10 Best ‘Godzilla’ Fights, Ranked (original) (raw)
Published Mar 11, 2024, 3:00 PM EDT
Jeremy has more than 2500 published articles on Collider to his name, and has been writing for the site since February 2022. He's an omnivore when it comes to his movie-watching diet, so will gladly watch and write about almost anything, from old Godzilla films to gangster flicks to samurai movies to classic musicals to the French New Wave to the MCU... well, maybe not the Disney+ shows.
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While a fair few acclaimed Godzilla movies feature only the titular monster and no others - including the 1954 original, 2016's Shin Godzilla, and 2023's Godzilla Minus One - much of the series has been defined by "vs." movies. These do vary in quality, admittedly, and not all Godzilla opponents are created equal, by any means. But if there is another giant monster in a Godzilla movie, fans of the series know they can usually rely on at least one good action sequence featuring two (or more) monsters going head-to-head.
To celebrate some of the best monster-filled smackdowns in the history of this long-running series (70 years now, and counting), here are some of the best fights found throughout the almost 40 Godzilla movies. It's limited to one fight per movie, and the historical significance/impact of some fights has been taken into account. Those from the series' early days might not have the same impact when watched now, but certain showdowns were iconic for introducing key enemies or for taking the series in newfound directions.
10 'Godzilla Raids Again' (1955)
Godzilla vs. Anguirus
godzilla-anguirus-godzilla-raids-again-social-feature
Image via Toho
Admittedly, Godzilla Raids Again is a fairly forgettable Godzilla movie, but it does nonetheless feel at least a little important to the overall franchise in some regards. It’s the only movie in the series besides the 1954 original to be shot in black and white (not counting the black-and-white version of Godzilla Minus One, of course), and it’s also the first movie in the franchise’s history to feature another monster alongside Godzilla: Anguirus.
Anguirus might not be as well-known as say Mothra or King Ghidorah – both of them being introduced in the 1960s – but he was Godzilla’s first giant monster foe, and for that, his brief skirmish with the King of the Monsters in Godzilla Raids Again deserves a mention. The film does end up being more about Godzilla vs. humanity, but Anguirus is a part of it nevertheless, and the monster fight did roughly establish a template that many sequels made afterward would adhere to.
9 'Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah' (1991)
Godzilla vs. Mecha-King Ghidorah
Image via Toho
An older Godzilla movie that proved surprisingly influential to a more recent one, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is one of the wildest movies in the history of the series, and certainly the goofiest of the sometimes quite serious Heisei era. It introduces time travel to the Godzilla series, involving a plot that sees a nefarious alien race convince humanity to go back in time and stop Godzilla from ever being created, Terminator-style.
This has the effect of weakening Earth, ensuring the aliens can take over the planet without fear of retaliation from Godzilla. Things don’t go to plan, though, and while Godzilla does defeat the aliens and Ghidorah (who the aliens created), he still poses a threat to Japan… and so Mecha-King Ghidorah – which is exactly what you’d expect it to be, based on the name – is brought back from the future, allowing a rematch between the two monsters near the film’s climax. It’s a silly and over-the-top way to finish a movie that was already quite over-the-top, so it feels fitting and is a lot of fun to watch play out.
8 'Godzilla vs. Hedorah' (1971)
Godzilla vs. Hedorah
Image via Toho
Godzilla vs. Hedorah pits Godzilla against one of his most unusual and underrated foes, and as such, the titular battle promised in the title turns out to be one of the series’ most distinctive. Hedorah is an alien lifeform that feeds off pollution, growing in size and eventually becoming more of a threat to humanity than actual pollution (or at least a more immediate one), with Godzilla being the only hope for the human beings of the world.
It's fairly dark, as far as Showa era Godzilla movies go, though it’s also wild in terms of style in a way that mitigates some of the bleakness and unpleasantness that’s communicated from the muted visuals. The main conflict is also interesting because Hedorah’s physicality makes it more difficult to take down than the usual flesh and blood monsters, and that undoubtedly ensures the battle here is a memorable one.
7 'Godzilla vs. Megalon' (1973)
Godzilla and Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon and Gigan
Image via Toho
Godzilla movies that featured fights between more than two monsters had existed before Godzilla vs. Megalon (as memorably seen in the large-scale Destroy All Monsters, for example), but few proved to be as much goofy fun as the two-versus-two fight in this 1973 film. Godzilla vs. Megalon already has a lot going for it, given how silly and wild it is, even by Godzilla standards, but the climactic fight takes things to a whole other level.
Godzilla teams with a shape-shifting robot named Jet Jaguar to fight Gigan (who’d been in the previous movie) and Megalon, a new foe. By the fight’s end, Jet Jaguar is holding Megalon in place, allowing Godzilla to do his iconic flying kick not once, but twice, right into Megalon. After they’re victorious, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar also have the most awkward yet endearing handshake ever put on film. It all just has to be seen to be believed; cinema at its absolute finest.
6 'Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack' (2001)
Godzilla vs. the Guardian Monsters
Image via Toho
Of all the Godzilla movies made since the start of the 21st century, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is, without a doubt, one of the very best. It takes the series in a more fantasy-heavy direction, in opposition to having a more expected science fiction slant, and is also noteworthy for depicting one of the cruelest and most malicious versions of Godzilla ever put on screen.
