Gotengo

The Gotengo (轟天号 Gōtengō, lit. "Roaring Heavens") is a flying multipurpose warship which debuted in the 1963 Toho film Atragon, and later reappeared in Godzilla Final Wars and Super Fleet Sazer-X the Movie. In the film Atragon, the Gotengo was constructed by rogue Japanese Imperial Navy Captain Hachiro Jinguji and his men in the years following Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allies at the end of World War II. When the Muans learned of the craft's existence, they set out to sabotage and destroy it before it could be used to stop their impending invasion of the surface. While Jinguji had intended to use the Gotengo solely to rebuild the Japanese Empire, he was convinced to let go of his wartime grudge and use it for the benefit of humanity and destroy Mu. In Godzilla Final Wars, the Gotengo was operated by the Earth Defense Force and used to confront Godzilla in a decisive final confrontation in Antarctica. The craft succeeded in trapping Godzilla under the ice for 20 years, after which it was refurbished by the EDF and continually utilized in battle against kaiju. When the Xiliens invaded Earth in 20XX, remnants of the EDF under the command of Captain Douglas Gordon used the Gotengo to free Godzilla from Area G so that he could fight the Xiliens' legion of mind-controlled monsters. The Gotengo eventually assaulted the Xilien Mothership and played a pivotal role in ensuring Godzilla's victory over Keizer Ghidorah. While the Gotengo has only made a few film appearances to date, it has been considered for several more and frequently appears in non-film media, being widely associated with the Godzilla franchise despite only appearing in one Godzilla film. A space-faring version of the ship called the Gohten also appeared in the film The War in Space. A ship called the Ra takes the place of the Gotengo in the 1996 two-part OVA Super Atragon.