I got a thrill when I heard the big news out of Japan last week — Godzilla is finally a Japanese citizen.

Tokyo officials proclaimed Godzilla, the fictional King of All Monsters, to be the newest special resident and tourism ambassador for the city’s famous Shinjuku district.

Aside from the obvious immigration jokes — Japan seriously took 61 years to give Godzilla citizenship? — the city’s bestowed honor on a character like Godzilla means good things for a longstanding franchise and a popular, imaginative fantasy genre.

Monsters like Godzilla have long held our attention as larger-than-life forces and a reflection of our society whenever they appear in movies and video games. Godzilla, largely considered the premier figure in monster films, has made an incredible impact on the way we think about science fiction and fantasy today. Films like “Pacific Rim” wouldn’t have been made without Godzilla, and countless TV shows and games — from “Arrested Development” to “Borderlands” — reference the popular monster.

He’s a huge deal, pun intended.

In recent years, Godzilla fell off the map as moviegoers were turned off by the green giant’s 1998 American film, as well as what fans considered to be a poor send-off for Godzilla in his 2004 movie, “Godzilla: Final Wars.”

Yet the monster who once played against Shaq in basketball — this is a real thing, my dad had the T-shirt — is back on the scene after the 2014 U.S. movie, “Godzilla.” That film drew in more than $500 million at the box office and was so successful, it’s getting a sequel in three years.

Japan is capitalizing on Godzilla’s renewed fame with the citizenship award, as well as a huge model of Godzilla’s face adorning the top of a new commercial complex in Shinjuku. On the video game front, the first Godzilla game in years, “Godzilla,” is set to hit the Playstation 4 on July 14.

Let’s be honest, Godzilla games aren’t all that great. The last good Godzilla game I can remember is “Super Godzilla,” which had terribly complex controls and was only good because you could transform into the eponymous super monster on the final level.

This year’s “Godzilla” looks to be a little better than that, but let’s not fool ourselves here. This is a game for guilty pleasures and people who want to stomp around city blocks using giant monsters. It won’t be revolutionary, but it will allow you to pit the original Godzilla against the newest iteration, which sounds awesome.

Yet the increased attention on Godzilla may mean stronger games down the line, as well as more exciting monster films as time goes on. The 2014 movie may not have showed Godzilla enough, but it did prove to be a creative spark as people loved watching the radioactive lizard crush and melt his opponents.

That shows people still want to watch giant monsters stand in for serious issues such as nuclear energy, pollution, and genocide among others. It also means people want to see monsters blow stuff up.

Either way, it’s a good bet that Godzilla will continue to influence science fiction and popular culture for years to come. After all, it’s his job now as a tourism ambassador.