Summary

• Godzilla enemies have evolved from social commentary to fantastical monsters, resulting in epic battles with different creatures of all shapes and sizes.
• The best Godzilla enemies possess extraordinary powers, giving Godzilla a run for his money and even coming close to defeating him.
• The MonsterVerse's success and the return of the original terrifying Godzilla in Godzilla Minus One indicate that the list of Godzilla enemies will continue to grow, with some monsters becoming iconic movie monsters in their own right.

The original Godzilla featured bold and effective social commentary about the dangers of war, but as the series progressed, Godzilla enemies appeared in the form of other fantastical monsters. This pitted the King Kaiju against a host of equally threatening enemies of different shapes and sizes. Eventually, Godzilla went from a creature of rampaging destruction to a giant wrestler fighting opponents in a very large ring. As more movies came out, so too were more Godzilla enemies introduced, some better than others.

The best of the Godzilla enemies each possess extraordinary powers that set them apart from their peers, and there are a lot of them to choose from. Each has managed to give Godzilla a run for his money, and some even came close to killing him. With the success of the MonsterVerse bringing both movies and streaming shows to fans, and the new Godzilla Minus One bringing back the terrifying Godzilla in its original form, the list of Godzilla enemies should only grow. The best of these monsters have legacies that span far beyond just the Godzilla films and can often be called some of the greatest movie monsters in their own rights.

16 Manda

Manda first appeared in Atragon (1963)

This creature resembled a cross between a Japanese dragon and a serpent and was just as deadly as the combination would suggest. Although the two never square off officially on film, a deleted scene from Destroy All Monsters shows some snippets of them having a bit of a tussle. The scene was rejected due to both being on the same side. Manda makes another appearance in the fun Godzilla: Final Wars when it attacks the Gotengo warship. It loses the fight when the Gotengo fires a freeze beam at it, before ramming straight through its icy corpse, shattering it into bits.

15 The MUTOs

The MUTOs first appeared in Godzilla (2014)

The MUTOs from the 2014 Godzilla movie begin their life cycles as parasitic spores that have supposedly killed a creature not too dissimilar from Godzilla and were discovered when a large piece of mining equipment collapsed into the cave where they had been lying dormant in the Philippines. Having waited for what can only be assumed to be thousands of years, the male awakens first and goes on a small rampage to find a nearby nuclear power plant to cocoon in and mature. The female is even larger, but they're both more than enough in terms of size and strength to take on a rusty Godzilla. However, he's ultimately able to kill both.

14 Hedorah

Hedorah first appeared in Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

Hedorah is one of the few kaiju to nearly put Godzilla down for the permanent count. The creature is extraterrestrial, hailing from the Dark Gas Nebula. It arrived on Earth to feed on the pollution in the atmosphere and environment, but it was an unwelcome guest for humanity. Godzilla battled the creature and nearly lost his life in the process. The combination of physical strength and energy-based bolt attacks almost killed him before Godzilla got the upper hand. He lost an eye and a hand in the process, which finally ended the threat.

13 Biollante

Biollante first appeared in Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)

One of Godzilla's most fearsome and tragically underrated but powerful foes is Biollante, a mixture of plant, human, and Godzilla DNA. The result is a nightmarish genetic monstrosity that can regenerate its damaged body and shrug off some of Godzilla's most devastating attacks. If that weren't enough, Biollante is also capable of spitting radioactive sap at its foes to weaken and harm them. Godzilla had his hands full more than he'd have liked when he went up against this horrifying creation, and it was nearly the end of him.

12 King Caesar

King Caesar first appeared in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

This particular kaiju is sometimes benevolent, and sometimes malevolent, depending on the circumstances. Regardless of which, the creature is one of the best Godzilla enemies in the entire franchise, with the skills and abilities to prove it. While incredibly fast and nimble, that's not King Caesar's main selling point. His energy-deflecting abilities are what make him truly unique. He can absorb energy fired at him, and redirect it back at his opponents via bolts from his eyes. If that weren't enough, he also has lighting and heat beams, not to mention a tough outer shell that is durable in close-quarters combat.

11 Kumonga

Kumonga first appeared in Son of Godzilla (1967)

Spiders make for excellent movie monsters, and a gigantic one that can hold its own against Godzilla is even better. Kumonga is an incredibly aggressive predator that will go after almost anything it deems worthy as prey, including human beings. It is not implied whether Kumonga's monstrous size was due to radioactive fallout, or whether it's a natural extension of its species' evolution, much the same as King Kong. Whatever the case, Kumonga's skewer-like legs, thick webbing, and ability to withstand repeated atomic breath attacks make it one of Godzilla's deadlier foes.

10 Anguirus

Anguirus first appeared in Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Anguirus, which resembles a giant Ankylosaur, was the first enemy of Godzilla. He was the first indication that Toho was going to abandon the rampaging movie monster formula, in favor of something more closely resembling the classic 1930s King Kong. Even though he’s just another riff on dinosaurs, Anguirus will always be an important enemy. Unfortunately, he generally loses the majority of his battles, even when Godzilla plays the antagonist to humans as well. He also isn’t very effective even when he aligns with Godzilla.

