Had things worked out differently, Anguirus could have enjoyed a much more prominent presence in Godzilla's biggest allies, the ankylosaurus-like kaiju famously teamed up with the King of the Monsters in Godzilla vs. Gigan, and also ed the multitude of creatures in the fight against King Ghidorah in Destroy All Monsters. But in contrast to kaiju such as King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan, and Mechagodzilla, Anguirus has been never used consistently in the franchise.

It's been 21 years since Anguirus last made a big-screen appearance, which happened via a cameo in 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. And even that was significant, considering that the role came after an even longer wait. Anguirus disappeared from relevance after his defeat at the beginning of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla in 1974. As a result, there have been two long stretches, including one that's still ongoing, where Anguirus has had no place in the franchise. However, that's not to say that abandoning him was Toho's intention. In fact, multiple filmmakers had plans to utilize the fan-favorite kaiju.

Toho Cut Anguirus From 3 Godzilla Movies

Anguirus Could Have Had 3 Additional Movie Appearances Between 2001 And 2003

Three of the movies released during the Millennium era originally called for Anguirus to appear in some capacity. The most notable of the three is the 2001 film now known as Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack. Before receiving that title, the project was called Godzllla vs. Varan, Baragon, and Anguirus: All Monsters Attack Godzilla. The basic concept behind the story - three guardian monsters teaming up to battle an evil Godzilla - carried over to the finished project, but Toho ultimately decided to swap Varan and Anguirus with ittedly more popular kaiju in Mothra and Ghidorah.

According to Japanese magazine Toho SF Special Effects Film Series: Godzilla x Mechagodzilla, Anguirus was supposed to feature in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla as a secondary antagonist, but presumably wouldn't have fought instead Godzilla. Instead, he would have battled the movie's heroic take on Mechagodzilla, Kiryu. Afterward, the movie's direct sequel, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., intended to give Anguirus a cameo in the form of a dead body, but ultimately scrapped the idea.

Anguirus Almost Appeared Immediately After His First Movie

Another reason for Anguirus' absence over such long periods stems from the simple fact that Toho didn't move forward with many of the films it planned to include him in. Immediately after Anguirus' debut in Godzilla Raids Again, Toho had plans for a third Godzilla movie, titled Bride of Godzilla? In the Godzilla Raids Again sequel, Anguirus would have returned as an enemy to Godzilla in a story that would pit both against a giant, robotic woman. However, the idea was scrapped, most likely due to the number of creatures demanding an extremely high budget.