The iconic Godzilla has been featuring on screen for more than sixty years now. Nicknamed, ‘The king of monsters’, he was envisioned in the aftermath of the atomic bomb explosions in Japan and the fear created in the hearts of the people about the potential damages sustained. Since then, the mighty Kaiju has retained the title of the King of Monsters.
However, we must remember that you cannot become the best without beating the best. The Godzilla has faced multiple monsters over the years, some of which were even able to overpower him briefly. This video is going to be about some of the deadliest monsters Godzilla had to take on!
Destoroyah
Destoroyah certainly take the crown for being the deadliest kaiju to take on. This crustacean kaiju gets its name from the Oxygen Destroyer weapon that created him. Destoroyah can grow quickly and even change its apperances. They are microscopic forms that move on to an insect-sized form, and several others each a size bigger than the previous its final form being close to Godzilla’s size accessorized with large wings, a horn, a tail, and spikes on the back. It made its debut in the movie Godzilla vs. Destoroyah.
Destoroyah spawned from the lethal chemical weapon that was used to kill Godzilla in the original Godzilla movie in 1954. With incredible physical strength and durability, it is an invincible opponent. There are also some special powers at its disposal, such as the Micro-Oxygen ray or the ability to absorb the DNA of its victims.
The horn on its head could generate powerful energy and cut through Godzilla’s flesh, and the stomach beam gave it a definite edge over the mighty Kaiju. Despite the insane strength, there is a crucial weakness that Godzilla uses to get the better of Destoroyah. It is susceptible to extreme temperatures that can destroy the Micro-Oxygen in its body.
We have seen the juvenile forms of Destoroyah destroyed with flamethrowers and cadmium shells. Even its final form could be defeated once Godzilla’s meltdown caused access to the Infinite Heat-Ray. The floral pattern on its chest might be another weak spot of the monster, and we see Godzilla taking advantage of this weakness by blasting it with his atomic breath. But this one is considerably powerful as it fought Godzilla in his supremely powerful form, yet almost defeated him!
King Ghidorah
He is considered Godzilla’s arch-nemesis given how often they’ve fought against each other. This vicious, three-headed dragon kaiju made its debut in in the 1964 film titled Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.
He arrived on this planet in a meteor and decided to destroy Earth just like he had to Venus. But Godzilla has other plans for this master destructor! King Ghidorah again reappeared in the movie Invasion of Astro-Monster, where he acted as a pawn for the Xiliens who invaded the Earth. Later on, this powerful monster was seen in movies like Destroy all Monsters, Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Rebirth of Mothra III, and Godzilla: The Planet Eater.
King Ghidorah resembles a golden dragon monster with three heads on a long neck. Bestowed with enormous bat-like wings to fly height, his twin tails only add to his odd appearance. Ghidorah has been seen being commanded by his alien master. In the absence of a command this creature gets very confused about his plan of action.
This evil and destructive beast from outer space can fly at speeds in excess of Mach 3. He can also emit powerful gravity beams resembling golden lightning bolt. He can also flap his wings hard enough to create a hurricane to blow away buildings.
Besides these, his electric bolts, electric bites, and his ability to spit out fireballs make him an invincible opponent. Not many monsters can shrug off the atomic breath blasts from Godzilla! King Ghidorah, however, is quite resistant to such attacks and is more durable than most of Godzilla’s opponents.
Mecha-King Ghidorah
Mecha-King Ghidorah represents a mechanical and modified version of Ghidorah built using the comatose body of King Ghidorah. After being defeated in the hands of Godzilla in 1992, Mecha-King Ghidorah was created in the future and sent back in time to take on Godzilla in Tokyo. Again, in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, the remains of Mecha-King Godzilla were used by the G-Force to build Mechagodzilla!
This monster cannot be called a robot. A cyborg might be the right way to refer to it. It resembles King Ghidorah minus the middle head, wings, knees, and chest that had to be replaced by mechanical parts.
It has green eyes adding to its menacing evil aura. Although the monster is controlled by M11 and Emmy Kano but attempts to retain autonomy because of the two heads that allow him to separate himself from his controllers. He was blessed with quick flights at speeds of Mach 4 and was capable of shooting laser and gravity beams similar to King Ghidorah.
