In 65 years, there have been multiple versions of Godzilla - and many of them differ from each other in more ways than one. This makes sense, considering that the King of the Monsters has starred in over 30 live-action movies, not to mention animated films as well. Of course, several of the live-action movies take place in the same continuity, so a few incarnations of the Japanese pop culture icon have appeared in a number of films before being replaced with a new Godzilla. On the other hand, there are several other Godzilla stories that don’t extend beyond one movie.

Less than a decade after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese studio Toho created Godzilla as an allegory for the danger of nuclear weapons. In the 1954 film, the Japanese military were forced to fight Godzilla, a gigantic monster mutated by nuclear radiation from an atom bomb test conducted by the U.S. military in the Pacific Ocean. Since then, Godzilla has been utilized as both a hero and villain.

Every few years, filmmakers develop a new take on what Godzilla should be. When this happens, he tends to go through a few design changes, and sometimes Godzilla’s origin story is altered as well. Here’s every live-action version of Godzilla in the movies, and what makes each one different.

1954 Godzilla

The original Godzilla has most of the physical characteristics that audiences equate with the character. Godzilla’s back spikes, atomic breath, iconic roar, distinguishable face, and body structure that most fans are familiar with all date back to his original look. What’s different about this Godzilla is that he never had a chance to fight another monster. He was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer at the end of the movie.

Showa Series Godzilla

In 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again, the existence of a second Godzilla was revealed, and this version carried the franchise for over a dozen movies. In the beginning, he looked identical to the design of the 1954 character. As time passed, minor changes were made to the Godzilla suit, partially due to budget issues. The Godzilla head went through a few adjustments, but most aspects of his design remained changed. Some installments in the Showa series of Godzilla movies suffered from low budgets, and that unfortunately effected the quality of the Godzilla suit.

The biggest change made to Godzilla during this time, however, had nothing to do with his design. In 1964’s Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster, Toho turned Godzilla into a hero and kept him that way until the series ended with Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975. This happened as a result of Toho’s efforts to appeal to younger audiences. This take on Godzilla was just as brutal as other versions, but he had more of a “fun” personality. He was even capable of shaking hands and engaging in fits of laughter.