For the film “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” in 1971, director Yoshimitsu Banno took charge of production and gave us one of the most unique monsters ever, Hedorah – the Smog Monster. The inspiration for this monster? The rampant pollution that was currently afflicting Japan as well as the rest of the world at that time. Hedorah was brought to life by several props and a large, heavy, and nearly immobile suit worn by stuntman Kenpachiro Satsuma, who would go on to play Godzilla throughout the entire Heisei series (1984 – 1995). “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” was Satsuma’s first monster-acting experience, but because of the suit’s incredible bulk and limited mobility, he was really unable to do much in the way of “acting” inside the suit. The suit was made from heavy sponge rubber. Nevertheless, Hedorah still came off as a memorable kaiju through both its looks and actions in the film.
