Mothra: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Godzilla kaiju}} |
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{{For|the web browser software of the same name|Mothra (web browser)}} |
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{{About|the character|the 1961 film|Mothra (film)|the web browser|Mothra (web browser)|the Godflesh song|Mothra (song)}} |
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{{Infobox character |
{{Infobox character |
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| origin = Nature's goddess |
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| colour = #DEDEE2 |
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| name = Mothra |
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| colour text = |
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| series = [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' film series]] |
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| name = Mothra |
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| image = Mosura trailer - Mothra flying.png |
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| series = [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla film series]] |
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| first = ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961) |
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| last = ''[[Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire]]'' (2024) |
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| caption = |
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| creator = {{Plainlist| |
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| first = ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961) |
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* [[Shinichiro Nakamura]] |
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| last = ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' (2004) |
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* Yoshie Hotta |
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| cause = |
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* Takehiko Fukanaga |
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| creator = [[Takehiko Fukunaga]], [[Shinichiro Nakamura]], [[Yoshie Hotta]] |
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* [[Shinichi Sekizawa]] |
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| portrayer = |
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* [[Eiji Tsuburaya]] |
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| episode = |
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| nickname = |
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| alias = The Thing |
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| species = [[divinity|Divine]] [[Moth]] |
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| gender = Female |
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| occupation = Protector |
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| title = |
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| family = Shobijin (Priestesses) <br>[[Godzilla]] (supposed husband due to constant encounters)<br>[[Battra|Gigamoth]] (Brother)<br>[[Battra]] (Brother)<br>[[Leo (kaiju)|Mothra Leo]] (Son in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'') |
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| spouse = |
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| significantother = |
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| children = |
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| relatives = |
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| religion = |
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| nationality = |
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}} |
}} |
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| portrayer = {{Plainlist| |
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{| class="infobox" style="width: 20em; font-size: 90%; text-align: left" cellspacing=2 |
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*[[Haruo Nakajima]] (caterpillar){{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2009|loc=01:03:55}} |
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*[[Katsumi Tezuka]] (caterpillar){{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2009|loc=01:03:55}} |
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}} |
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| alias = {{Plainlist| |
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*The Thing |
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*Titanus Mosura |
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*Queen of the Monsters |
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}} |
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| species = Giant divine [[moth]] |
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| caption = Mothra as featured in the original 1961 film |
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| gender = Female |
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}} |
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{{Nihongo|'''Mothra'''|[[Japanese language|Japanese]]: モスラ|[[Hepburn romanization|Hepburn]]: Mosura}} is a fictional monster or ''[[kaiju]]'', that first appeared in the 1961 film ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'', produced and distributed by [[Toho|Toho Studios]]. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''[[tokusatsu]]'' films, often as a recurring monster in the [[Godzilla (franchise)|''Godzilla'' franchise]]. She is typically portrayed as a colossal sentient larva ([[caterpillar]]) or [[imago]], accompanied by two miniature fairies speaking on her behalf. Unlike several other Toho monsters, Mothra is a largely heroic character, having been variously portrayed as a protector of her own island culture,<ref name="mothra1961">''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961). Directed by [[Ishirō Honda]]. [[Toho]]</ref> the Earth<ref name="GvM">''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' (1992). Directed by [[Takao Okawara]]. [[Toho]]</ref> and [[Japan]].<ref name="GMK">''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'' (2001). Directed by [[Shusuke Kaneko]]. [[Toho]].</ref> Mothra's design is influenced by [[silk worms|silkworms]], their imagos, and those of giant silk moths in the family [[Saturniidae]]. The character is often depicted hatching offspring (in some cases, twins) when approaching death, a nod to the [[Saṃsāra]] doctrine of numerous [[Indian religions]].{{sfn|Di Giorgio|Gigante|Gordiano|2012|pp=61–63}} |
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Mothra is one of Toho's most popular monsters and second only to [[Godzilla]] in her total number of film appearances. Polls taken during the early 1990s indicated that Mothra was particularly popular among women who were, at the time, the largest demographic among Japan's movie-going audience, a fact that prompted the filming of 1992's ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', which was the best-attended Toho film since ''[[King Kong vs. Godzilla]]''.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|pp=184–190}} [[IGN]] listed Mothra as #3 on its "Top 10 [[Japanese movie|Japanese Movie]] Monsters" list,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/05/15/top-10-japanese-movie-monsters?page=2|title=Top 10 Japanese Movie Monsters|last=Hawker|first=Tom|work=IGN|date=May 15, 2014|access-date=May 17, 2016}}</ref> while ''[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]'' listed the character as #7 on its "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time" list.<ref>Josh Robertson, [http://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/05/most-badass-kaiju-monsters-of-all-time/ "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time"], ''[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]'' (May 18, 2014)</ref> |
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Though Mothra is generally portrayed as female, male individuals of her species have also been featured in the franchise, including Battra in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', and a male Mothra larva who appears alongside his [[non-identical twins|non-identical twin]] sister in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' |
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==Overview== |
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===Name=== |
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The name {{nihongo|''Mothra''|モスラ}} is the suffixation of "-ra" to the English word "moth"; since the Japanese language does not have [[dental fricative]]s, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. The "ra" suffix follows the precedent set by [[Godzilla]] (''Gojira''),{{sfn|Di Giorgio|Gigante|Gordiano|2012|p=64}} which in turn is derived from {{nihongo3|"[[whale]]"|{{ruby|鯨|クジラ}}|kujira}}, which serves to indicate the character's enormous size. |
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[[American International Pictures|Dican International Pictures]] entitled the movie ''Godzilla vs. the Thing'', probably to avoid legal action from [[Columbia Pictures]], which had released the original ''Mothra''.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=109}} |
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===Development=== |
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Mothra was first conceived in the January 1961 [[serial (publishing)|serial]] ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]'' by authors Shinichiro Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga and Yoshie Hotta, who had been commissioned by [[Toho]] to write the outline of a future film.<ref>[http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2007/07/30/jerry-ito-a-swonderful-life/ "Jerry Ito: A S'Wonderful Life"], ''Sci-Fi Japan'' (July 30, 2007)</ref> The character was further developed by [[Shinichi Sekizawa]], whose experiences of starving in the South Pacific islands during [[World War II]] prompted him to envision a movie featuring an island where mysterious events occurred.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|pp=51–54}} |
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In her [[Mothra (film)|1961 debut]], Mothra's adult form consisted of a wire-operated mechanical puppet, while the larva was a [[suitmation]] puppet operated by six stuntmen crawling in single file. In ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' three years later, the adult Mothra puppet was modified with radio-controlled legs, while the larvae were portrayed via a combination of motor-driven props and hand puppets.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|pp=108–110}} The larval Mothra featured in ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' remained largely unchanged from its previous appearance, though the color of its eyes was changed from blue to red.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=116}} The adult Mothra prop featured in ''Mothra vs. Godzilla'' was reused in ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'', though previous heavy use had dulled its colors, frayed the fur on the head and damaged the wings.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=137}} |
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During the early Heisei era of ''Godzilla ''films, which ignored the continuity established in pre-1984 movies, several attempts were made to develop a Mothra standalone feature. Akira Murao wrote a screenplay in 1990 entitled ''Mothra vs. Bagan'', which revolved around a shape-shifting dragon called Bagan who sought to destroy humanity for its abuse of the Earth's resources, only to be defeated by Mothra, the god of peace. The screenplay was revised by [[Kazuki Ōmori]] after the release of ''[[Godzilla vs. Biollante]]'', though the project was ultimately scrapped by Toho, due to the poor box office performance of ''Godzilla vs. Biollante'', as well as the assumption that Mothra was a character born purely out of Japanese culture and thus would have been difficult to market overseas, unlike the more internationally recognized [[Godzilla]].{{sfn|Kalat|2010|pp=179–183}} With the success of ''[[Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah]]'', Toho sought to continue the series' newfound profitability by reintroducing familiar monsters rather than inventing new ones. Mothra was chosen as Godzilla's next antagonist on account of the character's popularity with women, who constituted the majority of cinemagoers at the time. Special effects head [[Kōichi Kawakita|Koichi Kawakita]] co-wrote a screenplay entitled ''Godzilla vs. Gigamoth'' in 1991, which would have pitted Mothra against Godzilla and an irradiated Mothra doppelganger called Gigamoth, though this was rejected early on and replaced with the final plotline that was seen in the film ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]''. Kawakita's depiction of Mothra's adult form was given the ability to fire [[Directed-energy weapon|energy beams]], which were rendered via optical effects, and the pollen dust emitted from its wings were given a sparkling effect not seen in prior movies. During the character's transformation from larva to adult, it was initially planned to have Mothra's unfolding wings rendered through [[Computer generated imagery|CGI]], though this was scrapped on account of it not looking "sensitive" enough.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|pp=279–285}} Although the movie was a financial success, the Mothra props were criticized by several authors, who noted that the adult Mothra's brighter colors made it look like a "plush toy" and that its wings flapped less gracefully than in previous incarnations, as they were made of heavy cloth. The Mothra puppet's immobile chicken-like feet and the lack of undulation in the larva prop's movements were also commented on as being inferior to the effects seen in 1960s Mothra movies.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|pp=279–285}} Criticism was also leveled at Mothra's altered origin story, which portrayed her as an [[Extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrial]], thus dampening the character's motivation for protecting Earth.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|pp=184–190}} The character's newfound popularity nevertheless prompted Toho to produce ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' in 1996.<ref>David Milne, [http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/okawar3.htm "Takao Okawara Interview III"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227045509/http://www.davmil.org/www.kaijuconversations.com/okawar3.htm |date=2016-02-27 }}, ''Kaiju Conversations'' (December 1995)</ref> |
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For ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', director [[Shūsuke Kaneko]] had originally planned on using [[Anguirus]] as one of Godzilla's antagonists, but was pressured by Toho chairman [[Isao Matsuoka]] to use the more recognizable and profitable Mothra,<ref name="kaneko">Ed Godziszewski and Norman England, "Interview with Shusuke Kaneko", ''Japanese Giants'' #9 (June 2002)</ref> as the previous film in the franchise, ''[[Godzilla x Megaguirus]]'', which featured an original and unfamiliar antagonist, was a box office and critical failure.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|pp=238–242}} |
