When Godzilla stomped his way onto Japan's screens in 1954, he arrived at a time when the country was still dealing with the negative effects of World War II and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Through their struggles, Godzilla served as a lesson about the dangers of radiation. As the years progressed, the character evolved from a harsh lesson about wielding nuclear power to a hero beloved by adults and children from around the world. Godzilla films are typically classified by four eras: Showa, Heisei, Millennium and Reiwa. Aside from the Millennium Era, the eras correspond to the Emperors of Japan at the time.
Each era presents a distinct direction that Godzilla was taken in. Some of them were massively impactful to the character, while others helped sculpt the character's personality. Each possesses qualities that make them stand out, but there has never been a definitive decision on which era is the best. With over six decades of films, there is more than enough evidence to grade their quality and impact to decide which era of Godzilla is truly king.
When compared to the other eras, Millennium could be described with one word: unexpected. Toho, the studio behind the monster, launched the new era following North America's less than stellar release of their 1997 film, Godzilla. To save face and keep the name alive, Godzilla 2000 was born. Following that film, almost every installment within the era was a standalone project focused on Godzilla's primal side. He was no longer a hero or villain, but an animal who battled other monsters that threatened him. Aside from Giant Monsters All-Out Attack and its sequel Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla, the lack of cohesion between its films unfortunately hindered the character's growth.
As a whole, the Millennium Era succeeded in bringing the character back to his roots and provided unique concepts that hadn't been tackled in the franchise. For example, in Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla, it was revealed that his mechanized rival was built from the bones of the original Godzilla, which occasionally possessed the robot. The Millennium Era decided to tackle the new century by making the most of its sudden and largely unplanned appearance. While it wasn't their best era, Toho's Millennium films helped usher Godzilla into a new age of filmmaking.
The Showa Era was the world's first introduction to Godzilla and, to this day, is still recognized for its contributions to film and the King of the Monsters himself. Beginning with the original Godzilla in 1954, the first monster to carry that name was more of a tormentor than the hero seen in later films. But following his death, a new Godzilla took center stage and became the main focus until the era's final film, Terror of MechaGodzilla, in 1975. At the time, the movies were the pinnacle of special effects, making men in monster suits appear gargantuan without computer-generated effects. As the years progressed, the effects continued to change and adapt along with Godzilla's personality. By the end of his run, he was viewed as less of an animal and more of a hero with his own thoughts and ideas.
Compared to the other eras, the Showa Era is easily the campiest and offers some great laughs, like the iconic dropkick scene from Godzilla vs. Megalon. While the quality in terms of story and effects is on the lower end compared to the other eras, its ability to tell entertaining stories for all ages helps maintain its relevance decades after its conclusion. The Showa Era also set the standard that all Godzilla films must follow, whether as a tyrant or a protector of humanity.
The Reiwa Era is the most recent era of the franchise and is easily Toho's most ambitious yet. The era first began in 2016 with Shin Godzilla. Much like the original, the film was made as yet another reminder of the dangers surrounding nuclear power following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The film acted as a satire of government bureaucracy and turned Godzilla into an evolving creature straight out of someone's nightmares. That ambitious energy that permeated the film bled into other projects like the Godzilla anime trilogy and the most recent anime series, Godzilla: Singular Point. But with ambition comes risks, and due to the Reiwa Era's desire to break the mold, its projects can alienate their veteran fanbase. This is largely evidenced by their anime properties, like the anime films, which have a larger focus on the human element, or Singular Point which released with wildly different monster designs.
Compared to the other eras, the Reiwa Era isn't afraid to take risks and try new things. Like the Millennium Era, their stories aren't connected but rather than make multiple separate films, each new project tackles a new idea in a new medium, whether it's anime, live-action, TV or movies. Toho's new direction has helped reel in new fans and rejuvenated the franchise by consistently changing while maintaining its quality.
Godzilla's Heisei Era came almost ten years after the Showa Era and has since been the only era with a definitive conclusion. Its overarching narrative saw Godzilla grow from a young kaiju into a father who had grown in size and power. What made the era stand out even after its conclusion was the balance the film had between the monsters, humans and the emotional moments between them. By the end of the era with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, the King of the Monsters' demise felt like losing a close friend and was treated as such. In an era that perfected nearly all of its bases, the only downside was the promise of a future with Godzilla's son that never came.
The Heisei Era showcased the power of storytelling in a way that the franchise hadn't seen before and arguably hasn't seen since. The Heisei Era treated Godzilla like a character without making him a caricature similar to the end of the Showa Era or a mindless force of destruction like in the Millennium Era. The care Toho put into the Heisei Era is still respected and even imitated, with North America's MonsterVerse building their own image for the King of the Monsters. But at the end of the day, when it comes to storytelling and quality, no era compares to the Heisei Era.
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