7 Giant Monsters That Have Actually Beaten Godzilla

With over thirty movies under his belt, both Japanese and American, Godzilla is a monster who has lived a long cinematic life. And, far more often than not, he wins his fights. This became even more true once he became a hero in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. But then he became a villain again in the Heisei era, so again we entered an era where some other monster (or the Japanese military) had to defeat him to wrap up the film’s narrative. A kaiju movie hasn’t ended until the threat has been either subdued or defeated. And, just as how man beat beast in Gojira, The Return of Godzilla, and Shin Godzilla, there have been quite a few times where another kaiju has beaten Godzilla, and we’re going to go through them.

What counts as Godzilla getting “beaten?” He doesn’t have to die, but we do have to know that the other monster came out on top. There have been different ways the franchise has handled this throughout the years. Furthermore, the defeat does not have to occur in the third act. If it was a fight towards the middle of the film, that was fair game. Lastly, while Godzilla does die in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, it wasn’t Destoroyah who killed him, it was his over-radiated core, so that film was left off.

1) King Kong in King Kong vs. Godzilla

An important entry in Godzilla’s Shōwa era, King Kong vs. Godzilla was still the franchise learning how to be a franchise. Gojira plays like a one-off (Godzilla dies after all), while Godzilla Raids Again is jumbled and has the most floppy, incoherent kaiju fight of the franchise. King Kong vs. Godzilla (the first of the G-films in color) was where the tone was really starting to be found, and it would be found in full in the following film, Mothra vs. Godzilla.

It was also the second film in the franchise to have two distinctly different versions. Gojira‘s US cut has much of the Tokyo-storming carnage cut out and has a bunch of unnecessary Raymond Burr scenes in their place. King Kong vs. Godzilla also had a lot of footage removed and replaced with American actors commenting on the events of the film. However, not much of the removed footage is kaiju fight footage. Though, for a long time, people thought that was the case. They even thought that it was only in the American version where Kong is the one who swims away after both monsters tumble off a cliff. But, no, both versions have Kong emerge as the victor.

2) Mothra in Mothra vs. Godzilla

One of the best Toho kaiju not named Godzilla, Mothra actually debuted in her own movie in 1961. But she’s most inextricably linked with Mothra vs. Godzilla, widely deemed the most important Godzilla movie outside Gojira.

This is a movie that makes you feel for one kaiju while genuinely fearing another (Godzilla’s design is wonderful in this film). When Godzilla kills the adult Mothra, it’s the saddest death in the entire franchise. However, her twin larvae exact vengeance on their mother’s slayer. More specifically, they’re trying to protect humanity, as they don’t have a vengeful bone in their bodies, but it is technically vengeance. The larvae lure Godzilla away from fleeing humans and team up to spew threads until Godzilla is trapped in a cocoon, at which point he tumbles down into the ocean. It’s one of the best fights in the franchise’s history.

3) Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Mechagodzilla is one of the most iconic Godzilla villains. He made appearances in all three of the franchise’s first eras and, given how he is very likely going to be in the sequel to Godzilla Minus One, he’ll end up being in the fourth as well.

It’s easy to see why, as he is (or rather it is) Godzilla’s equal even more than SpaceGodzilla. After all, SpaceGodzilla didn’t beat Godzilla, whereas the first time Godzilla met Mechagodzilla, it was Mechagodzilla who walked away while Godzilla bled in the water of Tokyo Bay. His victory was short-lived, however, as the third act had Godzilla team up with King Caesar and tear Mechagodzilla apart. He didn’t even get revenge in Terror of Mechagodzilla as, even with a partner in Titanosaurus, Godzilla took him down fairly easily.

4) Biollante in Godzilla vs. Biollante

Thanks to its Criterion Collection digital and physical copy release, Godzilla vs. Biollante is now far more accessible than it was for a long time. And that’s great because, while it’s a little short on kaiju fights, it is the most thematically moving installment of the franchise. It is also the only installment that is visually and tonally similar to The Return of Godzilla.

Make no mistake, Godzilla gets plenty of screentime in the film, but when it comes to his fights with Biollante, they’re rather brief. The first one has Biollante in her Flower Beast Form, and it’s an easy win for Godzilla. The second fight has her evolve into the more Godzilla-like (she’s partially constructed via his cells) Plant Beast form, and while it’s another quick bash in which Godzilla walks away, he’s only lumbering, and falls into the ocean. Admittedly, this is as much if not more-so because of the Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria injected into him by the humans, but there’s still an argument to be made that the fight with Biollante got his body temperature raised enough for it to take effect.

5) King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah & Godzilla: King of the Monsters

While not the best film of Godzilla’s Heisei era, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah has two of its absolute best fights. First, he takes on King Ghidorah, when they’re both antagonists as far as Tokyo residents are concerned.

Then, time traveler Emmy Kano, who was once part of a plot to have King Ghidorah destroy Tokyo, takes the defeated King Ghidorah’s body, gives it some cosmetic upgrades, then pilots him to once more fight Godzilla. In this fight, Mecha-King Ghidorah wins out, because he (and Emmy) pick Godzilla up, fly him out over the ocean, and the two fall into it. So, it’s more of a tie, but it was still Mecha-King Ghidorah who initiated the move to the ocean, so technically he won.

6) Mothra & Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra

An underrated Toho kaiju, Battra has both a great design and a through and through character ark, which is certainly rare for a giant movie monster. Specifically, throughout most of the movie, he’s a monster that feels it is his duty to right the wrongs on the planet. Specifically, by wiping humans from the face of Earth.

However, come the third act, Mothra has convinced him that Godzilla is the true threat to Earth, and they must team up to beat him. And team up they do, shooting laser beams from their eyes and tuckering the big guy out with nausea-inducing particles. However, Battra is losing blood very quickly, so it’s time for a last-ditch effort. He and Mothra pick Godzilla up (not unlike in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah) and fly him out in the ocean. And, also not unlike in the previous film, Battra falls into the ocean along with Godzilla. Battra may have died, but his final sacrifice was in service of defeating Godzilla.

7) Kiryu in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla & Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

Yes, Kiryu is Mechagodzilla and we already covered Mechagodzilla. But Kiryu is also even more different from the Mechagodzilla of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla than the Mechagodzilla of the Heisei era’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. This was the Millennium era, and like the Mecha-G of the Heisei era, he was less a tool of an invading alien species and more a tool utilized by humans to fend Godzilla off. So, what’s the difference? The Millennium era version is sentient, as he is infused with the original Godzilla’s spirit.

In Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Godzilla’s roar awakens that spirit within Kiryu, who then begins to destroy Tokyo while Godzilla saunters off. However, Kiryu is then given a software update and fights Godzilla once more. The goal is to use the Absolute Zero Cannon, which initially doesn’t go according to plan, but Kiryu’s pilot does use his thrusters to take Godzilla out over the ocean where the blast won’t do much damage to the city, uses it, and Godzilla retreats.

In the following film, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., Godzilla must take on Kiryu, Mothra, and Mothra’s two larvae. Mothra is killed, but Kiryu gets the upper hand on Godzilla. Unfortunately, Godzilla’s roar then once more awakens the Godzilla spirit within Kiryu. However, he makes an interesting call. He won’t kill Godzilla, but he will take Godzilla out over the ocean (again), plummet into the ocean, and drag him into an underwater trench.

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