Although most people are Just Here for Godzilla when watching these films, that doesn't mean that the series has been devoid of interesting human characters.
To return to the main character index, go here. For the characters from the 2014 movie, go here. For the characters from Shin Godzilla, go here. For the characters from Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, go here.
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Showa Series
Emiko Yamane
Emiko Yamane
Top: Godzilla (1954) Bottom: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Played By: Momoko Kōchi
The main character and the true protagonist of the first film, Emiko is a simple Japanese woman who works as a nurse until she was involved with the situation with Godzilla. She is engaged to Daisuke Serizawa, a Shell-Shocked Veteran scientist, but she loves her boyfriend Hideo Ogata. Despite being asked to keep Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer project a secret, she is forced to reveals its secrets after Godzilla destoys Tokyo.
In 1995, Emiko lives a quiet life with her adopted brother's childen, until Kensaku Ijuin reveals his invention, the micro-oxygen having similar properties as her posthumous husband's Oxygen Destroyer.
- Age-Gap Romance: Ogata and Daisuke were the same age, and they were in their late 20s-early 30s while she was in her early 20s.
- Arranged Marriage: She is engaged to Daisuke, but she loves Ogata. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah reveals that she calls herself Serizawa's wife, thus breaking it off with Ogata.
- Decoy Protagonist: Ogata isn't the protagonist of the first film. She is.
- Demoted to Extra: Kind of. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters! (1956), her role is downplayed whereas in the original film, she's the reason why Godzilla is dead. In context, the original film has her devastated by the destruction of Tokyo and being surrounded by orphans that she went out of her way to reveal the Oxygen Destroyer. And Serizawa, by his own admission, chose to use it after seeing the destruction Godzilla caused. The recut downplayed this by having Ogata and Emiko tell Martin of the Oxygen Destroyer, and Ogata and Serizawa did most of the talking. However, the film still follows her for most of the major scenes she features in and Martin's biggest contribution to the finale still hinged on convincing her to spur Serizawa into action.
- Happily Married: Averted. She did not marry Ogata after the events of the original film. Considering her Survivor Guilt, it would wipe away any flames she had with him, and calls herself Serizawa's wife.
- It's All My Fault: She firmly believes it's her fault that Serizawa gave his life to kill Godzilla. Her nightmare supports this in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah.
- The Protagonist: She's actually the central main character, not Ogata. Serizawa's The Hero. Subverted in King of the Monsters, where she splits this role with Steve Martin with the film following both of them relatively evenly. She's still the catalyst for the finale, with it hinging on Martin convincing her to spur Serizawa into action.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She may be the protagonist of the original film, but her role is significantly smaller than Serizawa, who is The Hero, but plays a bigger role than her father and Ogata. Godzilla's defeat wasn't possible if it weren't for her.
- What the Hell, Hero?: At both the giving and receiving end:
- When Godzilla has destroyed most of Tokyo, she pities Shinkichi for having to suffer from having to survive another attack, but she stares at her father as if she's asking "Is the lives of millions worth of studying Godzilla?"
- When both her and Ogata went to Serizawa's house to ask him to use the Oxygen Destroyer, he doesn't say it, but the look he shoots at her speaks "Why did you tell him!?". Emiko is still remorseful for it because she feels guilty for betraying his trust.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: She's a natural Japanese woman, even in her old age.
Dr. Serizawa
Doctor Daisuke Serizawa
Played By: Akihiko Hirata
Daisuke Serizawa is the character in Godzilla (1954) who is the inventor of the Oxygen Destroyer, a powerful weapon that can completely disintegrate any living thing in a selected body of water. Initially hesitant to reveal its existence to his bride-to-be or any of his colleagues, the grim destruction of Tokyo by Godzilla convinces him to use the device just this once. To this day, Dr. Serizawa remains the only character in the Godzilla franchise to single-handedly kill any iteration of Godzilla.
A similar and similarly named character called Ishiro Serizawa appears in Godzilla (2014) as a scientist working for MONARCH, the organization set up to hide the existence of Godzilla from the world. Tropes about him can go on the page for Godzilla (2014).
- Anti-Hero: Type I.
- Arranged Marriage: To Emiko. It doesn't end well.
- Badass Bookworm: Despite staying in his laboratory for weeks on end, he still manages to bloody and incapacitate naval man Ogata fairly quickly. Justified as he used to be a soldier in the Japanese Imperial Army.