Given how dangerous this take on Godzilla is, there’s a need to go to desperate lengths to stop him, which leads to certain guardian monsters being summoned to take on Godzilla. These take the form of alternate versions of recognizable foes, with Baragon being dispatched early on, but the climactic two-versus-one fight of both a heroic Mothra and King Ghidorah taking on Godzilla provides true spectacle, and being one for the ages.
5 'Godzilla vs. Biollante' (1989)
Godzilla vs. Biollante
Godzilla fighting Biollante in Godzilla vs. Biollante
Image via Toho
Perhaps like Godzilla vs. Hedorah, 1989’s Godzilla vs. Biollante stands out for containing one of Godzilla’s most unusual foes to date. In contrast to Godzilla vs. Hedorah, however, Godzilla vs. Biollante has one of the most emotionally affecting and tragic human storylines found in the series, and it’s partly through loss and grief that Biollante, as a monster, is ultimately created.
Biollante is made from plant cells, Godzilla cells, and the cells of a scientist’s deceased daughter, the loss of whom he’s still grieving. Things go wrong and mutate, though, and it falls on Godzilla’s shoulders once again to take down a horrifying, huge, yet surprisingly pitiful giant monster. Godzilla vs. Biollante strikes an unexpected chord emotionally, but it makes it work, all the while also managing to deliver strong monster-focused action and excitement.
4 'Godzilla vs. Kong' (2021)
Godzilla vs. King Kong
Godzilla fighting Kong in Godzilla vs. Kong - 2021
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Some Godzilla purists might find it sacrilegious to count a fight from an American Godzilla movie alongside the great ones from the Japanese Godzilla movies, but credit has to be given where credit is due. Since 2014, there has been some solid Godzilla-focused action, with Godzilla taking on two MUTOs at the end of 2014’s Godzilla being pretty neat, and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters also delivering some spectacle throughout.
But the best MonsterVerse fight so far came in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong (itself one of the most financially successful Godzilla films ever). Godzilla and King Kong clash early on in the film, with the best battle being in the final act; a smackdown that levels a good chunk of Hong Kong, too. They make up and take on a more dangerous foe together right after: Mechagodzilla, and seem to be in an alliance going into the upcoming 2024 sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
3 'Godzilla: Final Wars' (2004)
Godzilla vs. Zilla
Godzilla vs Zilla in Godzilla: Final Wars
Image via Toho
As mentioned before, the American films in the Godzilla franchise can be a little contentious, and a good part of that comes from 1998’s less-than-successful attempt to Americanize the series. It took 16 years before America tried again, and in the meantime, Japan began producing Godzilla movies at a rapid pace once again, perhaps keen to redeem the iconic monster in the eyes of its Japanese and non-Japanese fans alike.
Godzilla: Final Wars was intended to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series’ inception, and it did this by making a very powerful version of Godzilla clash with numerous past foes of his, one after the other, and usually dominating them. One of his foes is even the American version of Godzilla from the 1998 movie, redubbed “Zilla,” and the speed with which the real Godzilla decimates the inferior Godzilla is unbelievably hilarious; the ultimate middle finger to a movie that sullied the series’ good name.
2 'Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla' (1974)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Image via Toho
There were many Godzilla sequels made throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla being one of the best, and undeniably memorable for serving as the introduction to a classic foe. Mechagodzilla might not named in a terribly creative way, but he makes up for it by being a vicious opponent that’s at least as powerful as Godzilla, making the non-mecha Godzilla feel like something of an underdog at times.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla benefits immensely from having the two titular monsters having explosive and even nail-biting battles, with the level of violence also making the film stand out compared to some of the more kid-friendly Godzilla movies of the era. Mechagodzilla made for such great action that those behind the series even brought the character back straight away, in 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla, which was the last entry in the Showa era of the series.
Release Date
March 21, 1974
Runtime
84 minutes
Director
Jun Fukuda
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
1 'Godzilla vs. Destoroyah' (1995)
Godzilla and Godzilla Junior vs. Destoroyah
Godzilla fighting Destoroyah near the climax of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Image via Toho
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is perhaps the most dramatic and emotional Godzilla movie to date, and it’s those qualities that make it qualify as an undisputed series highlight. The plot kicks off with Godzilla in grave danger of melting down at any moment, though both he and humanity also have to deal with the emergence of Destoroyah, the creation of which has come about because of the Oxygen Destroyer that destroyed the original Godzilla in 1954.
Destoroyah eventually mutates into a huge and truly vicious foe, all but defeating both Godzilla and Godzilla Junior before one final desperate push sees Destoroyah vanquished, but at a great cost. It wasn’t the end of the entire series, but it did conclude the Heisei era in a devastating fashion, with the violence and genuinely high stakes of the titular battle in this film making it arguably the best (or at least most memorable) fight sequence of any Godzilla movie.
Release Date
December 9, 1995
Runtime
103 Minutes
Director
Takao Okawara, Ishirô Honda
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