Mechagodzilla メカゴジラ [Showa]

Rising from a hurled volcanic rock, Godzilla, it seemed, had once again returned to his malevolent ways. Appearing near Mount Fuji, the creature waged a campaign of destruction against humanity. The monstrosity leveled anything that stood in its path, tearing down buildings with its fists. As the abomination traveled across Japan, though, it attracted the attention of another monster.

Traveling underground, Anguirus burrowed under what appeared to be Godzilla. As the spiked creature emerged from the ground, it toppled over this Godzilla. Anguirus could see what others could not, though, in this creature. The spiked monster immediately went on the attack. This raised questions from those spectating as to why Anguirus would assault his friend Godzilla. As the two monsters exchanged blows, though, the quadruped reptile managed to damage its opponent's shoulder. This revealed metal below the creature's skin, exposing the Fake Godzilla to Anguirus. However, not even Anguirus could stop this creature's power. Enraged, the imposter lashed out at the quadruped reptile. Despite being able to see through the disguise, though, Anguirus was powerless to halt its wrath. Receiving a grisly broken jaw, the spiked kaiju was forced to flee. This left the Fake Godzilla to once again push deeper into Japan's mainland.

By nightfall the machine had arrived at a refinery. Using its golden hued laser beam, the demon set the area aflame. Unfortunately for it, though, the real Godzilla had sensed its presence. Emerging from under a building, the King of the Monsters came forth to battle. Fighting with fierce determination, the real Godzilla tore and blasted away chunks of the doppelganger's skin. He was perplexed by the unusual affect his attacks had against his foe. Godzilla's questions were soon to be answered, though. The Black Hole aliens, which had constructed this hellish instrument of terror, burned away the guise. This revealed to Godzilla, and the world, the true Mechagodzilla.

• Two suits were used to portray Fake Godzilla, which include the normal Godzilla suit used for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and a promotional suit. This fact is published in the 2012 book Toho Special Effects Movies: Complete Works (ISBN: 9784864910132).
• The disguised version of Mechagodzilla is called Fake Godzilla (にせゴジラ - Nise Godzilla). This is noted in a variety of media surrounding this version of the character, including the book The Toho Special Effects: All Kaiju Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784096820902), a CAST model in 2012 and the Battle Spirits trading card game.
• The yellow atomic ray used by Fake Godzilla is simply referred to as "Laser Beam" (レーザービーム - Reza Bimu). This is not the same attack as Mechagodzilla's eye beams, which are called "Space Beams" (スペースビーム - Supesu Bimu). This detail is mentioned in the Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla Secret Great Picture Book (ISBN: 9784063230192) and in Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063045579).
• Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) begins with the events from the previous film involving Godzilla and Fake Godzilla engaged in battle at the refinery. During this sequence, Fake Godzilla appears to be mostly silent. However, his laser beam incorrectly has the same sound effect as Godzilla's atomic ray.
• The trailer for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) features a lot of footage not used in the final movie. This includes additional angles and footage of the fight at the refinery. However, it also includes a brand new transformation sequence for Fake Godzilla changing into Mechagodzilla, which appears to happen at Okinawa during the daytime. When asked by David Milner during a 1994 interview, director Jun Fukuda stated that this trailer was actually directed by the chief assistant director, Tsunesaburo Nishikawa.
  
  

Built underground at the Gyokusen caves in Okinawa by the aliens of the Third Planet of the Black Hole, Mechagodzilla was a massive war machine. After its Fake Godzilla disguise was compromised, the machine burnt it to reveal its true identity. Fashioned from Space Titanium, ten time stronger than steel, the robot was ready for conquest. Its first goal was to remove the creature it was based on: Godzilla.

With gleaming ember eyes, Mechagodzilla wasted no time in proving its power. Following its commands, the mechanical titan immediately unleashed waves of finger rockets. Caught in the explosion, Godzilla was thrown to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the mechanical doppelganger advanced. Leaning in, the robot fired a blast of its Space Beams from its eyes. Godzilla suddenly sat up, though, narrowly avoiding the beams. As parts of the refinery exploded from the blast, the nuclear leviathan stood again to fight. Silent rage burned as Godzilla unleashed his Atomic Ray. Answering Godzilla's sea blue nuclear breath, the machine unleashed its Space Beams again. Both godly forces struck, pushing back and forth. However, only one outcome was possible. The combined forces exploded with ear shattering force, knocking both competitors back. Godzilla fell into the bay, leaving only a churning swirl of blood to mark its presence. Mechagodzilla, meanwhile, suffered major damage to its head control unit. This forced the aliens to withdraw and repair their war machine.

