In over 60 years of cinematic history, numerous powerful kaiju have rivaled Godzilla for his King of the Monsters title. Well over a dozen have found ways of challenging him over the years, and many have even put him at a disadvantage. The fights in his movies have made it clear that the franchise is full of powerhouses not named Godzilla.

In the movies, Godzilla has plowed through a number of his fellow monsters. He’s proven his superiority time and time again by beating kaiju like Anguirus, Ebirah, Baragon, Mothra, Kumonga, Titanosaurus, and the MonsterVerse’s MUTOs. Many of these fights were won easily or made difficult by team-ups. Their power levels simply don’t compare to Godzilla’s. However, there are plenty of monsters in Toho’s library that are indeed capable of pushing Godzilla to his limit. Here’s a ranking of the strongest monsters in the franchise (Godzilla himself included.)

10

Zilla

First Appearance: Godzilla (1998)

Zilla is the version of Godzilla introduced in Roland Emmerich’s 1998 movie Godzilla. While Zilla isn’t referred to as such in the movie itself the kaiju was later rebranded as such in order to distinguish it from the true King of the Monsters. Zilla is different to Godzilla in more ways that one, such as its appearance being much slimmer and walking with more of a hunch than the upright Godzilla. However, Zilla is also far, far less powerful than Godzilla and many of the other kaijus.

Outside 1998’s Godzilla, Zilla also appeared in the 2004 collaboration between Toho Pictures, CP international, Zazou Productions, and Napalm Films titled Godzilla: Final Wars. The movie was something of a kaiju battle royale, with several monsters, including Godzilla, Gigan, and Rodan, appearing alongside Zilla. Godzilla managed to take out his 1990’s Westernized reimagining easily, and Zilla’s lack of strength compared to many other kaiju is apparent from the military being able to dispatch it on their own in Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla.

9

Mothra

First Appearance: Mothra (1961)

While Mothra is relatively peaceful as far as kaiju’s go, and over the decades has even been portrayed as an ally to both Godzilla and humanity when either is under threat from other titantic monstrosities, her power shouldn’t be underestimated. The first time Mothra met Godzilla was in 1964’s Mothra vs. Godzilla, and the behemoth moth even managed to gain the upper hand when fighting the King of the Monsters — only losing when Godzilla had to rely on its atomic breath.

Mothra has an array of powers, including telepathy and laser beams. She’s gone up against much more powerful kaiju, including the likes of King Ghidorah and given them no shortage of trouble, with no fight she’s been involved in coming across as one-sided. Mothra even took down the mighty Rodan which, given her peaceful nature, was both something of a surprise and a testament to her strength even compared to far more terrifying-seeming and violent kaiju.

8

King Kong

First Appearance: King Kong (1933)

King Kong isn’t only one of the strongest kaiju out there, but he’s also arguably the smartest (which is unsurprising given that he’s a primate). However, while recent movies like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire have portrayed him as powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla and many other kaiju. this hasn’t always been the case. The earliest iterations of King Kong were far smaller than his modern counterpart, and the character’s history taken as a whole means he ranks among the weaker kaiju.

While this may be something of a technicality, it’s also worth noting that King Kong has no access to laser beams, atomic breath, or any other kind of special attacks. While he is undoubtedly strong and has access to a variety of tools and weapons to power him up, the lack of ranged abilities would still definitely count against him in a straight fight with most other kaiju. That being said (partly due to the plot-armor given gratis of his immense popularity with audiences), King Kong has held his own against Godzilla a significant number of times, and more often than almost any other kaiju.

7

Biollante

First Appearance: Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)

Created in a lab through a mix of DNA from Godzilla, a rose, and a deceased young woman, Biollante was a one-off monster Godzilla fought in the 1989 movie, Godzilla vs. Biollante. Possessing tremendous power and standing at a height that enabled her to tower over Godzilla, Biollante could use her massive tendrils to defend against Godzilla’s atomic breath and also weaponize them as a method of constriction.

As if these abilities weren’t enough, Biollante had a healing factor that made it possible for her to regenerate almost instantly. It was this power that made killing her so hard. It’s unlikely that there are many creatures in Toho’s movies that would have beaten her as Godzilla did. Biollante is one of the few kaiju who isn’t based on some kind of reptile or animal, and her status as a giant plant gives her some unique abilities among the most powerful Godzilla monsters — though, being part-plant, she’s also vulnerable to flame attacks, and has a vulnerable and clearly-visible flesh sac on her abdomen which causes her to disintegrate if damaged.

6

Gigan

First Appearance: Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)

As well as being among the most visually striking kaiju in any version of the franchise, the extra-terrestrial Gigan is also one of the most powerful kaiju to feature in a Godzilla movie. Introduced as a cyborg alien in Godzilla vs. Gigan, the titular antagonist of the 1972 Toho film made Godzilla history during their battle. Thanks to the razor-sharp hooks that Gigan possesses in place of hands, the monster delivered what is arguably the most brutal beatdown Godzilla has ever suffered in Toho’s movies.

