The Godzilla movies 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?
8 Megaguirus
Buzzing with Potential
- Debut: Rodan (1956) as Meganulon; Godzilla Vs Megaguirus (2001) as Megaguirus.
- Best Moment: Overcoming Godzilla with her stinger and agility in Godzilla Vs Megaguirus.
- Worst Moment: Getting her stinger ripped off before getting roasted to death in the same movie.
The problem with making obscure references is that not everyone gets them. That said, Megaguirus was a decent attempt at making an anti-Mothra (as opposed to Battra, who’s more of an edgy Mothra). Based on the Meganulons from Rodan, 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.
7 Varan
The Dark Horse of the Godzilla-Verse
- Debut: Varan the Unbelievable (1958)
- Best Moment: Being worshipped as a mountain god in Varan the Unbelievable.
- Worst Moment: Missing out on multiple returns, including a title role in what would become GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.
Varan doesn’t offer much to impress kaiju fans. He can fly, and has a thick hide. Spin-off media like Godziban and different Godzilla video games let him shoot sonic beams, shapeshift, and use poisonous spines. But in Varan the Unbelievable, he was just a standard monster that flew. He only made a brief cameo in Destroy 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 in Godzilla Vs Gigan, before he was replaced with Anguirus. The Heisei era considered making him Godzilla’s final opponent before coming up with Destoroyah. Then GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack was originally going to be Godzilla X Varan, Baragon, Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. But after Godzilla Vs Megaguirus faltered at the box office, Varan and Anguirus got the boot in favor of Mothra and King Ghidorah.
6 Baragon
Subterranean Subterfuge
- Debut: Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965)
- Best Moment: Toppling Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.
- Worst Moment: Getting his role reduced in Destroy All Monsters due to bad timing.
Baragon shows how far Varan might have come had the stars aligned in his favor. He also had his big scene from Destroy All Monsters reduced, because all of his suits were being used as a repurposed kaiju for Ultraman. 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 in GMK: 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.
5 King Caesar
An Agile Threat With an Interesting Design
- Debut: Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla (1974)
- Best Moment: Aiding in Mechagodzilla’s defeat in Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla.
- Worst Moment: Getting beaten and stacked in a pile with Anguirus and Rodan in Godzilla: Final Wars.
Judging by Terror of Mechagodzilla’s intro recap of its predecessor, returning director Ishiro Honda wanted viewers to forget that Godzilla had backup in Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla. Yet it took the combined efforts of Godzilla and King Caesar to take the metallic doppelgänger down. The latter is based on the Shisa, the lion/dog hybrid guardians of Okinawa, based on the similar-looking Shishi from 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 why Godzilla: 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.
4 Titanosaurus
An Underrated Sea Monster
- Debut: Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).
- Best Moment: Defeating Godzilla and stamping on him.
- Worst Moment: Getting beaten by sonic waves and toasted by atomic breath until it fell back into the ocean.
Terror of Mechagodzilla puts 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 subsequent Godzilla eras to date. If a lowly sea monster like Ebirah could make a return in Godzilla: Final Wars, Titanosaurus (who actually beat Godzilla) deserves a comeback too.
3 Orga
Bright Idea, Dimb Bulb Brain
- Debut: Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
- Best Moment: Withstood Godzilla’s atomic breath from the outside thanks to its regenerative powers.
- Worst Moment: Tried to eat Godzilla, and got destroyed from the inside by the same atomic breath.
On stats alone, Orga could 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: Millennium is a rather dull movie, and Orga’s only other appearance was in the similarly underwhelming Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters. With the right story, though, Orga could make for a neat body horror take on kaiju.
2 Rodan
5th Place in the Big 5
- Debut: Rodan (1956)
- Best Moment: Defeating King Ghidorah twice with Godzilla in Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster and Monster Zero.
- Worst Moment: Getting beaten and stacked in a pile with Anguirus and King Caesar in Godzilla: Final Wars.
How could Rodan get any stronger? He came from a good solo movie, appeared alongside Godzilla in some of his best outings, and even became part of the ‘Big 5’: the 5 kaiju that have appeared in every Godzilla era (including Godzilla himself). However, he falls a little short compared to his esteemed kaiju company.
Rodan stood toe-to-toe with Godzilla in Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster and Monster Zero, before destroying Moscow in Destroy All Monsters. He sacrificed himself during the Heisei era in Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla 2 to give the big man a second wind. But Godzilla: Final Wars made him a weak challenger, striking out against Godzilla alongside Anguirus and King Caesar. His Monsterverse outing via Godzilla: King of theMonsters has 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.
1 Gigan
Great Look, Poor Record
- Debut: Godzilla Vs Gigan (1972)
- Best Moment: Making Godzilla and Anguirus bleed, nearly defeating them, in Godzilla Vs Gigan.
- Worst Moment: Getting decapitated by his own blades while striking a victory pose in Godzilla: Final Wars.
Gigan deserves 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 defeat Godzilla: Final Wars by serving as Godzilla’s side-antagonist and as Mothra’s nemesis. Still, that doesn’t mean he’s not a lackey.
Godzilla Vs Gigan was a rough movie. Gespite a strong start, Gigan got sent packing with King Ghidorah. Then he played second fiddle in Godzilla Vs Megalon, where he couldn’t save his bug-based buddy from Jet Jaguar and The Dropkick™. Finally, he practically defeated himself in Godzilla: Final Wars by forgetting about his blades. Gigan has arguably had a better run in festival shorts like Godzilla Vs Gigan Rex than in feature-length flicks.
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