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For 2003's ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'', special effects director Eiichi Asada sought to model Mothra directly on her appearance in the original 1961 film and to keep optical effects to a minimum. As with ''Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah'', the adult Mothra was given mobile legs, though they were made to constantly move, as it was felt that the prop stopped looking realistic once they became immobile. Creature designer Shinichi Wakasa had initially wanted Mothra's wings to have the angular design seen in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra II]]'', though the prop was ultimately given the wing shape seen in the 1960s movies.<ref>"Godzilla X Mothra X Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS production report – The men behind the monsters discuss the latest Godzilla film", ''Uchusen'' #108 (Asahi Sonorama) (October 22, 2003)</ref> In addition, Mothra's twin larvae, one male and one female, were given nicknames by the staff on set - the male, who can be distinguished by his longer tusks and spikes, was nicknamed Taro, while the female was nicknamed Hanako.<ref name="GMMGSCW">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/00010-00011|title=Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Super Complete Works|year=2004|publisher=[[Shogakukan]]|page=46|isbn=9784091014931}}</ref> |
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===Mothra's fairies=== |
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{{Infobox character |
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| name = Shobijin |
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| series = [[Godzilla (franchise)|Godzilla film series]] |
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| image = File:Mosura trailer - shobijin.png |
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| caption = |
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| first = ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961) |
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| last = ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' (2004) |
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| creator = {{Plainlist| |
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* [[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]{{sfn|Ryfle|Godziszewski|2009|loc=33:44}} |
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* [[Shinichiro Nakamura]] |
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* [[Yoshie Hotta]] |
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* [[Takehiko Fukanaga]] |
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}} |
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| portrayer = <small>Emi Itō and Yumi Itō{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=101}}<br />Yuko Okada and Yoko Okada{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=137}}<br />Keiko Imamura and Sayaka Osawa{{sfn|Kalat|2010|p=184}}<br />Megumi Kobayashi<ref name="RoM"/><ref name="RoMII"/><ref name="RoMIII"/> and Sayaka Yamaguchi<ref name="RoM"/><ref name="RoMII"/>/Misato Tate<ref name="RoMIII"/><br />[[Masami Nagasawa]] and [[Chihiro Otsuka]]{{sfn|Kalat|2010|p=247}}{{sfn|Kalat|2010|p=249}}<br />[[Zhang Ziyi]]<ref name="2019Twins" /><ref name="SRTwins" /></small> |
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| alias = Cosmos<br />Elias |
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}} |
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Mothra is usually accompanied by tiny twin female [[Fairy|fairies]], which [[Shinichi Sekizawa]] termed {{nihongo4|'''Shobijin'''|小美人}}, meaning "little beauties". The original draft for ''Mothra'' called for four fairies, though Sekizawa reduced the number to two, as twins were comparatively rare in Japan, thus adding to the characters' mystique. Toho also sought to reinforce its links with [[Columbia Pictures]], by featuring the singing duo [[the Peanuts]], who had been popularized in America by Columbia Records.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|pp=51–54}} [[Yūji Koseki]] composed the song ''Mosura no uta'' ("Song of Mothra") for the fairies to sing when summoning Mothra.{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|p=109}} The song was originally sung in [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], but there is also a later version, set to the same tune, sung in [[Japanese language|Japanese]]: |
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{|border="0" |
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|+'''Mothra's Song''' |
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! Malay/Indonesian|| Translation || Japanese || Translation |
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| ''Mosura ya Mosura'' || Mothra oh Mothra || ''Mosura ya Mosura'' || Mothra oh Mothra |
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! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; font-size: larger; background-color: #DEDEE2;" |Physical description |
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|- |
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| ''Dengan kesaktian indukmu'' || with the power of your ancestor || ''Tasukete yo to yobeba'' || if we were to call for help |
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! Form(s) |
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| Larva and Adult Forms |
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|- |
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| ''Restuilah doa hamba hamba mu yang rendah bangunlah dan'' || grant the prayer of your lowly servants, arise and || ''Toki o koete, umi o koete, nami no yō ni'' || over time, over sea, like a wave |
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! Length |
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| '''''Larval form'''''<br>30<ref name="Mothra mill">[http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/mothra_mill.htm#l Mothra [Millennium]<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>-180<ref name="toho-heisei">[http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/mothra_heisei.htm#l Mothra [Heisei]<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> meters<br>'''''Adult form'''''<br>24<ref>[http://www.tohokingdom.com/kaiju/mothra_mill.htm#i Mothra [Millennium]<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>-80<ref name="toho-heisei" /> meters |
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| ''tunjukkanlah'' || show || ''Yatte kuru'' || you'd come, |
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! Weight |
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| '''''Larval form'''''<br>9,000<ref name="Mothra mill"/>-15,000<ref name="toho-heisei" /> tons<br>'''''Adult form'''''<br>15,000<ref name="Mothra mill"/>-25,000<ref name="toho-heisei" /> tons |
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| ''kesaktianmu'' || your power! || ''Mamorigami!'' || our guardian angel! |
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! Wingspan |
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| 75<ref name="Mothra mill"/>-250<ref name="toho-heisei" /> metres |
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|} |
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The Peanuts were given an additional song in ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' entitled "Cry for Happiness", composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|p=75}} The Peanuts did not reprise their role in ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'' and were replaced by the singing duo Pair Bambi.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|p=96}} |
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In ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'', the fairies are renamed the {{nihongo4|'''Cosmos'''|コスモス|Kosumosu}} and are played by Keiko Imamura and Sayaka Osawa. This casting move was criticized by Godzilla historian Steve Ryfle, who lamented the fact that the two actresses were not identical and that their singing voices were "paper thin."{{sfn|Ryfle|1998|pp=279–285}} According to [[Takao Okawara]], the Cosmos scenes were among the hardest scenes he had ever filmed, as the actresses had to synchronize their movements without looking at each other.{{sfn|Kalat|2010|pp=184–190}} |
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{{nihongo|'''Mothra'''|モスラ|Mosura}} is a ''[[kaiju]]'', a type of [[fictional monster]] who first appeared in the serialized novel ''[[The Luminous Fairies and Mothra]]'' by Takehiko Fukunaga, Shinichiro Nakamura, and Yoshie Hotta. Since her film début in the 1961 film ''[[Mothra (1961 film)|Mothra]]'', she has appeared in several [[Toho]] [[tokusatsu]] films. |
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In the ''Rebirth of Mothra'' trilogy, Mothra's fairies are called the {{nihongo4|'''Elias'''|エリアス|Eriasu}} which consist of Moll, Lora, and their estranged sister Belvera. Moll and Lora contrast with prior adaptations because they possess separate personalities and rarely act in unison. Megumi Kobayashi was cast as Moll for all three films, Sayaka Yamaguchi as Lora for the first two films, Misato Tate as Lora for the third film and Aki Hano as Belvera for all three films. |
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Generally [[grammatical gender|regarded as female]] by [[English language|English]]-speaking audiences, she is a giant [[lepidopteran]] with characteristics both [[differences between butterflies and moths|of butterflies and of moths]]. She closely resembles an ''[[Inachis io]]'', or a European Peacock Butterfly. The name "Mothra" is the suffixation of "-ra" (a common last syllable in kaiju names, viz. Hedo-ra, Ghido-ra, Ebi-ra, Goji-ra(Godzilla)) to "moth"; since the [[Japanese language]] does not have [[dental fricative]]s, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. In the American dubbing of ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'', Mothra is also referred to as: "The Thing". She is occasionally an ally to [[Godzilla]] but more often than not engaged in conflict due to his anger toward the human race. Mothra holds the most victories against the "King of Monsters." |
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''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'' does not feature Mothra's fairies, but they are however given a nod in the form of a pair of twin girls wearing white clothes during the scene where Mothra flies over Tokyo. They are played by sisters [[Ai Maeda (actress)|Ai]] and [[Aki Maeda]]. |
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==Character overview== |
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Film have depicted Mothra in various stages of the [[lepidopteran]] [[Biological life cycle|life cycle]]: Mothra's mammoth [[egg (biology)|egg]] is decoratively colored in blue and yellow waves. The egg hatches into her [[larva]], a massive brown, segmented [[caterpillar]] (resembling a [[silkworm]]) with glowing blue—red when angry—eyes. In rare circumstances, [[twins]] may emerge from the egg. The caterpillar eventually spins a silken [[Cocoon (silk)|cocoon]] around itself (the [[pupa]] stage), and from this cocoon the [[imago]] (adult) Mothra emerges, a gigantic moth-like creature with brightly-colored wings. Mothra's life cycle—particularly the tendency of an imago's death to coincide with its larvae hatching—echoes that of the [[Phoenix (mythology)|Phoenix]], resembling [[resurrection]] and suggesting [[divinity]]. Despite having wrought destruction worthy of any Toho [[daikaiju]], she is almost always portrayed as a kind and benevolent creature, causing destruction only when acting as protector to her worshipers on [[Fictional locations in the Godzilla films#Infant Island|Infant Island]] or to her egg, or as [[collateral damage]] while protecting Earth from a greater threat. She has also [[parthenogenesis|fertilized her own eggs]]. |
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In the anime trilogy directed by [[Gen Urobuchi]], the fairies are human-sized sisters named Maina and Miana. Their people are the {{nihongo4|'''Houtua'''|フツア|Futsua}}, descendants of humans that evolved through Mothra's influence with both telepathy and an immunity to the assimilative properties of nanometal. |
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Mothra has proven a formidable adversary in combat: in larval form she may use her silken spray to wrap and immobilize an opponent, and has a knack for biting and clinging to foes' tails. In imago form her powers vary widely from film to film, including very animalistic scratching and dragging, incorporating several bolt and beam weapons in the [[Heisei era (daikaiju eiga)|Heisei era]], and often concluding with a poisonous yellow powder (or "scales") —her last defense. |
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In ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)|Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'', it's revealed that Monarch researcher Dr. Ilene Chen (played by [[Zhang Ziyi]]) has an identical twin sister named Dr. Ling Chen, who is also in Monarch and is present at Mothra's hatching. The Chens are part of a family which appears to consist almost entirely of pairs of identical twin sisters, two of whom are shown visiting Infant Island (Mothra's traditional home) in 1961.<ref name="2019Twins">{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-godzilla-mothra-twins-20190603-story.html |title='Godzilla: King of the Monsters' director explains that Mothra Easter egg |last=Brown |first=Tracy |date=June 3, 2019 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=June 6, 2019}}</ref> The film's director and co-screenwriter, [[Michael Dougherty]], confirmed the twins to be an updated version of the fairies, explaining, "It was important to me to find ways to modernize the ideas that [Mothra] has followers. Modernize the priestesses. [There] are still certain realms of believability to keep in take. You have to ease people into the more fantastical aspects."<ref name="SRTwins">{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/godzilla-2-king-monsters-michael-dougherty-interview/ |title=Michael Dougherty Interview – Godzilla: King of the Monsters |last=Quizon |first=Justin |date=June 3, 2019 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |access-date=June 6, 2019}}</ref> He noted that the twins were a "perfect example" of humans and monsters cooperating and forming a "symbiotic relationship with each other", saying, “The twins are an example of a very successful, long relationship...so I wanted to make sure that we found some way to incorporate them, even if it was a little bit of an Easter egg.”<ref name="2019Twins" /> Dougherty, who is half-Vietnamese, felt the need to retain the twins' Asian ethnicity.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/movies/mothra-godzilla-king-of-the-monsters.html |title=Mothra: Yin to Godzilla's Yang |last=Ito |first=Robert |date=May 29, 2019 |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=June 6, 2019}}</ref> |