- Badass Labcoat: Wears one.
- Badass Normal: A normal human who nevertheless survived his military service (albeit with injuries) and created the weapon that took down Godzilla.
- Both Sides Have a Point: He adamantly refuses to use the Oxygen Destroyer on the grounds that it's a destructive weapon in its current form, which is the opposite of his intentions for it. Ogata tells him Godzilla is their pressing issue as he had already razed Tokyo to the ground, and the only reason they know about the Oxygen Destroyer is because Emiko finds herself surrounded by children that lost their parents. The narrative actually supports both of their points, and it hinges on Serizawa's choices: If Serizawa reveals his Oxygen Destroyer, then governments all over the world will try to commission him to create another, like Albert Einstein did when he revealed how the creation of the atomic bomb was possible. If he does nothing, then Godzilla would appear again and destroy another city, and their country would be driven to extinction. Though he chooses to use the Oxygen Destroyer, he decides to burn all of his notes so its secrets won't be revealed.
- Driven to Suicide: Cuts his oxygen line and stays down with Godzilla after setting off the Oxygen Destroyer.
- Eyepatch of Power: Lost his eye in the Pacific War.
- The Hero: He's the closest thing that Gojira/King of the Monsters has to one.
- The Hero Dies: As not above, he's the closest that the original film had to a hero. And as not below, Serizawa doesn't live to be a character in any of the sequels.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Stays below, even when faced with Godzilla, to make sure the monster dies and that he can't be coerced into revealing the secrets of the Oxygen Destroyer.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Before his aforementioned Heroic Sacrifice, he tells his fiancee to be happy with the man she really loves.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- His reaction to his own creation, the Oxygen Destroyer. He's horrified that all he's been able to produce is a weapon.
- There's also his injuring Ogata during their fight over using the weapon to destroy Godzilla, when he realizes how Emiko feels about Ogata.
- Odd Friendship: His friendship with Steve Martin in King of the Monsters. Daisuke hates reporters and is a recluse to keep prying eyes from his work. Steve Martin is a reporter. They're apparently old college friends and one of the few times Serizawa is happy and calm is when they share a conversation and plan to meet for dinner.
- Posthumous Character: Three times in all three series. In Godzilla Raids Again, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, and Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.
- Properly Paranoid: His fears of what the Oxygen Destroyer could cause turned out to be very well founded: his single usage of it created Destroyah, a monster far worse the original Godzilla it was used to kill.
- Reluctant Mad Scientist: Though not necessarily "mad", Serizawa reluctantly decided to use the Oxygen Destroyer after seeing the destruction Godzilla caused. Though he intends to use the Oxygen Destroyer once, his heroic sacrifice is foreshadowed in an earlier scene when he clearly states that he'd burn his notes at the event of his death.
- Rule of Symbolism:
- His relationship with Emiko is dishonest (on her part), and he knows this. He then shows her his dark secret of his own, showing that he has nothing to hide to someone he is engaged to. Emiko cheats on him for Hideo Ogata, and the two want to marry each other, and when he sees Ogata in his house, he fully expects for them to talk about breaking off the engagement and let them marry.
- His reluctance to use the Oxygen Destroyer is its own can of worms when he only intends to use it for beneficial reasons, and has no intention of using it as a weapon. Ogata coming to his house with Ogata to ask him to use it against Godzilla already proved his point, since he does not want another arms race on his hands. Since Godzilla is a serious issue, he reluctantly does so, but in his own terms, and keeps his own secrets to the grave with him.
- Scientist vs. Soldier: He is the "scientist" in question in the dillemma of the Oxygen Destroyer. He knows perfectly well that if he makes it known to the world that it exists, the governments will stop at nothing to make him manufacture it as a weapon of mass destruction. When the original Godzilla Threshold is crossed, Serizawa makes sure that the Oxygen Destroyer will be used once and only once by destroying all of his research and dying alongside Godzilla.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: A badly traumatized WWII veteran. He can't even be happy around his own fiancée.
- The Stoic: Has a severe lack of affect, and displays emotion a grand total of once.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He was fully aware the dangers the Oxygen Destroyer would have if it landed on anyone's hands (or in KOTM, wrong hands) and burned his notes. As the Oxygen Destroyer kills Godzilla, it simultaneously mutated Precambrian lifeforms in the ocean, and mutates them into Destoroyah well in 41 years after his death in the Heisei continuity.
- Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Oxygen Destroyer. Serizawa is actually horrified by it.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Shares this trope with Godzilla in the first film. However, he literally is a
Woobie, destroyer of worlds, unlike Godzilla. Shell-Shocked Veteran? Check. Accidentally created a weapon? Check. Unknowingly created a monster born from it? Double check. He really doesn't want to use the Oxygen Destroyer as a weapon, but circumstances forced him to use it on Godzilla after the destruction he caused. He then pulled a Heroic Sacrifice so he can let Emiko be happy with Ogata. - Younger Than They Look: Played by then 26 year old Akihiko Hirata. Given that World War II ended in 1945, this would have implied that he was at least 17 years old when he was a soldier. Being that young while in the warzone makes a lot of sense for being shell-shocked as he is.
Dr. Yamane
Doctor Kyohei Yamane
Played By: Takashi Shimura
An eminent Japanese paleontologist, Yamane led an investigation into the mysterious devastation of the village of Oto Island, leading him and his team to discover a previously unknown creature responsible for the damage — Godzilla.
- Happily Adopted: It is implied in the original (and outright stated in Vs. Destroyoah) that Yamane adopted Shinkichi after the death of his family.
- Nuclear Weapons Taboo: He doesn't mince words when he makes it clear Godzilla is the direct byproduct of nuclear bomb testing, and that if such tests continue then another Godzilla is sure to appear. He likewise places the blame on such bomb testing for also unleashing Anguirus in Godzilla Raids Again.
- Posthumous Character: In Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, he passed away some years ago and is survived by his daughter Emiko, and his grandson and granddaughter through Shinkichi.
- Save the Villain: Yamane does not want Godzilla to be killed because he survived the H-Bomb testing in the Pacific. As mentioned above, Yamane wants to study Godzilla because he's a paleontologist and because studying him could reveal medical secrets on how to survive radiation. However, he ends up having to agree to kill Godzilla after what he did to Tokyo.
Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Played By: Raymond Burr
An American reporter character added to the English-language recut of the first film, he provides exposition on the events surrounding Godzilla's first rampage. He is also a published author in the English-language recut of Godzilla (1984) and the novel Godzilla Returns (1996), having written Cairo Via Tokyo in the former continuity and This is Tokyo in the latter, both based on the events of 1954.
- Audience Surrogate: Serves as this by being there for Godzilla's attacks and providing exposition.
- Canon Immigrant: Various media such as books, comics, and videogames placed him into the continuity of the original film, having been witness to the 1954 attack.
- Cultural Translation: He was added to the American edition of Godzilla: King of the Monsters and, later, Godzilla 1985.
- Face Death with Dignity: Seeing Godzilla just across the street from him, knowing he can't escape and is almost certainly going to die, Steve still remains professional up until the building collapses on him. (Thankfully, he survives.)"This is it, George. Steve Martin, signing off from Tokyo, Japan."CRASH
- Intrepid Reporter: Travels to Odo Island, despite knowing all ships heading that way have been destroyed, and stays in Tokyo even after Godzilla is known to be heading there. He is likely the inspiration for many similar characters in sequent Toho films.
- Last-Name Basis: Because another Steve Martin was at the height of his popularity at the time, the English cut of The Return of Godzilla only ever refers to him as "Mr. Martin".
- Mighty Whitey: Completely and, especially for the time, refreshingly averted. While he has his role to play and helped to push events along so Godzilla could be stopped, he plays a supporting role to the Japanese cast and isn't portrayed as more capable.
- Mythology Gag: In the novel continuity, Stephen "Steve" Martin was a witness to the events of 1954; his book, This is Tokyo, was made into a 1956 docudrama titled Godzilla, King of the Monsters, in which Raymond Burr portrayed Martin. In the present day, when supporting character Nick Gordon reads a few lines of the book aloud, they're from Martin's narration in the real-life film.
- Never Trust a Trailer: A subdued example. The American ads for The Return of Godzilla say that he helped save the world from Godzilla in King of the Monsters. All he really did was report on said saving of the world, but he did convince Emiko Yamane to go to Daisuke Serizawa and get him to use the one thing that could stop Godzilla.
