TheGodzillamovies are full of strong monsters. Godzilla himself has fought off all-comers to protect the earth/ravage the world (depending on the film). Different incarnations of Mothra have put Godzilla in his place several times, and King Ghidorah has fought him in several of his best movies. That’s not to mention Destoroyah and Mechagodzilla, who beat Godzilla a few times.
The movies have also played host to other kaiju that could have had more impact if they’d had better writing, looks, or luck in general. They were either put directly against Godzilla, were supposed to fight with him, or were generally meant to be stronger than they appeared on-screen. What kept these kaiju from being all they could be?
8Megaguirus
Buzzing with Potential
The problem with making obscure references is that not everyone gets them. That said,Megaguiruswas a decent attempt at making an anti-Mothra (as opposed to Battra, who’s more of an edgy Mothra). Based on the Meganulons fromRodan, Megaguirus was formed from a Meganulon queen who came to Earth from another dimension and got a good dose of Godzilla’s radiation from her swarm.
Her signature movie,Godzilla Vs Megaguirus,made her the fast and nimble foe to contrast with Godzilla’s slow but powerful frame. It featured some decent fights, particularly in the rather scattershot Millennium era. Still, the movie isn’t exactly a hidden gem. It’s a dry experience where viewers wondered why they got a giant prehistoric fly instead of using Mothra. If Megaguirus were brought back, she would work better as a rival to the Queen of the Monsters than the King.
7Varan
The Dark Horse of the Godzilla-Verse
Varandoesn’t offer much to impress kaiju fans. He can fly, and has a thick hide. Spin-off media likeGodzibanand differentGodzillavideo games let him shoot sonic beams, shapeshift, and use poisonous spines. But inVaran the Unbelievable, he was just a standard monster that flew. He only made a brief cameo inDestroy All Monsters,because his monster suit was too fragile to handle stunts. Yet he was meant to make more appearances to prove his worth.
Varan was going to be Godzilla’s ally inGodzilla Vs Gigan,before he was replaced with Anguirus.The Heisei era considered making him Godzilla’s final opponent before coming up with Destoroyah. ThenGMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attackwas originally going to beGodzilla X Varan, Baragon, Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.But afterGodzilla Vs Megaguirusfaltered at the box office, Varan and Anguirus got the boot in favor of Mothra and King Ghidorah.
6Baragon
Subterranean Subterfuge
Baragonshows how far Varan might have come had the stars aligned in his favor. He also had his big scene fromDestroy All Monstersreduced, because all of his suits were being used as a repurposed kaiju forUltraman. In the end, the movie substituted him for Gorosaurus, who can’t dig underground, but still emerges from the earth to destroy Paris and uses Baragon’s roar.
Nonetheless, his debut movie,Frankenstein Conquers the World,became a cult hit. This, combined with his burrowing powers, helped him stick around inGMK: GMAOA. But he hasn’t been seen in a movie since then. Being such an underground favorite (pun unintended), he could do with another big appearance to impress a new generation.
5King Caesar
An Agile Threat With an Interesting Design
Judging byTerror of Mechagodzilla’s intro recap of its predecessor, returning director Ishiro Honda wanted viewers to forget that Godzilla had backup inGodzilla Vs Mechagodzilla. Yet it took the combined efforts of Godzilla andKing Caesarto take the metallic doppelgänger down. The latter is based on the Shisa, the lion/dog hybrid guardians of Okinawa, based on the similar-looking Shishifrom Chinese mythology.
King Caesar has an interesting design, as his lack of bulk lets the performer in the suit do acrobatic moves. That’s probably whyGodzilla: Final Wars’director Ryuhei Kitamura liked him enough to include him in his movie. That said, to those not familiar with their mythology, he does look like a giant Pekingese dog, which isn’t all that menacing. With some tweaks, he could show off what he’s capable of doing without tittering from viewers.
4Titanosaurus
An Underrated Sea Monster
Terror of Mechagodzillaputs the odds in the mechanical menace’s favor. This time, he fights a lone Godzilla with his own tag partner,Titanosaurus. The latter’s mind was controlled by Dr. Shinzo Mafune via a device to do the bidding of his handlers, the ape-men aliens who made Mechagodzilla. Without their influence, though, he was a gentle underwater giant who kept to himself so much that people didn’t even know he existed.
With Mechagodzilla, Titanosaurus was able to defeat Godzilla, stamping on him repeatedly as his partner tried to bury him alive. But he met his end when Interpol learned he was weak to sonic waves, which paralyzed him enough to be driven back into the ocean. Even with his accomplishments, he hasn’t appeared in any of the subsequentGodzillaeras to date. Ifa lowly sea monster like Ebirahcould make a return inGodzilla: Final Wars, Titanosaurus (who actually beat Godzilla) deserves a comeback too.
3Orga
Bright Idea, Dimb Bulb Brain
On stats alone,Orgacould have been a stronger contender. It’s a gestalt entity formed by aliens called Millennians, who thought adopting Godzilla’s form would help them conquer Earth. Except Godzilla’s DNA was too volatile for them to handle, turning them into a malformed clone of the monster. The designers based Orga’s head on the unpopular 1998 US version of Godzilla. That said, it’s bigger than Godzilla, has better regenerative healing powers, and has a beam-blasting cannon on its shoulder.
If that wasn’t enough, it can telepathically control the Millennians’ UFO. Which is ironic, as its lacking brainpower spelled its doom when it tried to eat Godzilla headfirst. Godzilla then used his atomic breath to fry Orga from the inside.Godzilla 2000: Millenniumis a rather dull movie, and Orga’s only other appearance was in the similarly underwhelmingGodzilla: Planet of the Monsters. With the right story, though, Orga could make for a neat body horror take on kaiju.
2Rodan
5th Place in the Big 5
How couldRodanget any stronger? He came from a good solo movie, appeared alongside Godzilla in some of his best outings, and even became part ofthe ‘Big 5’: the 5 kaiju that have appeared in everyGodzillaera (including Godzilla himself). However, he falls a little short compared to his esteemed kaiju company.
Rodan stood toe-to-toe with Godzilla inGhidorah the Three-Headed MonsterandMonster Zero, before destroying Moscow inDestroy All Monsters. He sacrificed himself during the Heisei era inGodzilla Vs Mechagodzilla 2to give the big man a second wind. ButGodzilla: Final Warsmade him a weak challenger, striking out against Godzilla alongside Anguirus and King Caesar. His Monsterverse outing viaGodzilla: King of theMonstershas been a step in the right direction by making him a shifty rival to Mothra, but it’s still a lower position next to his Shōwa heyday.
1Gigan
Great Look, Poor Record
Gigandeserves better. As an alien cyborg kaiju, he has a fetching yet threatening design. He’s covered in spikes, spines and claws, with a soulless red robotic eye. Gigan was the first kaiju to make Godzilla bleed, and it looked like he could kill the iconic beast. He even avoided becoming an easy defeatGodzilla: Final Warsby serving as Godzilla’s side-antagonist and as Mothra’s nemesis. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s not a lackey.
Godzilla Vs Giganwas a rough movie. Gespite a strong start, Gigan got sent packing with King Ghidorah. Then he played second fiddle inGodzilla Vs Megalon, where he couldn’t save his bug-based buddy from Jet Jaguar and The Dropkick™. Finally, he practically defeated himself inGodzilla: Final Warsby forgetting about his blades. Gigan has arguably had a better run in festival shorts likeGodzilla Vs Gigan Rexthan in feature-length flicks.
