While anticipation is high for a new Hollywood project for Godzilla, don't forget that the reigning monarch of Monster Island originates from Japan.
As part of Godzilla Fest 2023 and in honor of the 69th Anniversary of the giant green lizard, TOHO produced a new short for fans of the kaiju emperor, which sees Godzilla taking on Megalon. In addition, the short honors the 50th anniversary of their first theatrical battle.
For a limited period, the short will be accessible on YouTube via TOHO's official Godzilla account. While there are no official English subtitles, you can get an idea of what's going on by using YouTube's auto-generated captions.
However, you don't need to understand Japanese to realize that when Megalon and Godzilla square up, only one kaiju will walk away.
Check out Godzilla vs Megalon 2023 below.
This short resurrects a few plot lines from 1973's Godzilla vs. Megalon. In that film, the Seatopians, an ancient subterranean culture, released their beetle-like deity Megalon on the surface world in punishment for a series of nuclear experiments that badly harmed their way of life.
Megalon's lone theatrical debut was in the 1973 film, but his striking design left an impression and led him to become one of Gojira's most memorable antagonists.
Director Takuya Uenishi (Shin Godzilla, Monster Hunter) returns after directing last year's Godzilla Fest CG short, Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex. We've included an embed for that short as well. Fans of Godzilla are pleased to see the progression of the CG short's VFX from Gigan Rex to Megalon.
As a special treat to fans, the short also contains various, classic Godzilla roars from the various era of films- at the 05:18 mark you can hear the 1962 Showa era Godzilla roar, while at the 05:50 mark the roar form the 1989 Heisei era can be heard. You can also hear the 1984 Heisei era roar at the 08:22 mark.
Additionally, the short showcases a plethora of Godzilla's powers and abilities, some of which are less well-known than others including his atomic breath, atomic pulse, atomic punch, and white-hot atomic breath.
Some fans are even wondering if the annual shorts are TOHO's way of gauging interest in whether there's an appetite for a full-length CG film.
Check out 2022's Godzilla vs Gigan Rex short below.
Kaiju fans are already speculating who Godzilla will face next year, if the CG shorts are continued. Last year's Gigan battle celebrated the 50th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Gigan and this year's fight likewise celebrated the 50th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Megalon. If this trend continues that means next year's short for Godzilla Fest should see Big G taking on Mechagodzilla.