Godzilla Raids Again

Godzilla Raids Again, also known as Gigantis the Fire Montster, is a Japanese science fiction tokusatsu film of the daikaiju (giant monster) subgenre. It is the second film in the Godzilla film series and is part of the Shōwa period of Japanese filmmaking. The movie was directed by Motoyoshi Oda and written by Takeo Murata and Shigeaki Hidaka based on a story treatment by Shigeru Kayama. It was produced by Toho Company, Ltd., and premiered in Japan on April 24th, 1955.

Notes & Trivia

 * Copyright holder: 1955, Toho Company, Ltd.


 * The original Japanese title of the film is Gojira no gyakushû, which translates to Counterattack of Godzilla. The title Gigantis the Fire Monster was used in the 1959 American release of the film.


 * This film was not released in the United States until May 21st, 1959.


 * This is the second film in the Godzilla film series. It is the second and final film in the series shot in black and white.


 * This is Motoyoshi Oda's eleventh film as a director. He will direct twenty-five films over the course of his career. This is his first work in the science fiction genre, and his only work in the Godzilla film series.


 * Takeo Murata and Shigeru Kayama were also the screenwriters on Gojira.


 * This is the third film work for director of photography Seiichi Endô. It is his first work in the daikaiju genre.


 * This is the first daikaiju film for actor Hiroshi Koizumi, who will become a recurring face in such features in years to come, appearing in films such as Mothra, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S..

Fun Facts

 * Taglines for this film include, "Born in Hell!", and "Roasting anything in its path!".


 * Actor Takashi Shimura reprises the role of Kyohei Yamane from the 1954 movie, Gojira. Outside of daikaiju, this is one of the few instances where a human character appears in more than one film (at least in the Shōwa series).


 * First appearance of the second Godzilla, who bears a distinctively different appearance than how he will be portrayed in later films. This is the creature that will appear in the remainder of the Godzillaverse films throughout the Shōwa period.


 * First appearance of Anguirus, who will go on to become a fan favorite in later Godzilla films; often regarded as the beloved "red-headed stepchild" of the kaiju set.


 * Anguirus is the first kaiju to appear in the Godzilla film series other than Godzilla himself. He is also the only other kaiju from the series to appear in black and white.

Redirects
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 * ゴジラの逆襲
 * Counterattack of Godzilla
 * Gigantis the Fire Monster (1955)
 * Gigantis, the Fire Monster (1955)
 * Gigantis, the Fire Monster
 * Gigantis the Fire Monster
 * Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
 * Gojira no gyakushu
 * Gojira no gyakushû