, also known as the Smog Monster, is a fictional monster, or
kaiju
is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...
who first appeared in
Toho
is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
's 1971 film ''
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
is a 1971 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed and co-written by Yoshimitsu Banno, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Co., Ltd., it is the 11th film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise and ...
''. Hedorah was named for , the Japanese word for
sludge, slime, vomit or chemical ooze.
Overview
Development
Whereas
Godzilla
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
was a symbol of Japanese concerns over
nuclear weapons
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission, fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion, fusion reactions (thermonuclear weap ...
, Hedorah was envisioned as an embodiment of
Yokkaichi asthma, caused by Japan's widespread
smog
Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and ''fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odour. The word was then inte ...
and
urban pollution at the time. Director
Yoshimitsu Banno
was a Japanese film director, best known for the cult-classic ''Godzilla vs. Hedorah'' (1971), which he directed and co-wrote. Banno was a special guest at G-Fest, G-Fest XII in 2005. He was an executive producer on Legendary Pictures' ''Godzill ...
stated in an interview that his intention in creating Hedorah was to give Godzilla an adversary who was more than just a "giant lobster" and which represented "the most notorious thing in current society". He also stated that Hedorah's vertically tilted eyes were based on
vagina
In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular sex organ, reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The #Vag ...
s, which he joked were
"scary". The monster was originally going to be named "Hedoron", though this changed once the TV series ''
Spectreman'' introduced a character with an identical name.
The monster was realized via various props and a large sponge rubber suit donned by future Godzilla performer
Kenpachiro Satsuma
known professionally as was a Japanese actor and stuntman. He is best known for portraying Godzilla (Heisei), Godzilla in all seven of the Godzilla (franchise)#Heisei era (1984–1995), Heisei films.
Born in Kagoshima Prefecture, Satsuma began ...
in his first acting role for Toho.
Satsuma had been selected on account of his physical fitness, though he stated later that he had been disappointed to receive the role, as he had grown tired of taking non-speaking roles.
In performing as Hedorah, Satsuma tried to emphasize Hedorah's otherworldly nature by making its movements seem more grotesque than animal-like. Several authors have noted that, unlike most Toho monsters, Hedorah's violent acts are graphically shown to claim human victims, and the creature shows genuine amusement at Godzilla's suffering.
Banno wished to bring back Hedorah in a sequel set in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, but the project never materialized, as he was fired by producer and series co-creator
Tomoyuki Tanaka, who allegedly accused him of ruining the ''Godzilla'' series.
''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' listed the character as #8 on its "The 15 Most Badass Kaiju Monsters of All Time" list.
Banno had hoped to revisit Hedorah in his unrealized project ''Godzilla 3-D'', which would have had featured a similar monster named Deathla. Like its predecessor, Deathla would have been a shape-shifting extraterrestrial, though it would have fed on
chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...
rather than gas emissions, and all of its forms would have incorporated a skull motif.
["The Long Evolution of Godzilla 3-D"](_blank)
, ''Sci-Fi Japan'' (August 7, 2007)
Shōwa era (1971)
In ''
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
is a 1971 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed and co-written by Yoshimitsu Banno, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Co., Ltd., it is the 11th film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise and ...
'', Hedorah originates from the
Dark Gas Nebula in the constellation of
Orion. It journeys to Earth via a passing
comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma surrounding ...
, and lands in
Suruga Bay as a monstrous tadpole-like creature, increasing in size as it feeds on the pollutants contaminating the water. It proceeds to rampage throughout Japan, killing thousands and feeding on gas emissions and toxic waste, gradually gaining power as it advances from a water stage, to a land stage, and finally a bipedal Perfect Form that it can switch out for a smaller, flying form at any time.
Godzilla
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
confronts Hedorah at
Mount Fuji
is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...
, but his atomic breath has no effect on Hedorah's amorphous, water-rich body. Hedorah rapidly overpowers Godzilla using a combination of its fearsome strength and incredible durability, and almost kills the King of the Monsters after hurling him into a pit and attempting to drown him under a deluge of chemical ooze. It is later discovered that Hedorah is vulnerable to temperatures high enough to dehydrate it, so the
JSDF constructs a pair of gigantic electrodes on the battlefield to use against the alien. Hedorah and Godzilla continue to fight, and the former is subsequently killed when Godzilla uses his atomic breath to power the electrodes, which cripple Hedorah and allow Godzilla to fully dehydrate its body into dust.
