Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

There haven't been many threads about the series' human characters (the last one I saw was from '08), so I figured I'd open up a general discussion about them. You can tell us about your favourites, least favourites, all others in between. Who's overrated or underrated?

I've been thinking of making a list of my favourites, so I'll do a quick one. I'll admit that some of these come down to the merits of their actors, not the characters themselves, but I won't make fine distinctions right now.

Dr. Serizawa and Dr. Yamane
Steve Martin
Sakurai, Furue, and Tako
Glenn and Fuji
Yoshimura
Saeko
Katagiri
Akane Yashiro
Captain Gordon
Joe Brody, Admiral Stenz, and Dr. Serizawa

I haven't listed any humanoid aliens (e.g. the Xiliens), but they're welcome in this thread, too.

Oh, many favorite

- Everyone talks about Dr. Serizawa, but I'd like to point out that Emiko is actually the main character in Godzilla '54, and sets the tone for the Godzilla franchise having much better female roles than most.
- I love Bulldog in Mothra. Frankie Sakai is a comedic actor, and very funny in this, but he's also completely believable as a competent hero.
- Fuji and Glenn, naturally.
- I think of the great ensemble casts, the ones where it's hard to think of the character on their own because the characters are just so much a group. This is common to Fukuda's films: Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster, and Son of Godzilla. I think I want to add Mothra vs. Godzilla to this, too. They're not as eccentric as those others, but they work together beautifully,

... those are just the normal humans, though. The Shobijin (as played by The Peanuts), The Controller of Planet X and Mrs. Namikawa are all wonderful in their own ways.

I'm not sure about least favorites. Most of them are just guilty of criminal blandness. A character like Yuki in Spacegodzilla stands out because of the many bland characters around him.

Besides Emmy, there aren't many central characters I actively dislike. Miki is frustrating in Destoroyah, Rokuro is annoying, and everyone in Godzilla vs. Mothra should have been squished. I'm sure I could think of a few others, but those are the standouts to me.

There are too many showa characters I like, but my favorite is probably the interpol Agent Nanbara from G vs MG and Yoshimura the thief from Godzilla vs the Sea Monster. Professor Hayashida, Professor Shiragami, The Saradian Agent, Lt Goro Gondo and Colonel Kuroki, and Android M-11 (I'm counting him even though he's a robot) are the only Heisei characters I really like. The rest become cardboard stock characters. In the millenium series I like most of the cast of G2k, Admiral Tachibana and the director of BS Digital Q from GMK and Don Frye from GFW.

Oh, geez, there are so many! One of the things I like about the Godzilla series and what's kept me a fan for so long is how many likeable and interesting characters it has. ^_^ I'll need to sit and think about it.

EDIT:

Okay, a shortlist:

FAVORITE HEROES

Emiko Yamane and Daisuke Serizawa (G'54)
The Shobijin (MvG, GTTHM, Ebirah)
Sakai, Yoka, Nakamura, and Arota (MvG)
Shindo, Naoko, and Princess Salno (GTTHM)
Glenn and Tetsuo Teri (GvMZ)
Yoshimura (Ebirah)
Agent Nanbara (GvMG'74)
Kuroki and Gondo (GvB)
Miki Saeguesa (GvMG'93)
Akane Yashiro (GxMG'02)
Gordon (GFW)
Joe Brody, Ishiro Serizawa, and Admiral Stenz (G'14)

FAVORITE VILLAINS

Kumayama and Torahata (MvG)
Malmess and the Assassins (GTTHM)
The Controller and Miss Namikawa (GvMZ)
Furukawa (SoG) - One of my absolute favorites, because while he's the human antagonist he isn't evil or even all that villainous.
Kuronuma (GvMG'74)
Dr. Mafune (ToMG)
Agent SSS9 (GvB)