Editing Rodan (section)

=== Showa era (1956-1968) ===
[[File:Rodan model 3.png|thumb|left|A model of an early Rodan design.]]

Rodan's debut appearance was the first and only time the character was given a [[Chestnut (color)|chestnut]] color. It originally had a menacing face with a jagged, toothed beak, which would disappear in later incarnations as the character became more heroic. Rodan was portrayed via a combination of [[suitmation]] and wire-operated puppets for flight sequences. During suitmation sequences, Rodan was portrayed by [[Haruo Nakajima]], who almost drowned when the wires holding the 150 lb. suits above a water tank snapped.<ref name="sequart"/> In ''[[Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster]]'', the Rodan suit was of visibly lesser quality than the previous one, having a more comical face, a thick neck which barely concealed the shape of the performer's head within, and triangular wings.<ref name="ryfle1998.1"/> The modification of the character's face was deliberate, as Rodan was meant to be a slapstick character rather than the tragic villain seen in its film debut.<ref name="kalat77">{{cite book|last1=Kalat|first1=David|title=A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series|date=2010|publisher=McFarland & Co.|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-47-49-7|page=77|edition=2nd}}</ref> A new suit was constructed for ''[[Invasion of Astro-Monster]]'' which more closely resembled the first, having more rounded wings and a sleeker face. The sleek face was retained in ''[[Destroy All Monsters]]'', though the wings and chest area were crudely designed.<ref name="ryfle1998.1">{{cite book |title=Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of the Big G |last=Ryfle |first=S. |year=1998 |publisher=Toronto: ECW Press |isbn=1550223488 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/116 116 & 124] |url=https://archive.org/details/japansfavoritemo0000ryfl/page/116 }}</ref>