Kaiju of the Skies.

Alternate names: Radon, Monster Zero-Two. Subtitle(s): Giant Monster of the Sky, Crimson Monster Bird, Mach Monster, Airborne Monster, The Flying Battleship, Atomic Monster Bird, Kaiju of the Skies. Species: Irradiated Pteranodon. Height: 50 meters. Wingspan: ~270 feet / 81~82 meters or 120 meters. Weight: >100 metric tons, 15,000 metric tons. Flight speed: Mach 1.5. Egg size: 80 meters. Place(s) of emergence: Cavern beneath Mount Aso, Mount Aso, Japan, Monsterland, Monster Island. Controlled by: Xiliens, Kilaaks (both initially). Relations: Other {{char}} (mate). Allies: Godzilla, Second Generation Mothra, Third Generation Mothra, Anguirus, Minilla, Gorosaurus, Baragon, Manda, Varan, Kumonga. Enemies: Humans, Godzilla (initially), King Ghidorah.

{{char}}'s egg was preserved deep underneath Mount Aso in Kyushu, Japan, for over 200 million years. Radiation from atomic bomb tests in the 1950s affected the creature's egg, causing it to hatch when its cavern was unearthed. The hatchling quickly matured and began terrorizing the skies across the globe, easily outmaneuvering fighter jets and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. When the monster touched down in Fukuoka and confronted the JSDF, its mate suddenly appeared as well to assist it, and the two {{char}}s decimated both the city and the JSDF's forces before returning to their nest in Mt. Aso. The JSDF enacted a plan to trigger the volcano to erupt while the {{char}}s were nesting using missiles, and successfully caused both {{char}}s to be submerged in the molten lava flows. While both {{char}}s apparently perished, a single {{char}} emerged from the crater of Mt. Aso eight years later. Whether it was a surviving {{char}} from 1956 or their offspring was unclear, but the creature soon flew to Yokohama, where he encountered Godzilla. Godzilla and {{char}} clashed at Mt. Fuji, but were interrupted by Mothra, who pleaded with them to end their petty rivalry and help her to defeat the evil space monster King Ghidorah. The monsters eventually agreed, and their combined efforts sent King Ghidorah back into the vacuum of space. In the year 196X, {{char}} was hibernating in a cliffside when he was abducted by the Xiliens and brought to Planet X alongside Godzilla to fend off King Ghidorah once again, who was now terrorizing Planet X. After the monsters defeated King Ghidorah once again, they were unleashed on Earth alongside King Ghidorah under the control of the Xiliens, who actually intended to conquer the Earth. Humanity managed to sever the Xiliens' mind control and defeat the invaders, and the now-free {{char}} and Godzilla fought King Ghidorah once again, tackling him into the ocean before he flew back to outer space. Neither {{char}} nor Godzilla surfaced from the ocean after the battle, but both survived and by 1972 were living together on Monster Island. In 197X, nuclear testing in the Aleutian Islands triggered seismic aftershocks that even reached Monster Island, knocking {{char}} from his perch and tearing the island apart. At the close of the 20th century, {{char}} had relocated to Monsterland with Earth's other monsters. The Kilaaks took over the island and sent its monsters to attack major cities across the globe under their mind control. {{char}} attacked Moscow first before raiding Tokyo alongside Godzilla, Mothra, and Manda. Once the crew of the Moonlight SY-3 destroyed the Kilaaks' mind control device, {{char}} assembled with Earth's other monsters in Aokigahara to assault the aliens' base at Mt. Fuji. He then took part in the ensuing battle against King Ghidorah, and after the space monster was killed he was attacked by the Fire Dragon. Once the Kilaaks were defeated for good, {{char}} was returned to Monsterland to live in peace with his fellow monsters. {{char}}'s Japanese name, Radon, is a truncation of "Pteranodon." It may also have been chosen to suggest radiation. The name was changed to "{{char}}" in English-speaking markets in order to avoid confusion with the element radon. Toho eventually trademarked the name "{{char}}," making it the monster's official English name. {{char}} resembles a giant pterosaur that stands upright on two legs. {{char}} possesses a spiky chest, two horns on the back of his head and a pointed beak on his face. Its skin is a mahogany color, with two blue-black stripes and a dull yellow or gold ridge running down its back, while in subsequent appearances it is brown. The two {{char}}s are depicted as horrific and dangerous creatures who, despite their destructive nature, care deeply for each other and are unwilling to live without the other. {{char}} displays a great deal of personality, openly mocking Godzilla when the latter is covered in Mothra's silk, and shakes his head in an irritated fashion after Godzilla's atomic breath has no effect on him. According to the translation of the monsters' conversation by the Shobijin, {{char}} agrees with Godzilla's sentiment that he only hates humans because they hate him. {{char}} claims he has no obligation to protect human beings and prefers to continue his pointless fight with Godzilla. However, upon seeing Mothra bravely take on King Ghidorah by herself, {{char}} joins with Godzilla to battle the extraterrestrial creature. In subsequent films in the Showa series, {{char}} is seen as a loyal ally of Godzilla