Godzilla Day 2023

Looking at a larger than life character.

Godzilla Day 2023

K.L. Orion

Today is November third, meaning it’s my favorite obscure holiday today. 

Happy Godzilla Day. 

Yes, that’s an actual thing. Look it up. 

If you are not a Godzilla fan, I can understand why you would never know this occasion existed. However, Godzilla fans across the globe are celebrating right now. Toho, the company behind Godzilla, is making a huge deal out of this. As of writing this, they’ve already released a few short films and have released a new feature film in Japan that is coming to the states December first. They are also announcing all sorts of new projects, like new merchandise, new attractions, and maybe (if last year is anything to go by) new films. Today is a big deal for kaiju fans. 

The reason today is even a thing is because 69 years ago today the very first Godzilla film was released. That movie launched an endless series of cash grabbing sequels and reboots, but the original film was actually very artistic. Rather than your average low-budget monster flick, it was a very philosophical story using a giant animal as an allegory for nuclear war and nuclear testing. Actually, the original Godzilla’s design was heavily influenced by references to nuclear weapons. The head of the creature was designed round and puffy, trying to imitate a mushroom cloud. His scales didn’t look exactly like scales but were rather fashioned in the image of actual scars survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had. The original film was actually unbelievably dark. 

While many of the low-budget sequels weren’t made with that same attention to detail and passion (oftentimes they didn’t even come close), that underlying dark theme persisted somewhat in the movies to follow, growing and changing with the titular character. Eventually, Godzilla began to represent man’s folly, his struggle with nature. Godzilla became a symbol of nature’s power over us. He was created by accident by humans then sent back on man with a raging fury. This strange symbolism has come to make me realize something about myself. 

My friends know I’m Godzilla obsessed. To make lightheartedness out of it, I began joking about worshiping him like a god. I “confessed” him as my “lord and savior” and basically pretended to be in a Godzilla religion. This was all fun and games until I began to realize that I wasn’t joking entirely. I do view Godzilla in an almost religious sense. 

NOW HEAR ME OUT. 

That statement sounds pretty crazy out of context. Actually, even with context, it sounds insane. But allow me to explain myself, because I think what is going on here actually makes sense. 

No, I do not believe Godzilla is real. Actually, I know plenty of science saying that such a creature like that could not ever exist. No, I do not believe a giant creature will one day just pop out of the ocean and free us of all our sins or something culty like that. And yes, I am completely aware that it is just a guy in a poorly made latex suit. That’s not what I’m talking about here. What I’m talking about when I say “religious worship” is more of the idea of Godzilla. 

Godzilla, as stated, is a symbol for mankind’s complicated and often dangerous relationship with nature. He symbolizes something very real. Godzilla is, in a sense, an idol or an avatar for a real and very powerful concept. He represents nature’s dominion over us humans. He also represents our own failures when it comes to nature. He symbolizes an idea very important to all humans. Perhaps that’s part of the reason why this character has persisted for so long, even after all of the less-than-ideal sequels and reboots. Perhaps that is what makes him so timeless. 

I dive into this mentality more in another Substack piece I wrote last week, What We Can Learn From Man-Eaters. If you want to understand what I’m talking about more, I suggest you go check that one out. But for now, I’ll leave this piece off with this. 

I’m not going to start a Godzilla religion. That’s literally insane. Godzilla the giant nuclear monster isn’t real. But Godzilla the idea is. He is a physical manifestation of a mentality that holds great significance to humans everywhere. Colossal nuclear lizards might not exist, but mankind’s complicated relationship with nature is. That’s something I subconsciously think about when watching these movies. The idea of Godzilla is important. 

Happy Godzilla Day.