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| Species: | Godzillasaurus |
| Height: | Baby: 1.64 Meters Little 30 Meters Junior 40 Meters |
| Length: | Baby: 3.53 Meters Little 35 Meters Junior 80 Meters |
| Weight: | Baby: 420 Kilograms Little 8,000 Metric Tons Junior 15,000 Metric Tons |
| Appearances: | Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1993) Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995) |
Summary
BabyGodzilla (Bebigojira) is a young Godzillasaurus kaiju who first appeared in the 1993 Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. The character reappeared as LittleGodzilla (Ritorugojira) in the 1994 film Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, and again as Godzilla Junior (Gojira Junia) in the 1995 film Godzilla vs. Destoroyah.
A Godzillasaurus whose egg ended up in a Pteranodon nest on Adonoa Island, BabyGodzilla was cared for by his surrogate brother Rodan while he was still in his egg. A team of scientists arrived on the island in 1994 and brought the egg back to Japan, where it hatched at an institute in Kyoto. BabyGodzilla imprinted on the human scientist Azusa Gojo as his mother, and she raised him under the supervision of G-Force, which planned to use him to bait Godzilla to the Ogasawara Islands, where he could be killed by Mechagodzilla. Fire Rodan grabbed a container carrying BabyGodzilla and his mother while it was being transported, but Mechagodzilla was deployed and fatally wounded Rodan. Godzilla arrived afterward and was nearly killed by Mechagodzilla, but BabyGodzilla called out to Rodan, who gave up his life force to revive Godzilla. Godzilla destroyed Mechagodzilla, then adopted BabyGodzilla as his son and left Japan with him. In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, BabyGodzilla had grown into LittleGodzilla and had taken up residence on Birth Island. When SpaceGodzilla arrived on the island, LittleGodzilla approached him and was brutally attacked. Godzilla tried to defend his son, but SpaceGodzilla imprisoned LittleGodzilla in a crystal cage. Godzilla followed SpaceGodzilla and destroyed him with the assistance of MOGUERA, freeing LittleGodzilla. A year later, in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, LittleGodzilla absorbed a huge amount of radiation from the explosion of Birth Island, growing into a sub-adult dubbed Godzilla Junior. Junior began returning to his nest on Adonoa Island, but was forcibly lured to Tokyo by G-Force, knowing Godzilla would follow. Junior fought and defeated Destoroyah, then reunited with his father at Haneda Airport. However, Destoroyah returned in his perfect form and killed Junior before engaging in battle with Godzilla himself. After Godzilla destroyed Destoroyah and melted down, he imparted his energy into Junior's lifeless body, reviving him and transforming him into an adult Godzilla, ready to take up his father's mantle.
Name
This monster has a different name in each of his film appearances, each of which is individually trademarked. In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, he is called BabyGodzilla (Bebigojira) or just Baby (Bebi). He is referred to as Chibi Godzi (Chibi Goji) by characters in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, however, Toho's preferred name for this version of the character, LittleGodzilla (Ritorugojira), is used in the film's credits. In Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, he is now called Godzilla Junior (Gojira Junia), and after being resurrected as an adult Godzilla he is known as either Rebirth Godzilla (Shinsei Gojira) or New Godzilla (Shin Gojira). In the series Godzilla Island, Godzilla Junior is simply referred to as Junior (Junia). Prior to being given his new name in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Junior is alluded to by the characters as Little (Ritoru), or Little One in the English dub. In the puppet show Godziban, LittleGodzilla is called "Little" throughout.
Worth noting is that BabyGodzilla and LittleGodzilla's trademarked English names are written in camelCase as a single word, like SpaceGodzilla, while Godzilla Junior's name is two words. The camelCase spellings of "BabyGodzilla" and "LittleGodzilla" have been used consistently in English-language Godzilla media from the 1990's, such as the 1998 book The Official Godzilla Compendium and TriStar's VHS and DVD releases of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II and Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, as well as more recent media like Sony's 2014 Blu-ray releases of the films and the PlayStation 3 and 4 Godzilla video game. However, the English spellings Baby Godzilla and Little Godzilla as two words are sometimes used for the characters in official Japanese media, as are the hyphenated spellings Baby-Godzilla and Little-Godzilla. The official English-language Godzilla website instead uses the spellings Babygodzilla and Littlegodzilla. Godzilla Junior's English name is also sometimes abbreviated to Godzilla Jr. A separate trademark for "Baby Godzilla" spelled as two words was used for Godzilla's offspring in the 1998 TriStar film. Sometime prior to the film's release, the "Baby Godzilla" trademark was cancelled by Toho and absorbed under the "BabyGodzilla" trademark and copyright icon, though eventually the Baby Godzillas were reabsorbed into the "Godzilla" trademark altogether.
