Shodai Godzilla
The original Godzilla of 1954 and the Showa era.
The Showa-era Godzilla debuted in the 1954 film Godzilla as a prehistoric reptile awakened by hydrogen bomb testing that wrecks Tokyo. The first Godzilla is killed, and a second appears in Godzilla Raids Again (1955).
Quick Facts
- Debut
- Godzilla (1954)
- Suit actor
- Haruo Nakajima (1954-1972)
- Designer
- Wasuke Abe (lead, 1954)
Lore & Background
The character was played through suitmation, mainly by stunt actor Haruo Nakajima from 1954 until he retired in 1972. Over the Showa films Godzilla changes from antagonist to anti-hero and finally to a hero of the planet, sometimes allied with other kaiju.
Manga illustrator Wasuke Abe led the design of the 1954 Godzilla; his first idea was a humanoid beast with a head shaped like a mushroom cloud.
More in History & Mythology
Elsewhere in Godzilla
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