King Ghidorah


 * This page covers the first King Ghidorah of the main continuity of the comics. For his cybernetic form, see Mecha-King Ghidorah. For the King Ghidorah featured in a flashback in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, see King Ghidorah (Rulers of Earth). For the various King Ghidorah incarnations from the miniseries, see King Ghidorah (disambiguation).

King Ghidorah is a giant three-headed dragon and enemy of Godzilla. Awakened from a temple in the mountains of Asia, Ghidorah flew to the United States to confront Godzilla, and was defeated in a three-way battle with him and Mechagodzilla. He was eventually discovered in a comatose state by Minette and Mallorie and Cryog Commander Rhizon and converted into the cybernetic Mecha-King Ghidorah and forced to do their will.

Name
The "Ghidorah" (ギドラ Gidora) part of King Ghidorah's name comes from the Japanese word for "hydra" (ヒドラ Hidora), which shares two of its three katakana characters with "Ghidorah." It also, coincidentally or not, sounds very similar to the Russian pronunciation of "hydra" (Гидра, ˈɡʲidrə). The addition of "King" (キング) to his name may have been influenced by King Dragon (キング・ドラゴン Kingu Doragon), the name given to Zmey Gorynych, upon which King Ghidorah's design was based, in the Japanese version of the Soviet film Ilya Muromets. King Ghidorah's name is never actually ever spoken in the comics, and he is only ever referred to as the Dragon King.

Design
King Ghidorah is a massive dragon with golden scales, large bat-like wings at his sides, and three heads adorned with crowns of spikes with red eyes and forked reptilian tongues. His feet possess three claws and his two tails end with numerous spikes.

Personality
King Ghidorah initially seems to act in defense of mankind, being awakened by a monk from a temple in Asia and immediately going after Godzilla. He is rendered comatose in the ensuing battle with Mechagodzilla, after which Rhizon has Gigan sever his central head, allowing him to replace it with a mechanical head controlled by Minette and Mallory when he is transformed into Mecha-King Ghidorah. Once he is damaged in battle with Godzilla and Anguirus, Mecha-King Ghidorah's subordinate heads regain control over the body and he promptly retreats to outer space, possibly in search of other members of his kind according to Rhizon.