Design
BabyGodzilla stands about human height with a slightly hunched posture, and has bluish skin with a gray underbelly and small gray dorsal fins running down his back.
LittleGodzilla stands mostly upright, and has a large head and very large brown eyes and green skin with a yellow underbelly. He also has pudgy arms and stubby legs. This look gave him a very Minilla-like appearance.
As Godzilla Junior, he now resembles his adoptive father more closely, with similar body proportions and physical features. However, unlike Godzilla, Junior's skin is green, with a lighter green on his underbelly, his eyes are a light orange color, he has very small dorsal fins on his back, and he stands with a very hunched posture. After absorbing Godzilla's dying radiation and growing into an adult Godzilla, Junior now looks mostly identical to his father.
Personality
Unlike his adoptive father, this monster is very docile and kind towards humans such as his surrogate mother Azusa Gojo, G-Force major Akira Yuki, and Miki Saegusa. As LittleGodzilla, he is very playful and mischievous. As Godzilla Junior, he is still gentle towards human beings, and is shown to still recognize Miki Saegusa, attempting to defend her from Destoroyah. Whenever BabyGodzilla or LittleGodzilla is scared, his eyes glow red.
Origin
BabyGodzilla hatched from a Godzillasaurus egg on Adonoa Island that was found in a Pteranodon nest, guarded over by the irradiated Pteranodon Rodan, who saw BabyGodzilla as his younger brother. Hiroshi Omae, one of the scientists who discovered BabyGodzilla, proposed that his egg might have been a "parasite egg," meaning that a Godzillasaurus laid its egg in the Pteranodon's nest so that the Pteranodons would raise and care for the hatchling instead, though this theory is never proven or discussed further. BabyGodzilla is not biologically related to Godzilla aside from originating from the same species, though Godzilla still adopted and raised him.
History
Heisei Era
Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II
While inspecting the heavily-irradiated Adonoa Island in the Bering Sea, a team of Japanese scientists led by Hiroshi Omae and Russian petroleum workers discovered a Pteranodon nest containing a hatched egg and a seemingly perfectly intact egg. The scientists loaded the egg onto a helicopter, intending to bring it back to an institute in Kyoto, but they were attacked by Rodan, a giant irradiated Pteranodon that Omae believed hatched from the other egg. Godzilla soon emerged from the sea and came ashore on the island, where he engaged Rodan in battle, buying time for the humans to escape in a helicopter. Godzilla seemingly killed Rodan, then followed the chopper back to Japan. The egg was kept in an institute in Kyoto and watched over by scientist Azusa Gojo. The creature inside of the egg, listening for its mother's voice, imprinted on Azusa as its mother, and exhibited a red glow, indicating fear, any time she left the laboratory. Miki Saegusa had a fern found attached to the egg brought to the ESP institute so as to measure the psychic energy she felt it giving off. Strangely, the students in the institute retrieved music from the fern, and when this music was played it caused the egg to hatch in the laboratory. To everyone's shock, the egg hatched into an infant Godzillasaurus rather than a Pteranodon. The hatchling, named BabyGodzilla, proved to be docile, and believed Azusa to be its mother. Suddenly, Godzilla appeared in Japan, and began heading to Kyoto. After defeating Mechagodzilla, Godzilla reached the city, at which point Azusa, Omae, Miki and Kazuma Aoki hid Baby in the basement of the institute. When he could not find Baby, Godzilla eventually returned to the ocean.