- Odd Friendship: Dr. Serizawa is remarked as being a recluse who hates reporters. Martin is, himself, a reporter. They're old friends.
- Pinball Protagonist: Steve moves around a lot during the story (conveniently letting him witness every major event), but isn't really making any decisions, instead just offering commentary on what happens and what other people decide to do.
- Posthumous Character: In the novel continuity of Marc Cerasini, Martin is noted as having died in 1994 (a year after the death of his actor Raymond Burr).
- Supporting Protagonist: In King of the Monsters. In general, the audience follows him around, gets events from his point of view, and hears his narration, but he has very little impact on what actually happens in the story.
- Survivor's Guilt: At the end of King of the Monsters, even as he notes the world can live again in peace with Godzilla dead, he grievingly laments the loss of a great man in the form of his friend Dr. Serizawa giving his life. Come The Return of Godzilla 30 years later, and it's clear he's still haunted by what happened.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Despite experiencing firsthand Godzilla's original rampage and barely surviving, Steve Martin's final words witnessing Godzilla getting trapped in 1985 are ones of pity.
- Two First Names: Both his first and last names are common first names.
Yoshio Tako
Advertising Director Yoshio Tako
Played By: Ichiro Arishima
An eccentric, screwball publicity man working for Pacific Pharmaceuticals. After ratings for the sponsored TTV science documentary show dwindle from competition by QTV, he sends Sakurai and Furue to Faro Island to start filming a new series about a gigantic demon god named King Kong supposedly living there. Tako receives more than he bargained for when the duo brings the massive ape back to Japan in the flesh.
- Anti-Villain: Lets loose a destructive, but mostly confused creature in Japan to give his pharmaceutical company's number one product more publicity. Only after Kong swims home does he give up.
- Bumbling Sidekick: Obayashi, his assistant.
- Chewing the Scenery: Especially during the office scenes, where he shreds and tosses newspapers in frustration and later celebration.
- Comical Overreacting: To all of Godzilla's appearances in the media, even shouting at the TV to shut up before switching it off.
- Executive Meddling: He's the in-universe executive. Because of him, the events of King Kong vs. Godzilla happens because he wanted to increase his televison network's ratings, which undoubtedly caused a lot of destruction by both titular monsters. It's at the end of the film he realizes it's not worth the ratings he was going for.
- Expy: He's essentially a Denser and Wackier version of Carl Denham from King Kong (1933). Both characters somehow think it's a good idea to bring a giant gorilla into a city full of innocent and unsuspecting people as a publicity stunt.
- Fainting: Of the Girly Man variety when the Coast Guard tells him he'll be responsible for the damage Kong causes ashore.
- Incoming Ham: BANZAAAIIII!!!
- Large Ham: Given a very ecstatic performance by Ichiro Arishima.
Shinzo Mafune
Doctor Shinzo Mafune
Played By: Akihiko Hirata
The Mad Scientist and secondary antagonist of Terror of Mechagodzilla. He discovered Titanosaurus an undisclosed amount of time before the events first Godzilla film and built a machine capable of controlling it. However, he was considered a laughingstock by the scientific community and fired for a crackpot theory. In the film proper, Mafune has joined forces with the Black Hole Aliens/Simeons to get revenge on Japan.
- Deal with the Devil: He joined the Black Hole Aliens to get his revenge on Japan, and to save his daughter's life. In exchange he offered control of his discovery, Titanosaurus. The deal of course backfires—one of the alien leaders later uses him as a Human Shield and his daughter's new life is little more than the aliens' brainwashed puppet.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: Mafune thought that Mugal was loyal to him. He was dead wrong.
- Fatal Flaw: Wrath. Mafune's insane plan to use Titanosaurus as a weapon is driven by his need for Revenge against Japan. The plan of course ends with him dead, Titanosaurus destroyed and his daughter's death.
- The Heavy: Mafune works for the aliens in question, and drives much of the plot of Terror of MechaGodzilla, but he's not actually the main antagonist.
- Les Collaborateurs: Willingly assisted the Simians’ invasion of Earth simply to satiate his revenge against human society for ostracizing him, with Mugal promising a lofty position in Earth’s “improved” government to sweeten the deal. Considering how eager they were to use Mafune as a Human Shield, it’s more likely they were planning to pay him back with a laser blast to the back of the head.