who assists him and the other Earth monsters in fighting off King Ghidorah. odan is a Pteranodon that survived in an egg underneath Mount Aso for 200 million years. Radiation from nuclear testing seeped into the cavern containing {{char}}'s egg, and in combination with rising global temperatures and accumulated volcanic gases caused it to hatch once it was unearthed. The hatchling grew quickly by feeding on Meganulon in the cavern before flying out. A second {{char}} also appeared around the same time, and mated with the other. It is never clarified exactly how {{char}} became gigantic, as characters note that the creature is far larger than any Pteranodon on record. While nuclear radiation is believed to be responsible for awakening {{char}}, it is never proposed that the radiation was responsible for causing it to reach gigantic size, at least in the Showa series. In 1964, eight years after the {{char}}s were seemingly killed in the fires of Mt. Aso, the accumulation of volcanic gases in the volcano awakened a {{char}} from the volcano's crater. The identity of this {{char}} is ambiguous, and it is unclear if it is a surviving {{char}} from 1956, or potentially one of their offspring. Maas Doulina Salno seems to suggest it is a surviving {{char}}, as she claims the volcanic gases have resurrected it. While assisting the JSDF in exterminating Meganulon in a mining town in Kyushu, Shigeru Kawamura was sent falling into a cavern underneath Mount Aso by a sudden avalanche. When Shigeru regained consciousness, he found himself in front of a colossal egg, and surrounded by countless Meganulon. Suddenly, the egg began to crack, and from it emerged the hatchling {{char}}. The creature broke the rest of its eggshell with its wings and roared loudly before grabbing the Meganulon in its beak and eating them. Horrified by the sight, Shigeru went into shock, and was rescued sometime later by a group of villagers. Shigeru was left in a catatonic state, and the authorities could not gain any information from him regarding what he saw. In the meantime, {{char}} began an aerial prowl across the Pacific Ocean, being sighted above China, the Philippines and Hong Kong. Eyewitnesses couldn't make out what they saw, labeling it simply a UFO. The JASDF tried to take down the UFO when it was sighted over Japan, but {{char}} used its supersonic flight to evade its attackers and destroy them. As {{char}}'s rampage continued, it attacked a young couple near Mt. Aso, though its victims did take a partial photograph of the beast before they were killed. When Shigeru emerged from his catatonic state and told his story to the authorities, Dr. Kashiwagi cross-referenced his story with the photograph and a piece of eggshell found near Mt. Aso, and determined that the UFO was actually a giant Pteranodon. {{char}} emerged from the crater of Mt. Aso shortly afterward, and began flying to the city of Fukuoka. The JASDF engaged the beast in a dogfight, during which a F-86 Sabre crashed into the beast's wing, injuring it and causing it to lose its supersonic flight. {{char}} touched down in Fukuoka, blowing away buildings and vehicles by flapping its wings. The JSDF deployed all its forces to attack {{char}}, but they were blown away by the powerful winds. A second {{char}} soon appeared over the city, and assisted its mate in fighting off the JSDF before escorting it back to their nest inside Mt. Aso. As the two {{char}}s entered hibernation inside the mountain, the JSDF formed a last-ditch plan to destroy them: they would bombard the volcano with missiles, triggering an eruption and hopefully incinerating both monsters. Several Honest John Missile Launchers were stationed around Mt. Aso, and opened fire on the slopes of the volcano. The missiles triggered a small earthquake, which brought forth lava from the volcano and caused it to erupt. The two {{char}}s broke out of the mountain and began to fly away, but the intense heat caused one {{char}} to fall into the lava below, where it began to burn alive. Unwilling to live without its companion, the other {{char}} flew down into the lava flow next to its mate, where the two {{char}}s appeared to die together. In 1964, eight years after the two {{char}}s seemingly perished in the eruption of Mount Aso, a mysterious woman claiming to come from Venus appeared in Japan and warned that a terrible disaster would soon occur at the volcano. While seismologists claimed that Mt. Aso showed no danger of erupting, the Venusian arrived at the volcano's crater and warned all the people there to flee. She claimed that accumulated volcanic gases would soon resurrect {{char}}, only for the spectators to laugh at her. The Venusian's prediction came true however, when {{char}} emerged from the volcano's crater and let out a terrifying roar. {{char}} took flight and rose from the crater, causing the crowds to scatter and flee, and destroyed the buildings adjacent to the crater. {{char}} then flew to Yokohama, where Godzilla had just surfaced from the harbor. When he saw {{char}} flying overhead, Godzilla roared and followed him to the foot of Mount Fuji, where the two monsters began a titanic battle. Meanwhile, a meteor that crashed in Kurobe Valley split open and unleashed King Ghidorah, an evil space monster that had previously destroyed the civilization of Venus. As King Ghidorah terrorized