9 King Kong

Kong first appeared in King Kong (1933)

Although Godzilla Vs. Kong put these two famed monsters against each other, it wasn't the first time. Kong was the original giant kaiju in movie history. His story is thematically solid, and being an ape, he’s more personable than most monsters. The fight in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong ended in a draw but it is not the end of the road for the two. The two ultimately set aside their differences to take down a deadly new version of Mechagodzilla, which was making its first appearance in the MonsterVerse film series, and it looks like they will team up again against a new ape villain in the future.

8 Megaguirus

Megaguirus first appeared in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

Giant insects are practically built for sci-fi films, and Megaguirus is no exception. Her species is a variant of the Dragonfly dating back to the Carboniferous period, and as such, she's quite an intimidating bug that is very hard to squash. The mixture of bug and reptile elements also makes her something of a dragon in the abstract sense. When Megaguirus eventually enters the fight, the lengthy battle is pretty brutal. This creature is evil by definition, and won't hesitate to destroy anything, or anyone who gets in her path. Her stinger attack alone is a major threat, especially given how fast and agile she is.

7 Orga

Orga first appeared in Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)

Godzilla 2000 was the film that first introduced Orga to fans of the franchise. There, it started as a Millennian, further playing up the alien/sci-fi elements of the franchise that had taken root in previous Godzilla tales. It ends up looking like a hideously mutated version of Godzilla, thanks largely to absorbing his DNA. Orga bears the dubious honor of being one kaiju to successfully swallow Godzilla whole. It turned out to be a rather rash move, however, as Godzilla simply destroyed the creature from the inside out.

6 Mothra

Mothra first appeared in Mothra (1961)

It’s difficult to imagine Mothra as a threat to anyone, thanks largely to its rather pleasant design. However, the original Mothra film establishes the monster as a serious threat. Mothra is extraordinarily popular, having shown up in countless kaiju films, and leans into elements of fantasy more than most kaiju. It’s hard to count Mothra as an enemy, since she’s usually an ally of Godzilla, at least reluctantly. When Godzilla decides to go off script and become a threat, she'll come rushing to the defense of humanity without hesitation. Mothra even shows this with a major sacrifice in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

5 Gigan

Gigan first appeared in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

Gigan is one truly incredible-looking kaiju who inadvertently ends up being shoehorned into some rather lackluster Godzilla stories. Still, there's no denying how intimidating and destructive the creature looks, and he's proved to be a serious challenger to Godzilla in the past. His iconic buzzsaw weapon can cause immense damage, not to mention razor discs, a laser attack, and hooked appendages that can slice and dice his enemies to ribbons. To date, he's one of the deadliest of Godzilla's opponents, and it's easy to see why.

4 Destoroyah

Destoroyah first appeared in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

Destoroyah might have one of the weirdest names of any Godzilla kaiju, but his character design is terrifying. In many ways, it resembles a nightmarish version of Godzilla with wings, spikes, and a horn, and that's an intimidating combination, even for Godzilla himself. He's also one of the few kaiju to act on emotional desire, rather than animal instinct. The torment and destruction he wreaks are pleasant to him, and he enjoys dragging out a fight and making it as painful as possible. When it comes to Godzilla, the rivalry is real, and it isn't pretty.

3 Rodan

Rodan first appeared in Rodan (1956)

This gigantic Pteranodon made his first appearance way back in 1956 in a standalone film, but he's since gone on to become a staple of Godzilla lore. The creature started as a terrifying and destructive predator who stood in opposition to Godzilla, but this stance was softened later on. Rodan's best-known abilities are its super speed, the ability to create hurricane-level winds with its wings, plus a fireball-style heat attack. Worse, Rodan seems able to shrug off Godzilla's atomic breath; one of the few kaiju capable of this. Rodan returned in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and he survived his fight when all was said and done.

2 Mechagodzilla

Mechagodzilla first appeared in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

After its introduction as an alien threat in the ’70s, Mechagodzilla showed up as a human-created robot designed to protect against kaiju threats. Mechagodzilla has been featured in some of the best Godzilla films around and probably helped serve as inspiration for the giant robots seen in big blockbuster films like Pacific Rim. Mechagodzilla allows humans to legitimately stand against the antagonistic Godzilla, and meet him on his terms. The latest iteration of the character was an evil robot possessed by the brain of King Ghidorah in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong.

1 Ghidorah

Ghidorah first appeared in Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Ghidorah is Godzilla's greatest foe, and it isn't close. This alien creature sports three deadly serpent-like heads, it can fly, and it's capable of withstanding everything Godzilla can throw at it. Though Godzilla manages to win in the end, it's usually by the closest of margins. Regardless of what film he shows up in, Ghidorah is sure to bring everything Godzilla can handle. It's a nightmare in every respect, with deadly powers including gravity beams, regenerative abilities, and an ability to drain the life out of its victims by biting them. To date, Godzilla has never faced a more deadly foe.

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  Godzilla Minus One

  Release Date:

  2023-12-01

  Director:

  Takashi Yamazaki

  Cast:

  Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yûki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Andō, Kuranosuke Sasaki

  Rating:

  PG-13

  Runtime:

  125 Minutes

  Genres:

  Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi

  Writers:

  Takashi Yamazaki

  Studio(s):

  Toho Studios, Robot

  Distributor(s):

  Toho Studios

  Franchise(s):

  Godzilla