Godzilla has undergone numerous transformations over the years, but one thing has remained constant — the devotion of its fans. They marked the 70th anniversary of the Japanese monster during the pop culture festival Comic-Con, AFP reported.

Japanese studio Toho, the creator of Godzilla, maintains a special calendar of celebrations for the creature often dubbed the King of the Monsters. This year, Comic-Con was the focal point of the anniversary events.

Godzilla was “born” on November 3, 1954, with the premiere of the first film directed by Ishirō Honda.

“I’m a big fan of Godzilla,” said Angela Hill, a teacher from Arizona who traveled specifically to Comic-Con, where events and exhibits dedicated to the monster were held this year.

Comic-Con draws around 130,000 people — one of the world’s largest pop culture gatherings — where attendees often dress up as wizards, princesses, or characters from films, games, and TV shows.

The Godzilla story tells of a prehistoric amphibious creature awakened and mutated by nuclear tests in the Pacific. It emerges from the sea and attacks Japan, symbolizing the destructive power of nuclear weapons.

“I think it’s the origin that sets him apart — many other monsters are just interesting creatures, but they don’t carry the sorrow of a nation,” Hill said, referring to the American nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

In San Diego, where the festival takes place, people lined up to take photos with the image of Godzilla, who was also the subject of a panel discussion featuring Shinji Higuchi, co-director of the 2016 reboot "Shin Godzilla."

The franchise includes nearly 40 films, hundreds of animations, TV series, and graphic novels inspired by the monster.

On Saturday, authors Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle signed copies of their book Godzilla: The First 70 Years, which sold out during the event.

“Godzilla's history is incredibly rich,” Ryfle said. “It’s the longest-running film franchise in cinema history centered on a single character — it’s been around even longer than James Bond.”

According to him, the key to Godzilla’s success lies in its evolution while staying true to its origins.

“Godzilla has been serious, terrifying, heroic, even funny. But he always carries within him the memory of something very real — the trauma Japan experienced during and after World War II, and the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Ryfle emphasized.

He recalled that Honda, the director of the first film, was a war veteran who used cinema as an anti-war message and a warning against nuclear weapons.

Michelle Pena, another fan who patiently waited to get the authors’ autograph, said the monster’s appeal lies in its versatility.

“The good guy, the bad guy, the hero, the anti-hero — he’s all of that. And that’s exactly what I like,” she said.

“He’s not someone you’d call cute. He looks like a giant dinosaur, he’s intimidating. But somehow, you start to sympathize with him.” | BGNES