Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, released in Japan as Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, is a 1993 Japanese science fiction kaiju film produced by Toho. Directed by Takao Okawara and featuring special effects by Koichi Kawakita, the film starred Masahiro Takashima, Ryoko Sano, and Megumi Odaka. Despite being produced and released in 1993, this twentieth film in the Godzilla series was marketed as the 40th anniversary Godzilla movie, even though, Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla was actually the 40th anniversary film. The film featured the return of classic characters from the original series such as Rodan and Mechagodzilla, as well as introducing an infant Godzilla named BabyGodzilla. Although it shares its Japanese title with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, the film is neither a remake nor a re-imagining of the earlier film. Despite its North American title, the film is not a sequel to the original Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, nor does it share any connections or similarities with it. The film directly follows the events of Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, taking place before 1992's Godzilla vs Mothra.