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Mothra is one of the most powerful psychics in the Toho universe. She has had the ability to use this power benevolently, to communicate with humans, or aggressively, to destroy her enemies. As suggested earlier, Mothra is assumed to be divine and draws many parallels to the Phoenix, which makes her one of the more powerful kaiju of the Toho universe. |
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{{clear}} |
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==Character biography== |
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Mothra has become one of Godzilla's more challenging opponents, having achieved the greatest success rate in battle save Godzilla himself<ref name="compendium">Lees, J.D. and Cerasini, Marc. ''The Official Godzilla Compendium'', Random House, 1998. ISBN 0-679-88822-5</ref>: She has once rid of Godzilla in imago form, and twice Godzilla has fought her to the death only later to be bested by her newborn larvae. It should be mentioned that Mothra has never beaten Godzilla alone (in her Imago Form). The only close to draw by an insect(s), but still won by Godzilla were the Mothra twin-larvae in ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla|Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' in the Showa Era, Imago Mothra and Imago [[Battra]] in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth]]'' in the Heisei series, and the twin-larvae and Kiryu (MechaGodzilla) in the Millennium Series. |
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===Shōwa (1961–1968)=== |
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[[File:Mosura trailer - Mothra attacks.png|thumb|Mothra attacks New Kirk City (a [[stand-in]] for [[New York City|New York]]) in the original film.]] |
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In the Showa continuity, Mothra is depicted as a mystical being that is worshiped by a primitive human culture native to Infant Island. ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' has her hatching from an egg after her priestesses are abducted by a Rolisican capitalist hoping to exploit them as media celebrities. The larva Mothra swims to Tokyo and cocoons herself around the [[Tokyo Tower]]. Upon reaching her adult form, Mothra flies to Rolisica's capital and causes widespread destruction until her priestesses are returned to her.<ref name="mothra1961"/> |
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Mothra in this era, most notably the first individual appeared in the 1961 film is the largest incarnation of all, being 180 meters in length with a wingspan of 250 meters and weighed 20,000 tonnes as an Imago, and 135 meters in body length and weighed 15,000 tonnes as a larva. In later films, the size of the Imagoes decreased to 53 meters in 1964 film and 40 meters in body length and 8,000 tonnes in weight in 1968 film respectively, while the size of the larva in 1966 film stayed the same to the 1961 individual.<ref>{{cite book |title=モスラ2超全集 |language=ja |trans-title=Complete Mothra 2 |date=1997 |edition=Kindle |editor=てれびくん編集部 |page=38 |asin=B00MTHKOB2}}</ref> |
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Mothra is the only kaiju other than Godzilla, Junior, and [[Mecha-King Ghidorah]] to appear in more than one Heisei Godzilla movie as she appears in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla when she sends her Cosmos and Fairy Mothras to help out Miki. |
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In the Heisei Era (1984–1995), Mothra gained her own series of films dubbed in America as the ''Rebirth of Mothra'' series ([[Rebirth of Mothra]], [[Rebirth of Mothra II]], and [[Rebirth of Mothra III]]). In Japan, the series is simply called the "Mothra Series"(''Mothra'', ''Mothra 2: Adventure Under the Sea'', and ''Mothra 3: Attack of Grand King Ghidorah''). These series are not connected to the Showa, Heisei or Millennium Godzilla movies and are standalone films aiming towards children. The movies start off as the last Mothra puts the last of her energy into a new egg. From this egg hatches ''Mothra Leo''. |
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In ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'', a Mothra egg appears on the coast of Japan, and is exploited as a tourist attraction. Mothra's priestesses attempt to negotiate the return of the egg to Infant Island, but are rebuffed. [[Godzilla]] attacks Japan, forcing humanity to beseech an embittered Mothra to intervene. Mothra willingly sacrificed herself whilst fighting Godzilla, but the latter is defeated when two larvae emerge from the egg and encase Godzilla in a cocoon.<ref name="MvG">''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' (1964). Directed by [[Ishirō Honda]]. [[Toho]]</ref> |
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Mothra Leo is supposedly, and regarded as, male, as opposed to the pure female Mothras before (though the English dubbing is inconsistent, going back and forth between "she/her" to "he/him", even "it", and therefore its gender is left ambiguous). It also has "ever-increasing energy" which allows it to absorb energy from other sources to become stronger. The 10,000 year-old tree in ''Rebirth of Mothra'' allowed Mothra Leo to change into its imago form as "Mothra Leo", thought to be the most powerful Mothra of all time. Mothra Leo gains several forms throughout the ''Rebirth'' trilogy, such as Rainbow Mothra, Aqua Mothra, Light Speed Mothra, Armor Mothra, and Eternal Mothra. |
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In ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'', it is revealed that only one of the larvae survived. The remaining larva attempts to convince Godzilla and [[Rodan]] to join forces with her in order to fight [[King Ghidorah]], but the two monsters reject her proposal. Mothra is nearly killed attempting to fight Ghidorah alone, but is saved through the intervention of Godzilla and Rodan.<ref name="GTHM">''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (1964). Directed by [[Ishirō Honda]]. [[Toho]].</ref> |
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In this series Mothra battled three opponents: [[Death Ghidorah]], a flora-destroying horned beast with three heads; [[Dagahra]], a toxic [[dragon]]-like sea creature; and finally [[Cretaceous]] King Ghidorah/Grand [[King Ghidorah]], who comes back to Earth to feed of the life force of Japan's children. |
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The larva ultimately gains adulthood in ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'', where she saves a group of slaves taken from Infant Island from a [[terrorist]] base on Letchi Island undergoing a self-destruct sequence.<ref name="GvSM">''[[Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster]]'' (1966). Directed by [[Jun Fukuda]]. [[Toho]].</ref> |
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In ''[[Godzilla Final Wars]]'', Mothra once protected the world in ancient times from the space monster [[Gigan]] (this scenario echoes from the Heisei series of Godzilla films where Mothra was portrayed as an ancient defender of the earth and battle [[Battra]], there are also similar cave-drawings of these two events). After being summoned by her [[Shobijin]] to help the Earth in a 21st century assault, Mothra flew over Tokyo to aid [[Godzilla]] in a battle against [[Monster X]]. The Xilien wouldn't let that happen, though, and they sent an improved [[Gigan]] to stop Mothra. Mothra is quickly dispatched by [[Gigan]]. Mothra quickly recovers and attacks [[Gigan]] and [[Monster X]]. Gigan resumes his battle with Mothra, using its laser vision beam, turning Mothra to a wall of fire. As a final effort, a burning Mothra flies towards Gigan, and both kaiju are destroyed in a [[kamakaze]] attack by the [[lepidopteran]] deity. Mothra does survive and she returns to Infant Island at the ending credits. This is the first time imago Mothra returns home directly after a battle involving Godzilla in some way shape or form, excluding her brief appearances in [[Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster]]. |
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Another larva appears in ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', living alongside other monsters in Monsterland. Along with the other monsters, Mothra is briefly enslaved by the evil Kilaaks, who force her to attack [[Beijing]] and later join Godzilla in the destruction of Tokyo. The Kilaaks' mind control is ultimately broken and Mothra joins the other monsters in the final battle against King Ghidorah.<ref>''[[Destroy all Monsters]]'' (1968). Directed by [[Ishirō Honda]]. [[Toho]].</ref> This was the character's final starring role in the Showa era, although Mothra would later be seen in stock footage from ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'' and ''Destroy All Monsters'' for ''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'' in 1972. |
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Unlike the majority of other Toho daikaiju, which are usually performed by stunt actors in a large costume, Mothra has always been operated mechanically as a wire controlled marionette, remote controlled robotic prop, or a combination of the two. Her characteristic chirp was created by speeding up the roar of [[Anguirus]] from ''[[Godzilla Raids Again]]''. Mothra is known for her habit of dying somehow in many of the movies she has appeared in. |
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===Heisei (1992–1998)=== |
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==Popularity== |
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1992's ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' portrays Mothra as a guardian of the Earth who presided over an advanced civilization over 12,000 years ago. When the civilization created a device designed to control the Earth's climate, the Earth responded by creating the Black Mothra, Battra, which Mothra defeated, but not before the civilization was wiped out. Mothra's egg is later discovered in 1992 on Infant Island by the Marutomo real estate agency, which seeks to exploit it and Mothra's priestesses for profit. The egg hatches during a fight between Godzilla and a resurrected Battra, and the larva later attacks Tokyo in order to save her priestesses. Mothra forms a cocoon around the [[National Diet Building]], attains her adult form, then briefly fights Battra before joining forces with him in order to fight Godzilla. Battra dies in the attempt and Mothra pledges to fulfill her fallen comrade's role in preventing a meteorite from devastating the Earth in 1999.<ref name="GvM"/> |
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<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Mothra Larva.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Mothra's larval form destroying the [[Tokyo Tower]]- (''Mothra'', 1961)]] --> |
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Toho had intended to follow 1989's ''[[Godzilla vs. Biollante]]'' with a revival of Mothra in her own [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] film, ''Mothra vs. Bagan'', for 1990 release. However, following the disppointing box office performance of ''Biollante'', Toho discarded the project in favor of another Godzilla film, ''[[Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah]]'' (1991).<ref name="tohokingdom">[http://www.tohokingdom.com/web_pages/lost_projects/mothra_vs_bagan90.htm "Lost Project: ''Mothra vs. Bagan''"], TohoKingdom. Retrieved January 25, 2006.</ref> A 1992 survey revealed that Mothra was Toho's most popular daikaiju among women, an observation which inspired Toho to again revise its plans, abandoning a proposed sequel to ''King Ghidorah'' in favor of a Godzilla/Mothra feature.<ref name="kawakita">Milner, David. [http://www.monsterzero.us/editorials/editorials.php?catID=Int&subCatID=7&contentID=12 Interview with Koichi Kawakita], December 1994.</ref> Following the end of the Heisei Godzilla series, Toho produced a [[trilogy]] of Mothra films, known in the [[United States|U.S.]] as ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' (1996–1998). Mothra thus became the first Toho daikaiju to lead its own film(s) ''after'' its incorporation into the Godzilla franchise. |
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In ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'', Mothra detected [[SpaceGodzilla]]'s advance towards Earth and sends her priestesses to warn the planet of his arrival.<ref name="GvSG">''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'' (1994). Directed by Kensho Yamashita. [[Toho]]</ref> |
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==Abilities== |
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As a larva, Mothra's sprays her opponents with silk as a ranged attack (to entrap or disorient an enemy). She also uses her mandibles for a close combat bite. (Mothra has a habit of biting opponents' tails, although it is rarely effective and, predictably, is usually self-defeating.) As an adult, her wings can (and generally do) create gales which tear apart buildings and send other kaiju flying. Her great bulk of a body is commonly used to her advantage in battle to slam into opponents (both in larva and adult form), and her surprising levels of strength can help her to drag and even lift monsters like [[Godzilla]]. Her final strategy is to emit "scales", a yellow poisonous powder that can hopefully asphyxiate an enemy. She only uses that attack when she knows she is going to die, though, because the extreme loss of scales will cause her to lose her flight. |
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The ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' trilogy is separate from the Godzilla Heisei continuity and portrays Mothra as the last remaining member of a species of giant moths who guard the Elias' civilization. This civilization was destroyed millions of years ago by the dragon Desghidorah, whom Mothra defeated. Mothra lays an egg in modern times, but is too weak to fight Desghidorah once it returns. The egg hatches and the new Mothra, goes to protect her mother, but sadly Mothra is mortally wounded by Desghidorah while the larva is still too weak to combat the dragon. After Mothra dies, the new Mothra metamorphoses into an [[imago|adult]], then manages to kill Desghidorah.<ref name="RoM">''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' (1996). Directed by Okihiro Yoneda. [[Toho]]</ref> |
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The Heisei version of Mothra had some differences. She could now fire a beam of energy from her antennae, and fire arcs of lightning from her wings, or keep it in her body to release to another through touch. The powder now had a different effect; It would act as a 3-D mirror to trap energy blasts, making them rebound over whatever was inside the cloud of powder over and over again. This proved very effective in turning Godzilla's own atomic breath against him. Godzilla's Nuclear Pulse wasn't reflected by her mirror and she was thrown back, possibly because her mirror can't reflect energy attacks if it is able to pass around her mirror. |
