Godzilla
Since his first appearance in 1954 under the direction of Ishirō Honda, Godzilla has become one of the most iconic monsters in world cinema. Born as a metaphor for nuclear trauma and elevated into a pop culture legend, the kaijū has spanned decades through multiple cinematic eras produced by Toho: the Shōwa era (1954–1975), often lighter and more child-friendly; the Heisei era (1984–1995), which revitalized the myth; the Millenium era (1999–2004), offering multiple reboots; and the Reiwa era (since 2016), with bold reinterpretations such as Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One.
Meanwhile, Hollywood embraced the creature with its own spectacular adaptations, from Godzilla (1998) to the interconnected MonsterVerse (Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla vs. Kong).
Across its many incarnations, Godzilla remains a global cultural phenomenon, blending social allegory, science fiction, and large-scale destruction spectacle.