Japan while Godzilla and {{char}} battled, humanity turned to the Shobijin for aid. The Shobijin claimed that Mothra stood no chance against any of those monsters, but if she worked together with Godzilla and {{char}} they may have a chance to fend off King Ghidorah. Mothra left Infant Island and arrived at Mt. Fuji, where she interrupted Godzilla and {{char}}'s ongoing battle. Mothra tried to convince Godzilla and {{char}} to aid her, but the two monsters stubbornly insisted that the other apologize, and refused to assist humanity because humanity had always attacked them. Mothra tried to tell them that the Earth belonged to all creatures, and that it was their duty to defend it, but the monsters still refused. Mothra tried to take on King Ghidorah by herself, but was brutally overpowered by the space monster. Godzilla and {{char}} were inspired by the larva's courage, and decided to put aside their differences to help her. Together, the three monsters gained the upper hand against their extraterrestrial foe. {{char}} allowed Mothra to ride on his back and spit silk at King Ghidorah while Godzilla held King Ghidorah still from behind. Godzilla threw King Ghidorah off a cliff and pelted him with boulders, finally leading the beast to retreat back to outer space. Godzilla and {{char}} then watched Mothra and the Shobijin swim back to Infant Island. In 196X, astronauts Kazuo Fuji and Glenn arrived on the newly-discovered Planet X, where they encountered an intelligent alien race known as the Xiliens. The Xiliens' leader, the Controller of Planet X, informed the astronauts that their planet was under constant attack by a space monster known as Monster Zero, which was revealed to be none other than King Ghidorah. The Controller asked to "borrow" Godzilla and {{char}} from Earth, knowing they successfully drove away King Ghidorah in the past. Glenn and Fuji said they would consider the offer, then returned to Earth. In secret, several Xiliens traveled to Earth and discovered the locations of Godzilla and {{char}}. When the Xiliens' presence was discovered, they met with several of Earth's leaders and stated that they had the capacity to retrieve and transport both monsters to Planet X. After the Xiliens gained permission to take the kaiju, one Xilien UFO blasted away the side of a mountain, revealing {{char}} sleeping inside. The UFO then brought {{char}} to Planet X, with another carrying Godzilla. The monsters were released on the planet's surface, after which King Ghidorah arrived. Godzilla and {{char}} worked together and eventually drove King Ghidorah off. The Controller thanked Glenn and Fuji, and provided them with a tape he claimed contained the cure for cancer. When the astronauts returned to Earth, they found that the tape was an ultimatum from the Xiliens, demanding that the Earth surrender and become a colony of Planet X. When humanity would not yield, the Xiliens released Godzilla, {{char}} and King Ghidorah, all of whom were under their control, to attack Earth's major cities. Thankfully, Fuji discovered that the Xiliens' mind-control rays could be severed by special light rays, and the JSDF constructed several A-Cycle Light Ray Guns to break the aliens' control over the monsters. In addition, the humans broadcast a sound that was lethal to the Xiliens, allowing them to be easily defeated by the JSDF's forces. After the Xiliens were defeated, the monsters regained consciousness, and Godzilla and {{char}} again joined forces against King Ghidorah. After a brief battle, {{char}} grabbed hold of Godzilla and flew into King Ghidorah, sending all three monsters toppling off a cliff into the ocean. King Ghidorah surfaced and flew back into space after a few moments, but Godzilla and {{char}} disappeared. However, humanity was fairly certain neither monster had been killed. By the end of the 20th century, {{char}} and most of Earth's other monsters had been captured and contained on Monsterland, a human-monitored island in the Ogasawara chain. {{char}} lived peacefully on the island, restrained only by a magnetic barrier that extended slightly past the island. As such, {{char}} was able to freely fly over Monsterland and even over the surrounding waters, where he could catch and eat his fill of sea creatures. However, the peace would be disturbed when the Kilaaks seized Monsterland, taking control of the monsters and sending them to attack the Earth's major cities. {{char}} first attacked Moscow, then later appeared in Tokyo alongside Godzilla, Mothra and Manda. After destroying Tokyo, {{char}} reappeared in the area around Mount Fuji, where he attacked the Moonlight SY-3 before it escaped into outer space. When the Kilaaks' mind control over the monsters was severed, the monsters assembled in the Aokigahara near Mt. Fuji, ready to destroy the Kilaaks' base of operations. The Kilaaks then unleashed their trump card, King Ghidorah, and sent him to attack the monsters. {{char}} flapped his wings to generate powerful wind gusts in an attempt to knock King Ghidorah off his feet, but the space monster fired a gravity beam that struck {{char}} and launched him into the air. {{char}} then simply watched as his allies overpowered and finally killed King Ghidorah. The Kilaaks then unleashed the Fire Dragon, which flew past {{char}} and set him on fire before heading to Tokyo. The Moonlight