How many times has Godzilla lost while fighting other monsters? Despite having earned the title of King of the Monsters on multiple occasions, Godzilla doesn't always come out on top. Not every fight has gone his way.
Godzilla has been battling other giant monsters since his second time on the big screen, when he fought Anguirus in 1955's Godzilla Raids Again. This was the beginning of a trend for Godzilla, which has gone on for over 60 years. Since that fight, Godzilla has tail-thumped, blasted, and beaten down several different kaiju, while also having to deal with the humans and their efforts to destroy him at the same time. As a pop culture icon who has starred in over 30 movies, Godzilla has developed an impressive rogues' gallery of villains that includes names like Mechagodzilla, King Ghidorah, and Gigan.
Over the years, Godzilla has engaged in epic one-on-one battles, team-ups, and lop-sided showdowns with the odds stacked against him. During this time, Godzilla has faced a number of enormous challenges. With the help of the humans, a dying Godzilla defeated a seemingly unbeatable opponent in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. In Terror of Mechagodzilla, he had to contend with both his robotic counterpart and a mind-controlled Titanosaurus. The MonsterVerse's Godzilla had to hunt down two M.U.T.O.s in his first movie in 2014. Godzilla has had some impressive victories, but he's had his share of defeats as well. Here are all the times Godzilla has lost in a fight with another monster.
King Kong vs. Godzilla
In the 1962 crossover movie, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Godzilla held the advantage through most of the fighting. Godzilla's tail did a number on King Kong, and to make matters worse, Kong was powerless against Godzilla's atomic breath. Godzilla had Kong beaten, but a thunderstorm tipped the battle in Kong's favor. Lightning supercharged Kong and gave him the strength he needed to renew his struggle with Godzilla. Kong - who somehow possessed electrical powers that he didn't have in previous films - repeatedly shocked Godzilla and even shoved a tree in his mouth. The fight ended with them both falling into the ocean. Only Kong emerged from the water. Fans have long disputed the outcome of this fight, with some believing that Godzilla had no need to show himself, considering that he lived at the bottom of the ocean in the first place. Regardless, Toho put an end to the mystery years later by declaring Kong the winner in a synopsis.
Mothra vs. Godzilla
Godzilla was the villain of the story in 1964's Mothra vs. Godzilla. The benevolent Mothra tried to defend the Earth from Godzilla's rampage, and though the creature put up quite a struggle, she was no match for Godzilla and his atomic breath. Godzilla succeeded in killing Mothra, but then had to face off against her children, who had just hatched from an egg. Before Godzilla could get in a proper blow, the two Mothra larvae used their silk to immobilize Godzilla. All wrapped up in silk, Godzilla was unable to defend himself. The Mothra larvae dumped Godzilla into the ocean, thus saving Japan from his wrath. This was Godzilla's last role as an antagonist in the Showa series.
Godzilla vs. Mothra
Godzilla didn't lose another fight until 1992's Godzilla vs. Mothra. Once again, Godzilla was portrayed as an enemy of Japan. During the movie, Godzilla got caught up in a conflict between Mothra and Battra, a creature who is basically the antithesis of Mothra. Mothra is a monster who protects humanity, whereas Battra believes that the Earth is need of protection from humans. After the three monsters clashed, it was decided that the real threat - to both the planet and humanity - was Godzilla. For this reason, Mothra and Battra agreed to put aside their differences and form a temporary alliance. The two hit Godzilla with everything they had, but it wasn't enough. They picked up Godzilla and were going to drop in the ocean when a defiant Godzilla used his atomic breath to take Battra down with him. Battra died, but Godzilla was dropped in the ocean and sealed away by Mothra.
Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is the only movie where Godzilla is depicted as a truly evil creature. In the film, the 1954 Godzilla rose from the dead and launched an attack on Japan, forcing three guardian monsters - Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah - to deal with him. All three failed to independently beat Godzilla. After all three were killed, their spirits united and attacked Godzilla. Together, they were able to overwhelm Godzilla and drive him into ocean, allowing the humans an opportunity to finish him off.
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Godzilla was the victor in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, but their fourth fight had a different ending. In 2002's Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, the robotic monster was reimagined as "Kiryu", a weapon of the Japanese government built from the bones of the 1954 Godzilla. Kiryu, who was seen as Japan's only hope of stopping Godzilla, was armed with a deadly arsenal of lasers and missiles. Kiryu was powerful enough to hold its own against its target for a while, but Godzilla crippled Mechagodzilla and disabled it. This forced the movie's human protagonist, Akane (Yumiko Shaku) to operate it manually. With Akane in control, Kiryu badly damaged Godzilla. Kiryu flew Godzilla out into the ocean and left him there. Instead of heading back to land to continue their fight, the wounded Godzilla headed away from Japan. Though a case could be made that the result was a draw, Godzilla's decision to retreat was regarded as a win for Kiryu by the Japanese people.
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
Godzilla fought Kiryu again in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., but this time Kiryu had an ally in the form of Mothra. After receiving much-needed repairs and an upgrade, Kiryu arrived to battle Godzilla and provided assistance to Mothra. Despite it being two-against-one, Kiryu and Mothra failed to overcome Godzilla. The two made another attempt to beat him in a rematch. This time, Godzilla killed Mothra, and was subsequently stabbed in the chest by Kiryu's drill. Due to Godzilla's injury, Mothra's children were able to wrap the weakened Godzilla up in silk. Before he could break free, Kiryu carried Godzilla out into the ocean and disposed of him. Thanks to Mothra's sacrifice, Godzilla was finally defeated.
