is a god kaiju who first appeared in

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer ...

's 1974 Godzilla film ''

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is a 1974 Japanese Kaiju, ''kaiju'' film directed by Jun Fukuda, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and produced under their effects subsidiary Toho–Eizo, it is the 14th film of the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla ...

''. In his first film appearance, King Caesar is portrayed as a

guardian deity A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a Nature spirit, spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concep ...

and the protector of an ancient Ryukyuan family. Awakened from a dormant state, King Caesar joins forces with

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...

to vanquish

Mechagodzilla is a fictional mecha character that first appeared in the 1974 film ''Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla''. In its debut appearance, Mechagodzilla is depicted as an extraterrestrial villain that confronts Godzilla. In subsequent iterations, Mechagodzill ...

Overview

Name

King Caesar's name and appearance are based on

Shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact and decoration derived from Chinese guardian lions, often seen in similar pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some ...

, which are artistically embellished stone lion statues common in

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, where the film ''

'' took place. They are an Okinawan variation on the

Chinese guardian lion Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, are a traditional Chinese architectural ornament, but the origins lie deep in much older Indian Buddhist traditions. Typically made of stone, they are also known as stone lions or shishi (). ...

(石獅; Shishi, meaning "Stone Lion"), which in turn originates from Buddhist tradition in India, where

Asiatic lion The Asiatic lion is a population of '' Panthera leo leo'' that today survives in the wild only in India. Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujar ...

s are native. Shisa only loosely resemble actual lions on account of being based on second-hand descriptions by people who had never seen one in person. In the 1970s, general East Asian folklore were relatively unknown to Western audiences, which resulted in the translators interpreting name "Shisa" to be a Japanization of the name "Caesar". Toho has since trademarked it, making "King Caesar" the character's official English name.

Overview and development

King Caesar's character concept was inspired by a traditional Okinawan folk tale in which a Shisa protects a village from a rampaging dragon. This myth is referenced in the character's introductory film, ''

'', in which the titular Mechagodzilla plays the role of the evil "dragon". It is portrayed as a loyal and powerful protector of mankind, in reference to the role Shisa play in Okinawan tradition. Character profiles in supporting media describe the monster as standing 50 meters (164 feet)-100 meters (328 feet) tall and weighing 30,000 tonnes (33,069 short tons)-50,000 tonnes (55,115 short tons). King Caesar is shown to be swift and athletic. It can also draw an enemy's energy weapons into its right eye and reflect them back from its left eye with ten times the force, and empower itself with solar energy.

Powers and abilities

King Caesar is portrayed as an incredibly agile martial artist, possessing both speed and super-strength. He is also capable of absorbing energy beam attacks or energy projections and reflecting this energy back at his opponent through his eyes. In the television show ''

Godzilla Island is a television show spinoff of the ''Godzilla'' franchise. It premiered on October 6, 1997, and ran for a total of 256 three-minute episodes, finishing on September 30, 1998. Set in 2097, most of Earth's ''kaiju'' (monsters) live on an island o ...

'', King Caesar is depicted as being able to fire an electricity beam from his mouth.

Reception

Along with fellow 1970s Showa era monster

Gigan is a kaiju from Toho's ''Godzilla'' franchise who first appeared in '' Godzilla vs. Gigan''. Gigan is a space monster resembling a species of reptile who was turned into a cyborg by the Nebulans. Gigan sports a huge buzzsaw in its frontal abdom ...

, King Caesar is the favourite monster of director

Ryuhei Kitamura (born May 30, 1969) is a Japanese film director, producer, and screenwriter. Biography Early life Kitamura was born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He dropped out of high school at age 17 and relocated to Sydney, Australia, where he attended a sch ...

, which led to the character's inclusion in the film '' Godzilla: Final Wars''.

Appearances

Films

* ''

'' (1974) * ''

Terror of Mechagodzilla is a 1975 Japanese ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda (his final film as a director), written by Yukiko Takayama, and produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka and Henry G. Saperstein, with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano. Distributed by Toho and pr ...

'' (1975, very brief stock footage mistake) * '' Godzilla: Final Wars'' (2004)

Television

* ''

'' (1997-1998) * ''Godziban'' (2019, as Young Caesar)

Video games

* '' Battle Soccer: Field no Hasha'' (

SNES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...

- 1992) * ''

Kaijū-ō Godzilla is a 1993 action adventure game by Bandai for the Game Boy. It was released exclusively in Japan. The game is notable for featuring nearly every monster in the ''Godzilla'' franchise up until the time of its release. Story While the game does ...

'' / ''King of the Monsters, Godzilla'' (

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...

- 1993) * '' Godzilla Trading Battle'' ( PlayStation - 1998) * '' Godzilla: Unleashed'' ( Wii - 2007) * ''Godzilla Defense Force'' (2019)

Literature

* '' Godzilla: Rulers of Earth'' (comic - 2013-2015) * '' Godzilla: Oblivion'' (comic - 2016) * ''GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla'' (2018)

References

{{Godzilla Fictional golems Fictional gods Godzilla characters Mothra characters Toho monsters Fantasy film characters Film characters introduced in 1974 Fictional characters with superhuman strength Fictional monsters Kaiju