is a
kaiju
is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant monsters themselves, which are usually depicted attacking major cities and battling either the military or other monster ...
who first appeared in
Toho's 1967 film ''
Son of Godzilla''. He is the adopted son of
Godzilla, and is sometimes referenced as Minya in the American dubbed versions.
Overview
Introduced in ''
Son of Godzilla'', Minilla was born on Sollgel Island, when his egg was prematurely cracked open by a group of mutant giant
mantises called
Kamacuras
is a kaiju film monster which first appeared in Toho's 1967 film ''Son of Godzilla''. The name alludes to "kamakiri", the Japanese word for mantis. In its first appearance, the creature was called Gimantis in the U.S. version.
Overview Showa
In ...
.
Godzilla soon arrived, killed two of the Kamacuras, and rescued Minilla. Godzilla proceeded to train Minilla and defended it against further attacks from the final Kamacuras and the giant spider
Kumonga. Godzilla and Minilla were placed in
hibernation
Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...
when a group of scientists completed a weather experiment, resulting in the freezing of their island. The monsters were revived when the snow melted, and eventually relocated to Monster Island, as seen via stock footage in ''
Godzilla vs. Gigan''.
In ''
Destroy All Monsters'', Minilla, Godzilla, and many other Earth monsters live on a new island called Monsterland. Together they battle the three-headed space dragon
King Ghidorah at
Mount Fuji
, or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest p ...
. They kill Ghidorah and save planet Earth. After, Minilla and the other monsters return to Monsterland.
In ''
Godzilla: Final Wars'', Minilla accompanies a young boy and the boy's grandfather on an adventure around Japan before convincing his father not to attack the crew of the Gotengo, afterwards leaving with Godzilla into the ocean.
The children's web-series ''Godziban'' has Minilla and
Little Godzilla co-existing as Godzilla's kid brothers, embarking on many misadventures while Godzilla tries to teach them important monster skills.
Development
According to director
Jun Fukuda, Minilla's creation was not an attempt at appealing to child audiences, but was merely a new approach for the series.
[David Milner]
"Jun Fukuda Interview"
''Kaiju Conversations'' (July 1994) After filming ''
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep'', Godzilla creator
Tomoyuki Tanaka reportedly approached screenwriter
Shinichi Sekizawa and suggested the idea of giving Godzilla a son to commemorate the
New Year.
According to Godzilla historian Steve Ryfle, the character's creation was likely a response to the contemporary light-hearted
Gamera films.
Appearances
Films
* ''
Son of Godzilla'' (1967)
* ''
Destroy All Monsters'' (1968)
* ''
All Monsters Attack
is a 1969 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the tenth film in the ''Godzilla'' series, and featur ...
'' aka ''Godzilla's Revenge'' (1969)
* ''
Godzilla: Final Wars'' (2004)
Television
* ''
Ike! Greenman'' (1973–1974)
Video games
* ''
Godzilla'' / ''Godzilla-Kun: Kaijuu Daikessen'' (
Game Boy – 1990) – In the game, Minilla is trapped in a large maze. He awaits rescue by Godzilla, the player's character. The only point in which Minilla appears is during the ending sequence.
* ''
Godzilla Trading Battle
is a PlayStation video game released only in Japan in 1998 by Toho Co., Ltd. It featured almost every Toho kaiju
is a Japanese media genre that focuses on stories involving giant monsters. The word ''kaiju'' can also refer to the giant mo ...
'' (
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
– 1998)
* ''
Godzilla Generations
is an action game developed by General Entertainment and published by Sega for the Dreamcast in 1998. It was exclusively released in Japan as one of the system's four launch titles. The game is based on the '' Godzilla'' franchise and involve ...
'' (
Dreamcast – 1998) – A secret character that is unlocked after completing the game with
Godzilla-USA, Minilla is the shortest of the playable characters and also the weakest in terms of defense. His speed is average, and his breath weapon, atomic smoke rings, is not very powerful, as several uses are required to defeat even the
Super X.
Cultural references
* In the ''
M*A*S*H*
''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker.
The ...
'' episode "Springtime",
Radar O'Reilly asks a nurse played by
Mary Kay Place if she would like to accompany him to a screening of "Firstborn of Godzilla" and remarks, "I saw the original—before Godzilla got married" (however the Korean War lasted between 1950 and 1953, but Godzilla himself did not appear on-screen until 1954).
* Doom metal band
Goblin Cock have a song on their debut album titled "Ichiro's Dilemma" which summarizes the plot of the film ''
All Monsters Attack
is a 1969 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, written by Shinichi Sekizawa, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka. The film, which was produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd, is the tenth film in the ''Godzilla'' series, and featur ...
'' and mentions Minya (the alternate name for Minilla sometimes used in English dubs).
Other juvenile Godzillas
* Godzooky, Godzilla's nephew from the 1978-81 animated television series ''
Godzilla''.
*
Godzilla Junior (also referred to as Little Godzilla and Baby Godzilla), Godzilla's second son, introduced in the 1993 film ''
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
, is a 1993 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Takao Okawara, written by Wataru Mimura, and produced by Shōgo Tomiyama. Produced and distributed by Toho, Toho Studios, it is the 20th film in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise, as ...
''.
*
Baby Godzilla, from the 1998 film ''
Godzilla'' and the 1998–2000 animated television series ''
Godzilla: The Series''.
References
{{Godzilla
Fictional dinosaurs
Fictional telepaths
Fictional mutants
Godzilla characters
Mothra characters
Toho monsters
Science fiction film characters
Fantasy film characters
Film characters introduced in 1967
Kaiju
Fictional monsters