Recalling it back to their Okinawa base, repairs on the robot became time consuming. Concerns mounted that certain Black Hole aliens would realize the mistakes surrounding the Mechagodzilla project. However, the project leader, Kuronuma, had a plan. To hasten the repairs, they forced a human scientist named Hideto Miyajima, whom who had some knowledge of the alien technology, to fix it. The gamble paid off for the aliens, as the machine was repaired and ready for combat.

Launching from their Okinawa base, Mechagodzilla was ready to strike once more. This time, though, humanity was prepared. Awaking the legendary protector god, King Caesar, the prophecy, carved in the Azumi Royal Family's cave that told of an epic war, was becoming a reality. The two monsters fought heatedly, but not even the giant golem-like kaiju could overcome the metal warrior. Giving ground, it looked as if the god-like creature was to be defeated. That is until Godzilla broke through the bay's surface. Marching inland, Godzilla seethed with fury.

This turned the conflict into a two-on-one, as Godzilla and King Caesar united against a common foe. However, superior numbers did little to turn the tide. Mechagodzilla proved powerful enough to keep its two attackers on the ropes. It wasn't until Godzilla, using an electric charge he absorbed earlier, turned himself into a magnetic force did the tides turn. Using this new power, the King of the Monsters drew the metal monster toward him. Held in place, King Caesar slammed into the robot. The fierce assault overcome the omnipotent strength of the machine. Looking to finish the battle, Godzilla used his brute strength to twist the machine's head. The nuclear monster then ripped off Mechagodzilla's head, ending its reign. Defeated, Mechagodzilla exploded into pieces of shrapnel, ending the alien's plans for the time being.

• Suit actor Ise Mori portrayed Mechagodzilla in the film.
• Mechagodzilla was designed by Akihiko Iguchi. The suit was then modeled by Tomomi Kobayashi and Nobuyuki Yasumaru.
• Mechagodzilla has a huge list of powers and many books cite some but not all of them. The Toho Special Effects: All Kaiju Illustrated Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784096820902) is one of the most comprehensive, though. It cites the machine's powers as "Space Beams" (スペースビーム - Supesu Bimu), "Destofire" (デストファイヤー - Desutofaiya), "Treize Device" (トレイス装置 - Toreisu Sochi), "Finger Missiles" (フィンガーミサイル - Finga Misairu), "Cross Attack Beam" (クロスアタックビーム - Kurosu Atakku Bimu), "Homyu Shot" (ホーミューショット - Homyu Shotto), "High Pressure Homing" (ハイプレッシャーホーミング - Haipuressha Homingu), "Antenna" (アンテナ - Antena) "Cybanek" (サイバネック - Saibanekku), "Defense Neo Barrier" (ディフェンスネオバリヤー - Difensu Neo Bariya), "Unisot" (ユニソット - Yunisotto) and "Jetfire" (ジェットファイヤー - Jettofaiya). The last attack is in reference to the boosters in Mechagodzilla's feet which enabled flight.
  
  The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587), lists some of the powers above, although calls the finger missiles "Space Finger Missiles" (スペースフィンガーミサイル - Supesu Finga Misairu). It also adds "Super Strength" (怪力 - Kairiki) as a power.
• Three sources list Mechagodzilla's powers in English. One is the CD-Rom Godzilla Movie Studio Tour, which lists: Space Beams mounted on the eyes, Desto-Fire mounted on the nose, missiles that are shot from the mouth, small-arms missiles from the neck, Finger Missiles, Cross Attack Beams on the chest, High Pressure Homing devices on the toes, it has the ability to detach its tail to attack a foe, Mechagodzilla can repel Godzilla's radioactive blaze using its Defense Neo Barrier. Another source is The Official Godzilla Compendium (ISBN: 0679888225), which lists: close attack beam from chest, space beam from eyes, force field projection, flame-thrower in mouth, flight via rockets in feet, space titanium armor, missiles in fingers, throat, knees and toes. The third source is the 2014 Playstation 3/4 title Godzilla, which lists: Space beam; Fire breath; Finger missiles; Crossed attack beam; Neo Barrier force field; Foam shot; Homing missiles.
  
