出典 : Amazon.co.jp
The Godzilla series of special effects of Japan’s most famous monsters. The series is so popular that it has been produced not only in Japan but also in Hollywood, and there have even been animated productions.
Did you know that many different types of Godzilla, the main character of the series, have appeared in the past? Not only does Godzilla look different in each film, but his height also varies.
In this article, we summarized Godzilla’s height for each of his works and the reasons for his continued growth.
The transition of Godzilla’s height
出典 : Amazon.co.jp
Various versions of Godzilla have appeared in domestic, Hollywood, and animated versions, but how tall are they?
Here are some of the shifts in Godzilla’s stature that have appeared so far
・First Godzilla: 50m
・Showa Series: 50m
・VS Series：80m〜100m
・Millennium Series：55m〜100m
・『Shin Godzilla』：118m
・Anime version (“GODZILLA: Planet of Monsters” – “GODZILLA: Star Eater”)：300m
・Hollywood version (1998 “GODZILLA”)：60m
・Hollywood version (2014 “GODZILLA”)：108.2m
・Hollywood version (2019 “Godzilla: King of Monsters”)：119.8m
You can see that Godzilla’s stature has grown with each successive series.
Why Godzilla’s height continues to grow
出典 : Amazon.co.jp
Starting from 50 meters in the first Godzilla, Godzilla’s height has grown with each successive film. Godzilla has grown 2.4 to 6 times taller than the first Godzilla, with the live-action Godzilla at about 120 meters and the animated Godzilla at 300 meters.
Why does Godzilla continue to grow so differently in height, even though they are the same monster? It has to do with the following reasons
Skyscrapers are increasing with the times
出典 : Amazon.co.jp
Except for the anime version, Godzilla has appeared in real cities in live-action films. This “appearing in an actual city” is the point at which Godzilla’s height grows.
The first Godzilla appeared in Japan not long after the war. There were no skyscrapers in post-war Japan as we know it today.
Even under the Building Standards Act, buildings were limited to 31 meters or less in height, so a 50-meter tall Godzilla laying waste to a city was enough to make it awe-inspiring, because it was bigger than any building in Japan just by being 50 meters tall.
Later, in 1968, the 147-meter tall Kasumigaseki Building was erected. The Building Code was also relaxed, and skyscrapers over 31 meters tall began to clutter the area.
Since the number of buildings taller than 50 meters has increased, if Godzilla’s height were to remain 50 meters as before, he would be buried under the buildings and would not be able to show his strength.
The best part of a Godzilla movie is the destruction of a city by a giant Godzilla. The decision was made to increase Godzilla’s height in order to create a more powerful and desperate Godzilla, and to prevent it from being buried in skyscrapers, Godzilla will be nearly 100 meters tall.
Godzilla first reached 100 meters in height in the 1991 Godzilla vs King Ghidora movie. Set in the skyscraper-rich Shinjuku area, this made Godzilla 100 meters taller than ever before.
With its ever-larger body, Godzilla also destroyed the 243-meter tall Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Because both Godzilla and the buildings are larger, the depiction of Godzilla has become more powerful than ever before.
