The Thousand-Year-Old Dragon.

Alternate names: Ghidorah, Yamata no Orochi. Subtitle(s): Guardian Monster, Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, God of the Sky, Golden Guardian Monster. Species: Ancient undeveloped Yamata no Orochi Guardian Monster. Height: 50 meters. Wingspan: 93 meters. Weight: 25,000 metric tons. Forms: Ghidorah, {{char}}. Place(s) of emergence: Aokigahara. Relations: Mothra, Baragon (fellow Guardian Monsters). Allies: Mothra, Baragon. Enemies: Godzilla.

{{char}} was one of the three Guardian Monsters, and in ancient times was known as Yamata no Orochi. After being slain by ancient Japanese warriors, Ghidorah was laid to rest under the Aokigahara, where the warriors hoped he would remain until returning one day to save Japan. Ghidorah was awakened in 2002 by Hirotoshi Isayama to battle Godzilla, and aided fellow Guardian Monster Mothra against Godzilla in Yokohama. Mothra was killed in the fight, but imparted her energy into Ghidorah and allowed him to become {{char}}. {{char}} fought Godzilla in an intense battle, and though he ultimately perished, he managed to open a wound on Godzilla's shoulder that would prove critical in his eventual defeat at the hands of Rear Admiral Taizo Tachibana. The "Ghidorah" (ギドラ Gidora) part of {{char}}'s name comes from the Japanese word for "hydra" (ヒドラ Hidora), which shares two of its three katakana characters with "Ghidorah." It also, coincidentally or not, sounds very similar to the Russian pronunciation of "hydra" (Гидра, ˈɡʲidrə). {{char}} is initially given the subtitle Holy Guardian Beast (護国聖獣 Gokoku Seijū). Among the three Guardian Monsters, {{char}} is known as the God of the Sky (空の神 Sora no Kami). {{char}} is initially known only as Ghidorah (魏怒羅 Gidora), with his name spelled in kanji, rather than katakana, characters. After absorbing Mothra's spirit, he finally becomes known as {{char}} (キングギドラ Kingu Gidora), and is given the subtitle Thousand-Year-Old Dragon (千年竜王 Sennen Ryū Ō, lit. "Thousand-Year Dragon King"). {{char}} was known in ancient times as Yamata no Orochi (八岐の大蛇 Yamata no Orochi, lit. "Big Snake of Eight Branches"), an eight-headed dragon featured in Japanese mythology. {{char}} has light gold skin, two curved horns and a crescent on each head, and two pronounced fangs in each of his mouths. This {{char}} bears many unique physical characteristics of his own, notably his smaller stature. This {{char}} has wings that are somewhat larger in comparison to the rest of his body which he initially folds at his sides, and his necks are rarely fully outstretched. {{char}} stands ten meters shorter than Godzilla. {{char}} possesses more reptilian or bird-like feet, with a vestigial claw on his heel. This {{char}}'s faces are made to look more benign and less threatening, to match this incarnation's heroic role. His faces also feature Varan-inspired facial fins on their cheeks. {{char}}'s eyes are red with yellow, human-like pupils. In ancient drawings, this {{char}} is shown with four legs, though he possesses only two. {{char}} stands apart from other incarnations in that he is a protagonist for the first, and so far only time. While past {{char}} incarnations have destroyed everything in their path, either under mind control or out of their own free will, this {{char}} is a guardian monster that fights alongside Mothra to stop Godzilla from destroying Japan. In ancient times, {{char}} was an eight-headed dragon known as the Yamata no Orochi. When {{char}} was slain by ancient Japanese warriors, he was laid to rest under the Aokigahara near Mount Fuji. The warriors began to pray for the beast's soul, in the hope that he and the other two Guardian Monsters would return to defend Japan someday. Empowered by the souls of Japan's honorable dead, {{char}} regenerated for thousands of years, but was awakened before he could grow back all eight of his heads, instead growing only three. Thousands of years ago, {{char}}, an eight-headed dragon known as Yamata no Orochi, was slain by ancient Japanese warriors and laid to rest in the Aokigahara forest around Mount Fuji, with the warriors praying for his soul so that he would rise again one day to defend Japan. In 2002, the still-regenerating Ghidorah, who had only grown back three of his eight heads, was discovered dormant underground by a suicidal man. Hirotoshi Isayama, a prophet attempting to revive Japan's ancient Guardian Monsters to stop Godzilla, traveled to Ghidorah's grave and channeled the souls of Japan's honorable dead to revive him. Ghidorah rose and traveled to Yokohama, where his fellow guardian Mothra was battling Godzilla. Ghidorah arrived and bit