Zilla: From hated Godzilla to loved Kaiju 

I think what's really interesting about him is that him being deemed a separate monster and "not Godzilla" might be the best thing that ever happened to him. Because the "main" Godzilla will always change, and designs of Godzilla will eventually always be left in the past, and new designs will surface and overtake and iterate on old ones. Godzilla is a constantly evolving monster, always changing his appearance and role to suit the times. But not Zilla. Now that he's listed as a separate monster, his appearance will be kept much closer to the original in other adaptations, effectively making his design immortal in the mythos.

He become loved when he stopped being a version of Godzilla. As an adaptation of Godzilla he’s godawful, but as his own monster, Zilla is fine.

“Great monster, bad Godzilla” is the easy short way to put it.

Zilla is what got me into the franchise. I recently watched the animated series again and I got chills as soon as the theme hit and I realized I remembered every beat of that intro. I'm just glad that there's so much Godzilla media to go through.

so basically Toho inadvertently saved Zilla by making him a different person

What I love about Zilla is how they and their movie are a Bizzaro version of a Godzilla (film): Zilla isn’t intentionally the aggressor and tries to just live their life, with their abilities focusing on escaping humanity rather than punishing it, but is killed for just being too big.

I never hated zilla, I really like the design. I was 8 when my dad took me, my dad wasn't happy, and I did watch the toho films on tv. I think the love for it is honestly nostalgia. It's a funny monster film and the animated series is very good.

On paper, Zilla is a really cool concept for a Kaiju. They can be harmed by conventional weaponry, but the rate at which a single egg can reproduce makes them effectively an infestation. He is just a really, really bad excuse for a Godzilla.

Honestly, yeah. I do feel that... when not directly tied to Godzilla species wise; Zilla does tend to shine the brightest. I never really hated Zilla as a character, and I thought the design was pretty good in its own rights. I know people hated him because "He's not a traditional Godzilla". And yeah, he isn't. And the animated series, plus the Rules of Earth essentially back that up in a way. Zilla in general is a pretty neat Kaiju, relying on his ability to think and react to a situation, his speed and adaptability to said situation. And in Zilla Jr.'s case; gaining a breath attack that's both familiar; yet still unique to himself in a way.

Rulers Of Earth also hinted that Zilla was a natural Kaiju unlike his 98 counterpart because he was on the mural depicting various Kaiju that are part of the Earth's natural order he's grouped with the other water Kaiju

1998 was one of the first movies I watched, after Goji vs. Monster Zero, Goji vs. King Kong, and Goji vs. MechaGoji. As a kid I loved it (I was 8 years old), and looking back on it I fully understand and agree with a lot of the criticism towards it. But it still has a place in my heart, and the cartoon show based on the movie was honestly AWESOME. Seeing Zilla Jr. fight other kaiju, have an atomic breath, and even fight his father as the show's version of MechaZilla will always bring back good childhood memories.

honestly it would be cool if they made him a relative species to godzilla's.Imagine something like a smaller weaker off branched species filling a different place in their ecosystem. this way even though he's not a true godzilla,he can still maintain a deep tie to the big G and basically serve the only form of relative/family he has outside of minilla/godzilla JR. uncle Zilla!

Zilla is one of those kaiju i hope makes a appearance in the monsterverse cause he would fit in very well into the monsterverse

I think the way most fans see zilla now is not necessarily bad. In fact, a good monster and a good monster film. Just not a good godzilla film. But they're happy for him to be in the kaiju line up none the less now.

Zilla is great as his own Kaiju, building his own legacy separate from Gojira. He's the nimble opportunist to Goji's unstoppable apex predator. The Odogaron to his Deviljho if you will.

My headcanon for him is that he is a "False Godzilla" in the sense that a species related to Godzilla underwent convergent evolution by also developing spikes and the atomic ray (in the TV series at least).

Another fact rulers of earth Zilla. It was hinted that one of if not the only monster that was not caught by the aliens.

In a way, with how companies are redesigning Godzilla almost every other movie, Zilla was kind of ahead of the time with its drastic reimagining. Not going to give Emmerich to much credit, but if this were released today, it probably wouldn't stand out alongside Shin, Ultima, Earth or even the latest Monsterverse design.

