Battra

Real Name: Battra

Identity/Class: Kaiju

Occupation: Destroyer, defender of the Earth's ecology

Affiliations: the planet Earth, Mosura

Enemies: Gojira, the Cosmos, humanity, any threats to Earth's ecology; (former) Mosura

Known Relatives: the Elemental Spirit of the planet Earth (creator)

Aliases: Black Mothra

Base of Operations: Earth

First Appearance: “Gojira tai Mosura” (first aired on December 12, 1992; “Godzilla Vs. Mothra” English Translation) or Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (alternate English title)

Powers/Abilities: Battra was created by the Earth to destroy the advanced civilization that offended the Earth by creating a Weather Control machine. Initially Battra was a fierce enemy of Mosura, but in his second coming they became friends. Gojira interrupted Battra and Mosura's second battle (Gojira had actually attacked Battra when he was a larva before this battle) and Battra was severely hurt. Gojira could have killed Battra then and there, but Mosura defended, then healed Battra. After that Battra saw that Mosura did not want to be his enemy, and together they beat Gojira. Sadly, while carrying Gojira out into the open sea, Battra carried him from the front, and was killed by Gojira biting him on the neck, then blasting the large wound continually with his atomic breath. Battra was supposed to destroy a giant meteor that would destroy the planet in 1999, and before Battra died, Mosura made a promise, that if he didn't make it, Mosura would destroy it for him. And she did just that.

A gigantic insectoid creature of tremendous size and stature, Battra can metamorphize between a larvae form and a winged form. His first form or larval stage resembled a gigantic armored caterpillar. Approximately 300 feet long, Battra could and did rear up on its abdomen to confront its opponents. In this for Battra’s main method of locomotion is a series of taloned prolegs located on its lower abdomen. Lacking any limbs in his larvae form, Battra relied instead on its prominent, wickedly sharp horn-like protrusion that projected from its forehead to slash and gouge at his opponents. In addition, Battra could discharge powerful electrical-like bursts from his horn. Battra also could project powerful prism beams from its eyes although these beams were often wild and unfocused. Battra could also concentrate these energies and conduct it throughout its body in a series of energy pulses that repulsed attackers who attempted to grapple with him in close proximity. Battra could also burrow underground with surprising speed and was a highly adept swimmer in his larvae form.

Battra could also initiate a metamorphosis into his second form or imago (adult) form which resembles a cross between a bat and a moth. Approximately 250 feet in length and with a wingspan of approximately 600 feet; Battra lost his ability to swim and burrow underground but instead gained the power of flight via it’s new wings. His top air speed was approximately Mach 3 or 22,000 miles per hour and he was an incredibly agile flier. He could also produce powerful hurricane blasts of winds by flapping his wings at high speeds. Battra could even travel in space and could withstand the effects of the vacuum of space. His imago form also bestowed upon him three sets of segmented limbs with prominent grasping claws that Battra could use to seize and lift tremendous weights. Battra used this to grab heavy objects and airlift them to use as weapons against its opponents. Battra proved strong enough to lift a kaiju of Gojira’s mass; who weighs approximately 66,000 tons. Battra’s prominent horn also vanished with his transformation, and it instead now possessed three smaller glowing ones which apparently lacked the electrical blast ability. Instead, Battra’s optic prism blasts had increased in power and intensity, and Battra had gained full mastery and control over them, no longer wild and unfocused. Battra still possessed the ability to conduct these energies throughout its body but with its new grasping arms, it could use it to seize its opponents and attack them by shocking it.

History: Billions upon billions of years ago before even the dawn of mankind, an ancient civilization known as “the Cosmos” was the dominant life form on Earth. Seeking to master the forces of nature itself, the Cosmos began experimenting with a technology to control the weather. Their experiments awoke Earth’s living spirit, which gave birth to a dark and destructive entity as the ultimate protector of the planet. This powerful monster was Battra. Battra ravaged and decimated this civilization, bringing havoc and death. It is believed that the pleas of the final remnants of the Cosmos summoned the deity Mothra who sought to stop the destruction and chaos. Battra however was determined to complete its grim task but Mothra was equally adamant to preserve the Cosmos and the two powerful creatures fought, with Mothra ultimately triumphant, apparently forcing Battra into a state of suspended animation.

Since that time, the survivors of the Cosmos have worshipped their gigantic protector and have become a race of pacifists living in harmony with nature on the hidden Infant Island. It is believed that eventually Mothra grew old and shortly before expiring, gave birth to a egg which remained hidden on Infant Island. Millennia passed and humanity evolved and emerged to become the dominant life form on the planet, building and expanding their civilization while simultaneously destroying and poisoning the environment.

