is a 1954 Japanese science fiction kaiju film directed by Ishiro Honda. It is the first film in the Godzilla franchise and the first film in the Showa series. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as the performers for Godzilla, Tezuka performed the Godzilla puppets and Nakajima performed the Godzilla suit. Nakajima would go on to portray the character until his retirement in 1972.