Summary

• Godzilla has faced off against a variety of villains since the 1960s, including popular foes like Ghidorah and unique monsters like Kamacuras.
• Not all of Godzilla's opponents are true villains, as some, like Mothra and Baragon, have become allies or evolved into heroes over time.
• Godzilla's cinematic history includes battles against both evil monsters and creatures that have the potential to become heroes in the future, creating a complex rogues' gallery.

Warning: Spoilers for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

In Toho’s movies, Godzilla has a deep catalog of villains. Beginning in the 1960s, the King of the Monsters has fought off over a dozen villainous kaiju. Some have become popular enough to appear in multiple movies, while others have only been used once. Godzilla has been fighting with other monsters since 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again when he went up against Anguirus.

Godzilla's rich cinematic history has allowed him to accumulate a massive rogues' gallery. However, that's not to say all of his opponents should be designated as villains. After all, there are occasions when it’s Godzilla who’s the real villain, hence why creatures like Mothra and Baragon cannot be counted as Godzilla villains, even though they’ve both fought him.

Plus, not all of Godzilla's fights are against truly evil monsters, with many of these battles representing the beginning of something bigger. Examples of this include Anguirus, Rodan, and Kumonga, who evolved into heroes following their first bouts with Godzilla. The same appears to hold true for Shimo, whose decision to turn against Skar King in monster ally to Godzilla. On the other hand, there’s a multitude of creatures in the franchise who can only be classified as enemies of Godzilla, and have little potential - if any - to become heroes later.

19 King Ghidorah

Godzilla's Ultimate Nemesis

The first time Godzilla battled a true villain on the big screen was in 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. Introduced as an alien creature sent to conquer the world, Ghidorah was driven off by the combined efforts of Godzilla and Rodan, who received some assistance from Mothra. Ghidorah returned a few more times in the Showa series, but was always defeated by Godzilla and at least one of his allies.

It wasn’t until 1991’s Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah that the two monsters were able to have a fair, one-on-one fight. In Godzilla: Final Wars, he was completely reimagined as Monster X, who transformed into Keizer Ghidorah. Commonly regarded as Godzilla’s greatest villain ever, Ghidorah has fought Godzilla more than any other villain, with his most recent appearance being in the Monsterverse’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

18 Kamacuras

Giant Praying Mantis Kaiju

Kamacuras first appeared in 1967's Son of Godzilla. Not as large as other kaiju, the monsters are giant praying mantis. They were originally normal insects but were mutated by experiments to control the weather by the United Nations at Solgell Island. The kamacuras caused the egg of the kaiju Minila to hatch early, and they went after the egg. Godzilla becomes the movie's hero as a result, intent on protecting the hatching baby from the kamacuras. Over the course of the movie, Godzilla killed two of them, while the third was disposed of by Kumonga, the giant spider kaiju. Godzilla had to fight another in Godzilla: Final Wars.

17 Ebirah

The Terrifying Crab of the Deep

In the low-budget 1966 movie Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, Godzilla battled Ebirah, a giant crab monster who lived in the ocean and attacked any ships that drew near it. Like many of the kaiju in the 1960s movies, the crustacean monster was mutated by the effects of nuclear radiation. The Red Bamboo, a terrorist group whose activity created Ebirah, were the only ones whose ships were safe from the creature thanks to them creating a substance they released from their ships to repel him.

In combat, the creature relied mostly on its claws and wasn’t able to do much against Godzilla once they were ripped off. It’s been said that Toho’s original intention for the movie was for Ebirah to fight King Kong, not Godzilla. That particular project, however, was never completed, and the battle against Godzilla was drafted instead.

16 Gabara

The Bully of Dreams and Fears

Gabara, a giant green monster, stands out as a Toho kaiju that doesn’t actually exist in Godzilla canon. That’s because his only role was in All Monsters Attack, a movie that centers on a young boy’s dreams of adventuring on Monster Island with Godzilla’s son. Gabara was a manifestation of the boy’s fears about a bully at his school who was also nicknamed Gabara. The movie's human protagonist dealt with this fear by dreaming about Gabara being defeated by Godzilla. As the main threat, Gabara was the only villain whose role wasn't built from stock footage from other films.

15 Hedorah

The Toxic Menace to Earth

Hedorah, also known as the Smog Monster, was an alien blob that fed on pollution. The threat that Hedorah represented was a direct result of humanity’s mistreatment of the Earth. He posed a unique challenge to the King of the Monsters in Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Godzilla had trouble beating him, as the toxic chemicals in his body did significant damage to his skin. Plus, Hedorah held up well against all of Godzilla’s attacks, including his atomic breath.

