Rest In Peace to James Earl Jones. He passed away on September 9th, 2024 at the age of 93.
My response when I saw the notification and confirmed that it was real?
". . . I . . . Fuck. That's all I can say."
Today, "The Sun set on his time here on Earth. Raise your lightsabers to the sky, for Darth Vader had become with the Force for the fourth and final time. Roar like a lion for the Sun had set on Mufasa' time for real. Thank you for bringing characters to life by being their voice and much more. May the Force be with you, James Earl Jones. Now and forever. Always."
He was well known for being the voice actor for Darth Vader from Star Wars in the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, SW Rebels with Rogue One and Mufasa from Disney's The Lion King as well as Eore from the older Winnie The Pooh adventures and I knew him best for being casted as Mr. Myrtle from "The Sandlot."
Reviews
Monster King
Chapter 40: Thank you.
Chapter 41: I'll consider your request.
Strong Guy 159
Chapter 40: Yes and the MonsterVerse will be later on.
Chapter 41: Thank you and so far, yeah, I think it's a good idea.
Cool dude 101011
Chapter 40: Oh yeah, I forgot that detail. Thanks for reminding me.
The Fire 21: I'll consider that.
C Rabbit 3428665: Um, I'll think of that.
DJ Rodriguez: I'm glad you enjoyed but that MV is not my own. The owner is mentioned near the top of the chapter so credit goes to them.
I'm glad I did justice for them in that chapter.
Werewolf Mazuko 117: If that's all you don't like about this fanfic, deal with it.
Now, on with the story.
Chapter 42: History's Greatest Monsters: Three Generations of Godzilla Suit Actors
Cast
Haruo Nakajima: Himself
1954 Goji: Ozma
Showa Goji: Jaune Arc
Rodan (Mentioned): Lie Ren
Anguirus: Cardin Winchester
Gaira (Mentioned): Militia Malachite
Kenpachiro Satsuma: Himself
Heisei Godzilla: Qrow Branwen
Gigan (Mentioned): Tyrian Callows
Hedorah (Mentioned): White Fang member named Perry
Tsumoto Kitagawa: Himself
Millennium Godzilla: Oscar Pine
Kiryu Goji: Mercury Black
Final Wars Goji: Hazel Rainart
Enjoy.
"This next one is a bit of a documentary," the Host informed the Audience.
"It's not going to be too boring, right?" Nora said, already sounding disinterested.
"I'm sure it's going to be informative, Nora." Ren said.
"I'm looking forward to watching," Penny said with a smile.
"In this world, Godzilla and the Kaiju like him are movie characters," Darth Anarchus explained. "Up until the end of what is known as the Millennium Era, in all but one film, all the monsters were rubber suits. The Godzilla suit actors are what we going to be watching."
"Well, okay then." Ozpin replied with a shrug and sipped his mug.
"I remember those days," Maria reminisced, her robotic eyes closing in remembrance in the days monster movies were like that when she was younger.
"Very few people have what it takes to play the King of the Monsters," says the voice of a narrator as dramatic music slowly builds up and the screen lights up to show three Japanese men walking through the street side by side. One an elderly aged man, a middle aged black haired man with a black baseball cap with a mustache and goatee with a younger man with dark blonde hair. "It takes, fearlessness, determination, pride and physical and mental endurance."
"In May, 2007, three generations of Godzilla gathered in Tokyo for the first time." The three men are focused on the screen. The eldest man smiles as he speaks inaudiblely to the younger men on his left and right as they walk. "These men are the elite members of an exclusive group of stunt actors chosen to wear the Godzilla suit. Chosen, because above all others they have the right stuff." The eldest throws his arms up with a smile and a laugh.
Man, I wish I was old enough to know about this and attended that Comic Con, the Host thought, breaking out of character for a brief moment.
"These guys don't look like anyone we know," Jaune commented.
"That's coming from the guy who didn't know he was talking to two pretty famous celebrities and flirted with them both." Cardin jabbed at him.
"Or they could be," Pyrrha replied. "I'm pretty sure I've spoken to one of them during my Pumpkin Pete's Marshmellow flakes commercials. But then again, I've met quite a lot of actors and other celebrities."
"Now that I think about it, I think Neo and I met one of them too," Roman said thoughtfully. Neo nodded next to the master thief, remembering when they tried to start a scam network with their products.