- Evil Genius: He didn't start this way, but is thoroughly hateful by the events of Terror. It's hard to blame him.
- They Called Me Mad!: Every other line by this man is about how the humans he worked for abandoned him.
- Mad Scientist: Invented a machine capable of controlling a kaiju, and gave up everything to make it work.
- Tragic Villain: Mafune gave up everything, his marriage, his daughter, his wife, in order to prove his discovery of Titanosaurus was right. The irony is his humiliating rejection took place right after the events of the first Godzilla—he would have been fine had he revealed Titanosaurus to the world a few years later.
Heisei Series
Goro Gondo
Colonel Goro Gondo
Played By: Toru Minegishi
A colonel in the JSDF and one of the leaders of the Defend Against Godzilla unit. He is a supporting character in Godzilla vs. Biollante, and is later referenced in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Admits that he hopes Godzilla will appear since a lot of money was spent in preparing for his return. Averted in that he doesn't mind the personal risk and seemingly dies with a smile.
- The Big Guy: Paired up with Kirishima, he was noticeable bigger than him, and Kirishima was a scientist, Gondo was in the military.
- Bond One-Liner: After shooting Godzilla right in the mouth with the Anti-Nuclear-Energy-Bacteria: "All this intravenous stuff is no good for you...stick to smoking." Never mind he was facing a VERY pissed off Godzilla. Bad ass!
- Plucky Comic Relief: Not really plucky, quite bad ass actually, but he does inject the film with some humor.
Miki Saegusa
Miki Saegusa
Played By: Megumi Odaka
A psychic who has ties with Godzilla. With the exception of Godzilla 1985, she has been in every Heisei film and thus the longest-running human character in the franchise.
- All There in the Manual: Some supplementary material reveals her parents were killed by Godzilla in the first Heisei film.
- Ascended Extra: Had a small but memorable role in Godzilla vs. Biollante. Later returns for every subsequent film and is a major character in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah.
- Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: In Godzilla vs. Biollante, Miki attempts to fend Godzilla off with her psychic powers and it even kinda works for a few moments... but ultimately the effort is too much and she faints which would have killed her had she kept on going.
- Boyish Short Hair: In Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla. In earlier and later films, she wears her hair longer.
- Canon Immigrant: So far, she's the only canonical human Godzilla character to appear in the official IDW Godzilla comics.
- A Day in the Limelight: Miki gets an expanded role in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla, where her psychic powers are on greatest display and using them to control Godzilla is a main subplot. She also gets a romance with Shinjo, the male lead.
- Girliness Upgrade: In Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla, Miki acts and dresses the most feminine of all her appearances in the Heisei series. She seems to have a new outfit every scene (and not just the uniforms she wears in vs. Mechagodzilla or vs. Destoroyah) and has a romance with Shinjo.
- Psychic Powers: Her psychic abilities are as accepted as Kaiju in the Heisei Universe. Her powers are generally reading the moods of monsters and occasionally humans and locating monsters, though she has used it to try to dissuade Godzilla from attacking (it backfires) and participating in Project T. She even once levitated a table!
- Sympathy for the Devil: Seems to have a fascination with Godzilla and other monsters. She always hopes for a nonviolent way to stop Godzilla and weeps when he finally melts down and dies.
- Took a Level in Badass: In Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla, Miki's powers (which up to this point have mostly been telepathy-related) suddenly get boosted to full-on telekinesis, lifting a table and opening a stuck hatch. Later inverted in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, where it's pointed out that Miki's powers are starting to fade with age.
Emi Kano
Emi Kano
Played By: Anna Nakagawa
One of the Futurians in Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah, Emi switches sides, eventually piloting Mecha-Ghidorah against Godzilla. She's a descendent of Kenichiro Terasawa, the writer who theorized on Godzilla's origins.
- Action Girl: Puts up a decent fight against M-11 and later flies Mecha-Ghidorah against Godzilla himself. That probably counts.
- But Not Too Foreign: Half-Japanese.
- Death by Adaptation: In the manga adaptation of the film, Emi is killed by Godzilla after dropping him into the ocean in the climax.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: During the raid on the Futurians.
- High-Heel–Face Turn: Sides with the heroes after realizing what the other Futurians are up to.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Realises how bad her friends are when King Ghidorah shows up.