When Godzilla went on a rampage across Japan after defeating King Ghidorah this Mecha-King Ghidorah was created to counter Godzilla resulting in a savage battle where the former hauled Godzilla up to the sky, and they both crashed into the waves. However, it did not take long for Godzilla to use his atomic breath and emerge as the winner!
Mechagodzilla
You know someone is intimidating if they give Godzilla a tough time bringing Mechagodzilla into the picture. This robot resembled Godzilla from the 1970s. Created by aliens of Black Hole Planet 3, this was sent on Earth with the purpose of destruction. It came with a disguise of pseudo flesh to make it look like Godzilla, but once its cover was blown, we could see the metal underneath!
In the movie Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, it did manage to defeat Anguirus and even troubled the mighty Godzilla. However dure to the damages it sustained from Godzilla’s atomic breath, he was called back by his masters.
On the second trial, he defeated King Caesar, the guardian kaiju, but failed to do so with the powerful Godzilla who created a strong magnetic field around himself from which the Mechagodzilla failed to flee and ended up exploding. It was rebuilt in the flick Terror of Mechagodzilla. It was only after a tough battle that Godzilla did away with it with his atomic breath.
Built from Space Titanium, this durable monster heavily equipped with eyebeams, energy beams from his chest, and missiles from his fingers and knees was able to pose a serious threat to Godzilla. If you thought the movie versions were intimidating enough, you should check out the comic series Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, where an entire army of Mechagodzilla comes out of nowhere!
Gigan
Gigan, an alien cyborg and ally of King Ghidorah, debuted in the film Godzilla vs Gigan. It was a crucial weapon for the M Space Hunter Nebula Aliens, who planned to destroy the Earth. Both Gigan and King Ghidorah were defeated by Godzilla and rushed back to space, but Gigan was back again in the movie Godzilla vs. Megalon.
This time it joined forces with Megalon, and once again, Godzilla prevailed over the attackers. Gigan later appeared in the movie Godzilla: Final Wars, where the Xiliens controlled him to fight Godzilla in Antarctica and then in Tokyo.
Gigan might’ve been the weirdest rouge Godzilla had to take on with a circular saw in his abdominal region. It had steel hooks for hands and toes and red cybernetic visor for eyes. We loved how the revived Gigan had chainsaws instead of his hook hands! This monster was capable of decimating its enemies courtesy the hook hands and chainsaws.
The rotating cutter or the buzzsaw is also an effective weapon, and Gigan can also shoot laser beams from its forehead. There were some epic clashes with Godzilla, and we particularly remember the one where it kept hitting Godzilla with its hammer hands.
It was pleasing to watch Godzilla blow off its head with his atomic breath in Godzilla: Final Wars! Although Gigan has largely been a fierce opponent in movies, in the TV series Godzilla Island, it became an ally of Godzilla and helped him in fighting other monsters. Well, exceptions don’t make the rule, do they!
Space-Godzilla
This was one of the smartest opponents Godzilla had to face off against. This crystalline clone was invisible and bestowed with its array of psychic powers and energy attacks. SpaceGodzilla was made with some of Godzilla’s cells in outer space and was first seen in the movie Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.
It resembled a bulkier and taller version of Godzilla, and two gigantic white crystals emerge from its shoulders. It has a strange navy-blue skin with a patch of reddish-purple skin on its abdominal region.
Its deadliest feature was its smart combat strategy that made it quite difficult to combat despite being weaker than most of Godzilla’s opponents. Unlike others who were puppets to their Master’s commands, they had their own free will.
In their first encounter, SpaceGodzilla defeated Godzilla in a matter of minutes. Its accelerated healing, similar to Godzilla, meant that it could deter most of the attacks and recover quickly. It even had the Photon Reactive Shield that could repel and deflect the lethal atomic breath of Godzilla. It could also fire an energy beam called the Corona beam and even managed to injure the mighty Kaiju with this.
Its psychic powers and ability to control the ground around it only makes it a foe to remember for all Godzilla fans! Even the king of monsters needed help from MOGUERA to finally defeat the invincible SpaceGodzilla!
Orga
Orga is an alien kaiju with the capability of matching Godzilla in terms of strength and regenerative capabilities. It made its debut in movie Godzilla 2000: Millennium and was an attempt gone wrong in trying to make a perfect clone of Godzilla. It resembled a deformed Godzilla, and this grotesque mutant is asymmetrical and irregular.
