The Mothra (モスラ Mosura?) of the Rebirth of Mothra film series is a giant divine moth kaiju created by Toho that first appeared in the 1996 film, Rebirth of Mothra.
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.
Design[]
Appearance[]
Mothra's appearance in the Rebirth of Mothra series bears much of a resemblance to her Showa and Heisei era incarnations, however, some slight differences are present. These include a general increase in her overall fuzziness, and some slight modifications to her wing aesthetic.
This Mothra retains many of the key features of the previous Mothra imago design but has been changed somewhat. The wings now possess a new pattern and now fold and flap more realistically, giving the prop a more lifelike appearance. The prop's face is wider, while the eyes sit further on the sides of the head.
The eyes are changed from blue in color to a turquoise shade. The antennae are much longer and thicker, and feature a tuft of fur at their tips, giving them a closer appearance to real moth antennae. The legs retain the birdlike design, but are longer and thicker, with visible white claws on the feet.
Personality[]
One of a long line of protective beings, Mothra is portrayed as a kind and benevolent creature, who guards the earth and humanity from various threats. Mothra is assisted and often accompanied by tiny priestesses or fairies called the Elias (a version of the Shobijin) who also speak for her and help support her.
Additionally, this Mothra also had a parental care for Mothra Leo, risking her own life to save him.
Origins[]
In Rebirth of Mothra, it is established that Mothra is the last living member of an ancient race of giant guardian moths that defended the Earth throughout its history. Sharing a special connection to the diminutive Elias race, both they and Mothra's kin were largely exterminated by Desghidorah's original attack against the Earth approximately 65 million years ago. In her old age, Mothra lived in solitude with two of the last remaining Elias on Infant Island, and with the last of her strength summoned forth an egg to continue her legacy after her death.
History[]
Rebirth of Mothra[]
Mothra in Rebirth of Mothra
Millions of years ago, a space monster called Desghidorah arrived to destroy the Earth. This three-headed demonic dragon was forced to deal with resistance in the form of a species of highly advanced, enormous moths, which were known as Mothras. These moths were the protectors of the Elias, a race of tiny, human-like beings, who inhabited the planet. After the ensuing battle, Desghidorah was defeated and sealed within the Earth, although a great deal of life on the planet Earth was lost. Three Elias: Moll, Lora, and Belvera, were all who were left of their once prosperous civilization. Though Moll and Lora remained benevolent defenders of the Earth, Belvera became twisted and vengeful following her race's demise. These tiny fairies, along with one final Mothra, remained in solitude on Infant Island for countless millennia.
In order to preserve her legacy, Mothra summoned an enormous egg, however, she became physically exhausted from the ordeal. Shortly afterwards, a logging company in Hokkaido uncovered the tomb where the Mothras had sealed Desghidorah long ago. When the seal that had bound the creature was removed from the area, Moll and Lora fought Belvera for control of the artifact. Belvera prevailed and managed to release Desghidorah from its rocky tomb, planning to use it to destroy mankind. Mothra was summoned to stop Desghidorah, which was absorbing the life out of the forests.
Mothra fought her hardest to stop Desghidorah, but was simply too old and frail to carry on the fight. Moll and Lora reluctantly prayed to the egg, causing it to prematurely hatch into a larva named Mothra Leo. Mothra Leo arrived to assist his mother, but Desghidorah grabbed Leo with his teeth and bit into him. Mothra rescued her son and destroyed a dam, causing Desghidorah to be buried in a flood of water. With her enemy distracted, Mothra carried Leo out over the sea, but her strength failed and she fell into the water. Mothra struggled to stay afloat, as Leo desperately tried to hold her up above the surface, but to no avail. Mothra sank underwater and drowned, leaving Leo to carry on her legacy and stop Desghidorah. Leo then swam to a remote island to transform into his imago stage and continue the battle.
Abilities[]
Energy weaponry[]
- Ultra-Sonic Beam Pulser - Mothra can fire twin beams of red-colored energy, called Ultra-Sonic Beam Pulser, from her antennae. These beams are remarkably accurate and capable of causing large explosions.
- Wing Lightning - Mothra can unleash arcs of red, fairly powerful lightning from her wings, which will strike enemies and cause explosions.
- Energy Pulse - In addition to the lightning, Mothra can keep it in her body to release to another through touch. She can emit a high voltage current from her claws that burns and causes explosions upon touching an object.
- Flash Dash - Mothra can temporarily increase her flight speed to Mach 80. Once striking an opponent, it will cause explosions and conduct lightning-like energy.
Flight[]
In her imago state, Mothra can fly at the speed of mach 5 (3,836.35 mph).
Imago 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.
Rebounding scales[]
Her powder now had a different effect, and now acted as a cloud of mirror-like scales, which would allow beam weapons to repeatedly rebound before striking the target, effectively making them impossible to miss.
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 the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy, Mothra's priestesses were the Elias; the Elias differ from earlier incarnations in that they are not mind-linked twins but individual persons, Moll and Lora. They are also seen to have an older sister, a dark Elias called Belvera. In addition to accompanying Mothra, the Elias would also ride smaller offspring called Fairy Mothras.
List of appearances[]
- Rebirth of Mothra (First appearance)
Trivia[]
- This is the first incarnation of Mothra to be given the title of "Queen of Monsters" by Toho for the soundtrack and home video releases of Rebirth of Mothra, illustrating her proximity in status to Godzilla himself.
