A 49-year-old win remains the most impressive victory in Godzilla’s seven decades of cinematic history. Most versions of Godzilla, though not all, have engaged in multiple monster battles. As a result, Godzilla has racked up a number of hard-fought wins over the years, many of which coming at the expense of incredibly powerful kaiju.
King Ghidorah, Destoroyah, SpaceGodzilla, Gigan, and even King Kong are counted among the giant creatures defeated by Godzilla at some point or another. Sometimes, he’s even had to battle two at a time. Others he’s had to beat in rematches, with Ghidorah being the monster who’s faced him the most. Naturally, Godzilla’s kaiju battles have yielded some impressive showings of his might. However, the conditions of these fights and how they compare to each other reveal that one in particular stands above the rest.
Terror Of Mechagodzilla Proved Just How Powerful Godzilla Really Is
Godzilla had to fight Titanosaurus and Mechagodzilla together
One year after teaming up with King Caesar against Mechagodzilla in 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, the King of the Monsters was forced into a rematch with his robotic counterpart. But what made their fight in Terror of Mechagodzilla different from their last encounter is that their situations were flipped. Rather than pair Godzilla with another kaiju, the 1975 sequel, and the final film in the Showa era, saw Mechagodzilla get an ally of his own – Titanosaurus. Godzilla unfairly had to fight both villains at the same time and without any help from another monster, which made it different from most of his other battles.
The previous movie was indicative of how difficult the odds were for Godzilla. After all, it had already been made clear that Mechagodzilla was strong enough to beat King Caesar, nearly kill Anguirus, and wreak havoc on Godzilla with his missile arsenal. For these reasons, a case could have been made that Mechagodzilla had already become Godzilla’s strongest villain. Making things worse was the inclusion of Titanosaurus; It was evident during the fight that Titanosaurus, a mind-controlled, aquatic kaiju, was a powerhouse in his own right with a power level likely close to Mechagodzilla’s.
Godzilla’s ability to survive fighting both of them for several minutes simultaneously is a testament to his resilience. Admittedly, though, he couldn’t beat both of them together, and had to rely on the humans to temporarily distract Titanosaurus. Despite being severely wounded, Godzilla managed to destroy Mechagodzilla and defeat Titanosaurus in quick succession, making the finale of Terror of Mechagodzilla a fitting swan song for the Showa era’s Godzilla that showcased his full potential better than all previous movies (and arguably all that followed.)
Godzilla Has Won Very Few Fights Against Multiple Opponents
A big part of what makes Godzilla’s victory in Terror of Mechagodzilla stand out is the fact that the vast majority of Godzilla’s wins haven’t come under such unfair conditions. Most were one-on-one fights, and many of the ones that weren’t were actually situations where it was the enemy that was at a disadvantage. Ghidorah, for instance, was outnumbered in three of his four fights with Godzilla during the Showa era. Plus, Godzilla has received allies in many of the battles that did involve multiple opponents, such as the fights that took place in Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Megalon.
Among the few movies that forced Godzilla to fight two or more kaiju without help were 2014’s Godzilla, Godzilla: Final Wars, Mothra vs. Godzilla, and Godzilla vs. Mothra. In regards to the latter two films, Godzilla was beaten at the end of both. In a much better display of his prowess, Godzilla impressively plowed through a number of his old friends and foes, including Anguirus, King Caesar, and Rodan, in Final Wars. But, none of those monsters are considered heavyweights in the franchise in the same vein as Mechagodzilla. The same can likely be said of the MUTOs, who lack the robot’s raw power.
Terror Of Mechagodzilla Was Godzilla’s Only Complete Win Over Mechagodzilla
Godzilla and Mechagodzilla have fought six times
When considering the significance of Godzilla’s win in the 1975 film, it’s important to note that it’s the only Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla fight to end in a complete victory for Godzilla. Godzilla needed King Caesar’s help in their first fight, Rodan had to sacrifice himself for Godzilla to win in 1992, and they tied in 2001’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. Also, Godzilla lost to Mechagodzilla in both Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. and Godzilla vs. Kong, even though excuses could be made for both defeats. But in the case of Terror of Mechagodzilla, none were needed. Godzilla beat Mechagodzilla fairly – and another monster to boot. It remains the only time in Godzilla history where this has happened.
