Godzilla 1998 renamed Zilla? Can we have an answer?

[Legion]

So I keep hearing (usually from brainless kids who believe everything they read on Wikizilla) that Toho legally changed the 1998 Godzilla's name to Zilla.

What the hell is up with this? I've believed for years that "Godzilla 1998" and "Zilla" are two separate monsters and regardless of what certain people think, the Tristar monster is called Godzilla, period. But there are so many people who believe otherwise that it's starting to get ridiculous.

What's the story here?

[Benjamin Haines]

The 1998 movie is called Godzilla. The monster in the movie is called Godzilla too. The monster was featured in the television cartoon Godzilla: The Series, still called Godzilla.

The monster later appeared alongside the real Godzilla in Godzilla: Final Wars, this time with the trademarked name of Zilla, as shown in the end credits. The name change reflected the popular and long-held notion that the monster was not, in fact, Godzilla.

Since then, the monster has appeared in the Godzilla: Rulers of Earth comic book from IDW, still called Zilla.

It's just a giant lizard character named Zilla. It used to be named Godzilla. Now its name is Zilla.

The monster in the 1998 movie is still called Godzilla, not Zilla, just as the butchered Led Zeppelin recording that plays over the end credits is rapped by a performer called Puff Daddy, not Diddy. Sometimes names change but that doesn't mean the past is altered.

[XvGojira]

[ILL GREEN]

In Final Wars he was just Zilla because the real Godzilla was present, but like it or not he is Godzilla.

Though because of Final Wars, I think the name is officially Zilla since it has its own logo now that says Zilla with its likeness.

[XvGojira]

I still like to think of him as a Godzilla though. He's to Godzlla as George Lazenby is to Bond or Jackie Early Haley is to Freddy Krueger.

[DannyBeane]

I will always have a special hatred for Godzilla 98 in my heart. However over the past year I've been seeing a lot of fan artwork reimagining him as spikier, tougher, and more badass than what we got in the movie. If GINO is rebranded as Zilla, then I can live with that. He's the "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" black sheep cousin of the real Godzilla and I am ok with that. I don't think I would even mind if he showed up in a Japanese Godzilla film with a more serious role than a punching bag even.

[MekaGojira3k]

I just call it GINO or Godzilla 98'/the 1998 Godzilla. I just never got on board with the Zilla thing...no matter how official it is nowadays.

[jellydonut25]

[Hybrid Gojira]

+1.

GINO. Always GINO.

[daikaijusaurus]

[ILL GREEN]

Shouldn't it be GINA? It was female.

[daikaijusaurus]

[jellydonut25]

It was a male. It's SPECIFICALLY stated in the movie to be a male. Also, the O in GINO has nothing to do with sex.

[klen7]

[jellydonut25]

[H-Man]

"And it's 'Gojira', you moron!"

[MouthForWar]

[H-Man]

[Jorzilla]

GINO in my book. I am slightly irked that the Zilla nomenclature has kind of legitimized him in Toho canon. You'll see a lot more of the younger crowd say things along the line of (paraphrasing multiple views): "The 1998 Godzilla movie is terrible as a Godzilla film, but as a ZILLA film it's pretty enjoyable."

I mean I get that if it was your first Godzilla movie it's going to have some nostalgic factor. That being said, the name "Zilla" COMPLETELY washes over the sheer amount of disappointment and missed opportunity this film encapsulates. I mean, compared to Star Wars Episode 1, Godzilla 1998 is more soul crushing in terms of impact to a Fandom.

Now it's just, "Zilla is a pretty cool design guys, I love how fast and agile he is!"

...no he's not, he f**king sucks and he will always be Godzilla In Name Only in my book. That's the best way I can manifest my disdain for this character.

[tbeasley]

[MouthForWar]

But they AREN'T copyrighted as two different characters. Toho cancelled the 1998 copyright icons in 2005, and put a new one ("Zilla") into effect. See the links I posted to the Copyright Office website.

Matt Frank, who helped get the licensing for IDW said that Toho considers all iterations of the creature to be Zilla, the only distinction being the title of the 1998 film.

[angilas]

[MouthForWar]

[mbozzo]

The creature that attacked New York in 1998 was mistaken called Godzilla by us American. The second creature was also called by that name. He acted more like the real Godzilla than his parent did. It wasn't until the real Godzilla came back that the creature was renamed Zilla, and that name stick.

P.S. The 2014 creature has more right to the Godzilla name than the 1998 creature did.

[The Great MM]

Any fan that actually believes Toho doesn't consider the 1998 movie and its creature "Godzilla" is abso-damn-lutely delusional.