Baby was then moved to a G-Force facility, where he was kept in a large enclosure and watched over by Azusa. Studies of BabyGodzilla's anatomy revealed something surprising: the creature possessed a secondary brain located in his hip region, which controlled motor function in his entire lower body. G-Force concluded that, as Baby was of the same species as Godzilla, that Godzilla must possess the same structure. G-Force formed a plan, codenamed G-Crusher, to use BabyGodzilla as bait to lure Godzilla to the Ogasawara Islands, where Mechagodzilla would use its weapons to destroy Godzilla's secondary brain and kill him. Azusa objected to the plan, but she was told that the plan was critical to finally defeating Godzilla. When Baby was being loaded into a canister to be carried to the Ogasawara Islands, his eyes began to glow red. Azusa insisted on accompanying Baby, and entered the canister as well, which was carried by a chopper. En route, the chopper was attacked by Rodan, who had been revived as Fire Rodan. Fire Rodan destroyed the chopper and grabbed the canister, attempting to break it open with his beak. Mechagodzilla was launched to stop Fire Rodan and recover the canister, and with the assistance of Garuda seemingly killed him. Professor Omae and a team of soldiers reached the container and attempted to open it, while Godzilla arrived and began a second battle with Mechagodzilla. Mechagodzilla combined with Garuda to form Super Mechagodzilla, and succeeded in destroying Godzilla's brain and crippling him. At this point, Baby broke free of the canister and cried out, getting the attention of the wounded Fire Rodan. Fire Rodan took flight, but was shot down by Super Mechagodzilla and fell onto Godzilla. Fire Rodan transferred his life force into Godzilla, restoring his second brain and imbuing him with a surge of power. Godzilla rose to his feet and destroyed Super Mechagodzilla with several blasts of his red spiral heat beam. Knowing that Baby belonged with his own kind, Azusa bid goodbye to him, causing his eyes to glow red again. As Azusa tried to leave in a helicopter, Baby grabbed onto her shirt, tears welling in his eyes. Azusa apologized to Baby and left, leaving him alone with Godzilla. Godzilla approached Baby and roared to him, but Baby cowered in fear. Using her telepathy, Miki Saegusa convinced Baby to go with Godzilla. Godzilla and Baby then waded out to sea together, demonstrating that life would always triumph over artificial life.
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
A year later, BabyGodzilla had taken up residence on Birth Island, where exposure to Godzilla's radiation had caused him to grow to 30 meters in height. Now known as LittleGodzilla, the young Godzillasaurus roamed the island freely, frequently following G-Force Major Akira Yuki, who was living on the island to observe Godzilla with the goal of killing him. Despite his hatred for Godzilla, Yuki had a soft spot for LittleGodzilla, who Yuki claimed was fond of him as well. When G-Force members Koji Shinjo and Kiyoshi Sato arrived on Birth Island along with Miki Saegusa, Susumu Okubo and Chinatsu Gondo to enact Project T, Yuki had tear gas mines planted along the shore. Unfortunately, LittleGodzilla set off the mines instead, and eventually ran off into the jungle. When the monster SpaceGodzilla landed on the island, LittleGodzilla approached him. SpaceGodzilla immediately attacked the young monster, causing his eyes to glow red in fear. As if sensing his adopted son was in danger, Godzilla came ashore and confronted SpaceGodzilla. LittleGodzilla cowered behind his father, who fired his atomic breath at SpaceGodzilla, who easily deflected it with a crystal shield. SpaceGodzilla knocked Godzilla down with his corona beam, then used his telekinesis to grab LittleGodzilla and trap him in a crystal prison. Godzilla got back to his feet and pursued SpaceGodzilla to Japan, intent on freeing LittleGodzilla.
