Greetings, dear readers! Welcome to the first chapter of this epic battle series. For this first bout, I thought it only appropriate to do something special. In this case, for this first bout, you will witness the epic showdown between two of the very first kaiju in film history!

In one corner, we have a kaiju who's gone on to spawn the most successful kaiju franchise in history and still remains one of the more popular entries, Godzilla 1954!

In the other corner, we have a beast who's vanished into obscurity. A monster whose destructive capabilities are so devastating, even Superman had difficulty keeping up with him. The Arctic Giant!

Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's get to know our fighters.


Godzilla 1954:

In 1954, American military forces conducted hydrogen bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific, unaware of the repercussions that would follow. Hidden beneath the waves was an ancient ecosystem ruled by a massive reptilian creature. When the bomb went off, the beast's home was destroyed. Burned, irradiated, and enraged, this monster, who would come to be known as Godzilla, went on a path of destruction in and around Japan.

He began by attacking ships in Japanese waters, leaving few survivors and little evidence as to how these attacks occurred. Then, his presence masked by a typhoon, he came ashore on Odo Island, devastating the local town. Afterwards, he launched two raids against the Japanese capital, Tokyo, first attacking the city's outskirts, then marching directly into the the heart of Tokyo. In this second attack, Godzilla laid waste to the city, with the destruction he caused and the massive amount of radiation he left behind turning Tokyo into an uninhabitable wasteland.

In an effort to end Godzilla's rampage for good, the JSDF deployed an experimental weapon called the Oxygen Destroyer against him. The result: Godzilla was reduced to nothing but bones. The threat ended, the people of Japan cheered, oblivious to the very real possibility that more of Godzilla's kind may still be out there.

Standing at around 164 feet tall and weighing 20,000 tons, the original Godzilla was an absolute powerhouse. He was tough enough to withstand everything the JSDF threw at him without any sign of injury or pain, with it being implied that the hydrogen bomb did little more than burn his skin. He is also shown to be strong enough to lift at least 2,000 tons, tear down buildings with ease, and another individual of his species was shown to be capable of wrestling with another monster, Anguirus, who weighed 30,000 tons. This individual was also able to deliver a mortal wound to Anguirus by biting down on his neck, implying that the species has incredible jaw strength.

Godzilla 1954 also possesses the signature atomic breath attack, although in this case, the actual name for this attack is the incandescent light (also known as the radioactive spray). This attack is capable of melting military vehicles, creating raging fires, and killing Anguirus. Not only is this attack extremely hot (100,000 degrees, to be exact), but it is also composed entirely of nuclear radiation, meaning that just firing the blast can spread lethal amounts of radiation throughout the surrounding area. This is how Godzilla was able to render Tokyo uninhabitable. The atomic breath can also be fired unhindered underwater, which is how Godzilla was able to destroy so many ships while going almost completely unnoticed.

Even with all this power, however, Godzilla is not invincible. As stated before, the hydrogen bomb that woke him did burn him, implying that more powerful blasts can damage or possibly even kill him. It is also worth noting that, although briefly, Godzilla showed signs of pain when he attempted to walk through the barrier of power lines the JSDF set up in a vain attempt to deter him. With this in mind, as well as the fact that some later incarnations of the character have something of a weakness to electricity, it is possible that this Godzilla is the same way. But this only counts for extremely high voltages, since the 50,000 volts flowing through the previously mentioned power lines was little more than a minor annoyance.

Now, let's see how his competition stacks up.


The Arctic Giant:

In the December of 1940, a team of scientists was sent on an expedition to the frozen wastes of Siberia in search of ancient fossils. Instead, they discovered a huge monster frozen in the ice. Perfectly preserved, the creature looked as alive as it did when it roamed the earth in the Mesozoic era (the time of the dinosaurs). After tireless excavation work, the creature, along with a large chunk of ice that surrounded it, was removed, shipped back to the United States, and, two years after its discovery, put on display in a specially-made wing of the Museum of Natural Science in Metropolis.

A short time after the beast was revealed to the public, some scientists began to theorize that the creature could still be alive, should the ice surrounding it be permitted to thaw. During a newspaper interview on the subject, an accident occurred, causing the ice to melt. As predicted, the beast was alive. Before long, the creature awakened, destroying most of the building with ease as it made its escape.

As the beast wandered through the streets of Metropolis, it caused mass chaos and destruction. Crushing cars underfoot, walking through large structures unhindered, and tearing down a massive dam with ease are just some examples of what this creature did. All within the span of a few minutes. As the beast's rampage continued, Superman followed close behind, doing his best to repair the damage it caused.

Eventually, Superman managed to catch up to the creature, using a suspension cable from a destroyed bridge to tie its legs together and trip it. Brave as ever, Lois Lane got as close as she could to the creature in order to get a good photograph, only to find herself in its jaws. Before the beast could devour Lois, Superman jumped into its mouth and pulled her to safety. Enraged, the creature snarled at Superman, who managed to take it down before it could attack. Afterwards, the beast was placed in the Metropolis City Zoo, where, chained to the ground, it would seemingly live out the rest of its days.

Referred to as "Tyrannosaurus" in the museum exhibit it was kept in, the Arctic Giant has no official name. Moreover, it isn't shown to have any special abilities aside from being durable enough for bullet to bounce off of it. While it was the villain of this story, an examination of the creature's behavior shows it to be a fairly complex and realistically animalistic being. Aside from an annoyed snarl at the policemen who shot at it, the creature showed no malice toward humanity. In fact, it appeared to only want to explore its new territory in peace, completely oblivious to the destruction it caused. Most of which was purely accidental due to its massive size and long, swinging tail.