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Mothra returns in ''[[Rebirth of Mothra II]]'', where she acquires a new and more powerful form in order to fight the pollution monster Dagahra.<ref name="RoMII">''[[Rebirth of Mothra II]]'' (1997). Directed by Kunio Miyoshi. [[Toho]]</ref> |
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In the Mothra Trilogy, Mothra displayed a wide use of energy-projection abilities; ranging from triple prismatic beams from her forehead, to energized tackles, to her Sun Strike Buster, a very potent attack that comes from the sky like a sacred lightning bolt. Mothra Leo, her offspring and successor, shared her energy powers and also possessed the ability to gain alternate forms as a means of adapting to his opponent's fighting styles. |
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In ''[[Rebirth of Mothra III]]'', Mothra is forced to travel backwards through time to the [[Cretaceous Period]] in order to retroactively kill the space dragon [[King Ghidorah]] and remove Ghidorah from history. After seemingly defeating Ghidorah's younger form in the Cretaceous period, Mothra hibernates in a cocoon constructed by an ancestral Mothra larvae for 65 million years until the present day, where she defeats Ghidorah's far stronger modern form with a new, equally strong form of her own.<ref name="RoMIII">''[[Rebirth of Mothra III]]'' (1998). Directed by Okihiro Yoneda. [[Toho]]</ref> |
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In GMK Mothra was able to shoot poison darts from her abdomen but she lacked both her hurricane force winds and her poison powder. In both Tokyo SOS and Final Wars, Mothra's powder was able to redirect both energy and physical projectiles back to their original senders. |
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===Millennium (2001–2004)=== |
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== Mothra's Fairies (Shōbijin, Cosmos, and Elias) == |
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In ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'', Mothra is portrayed as having been one of the three guardians of Yamato, originating 1,000 years before the events of the film. Initially an antagonist, Mothra was imprisoned in [[Lake Ikeda]], only to be reawakened in 2001 to halt Godzilla's destruction of Tokyo. She is defeated, but transfers her spirit to [[King Ghidorah]].<ref name="GMK"/> |
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Mothra is usually accompanied by two tiny [[priest]]esses or [[fairy|fairies]], often called the {{nihongo3|"small beauties"|小美人|shōbijin}}, who also speak for her. For Mothra's first three film appearances these twin fairies were played by [[the Peanuts]]. In ''Mothra'' they demonstrate [[telepathic]] ability, within speaking range with people and over great distances with Mothra. They explain that while they call to Mothra in prayer and song, they and Mothra are also connected on some deeper level beyond their control, and it is this connection that impels Mothra to find them no matter where they are. These qualities are part of the continuity of all subsequent Mothra appearances. In ''Mothra vs. Godzilla '' the Shobijin also demonstrate teleportation, when trying to escape from Kumayama and Torahata. In ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' the girls translate not only Mothra's chirps but an entire conversation among three daikaiju. Decades later, in ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo SOS]]'', two other shobijin (portrayed by [[Masami Nagasawa]] and [[Chihiro Otsuka|Chihiro Ôtsuka]]) demonstrate [[telekinesis]] as well. |
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''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' has the Mothra from the original 1961 film send her priestesses to demand that Japan dismantle the anti-Godzilla weapon [[Mechagodzilla|Kiryu]] or face destruction, as she considers the cyborg to be against the natural order, having been created using the bones of the first Godzilla. When the second Godzilla lands, Mothra attempts to fight the monster alongside Kiryu, but is killed in the process. Two larvae hatch on Infant Island and reach Tokyo in order to fight Godzilla, whom they encase in a cocoon, which is then transported into the ocean by Kiryu.<ref name="GTSOS">''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' (2003). Directed by Masaaki Tezuka. [[Toho]].</ref> |
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In the Godzilla films of the 1990s Mothra's priestesses (played by Keiko Imamura and Sayaka Osawa) identify themselves as '''Earth's Cosmos''', who claim to have been created by the very life force of Earth, along with Mothra and [[Battra]]—a "Black Mothra" (as described in ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth]]'') or "Battle Mothra" (as described in the ''Super Godzilla'' video game manual). The Cosmos speak not only for Battra and Mothra, but for the living Earth as well. The Cosmos say that Battra was first created by the Earth to balance the ecosystem, which was disrupted by the climate-altering device of an advanced civilization, 12,000 years ago. However, Battra proved to be a little too enthusiastic about its task, and not only destroyed the things of man, but of the natural order as well. The first Mothra was then created to restore the true balance, and stop Battra's rampage. The Cosmos revere both Mothra and Battra as two different divine forces of nature. They act concerned when Battra is injured, and are pleased when Mothra finds a nonviolent method of stopping Battra, "making friends", as they say in the film. They know when Battra has awoken, and what his tasks and motivations are, but Battra does not appear motivated to seek them out, unlike Mothra, who seems compelled to protect them, and talks to them directly. |
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''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'', which ignores the continuity of the previous film, establishes that Mothra protected the Earth 10,000 years ago from the cyborg [[Gigan]]. In the distant future, Gigan returns, under the control of the Xiliens, and is confronted by Mothra. In the ensuing battle, Mothra catches fire, but manages to kill Gigan by ramming into him and exploding.<ref name="GFW">''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' (2004). Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. [[Toho]].</ref> However, in a mid-credits scene, Mothra is shown to be alive after all and flying back to Infant Island to be reunited with the Shobijin. |
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In the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy, made in the late 1990s, Mothra's priestesses were the Elias; the Elias differ from earlier incarnations in that they are not mindlinked twins but individual persons, Moll (or Moru or Mona) and Lora. They are also seen to have an older sister, a dark Elias called Belvera. In addition to accompanying Mothra, the Elias would also ride smaller offspring called '''Fairy Mothras'''. Mothra would reprise the role of ancient guardian, though with only a passing homage to the Cosmos, (who were the twins from [[Gamera 3: Awakening of Irys]]) in ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]''. |
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===Reiwa era (2018–2021)=== |
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== Mothra's Songs == |
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While Mothra never made a physical appearance, she was mentioned in ''[[Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle]]'' to have been killed by Godzilla years prior, though her egg ended up in the protection of the Houtua people, a species of evolved humans who adapted Mothra-like features to survive the now Godzilla ruled Earth. An astral projection of Mothra's unborn child in their adult form appears in ''[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater]]''. |
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The fairies' famous song "Mosura No Uta" ("Mothra's Song") was written in [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]], though the Shobijin often sing Japanese approximations to the original lyrics.<ref name="mosuranouta">Leibach, Mary (2004). [http://home.earthlink.net/~melanthab/MothWithHeart/ Moth with Heart], retrieved January 16, 2006.</ref> The song was composed by [[Yuji Koseki]]. Other verses and entirely new songs (in Japanese) have been added by various composers over Mothra's film history. The Shobijin have also been portrayed by [[Pair Bambi]] (''[[Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster]]'') and Megumi Kobayashi and Sayako Yamaguchi (the Mothra Trilogy). |
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In ''[[Godzilla Singular Point]]'', dozens of small moths, that bear a striking resemblance to Mothra, appear. (''Visual similarities include: blue eyes, orange and yellow patterns on the wings, a 'false eye' pattern as seen on Mothra as well as other species of [[Lepidoptera]]''). These small moths even seem to shed their golden scales, similar to how Mothra has done the same thing in the past. These moths also have a brief interaction with [[Jet Jaguar]], making it the first on-screen interaction between the two Toho characters (''outside of comics, video games, spin-offs, etc.''). |
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There are many other Mothra songs that have been used over the years all the way from the Showa series to the Millennium series: |
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However, due to this show's nature to rename / rebrand existing monsters as new ones (''For example: A creature that heavily resembles “[[Varan]]”, both in its visual design & its sound design, is later revealed to be a different creature''), there is no direct confirmation that this is actually Mothra. One may assume these moths are related to Mothra in some way (''or actually are several Mothras''), but the show does not provide any context as to what they actually are. |
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*"Mahara Mothra" - Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964), Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992) |
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*"Sacred Springs" - Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964), Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992) |
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*"Mothra's Song" - Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966) |
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*"The Song of Prayer" - Rebirth of Mothra (1996) |
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*"Mothra Leo" - Rebirth of Mothra (1996) |
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*"Haora Mothra" - Rebirth of Mothra 3 (1998) |
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Several of Mothra's previous incarnations make cameo appearances in the show's ending credits (''alongside several other Toho properties''). |
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Outside of Kaiju Films, the Mothra Songs have received a lot of popular acclaim and have been performed by many musical groups as well as individual artists. |
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===MonsterVerse (2019–present)=== |
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Covers by musical groups: |
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{{Main|MonsterVerse}} |
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*"[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMJMbn0mgcs&feature=related Mothra Song ]" – Deja Vu |
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In 2014, [[Legendary Pictures]] announced that they had acquired the rights to [[Rodan]], Mothra and [[King Ghidorah]] from [[Toho]] to use in their [[MonsterVerse]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Jeffries |first=Adrianne |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/7/26/5940259/godzilla-2-confirmed-with-director-gareth-edwards |title=Gareth Edwards returns to direct 'Godzilla 2' with Rodan and Mothra |publisher=The Verge |date=July 26, 2014 |access-date=2014-08-19}}</ref> |
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*"[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjiFvj7Tbgs&feature=related Mothra Song]" – All-Male Japanese Choir |
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In the [[post-credits scene]] at the end of the 2017 film ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'', Mothra appears in a series of cave paintings depicting other monsters that are known to exist that are shown in the footage to James Conrad and Mason Weaver, along with [[Godzilla (MonsterVerse)|Godzilla]], Rodan and King Ghidorah.<ref name="KSI">''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' (2017). Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. [[Legendary Pictures]].</ref> |
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Broadway: |
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Mothra is given mention in the song "Two by Two" in the musical "Book of Mormon". Two characters are assigned their mission in Japan, and they exclaim "Japan...Home of soy sauce..and Mothra!" |
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A casting call confirmed that Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah would all be featured in ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)|Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/232097/three-kaiju-appear-confirmed-godzilla-king-monsters/|title=These Three Kaiju Appear to Be Confirmed for Godzilla: King of the Monsters|last=Barkan|first=Jonathan|work=Dread Central|date=May 31, 2017|access-date=May 31, 2017}}</ref> Viral marketing for the movie showed that Mothra retained her status as a creature who is deified as an angelic-like goddess, referred to as the Queen of the Monsters. Monarch Sciences, the film's promotional website, identifies the [[Yunnan|Yunnan rainforest]] as Mothra's location (however, Infant Island was referenced within the film, and the name "Mosura" is said to be derived from a small Indonesian island) and states in its adult form to be capable of emitting beta-wave [[bioluminescence]] that can be projected through the intricate patterns on its wings and weaponized into destructive and blinding ‘god rays’.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shaw |first=Hannah |url=https://screenrant.com/godzilla-2-monarch-site-every-secret/ |title=Godzilla 2's Monarch Website: Every Image & Reveal |publisher=Screen Rant |date=2018-07-18 |access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monarchsciences.com |title=Monarch Sciences |publisher=Monarch Sciences |access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref> Further promotional material also revealed narrower wings, a wider wingspan (at 803 feet or 244.75 meters, it is second only to her original 250-meter wingspan), long [[Mantis|praying mantis]]-like forearms and legs as opposed to bird-like limbs and a body design that is more reminiscent of real-life moths, with a smaller body and head. The markings on her wings are said to mark her as the "Queen of the Monsters" and that they apparently link Mothra to Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, since the eye spots on her wings are modeled after Godzilla's eyes. Within the film, she is shown to have a [[Symbiosis|symbiotic relationship]] with Godzilla, and temporarily paralyzes Rodan by stabbing him through the chest with a hidden abdominal stinger. These changes make Mothra the most heavily redesigned monster in the series. |
