Showa Series
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| Other Name: | Showa Period |
| Started: | 1954 |
| Ended: | 1989 |
| First Film: | Godzilla (1954) |
| Final Film: | Terror of MechaGodzilla (1975) |
| Previous Era: | |
| Next Era: | Heisei Era |
Showa Period
The Showa era, or Showa period , was a political period of Japan which lasted from 1926 to 1989 under the reign of Emperor Shōwa, formerly Hirohito. Films produced during this era, such as those of the Godzilla or Gamera series, may be identified as the Showa series of their respective franchises. The first Godzilla film began the Showa era of the kaiju industry, with Godzilla being the usual kaiju affiliated with this era. It was succeeded by the Heisei era.
During the beginning of the Showa era, Godzilla was mainly antagonistic in nature, taking on the likes of Anguirus and Mothra. By the time of Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla adopted what would soon become his most famous image: a heroic monster, battling terrible villains with other monsters by his side.
The Showa era saw many other film studios such as Daiei, Shochiku and Nikkatsu attempt to enter the new genres of tokusatsu and kaiju films with their own creations, including Gamera, Daimajin, Guilala and Gappa.
After the formation of Tsuburaya Productions and the creation of their most famous series, the Ultraman franchise, Toho produced a significant number of tokusatsu television programs in the Showa era, one of which, Zone Fighter, even featured appearances by Godzilla and some of his other monster co-stars and is considered part of the official continuity of the Showa Godzilla films.
Godzilla Series
While all the Showa Godzilla films (except All Monsters Attack) share continuity with each other, the Showa Godzilla series can generally be divided into three distinct cycles of films. The first two films in the Godzilla series were produced in 1954 and 1955, and were followed by a seven-year hiatus during which Toho produced several other kaiju films, including Rodan, Varan, and Mothra. The series was revived in 1962 with King Kong vs. Godzilla, after which a new film was produced almost annually throughout the 1960's. During this period, Godzilla gradually began to transition from a villainous destructive monster to a more sympathetic and heroic character. 1968's Destroy All Monsters was originally planned to be the final Godzilla film, but Toho went on to produce six more films afterward from 1969 to 1975, as features for the Toho Champion Festival children's matinee program. The Godzilla films released during this period, collectively dubbed the "Champion Series" by kaiju historian August Ragone, in particular cemented Godzilla's image as a heroic monster "superhero," and all of its films take place chronologically after Son of Godzilla but before Destroy All Monsters, with the exception of All Monsters Attack, which is often considered to be set in its own continuity. The series was placed on hiatus again after the box office failure of Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975, and despite several attempts by Toho to continue the series another Godzilla film would not be produced until 1984, thus beginning the Heisei series.
Original duology (1954-1955)
Godzilla (1954)Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Revival (1962-1968)
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
Son of Godzilla (1967)
Destroy All Monsters (1968)
Champion Series (1969-1975)
All Monsters Attack (1969)Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
Trivia
- The Showa series is currently the longest of the defined eras of Godzilla films to date, as it had 15 films created over the span of 21 years.
- Politically, The Return of Godzilla is a Showa film, as it was the last film to be made in the Showa era of Japan, with the Heisei era beginning on the 8th of January 1989.
- Despite the fact that the Showa era of the Godzilla franchise concluded in 1975, several unmade films that were to be released during the latter years of the 1970's indicate that this hiatus may have been unintended, with each successive cancellation inadvertently further increasing the length of the hiatus.
- This era features the majority of appearances for several monsters. Rodan, for example, appears in four films (or around ten, including stock footage appearances) in the Showa era, whereas in the Heisei and Millennium eras, he only has one appearance in each.
- With the exception of Mechagodzilla, none of the monsters and mechas introduced in the Godzilla series after Invasion of Astro-Monster made any appearances in the Heisei series. Ebirah, Minilla, Kamacuras, Kumonga, Hedorah, Gigan and King Caesar were all reintroduced in the final film of the Millennium series, Godzilla: Final Wars, leaving Gabara, Megalon, Jet Jaguar and Titanosaurus as the only characters to have not appeared in a film since their debut, with the exception of cameos, stock footage, and appearances in other media.
- Despite his popularity, Anguirus did not make any appearances in the Heisei series, although he appears in concept art for the unmade films Godzilla vs. Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Barubaroi.