Quick Links
Godzillahas had many children over the course of the franchise. Nearlyall of them have been sons. However, this idea was first introduced in the thoroughly silly 1967 filmSon of Godzilla. Minilla received his name from a Toho contest, eventually settling on the portmanteau of “mini” and “Godzilla”. FollowingSon of Godzilla, Minilla appeared inthe Showa-erafilmsDestroy All Monsters,All Monsters Attack,Godzilla vs. Gigan.
Despite usually being portrayed as more of an ally to humanity than his pugnacious father, an evil version of Minilla appeared in an episode ofGo! Greenmanwhere he ordered to obtainthe blood of children, but was thankfully stopped in his quest. His final film appearance was in the Millennium era film,Godzilla Final Wars, where reuniting with his father quells his bloodlust and convinces him to spare humanity. In the Reiwa era, he appeared on a few television shows (more on that later). Additionally, he has shown up in various comic books and video games. Despite being a regular presence in the franchise and having a softer spot for humanity, Minilla is not beloved among theGodzillafanbase. In fact, he’s pretty reviled. So why is that and does Minilla deserve the hate?
Minilla, The First Son of Godzilla
When Minilla first hit the big screen inSon of Godzilla, he hadn’t even been born yet. His egg was forcibly cracked on the remote Sollgel Island by a group of praying mantis kaiju known as Kamacuras. Godzilla quickly comes to the baby’s aid, eventually adopting him despite him being a different kind of kaiju. During the film, Godzilla attempts to teach Minilla how to use his kaiju powers. InAll Monsters Attack, Minilla befriends Ichiro Miki and the two bond over being bullied. Minilla shrinks to Ichiro’s size and communicates to him through dreams. At the end of the film, Minilla defeats his bully, Gabara and earns his respect. Both Manilla and Gabara are considered some ofthe weakest kaiju of all timeandAll Monsters Attack, and by extension, Minilla as a character, has not been remembered fondly.
The Scrappy-Doo of Godzilla
The main complaint about Minilla is not dissimilar to the complaintusually lodged against Scrappy-Doo. Both are seen as desperate attempts to appeal to a younger audience that don’t make meaningful contributions to the franchise and are often viewed as annoying. Minilla was conceived, in part, to celebrate the new year. He was also created to appeal to a sector of the audience, but it wasn’t children that the creators had in mind, but rather young women. The idea was that a baby character would appeal to young women, especially those going on dates. However, it is hard not to see Minilla as a “kid appeal” character, especially since he has remained an infant or young child and is largely remembered for his relationship with Ichiro. While this could have damned the character, the Godzilla franchise has managed to take him in the perfect direction befitting his character.
Minilla’s Legacy Continues
So what do you do with a character that’s perceived as a “kid appeal” character? Well, embrace it, of course! In the Reiwa era, Minilla has been re-imagined a couple of times. The first is the web series puppet showGodziban, which follows the Three Godzilla Brothers,an adolescent Godzilla(separate from the main Godzilla), Little (based off of the Little Godzilla or one of Godzilla’s other adopted children, whom he adopts frequently, but not with thesame regularity as Batman), and, of course, Minilla. The next series,Chibi Godzilla Rides Again, also imagines Minillla, now called Chibi Minilla, and Little, now called Chibi Godzilla, as blended siblings living on Monster Island with various other child-friendly versions of kaiju. Curiously, the series re-imagines Minilla as a girl. Chibi Minilla is young, but level-headed when she’s not scared. It’s an interesting twist for the Godzilla franchise, where most of the most popular kaiju, barring Mothra, are typically male. Leaning hard to Minillla’s “kid appeal” is a stroke of genius and one that other franchises with similarly discounted characters should take note of and implement.
At the end of the day, some characters are obviously going to appeal to more people than others. That said, Minilla didn’t receive the hate that he’s receivedover the years. He was the first attempt to give Godzilla something like a child, which he naturally fumbled in his first appearance. Minilla may have been created to reach more women, but there’s something sweet about his character that can appeal to everyone. He’s bonded with humanity and, overall, is one of the noblest kaiju protagonists, even if he is a bit naive. Minilla’s current role as a female preschool kaiju is honestlya stroke of genius. It’s a way to endear Minillla to the next generation without going over the top. Minilla, intentional or not, has always been a child at heart and should continue to be a way to reach young Godzilla fans. Time will undoubtedly tell how these most recent adaptations are perceived, but in terms of Minilla’s history, few roles could seem more fitting than a sweet preschooler.