- Time Travel: Makes six trips — from the 23rd century to the 20th (with the other Futurians), from the 1990s to Lagos Island in the 1940s, a return from the 1940s to the 1990s, then back to the 23rd century to get help against Godzilla, a second trip to the 20th century (this time in Mecha-King Ghidorah) and a final trip back to her own time after sending Godzilla to the bottom of the sea.
- Took a Level in Badass: Is initially little more than a particularly stereotypical example of a female villain, complete with High-Heel–Face Turn. Then she returns in command of Mecha-King Ghidorah, and is able to fight Godzilla to a draw.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She alone is more or less responsible for nearly everything that happens in the Heisei series. Not only did she knowingly create King Ghidorah, but she also inadvertently created Godzilla by moving the Godsillasaurus to the Bering Sea, where it would be mutated by the nuclear sub crash, leading to the events of The Return of Godzilla, which in itself led to the events of Godzilla vs. Biollante, whose titular monster would go onto being considered one of two possible causes behind SpaceGodzilla's birth. That being said, countless innocent lives can be traced back to her actions. The only developments her actions didn't influence were the emergence of Mothra, Battra, and Destoroyah.
- Though, her actions did have some benefits. The technology used to create Mecha-King Ghidorah would prove instrumental in providing Japan with considerable technological advancements, Mechagodzilla among them. And if she hadn't created Godzilla, Destoroyah would have been well on its way to exterminating all life on Earth.
Azusa Gojo
Azusa Gojo
Played By: Ryoko Sano
A biologist researcher at the Japanese National Life Sciences Institute at Kyoto, Azusa was part of an expedition that uncovered a giant egg on Adona Island. This egg turned out to be a young of Godzilla's species and the docile infant imprinted on her as his mother. Shouldering the responsability, Azusa cared for the young kaiju for some time whilst beginning to worry for his safety as G-Force involved him in their plans to lure the adult Godzilla into a trap.
- Clingy Child: When she has to give up the baby Godzilla to be adopted and turns to board an escape helicopter, the infant tugs on her dress. It results in both of them shedding tears as she says her final goodbye.
- Give Him a Normal Life: In a roundabout way. She gives up care of the baby Godzilla to the Heisei Godzilla so the baby can be with his own kind and protected.
- Motherly Scientist: When the baby Godzilla imprints on her, she steps up her role as his caretaker. She winds up in the middle of the final battle because she refused to let the terrified youngster be left alone.
- Parental Substitute: The unhatched egg listened to her voice and imprinted on her as his mother. Azusa accepted the role and cared for the newly hatched, future Godzilla Junior, for many months.
- Sympathy for the Devil: She has some sympathy for Godzilla and Rodan as living beings, even if she knows they are extremely dangerous.
Millennium Series
Kiriko Tsujimori
Kiriko Tsujimori
Played By: Misato Tanaka
The main character of Megaguirus, Kiriko is the Captain of a G-Graspers unit that fights Godzilla. She holds a grudge against the King of the Monsters for killing her Major.
- Ace Pilot: She somehow manages to wrestle the Griffon, a fairly big and bulky prototype VTOL, onto a Shibuya rooftop even after the controls have been rendered almost inoperable. Later, she pilots the same VTOL up high enough for a satellite tracking system to lock onto it, then dives back down and slams it into Godzilla in a kamikaze attack, only bailing out at the last second.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Kiriko's surname, Tsujimori, is romanized as "Tuzimori" on the back of her helmet, despite a computer screen in the film later reading "Tsujimori." That not even getting to the fact that the English subtitles on Sony's Blu-ray release of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus instead romanize her name as "Tujimori."
- Ship Tease: With Hajime Kudo.
Yuri Tachibana
Yuri Tachibana
Played By: Chiharu Niiyama
The protagonist Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. She is a tabloid news reporter who follows Godzilla during his rampage through Japan and battle with the Guardian Monsters.
- Going for the Big Scoop: As a reporter, she frequently pursues Godzilla, hoping to get the best story of him. Its safe to say that by the end of the film, she has become something of a celebrity thanks to her story.
- Intrepid Reporter: What she ends up by the end of her movie, though she starts off as a tabloid reporter thanks to the channel she works for.
Taizo Tachibana
Admiral Taizo Tachibana
Played By: Ryudo Uzaki
Yuri's father and military man from Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.