The hunched back, bumpy, uneven skin, and purple dorsal fins are some of its characteristic features. One of the main motives for Orga was to defeat Godzilla and engulf him entirely to absorb all his characteristics.
Orga is not among the best fighters, and we mostly saw it trying to get away to a distance from where it could launch the shoulder cannon. However, it makes up for this with its intelligence and telepathic abilities that allow it to summon his ship to fight alongside.
It prevents the atomic breath of Godzilla from causing any damage to Orga, and the plasma cannon on its shoulder packs quite a punch. The fast healing abilities also made things difficult for Godzilla to get the better of Orga and the maniacal beast tried to eat anything it came in contact with.
It required something special to finally defeat Orga. Godzilla allowed himself to be swallowed headfirst, and just at the right time, he unleashed a great atomic shockwave that destroyed its entire upper body!
Megaguirus
Megaguirus or the queen Meganulon kaiju is a sadistic, gigantic, mutated insect queen who served as a worthy opponent for Godzilla. This monster made its debut in the movie Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. With the green spikes all over its body and the bumpy purple skin, this vicious creature takes pleasure in causing damage and devastation.
Megaguirus’s plan is to kill Godzilla and use his remaining energy to strengthen himself. She has a natural tendency to dominate which her speed coupled with its fighting skills allow it to do. It uses extreme agility to confuse Godzilla and smother him with a flurry of sudden attacks. The expressions that are used on this beast does not fail to amaze us.
Remember its smile after it dropped buildings on Godzilla? The sonic waves created from the flapping of its wings caused immense disaster in Tokyo, and soon Godzilla appeared to handle the challenge. He couldn’t do much damage with his iconic atomic breath because she was way too quick. In fact, Megaguirus launched some serious attacks using her deadly claws and stinger.
She even launched a fireball from her wings after absorbing Godzilla’s nuclear energy. However, Godzilla eventually got a hold of her stinger in his jaws and crushed it before using the powerful beam to make Megaguirus explode into a fiery corpse! It was a nice touch to use a prehistoric insect mutant to attack Godzilla, and the fans loved every bit of this contest!
Hedorah
Hedorah was named after the Japanese word for mud, hedoro, and this alien kaiju was also known as the Smog Monster. Why the strange naming? It comes from the fact that Hedorah feeds pollution on Earth and causes terrible deaths and destruction.
It made its debutt in the film Godzilla vs. Hedorah and later in Godzilla: Final Wars. This monster has taken forms ranging from tadpole to quadruple reptile. The third was of a flying saucer, and finally, it took on a humanoid shape. Its large yellow irises with dark red eyeballs serve as a distinguishing feature for this beast.
It is wrong to suggest that Hedorah is evil because most of its attacks come from the instinct to survive. Its very nature and bizarre biological properties cause most of the deaths, but while confronting Godzilla, we do see a thinking side of this monster. The scene where Hedorah smothers Godzilla in sludge and laughs menacingly will stick with you.
However, in Godzilla: Final Wars, Hedorah was completely under the control of the Xiliens and did not consciously cause any damage. Its final form resembles a walking pile of sludge, and it almost defeated Godzilla before the master-plan to use electrodes to dry him out worked. Eventually, Godzilla ripped out its innards and fried them using the electrodes.
However, victory came at a price as Godzilla was blinded in one eye, and his right hand got terribly burned. The main powers of Hedorah were its poisonous nature, and the toxic sludge that could pierce Godzilla’s armor. Even its blood could burn his skin, and it takes the credit of being the first monster to penetrate the skin of Godzilla. In Godzilla: Final Wars, it didn’t take much to defeat Hedorah, and a mere blast from Godzilla’s atomic ray did the trick.
Keizer Ghidorah
Does anyone remember Monster X, the three-headed dragon monster in Godzilla: Final Wars? Keizer Ghidorah is the transformed version of that and, with its brute strength and agility, became one of the notable enemies of Godzilla. It has golden skin similar to King Ghidorah coupled with twin tails, horns, and spikes.
It was summoned by the Xiliens to fight the Godzilla. It was only after a ferocious battle that Godzilla was able to placate his adversary. However it transformed to Keizer Ghidorah after being defeated leaving Godzilla in shock. Had it not been for the power of Keizer, an ancient energy, it would have meant the end for Godzilla.
