge of the mouths and the computer controlled opening and closing would often appear random. While this gave them a slightly more life-like attribute it became hard to have them function in unison for performing the triple beam technique, so it was not included in the final film. Mentioned in Toho SF Special Effects Movie Series Volume 6 (ISBN: 4924609382).
  • Mecha-King Ghidorah's tails are able to emit a laser sound wave or sonic wave, as it could be translated either way. This is mentioned in The Ultimate Godzilla Monster Illustration Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063042790). The inspiration for these is noted by designer Shinji Nishikawa as allowing for the impressive visual of Mecha-King Ghidorah firing five beams all at once. Brought up in Godzilla Anatomy Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784766137842).
  • The device on the tail could release stored energy from being attacked. This was presumably to power the laser sonic wave, although the Monster Super Power Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: T1001844121004) that discusses this doesn't mention the beam specifically. In addition, it does not detail exactly how Mecha-King Ghidorah was capable of storing energy from being attacked.
  • Mecha-King Ghidorah's wings being used to absorb and power the cyborg are detailed in Godzilla: Toho Giant Monster Picture Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4092800525). Godzilla Movie Studio Tour also mentions the wings are not used at all for flight.
  • In addition to solar power, the creature was also powered by a plasma generation furnace that was located in the chest. This is shown in The Ultimate Godzilla Monster Illustration Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063042790).
  • The final design was by Shinji Nishikawa, although one change from the design was that the concept featured the English letters MG stamped on the center chest. Mentioned in Toho SFX Mechanic Chronicle 1954-2003 (ISBN: 477530142X).
  • The solar panel wing design was inspired by the TIE Advanced star fighter from Star Wars. Noted in Shinji Nishikawa Design Works (ISBN: 9784768311509).
  • The same suit was shared between the King Ghidorah and Mecha-King Ghidorah forms of the monster. This is achieved by the film crew going in and replacing parts, such as the wings or central head, depending on the scene. Showcased in Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works (ISBN: 9784091014702).
  • The suit is over 3 meters long and weighs 300 kilograms. Due to the weight they did not place an actor inside, requiring a total of 10 people to manage the suit. Referenced in Toho SFX Mechanic Chronicle 1954-2003 (ISBN: 477530142X).