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[[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]] band [[Anvil (band)|Anvil]] has a song about Mothra on their 1982 album ''[[Metal on Metal]]''. |
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Mothra first appears hatching from her egg in her larval state and is calmed by Dr. Emma Russell using the ORCA [[Bioacoustics|bio-acoustics]] device, becoming docile. When eco-terrorists led by Colonel Alan Jonah arrive soon after and capture Russell, her daughter Madison and the ORCA device, Mothra retreats under a waterfall and cocoons herself, later emerging from her cocoon in her adult form and flying off. During the fight in [[Boston]], Mothra defeats Rodan and is disintegrated by King Ghidorah while protecting a fallen Godzilla. Her power is transferred to Godzilla as a result via her ashes, preventing him from suffering a nuclear meltdown and allowing him to defeat Ghidorah by achieving his burning form. During the credits, a news program speculates about the existence of a second Mothra egg, which the director later confirmed.<ref>{{cite tweet|author=Mike Dougherty |user=Mike_Dougherty |number=1136555493412024321 |title=To lay her egg. <Butterfly><Egg> #GodzillaMovie |date=2019-06-06 |access-date=2020-03-01}}</ref> |
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== Mothra's character and personality == |
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Mothra returned in ''[[Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire]]''. When the Iwi sense that the tyrannical Skar King is about to come for them, they send a signal to Jia, the sole survivor of the Iwi tribe from Skull Island, so she can find them and re-awaken Mothra to aid Godzilla in battle. After a wounded Kong tells them the Skar King is on his way, Jia successfully reawakens Mothra. Mothra reunites with Godzilla and convinces him to join forces with Kong. Mothra then joins the battle in the Hollow Earth and takes down Skar King's apes, preventing them from reaching the surface. She also aids Godzilla when Shimo, the mother Titan under Skar King's control, almost freezes him. Eventually Godzilla and Kong manage to come out victorious, with Shimo being freed from Skar King's control and starts freezing him over so that Kong can eventually destroy him. Mothra then helps the Iwi rebuild the barrier that protects them and then flies off deep into Hollow Earth. |
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Mothra's character/personality has developed substantially over the years. For instance, when she appeared in her first movie, she only protected her own people on Infant Island and did not care for the entire world like the later Heisei and Rebirth versions did. In the Heisei Era, Mothra became the environmental savior as well as the human savior of the Earth—which means that she was the guardian of the planet as stated by the Cosmos in Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth. Note that Mothra, like the other 'Guardian Monsters', has no particular concern for humanity—she is the caretaker of the planet, and humans who get in her way can expect no sympathy. In the Shinsei series though, Mothra reverted back to her original self as she was in the Showa series. Mothra is an unusual kaiju (in the Toho universe—[[Gamera]], of course, fulfills this role in his own long-running series) in that she battles on behalf of the betterment of the Earth, and for years has continued to establish that pureness of heart in her character. In the trilogy, Mothra even sacrificed her own life for the sake of other guardian monsters. |
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== |
==Appearances== |
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===Films=== |
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* ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961) |
* ''[[Mothra (film)|Mothra]]'' (1961) |
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* ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla |
* ''[[Mothra vs. Godzilla]]'' (1964) |
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* ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (1964) |
* ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'' (1964) |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Ebirah, Horror of the Deep]]'' (1966) |
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* ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'' (1968) |
* ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'' (1968) |
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* ''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'' (1972 |
* ''[[Godzilla vs. Gigan]]'' (1972, stock footage cameo) |
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* ''[[Bye-Bye Jupiter]]'' (1984, stock footage cameo) |
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* ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra|Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth]]'' (1992) |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Godzilla vs. Mothra]]'' (1992) |
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* ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'' (1994) |
* ''[[Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla]]'' (1994) - as Fairy Mothra |
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* ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' (1996) |
* ''[[Rebirth of Mothra]]'' (1996) |
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* ''[[Rebirth of Mothra II]]'' (1997) |
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* ''[[ |
* ''[[Rebirth of Mothra III]]'' (1998) |
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* ''[[Rebirth of Mothra II]]'' (1997) (as "Mothra Leo", "Rainbow Mothra", and "Aqua Mothra") |
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* ''[[Rebirth of Mothra III]]'' (1998) (as "Mothra Leo", "Rainbow Mothra", "Light Speed Mothra", "Armor Mothra", and "Eternal Mothra") |
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* ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'' (2001) |
* ''[[Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack]]'' (2001) |
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* ''[[Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]]'' (2002 |
* ''[[Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla]]'' (2002, stock footage cameo) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' (2003) |
* ''[[Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.]]'' (2003) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' (2004) |
* ''[[Godzilla: Final Wars]]'' (2004) |
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* ''[[Kaiju Bunraku]]'' (2017) |
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* ''[[Kong: Skull Island]]'' (2017, cave painting) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle]]'' (2018) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: The Planet Eater]]'' (2018) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)|Godzilla: King of the Monsters]]'' (2019) |
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* ''[[Godzilla vs. Kong]]'' (2021, cave painting) |
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* ''[[Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire]]'' (2024) |
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== |
===Television=== |
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* ''[[Godzilla Island]]'' (1997–1998) |
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*Mothra appeared as a playable character in the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] game ''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters]]''. |
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* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' (1989–present) |
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*Mothra also appeared in the [[Game boy]] [[game]] [[Godzilla]]. |
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* |
* ''[[Godzilla Singular Point]]'' (2021) |
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* ''[[Godzilland]]'' (1992-1993) |
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*Mothra appeared as a summonable monster in ''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]''. A Mothra-shaped icon, when picked up, calls in a "Mothra Air Strike", where she flies around the arena firing her antennae beams at all monsters besides the one who got the item. She does little damage with each attack, but it builds up. Mothra can be chased off if hit with a beam weapon, but this is difficult to do. |
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* ''Godziban'' (2019-present) |
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*Mothra became playable in the sequel, ''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]''. Players start as Larval Mothra, who is slow and has high defense and moderate attack. Larval Mothra can use her Silk Shot to immobilize foes, and can spear with her tail and roll around the arena to attack. Pressing R2 and L2 (Or R and L, depending on the version.) at the same time causes her to metamorphose into Adult Mothra. Trading speed for defense and attack for weapons, Mothra relies on long-range assaults and good strategy. She can reflect most beam weapons away from her, and stun opponents when getting up or with a greenish mist. Mothra is unique in that she does not enter Rage Mode, instead she treats the Rage power-up as a Health and Energy Recover. |
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* ''[[Chibi Godzilla Raids Again]]'' (2023–present) |
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*In ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]'', Mothra is a member of the "Earth Defenders" faction, and an enemy of any monster seeking to gain power for itself from the crystals. She can be bought in the store for 10,000 store points. |
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*Mothra appears and is playable in ''[[Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash]]''. |
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*In the video-game series "[[Disgaea (series)|Disgaea]]", Mothra is a playable monster. |
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*In the ''[[Borderlands (video game)]]'' Mothrakk is a large unique enemy that must be fought to complete a quest. |
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*In Generation V of the Pokemon franchise, Volcarona, is likely based on Mothra. |
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===Video games=== |
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==Other movies (unrelated to Godzilla)== |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Monster of Monsters]]'' ([[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] - 1988) |
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*In the [[Pokemon]] movies ''[[Pokemon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior|Giratina and the Sky Warrior]]'', and ''[[Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life|Arceus and the Jewel of Life]]'', [[Giratina]]'s cry is the exact same as Mothra. |
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* ''[[Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters]]'' ([[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] - 1991) |
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* ''[[Kaijū-ō Godzilla]]'' / ''King of the Monsters, Godzilla'' ([[Game Boy]] - 1993) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Monster War]]'' / ''Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters'' ([[Super Famicom]] - 1994) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Giant Monster March|Godzilla Giant Monster March]]'' ([[Game Gear]] - 1995) |
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* ''[[Godzilla Trading Battle]]'' ([[PlayStation]] - 1998) |
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* ''[[Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact]]'' ([[Dreamcast]] - 1999) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee]]'' ([[GameCube|GCN]], [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] - 2002/2003) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee|Godzilla: Domination!]]'' ([[Game Boy Advance|GBA]] - 2002) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Save the Earth]]'' ([[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], [[PlayStation 2|PS2]] - 2004) |
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* ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' ([[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] - 2004) (reference) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed]]'' ([[Wii]] - 2007) |
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* ''[[Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash]]'' ([[Nintendo DS|NDS]] - 2007) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: Unleashed#PlayStation 2 version|Godzilla: Unleashed]]'' ([[PlayStation 2|PS2]] - 2007) |
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*[[Terraria]] ([[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] - 2012) (reference) |
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* ''[[Godzilla: The Game]]'' ([[PS3]] - 2014 PS3 [[PS4]] - 2015) |
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* ''[[City Shrouded in Shadow]]'' ([[PS4]] - 2017) |
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* ''Godzilla Defense Force'' (2019) |
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* ''Godzilla Battle Line'' (2021) |
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===Literature=== |
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* ''The Luminous Fairies and Mothra'' ([[serialized novel]]) (1961) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (Marc Cerasini series)|Godzilla 2000]]'' (1996) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (Marc Cerasini series)|Godzilla at World's End]]'' (1998) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters]]'' (comic 2011-2012) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths]]'' (comic 2011) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla: Legends]]'' (comic 2011-2012) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla]]'' (comic 2012) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla: The Half-Century War]]'' (comic 2012-2013) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla: Rulers of Earth]]'' (comic 2013-2015) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla: Cataclysm]]'' (comic 2014) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla: Oblivion]]'' (comic 2016) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla: Rage Across Time]]'' (comic 2016) |
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* ''Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla'' (novel 2018) |