It is not very clear if Keizer Ghidorah was mind-controlled, but he surely was one sadistic monster during the fights. It was a force to reckon with, and the electric beams from its eyes and shoulder skulls could cause considerable damage. It could shoot antigravity beams and had all the powers of King Ghidorah.
Keizer Ghidorah could also withstand the mighty blow of Godzilla’s famed atomic blast, and it is no surprise that Godzilla struggled to overpower it. After taking a severe battering, it was only fitting that Godzilla severed its head and tossed it to outer space before blasting it with the red spiral atomic beam.
Biollante
This plant-based monster was the first of its kind in the Godzilla movie which was a genetically-modified rose and Godzilla hybrid. The splicing of Godzilla’s cells and Dr. Shiragami’s dead daughter’s cells into a rose caused it to mutate quickly into a giant flower monster.
It retained the consciousness of Shiragami’s daughter and first appeared in the movie Godzilla vs. Biollante. In its final form, Biollante had a crocodile-like head and sharp fangs with six large tusks.
During its first appearance, Biollante met with a defeat but it changed as the creature evolved. The final beast plant made a ferocious attack on Godzilla and compelled him to retreat after weakening him with the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria.
In the comic books and video games, Biollante is shown to be a violent monster, but in the movies, it defends humans against a plundering Godzilla. One of its epic fight scenes among many would be one where Godzilla charged headfirst into the monster and Biollante simply closed its mouth around his head.
Godzilla used the atomic breath to destroy her, but not before he was substantially weakened. Biollante could effectively use its tendrils and mouthed vines to strangle and blind an enemy. Its acidic sap could also be disastrous, and the quick regenerative powers allowed quick recovery from Godzilla’s attacks. With the touching story around this monster, you cannot help but feel for its plight!
Mothra
Mothra gets its name from its moth-like appearance and unlike the others featured more of an ally for Godzilla. It made its debut in the flick Godzilla: King of the Monsters, hatching from its flashy egg.
As a protector of the world it was worshipped by people in ancient civilization. An egg remained in Yunnan Rainforest in China, and it hatched yet again in 2019. While Ghidorah was trying to destroy the world, Mothra put in crucial efforts to locate and awaken Godzilla to fight alongside him.
Mothra resembles a giant caterpillar in its larval stage, and then it evolves into an insect-like body that has six legs and two wings. Its clawed feet, giant compound wings, and stingers make it agile and powerful.
In this movie, Mothra is more of a tragic hero. It fights valiantly and even defeats the likes of Rodan. Eventually, Mothra was destroyed by Ghidorah, but due to its symbiotic relationship with Godzilla, its energy flowed into him, empowering him with the ability to generate pulses of nuclear energy and emit insane heat.
This helped Godzilla destroy Ghidorah permanently, and Mothra’s courageous efforts made it possible. Mothra was bestowed with several innovative attacks like the God rays emitted from its wings and its silk attack where it spit silk at its enemies. Sometimes, even the king of monsters needs help from brave-hearts like Mothra!
Cyber-Godzilla
Cyber Godzilla, as the name suggests, is a cybernetic monster that was made by reviving the corpse of the first Godzilla. It made its debut in Monster Wars: Part 2 and was created by aliens who planned to invade the Earth.
Cyber Godzilla was under the mind control of his creator who set it to cause destruction in Tokyo. Cyber Godzilla was also used to bring Godzilla’s son under the influence of the aliens. However, once freed from the influence he battled the cyborg in a fierce face-off.
Cyber-Godzilla was also seen in Monster Wars: Part 3, where it clashed with his son, the young Godzilla. After the fight, Godzilla managed to take it deep into the water and ripped out its internal mechanisms. Cyber Godzilla looked much like Godzilla and had some cool powers besides the atomic breath.
The idea was clearly inspired by the likes of Mechagodzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah. It was capable of firing energy missiles from its dorsal fins and deflect sound-based waves and similar attacks back to its source by using the cybernetic dish on its chest. Cyber-Godzilla was more durable than the organic version, and was a tricky challenge for Godzilla to defeat!
Gamera
You cannot help but marvel at the imagination of those who designed the monsters in Godzilla movies! Gamera was a gigantic flying turtle kaiju if you can even comprehend such a thing! It walked bipedally, unlike how turtles walk on all fours, and the large tusks pointing upward from his lower jaw ensured a distinct appearance that you could never forget.
