Yellowback
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Yellowback is a coral snake kaiju who appears in the Scott Ciencin novels Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island and Godzilla vs. the Space Monster.
Design
In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island, Yellowback is described as a "huge coral snake with bright yellow markings on its black and red body".
Origins
Originally an ordinary coral snake waiting to hatch in the Nevada desert, Yellowback was among the monsters created by a Cryo Chem lab accident which exposed local wildlife to nanomachines that caused them to gradually grow to gigantic proportions. Kamacuras and Kumonga, among the first of the monsters to reach their full size, traveled to Las Vegas to prepare a larger nest for their comrades, but retreated after confronting Godzilla, Sasori, and a U.S. superweapon called Deep Freeze which could reverse their growth.
History
This section is a - Godzilla Invades America (1997) [allusion]
- Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island (1998)
- Godzilla vs. the Space Monster (1998)
Godzilla Invades America
Yellowback was implied to be among the numerous creatures transformed into giants by the accident at the Cryo Chem laboratory. Unlike his fellow monsters Kamacuras and Kumonga, Yellowback did not set out to create a nest elsewhere, and stayed behind with his smaller comrades, alongside Varan and Rattler.
Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island
Yellowback was part of a group of monsters traveling the America and following Godzilla's trail. When Godzilla was under assault by a full-scale military force that had been tracking him and waiting for an excuse to attack, Yellowback and other members of the group came to Godzilla's aid. Yellowback slithered down from the mountains and restrained numerous tanks, allowing Kumonga to impale them with his legs. After all the kaiju had made their way to protect Godzilla, the military was forced to pull back and retreat.
After a parlay between Varan, Godzilla and the twin psychic orphans Roy and Amy, Yellowback and the rest of their companions joined him in heading towards Monster Island, home to Anguirus and Rodan.
During the journey, a mind control device created by Dr. Mason on the island that Godzilla perceived as "a dark cloud" sent Yellowback and most of his allies into a rage while the monsters were traveling down a waterway. Yellowback initially tried to resist its control, writhing around on the ground alongside Rattler after washing up on Monster Island's shore. Unlike his fellow snake, Yellowback's will was not strong enough, and he gave in. He proceeded to track down Roy, Amy, and all the juvenile kaiju, slithering around multiple boulders before hissing at them. He was not able to pursue them however, as the ground beneath them gave in, leading the group to find the terrorists' base of operations. Yellowback later appeared at the rim of the volcano with the other kaiju after the mind control was broken, peering down angrily at the humans who tried to command them. After the arrests of those involved, Yellowback lived in peace alongside the other Monster Island inhabitants.
Godzilla vs. the Space Monster
Yellowback, along with Rattler, lived in a swamp on Monster Island until King Ghidorah destroyed the swamp and dried it out with his gravity beams.
Yellowback played a pivotal role in the final battle against King Ghidorah, biting his wing in order to ground the three-headed dragon.
Abilities
Physical abilities
In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island, Yellowback constricted several tanks ambushing Godzilla, restraining them for Kumonga to destroy. During a brief fight with Godzilla, Yellowback constricted Godzilla in order to use his venom on the reptilian. After leaving Godzilla weakened, Yellowback picked up a truck with his mouth, shook it around, and tossed it into the ocean. He then constricted around a bridge, heavily damaging it, before being dragged off by Kumonga's webbing. In Godzilla vs. the Space Monster, Yellowback bit into one of King Ghidorah's wings, grounding the dragon with the help of Rattler.
Amphibiousness
In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island, Yellowback swam across the Pacific Ocean for two weeks alongside the other monsters in order to reach Monster Island. While in a brief spat with Rattler, Yellowback ducked beneath the water several times to avoid bites from the rattlesnake. When challenging Godzilla's dominance, Yellowback dodged his atomic breath by diving underwater. He was similarly able to swerve around Kumonga when the arachnid attempted to stop him from attacking Godzilla. When under the assumption the juvenile monsters were being eaten, Yellowback sped towards the ship carrying them, moving faster than Godzilla and Varan in the water.
Venom
In Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island, Yellowback unhinged his jaws to reveal dripping venom, before clamping down on Godzilla. The venom left Godzilla weakened and feeling faint, allowing Varan to barrel into him.
Gallery
Trivia
- Manda's trademark icon appears on the back covers of both Godzilla: Journey to Monster Island and Godzilla vs. the Space Monster despite the character never appearing in either story. It is possible this was either an error or that Toho felt Yellowback and Rattler were similar enough to Manda to require use of the license.
Notes
- ↑ While an exact size was not given for Yellowback, he was described as being as long as a freight train.
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