Godzilla (or Gojira, as he's known in the Land of the Rising Sun) is a Japanese icon. The King of the Monsters has starred in more than two dozen films over the past six decades, numerous novels and even American comic books, yet, in all that time, Godzilla has never starred in an anime, one of Japan's primary cultural exports.
That might soon be changing, if a recent domain name filing by Godzilla owner Toho Studios is to be believed. As reported by Anime News Network, Toho Ad Co. Ltd. is the listed registrant of "Godzilla-Anime.com." The site was registered on Aug. 2.
There is, unfortunately, not much else to go on, but it wouldn't be surprising for an official Godzilla anime to become a reality. The character's new film, Shin Gojira (or its English title, Godzilla: Resurgence), is being received well in Japan, where it debuted on July 29. The movie will be distributed in North American theaters by Funimation later in 2016, and once again returns Godzilla to his original, city-destroying self.
Godzilla also recently appeared in an episode of the comedy anime Crayon Shin-chan. The episode has the show's Shinnosuke attempt to stop Godzilla's Tokyo Bay rampage, and the episode was made in conjunction with Toho to promote Shin Gojira. It's for that reason the episode shows Godzilla in his new disfigured look, rather than the more classic design most people are probably familiar with, and it also includes authentic Godzilla sound effects from the new film.
Of course, Toho might simply be trademarking the site just to be safe, with no official plans for a Godzilla anime underway. However, it does come at an opportune time. The Big G's new film is making waves, and the character just made his anime debut. It's also worth noting that Shin Gojira was directed by the creator of the popular giant mech versus giant monster anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hideaki Anno. Shin Gojira and Neon Genesis Evangelion have even crossed over in a series of promotional artwork and collectible figures. If a Godzilla anime is in the works, it wouldn't be all that surprising if Toho somehow got Anno involved.
For now, however, there's no official word on what, if anything, fans can expect. We'll let you know, should that change in the weeks and months ahead.