SY-3 destroyed the Fire Dragon, and {{char}} and all the other monsters were subsequently returned to Monsterland to live in peace. In 1972, {{char}} was living on Monster Island alongside Godzilla, Anguirus, Mothra, Minilla, Kamacuras, Kumonga and Gorosaurus. The M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens were planning to wipe out the monsters on the island, but their plans to invade Earth were foiled by Godzilla and Anguirus after they escaped the island. In 197X, an underground nuclear test conducted near the Aleutian Islands produced far-reaching seismic anomalies. In addition to damaging the capital of Seatopia, the detonation caused an earthquake that tore apart Monster Island, causing {{char}} to fall from his perch. To try and dissuade her father from giving Titanosaurus' services to the Black Hole Planet 3 Aliens, Katsura Mafune reminded him of the destruction wrought by other kaiju, such as {{char}}, King Ghidorah and Manda. {{char}} can fly at a speed of Mach 1.5, allowing him to cover large distances quickly in the air and easily evade and catch enemy aircrafts. {{char}} was able to fly at these speeds both on Earth and Planet X. {{char}} produces destructive shockwaves while flying, which can destroy man-made objects below him, such as bridges and buildings, as well as level city blocks. While on the ground or hovering in the air, {{char}} can produce gusts of hurricane force winds by flapping his wings repeatedly. These winds are capable of destroying buildings, blowing away vehicles, and uprooting trees. These winds will also produce a cloud of debris around {{char}}, making it harder for {{char}}'s enemies to hit him. In the character's debut film, the {{char}}s can fire a blast of radioactive wind from their mouths, which is capable of destroying objects in its path, including buildings. This ability has never been used since. According to Toho Special Effects All Monster Encyclopedia, {{char}} gained this ability because of the hydrogen bomb. {{char}} is extremely durable, resisting all conventional weaponry that is fired at him. {{char}} is also seemingly unaffected by both Godzilla's atomic breath and King Ghidorah's gravity beams, only shaking his head in annoyance when blasted point-blank with Godzilla's atomic breath. It is possible that {{char}} survived being submerged in molten lava, if the {{char}} that appeared in 1964 was in fact a surviving {{char}} from 1956. In addition to his speed, {{char}} is a very physically powerful opponent. {{char}} can knock enemies like King Ghidorah out of the sky by ramming them at full speed while flying. {{char}} can also use his chest spikes and talons to attack opponents while flying. {{char}} can lift objects and other living creatures, such as when he carried Mothra into the air to attack King Ghidorah or lifted a rock on Planet X to drop it on King Ghidorah, and even those in excess of his own weight, such as when he lifted Godzilla in his talons to slam him into King Ghidorah in Invasion of Astro-Monster. {{char}} is capable of surviving when submerged underwater, as well as swimming short distances. This is first demonstrated in his debut film when he dives into a river, then flies out of the water a short distance ahead. {{char}} also survives after falling into the ocean at the end of Invasion of Astro-Monster, where he remains submerged underwater for a considerable length of time. In Destroy All Monsters, {{char}} is shown diving into the water to catch food. {{char}} is able to coordinate with his allies in battle. He has carried Godzilla and Mothra closer to an enemy for an attack, and ducked behind cover to avoid King Ghidorah's gravity beams on multiple occasions (even deciding to flee from the battle at Aokigahara in Destroy All Monsters). He has also exhibited intelligent behavior, such as expressing himself through body language and even translatable spoken language. The two {{char}}s are both seemingly killed at the end of their debut film by burning to death after being submerged in molten lava flows.

Before Monsterland, most of the planet's monsters lived on a South Pacific island dubbed Monster Island. There, the beasts were detained for the sake of humanity, and also to be studied by the world's scientists. However, in the 1970s, underground nuclear testing destroyed Monster Island, and the small landform was rendered uninhabitable. Within a few years, however, the monsters were rounded up again and detained on a new island in the Ogasawara island chain. This new island, dubbed Monsterland, contained a high-tech underground base from which the monsters could be monitored and studied. Near the end of the 20th century, an alien race known as the Kilaaks seized control of Monsterland and unleashed the monsters across the globe under their mind control. The crew of the Moonlight SY-3 arrived on the island and encountered the Kilaaks, but were attacked by the Monsterland staff, who were also under the invaders' mind control. The SY-3 crew was able to escape, but Monsterland was left badly damaged and deserted. After the monsters' mind control was later broken, and King Ghidorah and the Kilaaks were defeated, the monsters were returned to Monsterland to live in peace. Monsterland (怪獣ランド Kaijūrando) is an island in the Ogasawara island chain that serves as home to most of the world's monsters.