There will always be only one king of the monsters, and that bad boy is Godzilla. Since his first sighting in 1954, the Big G has terrorized (and saved) countless people who have gone running for the hills once he rose up from the ocean. But over the years, Godzilla has amassed quite a few enemies, with some of the monsters in his rogues’ gallery being just as well-known as Godzilla himself.
Now, this list could be all about Godzilla’s most powerful enemies, but I’m not really interested in that list—Mechagodzilla, Destroyah, and King Ghidorah. Done—No, I want to talk about Godzilla’s coolest enemies, which means Godzilla could have pimp smacked the living daylights out of them and they could still make this list. And while what constitutes as “cool” varies from person-to-person, I think most Godzilla fans will appreciate some of the picks that make this list. Somebody cue the Godzilla roar.
10. King Kong
Did you know… that the stop-motion animator, Willis O ‘Brien, actually wanted King Kong to fight Frankenstein’s monster? And when that didn’t pan out, he took the concept to Toho, and they were like, why have King Kong fight Frankenstein when he could fight Godzilla instead?! And the rest is history.
King Kong is such a cool villain for Godzilla because it doesn’t make any sense. The original King Kong is so much smaller than Godzilla. But in King Kong vs. Godzilla, they’re the same size. Not only that, but King Kong gets stronger from lightning, and even tries to stick a tree down Godzilla’s throat. Hopefully, the Kong from the recent Skull Island will be just as cool in the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong.
9. King Caesar
If this was a list of the most powerful Godzilla villains, King Caesar would probably be dead last. Plus, he looks like what would happen if the Cowardly Lion mated with a dog. Also, I’m kind of cheating with this entry since King Caesar is actually only a villain in Godzilla: Final Wars, and only for a few seconds.
But he has to be on this list since he’s awoken by a song that causes a freaking explosion. And there’s such a huge build up to him that you’d think he’d be badass. But he’s not! He gets his ass handed to him. But that’s why I love him. He’s like the Godzilla version of Boba Fett. And yes, I went there.
8. Rodan
You know who’s not cool? Mothra. Classic, yes. But not cool. She looks like a giant butterfly! But Rodan is certified badass. A giant Pteranodon with a wicked screech, Rodan’s massive shadow alone makes him worthy to be on this list.
But the thing is, he’s kind of a wimp. He’s also fought alongside Godzilla a few times, so he’s more like a frenemy than anything else. That said, as mentioned earlier, he does look cool, so he has that going for him.
7. Hedorah
You might think a smog monster is stupid, and you’re right. In fact, he was named for hedoro, which roughly translates to “sludge” in Japanese. In a way, he’s kind of like a Pokemon since he has so many evolutions (one of which looks like a flying saucer). But for that reason, I think he’s pretty cool. It doesn’t hurt that his eyes were meant to look like vaginas.
I also like that Hedorah fits in line with the idea that we helped create this monster because we’re pumping garbage into our planet. And that’s not cool. But Hedorah is cool. So cool that it makes me want to go to a club and don a fish mask!
6. Biollante
If you thought a smog monster was cool, then what about a plant monster! Starting out as a rose, Biollante looks utterly terrifying in its second form—a walking alligator plant with teeth.
Biollante is cool because she’s actually part human, since Doctor Shitagami mixed his dead daughter’s DNA with Godzilla’s cells and a rose. So really, Biollante is a hodgepodge of things, spliced up to make one badass monster. Noice.
5. SpaceGodzilla
Fun fact: SpaceGodzilla was originally going to be called CrystalGodzilla, which makes sense given the crystals jutting out of his shoulders. But SpaceGodzilla somehow sounds even more ridiculous than CrystalGodzilla, so I’m happy that they went with that name instead.
SpaceGodzialla is not above hurting children, as he beats up Godzilla Jr. He can also fly, so he has that going for him. SpaceGodzilla is like Godzilla squared. So how could he not be on this list? He’s awesome.
4. Destroyah
Destroyah is the stuff of nightmares and probably the most metal Godzilla villain ever. He has several forms, and grows from being insect-size to enormous. In his final form, he looks like freaking Satan!
But Destroyah gets so high on this list because he’s merciless. He kills Godzilla Jr., and seems to enjoy messing with Godzilla mentally. Also, his actions manage to kill the OG Godzilla, which revives Godzilla Jr. and creates a new Godzilla. Epic stuff from an epic villain.
3. King Ghidorah
I’ll keep this one short. Look, it’s Ghidorah. He’s Godzilla’s main antagonist, has three heads, and he can fly. What’s cooler than that?
Okay, I’ll say a bit more. King Ghidorah is one of the only Godzilla enemies who you know will make Godzilla look weak. Plus, “King” is right in his job description. Totally epic.
2. Gigan
Gigan is a bird-like monster with hooks for hands, a fin on his back, and a buzz saw on his front. Honestly, if you were to ask me what gives you nightmares at night, I would tell you, “Gigan. Gigan gives me nightmares.”
And in Godzilla: Final Wars, he even got a redesign with chainsaw hands! I was really tempted to put him at number 1, but there could only be one enemy that occupies that top spot.
1. MechaGodzilla
MechaGodzilla wins as the coolest Godzilla enemy since there are 4 different versions of him, and each one is arguably better than the last. You have MechaGodzilla 1, which was created by alien apes (Yes). MechaGodzilla 2, which was created by a branch of the U.N. called G-Force. MechaGodzilla 3 (or Kiryu), was created by the Japanese Self-Defense Force and constructed using scraps from Mecha-King Ghidorah, and even sometimes went wild because Godzilla’s fighting spirit would get into it. And the fourth MechaGodzilla was made of nanometal and even became a city (No lie!) called MechaGodzilla City. This was in the recent anime.
MechaGodzilla is the coolest villain because he’s always full of surprises, and each iteration brings something new and exciting to the table.
That’s the list. But who do you think is Godzilla’s coolest nemesis? Do you actually think Mothra’s cool? Sound off in the comments.
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