Thunder claps as the scene changes to show the feet of the elderly man that move slowly and dramatically before it pans to his face which is in a serious expression, which is admittedly a bit intimadating. His hands are held up to the level of his head and he makes some growling noises as he stares to the fourth wall, walking alone on a sidewalk.
The man swings his right hand to the side with a growling grunt before the screen flashes with lightning and then the Audience see a glimpse of Showa Godzilla (Jaune Arc) before the screen transitions back to the man as he rumbles, moving his hands up and down before Ozma Gojira was shown destroying a clock tower with a haunting baritone roar.
"Sorry, but that old man looks ridiculous in that walk," Mercury snorted before jolting at seeing the image of Ozma Gojira.
"You were saying?" Emerald deadpans to her partner.
"Huh? So I'm a Godzilla variant?" Jaune asked in surprise.
"Aw yeah!" Nora cheered. "Fearless leader gets to go on full blown rampages and can get away with it!" she scoots next to Jaune with an eager grin. "Can I join?"
"Nora, I don't actually go on rampages." the blonde knight shook his head.
"Aw man." Nora slumped.
"So, what's this. . . Jaune Godzilla's story?" Saphron asked, she and Terra curious to know.
"All in good time, Mrs. Cotta-Arc." Darth Anarchus replied. "But if you are worried that he is like Ozma Gojira, you need not worry about that."
"Don't need this building! Down you go!" the elder exclaimed gruffly, waving his hands as if he was a monster pushing a building before the screen froze and the background became the colors of red and black rays behind him.
Ruby chuckled. "That sounds like what a giant monster would say during a rampage."
"Haruo Nakajima is the original Godzilla," the narrator went on as the words 'The Original Godzilla' appeared next to Haruo Nakajima. "He played the monster in twelve movies. More than any other actor."
"Wow, that's impressive," Taiyang remarked in an impressed tone.
"You can say that again." Summer concurred.
Haruo was shown, walking in his Godzilla pose, hands held up with his right moving up and down.
"How would Godzilla move?" Haruo's voice asked as the screen flashes three times before he was shown, sitting in a room for an interview. Behind him is the mask of Ozma Gojira with a foot tall brown colored model of the Saurian Kaiju behind it. and on the wall is a painting of Godzilla 2000 (Oscar Pine) holding a fishing trawler in his jaws. "For reference, Tsuburaya showed me his print of 'King Kong.'" he said. He holds his right hand briefly. "It was inspirational. Then I went to the zoo and studied how animals moved."
"King Kong?" Glynda repeated.
"A film that was made a decade and a half before the first Godzilla film," the Host explained. "You'll learn more about it later."
"Sounds a lot like Grimm Kong," Qrow remarked.
The screen switched back to show Haruo walking on the sidewalk, moving his hands up, down and side to side before going back to his interview. "My biggest influence came from. . . bears," he admits, hand on his chin before the screen showed two photos of a Grizzly bear. "The way bears move is very interesting"
"Really? He got inspired by bears?" Port asked in surprise.
"Well, bears can walk on two legs like their Grimm counterpart," Dr. Polendina noted. "Not to mention, Ozma Gojira seemed to walk in a similar manner."
Back in the street, Haruo grunts twice before laughing in amusement. "Nakajima also played many other creatures," the narrator spoke. "Including Rodan." A photo of Rodan (Lie Ren) a red Pterosaur Kaiju was shown in a behind-the-scenes photo. "And the green Gargantuan, Melanie." A photo of the humanoid Kaiju with green fur was shown.
"Let me guess, you'll explain about them later?" Melanie asked as her twin sister Militia elbowed her.
Ren's eyes widened while Nora shook in excitement.
"Precisely." Darth Anarchus replied.
"Tsuburaya saw my movements and said, "Yeah, that's good."" Haruo spoke back in his interview. A photo of the director was shown on set. "'I'll leave it all to you. It's your responsibility,'" Haruo added as the scene transits back to his interview. "Such a big deal! He said he'd leave it to me!"
"Well, that was nice of the director to do." Willow smiled. "Wait, was that the director?"
"Yes," Darth Anarchus nods his head. "Yes, Eiji Tsuburaya directed the first Godzilla film, along with many others that followed."
Blue fire blasts across the screen before the other actor is shown walking on the sidewalk. His arms are more close to his chest and his moves his limbs at the elbows. "Tilt your body up a little. . . " he mutters as he lifts his head up. The screen flashed with a bolt of lightning to show a photo of Heisei Godzilla (Qrow Branwen) and back to the actor. He lifts his hand up, "And throw a punch at this angle." He thrusts his open palm to the left of him and the screen freezes, the background color turning blue and dark blue.
