The Atlanteans, also referred to as the Nilai-Kanai (ニライ・カナイ Nirai・Kanai?), are a race that are introduced in the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy during the 1997 film, Rebirth of Mothra II.
Culture[]
Not much is known of the Atlanteans' culture. In Rebirth of Mothra II, the Nilai-Kanai were shown to possess very impressive technology, being able to create and at first control a kaiju, that being Dagahra.
They also possess the ability to project holograms containing the consciousness of deceased individuals, and their temple features elaborate functioning technology and traps even thousands of years after being abandoned.
History[]
Rebirth of Mothra II[]
The Nilai-Kanai were a powerful race of humans who had learned how to apply magic to technology, and used it to establish a thriving civilization. But like their modern counterparts, over-industrialization introduced the problem of increasing pollution levels that began to damage the Earth's biosphere. To solve this, the Nilai-Kanai created Dagahra, a kaiju which could feed on pollution and remove it from the seas, safeguarding their aquatic city. Unfortunately, the process of consuming pollution gradually corrupted Dagahra, and its byproduct, the Barems, began to damage the very biosphere Dagahra was created to protect. By the time the Nilai-Kanai figured out what was happening, Dagahra had done irrevocable damage to their civilization. Having grown complacent after Dagahra's creation, the Nilai-Kanai were unable to form an appropriate countermeasure and were overwhelmed. Only their temple remained, inhabited by a hologram of their leader, Princess Yuna, and the creature Ghogo.
In the event of Dagahra's return, Ghogo was sent to the surface world to defend against the creature. Ghogo brought a group of children as well as the Elias to the Nilai-Kanai temple, while the evil Elias Belvera attempted to control Dagahra and have him wipe out humankind. After racing against two of Belvera's mind-controlled henchmen through the temple, the Elias and the children encountered Yuna's hologram, who revealed that Ghogo was the treasure of the Nilai-Kanai civilization and the only hope of defeating Dagahra.
When Dagahra attacked the temple, Mothra Leo arrived to defend it, but was overwhelmed by a swarm of Barems. Ghogo approached the wounded Leo and merged his life energy with him, transforming Leo into Rainbow Mothra. Leo successfully destroyed Dagahra's internal Barem-producing organs, severely wounding it. Yuna then activated a device in the temple that dragged Dagahra towards it, causing the temple to explode, destroying every last trace of the Nilai-Kanai civilization and the threat of Dagahra along with it.
List of appearances[]
- Rebirth of Mothra II (First appearance)