The uncanny human-like eyes were also a strange attribute that separated Gamera from the rest. It first appeared in the movie Gamera, the Giant Monster, and has since then been a part of over 12 films.
This prehistoric turtle monster mutated due to radioactive exposure and is shown as a massive fire-breathing beast. Initially shown to be fearsome and catastrophic, it later takes the role of a guardian for Japan, protecting the country against other monsters. The movies henceforth show this character to portray a monster that protects children from evil. It refrains from attacking human inspite of being attacked and injured by the army.
The Showa series films had an interesting back-story that suggested that this prehistoric turtle was in slumber in the Arctic region and reawakened when an accidental atomic blast was triggered following a dogfight between Soviet and American forces. Again, in the Heisei series films, Gamera was created by the people of Atlantis and was tasked with defeating the evil Gyaos.
Its biggest strength is the resilient nature and sturdy built that makes it so durable. It can also launch deadly attacks with its energy absorption and projection capabilities. We also loved the shining elbow spikes that could be used in battle. It is tough to be a hero in the Godzilla universe with the evergreen presence of the king of monsters, and Gamera makes it possible!
Megalon
Imagine a beetle that stands 55 meters tall! That is roughly the structure of Megalon, who also has two drill-like front appendages that can be used for burrowing or attacking. It also has a beetle-like shell that covers its wings, and this bipedal, humanoid monster is as strong as it is creepy!
This monster is quite intelligent and is capable of using ambush and strategic effects to defeat humans. It made its debut in the movie Godzilla vs. Megalon and was also mentioned in literary works like Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse and Godzilla: Project Mechagodzilla.
The origin of Megalon is rather interesting, and a group of people from a subterranean kingdom called Seatopia worshipped it as their deity. However, repeated nuclear tests by humans caused significant damage to Seatopia and enraged the people.
They unleashed Megalon to attack the people as revenge, and it is during this mission that it faces Godzilla and Jet Jaguar. Megalon has an interesting appearance involving a lot of colors, and despite the wide array of weapons, it is often believed to be one of the least intelligent monsters.
It did have some remarkable powers, however, such as firing lightning beams from its horn and spitting napalm bombs from its mouth. Megalon was a part of the iconic climactic fight scene, but we wonder how long it would have survived without the presence of Gigan!
Anguirus
Among all the powerful monsters in this list, Anguirus holds a special place because it is the first monster that fights Godzilla in movies. It made its debut in the movie Godzilla Raids Again, and since then, it has been a part of several movies.
It played Godzilla’s enemy and Godzilla’s ally in different movies, and some of the notable performances were in films like Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla vs. Gigan. Anguirus looks like an ankylosaurus, and this quadrupedal giant has numerous horns on its head and a horn on its nose. It exhibits a spiky tail adding to its dinosaur-like looks.
Aniguirus possessed five brains, one in its head and four in limbs, to make it an intelligent and super-quick attacker. The incredible speed is one of its greatest assets, and it can also react quickly to attacks. It can also impale the enemies or simply hit them with its deadly grip. If you add the miraculous healing ability, Anguirus becomes almost invincible.
It has been one of the loyal friends of Godzilla and fought monsters like Gigan and King Ghidorah. However, in its very first appearance in movies, it was killed by Godzilla after a terrific fight.
Rodan
Rodan is a massive flying reptilian monster that was seen in the movie Godzilla: King of the Monsters. It looks somewhat similar to Pteranodon, the exotic, extinct flying reptile, and resembles a gallant bird of prey.
The burgundy-colored skin and sharp claws and beaks make it a menacing presence. Rodan, however, is not fixed on its support and sides with Godzilla or Ghidorah, depending on the situation. It was faithful to Ghidorah till the latter died, and since then, it has supported Godzilla!
This flying reptile left everyone in awe while battling the Raptor squadron. His aggression was more than visible while fighting off Mothra. One of the special abilities of Rodan is that it can emit crazy heat due to the internal volcanic combustion system. It almost burnt Mothra to death using this power.
Rodan can also use its wings to arrange a sonic thunderclap that can leave buildings in rubble. The durable armor makes him stand strong against attacks, and the lightning speed can be used to outfly fighter jets. The abdominal stinger is also a very potent weapon for the monster if used correctly! It might not be as popular as some of the other names in this list, but trust us when we say it is just as important.