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* ''[[Godzilla (comics)#IDW Publishing|Godzilla Rivals]]'' (comic 2021) |
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=== Music === |
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* 'Mothra', song by [[Anvil (band)|Anvil]] ([[Metal on Metal]], 1982) |
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* 'Mothra', song by [[Atomship]] ([[The Crash of '47]], 2004) |
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* 'Mothra', song by [[Godflesh]] |
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* 'Summoning the Moth of Divinity', song by Oxygen Destroyer |
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=== Collectible card game === |
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* Luminous Broodmoth (Mothra, Supersonic Queen) |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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===Sources=== |
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== External links == |
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* {{cite book|last1=Di Giorgio|first1=Davide|last2=Gigante|first2=Andrea|last3=Gordiano|first3=Lupi |year=2012|title=Godzilla: Il re Dei Mostri – Il Sauro Radioattivo di Honda e Tsuburaya |publisher=Associazione Culturale Il Foglio |language=it |isbn=978-8-87606-351-0}} |
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* [http://s4.zetaboards.com/Mothra_Universe_007/index/ Mothra's Universe] Extensive discussion board. |
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* {{cite book |last=Kalat|first=David|year=2010|title=A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series - Second Edition |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-4749-7}} |
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* [http://www.reocities.com/Tokyo/Island/2295/main.html Mothra's Shrine] |
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* {{cite book |last=Ryfle |first=Steve |year=1998 |title=Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G |url=https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl |url-access=registration |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=1-550-22348-8}} |
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* [http://www.freewebs.com/mothrasdomain Mothra's Domain] |
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*{{cite AV media|first1=Steve|last1=Ryfle|first2=Ed|last2=Godziszewski|title=Mothra Audio Commentary |type=DVD |publisher=Sony|year=2009}} |
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* [[wikiasite:godzilla:Mothra|''Mothra's'' wikizilla page]] |
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{{Toho Kaijū}} |
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{{Commons}} |
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{{Mothra}} |
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{{Godzilla}} |
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{{MonsterVerse}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Mothra| ]] |
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[[Category:Female characters in film]] |
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[[Category:Fictional butterflies and moths]] |
[[Category:Fictional butterflies and moths]] |
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[[Category:Fictional deities]] |
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[[Category:Godzilla characters]] |
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[[Category:Fictional characters who have mental powers]] |
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[[Category:Fictional telepaths]] |
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[[Category:Fictional shapeshifters]] |
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[[Category:Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds]] |
[[Category:Fictional characters who can move at superhuman speeds]] |
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[[Category:Fictional characters with superhuman strength]] |
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[[Category:Fictional goddesses]] |
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[[ja:モスラ (架空の怪獣)]] |
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Latest revision as of 04:16, 2 January 2025
Mothra | |
---|---|
Godzilla film series character | |
First appearance | Mothra (1961) |
Last appearance | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) |
Created by |
|
Portrayed by |
|
In-universe information | |
Alias |
|
Species | Giant divine moth |
Gender | Female |
Origin | Nature's goddess |
Mothra (Japanese: モスラ, Hepburn: Mosura) is a fictional monster or kaiju, that first appeared in the 1961 film Mothra, produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho tokusatsu films, often as a recurring monster in the Godzilla franchise. She is typically portrayed as a colossal sentient larva (caterpillar) or imago, accompanied by two miniature fairies speaking on her behalf. Unlike several other Toho monsters, Mothra is a largely heroic character, having been variously portrayed as a protector of her own island culture,[2] the Earth[3] and Japan.[4] Mothra's design is influenced by silkworms, their imagos, and those of giant silk moths in the family Saturniidae. The character is often depicted hatching offspring (in some cases, twins) when approaching death, a nod to the Saṃsāra doctrine of numerous Indian religions.[5]
Mothra is one of Toho's most popular monsters and second only to Godzilla in her total number of film appearances. Polls taken during the early 1990s indicated that Mothra was particularly popular among women who were, at the time, the largest demographic among Japan's movie-going audience, a fact that prompted the filming of 1992's Godzilla vs. Mothra, which was the best-attended Toho film since King Kong vs. Godzilla.[6] IGN listed Mothra as #3 on its "Top 10 Japanese Movie Monsters" list,[7] while Complex listed the character as #7 on its "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time" list.[8]
Though Mothra is generally portrayed as female, male individuals of her species have also been featured in the franchise, including Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra, and a male Mothra larva who appears alongside his non-identical twin sister in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Overview
[edit]Name
[edit]The name Mothra (モスラ) is the suffixation of "-ra" to the English word "moth"; since the Japanese language does not have dental fricatives, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. The "ra" suffix follows the precedent set by Godzilla (Gojira),[9] which in turn is derived from kujira (鯨, "whale"), which serves to indicate the character's enormous size.
Dican International Pictures entitled the movie Godzilla vs. the Thing, probably to avoid legal action from Columbia Pictures, which had released the original Mothra.[10]
Development
[edit]Mothra was first conceived in the January 1961 serial The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by authors Shinichiro Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga and Yoshie Hotta, who had been commissioned by Toho to write the outline of a future film.[11] The character was further developed by Shinichi Sekizawa, whose experiences of starving in the South Pacific islands during World War II prompted him to envision a movie featuring an island where mysterious events occurred.[12]
In her 1961 debut, Mothra's adult form consisted of a wire-operated mechanical puppet, while the larva was a suitmation puppet operated by six stuntmen crawling in single file. In Mothra vs. Godzilla three years later, the adult Mothra puppet was modified with radio-controlled legs, while the larvae were portrayed via a combination of motor-driven props and hand puppets.[13] The larval Mothra featured in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster remained largely unchanged from its previous appearance, though the color of its eyes was changed from blue to red.[14] The adult Mothra prop featured in Mothra vs. Godzilla was reused in Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, though previous heavy use had dulled its colors, frayed the fur on the head and damaged the wings.[15]
During the early Heisei era of Godzilla films, which ignored the continuity established in pre-1984 movies, several attempts were made to develop a Mothra standalone feature. Akira Murao wrote a screenplay in 1990 entitled Mothra vs. Bagan, which revolved around a shape-shifting dragon called Bagan who sought to destroy humanity for its abuse of the Earth's resources, only to be defeated by Mothra, the god of peace. The screenplay was revised by Kazuki Ōmori after the release of Godzilla vs. Biollante, though the project was ultimately scrapped by Toho, due to the poor box office performance of Godzilla vs. Biollante, as well as the assumption that Mothra was a character born purely out of Japanese culture and thus would have been difficult to market overseas, unlike the more internationally recognized Godzilla.[16] With the success of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Toho sought to continue the series' newfound profitability by reintroducing familiar monsters rather than inventing new ones. Mothra was chosen as Godzilla's next antagonist on account of the character's popularity with women, who constituted the majority of cinemagoers at the time. Special effects head Koichi Kawakita co-wrote a screenplay entitled Godzilla vs. Gigamoth in 1991, which would have pitted Mothra against Godzilla and an irradiated Mothra doppelganger called Gigamoth, though this was rejected early on and replaced with the final plotline that was seen in the film Godzilla vs. Mothra. Kawakita's depiction of Mothra's adult form was given the ability to fire energy beams, which were rendered via optical effects, and the pollen dust emitted from its wings were given a sparkling effect not seen in prior movies. During the character's transformation from larva to adult, it was initially planned to have Mothra's unfolding wings rendered through CGI, though this was scrapped on account of it not looking "sensitive" enough.[17] Although the movie was a financial success, the Mothra props were criticized by several authors, who noted that the adult Mothra's brighter colors made it look like a "plush toy" and that its wings flapped less gracefully than in previous incarnations, as they were made of heavy cloth. The Mothra puppet's immobile chicken-like feet and the lack of undulation in the larva prop's movements were also commented on as being inferior to the effects seen in 1960s Mothra movies.[17] Criticism was also leveled at Mothra's altered origin story, which portrayed her as an extraterrestrial, thus dampening the character's motivation for protecting Earth.[6] The character's newfound popularity nevertheless prompted Toho to produce Rebirth of Mothra in 1996.[18]
For Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, director Shūsuke Kaneko had originally planned on using Anguirus as one of Godzilla's antagonists, but was pressured by Toho chairman Isao Matsuoka to use the more recognizable and profitable Mothra,[19] as the previous film in the franchise, Godzilla x Megaguirus, which featured an original and unfamiliar antagonist, was a box office and critical failure.[20]
For 2003's Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., special effects director Eiichi Asada sought to model Mothra directly on her appearance in the original 1961 film and to keep optical effects to a minimum. As with Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah, the adult Mothra was given mobile legs, though they were made to constantly move, as it was felt that the prop stopped looking realistic once they became immobile. Creature designer Shinichi Wakasa had initially wanted Mothra's wings to have the angular design seen in Rebirth of Mothra II, though the prop was ultimately given the wing shape seen in the 1960s movies.[21] In addition, Mothra's twin larvae, one male and one female, were given nicknames by the staff on set - the male, who can be distinguished by his longer tusks and spikes, was nicknamed Taro, while the female was nicknamed Hanako.[22]
Mothra's fairies
[edit]Shobijin | |
---|---|
Godzilla film series character | |
First appearance | Mothra (1961) |
Last appearance | Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) |
Created by | |
Portrayed by | Emi Itō and Yumi Itō[24] Yuko Okada and Yoko Okada[15] Keiko Imamura and Sayaka Osawa[25] Megumi Kobayashi[26][27][28] and Sayaka Yamaguchi[26][27]/Misato Tate[28] Masami Nagasawa and Chihiro Otsuka[29][30] Zhang Ziyi[31][32] |
In-universe information | |
Alias | Cosmos Elias |
Mothra is usually accompanied by tiny twin female fairies, which Shinichi Sekizawa termed Shobijin (小美人), meaning "little beauties". The original draft for Mothra called for four fairies, though Sekizawa reduced the number to two, as twins were comparatively rare in Japan, thus adding to the characters' mystique. Toho also sought to reinforce its links with Columbia Pictures, by featuring the singing duo the Peanuts, who had been popularized in America by Columbia Records.[12] Yūji Koseki composed the song Mosura no uta ("Song of Mothra") for the fairies to sing when summoning Mothra.[10] The song was originally sung in Indonesian, but there is also a later version, set to the same tune, sung in Japanese:
Malay/Indonesian | Translation | Japanese | Translation |
---|---|---|---|
Mosura ya Mosura | Mothra oh Mothra | Mosura ya Mosura | Mothra oh Mothra |
Dengan kesaktian indukmu | with the power of your ancestor | Tasukete yo to yobeba | if we were to call for help |
Restuilah doa hamba hamba mu yang rendah bangunlah dan | grant the prayer of your lowly servants, arise and | Toki o koete, umi o koete, nami no yō ni | over time, over sea, like a wave |
tunjukkanlah | show | Yatte kuru | you'd come, |
kesaktianmu | your power! | Mamorigami! | our guardian angel! |
The Peanuts were given an additional song in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster entitled "Cry for Happiness", composed by Hiroshi Miyagawa.[33] The Peanuts did not reprise their role in Ebirah, Horror of the Deep and were replaced by the singing duo Pair Bambi.[34]
In Godzilla vs. Mothra, the fairies are renamed the Cosmos (コスモス, Kosumosu) and are played by Keiko Imamura and Sayaka Osawa. This casting move was criticized by Godzilla historian Steve Ryfle, who lamented the fact that the two actresses were not identical and that their singing voices were "paper thin."[17] According to Takao Okawara, the Cosmos scenes were among the hardest scenes he had ever filmed, as the actresses had to synchronize their movements without looking at each other.[6]
In the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy, Mothra's fairies are called the Elias (エリアス, Eriasu) which consist of Moll, Lora, and their estranged sister Belvera. Moll and Lora contrast with prior adaptations because they possess separate personalities and rarely act in unison. Megumi Kobayashi was cast as Moll for all three films, Sayaka Yamaguchi as Lora for the first two films, Misato Tate as Lora for the third film and Aki Hano as Belvera for all three films.