"Oh, so I'm a Godzilla variant as well?" Qrow asked in surprise. His friends and family were surprised and interested to know more.
"Yes, he is the fifth Godzilla variant to appear in the multiverse." the Host replied. "More will be shown later on. But I will tell you now, that you will enjoy the stories of these variants.
"Kenpachiro Satsuma began his monster acting career by playing Godzilla's opponets," the narrator said as the words "Satsuma Godzilla" appeared beside Kenpachiro before it showed him thrusting his hands forward. "Hedorah and Gigan in the 1970s." Then two photos of the mentioned Kaiju, Hedorah (Perry) and Gigan (Tyrian Callows) were briefly shown.
The White Fang members were surprised a low ranking member of their organization was what looked to be living sludge. Roman tipped his hat. In his eyes, that one Faunus was the most competent he had worked with besides that chainsaw wielding Lieutenant.
Tyrian seemed giddy of being a Kaiju in this mutliverse. Then again, he saw it as an opportunity for his counterpart to unleash chaos and bloodshed.
"I'm an actor, damn it!" exclaimed Kenpachiro Satsuma in his interview, the Heisei Godzilla mask behind him along with a shelf of Kaiju figures, mainly Godzilla. "I keep telling the studio to raise my salary! They refused. So I was always fighting them."
Many were surprised at Satsuma's yell when his interview began.
"I can see you doing that," Winter remarked. "And acting like that."
"Hey!" Qrow said more amused than offended while Robyn snickered next to him.
"Believe me, you'll find out that he has valid reasons for asking for a raise," the Host stated.
A photo of Qrow Godzilla was shown as he walks through the city of Atlas. "From 1984 to 1995, Satsuma's work inside the Godzilla Suit helped restore Godzilla's image as a force of destruction."
"Really?" Ironwood asked with a frown.
"Yep," Darth Anarchus nodded. "Jaune's Gojiran counterpart became a full blown skyscraper sized prehistoric superhero, while Qrow Godzilla started out as Nature's Wrath like Ozma Gojira."
Qrow and those that knew him personally didn't really know how to feel about that information.
"I guess he's just like Ozma Gojira," Ruby said, a little saddened. "A tragic animal where tragedy and disater follows no matter what."
Qrow grimaced as he realized that described him in a degree because of his Misfortune Semblance. Robyn placed a hand on his shoulder.
"The mass media thought the guy in the Godzilla suit was funny," Kenpachiro said in his interview. "I got a lot of offers to be on TV. But I don't crave fame. It's just my philosophy to giving it everything I got."
"Admirable," most of the Audience nodded with respect. Weiss and Pyrrha respect him the most.
Back to the street, Kenpachiro says, "When Godzilla gets angry, I shout inside," he turns to the camera intently and shouts, "'YOU STUPID *$!& %$!"
"Whoa, okay, didn't expect that," Flynt remarked.
Neon was one of the few that chuckled. "Picturing him saying that on set makes me laugh, not going to lie," the Cat Faunus said.
"I'M GONNA PAY YOU BACK!" he shouts in his interview, spreading his arms a bit before relaxing. "That's it. That's the spirit of the Satsuma Godzilla."
Blue fire blasts from the left before the third actor is shown, walking in a leaning/crouched posture. "The Millennium Godzilla had huge fins on its back," he said as he walked, gesturing to his back before the Audience see a brief glimpse of Godzilla 2000 (Oscar Pine) as he bursts through a bridge in Argus with a flash of lighting before the actor is shown.
"Heh, that Kaiju has the same fascination of green like you," Em snorted to her nephew. Oscar rolled his eyes but saw in the brief glimpse on the screen that his aunt had a point.
Emerald also tilted her head in fascination.
"If I didn't bend over, I'd lose my balance," the actor stated as he walked forward with his back bend down. Then the screen turned green and dark green before the words 'Millennium Godzilla' appeared on his left. "Tom Kitagawa grew up watching Japanese monsters and superheroes and dreamed of becoming a monster suit actor."
"That's nice that he got the chance to live his dream," Summer smiled.
"He seriously lose balance wearing a costume like that?" Adam asked with a scoff.
"Wait until you hear what the suits are made of and what the actors have to go through." stated the Host.
