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If you haven't heard the news, Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor, passed away on the 7th. I unfortunately never had the honor and pleasure of meeting him, but through years of watching kaiju films and the wonderful folks at G-Fest, I feel like I have in some way. This man did more than climb into a 200-lb rubber suit and terrorize miniature sets. He brought to life one of the most iconic film monsters ever. He made Godzilla scary. He made Godzilla a hero. He helped fuel the wild imaginations of our inner children.

Despite the sadness of someone's passing, I wanted this piece to be a little uplifting. I tried to convey the same emotion a family would have seeing their child take their first steps. Which is funny, given that my depiction of Nakajima-san is based on that photo of him testing out the half-suit for the original Godzilla film (ergo, his "first steps").
Also, while the monsters look towards him, I tried to keep them in character. Nakajima-san endured quite a bit of pain during certain stunts, yet he was dedicated to the craft and tried to stay in-character. And for those who don't read Japanese, the hiragana in the top-right says "sayonara".

As I said, I never had the chance to meet Nakajima-san, but I hope this tribute from myself to his legacy conveys how much of an impact he made on my life.

Description
If you haven't heard the news, Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor, passed away on the 7th. I unfortunately never had the honor and pleasure of meeting him, but through years of watching kaiju films and the wonderful folks at G-Fest, I feel like I have in some way. This man did more than climb into a 200-lb rubber suit and terrorize miniature sets. He brought to life one of the most iconic film monsters ever. He made Godzilla scary. He made Godzilla a hero. He helped fuel the wild imaginations of our inner children.

Despite the sadness of someone's passing, I wanted this piece to be a little uplifting. I tried to convey the same emotion a family would have seeing their child take their first steps. Which is funny, given that my depiction of Nakajima-san is based on that photo of him testing out the half-suit for the original Godzilla film (ergo, his "first steps").
Also, while the monsters look towards him, I tried to keep them in character. Nakajima-san endured quite a bit of pain during certain stunts, yet he was dedicated to the craft and tried to stay in-character. And for those who don't read Japanese, the hiragana in the top-right says "sayonara".

As I said, I never had the chance to meet Nakajima-san, but I hope this tribute from myself to his legacy conveys how much of an impact he made on my life.