Movies - Mechagodzilla

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Mechagodzilla (メカゴジラ - Mekagojira) is a fictional character from various films in the Godzilla
series, introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974).

Mechagodzilla I (Showa Series)

The first Mechagodzilla was created as a weapon of destruction by a race of ape-like aliens, sometimes known as Simeons or the Black Hole aliens(See: Alien races from the Godzilla films).

It first appeared in a pseudo-flesh outer covering, masquerading as the real Godzilla during attacks against Japan. Curiously, while the Simeons gave Mechagodzilla a flamethrower in his mouth to mimic Godzilla's atomic beam, they didn't bother replicating Godzilla's unique roar. Godzilla's friend Anguirus wasn't fooled by the imposter. Their battle went badly for Anguirus, but tipped humanity off to the charade.

Soon the true Godzilla appeared and exposed his rival's metallic form completely. The battle resulted in a tie, however, and in the end it took the combined might of Godzilla and Seesar to remove Mechagodzilla's head from its shoulders, ending the threat.

The Simeons rebuilt their dreadnought for another try in the next film one year later. Having learned the value of teamwork firsthand, the Simeons called in an old debt to pair Mechagodzilla with the aquatic dinosaur Titanosaurus. (Any reasoning as to why they did not bother to recruit Titanosaurus in the first film is never mentioned.)

This time, there were some modifications to it, including moving Mechagodzilla's brain down into its neck so it could function unimpaired with its head completely removed. Godzilla's perseverence combined with the timely self-sacrifice of Mechagodzilla's operator brought the machine down for good. The King of the Monsters buried Mechagodzilla's shattered form deep underground to prevent another repair job, and since this was the final film of the original Godzilla series, he was successful.

(Note: the original Mechagodzilla is the only one to be referred to by numerics within the movies themselves. When it is rebuilt in its second appearance, the "MG" emblazoned on its arm has a "2" added to it. It is still always referred to as simply "Mechagodzilla"; none of the versions are actually given numbers by the characters in the movie, since none of them share the same continuity).

Vital Statistics

Height: 50 Meters/164 Feet
Weight: 40,000 Metric Tons/44,000 Tons

Powers/Weapons

Mechagodzilla could fly at sub-sonic speeds using jets located in its feet. Its primary offensive weapon was a multi-colored beam it emitted from its eyes. Due to the flexibility of its head, this weapon had a vast range and its power rivalled that of Godzilla's ray. When it was redesigned to be capable of functioning without its head, the dome beneath the head could fire a blue ray which seemed roughly equal in power. It possessed missiles housed in its throat, fingers, knees, and toes, though only the finger missiles seemed powerful enough to warrant use against kaiju opponents on their own. The first version could fire finger missiles that did not explode, but simply penetrated the victim's hide. The second version had upgraded "revolving missiles" installed.

Mechagodzilla also possesses a jagged cutter beam which is housed in a hatch in its chest. The beam is very potent, instantaneously slicing apart a rock that was large enough to shield King Seesar. It has a flame-thrower located in its mouth, but the weapon seemed very ineffective, scoring several direct hits on Godzilla to no avail, and once Mechagodzilla's disguise was dropped, it never used the weapon again. For defensive purposes, Mechagodzilla uses a force field. It completely absorbed Godzilla's ray and caused him extreme agony when he tried to attack it directly. However, Mechagodzilla is apparently immobile and incapable of attacking when it is active, and it does not deploy the field more than once.

Finally, the robot possesses immense strength, capable of lifting and slamming Anguirus several times in a row, and kicking King Seesar a distance several times his body length. In addition, all of Mechagodzilla's ranged weaponry seems to have incredible reserves, as it uses them liberally in battle (in both of its major battles, it uses all of its weapons for a sustained period) and shows no sign of the energy weapons overheating or the missile launchers losing ammunition.

Level of Autonomy

The American-dubbed version of the 1974 film referred to Mechagodzilla as a cyborg in error. This Mechagodzilla started out as a true robot ,with its own brain and autonomous functions. Mechagodzilla was intelligent enough to decide on how exactly to go about its deeds by itself, but required (and was completely subservient to) its masters for instruction.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Mechagodzilla ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Mechagodzilla; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Movies - Mechagodzilla

Mechagodzilla I (Showa Series)

Vital Statistics

Powers/Weapons

Level of Autonomy

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