Kitagawa grunts a bit as he walks. "My Godzilla leans forward and moves fast." he said as he is shown in his interview. His full name is on the corner of the screen, Tsumuto 'Tom' Kitagawa with two Godzilla masks shown beside him. Kiryu Goji (Mercury Black) and Final Wars Godzilla (Hazel Rainart) was just barely seen by the jaws. "I try not to stomp too much. Rather, to walk smoothly as if to sneak up and pounce." Tom said, moving his hands forward as if to illustrate his statement.
Hazel frowned at the sight of the Godzilla that punched him during the first Intermission.
Oscar and Ruby perked up at seeing the Godzilla that they had hung around with during the first Intermission.
With another flash of lightning, Godzilla 2000 is shown again. "Beginning with Godzilla 2000, Kitagawa has played Godzilla five times."
Back in the street, Tom spreads his arms out. "When shooting the Atomic Breath, I moved my neck sideways like this," he turns his neck to the side while saying it. "That was my idea." he adds and then runs his right hand up his back before thrusting it forward to illustrate the image of Godzilla shooting his Atomic Breath.
"I couldn't really move my legs," Kitagawa admitted. "If a building got in the way, there were many times I fell." He allows himself to fall forward to demonstrate it before straightening up with a smile and chuckles.
Qrow Godzilla was shown standing next to two large skyscrapers in a set with a hovering Super X. "Their office is the meticulously constructed miniature set." Another photo of the set is shown. "And their job is to turn these works of art to rubble." A wave of fire passes over on the screen and the miniature set is shown looking like a bull had charged through it.
Nora, Yang and Neon pump their fists. "Yes, let destruction and chaos reign." the hammer wielding whispered in excitement.
"I don't particularly enjoy it," Kitagawa admits, looking down briefly in his interview. "But if they want me to destroy them, I'll do my best."
The scene changes back to Haruo. "The Old Man (Tsuburaya's nickname) was always saying 'What a waste! What a beautiful miniature set.'" the elderly man said, recalling the days of filming the movies he was in back when he was younger as an actor.
Then Jaune Godzilla was shown approaching a massive (And I mean massive, it was almost as big as Godzilla himself) egg within a glass cage. He roars as a bit of the Godzilla theme is heard by the Audience.
"Ooh! What's that?" Ruby asked.
"You will have to wait for that answer," the Host replied.
"Aw, please?" Ruby pleaded, blinking her wide silver eyes.
"Aw, it's so cute. . . that you think that's going to work on me." Darth Anarchus replied, flicking Ruby on the head, making her yelp. "You're cute, but not that cute."
Ruby crossed her arms in a pout while Oscar couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. The Host seemed to sense his emotions, in which he can through the Force. "Oh, don't worry, little brother." he said to the former farm hand. "She's not my type."
Ruby blushed at the implication that Oscar was jealous over her little interaction with another boy while Oscar cleared his throat while being confused why Darth Anarchus addressed him as little brother as was Em.
A man was shown painting a miniature building's wall. "The effects crew pays close attention to every detail." Kenpachiro said in his interview. "So the set should break easily, right?"
"I mean, yeah?" Vernal replied, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well it's not so easy!" he retorted.
"Gah! Okay!" Vernal jumped back, holding hands up in surrender. "No need to shout."
Haruo is shown. "There was an incident with a castle, though it wasn't my fault." he declared. "There were about five or six men pulling on ropes to make the structure to collapse." A photo of that mentioned castle is shown in a behind-the-scenes photo. Haruo then holds his hands as if he was holding the castle. "They pulled too soon. It didn't match my movements. The castle fell apart at the wrong time."
"Oof, that looks like it would take a lot to rebuild and reshoot," Roman winced.
Kitagawa was shown next. "I was rehearsing with my crew, I asked 'Should I smash it here? Right here?'" he gestures with his hand to some invisible building as if it was in front of him. "Then CRASH! The set crumbled."
A Japanese gate is shown collapsing for illustration before Kitagawa is shown. "I said 'Sorry' and bowed. . . My head hit the set and smashed it to pieces."
Most of the students couldn't help but chuckle at what Kitagawa was describing.
Jaune Godzilla smashes a tall Animan tower.
"Boy. . . I was pathetic," Tom said with an embarrassed chuckle.
"No, no, no!" Ruby shook her head. "I'm sure you were great!"
"You did your very best Mr. Kitagawa!" Penny said in agreement.
"In one scene," Kenpachiro said. "Godzilla gets shot, stumbles a few steps back and falls backward into a building." A photo of Qrow Godzilla battling Mecha-King Ghidorah is shown.
