With over thirty films and hundreds of pieces of media spanning nearly seventy years, Godzilla is one of the most recognizable figures in all of popular culture. But as with anything that has become so enshrined in our collective imagination, there are more than a few falsehoods about Godzilla that many people continue to believe.

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While most hardcore fans are not likely to fall for such fibs, newer fans may be none the wiser. Below are ten common misconceptions about Godzilla, some of which continue to be told today.

Godzilla is a Dinosaur

Comparisons between Godzilla and dinosaurs are a given, considering the close resemblance between the two. However, while some casual viewers could be forgiven for mistaking Godzilla for an oversized T-Rex, the real answer is far more complex. In the original Godzilla (1954) it’s explained that Godzilla is a member of an undiscovered pre-historic species of amphibian, who was exposed to large amounts of radiation from a hydrogen bomb. This alone discredits the theory that Godzilla’s a dinosaur, because dinosaurs were not amphibious creatures who could survive underwater.

The one exception to this is Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), where it’s revealed in a time travel sequence that the second Godzilla was a mutated dinosaur that had the characteristics of pre-historic reptiles. But in most of the movies, though, Godzilla’s lineage has remained constantly dino-free.

Godzilla’s Origins are Always the Same

Like Spiderman and the Fantastic 4, Godzilla had to have gotten his powers from somewhere. In most storylines, Godzilla got his powers from nuclear weapons. However, depending on who’s in charge of production, that can change on the whim. Lately, filmmakers have toyed with Godzilla’s origin, sometimes without the influence of the bomb.

2016’s Shin Godzilla, for example, changed the culprit to the irresponsible disposal of nuclear waste. In the recent American incarnation of the classic monster, Godzilla is the sole survivor of a race of titans that lived back when the earth was bathed in radiation. This Godzilla is actually the first in the franchise who was born with his radioactive powers, rather than attaining them later in life.

Godzilla is Green

This largely emerged from North American advertisements for the first G-film that depicted the monster in a shade of vibrant green. Throughout most of the franchise, though, Godzilla has been shown with grey or charcoal skin.

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For the most part, this trait has remained the same, with the exception being Godzilla 2000, which was actually the first iteration of the creature to be green in color.

Godzilla Breathes Fire

Another misconception that can be traced back to early advertisements, the idea that Godzilla breathes fire is so common that even some dedicated fans make the assumption. In light of this, Toho is always careful to point out that Godzilla breathes ‘atomic breath.’

This breath is purported to be extremely hot, able to melt steel on contact, and is Godzilla’s first line of defense against his adversaries. In early movies, the breath resembled a type of smoke, like the contents of a fire extinguisher. Later movies gave the breath more vibrant colors and even toyed with its intensity.

Godzilla is Male

In English-language translations of Japanese Godzilla films, it isn’t uncommon for characters to refer to Godzilla as a male. Even this article has used he/his pronouns when describing the creature.

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In Japan, however, Godzilla’s gender is less defined. In most movies, characters refer to the big G as ‘it,’ the assumption being that his gender is undetermined.

Godzilla is Always Either a Hero or a Villain

While Godzilla may have started life as a villain, many people today consider him a hero, due to the influence of later films in the Showa Era. Beginning with Godzilla vs. Hedora, Godzilla became a protector who defended the earth from beasts with ill intent. This is the route Legendary Pictures took when creating the Monsterverse, and Godzilla’s status as the alpha Titan.

But throughout most of the franchise, Godzilla has existed in an amoral grey area where his status as a hero or a villain is murky. In many of the Showa films of the mid-to-late ‘60s, and the Heisei films, Godzilla was often the lesser of two evils, with the greater threat arising from a larger, more powerful beast. In many of these situations, siding with Godzilla was a last-ditch effort, usually culminating at the very end when all other options are exhausted.

Godzilla Can’t Die

For years, Toho has continued to push the belief that Godzilla is an immortal being that cannot be killed by conventional weapons. While that is mostly true, if one ignores the climax of the 1998 remake, there were instances in the franchise when Godzilla met his maker. The most obvious of these was when Godzilla was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer at the end of the first movie. G-fans would are also very well aware of Godzilla vs. Destroyah, when Godzilla died from a nuclear meltdown.

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Godzilla also died in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, after his second heart was blown to bits by G-Force’s metal doppelganger. However, Godzilla was brought back to life by Rodan, who sacrificed his life to give his buddy his life force.

Godzilla Won in the Japanese Version of King Kong vs. Godzilla

This is one of the most persistent rumors associated with Godzilla, and continues to remain widely believed today. The myth arises out of the fact that the American version of the 1962 film King Kong vs. Godzilla was heavily edited from its original version, to make it seem like King Kong won. Following its release, it was inaccurately stated that Godzilla won in the Japanese version, and that the English translation was changed at the insistence of Universal Pictures (who own the rights to King Kong).

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In reality, the Japanese version ends in a draw, without a decisive winner ever being crowned. For years this ending was only accessible on bootleg or international copies of the movie due to licensing issues. This issue was rectified last year, thankfully, when the Criterion Collection released a re-master of the movie with the original Japanese version as a special feature.

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus Was a Sequel to Godzilla 2000

This one’s more of a fan theory than anything else, but some kaiju fans have taken it for a fact. This is because the Godzilla costume used in Godzilla 2000 (1999) was used again in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000). Usually, suits are only re-used if two films are in the same continuity, and there’s nothing in Megaguirus that would indicate it wasn’t a sequel.

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But rest assured, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus does not share a timeframe with its predecessor. With the exception of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) and Godzilla Tokyo S.O.S (2003), none of the films in the millennium series take place in the same universe.

Godzilla’s Longtime Composer Refused to Score The Return of Godzilla

Japanese film composer Akira Ifukube is best known as the man who conducted the scores for all the Godzilla movies in the Showa Era. He’s responsible for some of the most iconic tracks in the series, and he created Godzilla’s iconic roar. This is why some fans were concerned when Ifukube didn’t come back to score The Return of Godzilla, during the franchise’s return to the big screen in 1984.

Thanks to a quote that was taken out of context, it was believed for years that Ifukube refused the score the movie because Godzilla’s height was increased from 50 to 80 meters. This was later revealed to be a joke, and that the real reason Ifukube couldn’t score the movie because he was teaching classes at the Tokyo College of Music. Ifukube would later return to the franchise in 1991 for Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, and compose the soundtrack for the next four films in the series.

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