  Discrepancies exist among all three. Despite being the oldest, the Godzilla Movie Studio Tour is likely the most correct as it lines up with the Japanese translations of the attacks. In terms of the discrepancies, for the "close attack beam", this was likely a mistranslation as "cross" sounds similar to "close" in Japanese. The fire breath was likely confusion over the Desto-Fire attack or was implying Fake Godzilla's laser attack, and was made in both of the other sources. As for the "Foam shot" it's unknown if this was referring to the Homyu Shot or the Unisot, although likely the former.
• The idea to use a mechanical monster for Godzilla's opponent came from special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano. This fact is mentioned in Age of the Gods (self-published).
  
  

Following the defeat of the first Mechagodzilla, the aliens of the Third Planet of the Black Hole began to plan another attack. In this renewed conquest, a new project leader, Mugal, was assigned. His first goal was to order the recovery of the remains of Mechagodzilla. Although highly fragmented, the alien race worked diligently. Ultimately, they secured all the pieces near Okinawa. With the remains, a new base was established in Mount Amagi. Located far away on mainland Japan, the aliens rushed to rebuild a new Mechagodzilla.

The extraterrestrials had another plan, though. For years they had been observing the disgraced Doctor Mafune. Interested in the scientist's claim to control an animal's brain cells, the aliens watched his studies. However, when an experiment went wrong and endangered his daughter, Katsura, the aliens stepped in. Through surgery they saved her, turning the young girl into a cyborg in the process. Following the mysterious procedure, Katsura was returned to a confused Mafune. The scientist then continued his research, focused on controlling a dinosaur called Titanosaurus.

Meanwhile in present day, humanity dispatched the Akatsuki sub near Okinawa. The vessel was to search for and secure some of the Mechagodzilla remains. Looking off the coast of Cape Maeda at Okinawa, the group searched 250 meters below the surface. However, the remains were gone and the vessel was attacked by Titanosaurus. As it turned out, the aliens, in disguise, had began a collaboration with Mafune. Acting as financial backers, they orchestrated the sub attack as a test of the Titanosaurus controller. Proving successful, the crew of the sub were kidnapped and moved to Mount Amagai. There, the crew was forced to act as slaves, helping to finish Mechagodzilla. To help with their compliance, their throats were slashed in a non-fatal way to prevent speech. As for the sub, the giant dinosaur was ordered to obliterate it.

Eventually, the aliens, feeling confident of Mafune's hatred for humanity due to being disgraced by his peers, reveal their identity. Securing his cooperation, Mafune assists in building the new Mechagodzilla. In particular, he is assigned to work on the new head controller.

As repairs near completion, Mugal personally comes to check on Mafune's progress. As Mugal brags about creating the "perfect robot monster", Mafune counters this claim. Favoring Titanosaurus, the scientist cites that the machine lacks living brain tissue. Without it, Mechagodzilla can not be perfect. Unknowingly, the scientist gave the alien commander an idea. Later, when Katsura becomes injured, the Black Hole Aliens again save Mafune's daughter. This time, though, they use the opportunity to place the Mechagodzilla controller inside the girl. Now, Mechagodzilla no longer requires a base to be controlled. This would let the aliens destroy the Mount Amagai location after launch. It would also help prevent humanity from discovering them. Pleased with this turn of events, Mugal again brags to Mafune. With Mechagodzilla controlled by living brain tissue, Mugal boasts that it's truly a "perfect robot monster". With his daughter turned even more machine, Mafune briefly breaks down, distraught over her fate.

Eventually, a small group of the aliens relocate to Mafune's lab. From there, Katsura controls both Titanosaurs and Mechagodzilla. The giant machine is the first to be mobilized, leaving the Mount Amagai base. Afterwards, the area self-destructs. Next Titanosaurus is activated, and meets Mechagodzilla in Tokyo. Together, the duo commences to obliterate the city. Using its Space Beams, the Black Hole machine decimates entire blocks. Afterwards, the biped dinosaur uses its tail fin to create hurricane winds. This blows away away the remnants of the destruction.