Hedorah started with the appearance of a tadpole, but grew in size the more it fed on the planet's pollution. His name comes from the Japanese word hedoro, which is in reference to sludge or slime. It's fitting since the monster is associated with pollution in Godzilla's canon.

14 Gigan

The Cyborg Enforcer of Otherworldly Forces

Gigan, a cyborg alien with hooks for hands, became the an ally of other monsters, such as Ghidorah and Megalon.

In his original appearance, Gigan is actually sent to Earth to help King Ghidorah conquer the planet. When he returns to the planet again, it's to aid Megalon. In Godzilla: Final Wars, the monster was on the receiving end of a menacing, cybernetic upgrade. But even then, Gigan was not utilized as the main antagonist. To this day, Gigan has never been "the" villain of a Godzilla movie, despite having a reputation as one of his deadliest opponents.

Live-Action Movie Appearances	Opponents
Godzilla vs. Gigan	Godzilla, Anguirus
Godzilla vs. Megalon	Godzilla, Jet Jaguar
Godzilla: Final Wars	Godzilla, Mothra

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13 Megalon

The Burrowing Behemoth of Seatopia

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In 1973's Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar teamed up for an exciting showdown with the duo of Gigan and Megalon. Megalon was a giant cockroach-like monster who could burrow underground with his hands, which functioned like drills. He was also worshiped as a deity by the same people who called on him to help them in his only movie appearance in the franchise so far.

Megalon is associated with Seatopia in classic Godzilla lore. Seatopia is a massive underground kingdom that is disturbed by nuclear testing, which falls right in line with the Godzilla franchise's commentary on environmental meddling. Megalon is worshiped by the people and when their home is in danger from the testing, he's called on by the Seatopians to fight for them. In fact, Jet Jaguar is initially controlled by them as well, but is able to break free and ally with Godzilla against Megalon and Gigan.

Live-Action Movie Appearances	Opponents
Godzilla vs. Megalon	Godzilla, Jet Jaguar

12 Mechagodzilla

A Robotic Nemesis

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As his name implies, Mechagodzilla is the robotic counterpart of the King of the Monsters. Armed with a deadly arsenal of missiles and laser cannons, the mechanical kaiju is one of the most dangerous enemies Godzilla has ever faced. In Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla, he was portrayed as a villain created by aliens to help them take over the Earth. In each of his appearances that followed, Mechagodzilla has been utilized as a weapon of humanity meant to defeat Godzilla.

Though not part of the Toho timeline of Godzilla films, Mechagodzilla has appeared in Legendary's Monsterverse. He's become one of the most popular Godzilla villains because he speaks to the idea that the kaiju aren't always the bad guys in the movies, as humans too are capable of creating world-ending threats. With humans being behind Mechagodzilla's fights with Godzilla in most of its movie appearances, that theme stays in place.

Live-Action Movie Appearances	Opponents
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla	Godzilla, Anguirus
Terror of Mechagodzilla	Godzilla, King Caesar
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II	Godzilla, Rodan
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla	Godzilla
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.	Godzilla, Mothra
Godzilla vs. Kong	Godzilla, Kong

11 Titanosaurus

The Unwilling Pawn in the Battle of Monsters

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Titanosaurus wasn’t an evil beast bent on destruction

Unlike most Godzilla villains, the 1975 Terror of Mechagodzilla’s Titanosaurus wasn’t an evil beast bent on destruction. In the beginning of the movie, Titanosaurus was described as a peaceful, aquatic creature. But due to aliens mind-controlling him, he became an unwitting ally to Mechagodzilla in his fight against Godzilla. Despite the odds, Godzilla managed to survive against both monsters. After his defeat, Titanosaurus never returned to the big screen, preventing him from ever developing another role in Godzilla's universe.

Live-Action Movie Appearances	Opponents
Terror of Mechagodzilla	Godzilla

10 Biollante

The Terrifying Hybrid of Nature and Science

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In 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante, a terrifying new villain was born from the DNA of a rose, a dead girl, and Godzilla. She wasn't the first monster to be created by humans in the Godzilla universe, but she was the first to be plant-based. At the time, Biollante was the largest monster he had ever encountered. The creature — who dwarfed even Godzilla himself — was an enormous plant monster whose long, vine-like tendrils could be used to subdue her enemies.

Interestingly, Biollante also maintained the consciousness of the young girl whose DNA was used to create her. The young girl was the daughter of the scientist in charge of the genetic modification project. She does exist in the manga and anime adaptations of Godzilla but has not appeared in a live-action project since, which is a shame since she's a fan-favorite monster.

Live-Action Movie Appearances	Opponents
Godzilla vs. Biollante	Godzilla