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack does not feature Mothra's fairies, but they are however given a nod in the form of a pair of twin girls wearing white clothes during the scene where Mothra flies over Tokyo. They are played by sisters Ai and Aki Maeda.
In the anime trilogy directed by Gen Urobuchi, the fairies are human-sized sisters named Maina and Miana. Their people are the Houtua (フツア, Futsua), descendants of humans that evolved through Mothra's influence with both telepathy and an immunity to the assimilative properties of nanometal.
In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, it's revealed that Monarch researcher Dr. Ilene Chen (played by Zhang Ziyi) has an identical twin sister named Dr. Ling Chen, who is also in Monarch and is present at Mothra's hatching. The Chens are part of a family which appears to consist almost entirely of pairs of identical twin sisters, two of whom are shown visiting Infant Island (Mothra's traditional home) in 1961.[31] The film's director and co-screenwriter, Michael Dougherty, confirmed the twins to be an updated version of the fairies, explaining, "It was important to me to find ways to modernize the ideas that [Mothra] has followers. Modernize the priestesses. [There] are still certain realms of believability to keep in take. You have to ease people into the more fantastical aspects."[32] He noted that the twins were a "perfect example" of humans and monsters cooperating and forming a "symbiotic relationship with each other", saying, “The twins are an example of a very successful, long relationship...so I wanted to make sure that we found some way to incorporate them, even if it was a little bit of an Easter egg.”[31] Dougherty, who is half-Vietnamese, felt the need to retain the twins' Asian ethnicity.[35]
Character biography
[edit]Shōwa (1961–1968)
[edit]In the Showa continuity, Mothra is depicted as a mystical being that is worshiped by a primitive human culture native to Infant Island. Mothra has her hatching from an egg after her priestesses are abducted by a Rolisican capitalist hoping to exploit them as media celebrities. The larva Mothra swims to Tokyo and cocoons herself around the Tokyo Tower. Upon reaching her adult form, Mothra flies to Rolisica's capital and causes widespread destruction until her priestesses are returned to her.[2]
Mothra in this era, most notably the first individual appeared in the 1961 film is the largest incarnation of all, being 180 meters in length with a wingspan of 250 meters and weighed 20,000 tonnes as an Imago, and 135 meters in body length and weighed 15,000 tonnes as a larva. In later films, the size of the Imagoes decreased to 53 meters in 1964 film and 40 meters in body length and 8,000 tonnes in weight in 1968 film respectively, while the size of the larva in 1966 film stayed the same to the 1961 individual.[36]
In Mothra vs. Godzilla, a Mothra egg appears on the coast of Japan, and is exploited as a tourist attraction. Mothra's priestesses attempt to negotiate the return of the egg to Infant Island, but are rebuffed. Godzilla attacks Japan, forcing humanity to beseech an embittered Mothra to intervene. Mothra willingly sacrificed herself whilst fighting Godzilla, but the latter is defeated when two larvae emerge from the egg and encase Godzilla in a cocoon.[37]
In Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, it is revealed that only one of the larvae survived. The remaining larva attempts to convince Godzilla and Rodan to join forces with her in order to fight King Ghidorah, but the two monsters reject her proposal. Mothra is nearly killed attempting to fight Ghidorah alone, but is saved through the intervention of Godzilla and Rodan.[38]
The larva ultimately gains adulthood in Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, where she saves a group of slaves taken from Infant Island from a terrorist base on Letchi Island undergoing a self-destruct sequence.[39]
Another larva appears in Destroy All Monsters, living alongside other monsters in Monsterland. Along with the other monsters, Mothra is briefly enslaved by the evil Kilaaks, who force her to attack Beijing and later join Godzilla in the destruction of Tokyo. The Kilaaks' mind control is ultimately broken and Mothra joins the other monsters in the final battle against King Ghidorah.[40] This was the character's final starring role in the Showa era, although Mothra would later be seen in stock footage from Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Destroy All Monsters for Godzilla vs. Gigan in 1972.
Heisei (1992–1998)
[edit]1992's Godzilla vs. Mothra portrays Mothra as a guardian of the Earth who presided over an advanced civilization over 12,000 years ago. When the civilization created a device designed to control the Earth's climate, the Earth responded by creating the Black Mothra, Battra, which Mothra defeated, but not before the civilization was wiped out. Mothra's egg is later discovered in 1992 on Infant Island by the Marutomo real estate agency, which seeks to exploit it and Mothra's priestesses for profit. The egg hatches during a fight between Godzilla and a resurrected Battra, and the larva later attacks Tokyo in order to save her priestesses. Mothra forms a cocoon around the National Diet Building, attains her adult form, then briefly fights Battra before joining forces with him in order to fight Godzilla. Battra dies in the attempt and Mothra pledges to fulfill her fallen comrade's role in preventing a meteorite from devastating the Earth in 1999.[3]
In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, Mothra detected SpaceGodzilla's advance towards Earth and sends her priestesses to warn the planet of his arrival.[41]
The Rebirth of Mothra trilogy is separate from the Godzilla Heisei continuity and portrays Mothra as the last remaining member of a species of giant moths who guard the Elias' civilization. This civilization was destroyed millions of years ago by the dragon Desghidorah, whom Mothra defeated. Mothra lays an egg in modern times, but is too weak to fight Desghidorah once it returns. The egg hatches and the new Mothra, goes to protect her mother, but sadly Mothra is mortally wounded by Desghidorah while the larva is still too weak to combat the dragon. After Mothra dies, the new Mothra metamorphoses into an adult, then manages to kill Desghidorah.[26]
Mothra returns in Rebirth of Mothra II, where she acquires a new and more powerful form in order to fight the pollution monster Dagahra.[27]
In Rebirth of Mothra III, Mothra is forced to travel backwards through time to the Cretaceous Period in order to retroactively kill the space dragon King Ghidorah and remove Ghidorah from history. After seemingly defeating Ghidorah's younger form in the Cretaceous period, Mothra hibernates in a cocoon constructed by an ancestral Mothra larvae for 65 million years until the present day, where she defeats Ghidorah's far stronger modern form with a new, equally strong form of her own.[28]
Millennium (2001–2004)
[edit]In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Mothra is portrayed as having been one of the three guardians of Yamato, originating 1,000 years before the events of the film. Initially an antagonist, Mothra was imprisoned in Lake Ikeda, only to be reawakened in 2001 to halt Godzilla's destruction of Tokyo. She is defeated, but transfers her spirit to King Ghidorah.[4]
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. has the Mothra from the original 1961 film send her priestesses to demand that Japan dismantle the anti-Godzilla weapon Kiryu or face destruction, as she considers the cyborg to be against the natural order, having been created using the bones of the first Godzilla. When the second Godzilla lands, Mothra attempts to fight the monster alongside Kiryu, but is killed in the process. Two larvae hatch on Infant Island and reach Tokyo in order to fight Godzilla, whom they encase in a cocoon, which is then transported into the ocean by Kiryu.[42]
Godzilla: Final Wars, which ignores the continuity of the previous film, establishes that Mothra protected the Earth 10,000 years ago from the cyborg Gigan. In the distant future, Gigan returns, under the control of the Xiliens, and is confronted by Mothra. In the ensuing battle, Mothra catches fire, but manages to kill Gigan by ramming into him and exploding.[43] However, in a mid-credits scene, Mothra is shown to be alive after all and flying back to Infant Island to be reunited with the Shobijin.
Reiwa era (2018–2021)
[edit]While Mothra never made a physical appearance, she was mentioned in Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle to have been killed by Godzilla years prior, though her egg ended up in the protection of the Houtua people, a species of evolved humans who adapted Mothra-like features to survive the now Godzilla ruled Earth. An astral projection of Mothra's unborn child in their adult form appears in Godzilla: The Planet Eater.
In Godzilla Singular Point, dozens of small moths, that bear a striking resemblance to Mothra, appear. (Visual similarities include: blue eyes, orange and yellow patterns on the wings, a 'false eye' pattern as seen on Mothra as well as other species of Lepidoptera). These small moths even seem to shed their golden scales, similar to how Mothra has done the same thing in the past. These moths also have a brief interaction with Jet Jaguar, making it the first on-screen interaction between the two Toho characters (outside of comics, video games, spin-offs, etc.).
However, due to this show's nature to rename / rebrand existing monsters as new ones (For example: A creature that heavily resembles “Varan”, both in its visual design & its sound design, is later revealed to be a different creature), there is no direct confirmation that this is actually Mothra. One may assume these moths are related to Mothra in some way (or actually are several Mothras), but the show does not provide any context as to what they actually are.
