The teaser trailers for Godzilla: Singular Point have been getting fans excited about the upcoming anime, mostly due to the sheer number of kaiju that have been teased or shown off. One of the most notable inclusions is Rodan, the legendary kaiju that resembles a giant Pteranodon.
Rodan is among Godzilla's most enduring monsters, debuting in the early days of the kaiju craze. Here is an overview of this Godzilla legend and what you can expect when they turn up in Godzilla: Singular Point.
Who (or What) Is Rodan?
Rodan made its debut in the 1956 movie Rodan. In this movie, Rodan destroys cities across the globe after hatching from a giant egg hidden under Mt. Aso. In a unique twist, there are actually two Rodans in this movie -- one male and one female. The characters theorize that nuclear testing opened up ancient caverns, causing these creatures to hatch. The two Rodans are defeated when the military follows them back to their nest in Mt. Aso and attack the volcano, causing an eruption that apparently incinerates both of the creatures.
In 1964's Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Princess Maas Doulina Salno arrives from Venus, warning people that a terrible thing will happen at the volcano and the volcanic gasses will resurrect Rodan. She is proven correct when a single Rodan emerges from the crater and flies off into the sky. This Rodan fought Godzilla until Mothra convinced the pair to team up to fight off King Ghidorah, starting a friendship that would continue throughout the Showa films.
In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Rodan was found on Adonoa Island, guarding the Babygodzilla egg that had ended up in its nest. According to the scientists who visit the island, this Rodan grew to its giant size due to the Russians dumping nuclear waste near Adonoa Island. This Rodan is nearly killed by Godzilla and, during the fight, the Babygodzilla egg is stolen. However, when Rodan senses that Babygodzilla is in distress in Tokyo, it revives itself, taking on a new form called Fire Rodan. However, in the film's climax, Fire Rodan gives Godzilla its lifeforce. This lifeforce allows Godzilla to defeat Mechagodzilla at the cost of Rodan's life.
What Are Rodan's Powers?
Rodan's main power is flight. It can easily break the sound barrier, destroying cities with the resulting sonic booms. However, even at these insane speeds, Rodan is very agile easily outmaneuvering and outrunning the military's supersonic jets. While flying like this, Rodan can also create powerful gusts of winds that can damage buildings, swat away aircraft or knock over other kaiju.
Rodan's beak and talons are razor-sharp, allowing it to easily pierce vehicles and the flesh of other kaiju. In fact, Rodan is seen effortlessly crushing boulders, and it destroys Mechagodzilla's eye using its beak. On top of this, Rodan can use its strength to lift other Kaiju into the air. This allows it to carry monsters away or move its allies to places they need to go.
When Rodan becomes Fire Rodan, it can use the powerful Uranium Heat Beam. Much like the beam used by Godzilla, Rodan's can easily cut through things, causing huge amounts of damage in the process. Rodan is one of the most durable kaiju. In the Showa era films, Rodan is shown shrugging off Godzilla's breath attacks and, in other films, survives King Ghidorah's powerful gravity beams. This durability makes Rodan an exceptionally fearsome foe who is particularly hard to defeat.
Rodan's Weaknesses
Despite its strengths, Rodan is far from invincible. Godzilla's immense strength can overwhelm the flying kaiju. By using a combination of powerful stomps and point-blank breath attacks, Godzilla can leave Rodan on death's door. Later on, Mechagodzilla is able to damage Fire Rodan using its plasma grenade. And, when Mechagodzilla turns into Super Mechagodzilla, it nearly kills Fire Rodan with its mega buster. In the GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters anime, Hedorah is able to actually kill Rodan, along with several other kaiju, showing that Rodan can be defeated if a kaiju can combine the right attacks.
Rodan's dedication is also a problem, causing it to put itself in harm's way to protect other kaiju or its adopted brother, Babygodzilla. While Fire Rodan's decision to give up its life force to aid Godzilla is commendable, it does suggest that it often doesn't think about its own long-term best interests, something that could easily be exploited.
Rodan is also weak to mind control, having fallen under the spell of Xiliens in Invasion of Astro-Monster and Godzilla: Final Wars and the Kilaaks in Destroy All Monsters. This suggests that other creatures or civilizations could gain control of Rodan provided they have the correct equipment. Could this factor into its use in the Singular Point anime? Godzilla fans will just have to wait and find out.
