Evolution of Godzilla's Appearance

Jun 28, 2024

Evolution of Godzilla's Appearance on Screen

Original Godzilla (1954)

  • First Appearance: Small arms, thick legs, dorsal plates, tiny pupils, fangs, and pointy ears.
  • Story: Attacks Japan and gets disintegrated to bone.

Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

  • Appearance: Thinner body, longer arms, smaller head, larger pupils, jutting teeth.
  • Story: Buried in ice.

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

  • Appearance: Plumper body, lizard-like head, yellow eyes, no ears, no fangs.
  • Story: Faces King Kong, falls into the ocean.

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

  • Appearance: Slimmer, wider head, wide eyes, smooth shiny brows.
  • Story: Covered in silk, drops into the sea.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

  • Appearance: Slimmer face, longer tongue.
  • Story: Now defends humanity against evil monsters.

Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)

  • Appearance: Thinner, more defined dorsal plates, dull claws, rounder head.
  • Story: Shows new dance moves, briefly under alien mind control.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)

  • Appearance: Less angry brows.
  • Story: Battles a big lobster, escapes exploding island.

Son of Godzilla (1967)

  • Appearance: Elongated neck, pudgier, flimsy dorsal fins, stubby nose, bugged out eyes.
  • Story: Raising a son.

Destroy All Monsters (1968)

  • Appearance: Slimmer, more battle-worn face.
  • Story: Under alien control, then turns on them.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

  • Appearance: Opposes a pollution monster.
  • Story: Gains ability to fly backwards.

Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

  • Appearance: Slimmer.
  • Story: Gains ability to speak.

Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

  • Appearance: Shorter neck, soft bright dorsal fins, pig-nosed face.
  • Story: Long-distance dropkick.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

  • Appearance: Angrier expression, more detailed muzzle.
  • Story: Protects an ancient god, faces Mechagodzilla twice.

Godzilla (1984)

  • Appearance: Taller, larger dorsal fins, fourth toe, fangs and ears return.
  • Story: Trips into a volcano, explodes.

Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)

  • Appearance: Smaller head, muscular build, larger fins, cat-like face.
  • Story: Takes out a giant plant monster.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)

  • Appearance: Taller, muscular, angrier look.
  • Story: Transformed from Godzillasaurus, bites Mecha King Ghidorah.

Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)

  • Appearance: Thinner, rearranged dorsal plates, ribbed neck, flatter head, golden eyes.
  • Story: Battles Mothra and Batra.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)

  • Appearance: Slimmed shoulders, slimmer legs.
  • Story: Raising a blue-toned baby Godzilla.

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)

  • Appearance: Bulkier, less detailing in neck, larger eyes, greener Godzilla Jr.

Godzilla (1998 - American)

  • Appearance: Mutated iguana, blue dorsal spines, hanging dewlap.
  • Story: Has raptor-looking offspring.

Godzilla 2000 (1999)

  • Appearance: Shorter, green jagged skin, sharp purple spines, reptilian face.

Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)

  • Appearance: Smooth charcoal skin, white dorsal fins, hunched neck, pure white eyes.

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)

  • Appearance: Re-adds jagged design elements, wolf-like face.

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)

  • Appearance: Covered in silk.

Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

  • Appearance: Taller, smoother, slender, longer ears, red eyes.

Shin Godzilla (2016)

  • Appearance: Light-colored, armless, then darker with a long tail and blood-red accents.

Godzilla (2014 - American)

  • Appearance: Plump, jagged dorsal plates, wide feet, gills.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

  • Appearance: Taller, beefier, larger dorsal fins, fiery look after power-up.