Taking down Godzilla is no easy feat, but there are monsters who have claimed victory over him in the past. In both the MonsterVerse and Toho’s Godzilla franchise, the Japanese pop culture icon typically defeats every villain who stands in his way. It doesn’t always happen in their first fight, of course, but Godzilla is always expected to emerge triumphant by the end of the movie.
Godzilla’s reputation as the King of the Monsters is well-earned. Admittedly, many of his victories are owed at least partially to the assistance of Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus, and more. But for the most part, Godzilla is capable of beating his opponents in one-on-one fights. It’s why Godzilla is regarded as a nearly unbeatable force. Destoroyah, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla, Mothra, and Gigan have all been defeated by him at one point or another. That being said, not all of the fighting in Godzilla’s movies have been completely one-sided. As rare as it is for Godzilla to lose, there are occasions where his opponent wins.
Mechagodzilla Has Beaten Godzilla 3 Times
The monster with the most wins against Godzilla is his robotic counterpart. Introduced in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, the mechanized kaiju beat Godzilla outright in Godzilla vs. Kong. His arsenal of missiles and lasers decimated Godzilla, who was almost sluggish in his attempts to fight off his attacker. Had it not been for Kong’s timely intervention, Godzilla would have been killed. While it shouldn’t be forgotten that Godzilla was exhausted and may have won if he was at full strength, this was still a humiliating loss for the alpha Titan.
What happened in Godzilla vs. Kong was Mechagodzilla’s most clear-cut victory yet – but not his first. Toho’s version of the monster has also had success fighting him. In 2001’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Mechagodzilla was sent by the humans to drive Godzilla away. After a brutal showdown that left both monsters with severe injuries, Godzilla abandoned his attack on Japan. Since his retreat meant that Mechagodzilla had accomplished his goal, this was counted as a win for the robot. Their rematch in Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. culminated in Godzilla being defeated for a second time, although this result came with a major caveat: Mechagodzilla had help from Mothra.
Other Monsters Who Beat Godzilla
Mechagodzilla alone holds the distinction of being the monster with three wins over Godzilla, but he’s not the only kaiju who’s managed to pull off this difficult task. The first creature to ever beat Godzilla was actually Mothra. After Godzilla killed Mothra, two of her offspring encased him in silk at the end of Mothra vs. Godzilla. Mothra won in Godzilla vs. Mothra as well, but only because of an alliance she made with Battra. Another kaiju worth bringing up is none other than Kong himself. While some have painted King Kong vs. Godzilla’s ending as a tie, even Toho has admitted that Kong was the movie’s winner.