Mothra

Original name Kortana from Leviathanis' lair! I decided FINALLY to get my favourite kaiju and her lil friends Also I got a job! It's only part time for now but it's better than nothing and I'm happy ^w^

UPDATE: Added Faceted eyes 20/09/2021. The blue apparel alludes to Mothra having a blue aura in the recent western movies.

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NAME: The name "Mothra" is the suffixation of "-ra" (a common last syllable in kaiju names) to "moth." Since the Japanese language does not have dental fricatives, it is approximated "Mosura" in Japanese. Originally, Mothra's name was approximated in English as "Mosla," but it was later corrected to "Mothra" by the time of the release of her debut film. In the American dubbing and various posters for Mothra vs. Godzilla, Mothra is also referred to as "The Thing." She is among Toho's most popular characters, primarily among female fans, and she has appeared in every Godzilla film era. Toho even honored Mothra with the title "Queen of Monsters" for the soundtrack and home video releases of Rebirth of Mothra, illustrating her proximity in status to Godzilla himself. This subtitle is also used for her in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, the guardian monster Mothra's name is spelled in kanji but pronounced the same: 最珠羅 (Mosura). While Mothra is named in GODZILLA: Project Mechagodzilla, her name is never spoken in any of the films of the GODZILLA anime trilogy. Rather, she is alluded to only as the Houtua's God (フツアの神 Futsua no Kami), while her unhatched offspring is simply referred to as the Egg (卵 Tamago). When Haruo Sakaki sees a vision of the imago Mothra, he mistakenly calls her a "butterfly" (蝶 Chō).

DESIGN:
Since her first film, Mothra has been depicted in various stages of the lepidopteran life cycle: Mothra's mammoth egg is decoratively colored in blue and yellow waves. The egg hatches into her larva, a massive brown, segmented caterpillar (resembling a silkworm) with glowing blue, sometimes red, eyes. In rare circumstances, twins may emerge from the egg. The caterpillar eventually spins a silken cocoon around itself (the pupa stage), and from this cocoon the imago (adult) Mothra emerges, a gigantic moth-like creature with brightly-colored wings.

Mothra's life cycle—particularly the tendency of an imago's death to coincide with its larvae hatching—echoes that of the Phoenix, resembling resurrection and suggesting divinity. In her debut novel The Luminous Fairies and Mothra, Mothra had a design more reminiscent of a swallow, her head also being more like a butterfly's. Her larval form was segmented, similarly to the way she would be portrayed in her first film appearance, but had longer legs and possessed a more caterpillar-like face.

PERSONALITY:
Mothra's major distinction among Toho's library of kaiju, aside from being the first female monster in the Godzilla series, is her benevolent nature and relationship to mankind. While other monsters like Godzilla frequently menace humanity with their very existence, Mothra fights to protect humanity from monsters that threaten it.

Mothra is accompanied by two miniature twin priestesses named the Shobijin, who speak to humanity on her behalf. However, Mothra has still wrought destruction herself, though this is only to rescue her Shobijin when they are kidnapped or when she is under the control of the Kilaaks.

ABILITIES:
Physical Capabilities:
In her larval stage, Mothra's primary form of physical attack involves using her mandibles to bite opponents. Typically she bites onto an enemy's tail, causing them physical pain while she holds on. In her imago stage, Mothra slams her massive body into enemies and sometimes strikes them with her wings. She also uses her sharp claws to scratch or stab opponents. Mothra's surprising levels of physical strength allow her to drag and even lift monsters like Godzilla.

Specials:
SCALES: Typically, Mothra emits "scales" scales from her wings as a last resort, a yellow poisonous powder that can incapacitate enemies. In Mothra vs. Godzilla, Mothra's scales only served to asphyxiate Godzilla and cause him to fall over, while in subsequent incarnations her scales have been given the ability to reflect attacks back at her enemies.

TELEPATHY: Mothra possesses telepathic abilities which she can use to communicate with her Shobijin across great distances.

SILK: Mothra can spit a stream of silk at her enemies to either disorient or entrap them. Usually this ability can only be used in her larval stage, but in the MonsterVerse she is able to use her silk attack even as an imago.

WIND: In her imago stage, Mothra can flap her wings to create gales which tear apart buildings and knock other kaiju down.

FLIGHT: Mothra is capable of flight, usually at supersonic speeds, while in her imago stage.

ANTENNA BEAMS: In Godzilla vs. Mothra and Rebirth of Mothra, Mothra can fire laser beams from her antennae. In Rebirth of Mothra, this attack is called the Beam Pulser.

LIGHTNING: In Godzilla vs. Mothra, Mothra can fire arcs of lightning through her wings or release this electrical energy through her touch.

STINGER: In GMK, Mothra can fire a hail of poisonous dart-like stingers from her abdomen. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, she instead possesses a single larger stinger attached to her abdomen which can immobilize enemies pierced by it.

EYE BEAMS: In Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, Mothra fires blue beams from her eyes during her fight against Battra on Infant Island.

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