american international pictures afforded the film a successful us theatrical release in 1965 with minimal changes and quality dubbing by titra studios. the new name "atragon", derived from toho's international title "atoragon", is presumably a contraction of "atomic dragon", a colorful moniker for the titular juggernaut; however, aip's dubbed dialogue refers to the "goten-go" by the name "atragon". this shortening from four to three syllables was the choice of aip, since several european markets released the film as "atoragon" (italy) and "ataragon" (france). while "atragon" became toho's first "tokusatsu eiga" (visual effects film) released on home video in 1982, and though the film is exceptionally popular among western tokusatsu fans, "atragon" was not released on home video in the united states until media-blasters' dvd in 2005 (although the film was in constant television syndication in the us until the early 1980s). media blasters had intended to use the original titra studios dubbing, but toho forced the company to use its international version. this alternate dubbed version syncs up perfectly with the japanese video, but fans generally consider these international dubs to be inferior. its enduring popularity in japan is evident in the number of plastic model kits, garage kits and adult-targeted toys based on the "goten" continually on the market.