Many were interested in the photo but one look at the Host told them that answers to any questions they had will have to wait.
Oobleck, Polendina and Ozpin were making notes as was Salem for her own schemes and making her own Grimm. But what else was new to that?
"I tried to go straight down," Kenpachiro continued. "Only the tail acted like a propping stick." A photo of Jaune Godzilla in Destroy All Monsters is shown. "It blocked my way like this." He placed his right hand against his left at an angle for imagery.
"Huh, what are the odds of that?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Must be Qrow's Semblance," Tai chuckled.
Qrow narrowed his eyes a bit. "Whatchu say?"
The scene transitioned to another part of Kenpachiro's interview. "That set took the crew 23 hours to build. I ruined it in 10 seconds." he declared.
Nora laughed at that.
"Rebuilding the Castle cost 500,000 yen," Haruo said, the castle being shown briefly before the elderly became the focus. "My salary was half that." He gives a hearty chuckle.
"Assuming yen is the same as Lien, wow," Cardin remarked.
Kitagawa is shown, speaking about the destruction he caused by accident. "I wanted to apologize." he said. "But it takes 20 minutes to get out of the suit. By the time I finally did, the studio lights were turned low. It was awful. That was my debut as Godzilla." He glances at the Godzilla masks next to him as he chuckles.
"Aw," Ruby, Penny, Nora, Velvet and Neon said in sympathy to the younger suit actor.
A blast of blue fire shoots across the screen again and Kitagawa was shown in his Godzilla walk on the sidewalk. "Playing the King of the Monsters is an honor." Lightning flashed and the screen was divided to show Kenpachiro walking in his Godzilla walk as well. "But it is no easy task." Haruo was shown in the middle, also in his Godzilla walk. "This crown comes with all sorts of occupational hazards."
"Occupational hazards?" Ilia repeated.
"They're just wearing suits, what's so hazardous about-?" Roman tried to ask before the screen answered.
"You can't breathe well inside the suit so an oxygen tube is attached." Tom said with a shake of his head and mimics a tube being attached to his throat. The mask of the Final Wars Godzilla comes into view. "But it's removed during takes. Sometimes I started suffocating and had to stop filming."
"OH." the master thief said in an understanding tone.
"They had these rockets they would shoot at me," Haruo recalled. Jaune Godzilla is shot with missiles by MechaGodzilla (Merlot) in the chest. "One day, the Old Man wanted to test how powerful they were." Haruo added. "He got some plywood and shot one at the wood. It penetrated right through!"
Smoke fumes out of Jaune Godzilla's jaws before he falls flat on his face.
"Timber!" little Adrian giggled.
"The Old Man was like, 'Hmm, that's dangerous.'" Haruo said, doing his imitation of the old man's voice.
"You don't say," Cinder remarked.
Another blast of fire shot from the right and Jaune Godzilla was shown walking in waist deep water. "Nothing was more challenging than working in the Big Pool."
"No! Not the Big Pool!" Velvet asked before pausing. "Wait, what's the Big Pool?"
"Must be a TV set for acting out ocean scenes," Coco replied, turning to the Host who nodded his head.
"As for the Big Pool. . ." Kenpachiro trails off a little before continuing. "I was afraid to even walk in it."
"Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad," Jacques scoffed.
"I'm certain that you just jinxed it, Jacq," Willow shook her head at her husband.
"Although serious attention is paid to safety," began Tsumuto before a photo of Qrow Godzilla was shown in the Big Pool with model battle ships. "I almost died in that pool."
"Wait, seriously?" Amber asked in concern.
"If you fall forward, you're a goner." Kenpachiro said bluntly. "Because you can't do a thing." A black and white photo of Qrow Godzilla is shown in the Big Pool with the upper half of Kenpachiro sticking out of its back. "Water will pour through the holes and you'll drown."
"Oh, okay, now it's starting to make sense." Adam stated, nodding his head.
"In the winter, the surface of the pool froze over," Haruo informed. He holds a hand up, pinching his index finger and thumb closely and says ice. Then a photo of Jaune Godzilla is shown at a scene for King Kong vs Godzilla. "And you're in that ice bath all day long."
"Really? Couldn't they warm it up?" Whitley asked. "Or wait until after the winter?"
"Pretty sure they wouldn't have that sort of thing back in those early years," Oscar replied. "Plus, I'm pretty sure these filmmakers didn't want to wait that long."