Millennium era (2004)
Hedorah briefly reappears in ''
Godzilla: Final Wars'' as one of several monsters under the Xiliens' control before it is destroyed by Godzilla alongside
Ebirah in Tokyo.
['' Godzilla: Final Wars'' (2004). Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. ]Toho
is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...
.
Other
Hedorah also appears in ''
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters''s prequel novel ''Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse'', in which it was originally a colony of sludge-like microorganisms that lived off dissolved chemicals inside a mine in
Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. After the Chinese government discovered it in 1999, they studied and modified the microorganisms to operate as a giant, mist-like
bioweapon with red and yellow eyes called Hedorah. In 2005, the Chinese military commenced "Operation: Hedorah" to kill
Anguirus and
Rodan with the bio-weapon. Hedorah successfully took down the two monsters, but it achieved sentience afterwards and went on a rampage, consumed the pollutants in the surrounding area, then disappeared, leaving an estimated 8.2 million casualties in its wake.
The 2021 short film "''Godzilla vs. Hedorah''", created for the 50th Anniversary of the character, features the ''Final Wars'' incarnations of Hedorah and Godzilla in a rematch amid an oil refinery in the daytime.
The webseries ''Godziban'' features a wise elderly Hedorah and his grandson known as Grandpa Hedo and Young Hedo. They initially had their own end segment where Grandpa Hedo shared his wisdom with his grandchild before being shifted to a
Greek chorus
A Greek chorus () in the context of ancient Greek tragedy, comedy, satyr plays, is a homogeneous group of performers, who comment with a collective voice on the action of the scene they appear in, or provide necessary insight into action which ...
role in the main series.
Hedorah also appears as a recurring character in ''
Chibi Godzilla Raids Again''. In this animated series, Hedorah is depicted as male, and serves as a teacher to the other monsters, describing himself as a self-professed 'sage'.
He also ironically has a particular interest in protecting the environment.
Appearances
Films
* ''
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
is a 1971 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed and co-written by Yoshimitsu Banno, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Co., Ltd., it is the 11th film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise and ...
'' (1971)
* ''
Godzilla: Final Wars'' (2004)
* ''
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters'' (2017)
* ''Godzilla vs. Hedorah'' (2021, short film)
Television
* ''
Godzilla Island'' (1997-1998)
* ''Godziban'' (2019–present)
* ''
Chibi Godzilla Raids Again'' (2023-2024)
Video games
* ''
Godzilla: Monster of Monsters'' (
NES - 1988)
* ''
Godzilla
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' / ''Godzilla-Kun: Kaijuu Daikessen'' (
Game Boy
The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
- 1990)
* ''
Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters'' (
NES - 1991)
* ''
Kaijū-ō Godzilla'' / ''King of the Monsters, Godzilla'' (
Game Boy
The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
- 1993)
* ''
Godzilla: Battle Legends'' (
Turbo Duo - 1993)
* ''
Godzilla Trading Battle'' (
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
- 1998)
* ''
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee'' (
GCN,
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
- 2002/2003)
* ''
Godzilla Unleashed: Double Smash'' (
NDS - 2007)
* ''
Godzilla: The Game'' (
PS3 - 2014 PS3
PS4 - 2015)
* ''Godzilla Defense Force'' (2019)
* ''Godzilla Battle Line'' (2021)
*
GigaBash (
PS4,
PS5,
Steam
Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
,
Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc. is an American Video game developer, video game and software development, software developer and video game publisher, publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney (game developer), Tim Sween ...
- 2024)
Literature
* ''Godzilla vs. Gigan and the Smog Monster'' (1996)
* ''
Godzilla at World’s End'' (1998)
* ''Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse'' (2017)
Comics
* ''
Godzilla: Legends'' (comic - 2011–2012)
* ''
Godzilla: Ongoing'' (comic - 2012)
* ''
Godzilla: The Half-Century War'' (comic - 2012–2013)
* ''
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth'' (comic - 2013–2015)
* ''
Godzilla Rivals'' (comic - 2021)
Music
* Hedorah appears on the album cover of
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
's ''
Sleep Dirt''.
* Hedorah appears on the album cover of
Dinosaur Jr's ''
Sweep It Into Space''.
References
Bibliography
*
{{Godzilla
Extraterrestrial supervillains
Fantasy film characters
Fictional amorphous creatures
Fictional characters with superhuman strength
Fictional mass murderers
Fictional parasite characters
Fictional superorganisms
Film characters introduced in 1971
Godzilla characters
Mothra characters
Horror film villains
Toho monsters