SEGA在1989年於Mega Drive（Genesis）平台推出的《超級忍》（The Revenge of Shinobi），之所以會在遊戲中出現外型極度近似「哥吉拉」的 Boss，其實並非刻意挑釁版權，而是源自當時遊戲開發環境下對智慧財產權認知不足，加上內部角色設計流程鬆散所導致的結果。這段往事後來成為遊戲史上相當有名的「侵權逸聞」，也反映出1980年代末期遊戲產業仍處於草創與快速成長階段的現實狀況。

根據《超級忍》遊戲總監大場規勝（Noriyoshi Ohba）後來在訪談中的回憶，問題最初其實出在設計流程的起點。當時開發時程緊迫，他在構思Boss角色時一時缺乏靈感，便直接以當代流行文化中極具辨識度的人物作為「暫時草稿」，包括哥吉拉、藍波、蝙蝠俠、蜘蛛人以及《魔鬼終結者》中的角色。他原本的想法，是希望角色設計師能以這些草圖為參考，重新設計出風格相近但具有原創性的角色，沒想到最終的美術製作幾乎是照單全收，將這些明顯帶有「原型影子」的形象直接放進正式遊戲中，導致侵權風險在無意間被放大。

這種情況也與當時整體遊戲產業的版權環境有密切關係。1980年代後期，尤其是在日本遊戲公司進軍歐美市場的過程中，對於角色外觀、形象相似度與智慧財產權的界線，並沒有像現代那樣清楚且嚴格的內部審查制度。SEGA當時希望《超級忍》能在美國市場迅速引起共鳴，於是刻意加入大量「看起來很眼熟」的角色設計，讓玩家在第一眼就能聯想到好萊塢電影或美式漫畫英雄，藉此提升吸引力。這種做法在短期內確實增加話題性，但也埋下法律風險。

隨著遊戲上市後影響力擴大，版權問題逐漸浮上檯面，SEGA也開始意識到這些設計可能引發法律糾紛。因此，在後續推出的修訂版本中，公司對多個角色進行調整，以降低侵權風險。其中最具代表性的，正是那隻「哥吉拉型 Boss」。由於未取得東寶（Toho）的正式授權，SEGA在後期版本中將該角色改成類似巨大骨骸的怪獸，移除哥吉拉標誌性的皮膚紋理與外觀特徵。大場規勝在後來的公開說法中，也刻意將這名Boss稱為「雷龍」，作為官方說法以淡化與哥吉拉的直接關聯。

其他角色也有類似處理。由於SEGA當時握有部分蜘蛛人相關的遊戲授權，因此蜘蛛人角色得以在後期版本中保留，但加入明確的版權標示；而蝙蝠俠則被重新設計成惡魔造型，藍波風格的角色則改成毫無辨識特徵的光頭士兵，讓其不再直接對應原作形象。

總體而言，《超級忍》中出現的「哥吉拉 Boss」，已被視為遊戲史上極具代表性的非法侵權案例之一。它不僅反映出早期遊戲開發在創意、時程與法律意識之間的衝突，也成為後來遊戲公司加強版權審核制度的重要警示。從今天的角度回看，這段歷史既荒唐又充滿時代感，也正因如此，反而讓《超級忍》在老玩家心中多一層傳奇色彩。

In SEGA’s Shinobi series—specifically The Revenge of Shinobi, released on the Mega Drive in 1989—the appearance of a boss resembling “Godzilla” was mainly the result of a lack of strict copyright awareness during the early development phase, combined with oversights in the character design process.

According to game director Noriyoshi Ohba, during the early stages of development he struggled with a lack of creative inspiration and therefore sketched boss concepts directly based on popular figures from contemporary pop culture, including Godzilla, Rambo, Batman, Spider-Man, and The Terminator. His original intention was that the character designers would treat these sketches merely as rough references and then transform them into original creations. However, the final designs were implemented into the game with very little modification, resulting in characters that closely resembled their real-world inspirations.

This situation was also influenced by the relatively loose copyright environment of the late 1980s. At the time, game developers did not face the same level of legal scrutiny or enforcement that exists today. SEGA, in particular, aimed to boost the game’s appeal in Western markets—especially in the United States—by intentionally modeling characters after well-known American superheroes and movie monsters, believing that familiar imagery would attract more players.

As awareness of intellectual property rights increased, SEGA later took corrective action to reduce legal risks by releasing revised versions of The Revenge of Shinobi. The Godzilla-like boss, for which SEGA did not obtain authorization from Toho, was altered in later revisions into a “giant skeletal monster,” removing its iconic skin and distinguishing features. In subsequent interviews, Noriyoshi Ohba also referred to this creature in official statements as a “Brontosaurus” to further avoid controversy.

Other characters underwent similar changes. Spider-Man was allowed to remain because SEGA held the relevant license at the time, though later versions of the game included an explicit copyright notice. Batman, however, was redesigned into a demon-like figure, while Rambo was changed into a generic bald soldier.

As a result, the Godzilla-like boss seen in early versions of The Revenge of Shinobi has since become one of the most famous examples of unlicensed character usage in video game history, often cited as a notable anecdote from an era when copyright boundaries were far less clearly defined.