"Worse yet is the moss at the bottom," Kenpachiro added. "Gunk piled all over the place, full of bacteria. . . " a photo of the actor is shown as he and a few other people stand in the Big Pool before his upset and frustrated experssion is shown in his interview. "And I know people peed in there!"
"Ew!" most of the students cried out.
"So unsanitary," Weiss shook her head in disgust.
"Why would anyone do that?" Fiona asked, gagging in disgust.
The Host rubbed his chin. That would explain some underwater shots he had seen in the movies.
Lightning flashes to show Jaune Godzilla in the Big Pool as Kitagawa narrates and is shown in his interview. "For a scene where Godzilla comes out of the water," he said. He holds his right hand up to illustrate his next explanation. "The suit floats." he explained. "So they decided to force me under using a crane." He lowers both his hands in a crane like gesture.
"Oh dear," Maria muttered. She could think of where this was going.
"I was standing by." he went on. "The oxygen tube was attached. 'Ready to go!' The crane started to move." Qrow Godzilla was shown briefly before switching back to Tsumoto. "As I went down, the tube came off!" he mimes pulling a tube off his mouth. He chuckles dryly. "I screamed 'Stop! I can't breathe!' But they kept pushing me in the water." He reaches or rather claws at the air and animated bubbles fly past him.
"Oh no!" Ruby cried out.
"Don't worry, sis," Yang assured. "He clearly made it out a-ok."
"Because of the danger, those shots stopped." Kitagawa added solemnly. "I never want to do that again."
"Well, that's understandable," Glynda commented.
"That's what I mean!" Kenpachiro said in agreement. "We risked our lives in the water." he said firmly, waving his hand as if to draw a line of the watery surface next to his shoulder.
"Pretty sure one of these actors got electrocuted in the water," the Host said, surprising and concerning most of the Audience members.
"Too bad it wasn't me," Nora said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. "They wouldn't have to worry about me."
"I suppose all of this was the reasons why Mr. Satsuma pushed for a raise," Winter murmured in realization.
Another blast of fire shoots across the screen.
A photo of Ozma Gojira is shown as the suit was being made. "The first Godzilla suit was made in a process of trial and error."
"The first suit weighed 100 kilos." Haruo said, holding a hand to his chin. "With all that weight, I couldn't move much."
"Damn. These guys are getting more respect from me by the second," Roman declared. Neo nodded in agreement and signed, A bit more than the Viking runt who took a bite out of a raw, dragon saliva covered, half-eaten fish tail.
Footage of Gojira was shown briefly as the original Destroyer of Tokyo (Mantle) was shown in his rampage. He stomps across a city riverway, making the water swell over the bridge. "The skin is so stiff, Godzilla's head wouldn't turn." Haruo added, holding his hands up close to his face, he turned his head but his hands remained where they were as if to demonstrate that Godzilla's head would not move.
"That does make sense, I suppose," Salem shrugged, mainly indifferent.
Ozma Gojira was shown again, this time as he destroyed the power lines. "It moved so little. My head just turned a little inside the neck."
A black and white photo of the design studio was shown. The top half of Oscar Godzilla 2000 was standing in the middle. "After that I went to the special effects studio every day." Haruo held up his hand. "I'd suggest a slit here or a slit there," he gestures to his arm pits.
Kenpachiro. "I'd tell them 'I can't see well!' or 'The head's too rigid!' And they'd fix it for me." he said. He moved his hands in a circle in front of him. "They'd know exactly what I wanted."
"Well, that's nice of them," May commented with a shrug.
Kitagawa. "To improve the suit's flexibility, I prepared data for the suit makers." he said. "Just like an F-1 racer." He moved his arms, rolling his shoulders. "The suit for Godzilla Final Wars was the most flexible ever."
"Over time, improvements were made." Ozma Gojira was shown, rampaging through Mantle before Jaune Godzilla was shown, roaring and moving his arms more flexible than the previous Godzilla. "Godzilla looked more realistic and moved more realistically." A photo of Tsuburaya and the crew of Gojira was shown with the first Godzilla suit. "The process known as 'Suitmation' remains largely unchanged."
A close up of Oscar Godzilla's jaws and teeth was shown, flashing to his claws and amethyst dorsal fins. "Godzilla suits used to be made by Toho staff." said another man. "Now I do the job as a contractor."
"Who is this?" Oscar asked. The Host pointed to the screen.