While no official size or weight was given for the creature, it is possible to gauge its height by comparing it to certain structures it destroyed. In doing so, I have concluded that it most likely stood around 160 feet tall, just ten feet taller than its opponent. With this in mind, it's no wonder the creature was as destructive as it was, seeing as how Zilla (Godzilla 1998), who was very similar in size, caused a similar amount of destruction just by running around the streets of New York.

Given how it seemed to enjoy walking through water, it is possible that the Arctic Giant was semi-aquatic, but we may never know for sure. What we do know is that it was capable of tearing down a dam almost the same height as it with very little effort and it's lower center of gravity allowed it to tank the force of hundreds if tons water rushing out from behind the dam without even noticing. This implies that the creature could tank incredible impacts, seeing as how a flood of that magnitude could easily wash away an entire town.

In terms of melee weapons, the Arctic Giant possesses large claws on its forearms and four huge fangs in its jaws. It is implied that the beast's long neck could be used to strike at its opponents like a snake, seeing as how this is the way it intended to attack Superman before being defeated. And, of course, there's the tail. While we unfortunately didn't get to witness this creature's combat prowess, it is important to note that it's muscular tail proved more than capable of dealing a fairly large amount of damage to the surrounding buildings just by casually swinging it around. If used to it's full potential, this weapon could prove to be quite formidable.

It is also worth mentioning that, although possessing a very bulky body, the Arctic Giant may well be a surprisingly stealthy kaiju. How, you may ask? Because, unlike most kaiju, the Arctic Giant is a mute. Yes, in more recent releases of the cartoon, generic dinosaur roars are added in to breathe more life into the creature, but in the original cartoon, the Arctic Giant has no roar or growl. It is absolutely silent. This was most likely due to the cartoon's creators not taking the time to give the beast its own roar. But, coincidentally, this fact also coincides with the beast's previously-theorized peaceful nature. Yes, it was a carnivore and it was more than willing to grab and devour small prey whole, but, beyond that, this creature was most likely a gentle giant, only needing to show off its more menacing side when the need arose. Besides, from an evolutionary standpoint, it actually makes sense. Why should you have a loud, menacing roar when your main competition for food is a carnivorous dinosaur an eighth your size? All the beast would have to do is bare its huge teeth and they'd run for the hills. This silence could also be useful in combat, allowing the Giant to sneak up on its opponent, a tactic that could prove useful in this battle.

Speaking of which, it is now time to find out which of these ancient behemoths will come out on top. In this battle scenario, Superman isn't around to protect Metropolis and the Arctic Giant continues its rampage. Meanwhile, in the nearby ocean, a portal opens, transporting the original King of the Monsters to 1942 Metropolis. What happens next? Let's find out.


The Fight:

After arriving in this universe, Godzilla comes ashore to start its own rampage, tearing down buildings and setting the city ablaze with his atomic breath. It isn't long before the Arctic Giant takes notice. Believing the new arrival to be a challenger for this territory, the Giant goes on the offensive.

Intending to ward off Godzilla rather than engage in combat, the Giant walks up to the enraged beast, surprising him with its quiet approach. It then proceeds to snarl at Godzilla, baring its fangs and displaying its claws in an attempt to scare its rival. Undeterred, Godzilla roars viciously, letting the other kaiju know that he will not be denied. The Giant is no coward, either, and holds its ground.

They stare each other down, waiting to see who makes the first move. Not surprisingly, it's Godzilla. The king charges with spread claws and open jaws. The Giant swings around, slamming Godzilla in face with his tail and nearly knocking him over. Taking advantage of this, the Giant turns back around and sinks his fangs into Godzilla's neck. Unfortunately for the former, the king's hide is far too tough for his fangs to cause any serious damage.

Godzilla swings around, wrenching himself free from the Giant's jaws and sending it smashing into a nearby building, which collapses on top of it. As the Giant attempts to free itself from the rubble, Godzilla fires his atomic breath. Upon feeling the intense heat from this attack, the Giant bursts free from the rubble and, now wounded, retreats. Persistant as ever, Godzilla pursues, fully intent on eliminating his rival.

Fortunately for him, the Giant's short legs prevent it from getting much of a headstart. Upon reaching a nearby river, the Giant realizes it can't outrun its opponent and turns to face him. Only to see Godzilla run up and tackle it, knocking it into the water. The two monsters grapple, with Godzilla trying to pin his opponent in place in order to deliver a killing blow and the Giant attempting to free itself from the king's grasp. Desperate, the Giant begins to snap at Godzilla, striking at him like a snake.

Godzilla rears his head back to avoid these strikes and waits. As the Giant moves to strike again, Godzilla releases his grip on its arms, grabbing its face and slamming it down into the riverbed as hard as he can. Dazed, the Giant is helpless as a huge, heavy foot comes crashing down on its head. Before it has time to react, Godzilla stomps again, harder this time, and crushes his enemy's skull. After taking a step back, Godzilla roars in triumph before going back ashore to continue his destructive rampage.


Fun Fact:

It is believed by some fans that the cartoon that featured the Arctic Giant may have actually served as an inspiration for the original Godzilla film or, perhaps, "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms", which is well known for doing the same. Unfortunately, this remains unconfirmed. Given that it released over ten years before either of these films, however, it is quite possible.


Well, that's it, readers! I hope you enjoyed this first battle. I know the fight itself was pretty short, but, I assure you, there are much longer ones on the way. If you have any questions or suggestions for future battles, feel free to let me know.

As for the next battle, we will witness a showdown like no other. Two legendary fire-breathers will go head-to-head to find out who is the true king of beasts. It's the King Under the Mountain vs. the Ultimate Autobot Hunter. This is Smaug vs. TFP Predaking!

I'll see you there.