The original King Kong changed the world when it was first released back in 1933. The film terrified audiences with its then-spectacular visual effects, bringing dinosaurs and giant apes to magnificent (and horrifying) life. It changed the way that visual effects were made and integrated, but more importantly, it effectively launched the kaiju genre.
Kaiju, meaning "strange beast", is a type of Japanese film starring massive otherworldly monsters. Most of them are inspired by King Kong in some way. Not only because King Kong was one of the first movies of its kind, but because many share similar attributes and thematic ideas.
Godzilla
Perhaps the most obvious influence is Godzilla. Making its first appearance in 1954, Godzilla was a combination of King Kong and Japanese paranoia following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Godzilla was a huge success, immediately following the wildly popular re-release of King Kong in 1952. The sea monster quickly became the leading name in the kaiju genre and has remained as such ever since, even battling King Kong himself on multiple occasions.
Joe Young
Mighty Joe Young owes a lot to King Kong. Like King Kong, Mighty Joe Young was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and featured many alumni of King Kong.
Merian C. Cooper returned to produce (having produced and directed King Kong), Ruth Rose returned as screenwriter, Ted Cheesman returned to edit, and the visual effects were conducted by King Kong's Willis H. O'Brien and his new mentor, the legendary Ray Harryhausen. It's pretty much the exact same movie.
Queen Kong
Everyone remembers King Kong, and it's not just because of the recent remakes. But, no one remembers the weird spinoffs, sequels, and parodies. In 1976, a German distribution company called Constantin Film released a parody of King Kong titled Queen Kong.
It's the exact same as King Kong, only a comedy and featuring a female gorilla in London instead of New York City. The movie was never released in the United Kingdom owing to copyright disputes with RKO, the rightful owner of the King Kong name and IP.
Son Of Kong
King Kong was obviously an enormous success. So much so, in fact, that RKO Pictures quickly got to work on a sequel. Son of Kong was released just nine months after its iconic predecessor, and it concerns the titular Son of Kong, nicknamed "Little Kong" by Carl Denham.
Unlike his father, Little Kong is an albino gorilla who remains mostly friendly to the human adventurers. Despite such a quick turnaround, Son of Kong continues to receive surprisingly decent reviews, with much praise going to the visual effects of the titular character.
George
2018 saw the release of Rampage, a monster movie starring Dwayne Johnson as a primatologist. The poster alone reeks of King Kong influences, as Johnson stands with a gun underneath two enormous gorilla arms.
Said gorilla is George, an albino Western gorilla who is exposed to a pathogen that causes him to mutate and grow in size. Comparisons to King Kong are easy to make, especially in regard to George's size and aggressive personality.
Konga
In 1961, American International Pictures released a movie titled Konga. It's essentially a mix between King Kong and Rampage. The story concerns a British botanist who discovers a way to grow animals.
He tests his scientific procedure on a baby chimpanzee named Konga, and Konga is eventually turned into a massive, aggressive gorilla. The insane scientist then sends Konga to London to kill his scientific contemporaries. Konga is eventually killed by the British army, just as Kong is killed by the American counterpart.
Clover
Unlike most of these monsters, Clover is not a giant gorilla. However, there's no denying that it still shares some commonalities with King Kong. It comes out of the water like Godzilla, who in turn was greatly influenced by Kong.
But more obviously, Clover proceeds to wreck New York City in a night of violence and horrific destruction. It hearkens way back to King Kong, which ends with the titular monster wreaking havoc through the streets of New York City.
Gamera
King Kong greatly influenced the creation of Godzilla, which in turn kickstarted the whole kaiju craze of the 1950s and '60s. One of the most popular kaiju of the era is Gamera. Gamera first appeared in the 1965 film Gamera, the Giant Monster, and has since appeared in twelve movies.
Like Godzilla, Gamera was mutated by nuclear weapons, resulting in a giant walking turtle that can breathe fire. And, like both King Kong and Godzilla, Gamera began his movie career as an aggressive monster hellbent on destruction.
Mothra
Mothra is another huge name in the kaiju genre. Making her first appearance in the 1961 film Mothra, this giant caterpillar/moth has appeared in dozens of her own films and has frequently made appearances throughout the Godzilla franchise.
Unlike many other kaiju, Mothra is typically depicted as a heroic figure who fights for the forces of good. Regardless, she is one of the major kaiju, and therefore, she owes much of her existence to King Kong.
Rodan
And finally there is Rodan, another enormously popular kaiju. Rodan quickly followed on the heels of Godzilla, with Rodan being released in 1956. Following its introduction, Rodan became one of the major players of the Godzilla franchise, even appearing in Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019.
Like many of its contemporaries, Rodan is a massive and irradiated version of an Earthly animal - in this case, the long-extinct Pteranodon.