Godzilla's Evolving Look and Story

Original Appearance

• First Appearance: Small arms, thick legs, dorsal plates, tiny pupils, fangs, and pointy ears.
• End: Disintegrated to bone.

Godzilla Raids Again

• Look: Thinner, longer arms, smaller head, larger pupils. Teeth appear to jut out.
• End: Buried in ice.

King Kong vs. Godzilla

• Look: Plumper, lizard-like head, yellow eyes, no ears, no fangs.
• End: Tumbling into the ocean.

Mothra vs. Godzilla

• Look: Slimmer, wider head, wide eyes, smooth shiny brows.
• End: Covered in silk and drops into the sea.

Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster

• Look: Slimmer face, longer tongue.
• Role: Begins defending humanity.

Invasion of Astro-Monster

• Look: Thinner, more defined dorsal plates, dull claws, rounder head. Displays dance moves.
• End: Briefly under alien control.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

• Look: Less angry brows, battles big lobster, narrowly escapes exploding island.

Destroy All Monsters

• Look: Slimmer, face similar to Astro-Monster.
• End: Under alien mind control again, turns on them.

Versus Hedorah

• Look: Less angry brows, flies backward curled up like a shrimp.

Versus Gigan

• Look: Skin starts ripping, gains ability to speak.

Versus Megalon

• Look: Shorter neck, soft bright dorsal fins, pig-nosed face. Performs long-distance dropkick.

Heisei Series Reboot (1984 Onwards)

• Look: Taller, larger dorsal fins, fourth toe, fangs, ears return. Explodes out of a volcano.
• Versus Biollante: Smaller head, muscular build, cat-like face.
• Vs. King Ghidorah: Bites Mecha King Ghidorah, sent to ocean.
• Vs. Mothra: Thinner, rearranged dorsal plates, ribbed neck, flatter head, golden eyes. Plunged into ocean.
• Vs. Mechagodzilla II: Slimmer shoulders, slimmer legs, blue-toned baby Godzilla.
• Vs. SpaceGodzilla: Less neck detailing, larger eyes, raises a bulkier counterpart (Godzilla Jr.).

Millenium Series

• American Godzilla (1998): Mutated iguana, blue spines, hanging dewlap, multiple offspring.
• Godzilla 2000: Shorter, jagged green skin, purple spines, reptilian face.
• Vs. Megaguirus: Lighter, longer neck, smaller mouth. Defeats giant insect.
• Giant Monsters All-Out Attack: Formed by WWII souls, charcoal skin, white fins, hunched neck, white eyes. Mutilated.
• Vs. Mechagodzilla & Sequel: Jagged design, wolf-like face, visible chest scar, floated to sea.
• Final Wars: Taller, slender, longer ears, red eyes, fights multiple creatures.

Shin Godzilla (2016)

• Stages: Starts as light, armless. Grows arms, becomes redder, darker form, long tail, unhinging jaw, handy new skills. Frozen with agent.

Anime Trilogy

• Look: Muscular, tree bark texture, spikes, largest size, ruler of Earth.

American Godzilla (2014 Onwards)

• 2014 Look: Plump, jagged dorsal plates, wide feet, gills. Stops hideous creatures.
• King of the Monsters: Taller, beefier, less stubby lower half, blunt tail tip, glowing dorsal fins, fiery new look post-radiation.