Mechagodzilla is an alien mecha built by Toho that debuted in 1974's *Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla*. It's essentially a robotic copy of Godzilla, designed to mimic the monster's appearance and abilities. The character has been reimagined several times across different film continuities, each version bringing its own design tweaks and backstory.
The original suit, called ShodaiMekagoji, featured stubby finger missiles, a less prominent shoulder frill, and smooth grooves running along its back feet. It had a solid tail blade and red "MG" initials on its arms. When the monster was rebuilt for *Terror of Mechagodzilla*, fans started calling this version Mechagodzilla 2 (GyakushuMekagoji)—the "2" literally marking it as the second unit. This rebuild came with upgrades: longer finger missiles, a more defined shoulder frill, sharper spurs on its feet, and V-shaped tail plating. The arms now displayed blue and orange "MG2" markings instead.
The Millennium series brought a completely different take. Known as Kiryu (derived from "machine dragon" in Japanese), this version appeared in *Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla* and *Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.* Its official designation is "MFS-3"—Multipurpose Fighting System Type-3—though it's still legally called Mechagodzilla.
More recently, the Reiwa era introduced another Mechagodzilla, first explored through novelizations like *Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse* and *Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla* before taking the lead role as main antagonist in a 2018 film. This version marked the fourth Mechagodzilla in the film series overall.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
