5. Biollante
The original Godzilla series came to a close with 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla and was put on hiatus until he was rejuvenated ten years later. Working as a semi-reboot/quasi-sequel, Godzilla (or Return of Godzilla or Godzilla 1985) saw the King of the Monsters return to wreak havoc on Tokyo. And while the movie was good fun, Godzilla was on his own. So, a few years later, Toho decided to make another Godzilla movie, only this time pit him against a new enemy. But how would they come up with a new kaiju? By holding a competition for fans to submit story ideas.
And what a story they came up with.
A scientist by the name of Dr. Genshiro Shiragami mixes Godzilla cells with cells of a rose that he had also injected with cells of his dead daughter in the hope of keeping her spirit alive. They form like Voltron to create the killer plant monster, Biollante. Told you it was weird.
Starting off in a rose-like form, Biollante soon becomes a jaw-snapping behemoth and battles with Godzilla in a dramatic fashion. With whipping tenticles, Biollante is great for long range attacks, but his giant jaw can also be effective up close.
Sadly, Biollante is a forgotten and under-appreciated Godzilla foe. 1989’s Godzilla vs. Biollante was not the box office success Toho were hoping for and the character never surfaced in a movie again – not even in Godzilla: Final Wars which was supposed to feature every monster from the cannon. It did however appear in Godzilla fighting game Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen, which was released on the SNES in Japan only as well as PS2, Xbox and Wii melee fighters Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla: Unleashed.
Originally published October 27, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