As the giants wade deeper into the city, their assault is halted by Godzilla. Suddenly appearing, the King of the Monsters engages the two. Katsura then begins to team the two monsters together. While the giant dinosaur meets Godzilla in close combat, Mechagodzilla acts as support. This places greater emphasis on Titanosaurus, but evokes Mechagodzilla at key moments. This plays out through the towering machine using its Space Beams to assist. Ultimately, the duo overpower the King of the Monsters. Using its new Revolving Finger Missiles, Godzilla takes the attack into its mouth. Weakened, Titanosaurus kicks the monster far away into a ravine. Once more using its missiles, Mechagodzilla then buries its rival under tons of dirt.

Seemingly defeated, the giant dinosaur proceeds to jump on the upturned earth. As this further packs in Godzilla, Mechagodzilla observes from a distance. However, humanity proceeded to step in with a new secret weapon to even the odds. Using their super sonic wave oscillator, the humans keep Titanosaurs writhing in agony. This leaves enough of an opportunity for Godzilla to burst from the ground. Dishing out an atomic ray, the King of the Monsters downed its mechanical rival. Dusting itself off, Godzilla emerged from the hole just as Mechagodzilla stood again. As Godzilla advanced, the giant machine unleashed an all-out attack. Godzilla was shelled with tremendous firepower that lit up the surrounding area. Despite Mechagodzilla's efforts, though, Godzilla was able to close the gap. Rushing forward, the nuclear giant ripped the machine's head off as he did before. Unfortunately, this proved to be an almost fatal mistake.

While the first Mechagodzilla was weak in its head area, this was compensated for with Mechagodzilla II. Not only did the destruction of the head fail to down the machine, but it unveiled a powerful weapon. As its new head controller was revealed, an apparatus released a concentrated beam. So strong was this upgraded mechanism, that one blast was more than enough to topple Godzilla.

Despite the odds having turned again, Mugal was about to regret his decisions. Overcome by feelings of compassion, Katsura rebelled, realizing she alone controlled Mechagodzilla. In a selfless act, the young girl sacrificed her life to end the giant machine's reign. Without a controller, an electrical surge covered the machine, rendering it useless. Godzilla wasted no time, rushing his mechanical rival. Lifting the machine, the King of the Monsters tossed Mechagodzilla several miles away. Falling into a crevice, Godzilla ignited the area with an atomic ray. The resulting explosion destroyed and buried the machine, ending its threat to the world.

• Suit actor Ise Mori portrayed Mechagodzilla II.
• During Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), the giant machine is depicted doing an all-out attack against Godzilla. This is achieved through using stock footage of the first Mechagodzilla. This causes an issue as Mechagodzilla II is shown using Space Finger Missiles during this sequence, rather than the new Revolving Finger Missiles.
• In the 2000 publication The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587), Mechagodzilla II's powers are listed as "Revolving New Style Finger Missiles" (回転式新型フィンガーミサイル - Kaiten Shiki Shingata Finga Misairu), "Space Beams" (スペースビーム - Supesu Bimu), "Desto-Fire" (デストファイヤー - Desutofaiya), "Cross-Attack Beam" (クロスアタックビーム - Kurosu Atakku Bimu) and "Super Strength" (怪力 - Kairiki). The Toho SFX Mechanic Chronicle 1954-2003 (ISBN: 477530142X) lists the same powers, except removes "super strength" and adds in the "Defense Neo-Barrier" (ディフェンスネオバリヤー - Difensu Neo Bariya), "Homyu Shot" (ホーミューショット - Homyu Shotto) and calls the missiles the "New Style Space Finger Missiles" (新型スペースフィンガーミサイル - Shingata Supesu Finga Misairu).
• The 1993 book Everything About Godzilla Movies (ISBN: 9784054002166) cites that Mechagodzilla II's Revolving Finger Missiles were five times as powerful as the finger missiles of the first Mechagodzilla.
• Although infrequently named, the Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works (ISBN: 4091014704) cites the weapon used by Mechagodzilla II's head controller as the "Laser Firing Apparatus" (レーザー発射装置 - Reza Hassha Sochi).
• The 2016 book Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784063048476) cites the new missiles as simply "Revolving Missiles" (回転ミサイル - Kaiten Misairu) and calls the apparatus below Mechagodzilla's head as a "Head Controller" (ヘッドコントローラー - Heddo Kontorora).