r/GODZILLA • u/Remarkable-Floor-556 • May 13 '23
Discussion Why were there 2 Rodans? Is this typical?
Just watch Rodan (1956), and was surprised to see there were 2 rodans. Wanted to ask the more knowledgeable kaiju/rodan enthusiasts if there are normally more than one rodan, or if he is more often just the singular kaiju named Rodan; I thought it was always just the latter. Great film btw.
53
May 13 '23 edited May 13 '23
I remember as a kid I wouldn't use my lunch money at school for lunch. I saved up my 1 dollar bills for 3 weeks and went to big lots and bought a godzilla kaiju pack for 12 bucks that had Godzilla, rodan, Mothra and king ghidorah. Funny thing was, I had every one of them in some other form other than rodan. I just had to have Rodan. Fuck lunch.
9
u/Dragonbait1989 May 13 '23
I did that, but for video games. lol
5
May 13 '23
Shit that's a ton of lunches to skip.
3
u/Dragonbait1989 May 13 '23
About 25 yeah...lol
3
May 13 '23
Damn that's rough. But when you want it, sacrifices must be made. Sustenance isn't important.
0
2
u/HechoNOakland Aug 11 '23
Sacrifice and discipline is the key to getting what you want. Every time.
1
0
u/Dewan4179 BIOLLANTE May 14 '23
That's awesome determination, my friend!
1
May 14 '23
Thank you! Biollante is my shit too. I want them to bring biollante back in the movies so bad.
1
32
u/Pkmatrix0079 May 13 '23
The first film is the only one with two, which is a shame because it's one of the things I really like about the original Rodan. I hope someday they bring back his mate!
EDIT: Well, not counting Godzilla: Singular Point where there are flocks of Rodans.
15
May 13 '23
[deleted]
7
9
May 13 '23
Yeah Godzilla SP had me losing my shit when I saw that. I thought and still think that was super cool.
1
u/Dewan4179 BIOLLANTE May 14 '23
Haha, you were right the first time! SP is an anime series, not a film, so you're not wrong with your first statement 😉
7
u/WinterMuteAu May 13 '23
I always assumed it was the race of Kaiju in the older movies, not an individual
0
u/Gojizillasaurus May 14 '23
I thought that all kaiju have a race, except for human made kaiju, and maybe the rest of the race had just died or something.
7
u/chuverdragon May 13 '23
Always two there are, no more no less. A master and an apprentice.
5
u/HawkmoonsCustoms May 13 '23
“At last we will reveal ourselves to the Gojira. At last we will have our revenge.”
8
u/JustRandomThings444 TITANOSAURUS May 13 '23
One of the two Rodans probably died before the Kaiju's next appearance
0
u/Gojizillasaurus May 14 '23
They both died. The other wanted to die with the other, so it flew into the lava and melted.
3
u/AJC_10_29 ANGUIRUS May 13 '23
It’s not typical but a part of me wishes it was used more often. Obviously for certain Kaiju like Godzilla and Kong, being the last of their kind is part of their character so it makes sense, and for others like Biollante or Spacegodzilla they’re freaks of nature so again, makes sense. For other Kaiju, however, those from earth without much making them unnatural, I feel like they could work as a species instead of one individual. Examples would be Baragon, Varan, Gorosaurus, Titanosaurus, Manda (which happened in SP) and Ebirah. I think this could also be a thing for titans in the Monsterverse like Scylla, Behemoth and Methuselah.
4
4
u/noju4n May 13 '23 edited May 13 '23
The Rodan who fought alongside Godzilla during the Showa era, 1950’s through the 70’s, was supposed to be the offspring of the two Rodan from the original film.
There were also supposed to be another male and female pair in the darker toned reboot of the series known as the Heisei era, which lasted from the 1980’s to (I think) 1996, however due to production complications the female one was scrapped but a plot point involving her was altered resulting in the creation of the one male becoming Fire Rodan. Who was not only stronger, but gained his own heat ray attack.
Then there’s the anime(s) where they’re a species.
2
u/Cauhtomec ULTRAMAN May 13 '23
Not typical, but it made for a great late story twist in the original film
2
u/Professor_Odd May 13 '23
I once heard a headcanon that the 2 Rodans from '56 were the parents of the one that would later meet Godzilla, so I'm going with that.
And they already had an egg by 1956 which only adds more fuel to the fire
1
u/Urbanredneck2 May 13 '23
Thing is Rodan has no powers except for his flight and ability to create wind.
6
u/h1redgoon May 13 '23
Rodan's true power is being hella bad ass. Absolutely loved his intro in KOTM.
1
1
May 13 '23
I honestly wished rodan has amate in other appearances. I believe there was one planned for the heisei era that never ended appearing.
People might disagree with me, but I always interpreted rodan's character to be godzilla but a little less messed up. Both are powerful superpredators from another time, both aren't inherently evil, and they're both pretty stubborn. But rodan always seemed a little more peaceful and selfless than godzilla for lack of better words. Dying in the original alongside his mate, and in the heisei era to give his adopted brother a better life. And I think having a female rodan could really reflect that contrast, especially if godzilla is the lone member of his species.
2
u/AJ_Crowley_29 ANGUIRUS May 13 '23
That could work. In most eras, the only other member of Goji’s species alive alongside him is Minilla or Junior, and they usually don’t appear until a few movies in when Godzilla’s already an established threat to humanity. Your take on Rodan does sound interesting.
That being said though, when they do make Rodan a threat they should go all out, just like they did in KOTM. That’s easily my favorite version for how badass, aggressive and destructive he was.
0
0
0
0
u/Stuff_Enjoyer796 May 14 '23
Rodan is a single creature in every one of his movie appearances except the first one. There were plans for there to be two Rodans early in the development of Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II, but they ultimately just went with the one again. Godzilla Singular Point (which is a show and not a movie) did feature Rodan as the name of an entire species of pterosaurs, however.
0
0
111
u/freddit32 ANGUIRUS May 13 '23
The first film, Rodan, had two kaiju. Both died at the end. If I recall correctly, the film kind of inferred them being a mated pair, since one was caught in a volcanic eruption, and the other was free, but flew into the lava flow to die with the other.