Gotengo
Encyclopedia
The , also known in the West as Atragon, is a submarine
battleship
that has appeared in several tokusatsu
film
s of Toho Company, Ltd.
, beginning with Atragon
in 1963. It was first conceived by author Shunrō Oshikawa in his 1899 novel
Kaitei Gunkan ("Undersea Battleship"), of which Atragon
was an adaptation
produced by Toho Studios. The submarine is heavily armed and armored, but its trademark tactic is to ram and sink enemy ships. In cinema, the submarine is easily identifiable by the enormous drill
on its bow
; it is also notable for being able to burrow underground and fly. The Gotengo also makes an appearance in the film for Toho's Chousei Kantai Sazer-X
, Chousei Kantai Sazer-X: Fight! Warriors of the Stars.
in the 2004 Millennium Godzilla
film Godzilla: Final Wars
. For instance, in the first sequence it is battling the mutant dinosaur Godzilla
in the 1960s, resulting in Godzilla
's burial under hundreds of feet of ice. Immediately after the opening credits, the Gotengo is locked in battle against the sea dragon Manda, which the ship defeats with an emergency maneuver through an underwater volcano and a combination of the Absolute Zero Cannon and drill. Later on, during the Xilien-induced monster attacks on major cities, the Gotengo is dispatched to destroy them. However, the only weapon that truly works to destroy the alien threat is Godzilla
himself.
game Godzilla: War of the Monsters.
The Gotengo also appeared in the video game Godzilla: Unleashed
as an unplayable boss-style character.
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
that has appeared in several tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s of Toho Company, Ltd.
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
, beginning with Atragon
Atragon
Atragon, released in Japan as , is a 1963 Toho tokusatsu film based on a series of juvenile adventure novels under the banner Kaitei Gunkan by Shunrō Oshikawa and the illustrated story Kaitei Okoku by illustrator Shigeru Komatsuzaki, serialized in a monthly magazine for boys...
in 1963. It was first conceived by author Shunrō Oshikawa in his 1899 novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Kaitei Gunkan ("Undersea Battleship"), of which Atragon
Atragon
Atragon, released in Japan as , is a 1963 Toho tokusatsu film based on a series of juvenile adventure novels under the banner Kaitei Gunkan by Shunrō Oshikawa and the illustrated story Kaitei Okoku by illustrator Shigeru Komatsuzaki, serialized in a monthly magazine for boys...
was an adaptation
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
produced by Toho Studios. The submarine is heavily armed and armored, but its trademark tactic is to ram and sink enemy ships. In cinema, the submarine is easily identifiable by the enormous drill
Drill
A drill or drill motor is a tool fitted with a cutting tool attachment or driving tool attachment, usually a drill bit or driver bit, used for drilling holes in various materials or fastening various materials together with the use of fasteners. The attachment is gripped by a chuck at one end of...
on its bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
; it is also notable for being able to burrow underground and fly. The Gotengo also makes an appearance in the film for Toho's Chousei Kantai Sazer-X
Chousei Kantai Sazer-X
translated as Super Star Fleet Sazer-X is a tokusatsu superhero TV series produced by Toho Company Ltd., and Konami. This series is the third in Toho's Seishin series...
, Chousei Kantai Sazer-X: Fight! Warriors of the Stars.
Millennium
The Gotengo is used mostly for battling monstersKaiju
is a Japanese word that means "strange beast," but often translated in English as "monster". Specifically, it is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment....
in the 2004 Millennium Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
film Godzilla: Final Wars
Godzilla: Final Wars
is a 2004 Japanese science fiction-kaiju film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, written by Wataru Mimura and Isao Kiriyama and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. It is the twenty-eighth film in the Godzilla film series, and the sixth in terms of the series' Millennium era...
. For instance, in the first sequence it is battling the mutant dinosaur Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
in the 1960s, resulting in Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
's burial under hundreds of feet of ice. Immediately after the opening credits, the Gotengo is locked in battle against the sea dragon Manda, which the ship defeats with an emergency maneuver through an underwater volcano and a combination of the Absolute Zero Cannon and drill. Later on, during the Xilien-induced monster attacks on major cities, the Gotengo is dispatched to destroy them. However, the only weapon that truly works to destroy the alien threat is Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
himself.
Video games
The Gotengo appeared as a playable character in the Super NintendoSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
game Godzilla: War of the Monsters.
The Gotengo also appeared in the video game Godzilla: Unleashed
Godzilla: Unleashed
Godzilla: Unleashed, abbreviated as G3 or GU, is a 3D fighting video game based on the Godzilla film franchise for the Wii and PlayStation 2, developed by Pipeworks and published by Atari. The PS2 version was released on November 20 and the Wii version on December 5, 2007 in North America and both...
as an unplayable boss-style character.
External links
- Toho Kingdom - Gotengo characters