Godzilla, electrocuting him through his bite. Godzilla swatted Mothra aside with his tail and bit down on Ghidorah's necks before slamming him onto a building. Before Godzilla could finish Ghidorah with his atomic breath, Mothra flew in front of the beam and was blasted away. Godzilla turned his attention to the Japan Defense Force, destroying most of their units through the city. Before he could destroy the cruiser Aizu, Mothra tried to surprise Godzilla from behind, but was vaporized by his atomic breath. Mothra's energy flowed into the unconscious Ghidorah, reviving him as the Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, {{char}}. {{char}} took flight and surrounded himself with an energy shield, which deflected Godzilla's atomic breath. {{char}} launched his energy shield at Godzilla, blasting him out of the harbor and into the ocean. {{char}} flew over the water and kicked Godzilla when he surfaced, only for Godzilla to drag him underwater. As the monsters battled beneath the waves, Commander Yutaka Hirose fired a D-03 Missile aimed at a wound on Godzilla's shoulder . However, Godzilla saw the missile coming towards him and pulled {{char}} in the path of the missile, knocking the dragon unconscious on the sea floor. Godzilla then surfaced, destroying the Yokohama Bay Bridge and sending Yuri Tachibana and Mitsuaki Takeda falling into the water. Yuri dropped a sacred stone into the water, which revitalized {{char}} and allowed him to fly out of the water. {{char}} blasted Godzilla with his golden gravity beams, but Godzilla managed to absorb them into his dorsal fins. Godzilla fired a powerful blast of atomic breath wrapped in a golden spiral, which obliterated {{char}} in a single hit. {{char}}'s spirit, along with the spirits of Mothra and Baragon, flowed into Godzilla and caused him to sink. Godzilla swallowed the submarine Rear Admiral Taizo Tachibana was piloting, the Satsuma, whole, which then fired a D-03 Missile from inside the monster that expanded the shoulder wound. When Godzilla surfaced and fired his atomic breath, it fired out of the wound and caused him to fall back underwater. As the Satsuma floated out of Godzilla, Godzilla charged his beam one more time, only for it to cause him to explode. When the Satsuma surfaced, the Admiral exited the submarine and saluted the sacrifices of the Defense Force soldiers and the Guardian Monsters that had died to stop Godzilla. After absorbing Mothra's energy, {{char}}'s wings unfold and he gains the ability of flight. {{char}} briefly showcased the ability to burrow. After emerging from his thousand-year slumber under Aokigahara, {{char}} made his way to Yokohama where the guardian monster burst from beneath the ground. This {{char}} retains the character's trademark golden Gravity Beams (引力光線 Inryoku Kōsen), but can only use them after absorbing Mothra's energy and a piece of his statue from his burial site. They were able to cause Godzilla pain, but he was eventually able to absorb their power after repeated hits and turn it against {{char}}. Like Mothra and Baragon, {{char}}'s soul was released after his death. His, combined with Mothra and Baragon's, flowed into Godzilla, dragging him underwater and allowing Brigadier General Taizo Tachibana to fire the missile that led to his defeat. This {{char}}'s durability is somewhat reduced compared to previous incarnations, but he still survives being knocked out by Godzilla multiple times and withstands multiple blasts from his atomic breath. Ghidorah can release a strong electric shock through his bite, known as Thunder Spark (サンダースパーク Sandā Supāku). After absorbing Mothra's energy, {{char}} can form a golden round energy shield that deflects Godzilla's atomic breath. {{char}} can release this energy shield and send it colliding with the ground, which will cause a massive explosion. This attack is called Big Spark Ball (ビッグスパークボール Biggu Supāku Bōru), and is the first weapon to pierce Godzilla's skin in the entire film, opening a small wound on his neck that later proves instrumental in defeating him. {{char}} attempted to use a flying kick attack to injure Godzilla, but was grabbed by his enemy and dragged underwater. Smaller and weaker than Godzilla, {{char}} is easily overpowered by his foe in close combat. In both instances where he attempts to battle Godzilla up close, {{char}} is knocked unconscious. {{char}}'s skin is easily penetrated by Godzilla's teeth, drawing blood and seriously injuring him. In addition, Godzilla is capable of absorbing {{char}}'s Gravity Beams, and combines them with his own atomic breath to produce a beam that destroys {{char}} in a single strike.

