The name Godzilla is a romanization of the original Japanese name Gojira—which is a combination of two Japanese words: gorira (???), gorilla, and kujira (???), whale. The word alludes to the size, power and aquatic origin of Godzilla.

Similarly, how many Japanese Godzilla movies are there? There are 35 released Godzilla movies and one in post-production. 32 of the films were produced by Toho, while the remaining three were produced by the American studios TriStar Pictures and Legendary Pictures.

Similarly, you may ask, is Godzilla real in Japan?

??), the characters name in Japan, is a portmanteau of gorilla and kujira, the Japanese word for whale. (The movie studios foreign sales department anglicized the name to Godzilla when they sold it to American distributors.)

Why is Godzilla so popular in Japan?

“Godzilla has roots as a mythic personification of natural destructive forces: the earthquakes, tsunami and typhoons that have regularly struck Japan over the centuries,” says writer Patrick Macias. “Hes a dragon-cum-dinosaur after all, not a human being or even a creature with recognisable emotions à la King Kong.