As the Godzilla franchise approaches its 40th film, there are a few notable plot lines that seem to repeat themselves. Newcomers might mistakenly believe that every entry is the same, but there are elements that appear over and over. One of the weirdest repeating elements is the idea of Godzilla acquiring a son. Though it’s been several years since his last adoption, Godzilla has at least four young wards worth discussing.
The modern Monsterverse chose to give King Kong an adopted child in its latest entry. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire primarily focuses on Kong finding his place in the Hollow Earth. The mighty ape discovers a baby primate called Suko. Kong uses the baby like a baseball bat in the film’s funniest scene, but they gradually mend their dodgy relationship. Future Monsterverse films could see Kong develop into a proud father figure. Godzilla usually struggles with his kids too.
Who is Minilla?
Minilla debuted in the eighth Godzilla film, Son of Godzilla. His Japanese name is “Minira,” a shortened form of “Mini Gojira.” Minilla is an infant of Godzilla’s unnamed species. He hatched from an egg on a distant island. Minilla has an unexplained psychic bond to Godzilla, which draws the King of the Monsters to defend him. Godzilla saves the newborn from several giant praying mantis monsters. He swiftly adopts the young monster and begins teaching him to use his powers. By the end of Son of Godzilla, Minilla can fire atomic breath and fight alongside his new surrogate father. He lands the killing blow on King Ghidorah in All Monsters Attack. Later appearances saw him change sizes and communicate with humans in their dreams. Minilla is not a fan favorite. Many accused Toho of cynically pandering to a young audience by creating a baby character. That accusation doesn’t necessarily hold up, though the studio did reportedly exploit Minilla for his appeal to women. His final cinematic appearance saw him walk into the sea with Godzilla in Final Wars.
Who is Godzooky?
From 1978 to 1981, Godzilla helmed a Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Godzooky is his Scrappy-Doo. He’s a cowardly comic relief character known for being unable to do most of the things he should do. Godzilla breathes fire and shoots lasers from his eyes in this cartoon, but Godzooky can only breathe smoke. He has wings but can’t usually fly. The show turned him falling from the sky into a joke in almost every episode. As a series, it’s essentially a bad version of Johnny Quest, in which the heroes can call Godzilla whenever they need help. The series ran for two seasons, then disappeared for some time. It’s now available on YouTube and other streaming services.
Who is Godzilla Junior?
Godzilla Junior is arguably the most impactful son of Godzilla. Like Minilla, Godzilla discovered the infant as an egg in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. The films give him a new name in every appearance to compliment his advancing age. He’s Baby Godzilla, then Little Godzilla, and finally Godzilla Junior. He escapes his egg in his first appearance, walking away with Godzilla. In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, he becomes a regular fixture interacting with the human characters. He also becomes walking motivation for his adoptive father, routinely being kidnapped or injured to push Godzilla into action. His biggest spotlight comes in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. That film depicts Burning Godzilla, an empowered form of the King of the Monsters. His enhanced radiation threatens to destroy the world. His battle with Destoroyah kills Godzilla Junior. Godzilla quickly dispatches the title villain and allows his radiation to burn out. It floods into Godzilla Junior, resurrecting and evolving Godzilla Junior into the new standard of the series.
Who is Baby Godzilla?
The most recent young Godzilla comes from the awful American take on the franchise. Released in 1998, Rolland Emmerich’s Godzillaintroduced the world to Zilla. Baby Godzilla is the only surviving son of the American Godzilla. After Zilla reproduces asexually, Baby Godzilla imprints on scientist Niko Tatopoulos. He appears in the final scene of the 1998 film, but he is the primary Godzilla in the tie-in animated series. Godzilla: The Series was a massive improvement upon the other animated Godzilla series. After reaching maturity in the cartoon, the animated Godzilla takes after Toho’s creature instead of the awful American iteration. He is, ultimately, an intentional choice to back away from Emmerich’s Godzilla and move toward the classic.
Godzilla’s children follow similar patterns. Each one seems to exist to replace the original King of the Monsters. There remains debate over whether any of them are Godzilla’s biological children. Only Emmerich’s Godzilla and the 1978 cartoon answer that question. Only Godzilla Junior and Baby Godzilla successfully ascend to replace their father. Godzilla’s sons don’t have a lot in common, but they all share many traits with the King of the Monsters. While the Monsterverse may never return to this controversial topic, Godzilla’s children remain fascinating creative choices.
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