Zilla was the first one I saw and now I'm obsessed with anything Kaiju and speculative creatures.

*_NOBODY_* send this dude any hate! You sir…did *good (👏)!* As a longtime fan of “Godzilla 1998” and Zilla, it’s nice to see people’s perceptions of the monster himself changing (😊).

Oh my god thank you guys so much for the 1k views! Wasn’t expecting my very first video to get this much attention. As we speak, another video is currently in development, hopefully it might peak your curiosity if you’re a dinosaur fan. Don’t worry, kaiju (especially Godzilla) isn’t going away anytime soon. I’ve also noticed some people are curious on my thoughts on ultima. Singular point won’t be a major priority due to how big that would be, BUT it’s not out of the question. For now, think of it as a tease for a potential video in the future. For now, enjoy the rest of your day, and I’ll be back with a video ready. ;)

Yes. I agree. I started calling Zilla Jr the Prince of Monsters. I love him

Even as a kid I didn’t see this monster as Godzilla but I’ve always loved it. Zilla makes for such an interesting kaiju on his own. I really hope we somehow see him in a show or something more than some great comic books.

I think what also helped fans finally ease up on Zilla was the success of Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse. Many fans, even myself at one point, despised the 1998 film because it wasn't only a poor representation made by filmmakers who admitted to not liking the source material to begin with, but it also squandered the very potential of an American Godzilla movie series that fans have wanted to see for years. It even made the brand unprofitable for a while. It doesn't help that the 1994 TriStar script, while having its issues, was much closer to the mark than what we ended up getting. In my honest opinion, Godzilla is super easy to get right, which is why it's baffling how Devlin and, especially, Emmerich got it so wrong. The MonsterVerse picked up TriStar's slack and made a representation of Godzilla that is much closer to the Toho spirit, made multiple movies, TV shows, and comics. It made the brand profitable again and more successful than it has ever been in its history And a cinematic universe that utilizes other Toho classics, original monsters, and crosses over with Kong-twice! That level of success more than made up for 1998's failures, and it's why I think many fans, including myself, are having an easier time forgiving both the movie and the monster in it.

Zilla Jr in Godzilla The Animated Series is my favorite kaiju.

I had no idea about the Japanese version back when I was a kid, I owe a lot to G98 for making me a fan of the franchise.

I think Zilla is to Godzilla as Batman is to... Well "Batman" in "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth", as in - It's a very abstract version of the character. I mean, not many of the traits are there besides the bare essentials - and yet it's compelling because if how different it is. (I mean, Batman is known for not killing and he's straight up using an axe to fight off people by the end of the story and can barely fight off a doctor.) I feel it's more so the concept with Zilla, but it's also partly realized in the animated series which gives a glimpse into what could have been brought to a future film. I always saw Zilla as Godzilla's younger cousin that looked up to him. For a while he tried being him, but now he's his own person and even has some respect thrown his way. He's being himself and just doing his own thing and not cripplingly alone anymore.

Zilla is the true underdog. No one is on his side, except for his adopted family in the animated series, yet he kept rolling with the punches and always got back up. its the rocky principle: "Its not about how hard you can hit, its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. Thats how winning is done!" you have a monster that isnt the best, but the heart and intelligence he puts into his trials or battles makes him endearing and definitely a kaiju that deserves a better go around by toho.

In my opinion, this is one of my favorite incarnations of “Godzilla”, and it was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw, when my mom showed me it when I was 6 (2016) ever since then I’ve been overly obsessed with Godzilla, so Zilla is one thing I’ll never hate.

That was excellent. I loved the tv show. I tried so hard to find the vhs. Then that big dvd with all the episodes came out. So good

Zilla is just a cool standalone kaiju. Its design is cool, its more speedy, stealthy, and agility focused fighting style is unique and separates it from a lot of other kaiju. Zilla Jr in the animated series was just a straight up badass. He had some of the strengths of Godzilla being a bit tougher, braver, having atomic breath, but also still retained the quirks form the 1998 film that made him more unique. Zilla is a terrible version of Godzilla but he is pretty cool as his own kaiju and do hope that we could see Zilla Jr pop up in a Godzilla movie or show one day.