After Godzilla defeated SpaceGodzilla with the assistance of MOGUERA, LittleGodzilla's crystal prison was destroyed, and the young monster began roaming Birth Island again and firing atomic bubbles from his mouth.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
In 1996, nuclear reactions in Godzilla's heart ignited uranium deposits under Birth Island, causing the island to completely vanish in a fiery explosion. Neither Godzilla nor his adoptive son could be found near the island's former location, and were both initially presumed dead. However, Godzilla, covered in glowing red rashes and dubbed Burning Godzilla, soon surfaced in Hong Kong. LittleGodzilla was still nowhere to be found, and Kenkichi Yamane determined that it was unlikely he survived the explosion. When whales began dying in large numbers in the waters around Japan, Kenichi and Miki Saegusa considered the possibility that the Little One was responsible, having been changed by the explosion. The Little One soon surfaced at Omae Cove, now grown into a sub-adult dubbed Godzilla Junior by G-Force Commander Takaaki Aso. From Junior's course, it was apparent he was returning to his nest on Adonoa Island, and Godzilla was following him. With Godzilla about to undergo a catastrophic meltdown that would destroy the planet, G-Force formed a desperate plan to get him to fight Destoroyah, a monster spawned by the Oxygen Destroyer used to kill the first Godzilla in 1954, in the hopes he would be killed in the battle. Miki was forced to reluctantly use her telepathy to bring Junior to Tokyo, knowing Godzilla would follow. Destoroyah attacked the chopper carrying Miki and Meru Ozawa, but Junior defended them and battled Destoroyah. Destoroyah pinned Junior to the ground and began injecting Micro-Oxygen into his bloodstream, causing him to foam at the mouth. Junior used his atomic breath to blast Destoroyah off of him and into a refinery, which exploded. Junior rose back to his feet and roared victoriously, and approached Haneda Airport.
That night, Godzilla and Junior reunited outside of Haneda Airport, calling out to each other. Suddenly, Destoroyah rose from the burning refinery in his demonic final form, then flew to the airport, where he grabbed Junior and carried him high into the air. Destoroyah dropped Junior onto Ariake Coliseum, then blasted him with his Micro-Oxygen beam, mortally wounding him. Miki and Meru landed their chopper near Junior, then watched as he closed his eyes and seemingly died. Both Miki and Godzilla were stricken by grief, while Destoroyah turned his attention to Godzilla. Godzilla battled the evil creature, and eventually defeated him and approached his fallen son. Godzilla tried to breathe energy back into Junior, who briefly opened his eyes before finally passing away. Godzilla roared out in grief, but was attacked by Destoroyah once again. As Godzilla began to melt down, Destoroyah tried to retreat, but was shot down by G-Force's freezer weapons and killed upon colliding with the superheated ground. Godzilla then melted down and died alone in the ruins of Tokyo, with G-Force minimizing the damage by freezing him as he melted down. As catastrophic amounts of radiation poured over Tokyo, it appeared the city would become a ghost town. Suddenly, all of the radiation vanished. Through the smoke, Junior could be seen roaring, having absorbed his father's dying radiation and matured into the new Godzilla.
Trivia
- BabyGodzilla is one of the few kaiju to have been actually shown eating. In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, he was eating flowers and Asuza fed him a burger, because there were no other foods that had better nutritious content and Baby was hungry. In his third appearance, Godzilla Junior was implied to attack whales for food.
- Junior's eventual revival at the end of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is foreshadowed just after he dies. When Godzilla breathes radiation over Junior's dead body, Junior's eyes flutter open and he stirs for a moment, before falling limp and closing his eyes.
- It is commonly believed among some fans that the Godzilla featured in the 1999 film Godzilla 2000: Millennium is meant to be the adult Godzilla Junior, due to it being the first Toho Godzilla film made after Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and the Godzilla in that film sharing some physical characteristics with Junior, such as green skin and a slightly hunched-over posture. In actuality, Godzilla 2000 is a direct sequel to the original 1954 film and is not connected to the Heisei series, and features a new incarnation of Godzilla that is not meant to be Godzilla Junior. Also worth noting is that at the end of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Junior looked almost identical to his adoptive father, while Godzilla 2000 looks very different from the Heisei Godzilla and is only a little more than half his height.
- Godzilla Junior makes a brief cameo through stock footage in Godzilla: Final Wars, as footage of his resurrection is played over a shot of Godzilla imprisoned inside Area G in the beginning of the film. This cameo is actually responsible for a significant misconception regarding the film.
- In Godzilla Island, the Jigoras resemble Godzilla Junior's movie appearance more closely than the series' earthly counterpart.
- The Godzilla from Godzilla: The Series is sometimes called '"Godzilla Junior" or "Zilla Junior" by some fans, however he and Godzilla Junior are both separate characters.
- "Godzilla Junior" (Gojira Junia) was an early proposed name for Minilla during production of Son of Godzilla.