The man had long black hair in a pony tail and white glasses over his eyes and growing facial hair. "That's why I feel pressure." he said. His name and occupation is said at the corner of the screen. 'Godzilla Suit Maker-Shinichi Wakasa.' "To uphold the tradition, my company and I have had our work cut out for us." Lightning flashed as the screen froze, Wakasa's image lost color and the background changed to rays of light yellow and dark brown with white. The words 'Monster Maker' appeared next to him.
"Shinichi Wakasa and his company Monster De Corporate gave Godzilla a complete makeover for "Godzilla 2000."" The suit of the mentioned Millennium Godzilla was shown.
Kitagawa. "The face of Godzilla changes depending on the suit maker." he said. He holds up a hand as if running his hand over the Kaiju's head. "Mr. Wakasa's Godzilla looks like. . . a cat."
"Hey, you hear that, Blake?" Yang grinned at her partner. "You have a reptilian cousin."
Blake deadpanned at the blonde brawler, cat ears flattening slightly.
Oscar Godzilla focuses into view and the Audience see that he was right. The emerald scaled, amethyst spined Saurian's face looked like a mix of a lizard and cat-like face. The pointed ears only added to the image.
"I'm starting to see," Em remarked before smirking at her nephew. "Reminds me when you like to act like a cat."
Oscar rolled his eyes but smirked in amusement. His aunt then ruffled his hair, causing him to close his eyes and lean into her touch.
Wakasa stands next to the Godzilla suit. "For the 'Godzilla 2000' suit our goal was to make the eyes appear to be looking at you from any direction." he points in the possible directions the eyes could look.
"This gives it a more life-like, animal-like quality. The Audience's view looks at the Millennium Godzilla down to up. It changes to show Wakasa holding a hand up to the Millennium Godzilla. "Since Godzilla 2000, Wakasa has created the monster suits for almost every Godzilla movie."
"Well, he's sure done a damn good job," Yatsuhashi remarked.
"I'll take your word for it," Fox commented and this reminded the others that Fox was blind. But at least his Semblance allowed him to read minds. Except for their Host, strangely.
Wakasa placed one hand on Oscar Godzilla's head. "The surface is made of latex rubber." He pats the surface three times and gestures to the large jagged dorsal fins on the Saurian's back. "To make the fins this big we used fiberglass." He gives the dorsal fins a squeeze or two. "They're rather hard people got scratched on the set." The dorsal fins are now in focus on the screen. "They can be dangerous."
Salem hummed in thought.
Jaune Godzilla was shown as he battles the Kaiju Anguirus (Cardin Winchester.) in Argus. "Even with all the changes Godzilla has undergone through the years," Jaune Godzilla opens his jaws to roar before Kenpachiro was shown doing his Godzilla Walk back on the streets, swinging his hands with a fierce scowl. "The physical demands of playing the giant monster haven't gotten much easier."
"Yes. It's hot." Kitagawa admits. "And you perspire inside the suit. On average I lost 5 kilos a day."
"Perspire? Oh no!" Ruby exclaimed. Then she paused as she realized that she didn't understand that word.
Sensing that her friend was confused, Penny leans over to her. "It means to sweat."
"Oh. Okay, Not as bad as I thought." Ruby nodded before she heard that Kitagawa lost 5 kilos a day by sweating.
Qrow Godzilla's head and neck was shown. "There were only three holes punched out for eyesight," Haruo said, the screen darkens all by the spot of the three holes in the neck for highlight, but even with that, or the Faunus Audience's heightened eyesight, the three holes were not easy to see.
Sure enough, everyone squinted at the screen to study the eyeholes. Even the Faunus could barely see them.
"That seems a bit insufficent and impractical," Weiss criticized.
"Well, they can't make it obvious that it's a suit to the Audience." Blake replied.
"Even if they did, most explained them as gills for Godzilla," Darth Anarchus informed.
Haruo holds a hand to his balding forehead. "I sweat so much, I couldn't see." he said in remembrance. "Often I just had to guess where I was going."
"That's rough," Yang grimaced in sympathy.
"If you don't move fast enough, it feels like you're going to float into space," Kenpachiro said, waving his hands as if he was about to float off the ground himself. "But it's heavy. You can't move. You have to feel your way through it."
Blue fire shoots from the left. Haruo walks his Godzilla Walk. "The stuntmen behind the Godzilla suit can't bring Godzilla to life on their own." The screen zooms out to show Kenpachiro on Haruo's left and Tsumuto on his right, both in their own Godzilla Walks. "It takes teamwork."
