Mothra (モスラ Mosura?) is a divine moth kaiju and was the last version of the character that appeared in the Millennium series. This version of the divine moth first appeared in the 2004 film, Godzilla: Final Wars.
Name[]
The name "Mothra" is the suffixation of "-ra" (a common last syllable in kaiju names) to "moth." Since the Japanese language does not have dental fricatives, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. Originally, Mothra's name was approximated in English as "Mosla," but it was later corrected to "Mothra" by the time of the release of her debut film.
Design[]
Appearance[]
Mothra's appearance is that exact same as the one seen in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S..
Portrayal[]
The puppet used to portray Mothra, FinalMosuImago (ファイナルモス成虫 FainaruMosuSeichū?) is the same one used in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S..
Roar[]
Mothra's chirps are actually Anguirus's roars sped up. This is most evident during a scene in Godzilla vs. Mothra where Mothra is hit by artillery and moans in pain, emitting a sound that is almost identical to Anguirus' roar.
Personality[]
In Godzilla: Final Wars, Mothra, like her other incarnations, is very heroic, defeating Gigan in the past, going to help Godzilla against Monster X and fighting Modified Gigan, even (possibly) sacrificing herself in the process. The Shobijin also reinforce this, speaking for the divine moth.
Origins[]
Like Minilla, Mothra's origins go unexplained. However, she is implied to be the guardian deity of Infant Island.
History[]
Godzilla: Final Wars[]
Thousands of years ago, Mothra defended the Earth from an alien monster known as Gigan, defeating him and entombing him off the coast of Hokkaido. In the year 20XX, the Earth Defense Force recovered Gigan's mummified remains, drawing the attention of Mothra and her Shobijin. The Shobijin appeared to several members of the EDF and warned them that Gigan was evil and could awaken, but promised that Mothra would appear to defend the Earth.
When the alien force known as the Xiliens took control of Gigan and an army of monsters and used them to conquer the planet, Mothra flew to Tokyo to aid Godzilla against Gigan and Monster X. Mothra saved Godzilla from being double-teamed by the enemy monsters, then confronted Gigan once again. Gigan fired two razor discs at Mothra, but she used her reflective scales to avoid them. Gigan responded by blasting Mothra with his laser beam, causing her to erupt in flames. Believing himself victorious, Gigan turned around, only for his head to be sliced off by his reflected razor discs. Mothra, still on fire, flew into the headless Gigan and exploded, killing Gigan and Mothra survived as seen in the end credits.
Abilities[]
Bite[]
Mothra has a knack for biting and clinging to foes' tails.
Flight[]
In her imago state, Mothra can fly at the speed of mach 3 (2,301.81 mph).
Strength[]
As an adult, her wings can (and generally do) create gales which tear apart buildings and send other kaiju flying. Her great bulk of a body is commonly used to her advantage in battle to slam into opponents (both in larva and adult form), and her surprising levels of strength can help her to drag and even lift monsters like Godzilla.
Poison scales[]
Her final strategy is to emit "scales," a yellow poisonous powder that can usually asphyxiate an enemy. However, she only uses that attack when she knows she is going to die, this is speculated, because the extreme loss of scales will cause her to lose flight. In Final Wars, her scales have another effect, causing Gigan's razer discs to malfunction.
Power reflection[]
As seen in Final Wars, Mothra has the ability to counter enemy beams not only by reflecting them, she can also use them to attack via her kamikaze attack with which she kills Gigan and dies.
Psychic abilities[]
Mothra is one of the most powerful psychics in the Toho universe. She uses this power benevolently, to communicate with humans, or defensively, to destroy her enemies. As suggested earlier, Mothra is assumed to be divine and draws many parallels to the Phoenix, which makes her one of the more powerful kaiju of the Toho universe.
Mothra's fairies[]
In Godzilla: Final Wars, Mothra's fairies, or the Shobijin, are seen close to the start of the film. They speak to two humans and one mutant after they discovered the mummified Gigan. Later, when Godzilla is battling Monster X, the fairies summon Mothra, who flies before battling her once mummified enemy.
Trivia[]
- While it looks like Mothra dies in her fight with Gigan, another Mothra appears in the credits. It is unknown if this is the same Mothra or a different member of the species.
