15 Best 'Godzilla' Quotes, Ranked (original) (raw)
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Updated Sep 20, 2024, 6:00 PM EDT
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Actions can speak louder than words, and when it comes to the Godzilla series, action scenes do seem to mean more than the quieter, dialogue-driven movies, at least most of the time. Seeing the king of the monsters lash out against humanity or defend the people of Earth from other monsters is always great fun, but every Godzilla movie has its human characters, and dialogue is, therefore, a necessary part of the equation, even if, much of the time, the humans are just explaining what the monsters are doing.
For those who want to see the series’ writing/dialogue at its best, the following quotes are all good examples, each demonstrating there’s more to the Godzilla series than just smashing and crashing and monster face-bashing. Some quotes are serious, some are quite funny, and one even comes from the mouth of Godzilla himself. All these are ranked below, roughly by how memorable/iconic they are.
15 "Damn Godzilla... You're mistaken if you think your powers are a match for Mechagodzilla."
'Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla' (1974)
An alien villain in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Image via Toho
By the mid-1970s, the Godzilla series was on somewhat shaky footing. In hindsight, it’s possible to see that it bounced back in subsequent years/decades, but the Showa era, as it’s now understood, was in its dying days. It went out with a bang, though, thanks to the introduction of Mechagodzilla, a foe that looks and functions exactly how you'd think, based on that name, that was the primary antagonist for the last two Showa era movies, 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla.
The obviously villainous (again, going by the name) Alien Supreme Leader Kuronuma refers to the might of Mechagodzilla, and the idea that Godzilla’s mistaken if he thinks he can take on his robotic counterpart. Thankfully, Kuronuma’s confidence was a little misplaced, but to his credit, Mechagodzilla put up quite the fight in both of its first two appearances in the Godzilla series, cementing it as a badass movie monster.
Release Date
March 21, 1974
Runtime
84 minutes
Director
Jun Fukuda
14 "Godzilla's saying, 'We have no reason to help humans. Humans are always bullying us.' Rodan says he agrees."
'Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster' (1964)
Rodan and Godzilla hanging out on Monster Island
Image via Toho
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster introduces Ghidorah, the three-headed monster incredibly well, with the foe going on to arguably be Godzilla’s arch-nemesis (though the aforementioned Mechagodzilla is a contender). Ghidorah is also an important film in making Godzilla a progressively more gentle character, as he was throughout much of the Showa era, given he teams up with Mothra and Rodan here to combat King Ghidorah.
The above quote, regarding a “conversation” between Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra might sound cheesy on paper, but it works within the film, and adds a little more complexity to a narrative that boils down to Godzilla saving the world. Godzilla and Rodan are clearly conflicted about whether they should feel like they have to save human lives, but the team-up and saving does eventually commence, and Godzilla’s heroic arc – if you want to call it that – continues for a number of movies going forward.
Release Date
December 20, 1964
Runtime
85 Minutes
Director
Ishirô Honda
13 "King Kong can't make a monkey out of us."
'King Kong vs. Godzilla' (1963)
King Kong in klose in 'King Kong vs. Godzilla'
Image via Toho
So, even though 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster was at least a little thoughtful, and the original Godzilla from 1954 was very thought-provoking, that doesn’t mean a film released between the two necessarily had to be. In the case of King Kong vs. Godzilla, schlock reigned supreme, especially if you watch the 1963 American version, which adds a few new scenes, trims some others, and generally makes the dialogue goofier than the 1962 Japanese version (which was still somewhat silly, for sure).
But those after something stupid will have fun with the original showdown between Kong and Godzilla, especially with lines of dialogue like "King Kong can't make a monkey out of us." It’s dumb enough to almost wrap around and become clever again, and is far from the only stupid line or moment found in King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Release Date
August 11, 1962
Runtime
97 Minutes
Director
Ishirô Honda, Norman Tokar
12 "Godzilla and Biollante aren't monsters. It's the unscrupulous scientists who create them that are monsters."
'Godzilla vs. Biollante' (1989)
Godzilla fighting Biollante in Godzilla vs. Biollante
Image via Toho
Time and again, the Godzilla series returns to the idea of man being the real monster, not the actual monsters themselves. It’s hammered on a little thick in dialogue sometimes, but such a message is often central to narratives about monsters. It’s even more relevant than usual in the perpetually underrated Godzilla vs. Biollante, given both titular monsters were effectively created by humanity.
They're tragic beings, Biollante especially, which is a monster both fearsome and pitiful, and one of the greatest to ever appear in a kaiju movie. The above quote spells out the central tragedy for the people at the back who might not have picked up on it otherwise. It’s a testament to how good and moving Godzilla vs. Biollante is, though, that it makes such dialogue work, blunt as it might sound.
11 "The major cities of the world are being destroyed, one-by-one by the monsters: Moscow by Rodan, Peking by Mothra, London by Manda, Paris by Baragon. And, here's a special news bulletin. Godzilla is now in New York City. The city is being invaded by Godzilla!"