- Cool Old Guy: Pushing sixty and proud to go to the front lines and fight with Godzilla.
- "Fantastic Voyage" Plot: He swims a sub into Godzilla's mouth, gets swallowed, and fires a missile into a wound from Ghidorah from the inside.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: One of the few to consider the guardian monsters allies.
Akane Yashiro
Akane Yashiro
Played By: Yumiko Shaku
The pilot of the Millenium Era Mechagodzilla, Akane is one of the main protagonists of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla.
- Ace Pilot: She was able to (In a damage mech no less) force Godzilla into a stalemate.
- The Atoner: Believes she has to make up for her failure to defeat Godzilla on her first outing against him.
- Expy: Of Godzilla vs. Megaguirus's Kiriko Tsujimori, whose actress makes a cameo as a nurse rescued by Akane.
- The Scapegoat: After her initial attempt at defeating Godzilla fails, she is blamed for all of the military's losses and transferred to a desk job.
- Ship Tease: With project scientist and Mechagodzilla technician, Tokumitsu Yuhara.
- Took a Level in Badass: Seems to take one everytime Mechagodzilla III does.
- Worthy Opponent: She and Kiryu seem to view Godzilla as one. He may just reciprocate.
Captain Douglas Gordon
Captain Douglas Gordon
Played By: Don Frye
The non-mutant captain of the Gotengo, Gordon leads the remaining resistance against the Xiliens.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Manda learned the hard way that his crew respect his authority enough to risk getting fried near a volcano if it means killing a kaiju.
- Badass Boast: "There are two things you didn't know about Earth. One's me. And the other's Godzilla."
- Badass Normal: The most ass-kicking normal person in the movie.
- Big "SHUT UP!": Delivers one to his superior when she calls up to chastise him about almost sinking the Gotengo.
- Gratuitous English: Gordon's dialogue in Final Wars is always in English. Even if he's the only person in the conversation speaking it.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: NOTHING, not even court martials can stop him from doing his job.
- Would Hit a Girl: Would bitchslap her in fact, killing her.
Shinichi Ozaki
Shinichi Ozaki
Played By: Masahiro Matsuoka
The main character of Final Wars, Ozaki is a mutant who manages to escape Xilien mind control thanks to his special "Keizer" heritage.
- Expy: Of Neo from The Matrix.
- The Hero: Share this role with Godzilla.
- Last of His Kind: By the end of the film, he is the last surviving Mutant on Earth.
- Mutant: And a special one at that.
- Ship Tease: With Otonashi.
- Shock and Awe: Has the same powers as the Xilien leader X.
Reiwa Series
Rando Yaguchi
Rando Yaguchi
Played By: Hiroki Hasegawa
The closest thing to a protagonist that Shin Godzilla has. Yaguchi is the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Japan, and heads the task force created to research Godzilla and find its weaknesses.
- Agent Mulder: Yaguchi is the only one to dare to believe that the "massive entity" is indeed a living creature. Initially, nobody takes his claims seriously. Then the creature's tail shows up.
- Badass Bureaucrat: He does everything he can to deal with Godzilla and minimize the kaiju's threat over the country. He gets help from all over the government to put together a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits to assist him to that end.
Koichi Shikishima
Played By: Ryunosuke Kamiki
The protagonist of Godzilla Minus One. Koichi is a former kamikaze pilot who was heavily traumatized by Godzilla's attack on Odo Island, and after World War II ended, his neighborhood near Ginza was burned to the ground by American B29 Firebombing, killing his parents. However, he takes in a thief named Noriko Oishi and a baby girl named Akiko who both parents had died in the firebombings. As life seems to turn around, he takes a minesweeping job, but his war isn't over as he once again faces Godzilla, who was mutated by Operation Crossroads nuclear test.
- Death Seeker: After Godzilla destroys Ginza, he feels he has nothing to live for, save giving Akiko a better future. He decides against dying with Godzilla.
- Dirty Coward: How he saw himself when Godzilla attacks Odo Island. His hesitation lead to the deaths of the engineers, and Tachibana hates him for not pulling the trigger.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: His PTSD is very severe, he has night terrors over Godzilla's attack on Odo Island, and he's convinced that he's Dead All Along. He snaps out of it when he saw the photos of the engineers and their families.