You made me spit my coffee out and onto my screen with that damn pipe falling sound during the zilla scene. Damn my 21st century humor.

Personally I liked Zilla, the effects were kinda bad but let’s be real the guy in the suit was pretty cheesy. I also loved how the egg plot worked: Godzilla is too big, especially now, to interact with the human characters, but the smaller young ones got to chase the heroes around and be a threat. I understand why a lot of people didn’t like the angle but they weren’t ugly like the other baby Godzillas and they were individually still too much for any one human to have a chance against. There was a real horror element in the hallway scenes, and the characters had agency. That being said the show really did get me invested in zilla, he has a dog like personality and is highly territorial of other monsters, and protective of nick and humans in general. The aliens were a bit much though. I also don’t think it hurt that the animation was smoother then the cgi. It was interesting to see the teaser for the sequel be an animated show that flew completely under the radar then took the internet by storm

I've always enjoyed the 1998 film since day one and I feel that Zilla is both an underrated and overhated monster. He's an updated version of the Rhedosaurus from The Beast from 20000 Fathoms and he's voiced by the Legendary Frank Welker.

I hope they add zilla to the monsterverse, he could be a subspecies of the big G like a long distant cousin and possible ally to Godzilla. His overall design is pretty unique even though it's basically a giant velociraptor.

For a first video this is really impressive. And what an amazing topic to start off, that being Zilla. Instant subscribe

I like Zilla, I still wish we could have got a 3rd season of the cartoon.

Zilla was the first Godzilla I ever saw, and while I now see him as a separate character from Godzilla, the 98 movie will always hold a special place in my heart.

I've always loved 98G man. Perhaps because it was part of my childhood and I also loved the marketing for it. Not a traditional Godzilla but I'm glad toho canonized him as a character. Love his design too

this is a well made first video, and I agree with a bunch of your points. especially the animated series being what started the love of this mutant iguana, and I can't wait to see your channel grow.

I don’t care what anyone says, Godzilla 1998 is one of the coolest Godzilla designs we’ve had to date, and I will die on that hill.

Oh wow I looked through the whole video and didn't realize you just have 12 subs and it's your first vid, this is super impressive! Just subbed cause the bio saying you're into kaijus, dinos and horror absolutely sold me, that's everything I built my personality around basically. Keep up the good work man 💙

the carnotaurus at the end....

proud zilla fan

The issue with Zilla's original release was that it wasn't only such a drastic change, but it was also supposed to shoulder the entirety of Godzilla on its back. Toho had just finished Godzilla vs Destroyah, which was their big send-off for the series while they took a rest from making the movies. The plan was to let America take the wheel and give Godzilla a try. Both that with the drastically redesigned Godzilla, along with lots of other little things, just set a really bad first impression for Zilla, enough for Toho to end their break early and make the Millenium Era for Godzilla. Once time passed and Zilla became its own identity people came back around to the monster in general, which is good because I do like Zilla's design... just not 'as' Godzilla.

I watched zilla as a hild but I *LOVED!* the animated series zilla

Zilla brought godzilla to my life, and i forever became a fan of not only zilla, but all of toho's godzilla and monsters like the gargantuas. Monsterverse and shin godzilla just helped make me an even bigger fan.

For a first Video, this was pretty well made!

I actually loved Zilla when I first saw him. The design was alot different than the others I've seen on the internet but that was the best design I've ever seen. Also loved the series too when I watched it on RU-vid.

I remember I liked Zilla so much as a kid that I had a birthday party themed around him. I was also a big fan of the animated series so much that I got a DVD copy of the complete series. I get obviously why he was hated as much as he did but obviously he holds a special place in my heart and like how he's treated in current day.

6:42: THERE WILL BE BLOOD!!! SHED!!!