"I can imagine," Jaune remarked in awe. Sure these men weren't fighting Grimm like the Huntsmen and Huntresses but he was giving them his respect.
"When we're making the suits," Wakasa said in his interview. "Teamwork between my staff and me is important."
A brief montage of his staff working on designing the suits was shown to the Audience. "But the teamwork between us and suit actor Kitagawa is THE most important thing." Wakasa added with emphasis.
Lightning flashed and the scene was back to the suit actors doing their Godzilla Walks in the street. The three men smiled and laughed together. "You can't play Godzilla by yourself. I feel I just played the bones of Godzilla." Kitagawa said, he looks away thoughtfully. "I can't say I did it all on my own."
Kenpachiro. "There were times when I got stuck in the set itself." exclaimed the Heisei Godzilla suit actor. "These big crew guys would have to yank me out."
Haruo ruffles Tsumuto's hair who laughs at the action. "What's going on? Are you fighting?" the other actor asked them playfully.
Many smiled slightly at seeing their interaction. It was sure wholesome to see, a welcome sight to some after watching violent fighting from the Kingsmen universe or the destruction caused by Ozma Gojira.
"There were these guys in the special effects department." said Haruo. "Quiet guys. Always working hard."
Kenpachiro. "The crew must be sensitve and pay attention to my needs." he said. "They may look goofy but they're serious people."
Back in the streets, both Haruo and Kenpachiro locked arms against one another like two buck deer fighting with their antlers, both men growling like they were two Saurians. "Come on!"
"Godzilla vs Godzilla!" Nora laughed and Ren chuckled.
Tsumuto interferes, acting like he was breaking up their fight. "Calm down!" he exclaimed playfully to the two older men.
"Oh yeah?" the three break into fits of laughter. "Let's get along," Kenpachiro said to them encouragingly. They needed to get to Comic Con.
"If it was just a job I wouldn't be doing it for 30 years," Wakasa said in a passionate tone as he stands next to the Godzilla 2000 suit. He hums, nodding his head. "I feel passion for this work. That's why I'm still here."
"Admirable," Ozpin nods his head at the screen.
Applause is heard as Tsumuto Kitagawa throws a peace sign at the camera as he walks with Haruo Nakajima and Kenpachiro Satsuma. Briefly, the Audience see that Shinichi Wakasa was also walking along side them in the street to Comic Con.
Then the three Godzilla suit actors were shown, close together with Kitagawa in the middle and his arms around the shoulders of the other two men. "We must look like a family!" he laughed.
"They really do." Velvet said with a smile.
"Haruo the Grandpa, Kenpachiro the Father and Tsumuto the son!" Ruby giggled.
"That's right!" Kenpachiro agreed and Haruo laughs full heartily that was shared with the three of them. The screen goes dark and the music ends in a light hearted tone.
The Host gestured to his Clone Troopers who saluted to the screen.
"Huh? What's going on?" Ghira asked in confusion.
Darth Anarchus sighed. "In this world, Haruo Nakajima passed away ten years after this Comic Con," he said in a somber tone. "And Kenpachiro Satsuma six years later in the winter."
"Oh," instantly, the mood was saddened by that information.
"They left behind a legacy, a great, ever growing, glorious legacy," Darth Anarchus went on. He inhaled, the Audience understood instantly and prepared themselves, before the Sith Lord let out another Godzilla roar.
SSKKKKKRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOONNNNKK!
Oscar bowed his head, closing his eyes in respect. His aunt and others followed suit, even most of the villains save for Tyrian and Salem (Not surprising there.).
"Long Live The Kings," Ruby whispered, believing that was the right thing to say about two men that gave it their all to bring their versions of a movie character that exists in the Multiverse for her and her friends to watch.
The Host then remembered some post he saw on the internet in the past made in tribute to Haruo Nakajima. He felt it was appropriate now.
"We'll meet again. Don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again on some sunny day."
So, how was that?
Leave long reviews and tell me what you think.
This chapter is in honor of Haruo Nakajima and Kenpachiro Satsuma. The suit actors behind the Showa Godzilla's, Gaira, Rodan and Heisei Godzilla with Showa Hedorah and Showa Gigan and much more. I wish to have met them but I believe they know that their work has shaped my childhood along with many more like me.
Next time: Introduction to Showa Anguirus
Followed by Mothra and Rodan and with King Kong.
After that King Kong vs Godzilla
Until then. Take care of yourselves. May God watch over you all.
GojiraFan455516 out.
Peace.