'Destroy All Monsters' (1968)
Image via Toho
Destroy All Monsters is an action-packed Godzilla movie that effectively says “Screw it” and throws all sorts of monsters into the ring; pretty much all that had been seen in the series up until that point. The plot involves said monsters causing chaos around the world for initially mysterious reasons, with it eventually being revealed that aliens are behind the scheme and have been brainwashing the monsters to lash out against humanity.
Eventually, King Ghidorah is the big bad that all the monsters can team up to defeat, but before then, a good deal of the conflict involves not the monsters being destroyed, but “_All Monsters_” doing the destroying. It’s hammered home well by a panicked newsreader early on in the film, who’s seemingly unable to keep up with all the major cities being attacked by suddenly aggressive monsters, Godzilla himself included.
Runtime
89 minutes
Director
Ishirō Honda
10 "Man is more frightening than Gojira."
'Shin Godzilla' (2016)
Early form of Godzilla seen in Shin Godzilla (2016)
Image via Toho Pictures
The idea of “man being the real monster” is a well-worn one, both within the Godzilla series and throughout the sci-fi/horror/fantasy genres more broadly. Man is even said to be more frightening than the remarkably frightening version of Godzilla (called "Gojira" here; the original Japanese name for the monster) that shows up in Shin Godzilla; a horrific creature that functions like a walking natural disaster, continually evolving and always looking like it’s in pain.
Humanity might not be more frightening physically, but Shin Godzilla does point out the horrors and frustrations inherent in systems that humanity has set up, and how such ways of acting let innocent people down when disaster strikes. Pointing out the inherent flaws of humanity and government is key to Shin Godzilla, and therefore, the above quote works reasonably well to reflect that and turn the subtext into text, so to speak.
Release Date
July 29, 2016
Runtime
120 minutes
Director
Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi
Main Genre
Sci-Fi
9 "What? That we're being invaded by little green men from outer space? Let's just keep it as our secret. You can tell your son about it when he's born, Major Spielberg."
'Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah' (1991)
Those looking for action and spectacle – particularly of the goofy or over-the-top variety – will certainly find it in 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. It sees Godzilla clashing with not only King Ghidorah, but also another more powerful – and partially mechanized – version of Ghidorah, with the working in of time travel enabling there to be more than one larger-than-life smackdown.
Going back in time also leads to some sequences taking place during World War II, mostly consisting of people from the future traveling back to the past to prevent the conditions that led to Godzilla being born. This leads to a conversation between an unnamed U.S. Ship Commander and a Major Spielberg, both of whom witness what appears to be a UFO. They keep it between themselves, but Major Spielberg says he’ll tell his son, who’s probably Steven. It’s a wild moment/easter egg of sorts, but very funny, and an endearing sort of shout-out to a great filmmaker.
'Godzilla vs. Gigan' (1972)
The actual dialogue found in the most memorable scene of Godzilla vs. Gigan isn’t iconic for what’s being said, but who says it. Godzilla’s been able to communicate with his actions and facial expressions before, but this 1972 movie has him genuinely talking to Anguirus, a once-enemy turned friend. Godzilla impatiently asks Anguirus for help, and the two set off to check out some sort of signal with a probable extra-terrestrial origin.
Again, there’s nothing too compelling about lines like “Check it out, immediately” and “Hurry up,” on their own, but these are spoken by Godzilla and Anguirus; the two monsters literally talk to each other, and it’s equal parts hilarious and adorable. In the original Japanese version, they speak using speech bubbles that would look at home in a manga, whereas in the English dub, they actually speak a few words in English.
7 Soldier one: "That was Godzilla after all, right?" Soldier two: "The Americans reported it as that. Our academics don't agree."
'Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack' (2001)
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is a relentless and exciting movie, befitting the title, but it’s also got a genuinely interesting story to back all the bombast up. Godzilla appears here more vengeful, destructive, and terrifying than ever before, with other monsters – namely, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon – being summoned to defeat him and hopefully save Japan in the process.
The human characters are compelling, and the way the film switches up certain monsters and their typical roles (Ghidorah has never been so heroic, for example) is fascinating. But it’s not all serious, because Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack also contains a hilarious exchange of dialogue early on that serves as a takedown of 1998’s Godzilla. It may be canon in this universe, but unequivocally, Japanese academics (AKA Godzilla authorities) disagree that the creature was truly Godzilla.
6 "I've a feeling this is going to be Godzilla's last fight."
'Godzilla vs. Destoroyah' (1995)
Godzilla nearing critical mass in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Image via Toho
In Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, Godzilla faces what might be his strongest foe to date with Destoroyah, a creature born from the weapon that originally took Godzilla down back in 1954. Destoroyah mutates and grows over the course of the film, threatening Godzilla because of his size and level of power, with Godzilla also being an underdog on account of the fact that he spends most of the movie in a state of meltdown.
An explosion that could take out who knows how many people is the threat at the center of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, and is one reason why it stands as arguably the most intense and emotional movie in the series. Miki Saegusa – a character who appeared throughout almost every film in the Heisei era – is right on the money when she predicts Godzilla (at least this iteration of the monster) could be gearing up for his final battle.
Release Date
December 9, 1995
Runtime
103 Minutes
Director
Takao Okawara, Ishirô Honda