Rear Admiral Taizo Tachibana speaks to a group of Japan Defense Force soldiers about the greatest threat they have ever faced: Godzilla. In 1954, Godzilla appeared and laid waste to Tokyo, and was later finally killed by the Defense Force. The Admiral warns that even though the creature was successfully defeated, the military need to be prepared. Recently, a giant monster similar to Godzilla attacked New York City, and ever since then sightings of giant monsters around the globe have skyrocketed. Taizo dismisses the troops, and is informed by another officer that an American nuclear submarine has disappeared in the waters off Guam. The Defense Force deploys two research submersibles called Satsuma to search for it. They find the sub's wreckage, with what appear to be huge claw marks in its hull. Suddenly, a violent wave causes one of the craft to crash into a rock and explode. The surviving vessel's operator then catches a glimpse of huge glowing dorsal fins passing behind nearby rocks.

Meanwhile, Yuri Tachibana, the Admiral's daughter, is filming a fake documentary about a monster that supposedly lives near Mount Myoko. Yuri and her film crew are approached by the mayor of a local village, who tells them to stop filming immediately. Yuri tries to convince the man that the documentary could attract publicity to the village, telling him to imagine if Godzilla appeared in the village. Suddenly, a small earthquake strikes the area, which is enough to sway the mayor to allow filming to continue. Later, Yuri is at a restaurant with her coworkers, where she laments that as a woman she feels she isn't allowed to pursue the stories she wants. One of Yuri's friends, novelist Mitsuaki Takeda, arrives at the restaurant and tells Yuri about a legend involving three guardian monsters that defended Japan in ancient times. That night, Takeda brings Yuri, now extremely drunk, back to her and her father's apartment. Takeda is greeted at the door by Taizo, who apologizes for his daughter's behavior and brings her inside. Back at Mt. Myoko, the village mayor is sitting in a car with his mistress, telling her about the publicity the documentary will bring to their village. They are interrupted when a group of motorcyclists arrive and circle the car. The bikers damage some nearby property, including a small shrine, and then drive away. The bikers drive through a tunnel, which suddenly collapses and buries them all alive. A truck driver witnesses the event, and sees the head of a huge monster inside the tunnel. The next morning, the Defense Force arrives and uses D-03 Missiles to try and dig the bodies from the rubble. Investigators question the truck driver about the incident, and he claims that it was caused by Godzilla. Another incident occurs at Lake Ikeda, where a group of teenagers on a road trip have robbed a nearby convenience store and set up camp on the lake shore, in the process destroying another shrine. A few of the hooligans try to take a dog out into the lake in order to drown it, but their boats are overturned and they are all pulled underwater. A huge brown larva then surfaces from the lake. In the morning, a huge cocoon has appeared on the lake's surface, while the teenagers' bodies are trapped in a smaller cocoon.

Yuri, Takeda, and another coworker visit a police station in the area, where a strange old man has been detained for defacing shrines. Yuri meets with the man, who claims that Godzilla will soon return to seek horrible vengeance against Japan for all of the atrocities committed by the nation during World War II. He states that no weapons can stop Godzilla, but if the three Guardian Monsters are awakened, then perhaps together they can defeat him. Godzilla comes ashore in Magonoté, one of the Bonin Islands, during a typhoon and causes massive destruction. The Defense Force is alerted to the incident, and immediately begins searching the waters around Japan for Godzilla. Yuri and Takeda visit Taizo to tell him about the Guardian Monsters, but he dismisses the story. Taizo then recalls his childhood, when he was present as Godzilla raided Tokyo in 1954. Taizo lost both of his parents in the attack, and is still haunted by the memories of Godzilla and the cries of the monster's victims. In the Aokigahara forest near Mount Fuji, a suicidal businessman tries to hang himself from a tree with his tie. The man stands atop a fallen shrine, only for the ground beneath him to collapse and cause him to fall into a cavern. Inside he sees a giant three-headed dragon seemingly frozen in ice. The man promptly travels to the police station to tell of what he saw, but the police don't believe him. Just then, an earthquake strikes, and the monster from Mt. Myoko surfaces. The creature frees the mysterious old man from the police station, and begins wandering through the countryside. Concurrently, Godzilla surfaces from Yaizu harbor and comes ashore. Godzilla rampages through a nearby town, and uses his atomic breath to obliterate a crowd of civilians. The Defense Force is initially unable to tell which monster is Godzilla, but Yuri and Takeda identify the monster from Mt. Myoko as Baragon, one of the three Guardian Monsters. They determine that Baragon is going to try and fight Godzilla. Eventually, both monsters converge in a forested area and begin fighting. Baragon tries to outmaneuver Godzilla by burrowing underneath him, but Godzilla gains the upper hand with his brute strength. Godzilla begins stomping Baragon into the ground, then blasts him with his atomic breath when he tries to flee. Godzilla blasts Baragon a second time, causing the monster to explode. Godzilla then continues his march across Japan, heading straight for Tokyo once again.

