This film was considered the most controversial in the series, mostly because of its fictional World War II sequence. The scene depicted American soldiers being killed by Godzillasaurus, allowing Japanese soldiers to escape. Director Kazuki Omori argued he did not mean for it to be Anti-American.[2]
Kenichiro Terasawa (Kosuke Toyohara), an author of books on psychic phenomena, believes he's discovered Godzilla's true origin. During World War II, a group of Japanese soldiers stationed on Lagos Island were unintentionally protected from harm by Godzillasaurus. The soldiers left near the end of the war, and the island was destroyed by a hydrogen bomb test in 1954, just months before Godzilla first attacked Tokyo.
Shindo (Yoshio Tsuchiya), who commanded the Japanese on Lagos, is now a wealthy businessman who denies of the dinosaur's existence. Meanwhile, a UFO lands on Mount Fuji. When the army investigates, they are greeted by Wilson (Chuck Wilson), Grenchiko (Richard Berger), Emmy Kano (Anna Nakagawa) and an android named M-11 (Roberto Scott Field). The visitors, called the Futurians, explain that they're from the year 2204, a time long after Japan had been completely destroyed by Godzilla. They explain that they can time travel back to the 1940s and remove Godzillasaurus from Lagos, thereby avoiding the creation of Godzilla. As proof of their story, Emmy presents to the Japanese government a copy of Terasawa's book, which he hasn't even written yet.
Terasawa, psychic Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) and Professor Mazaki (Katsuhiko Sasaki) board a time shuttle and travel back to Lagos, where they witness American soldiers being repulsed by Godzillasaurus, leaving it gravely wounded. After Japanese troops withdraw, M-11 teleports the dinosaur far from Lagos. They then return to 1992, but not before releasing three golden birdlike creatures on Lagos. The radiation as a result of the nuclear test mutated them into King Ghidorah, which the Futurians use in the present day to subjugate Japan. They issue an ultimatum, but Japan refuses to surrender. Feeling sympathy for the Japanese, Emmy with the help of M-11, aids Terasawa in sabotaging the controls to Ghidorah in the UFO.
Shindo, meanwhile, believes that Godzilla can be re-created using his nuclear submarine. But while on its mission, the submarine is destroyed by a much larger Godzilla; Terasawa learns that a Russian nuclear submarine sank in the same region Godzillasaurus was teleported to, giving off enough radiation to create Godzilla anew. Godzilla then arrives in Japan and makes short work of King Ghidorah and the UFO, killing Wilson and Grenchiko. It then ravages on Tokyo, and Shindo is killed.
Emmy however, travels to the future and returns with Mecha-King Ghidorah, a resurrected cyborg version of the original. Battling in the heart of Tokyo, Emmy carries Godzilla off and drops the monster together with Ghidorah into the ocean. She then returns to the future in the time shuttle, but not before informing Terasawa that she is a descendant of his.
At the bottom of the sea, Godzilla recovers and roars over Mecha-King Ghidorah's body.[2]
This film is set after the events of The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Biollante. Originally, this film was going to be a remake of King Kong vs. Godzilla with the title Godzilla vs. King Kong, but Turner Entertainment demanded too much money for the use of Kong. After this, Toho had the idea of making Godzilla vs. Mechani-Kong, but Kazuki Omori feared that this would ultimately violate Turner's copyright. Toho eventually settled for Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.
The film sold approximately 2,700,000 tickets in Japan, and grossed around $11,000,000 (U.S).
Columbia TriStar
In 1992, the film won the Japan Academy Award for Special Effects.[5]