Becoming the first kaiju ever to make Godzilla bleed, Gigan cemented his status as one of Godzilla’s deadliest opponents. The hooks attached to his wrists, combined with the chainsaw-like blade on his stomach, would make him a danger to any kaiju he faces. But while his cyborg arsenal makes him a formidable opponent, he’s hardly invincible. So far, Godzilla has bested him twice, with both fights occurring in two-on-two showdowns.

5

King Ghidorah

First Appearance: Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Due in part to the frequency of his appearances in the franchise since his debut in 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, King Ghidorah has a well-earned reputation as Godzilla’s greatest enemy. In fact, there were times in Godzilla’s movies when there was a sense that Ghidorah might be even stronger than Godzilla, given that Godzilla had help beating him in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro Monster, and Destroy All Monsters.

However, neither movie actually demonstrated that Godzilla couldn’t win alone. Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah have since demonstrated that while Monster Zero is a force to be reckoned with, Godzilla is the stronger kaiju. Most recently, King Ghidorah was the chief antagonist in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and it was only thanks to the assistance of Mothra that Godzilla was able to put the three-headed titan down for good.

4

Mechagodzilla

First Appearance: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Fights in Godzilla’s movies indicate that his other archrival – Mechagodzilla – is really more dangerous than King Ghidorah. Typically, Godzilla doesn’t have much trouble contending with weapons created by humans, but his robotic counterpart is an exception to the rule. Across six movies, Mechagodzilla has consistently proven to be one of the biggest thorns in Godzilla’s side. His laser cannons, missiles, and potent beam attack give him an assortment of weapons capable of doing serious harm to Godzilla. Just how dangerous he can be was evident in Godzilla vs. Kong when the MonsterVerse version came within seconds of killing Godzilla.

But, much like Ghidorah, the mechanized kaiju is inferior to Godzilla. He fought Godzilla to a tie in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and even forced Godzilla to team up with King Caesar in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, but has lost more fights than he’s won. And as for what happened in the MonsterVerse, it’s been indicated by comments from Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard that Godzilla’s loss was owed to his fatigue.

3

SpaceGodzilla

First Appearance: Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)

Any kaiju that has the word “Godzilla” in their name is likely to be powerful, and SpaceGodzilla is, despite the somewhat uninventive name, no exception. Looking at what SpaceGodzilla really is, it should come as no surprise that the Heisei era Godzilla kaiju is depicted as such a fearsome creature. After all, he shares Godzilla’s cells. Born from a combination of Godzilla’s DNA and the energy of a black hole. SpaceGodzilla boasts an impressive blend of Godzilla’s raw power and unique abilities of his own, such as telekinesis.

Thanks to the energy stored in the crystals on his shoulders, SpaceGodzilla can withstand some of Godzilla’s strongest blows and hit just as hard. In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, Toho seemingly elevated the monster above both Mechagodzilla and Ghidorah by having him overpower Godzilla. Godzilla had such a difficult time beating him that it took a little help from Moguera to secure the win.

2

Destoroyah

First Appearance: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

For the final film in the Heisei era, Toho intended to create a monster who could be seen as the ultimate Godzilla villain. The studio succeeded in that goal by confirming that the birth of Destoroyah is a product of the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that killed the 1954 Godzilla. In taking this direction, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah turned its villain into the physical embodiment of the one that’s managed to kill him.

Obviously, this set a high bar for Destoroyah to beat, but the monster pulled it off by matching up with Godzilla even when the latter was at his strongest point. Due to an extraordinary buildup of nuclear energy, Godzilla was on the verge of death, but also more powerful than ever. In spite of that, he still almost lost to Destoroyah.

1

Godzilla

First Appearance: Godzilla (1954)

True to his King of the Monsters title, Godzilla tops all of them. Due to being put in unfamiliar situations on occasion, Godzilla has had more than his fair share of struggles in his movies, but traditionally finds a way to prevail in the end. Usually, what gives him trouble is a monster’s special ability, such as Biollante’s rapid regeneration powers or Hedorah’s nigh-invulnerability. But being physically superior to nearly every kaiju in the Godzilla universe and smarter than he’s often given credit for, Godzilla has a tendency to overcome these challenges.

Because of Godzilla’s strength, Godzilla has been shown to hold the advantage in any contest of physical strength, which is often what propels him to victory. Making him even harder to beat is the fact that Godzilla has more than one way of winning. His greatest weapon, the atomic breath, can devastate most of his opponents, with only a few monsters being immune to the attack. With this power and his physical might, Godzilla can critically injure his enemies, regardless of whether they’re near or far. His versatility and unmatched power level have allowed him to beat the strongest of the monsters that have come his way, some more than once.