This Long Lost Godzilla Ally Desperately Needs to Make a Franchise Return

by

I’ve been watching Godzilla films for a long time, and what’s always struck me is how much he’s changed over the years. He started as a really powerful symbol of the atomic bombs and the devastation they caused. Then, he became a kind of friendly hero for kids. Now, in the newer MonsterVerse movies, he’s more complicated – sometimes helpful, sometimes not. I think that’s why people still love him – he’s adaptable. Directors have always managed to reinvent him, making him a good guy, a bad guy, or just a natural disaster, and each version feels fresh and different.

I’ve always been fascinated by Godzilla, and something I’ve noticed throughout the years is how his relationships with other monsters change. Sometimes he’s a solitary creature, but other times he teams up with another giant to take on a bigger threat and save the planet. He’s had a lot of allies over the decades – Anguirus, Rodan, and more recently, Mothra and Kong. But there’s one friend who hasn’t appeared in a movie for over fifty years, and I think it’s time they brought Jet Jaguar back to fight alongside Godzilla again.

Godzilla Needs to Bring Back Jet Jaguar

Many modern Godzilla fans might not recognize Jet Jaguar, as this character only appeared in one film throughout the history of Toho’s monster movies. His single appearance was in the 1973 movie, Godzilla vs. Megalon, where he joined forces with Godzilla to defeat the main villain.

Jet Jaguar is unique among Godzilla’s allies – he’s not a monster, but a robot created by Goro Ibuki. While the movie never fully explains why he was built, Jet Jaguar can grow to Godzilla’s size, which significantly increases his power. He can also fly and shoot lasers and missiles from his arms, making him a very unusual friend. Interestingly, before joining forces with Godzilla, Jet Jaguar actually survived Godzilla’s atomic breath and even knocked the giant monster down with a single punch!

Okay, everything people talk about is great, but honestly, nothing really captures the magic of that Godzilla and Jet Jaguar movie unless you talk about the dropkick! I mean, they’re battling Megalon – this huge bug monster with drill hands – and they finally have him cornered. Jet Jaguar cleverly holds one of Megalon’s arms, creating a perfect opening. Then comes the best part: Godzilla gives Jet Jaguar a thumbs up, backs up for some space, and just slides into an absolutely epic dropkick right onto Megalon! And get this – he does it twice! It’s such a fantastic team-up moment.

Jet Jaguar came about because Toho wanted to create a hero like those popular in other shows, such as Ultraman. What’s really interesting is that the character started with a design submitted by a fan, which was then developed into the Jet Jaguar we see today! Because he isn’t a monster himself, and has this unusual origin, he stands out as one of the most original characters in all the Godzilla films. But where does his story go from here?

Two Things May Be Stopping Jet Jaguar’s Return

If you’re new to the original Godzilla films, you might not know about Jet Jaguar. While he’s shown up in video games like Godzilla: Save the Earth and Godzilla Unleashed, many comic books, and played a significant role in the Godzilla Singular Point anime, he hasn’t been in a movie for over fifty years. During that time, Godzilla has battled and teamed up with King Kong on several occasions, and other classic monsters like Mothra and Rodan have also returned to fight by his side.

Jet Jaguar hasn’t been seen in Godzilla films for likely two main reasons. First, the character doesn’t quite fit the franchise’s current tone. Jet Jaguar debuted during a period when Godzilla movies were much more lighthearted and resembled kids’ cartoons. Back then, Godzilla was portrayed as a hero who teamed up with allies to fight villains and save the planet.

More recent Godzilla films from Japan have returned to the original concept of Godzilla as a terrifying force of destruction, rather than a protector. 2016’s Shin Godzilla featured the most frightening design yet and portrayed him as a devastating natural disaster. The 2023 film Godzilla Minus One continued this trend, becoming the highest-grossing Godzilla movie of all time and even winning an Academy Award.

Because of its success, another movie is planned for release later this year, suggesting that Godzilla will remain portrayed as a powerful and destructive force for the foreseeable future. This leaves little opportunity for lighter, more playful characters – like a robot companion – to appear alongside him.

However, Legendary’s Godzilla feels like a good fit for a more playful version of the character – he was even pink in the latest film! Plus, he’s developed relationships, like his upcoming team-up with Kong for a third time. The issue is that Legendary’s agreement with Toho, which allows them to make MonsterVerse movies and shows, doesn’t seem to grant access to every monster in the Toho universe.

So far, the MonsterVerse films and shows have featured only five monsters originally created by Toho (Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla). This suggests Legendary Pictures has to negotiate separate agreements with Toho each time they want to use a classic monster. Because of this, they’ve been focusing on creating original giant creatures for their universe – which gives them full control over merchandise without having to pay extra fees to Toho. Consequently, characters like Jet Jaguar are less likely to appear in the MonsterVerse compared to other popular monsters fans are hoping to see, such as Anguirus, Gigan, or Destoroyah.

Jet Jaguar did reappear briefly in a short film called “Operation Jet Jaguar,” which was part of the non-official Godzilla Fest 4 event. Currently, this is the only recent appearance of the character. Considering how the MonsterVerse films have changed over the last six years, it’s hard to imagine not wanting to see Jet Jaguar team up with that version of Godzilla – especially imagining him using his signature moves like tail slides and dropkicks to stop another monster!

Read More

2026-06-17 22:56