As much as I see the reasoning, I totally agree on you that he just shouldn’t be a separate character in general. I get the Godzilla in 1998 isn’t the best but he is still a Godzilla incarnation. But what really grinds my gears is that this is also applied to the animated show even though they did everything right with this Godzilla! I have to give credit to the film because of the design because it is still objectively a awesome Godzilla design But because of the fan base and toho not Godzilla 1998 and the successful show based on it will just be seen as a different monster instead of Godzillas which just sucks because they are honestly the closet looking Godzillas, of course the others are equally awesome as well like final wars, 2000, monsterverse, minus one, etc etc And they know technically the two are still Godzillas and legally are, the fact still has a stick up their asses and still refuse to call these Godzilla just seems so childish to me :/

I got into Godzilla because of this film was the very my introduction to the Godzilla character and after that was godzilla final wars godzilla vs space godzilla and godzilla 2014 but this will always be my favorite Godzilla and godzilla movie

Zilla saved itself by changing its own name, from "Absolutely shit, there's no way this is Godzilla" to "Oh big G has a fish addicted cousin? Cool!"

I appreciated the detail about Zilla in the prequel to the netlfix Godzilla Anime Series being that the Zillas gave humanity the hardest time. A single unkillable huge Kaiju is one thing, but hundreds of killable Zillas (infant and adult) is quite another. I would love to see a Monsterverse version of Zilla.

Love for the underdogs

Remarkable first video, I'm excited for the next, whenever it comes out. I do love Zilla, he's just so.. Quirky in a way that's hard to describe.

Very good video, just try to get a hang of your audio balancing. At some points things got a lot louder than they needed to be and I struggled to find a middle ground where your voice was at a good volume but the secondary volume (everything other than your voice) was too loud. Other than that I didn't have many problems with it.

Wonderful video! Can't believe this was your first just because of how much effort was put in and the quality. Minus the blast that destroyed my eardrums, everything was wonderfully said and mixed audio wise and the whole narrative was well put. Thanks for making me like Zilla!

Making Zilla a separate monster is what did it. Zilla was never a bad monster or in a bad film, but it was never Godzilla. Love it hate it Final Wars cemented Zilla as a separate character (i know was also a throw away line in one of the 2000 Mechagodzilla movies)

It's always cool to see projects and media that are hated intensely get love and a fix by fans or even the official company that owns it, transforming it into a much better thing

Welcome to RU-vid, great vid!

Really great video, especially for your first! I wouldn’t have guessed that! I would recommend working on your audio balancing, your voice varies in volume at points. Beyond that though great job!

Amazing video. I grew up with Zilla and grew to understand the hatred but still love that film and series Also your avatar is adorable i love it

Great video, hope to see more from you in the future

Well done on the video! I love zilla and grew up with him. I think many others like me are nostalgic. I think he has been getting more popular in recent years because kids who grew up with him have more of a voice now due to the internet. Similar to the starwars prequels

I know this is a hot take but Zilla works better as a Godzilla then most modern Godzillas work as a Godzilla. How many more times do we need to see a slow, tail dragging diabetic/fat but somehow Invincible Godzilla? Minus one and legendary Godzilla proves that ppl actually like a more active Godzilla, and the love of the animated series Godzilla proves that the TriStar Godzilla works well as a Godzilla. It's just that the people who made the 1998 movie didn't like Godzilla, so it's not the fault of the design of the monster it's the director of the film fault for making this integration of Godzilla pathetic. Instead of making it one of the coolest Godzillas to Ever Grace Cinema.

Excellent first video. We will watch your career with great interest

Great first video, I await to see what else you do

Zilla is one of my favs all because of the animated series by the way CryoSkull great video I hope you make more.😊

I was only 6 when G98 came out, so I never saw the movie. However, I was *just* the right age to catch the TV series, and I loved it so much my Dad got me a shirt from the movie and a Zilla action figure. Very happy memories. It made me sad to learn, several years later, that a lot of people seemed to hate the character. This actually turned me off of the older Godzilla movies for a long time, until Pacific Rim sent me on a several year long kaiju movie binge. It makes me very happy to see the community gradually warming up to Zilla these days. 😊

good watch, hope to see more of you in the future.

I got to say for a first video this is genuinely amazing you have potential keep it up buddy

Interesting video. Keep 'em coming.

