Godzilla

Godzilla is a Japanese media franchise centered on a giant prehistoric monster created by Toho Studios and first appearing in the 1954 film Godzilla, directed by Ishiro Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, in which the creature is awakened and mutated by nuclear weapons testing, a premise widely read as a direct response to Japan's experience of the atomic bombings and of the Lucky Dragon 5 hydrogen bomb testing incident earlier that year. Toho has produced more than thirty Godzilla films across several distinct continuities since 1954, alongside an American produced film series beginning in 1998 and continuing through Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse films, which have paired Godzilla with other giant monsters including King Kong, and the franchise as a whole is credited with founding the kaiju, or giant monster, genre in Japanese film. Godzilla's roar and silhouette are among the most recognized images in monster movie history, the character has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the franchise has produced extensive television, comic book, video game and toy adaptations across seven decades.