Long beforeJapanese anime and manga creationscaptured the interest of a global audience, there was one particular Japanese media franchise that enjoyed explosive popularity across the entire world. TheGodzillaseries of movies have been a staple of global pop culture for many decades, and they have grown more popular than ever thanks to the success of Legendary’s MonsterVerse.
TheGodzillamovies and related media tell the story of a titanic, lizard-shaped beast that rises out of the oceans at different times to lay waste to human civilization. From this simple premise, there arose one of the most famous franchises of all time, with a range of monstrous characters that captivate and terrify audiences in equal measure. Let us take a look at some of the lesser-known aspects of theGodzillafranchise.
Updated on October 20th, 2023 by Adam Ghelerter:If you love all things Godzilla,this article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
15Godzilla’s Ever Changing Hight
Godzilla’s height seems hard to settle on, but one thing is apparent: it keeps going up. In the original 1954 Japanese film, Godzilla was roughly 164 feet tall (50 meters). However, his height has been portrayed differently in various movies and reboots throughout Godzilla’s time stomping around on cities.
The current American MonsterVerse Godzilla (2014-present) is approximately 394 feet (120 Meters). This year, the world is getting a new Godzilla from theoriginal Toho studioGodzilla Minus Oneon July 02, 2025. How tall will this version of the King of Monsters be? Not all films explicitly state each rendition of Godzilla’s height, but if we had to guess, this version would probably be bigger.
14A Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Godzilla has had an overwhelming impact on Hollywood. The King of Monsters originated from Japan but has had so much cultural impact on the world of cinema that Godzilla became not just a movie icon but a celebrity.
Lunchboxes, Toys, posters, and Festivals, it’s no wonder that in 2004, Godzilla earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This act doubly embedded Godzilla as a prolific and eternal pop culture icon.
13Godzilla’s Name
The name Godzilla is often uninformatively deciphered to mean Lizard King, King of the Lizards, God Lizard, or Lizard God. Well, given the English language and the fact that he appears to be a giant lizard, that seems logical. However, this is not the case. The true origins of the name are still debated, but the true meaning of the name can be broken down from the original Japanese name “Gojira.”
This is actually, in Japanese, a portmanteau, which is a word that blends the sounds and combines the meaning of two words, like brunch or bromance. The two words slapped together are the Japanese words"gorira," which means gorilla, and “kujira,“which translates to whale. That’s right, Gorilla Whale. It’s not quite as magnificent sounding as Lizard God…mostly elicits goofy imagery…But! It makes sense as gorillas are brutish and sometimes walk bipedal, while whales are massive and live in the water.
12Godzilla’s Atomic Breath
Godzilla’s atomic breath is this Kaiju’s most iconic and visually striking trademark, but the incredible VFX that brings this imposing power to fruition today was not around when Godzilla started off as a mere rubber suit. So how did they do it?
They had pyrotechnics placed inside the Godzilla suit, and when this went off, practical explosions on a miniature set would go off as well. They would polish this up with some special effects in post. Needless to say, this labor-intensive process showed just how dedicated they were to bringing Godzilla to life.
11Godzilla’s Cameos
Sure, we have all seen Godzilla cameos, but the scope of which Godzilla has appeared in other forms of media, from live-action movies, TV shows, animated films, Anime, and so much more, is greater than one may imagine. Whether it be a cameo or a Godzilla look alike, the King of Monsters has made it into hundreds of forms of media. Certainly, Godzilla is the monster with the most cameos of all time, possibly the most out of anyone ever.
How the Godzilla Franchise Has Stood the Test of Time
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10Godzilla is a Registered Japanese Citizen
Over the course of its decades-long career, Godzilla has laid waste to Japan innumerable times. Whether fighting another monster, fighting aliens, or simply wreaking havoc for a laugh, there is pretty much no fictional corner of Japan that has not suffered under the wrath of the giant lizard and its many monster allies/enemies.
But in the real world, relations between Godzilla and Japan are pretty chill. So much so thatthe radioactive monster is a registered citizenof the country, and of course, its pop culture ambassador for the rest of the world. In return, Godzilla merchandising has long been a staple of Japanese pop culture, and the giant lizard can be seen promoting everythingfrom soft drinks to automobiles.
9Godzilla Will Never Eat a Human
Godzilla has beenappearing in movies for close to 70 years. But in all that time the monster has rarely been seen eating onscreen. This is no accident. The mystery of Godzilla’s diet is one that fans have wondered about for a long time. Bits and pieces of clues have been found over time. Godzilla is believed to mainly feed on atomic radiation to grow bigger, hence its ability to spew atomic fire. In certain older movies, the creature is also shown eating fish-based creatures similar to what a whale would eat.
This is in keeping with Godzilla’s original Japanese name “Gojira,” which is a combination of Gorilla and Kujira, which is the Japanese word for whale. One thing you willnever see Godzilla eat is a human being. This is to keep Godzilla from being seen as a regular man-eating animal rather than a larger-than-life force of nature. Also, showing Godzilla in any kind of heroic capacity would be pretty hard if it started treating humans like Skittles when it’s feeling peckish.
8The Secret of the Original Iconic Roar
When it comes tothe strong and silent heroes type, Godzilla takes the cake. The giant behemoth is literally incapable of saying anything. But that does not mean the monster is unable to voice its displeasure if the situation demands it. One of the most iconic parts of Godzilla lore is the creature’s trademark roar that sends chills down the spines of audiences.
Godzilla has always sounded unlike anything else in the animal kingdom. The original movie featuring the monster created the sound for its roar by using a musical instrument handled by Japanese composer Akira Ifukube. “[The roar] was actually a double bass, using a leather glove coated in pine-tar resin to create friction,” Erik Aadahl, who created sounds for Godzilla in the MonsterVerse, toldNPR. “They’d rub it against the string of the double bass to create that sound.” Since then, different versions of Godzilla’s roar have echoed across cinema halls the world over.
7Godzilla is the Oldest Continuously Running Movie Franchise
Franchising is the name of the game in Hollywood these days. From the MCU toHarry PottertoFast & Furious, there are a bunch of franchises to choose from. Some of these monstrously huge franchises harken back several decades, likeStar WarsandJames Bond. But befitting its stature as the King of the Monsters,Godzilla has a franchise that is bigger and olderthan all the Hollywood competition.
The firstGodzillamovie was made in 1954. It quickly became a horror/thriller classic and turned its lead character into a cultural icon. Since then the studio behind the property has been pumping outGodzillamovies, shows, animation, video games, and comics regularly. Honestly, the only thing left at this point is for there to be some sort ofGodzillastage play. Oh, wait,that’s already a thing.
6Inspired by Hollywood Giants
Everyone knows that when it comes to monster movies, Godzilla and King Kong are the OG titans of the industry. Some people also believe that Godzilla is older than Kong. But that’s not true. The firstKing Kongmovie was made in 1933, a full two decades before Godzilla stomped onto the silver screen in 1954 and changed monster movies forever.
Buteven more than Kong, Godzilla’s origins were inspired by 1953’sThe Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Based on a short story by Ray Bradbury, the movie tells the tale of a gigantic lizard that attacks a city after being awakened from its slumber by the detonation of an atomic bomb. The appearance and origin story of the originalGodzilla bears a striking resemblanceto the titular creature fromThe Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, but official confirmation regarding the inspiration is hard to come by.
Every Godzilla Movie, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes
See how the King of the Monsters fares when faced with his greatest foe yet: the Tomatometer!