Zilla is a great looking monster with untapped potential. I love how they are portrayed in the 'Godzilla Gets A RU-vid Award' series. I think that fan re-interpretation has played a big part in shifting Zilla over to a well liked Monster.

Very informative. I look forward to your next video.

Wow this really is your first video and I think it’s great. I was always a 98 Zilla fan and I loved the animated series. I like how in the movie he showed personality, intelligence and cunning! He wasn’t just some idiotic bumbling monster hell bent on destroying everything around him. He actually had a purpose for choosing the island of Manhattan and wasn’t just there just because… it was there. I really wished they tried to continue with him and say that people were confused and called him Godzilla because of he was a giant lizard that reminded of of the Japanese Kaiju.

Wow first video great work

Growing up Godzilla TAS was one of my favorite series. And I think it still holds up pretty well. Since then I got into the whole Godzilla lore and though Zilla is a vastly different character than the big G, I believe there is a place for him in the canon. I'd love to see a few original monsters from the series to pop up in the canon even if only as background characters. It'd be awesome to see a C-Rex on the big screen. (Though I still keep up the hope to one day see a modern Godzooky...) Also, I'd like to say this was a fantastic first video, man, keep it up!

When made completely distinct and separate from Godzilla then Zilla is a pretty good stand alone kaiju with a solid 6 to 8 out of 10 movie, it varies in different parts. Some annoying acting and a little weird in some of it but over all it's not terrible.

Yo, you’re underrated goated

Great video 💪💪

Zilla 98 is the first Godzilla movie I saw. I never saw the show. I like him. He's a nice take on it.

This is a good video great job

(Congrats on your first video! It’s very solid!) As someone who first got into Godzilla via the animated series, I had no idea there even was a movie prior to it until _years_ later, much less how hated he was or how most treated Zilla as a joke. I just really enjoyed the Godzilla that was like a giant puppy and his relationship with the humans. It makes me happy to hear how fans’ opinion of him has changed and I hope we’ll get to see him again in the future ^-^

Great first video !!

I hope Patrick Tatopolis has been following all this. The Godzilla he created has been truly redeemed and accepted not only as a version of godzilla but as somethimg that stands on its own along side godzilla.

This video should be called "Zilla: a Great Redemption Arc"

If I could I would canonized Zilla as subspecies of Godzilla with their ancestors being the Godzillasauras. Godzilla is the Bulky Powerhouse while Zilla is Speed. Zilla would retain the digging aspect and would set their up with pitfall traps.

This was my first Godzilla movie that I watched as a kid a ton because my grandma had the vhs of it. I personally have a lot of nostalgia for this movie despite the flawed cgi and everything but as someone who absolutely loves animals and dinosaurs, I honestly think his design is so cool. It's just so sleek and agilic and speaking of agility I like how Zillas behavior is very reminiscent and realistic to how reptiles actually behave in the wild, they don't really try to fight like people think. It's just a nice change of pace from an oversized and overpowered legend of a beast that just always puts up one hell of a fight (just to clarify I like Godzilla, but it is nice to have versions of the character that try to mix up the mold a bit)

Excellent video man. You deserve a sub

Good job on your first video 👍👍👍

Very nice video for your first

Really liked your video man I'd love a video on destroya

I’ll agree, but I’ll still think of it as a Godzilla

Thank you for this video, ever since I read rulers of the earth, I loved how they introduced him and how he earned the right to become a Toho kaiju and live on the jsland, and is no longer a punching bag. I do believe he is his own character, a character that I feel belongs in the Dino category of kaiju, that's your Anguirus, Baragon, Gorosaurus, Rodan, Varan, and Tintanosaurus.

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE ZILLA He(They?) got me into the godzilla franchise :D

1998 was my first godzilla movie and for the longest time he was my favorite godzilla bc I thought the others looked too cartooney😂

I never hated this version of Godzilla. In fact the animated series of it is still one of my faves. I also think it is funny that the first Legendary Godzilla has a very similar story points as the Tristar, but no mentions it.

Godzilla 1998 introduced me to the Godzilla universe so it will always have a place in my heart.