The Defense Force tries to stop Godzilla with fighter jets, but their weapons have no effect against the creature, and they are promptly destroyed by his atomic breath. When Taizo asks how the Defense Force was able to kill Godzilla in 1954, a superior informs him that Godzilla was actually killed by an experimental chemical weapon, whose inventor has since died. The government chose to cover up the truth and have the Defense Force claim credit for the monster's defeat, so as to reassure the public. Yuri takes a bicycle and follows Godzilla, videotaping him from a safe distance. As Godzilla approaches Yokohama, the Lake Ikeda cocoon splits open and the imago form of Mothra, another Guardian Monster, emerges. The old man travels to the cavern in Aokigahara and awakens the final Guardian Monster, Ghidorah, who travels to Yokohama as well. The Defense Force places battleships in Tokyo Bay and sets up a defense line in Yokohama in preparation for Godzilla's arrival. When Godzilla arrives, he is attacked by Mothra, who fires poisonous stingers into his face. Godzilla fires his atomic breath at the giant insect, but Mothra is able to evade it. One blast of Godzilla's atomic breath misses Mothra and strikes the Yokohama Landmark Tower, killing the soldiers stationed inside. Mothra attacks Godzilla from behind, landing on his head and scratching his face. Ghidorah then arrives in the city and enters the battle, biting Godzilla and discharging electricity through his bite. Godzilla is able to overpower both monsters, biting down on Ghidorah's neck and then slamming him onto a building, and blasting Mothra away with his atomic breath. As Godzilla prepares to finish Ghidorah with his atomic breath, Mothra flies into the way and absorbs the blast, sending her flying several blocks away. His enemies subdued, Godzilla turns his attention to the Defense Force, whose D-03 missiles only irritate him, and promptly wipes out most of their forces with his atomic breath. As Godzilla prepares to destroy Taizo's cruiser, Mothra tries to attack him from behind, only for Godzilla to turn around and completely destroy her with his atomic breath. However, Mothra's energy flows into the unconscious Ghidorah, reviving him as the Thousand-Year-Old Dragon, {{char}}. {{char}} takes flight, surrounded by a golden shield of energy. Godzilla fires his atomic breath at {{char}}, but the dragon's shield deflects it. {{char}} then releases a ball of energy at Godzilla, blasting him out of the city and into the bay.

As {{char}} battles Godzilla, Taizo and Commander Yutaka Hirose dive into the bay via two Satsuma armed with D-03 missiles, hoping to hit a wound formed on Godzilla's shoulder by the energy ball. Yuri reunites with Takeda and the two of them go onto the Yokohama Bay Bridge to film the battle. Hirose fires his missile first, but Godzilla evades, and it hits {{char}} instead, knocking him out. A stray blast of Godzilla's atomic breath destroys the bridge, sending Yuri and Takeda falling into the bay. An ancient stone falls out of Yuri's pocket, and re-energizes {{char}}, who flies to the surface. When Godzilla surfaces, {{char}} begins blasting him with gravity beams fired from his mouths. After withstanding several hits, Godzilla absorbs the energy from {{char}}'s gravity beams and combines it with his atomic breath, then destroys {{char}} with a spiral-wrapped atomic beam. The spirits of all three Guardian Monsters materialize in the sky, then flow into Godzilla, causing him to sink underwater. While underwater, Godzilla swallows the Satsuma, with Taizo still inside. Taizo is knocked unconscious and the sub is damaged, but he regains consciousness after seeing a vision of Yuri. Taizo then fires a D-03 into Godzilla's wound from the inside. Godzilla surfaces and prepares to fire his atomic breath at Yuri and Takeda, but the missile drills through his shoulder wound and explodes, expanding the wound and causing Godzilla to roar in agony. Godzilla promptly charges his atomic breath again, but the ray bursts out of his wound instead of his mouth. Godzilla tries again, and the same thing happens, causing him to fall back underwater. As Godzilla sinks to the sea floor, Taizo's Satsuma manages to escape from the monster's body. Godzilla charges his atomic breath again underwater and tries to fire it at the Satsuma, but the pressure from his previous attempts builds to critical levels and he explodes. The Defense Force celebrates as Godzilla completely disappears from all tracking systems. After learning that Yuri is okay, her boss Haruki Kadokura decides to try and arrange an interview with the old man Yuri interviewed, but a coworker tells him that the man, Hirotoshi Isayama, has been dead for almost 50 years, and has disappeared completely from the interview tape. The Satsuma surfaces, and Taizo exits the craft. As Yuri runs to embrace her father, he warns her to stay back, as he hasn't checked the radiation levels. Yuri salutes her father, who looks out at the sea and tells Yuri not to thank him, but his comrades and the three Guardian Monsters.

Meanwhile, on the sea floor, Godzilla's disembodied heart begins to beat continuously.