The Goodzilla, the Bad, and the Ugly

I think the first thing that is asked by every person I meet when Godzilla comes up in conversation is whether Godzilla is good or bad. That's a really complicated question. I could go film by film (yes, all 29) and tell you what stance Godzilla took, but when you look at the series as a whole Godzilla really stands out as a neutral force. He isn't on any one side, and if it appears as if he is, well, lucky for the human race then.

If we start back in 1954, Godzilla was created by humankind from a nuclear blast. He attacked fishing boats, villagers, and finally Tokyo Bay and Tokyo, killing hundreds and leveling the city. Does this make Godzilla evil. Not in my opinion. As explained before, Godzilla is just a giant animal. He can't control what happened to him nor can he really watch where he steps. The landscape is foreign, everything is different, and on top of it all, Godzilla can shoot a radiation beam from his mouth. As any animal would react, he is angry and afraid. We don't call a lion evil for killing its prey. How is Godzilla any different? Tokyo just happened to be in the way when he got angry.

Once we move to the Showa era, Godzilla begins to look more kid friendly. However, that doesn't
necessarily make him a good guy. I would say superficially on the outside Godzilla happens to do good deeds that benefit mankind. However, in most of the Showa era Godzilla must defeat some unstoppable monster from space, under the sea, or alien creature. Most of the time he is protecting his own territory or a challenger. Godzilla does make friends with Anguirus, Rodan, and Mothra during the Showa era and teams up with them on a number of occasions. However, they are just protecting the Earth rather than human kind. Once again, Godzilla is playing the neutral part.

We reach the Heisei era next where Godzilla is bigger, meaner, and badder than ever. The creatures he encounters are more dangerous than ever before and most are coming back from Godzilla's past. In both series, Godzilla gets abducted by aliens and is used for their own good. They use Godzilla's aggressive nature to fight the likes of King Ghidorah, the most famous of Godzilla's foes. Godzilla is mainly left alone by human kind and only emerges when another kaiju marches on his territory or steals his young. Once again, Godzilla is protecting his offspring like any animal would, and actual must battle his friends Rodan and Mothra in this series. He has no allegiance to anyone or anything. The Heisei era shows an independent Godzilla but still neutral.

Finally, we move to the Millenium series, where Godzilla gets a makeover and an edgier look. However, this
Godzilla does set out to destroy all sources of nuclear power, forcing Japan to switch to alternate sources of energy. Evil? Hardly. Godzilla is protecting the earth from humankind and the evil they create, destroying the earth without knowing it. Taking the original Godzilla's bones from the ocean floor and creating Kiryu upsets Millenium Godzilla and he tries to destroy Kiryu, but with just cause, it's made from his relatives bones. Even Final Wars, Godzilla is merely protecting the earth. Neutral.

Gareth Edwards states many times that the new Godzilla is a force of nature, keeping in line with the vision that original series held on to. Good, bad, or ugly? Godzilla is none of these things. He is an animal, acting like an animal would in a world he doesn't understand.