In the modern day, the landfall of a large meteorite had resulted in a series of massive tidal waves that uncovered Mothra’s gigantic buried egg on Infant Island. This meteorite also apparently awoke the slumbering King of the Monsters, Gojira who promptly began a rampage of destruction. The Marutomo Corporation was responsible for studying the altered climatic conditions as a result of the meteorite and sent an expedition to assess Infant Island. One of the expedition members, Masako Tezuka, convinced the Marutomo Corporation’s liaison, Kenji Andoh, that her ex-husband, Takuya Fujita, was one of the best choices to lead the expedition. Andoh found that Fujita was being held by the Thailand government for illegally raiding a temple and put pressure on the Thailand government to release him in exchange for his leading the expedition to Infant Island.

The expedition found the egg and Andoh decided to bring the egg back to Japan for study. Two members of the Cosmos who served as Mothra’s priestesses made contact with Tezuka to plead for the return of Mothra’s egg, explaining the history of the Cosmos and that Battra had reawakened. Outraged by the destructive tendencies of the human species, the elemental spirit of the planet Earth had awoken its vengeful destroyer, who broke free of its icy tomb in Siberia and in gigantic larvae form was now making its way across the Sea of Japan. The fairy priestesses’ dire warnings however were ignored and the egg was being shipped to Japan when Gojira emerged from the watery depths and attacked the cargo vessel. The tethers holding Mothra’s egg were broken and shortly afterwards, Mothra burst free from its shell and found itself fighting for its life against Gojira. Meanwhile Battra had made landfall at Japan and had tunneled underground to emerge at the city of Nagoya where it leveled much of the city before the destructive kaiju sensed the rebirth of its ancient enemy and abruptly broke off its attack.

The battle between Gojira and Mothra was going poorly for the newly born kaiju when Battra interrupted the fight. A stray energy blast from Battra caused Gojira to focus its attention on it and Gojira immediately launched a furious assault on Battra. The malevolent insect counterattacked and began a furious attack, providing Mothra a chance to retreat and recover. Both Gojira and Battra were dragged beneath the waves and their struggles sparked an underwater volcano to erupt and engulf both terrible monsters, apparently ending their destructive threat.

Deprived of the mammoth egg, Andoh decided to seize the Cosmos’ fairy priestesses for study instead. Captured them, the priestesses were brought against their will to Tokyo. Mothra sensed the priestesses’ psychic calls for help and immediately headed towards Tokyo where it fell under assault by the Japanese Self Defense Forces. Meanwhile Fujita absconded with Mothra’s priestesses, intending to sell them for profit, when Tezuka and their daughter convinced him to release the pair to stop Mothra from destroying Tokyo. Freed, the Cosmos convinced Mothra to stop her assault and return to Infant Island. However the military quickly seized the advantage of the brief interlude and unleashed a furious barrage that badly injured Mothra, forcing it to spin a protective cocoon to begin the metamorphosis into its imago winged form.

Across Japan, Mt. Fuji suddenly erupted and with a monstrous roar, Gojira emerged from the magma, free once more, and it began its trek towards Yokohama. Meanwhile the oceans boiled and from beneath the waves, Battra burst free from the magma and transformed into its own imago winged form, speeding to confront Mothra. The ancient adversaries engaged in a furious midair dogfight only to be interrupted by the enraged King of the Monsters who attacked Battra and severely injured the creature. Mothra came to the aid of its ancient adversary, momentarily stunning Gojira and healing Battra. Mothra asked for Battra’s assistance against this potentially greater threat. Believing that Gojira would ultimately place a tremendous threat to the Earth, the two antagonist insects joined forces and after a fierce struggle, managed to immobilize the King of the Monsters and drag him out to sea. At the last moment however Gojira tore a huge gash in Battra’s neck as a final defiant act, before the King of the Monsters tumbled into the sea.

With the last remnants of its life force fading, Battra asked Mothra to complete its mission. Another and much larger meteorite was approaching the Earth and would destroy the entire planet if not stopped. Had Battra lived, it would have destroyed this threat but as it could not, it asked its ancient foe to do so in its place. Mothra accepted this task as Battra plummeted to its watery grave. Afterwards, Mothra departed the planet Earth and went into space to successfully accomplish Battra’s appointed task.

Comments: Created as a counter for the benevolent Mosura (Mothra), Battra was conceived as a dark twin or doppelganger for the gigantic moth. Much of Battra’s design was cadged from an earlier concept known as “Gigamoth” from an abandoned Toho movie concept which had only developed several preliminary drawings.

There is some indication that Battra derives it’s name from the popular Japanese custom of combing two separate words into a single one; although it is unclear which two words were exactly used. Toho has claimed to have used both “Black Mosura” or “Batoru Mosura” (Batoru means Battle in Japanese) in detailing his namesake's origins.

Aside from it’s sole movie appearance, Battra has made several appearances in a number of Gojira video games.

Profile be Michael Higuchi.

Thanks to Olivia Quirk for providing information and images for this character. Thanks to James Hunter for corrections.

CLARIFICATIONS: None

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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