- Survivor's Guilt: Twice over. His hesitance in shooting Godzilla in Odo Island costs the lives of the engineers except Tachibana and the latter calls him out on it. Then after Godzilla detonates a nuclear explosion with his atomic breath, he blames himself when Noriko pushes him to a nearby building to shield him from the blast, but gets blown away. This causes him to be a Death Seeker and wants to kill Godzilla personally.
- Trauma Conga Line: First, his hesitation lead to the deaths of the engineers except Tachibana on the Odo Island garrison. Then Tachibana shows him the photos of their families, which already puts enough guilt on his conscience. Then he finds out his parents were killed by the Tokyo firebombing of his neighborhood. Then Godzilla directly attacks Ginza, leading to Noriko's (apparent) death, and is surrounded by the destroyed city caused by Godzilla's atomic breath.
From Other Media
Commander Tagaki
Commander Tagaki
The man in charge in Godzilla Unleashed. Commander Tagaki witnessed firsthand how the Kaiju seemed to join forces against the aliens to save the world. The experience changed his views on Earth's monsters being a threat to humanity.
- No Name Given: His name isn't mentioned in the actual game.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: He wants to try and work together with the Kaiju to save the earth from the aliens.
Sergeant Steven Woods
Sergeant Steven Woods
- IDW Publishing, "''Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters"
- Badass Normal: He survives a brawl between Godzilla and Anguirus in Hollywood and can hold his own in a fight be it against thugs, bikers or even giant monsters.
- Berserk Button: Do NOT hurt or threaten Allie, a girl he came across who was orphaned by Godzilla in front of him. Not even Anguirus got away with it when he gave her a concussion while Steve was fighting him in Mecha-Godzilla.
- The Bus Came Back: After disappearing after the events of Kingdom of Monsters and being neither seen nor mentioned in IDW's first ongoing Godzilla series, he makes his return in IDW's second ongoing series, Godzilla: Rulers of Earth.
- Handicapped Badass: In later issues, he is poisoned by a snake and this causes him to become disorientated.
- Papa Wolf: DON'T threaten Allie. It will not go well for you. In fact, don't be anywhere near him when he is with Allie.
- Put on a Bus: Woods disappears after the events of Kingdom of Monsters and is neither seen nor mentioned in IDW's first Godzilla ongoing.
Murakami Ota
Lieutenant (later Captain) Murakami Ota
- IDW Publishing, "Godzilla: The Half-Century War"
- Badass Normal: Spends 50 years hunting and battling Godzilla and others like him with his Heterosexual Life-Partners Yoshihara Kentaro.
- Berserk Button: Dr. Deverich, especially after he causes the death of Colonel Schooler.
- Defiant to the End
- Determinator
- Enemy Mine: Helps Godzilla defeat the bigger threats of Space Godzilla, Gigan, and King Ghidorah.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Yoshihara Kentaro, who joined a government team of Godzilla hunters because Ota did.
Dr. Pohl
Dr. Pohl
- IDW Publishing "Godzilla Ongoing"
- Affably Evil
- Bald of Evil
- Big Bad Wannabe: His acts of antagonism are made paltry by the arrival of Space-Godzilla, Gigan, Hedorah, and Monster X, who are the true antagonists of the comic.
"Boxer" Louis
Chauncey "Boxer" Louis
- IDW Publishing "Godzilla Ongoing"
- Anti-Hero: He saves millions of lives taking down giant monsters... by destroying large swaths of cities and demanding billions of dollars to do it. Specifically a Pragmatic Hero.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He dives into Godzilla's gullet with an experimental super-weapon to try and kill him. Sadly, all it does is drive him off for a while.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He bears a marked resemblance to actor Jason Statham.
Jeremy
Jeremy
- IDW Publishing "Godzilla: Rulers of Earth"
- Jerkass: He pushes Kristina out of the way while running from Varan.
Kristina Sumre
Lucy Casprell
Lucy Casprell
- IDW Publishing "Godzilla: Rulers of Earth"
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Kristina.
- It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: This happens to her twice. The first time is when she goes out to videotape Zilla's attack on Honolulu, which nearly results in her being eaten and the second time is when she lets Gaira out of his containment cell.
- Rollerblade Good: She becomes this in the Time Skip under the nickname "Kaiju Cutie".