Several of Mothra's previous incarnations make cameo appearances in the show's ending credits (alongside several other Toho properties).
MonsterVerse (2019–present)
[edit]In 2014, Legendary Pictures announced that they had acquired the rights to Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah from Toho to use in their MonsterVerse.[44]
In the post-credits scene at the end of the 2017 film Kong: Skull Island, Mothra appears in a series of cave paintings depicting other monsters that are known to exist that are shown in the footage to James Conrad and Mason Weaver, along with Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah.[45]
A casting call confirmed that Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah would all be featured in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.[46] Viral marketing for the movie showed that Mothra retained her status as a creature who is deified as an angelic-like goddess, referred to as the Queen of the Monsters. Monarch Sciences, the film's promotional website, identifies the Yunnan rainforest as Mothra's location (however, Infant Island was referenced within the film, and the name "Mosura" is said to be derived from a small Indonesian island) and states in its adult form to be capable of emitting beta-wave bioluminescence that can be projected through the intricate patterns on its wings and weaponized into destructive and blinding ‘god rays’.[47][48] Further promotional material also revealed narrower wings, a wider wingspan (at 803 feet or 244.75 meters, it is second only to her original 250-meter wingspan), long praying mantis-like forearms and legs as opposed to bird-like limbs and a body design that is more reminiscent of real-life moths, with a smaller body and head. The markings on her wings are said to mark her as the "Queen of the Monsters" and that they apparently link Mothra to Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, since the eye spots on her wings are modeled after Godzilla's eyes. Within the film, she is shown to have a symbiotic relationship with Godzilla, and temporarily paralyzes Rodan by stabbing him through the chest with a hidden abdominal stinger. These changes make Mothra the most heavily redesigned monster in the series.
Mothra first appears hatching from her egg in her larval state and is calmed by Dr. Emma Russell using the ORCA bio-acoustics device, becoming docile. When eco-terrorists led by Colonel Alan Jonah arrive soon after and capture Russell, her daughter Madison and the ORCA device, Mothra retreats under a waterfall and cocoons herself, later emerging from her cocoon in her adult form and flying off. During the fight in Boston, Mothra defeats Rodan and is disintegrated by King Ghidorah while protecting a fallen Godzilla. Her power is transferred to Godzilla as a result via her ashes, preventing him from suffering a nuclear meltdown and allowing him to defeat Ghidorah by achieving his burning form. During the credits, a news program speculates about the existence of a second Mothra egg, which the director later confirmed.[49]
Mothra returned in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. When the Iwi sense that the tyrannical Skar King is about to come for them, they send a signal to Jia, the sole survivor of the Iwi tribe from Skull Island, so she can find them and re-awaken Mothra to aid Godzilla in battle. After a wounded Kong tells them the Skar King is on his way, Jia successfully reawakens Mothra. Mothra reunites with Godzilla and convinces him to join forces with Kong. Mothra then joins the battle in the Hollow Earth and takes down Skar King's apes, preventing them from reaching the surface. She also aids Godzilla when Shimo, the mother Titan under Skar King's control, almost freezes him. Eventually Godzilla and Kong manage to come out victorious, with Shimo being freed from Skar King's control and starts freezing him over so that Kong can eventually destroy him. Mothra then helps the Iwi rebuild the barrier that protects them and then flies off deep into Hollow Earth.
Appearances
[edit]Films
[edit]- Mothra (1961)
- Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
- Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
- Destroy All Monsters (1968)
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972, stock footage cameo)
- Bye-Bye Jupiter (1984, stock footage cameo)
- Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
- Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) - as Fairy Mothra
- Rebirth of Mothra (1996)
- Rebirth of Mothra II (1997)
- Rebirth of Mothra III (1998)
- Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
- Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002, stock footage cameo)
- Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
- Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
- Kaiju Bunraku (2017)
- Kong: Skull Island (2017, cave painting)
- Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
- Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021, cave painting)
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Television
[edit]- Godzilla Island (1997–1998)
- The Simpsons (1989–present)
- Godzilla Singular Point (2021)
- Godzilland (1992-1993)
- Godziban (2019-present)
- Chibi Godzilla Raids Again (2023–present)
Video games
[edit]- Godzilla: Monster of Monsters (NES - 1988)
- Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters (NES - 1991)
- Kaijū-ō Godzilla / King of the Monsters, Godzilla (Game Boy - 1993)
- Godzilla: Monster War / Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters (Super Famicom - 1994)
- Godzilla Giant Monster March (Game Gear - 1995)
- Godzilla Trading Battle (PlayStation - 1998)
- Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact (Dreamcast - 1999)
- Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (GCN, Xbox - 2002/2003)
- Godzilla: Domination! (GBA - 2002)
- Godzilla: Save the Earth (Xbox, PS2 - 2004)
- World of Warcraft (Windows - 2004) (reference)
- Godzilla: Unleashed (Wii - 2007)
- Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash (NDS - 2007)
- Godzilla: Unleashed (PS2 - 2007)
- Terraria (Windows - 2012) (reference)
- Godzilla: The Game (PS3 - 2014 PS3 PS4 - 2015)
- City Shrouded in Shadow (PS4 - 2017)
- Godzilla Defense Force (2019)
- Godzilla Battle Line (2021)
Literature
[edit]- The Luminous Fairies and Mothra (serialized novel) (1961)
- Godzilla 2000 (1996)
- Godzilla at World's End (1998)
- Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters (comic 2011-2012)
- Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths (comic 2011)
- Godzilla: Legends (comic 2011-2012)
- Godzilla (comic 2012)
- Godzilla: The Half-Century War (comic 2012-2013)
- Godzilla: Rulers of Earth (comic 2013-2015)
- Godzilla: Cataclysm (comic 2014)
- Godzilla: Oblivion (comic 2016)
- Godzilla: Rage Across Time (comic 2016)
- Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla (novel 2018)
- Godzilla Rivals (comic 2021)
Music
[edit]- 'Mothra', song by Anvil (Metal on Metal, 1982)
- 'Mothra', song by Atomship (The Crash of '47, 2004)
- 'Mothra', song by Godflesh
- 'Summoning the Moth of Divinity', song by Oxygen Destroyer
Collectible card game
[edit]- Luminous Broodmoth (Mothra, Supersonic Queen)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ryfle & Godziszewski 2009, 01:03:55.
- ^ a b Mothra (1961). Directed by Ishirō Honda. Toho
- ^ a b Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992). Directed by Takao Okawara. Toho
- ^ a b Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001). Directed by Shusuke Kaneko. Toho.
- ^ Di Giorgio, Gigante & Gordiano 2012, pp. 61–63.
- ^ a b c Kalat 2010, pp. 184–190.
- ^ Hawker, Tom (May 15, 2014). "Top 10 Japanese Movie Monsters". IGN. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
- ^ Josh Robertson, "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time", Complex (May 18, 2014)
- ^ Di Giorgio, Gigante & Gordiano 2012, p. 64.
- ^ a b Ryfle 1998, p. 109.
- ^ "Jerry Ito: A S'Wonderful Life", Sci-Fi Japan (July 30, 2007)
- ^ a b Kalat 2010, pp. 51–54.
- ^ Ryfle 1998, pp. 108–110.
- ^ Ryfle 1998, p. 116.
- ^ a b Ryfle 1998, p. 137.
- ^ Kalat 2010, pp. 179–183.
- ^ a b c Ryfle 1998, pp. 279–285.
- ^ David Milne, "Takao Okawara Interview III" Archived 2016-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, Kaiju Conversations (December 1995)
- ^ Ed Godziszewski and Norman England, "Interview with Shusuke Kaneko", Japanese Giants #9 (June 2002)
- ^ Kalat 2010, pp. 238–242.
- ^ "Godzilla X Mothra X Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS production report – The men behind the monsters discuss the latest Godzilla film", Uchusen #108 (Asahi Sonorama) (October 22, 2003)
- ^ Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 2004. p. 46. ISBN 9784091014931.
- ^ Ryfle & Godziszewski 2009, 33:44.
- ^ Ryfle 1998, p. 101.
- ^ Kalat 2010, p. 184.
- ^ a b c Rebirth of Mothra (1996). Directed by Okihiro Yoneda. Toho
- ^ a b c Rebirth of Mothra II (1997). Directed by Kunio Miyoshi. Toho
- ^ a b c Rebirth of Mothra III (1998). Directed by Okihiro Yoneda. Toho
- ^ Kalat 2010, p. 247.
- ^ Kalat 2010, p. 249.
- ^ a b c Brown, Tracy (June 3, 2019). "'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' director explains that Mothra Easter egg". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Quizon, Justin (June 3, 2019). "Michael Dougherty Interview – Godzilla: King of the Monsters". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ Kalat 2010, p. 75.
- ^ Kalat 2010, p. 96.
- ^ Ito, Robert (May 29, 2019). "Mothra: Yin to Godzilla's Yang". The New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- ^ てれびくん編集部, ed. (1997). モスラ2超全集 [Complete Mothra 2] (in Japanese) (Kindle ed.). p. 38. ASIN B00MTHKOB2.
- ^ Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964). Directed by Ishirō Honda. Toho
- ^ Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). Directed by Ishirō Honda. Toho.
- ^ Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966). Directed by Jun Fukuda. Toho.
- ^ Destroy all Monsters (1968). Directed by Ishirō Honda. Toho.
- ^ Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). Directed by Kensho Yamashita. Toho
- ^ Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003). Directed by Masaaki Tezuka. Toho.
- ^ Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. Toho.
- ^ Jeffries, Adrianne (July 26, 2014). "Gareth Edwards returns to direct 'Godzilla 2' with Rodan and Mothra". The Verge. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
- ^ Kong: Skull Island (2017). Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Legendary Pictures.
- ^ Barkan, Jonathan (May 31, 2017). "These Three Kaiju Appear to Be Confirmed for Godzilla: King of the Monsters". Dread Central. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ Shaw, Hannah (2018-07-18). "Godzilla 2's Monarch Website: Every Image & Reveal". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ "Monarch Sciences". Monarch Sciences. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
- ^ Mike Dougherty [@Mike_Dougherty] (2019-06-06). "To lay her egg. <Butterfly><Egg> #GodzillaMovie" (Tweet). Retrieved 2020-03-01 – via Twitter.
Sources
[edit]- Di Giorgio, Davide; Gigante, Andrea; Gordiano, Lupi (2012). Godzilla: Il re Dei Mostri – Il Sauro Radioattivo di Honda e Tsuburaya (in Italian). Associazione Culturale Il Foglio. ISBN 978-8-87606-351-0.
- Kalat, David (2010). A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series - Second Edition. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-4749-7.
- Ryfle, Steve (1998). Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G. ECW Press. ISBN 1-550-22348-8.
- Ryfle, Steve; Godziszewski, Ed (2009). Mothra Audio Commentary (DVD). Sony.