A titan of terror, a god of destruction, Godzilla is an iconic colossal Kaiju that's both an unstoppable force of nature's wrath and the Earth's most powerful defense against other giant monsters, aliens, and more.

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Created by Toho Studios of Japan back in 1954, Godzilla, Gojira, Monster Zero-One, Big-G, or however youd like to call them is a creature that dominated eastern and then western cinema for decades and rightly so. A supposed man-made creation of radioactive origin, there's a lot to learn about what makes this big lizard tick. So here's everything you need to know about Godzilla's biology.

For first-timers new to the massive monster scene, here's a Kaiju crash course. From what we've gathered from Monarch's files on the creature, and reported yet redacted encounters by the JSDF, Godzilla is estimated to be thousands, if not millions of years old (depending on the canon). And is a creature of such a physical and destructive scale that merely having it appear on a city's shoreline is enough to start mass panic throughout an entire country.

Taller than a skyscraper and with thighs wider than a city block, this towering reptile has scales that can stop missiles and atomic fuelled fire breath that can reduce entire neighborhoods into molten irradiated slag. Buildings crumble with its passing and there's yet to be a giant beast, alien, mechanized weapon, or battle droid capable of putting it down permanently. Though Oxygen bombs have proved a potent deterrent to this overgrown dinosaur, it always returned in one form or another.

Truly unkillable, humanity's best option for surviving alongside Godzilla is to just evacuate major population centers, stay out of the way, and invest in home insurance.

If you were to take a cathedral-sized Scalpel to Godzilla and start to dig around inside, you'd find something interesting. For a start, the creature's carapace is composed of an ultra-dense material formed into a reptilian scale shape that deflects, dissipates, and defends against any and all attacks. Though it seems weak to high temperatures and extreme voltages, perhaps due to conductivity between the scales.

The bones of this beast are equally massive and made of a mineral composition that renders them seemingly unbreakable. This makes sense considering the sheer amount of tonnage in weight they would need to support. The organs of the beast are also capable of breaking down all sorts of material, both organic and inorganic to seemingly sustain Godzilla. They're also able to withstand extreme temperatures into the Kelvins or Super Negatives, whilst also exuding extremely high amounts of radiation.

So much radioactive material is released by Godzilla. In fact, the areas it passed through often endure elevated radiation levels for several weeks. Also, if Godzilla releases its fire breath, the immediate area will be rendered unlivable for years almost instantly. Standard decontamination protocol after exposure is recommended, but not always successful.

The origins of Godzilla have varied over the years. With different sources pointing to everything from a genetic deviancy brought about through Nuclear Testing, or the Hollow-Earth school of thought that says it emerged from a subterranean realm. Or its a prehistoric creature that crawled out of a chasm after being asleep for millennia. Whichever one matters, they share a common thread: Nuclear bombs or testing is involved, the big lizard appears from somewhere, and things get smashed.

Godzilla was first sighted off the shores of Japan in the 50s. Since then, the creature has continued to bounce between periods of destructive activity and extended periods of dormancy. Though it's noted these active apocalyptic occurrences are often due to external negative stimuli. (e.g. the appearance of another Super Predator, the creation of something that would negatively impact the earth's environment, or because of alien control.)

The destructive capabilities of Godzilla can be best categorized as cataclysmic. Not only does the sheer weight it can throw around alone mean it can casually walk through a busy city without those pesky buildings slowing it down. But the power put behind its claw makes it capable of tearing bridges and reinforced heavy weaponry apart like tissue paper.

Then there's the fire breath.

Depending on where you're standing in the canon, Godzilla's Atomic Fire Breath has varied in strength over the years. Scaling upwards in scale from high-temperature flames to radiation-tinged lines of plasma then finally highly radioactive laser beams that blast in a seemingly infinite direction from its mouth, spinal fins, and tail.

The other fusion-powered trick in its arsenal is to stockpile radiation within itself until a moment of critical mass is achieved and a colossal nuclear-fuelled explosion occurs or is surged outwards in damaging pulses. Finally, Godzilla is shown to be able to exert a strong magnetic field (Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla) to both attract and repel objects as large as power pylons and combat droids.

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Though this piece started as a fictional "Field Report," there is a need to clarify that Godzilla is in fact not real. It was first created as a metaphor for the destructive power of atomic energy in a post World War 2 Japan, and it was Toho Studios' way of putting out their version of an anti-nuclear protest. There's a little more to it than that, but that's an apt way to keep it brief.

Godzilla first appeared on the silver screen back in 1954 and was a big success. The classic Kaiju would go on from there to star in countless sequels and spin-offs that are still carried on to this day. It impacted the cultural zeitgeist over the years so much in fact that there are endless parodies, references, and direct inspirations in pop culture that you can directly point to because of it.

Godzilla's gender is something that's been up for debate for years. Through the different eras of Toho Studios, they played a little fast and loose with that rule. Either altering it slightly or not really addressing it outright. In some versions, they've always been male, other's there are hints of it being between genders, but either way, it's often referred to as an "it". Where the confusion lies is that Godzilla is capable of self-procreation, which makes it difficult to pin down where they fall.

For example, in the '98 movie, they were shown laying eggs asexually. Plus, in older examples like Son Of Godzilla, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II, or the animated show, a hatchling was shown to be born. Usually named Godsuke, Minilla, or Baby Godzilla. Theres also the example of Godzilla Vs Destroyah where a new Godzilla was formed out of the destroyed remains of the old one. The same applies in the Netflix adaptation Planet of the Monsters where a smaller version just randomly appeared, whilst the original much larger one slept. In general, Godzilla is referred to as a "he" or an "it".

This is one topic that unfortunately falls into the relationship category of "it's complicated" as the big Lizard's connection with the afterlife is tenuous at best. Like how Kratos can casually walk out of the Underworld again and again, so too does Godzilla shake off death like it's a minor inconvenience. But this is not to say the creature is truly unkillable; it's just very, very resistant to dying.

Over the years, Godzilla has "died" a few times but due to resets in the canon, it keeps coming back. Whether through energy transference from Mothra, recuperating at a site of radioactive and geothermal activity, or unsubtly detonating a Nuclear Bomb in its face. There have also been examples of Godzilla producing a smaller, equally strong copy of itself as a contingency plan which then grows in size. Should the original die, this new creature assumes the role of its deceased parent, and the cycle continues. But no matter where in the canon you look, Godzilla keeps coming back.

Except the 1998 one, that one stayed dead for all the right reasons.

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Excerpt from:

Everything You Need To Know About Godzilla - TheGamer