King Kong (Showa)

King Kong's History

King Kong is a giant ape kaiju who appeared in the 1962 Toho Godzilla film King Kong vs. Godzilla. Another example of the species would appear in King Kong Escapes in 1967.

A colossal ape worshiped as a giant demon god by natives of Faro Island in the Solomon Islands, Kong was encountered by members of an expedition to Faro financed by the Japanese company Pacific Pharmaceuticals in 1962. While the expedition members were quick to dismiss Kong as the natives' interpretation of thunder and lightning, they discovered that the creature was very real when he broke through a wall separating the native village from the jungle in order to fend off the attacking Giant Octopus. Kong proceeded to drink from huge jars of Farolacton juice manufactured by the islanders, which accompanied by their rhythmic prayer caused him to fall asleep. Pacific Pharmaceuticals attempted to transport Kong to Japan as a publicity to stunt to overshadow the recent return of Godzilla. However, Kong awakened during the transport and escaped from the raft holding him, then came ashore on the Japanese mainland himself. When he encountered Godzilla, Kong attempted to challenge the other monster to battle but was held off when Godzilla set the surrounding forest ablaze with his atomic breath. Kong wandered off on his own and appeared in Tokyo after Godzilla had been repelled from breaching the metropolis with a barrier of high tension wires carrying a million volts of electricity. Kong merely bit down on the power lines and drew strength from the electricity, then stormed into Tokyo where he kidnapped a woman named Fumiko Sakurai from a train and scaled the National Diet Building. The JSDF were able to incapcaitate Kong without harming Fumiko using rockets containing active ingredients from the Farolacton while the Faro Islanders' prayer was played over loudspeakers. Kong collapsed and fell off the building and Fumiko was rescued, but the JSDF determined that the best way to proceed was to force Kong and Godzilla to fight and hopefully kill each other. Kong was airlifted by balloons to Godzilla's current location at Mount Fuji and dropped onto him, and the two titans engaged in a second, much more vicious struggle. While Godzilla held the upper hand at first, lightning from a passing storm reinvigorated Kong and allowed him to turn the tide. The fight ended when both kaiju tackled each other into the ocean, with only Kong surfacing afterward. Rather than pursue, the JSDF allowed Kong to swim peacefully back to his island home.

Another giant ape was found to inhabit Mondo Island in the Java Sea. This Kong was the subject of a great deal of research by Carl Nelson, who was hired to develop schematics for a giant robot based on the ape monster. Nelson resigned over concerns that his research would be used to create a weapon and went on to work for the United Nations, while his former colleague Dr. Who stole his blueprints and used him to create his own personal weapon designed to mine the highly radioactive Element X: Mechani-Kong. While on a research mission aboard the UN submarine Explorer, Nelson and his comrades Jiro Nomura and Susan Watson made a stop on Mondo Island where they witnessed Kong emerge to defend Susan from the giant dinosaur Gorosaurus. Kong tried to pursue Susan back to the Explorer, but was attacked by a Giant Sea Serpent. After defeating the creature, Kong grabbed the Explorer only standing down after being convinced by Susan. Upon learning that Nelson had discovered Kong and following the failure of his robot, Dr. Who and his men kidnapped Kong from Mondo and brought him to their Arctic base, along with Nelson and his allies. Who's plan to control Kong and force him to mine Element X failed and the beast escaped. Dr. Who pursued Kong to Tokyo, and unleashed Mechani-Kong into the city to subdue him. Mechani-Kong grabbed Susan and held her hostage as it scaled the Tokyo Tower with Kong in pursuit. Kong was able to catch Susan as his robot double dropped her, while Dr. Who's business partner Madame Piranha turned on him and destroyed the robot's controls, causing it to fall to its destruction. Kong then hunted down Who's ship and destroyed it, killing the mad scientist. Kong then began to swim back to his home on Mondo Island, with his human friends bidding him farewell and thanking him for what he had done.