So Godzilla may be taller than you think

How tall is Godzilla? Seems to be a simple question, but an artist on Instagram points out something about the kaiju that no one noticed.

Beyoncé, Madonna, Adele, Cher… Godzilla. Very few are known by just a singular name. Sure, you can argue that unlike the others I listed, Godzilla doesn’t have a last name—or does it? Maybe it’s just so iconic it doesn’t need one.

The legendary kaiju, who debuted all the way back in an eponymous movie in 1954, has become a pop culture icon, first in Japan and then over in the West. The ongoing franchise by Legendary Pictures brings Godzilla together with another legendary beast, King Kong. The most recent film, Godzilla Minus One, is produced by Toho Studios and is the first ever Godzilla movie to be nominated for an Academy Award. 

So it’s safe to say that everyone knows Godzilla—or do we? A recent post by an artist on Instagram reveals otherwise.

[Hero image: Legendary Pictures]

How tall is Godzilla—and are its legs stumpy like we think?

The post by Instagram user @dontlikethatbro was actually made all the way back in 2019, but pop culture news account Pubity resurfaced the post yesterday. The Malaysian artist behind the account, Ernest Ng, makes an interesting observation about Godzilla in the 2019 film Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

One of the most popular shots from the movie, which was also used for the film’s poster, features Godzilla knee-deep in the ocean releasing its atomic breath into the sky, illuminating the clouds in an electric blue, while a submarine floats nearby. It’s iconic. It’s breathtaking. It’s showstopping—much like the divas I mentioned previously so don’t wonder why I put Godzilla in the same category.

But Ng points out a problem in that scene that flew above everyone’s heads: how is Godzilla only knee-deep in the ocean? Despite the fact that the monster stands at a height of 120 metres, the ocean definitely isn’t shallow; the submarine is evidence of that. As formidable as the King of the Monsters is, it has stumpy legs. So why in the world isn’t the legendary beast submerged in the water?

Ng gives plausible (and hilarious) explanations. Perhaps Godzilla is standing on the summit of an underwater mountain. The scene is dark anyway, so it may just be hard to make out. Or perhaps it’s a mountain of trash, a reasonable theory since our oceans are, sadly, heavily polluted. Perhaps Godzilla made friends with a whale that has so graciously allowed itself to carry the kaiju on its back, or maybe Godzilla is rocking platform shoes underneath the dark murky water.

Finally, Ng makes one last suggestion: maybe Godzilla just has really long legs and it’s been duping us into thinking they’re stumps.

Will the new movie, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, answer this mystery? Perhaps, but if it does, I hope the explanation is that Kong gave Godzilla some really nice heels. I told you he belongs perfectly in that category.