Super X

The Super X (スーパーX, Sūpā Ekkusu) is a fictional Japanese military aircraft featured in the 1984 Heisei Godzilla film The Return of Godzilla. The concept and basic design were reused for the Super X-II in 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante and the Super X-III in 1995's Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, both under the command of Sho Kuroki, Special Pilot of the Defense Agency.

Variations

Super X

The Super X was a joint project of the Ground and Air Self-Defense Forces. Designated the Capital Defense Mobile Fortress T-1, it was a piloted VTOL craft constructed in secret to defend the Capital of Japan in case of emergency, in particular a nuclear attack. It was operated by a crew of six, armored with heat-resistant titanium alloy integrated with platinum circuitry, heavily armed with missiles, machine guns, and high-intensity lasers, and used three underside rotors for lift. The craft was thus well-suited to engage Godzilla in Shinjuku when the monster invaded Tokyo in 1984. Its magazine of missiles were fitted with cadmium warheads, which were temporarily able to control the nuclear reactions keeping Godzilla alive.

However, the detonation of a nuclear missile in the stratosphere above Tokyo results in a spectacular lightning storm that revives Godzilla. Godzilla and the Super X then have a final battle. Godzilla fires an atomic breath blast that erodes the warship's armor causing its rotors to fail, and it crash lands near the Sumitomo building. Godzilla then destroys the Super X by toppling the building on to it.

Super X-II

A sleeker but broader shape defined the second Super X, a remotely operated VTOL craft designed specifically to combat Godzilla. It sported TA32 armor, claimed to be twice as resistant as the previous craft's; it also introduced the "Fire Mirror", a configuration of synthetic diamond designed to reflect Godzilla's ray, intensified 1,000-fold, though not as heat-resistant as the TA32. During the Super X-II's first bout with Godzilla, after several effective counterattacks the Fire Mirror began to melt. Godzilla's ray and tail damaged the ship, which was forced to retreat for repairs.

Later, in Osaka, the Super X-II served as a decoy to maneuver Godzilla into firing range of a bazooka troop equipped with shells containing a biological agent. The craft taunted Godzilla almost into range of the troop until it ran out of missiles, at which point Major Kuroki ordered the still-damaged Fire Mirror engaged. Godzilla's next blast crippled the craft, which crashed into Osaka Business Park. Though the Super X-II was lost, the mission to infect Godzilla succeeded.

The Super X-II appeared in Godzilla 2: War of the Monsters, a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment system as a playable unit, and made a cameo appearance in the final portion of the videogame Super Godzilla. The game manual described the Super X-II as being a mobile command center from which the player controlled Godzilla via the use of a special device that had been fired into Godzilla's body. The Super X-II, referred to simply as the Super X, despite the obvious design difference, also shoots down the final alien mothership in the game's final cutscene.

The Super X-II also appears in Godzilla Generations, in the sixth and eighth levels. Unlike the Super X, the Super X-II will fly toward the character and strafe him rather than sitting and circling. The first few passes it may do nothing, but if the player begins attacking it will fire cadmium missiles and eventually use the Fire Mirror, which can reflect any playable monster's breath weapon, including the American Godzilla's. The Super X-II is tougher than the Super X and takes more hits to bring down.

Super X-III

Whereas Godzilla defense measures had by 1995 become the role of G-Force, the multipurpose fighter plane Super X-III was not designed exclusively as an anti-Godzilla weapon, but rather (as with the original Super X) to respond to a nuclear accident or attack. The winged V/STOL craft's central features are its cooling weapons, the Super-Low Temperature Beam and Freezing Missiles. Also like the original, it is piloted and operated by a three-person crew and equipped with cadmium missiles intended for long-range nuclear reaction control. Artificial diamond is incorporated into its alloy armor, making it strong enough to withstand repeated hits from Godzilla's ray.

When Godzilla manifested signs of an imminent nuclear meltdown, G-Force's offensive weapons were determined unusable, and the Super X-III was called into action. Piloted (this time from within) by Kuroki, the craft engaged Godzilla at sea, using its cooling weapons to freeze Godzilla and cadmium missiles to slow its internal reactor. Encased in ice, Godzilla sank into the Bungo aqueduct. During Godzilla's later battle with Destoroyah the Super X-III looked on, preparing to again shell Godzilla with cadmium when it hit a critical meltdown temperature. When Destoroyah attempted to flee, the Super X-III fired its Low Temperature Beam, disabling and apparently disintegrating Destoroyah. Though it fired several cadmium shells at Godzilla during the subsequent meltdown, protected by its armor from the immense nuclear fallout, it was unable to control the process. This Super X is the only such vehicle to have beaten Godzilla (albeit temporarily) without being destroyed as well.

The Super X-III appears in Godzilla: Save the Earth as an obstacle, if the player or their opponent is hit by its missiles, they become temporarily frozen, leaving them vulnerable to their opponent.

The Super X-III is the final "boss" enemy in Godzilla Generations. Appearing in the tenth and final level, which is Tokyo from The Return of Godzilla with the main theme from the film, the Super X-III behaves similarly to the Super X-II. However, the Super X-III often begins attacking with the first run and uses both lasers and missiles (without the freezing properties). It has very high armor and is faster than the Super X-II, making it very difficult to take down quickly. It is also much larger than its forerunners, with a length 1/3 that of Godzilla's height and a wingspan over 1/2 his height.

All three models in the Super X line appear in Godzilla (2014 video game).

Appearances

Films

• The Return of Godzilla (1984) - as Super X
• Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) - as Super X-II
• Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) - as Super X-III

Video games

• Godzilla Trading Battle (PlayStation - 1998)
• Godzilla: Save the Earth (Xbox, PS2 - 2004)
• Godzilla (2014 video game) (PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4)

Literature

• Terror of Godzilla (Comic - 1998) - as Super X

References