Some monsters are so powerful that even Godzilla hasn’t been able to beat them without a helping hand from another kaiju. Most Godzilla movies center on one-on-one showdowns between Godzilla and adversaries like King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla, but there have been times when the villain of a Toho movie is so formidable that it takes a team-up between Godzilla and another kaiju to take them down.
The King of the Monsters has been at odds with other kaiju for over 60 years now. In the original Godzilla movie from 1954, his only struggle was with the humans, but 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again started a tradition of Godzilla battling enemy monsters when it introduced Anguirus. Since then, Godzilla has charged into battle against everyone from King Kong to giant preying mantises. Over the decades, Godzilla has put down threats of great magnitude, and in certain occasions, Godzilla has even played the role of the main antagonist.
Godzilla has found himself in all sorts of different scenarios, some of which being team-ups. In Godzilla vs. Gigan, Godzilla and Anguirus left Monster Island together to battle King Ghidorah and Gigan. In Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla had to forces with the robotic Jet Jaguar to beat Gigan and his new partner, Megalon. These were even, two-on-two match-ups where Godzilla and his ally had to prevail over their enemies. Godzilla has also been involved in fights where the odds weren’t as fair. In Terror of Mechagodzilla, for example, Godzilla was alone against Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus. And sometimes, Godzilla is actually the one who needs help. Here’s every time Godzilla had to team up with a fellow kaiju to beat another monster.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Godzilla’s first-ever monster team-up coincided with his first turn as a hero in 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, which served as a sequel of sorts to Godzilla vs. Mothra. In the movie, Godzilla and Rodan were fighting when they were approached by a Mothra larvae, who asked them to save the humans from King Ghidorah. At first, Godzilla and Rodan refused, as they both felt that that they had no obligation to help humanity. But after seeing Mothra bravely go off to fight a creature it had no chance of beating, Godzilla and Rodan formed an alliance and together, the three monsters drove off Ghidorah. Since Mothra was only in his larvae form, most of the fighting was done by Godzilla and Rodan.
Invasion of Astro Monster (1965)
Godzilla and Rodan made such a good team that they were called upon in the sequel, Invasion of Astro Monster, to fight him again. King Ghidorah emerged as a threat on the mysterious Planet X, and it was said that only Godzilla and Rodan could defeat him. They were sent to Planet X where they beat Ghidorah, but they ended up being mind-controlled. After returning to Earth, the two became pawns of the movie’s alien villains until the humans figured out how to break their control over Godzilla and Rodan. Afterward, the duo defeated Ghidorah for the third time.
Destroy All Monsters (1968)
Ghidorah put up a good fight against Godzilla and Rodan in his first two movie appearances, but the same can’t be said for Destroy All Monsters. However, that’s of no fault of his own. Against Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, and Anguirus, Ghidorah stood no chance. Minila (Godzilla’s son), provided a bit of assistance as well. Godzilla and his kaiju allies held nothing back as they relentlessly attacked Ghidorah. At the end of the fight, the monsters held Ghidorah down so that Gorosaurus could finish him off with a kangaroo kick.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Godzilla was forced into a tight situation when he encountered a robotic duplicate of himself in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Armed with an arsenal of missiles and protected by metal armor, Mechagodzilla proved to be quite a challenge for the King of the Monsters, who initially had great difficulty beating him. He was soon ed by ancient guardian deity King Caesar, who helped Godzilla obtain victory. In the end, it was Godzilla’s newfound magnetic powers that caused Mechagodzilla’s downfall.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
Godzilla didn’t require an ally again until the fifth film in the Heisei series, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. For most of the fight, Godzilla held the advantage, as Mechagodzilla lacked the power to properly oppose Godzilla. What Godzilla didn’t know was that the humans had uncovered his weakness and were waiting to hit him with their secret weapon. The humans knew Godzilla had a second brain where his tail meets his torso, and so they equipped Mechagodzilla with an electrified harpoon that was able to pierce the brain. Paralyzed by the unexpected attack, Godzilla certainly would have died if Rodan hadn’t interfered. Rodan, wounded gravely by his own fight with Mechagodzilla, provided Godzilla with the last of his life essence. Rodan’s power reconstructed Godzilla’s second brain and gave him a new version of the atomic breath called the spiral heat ray. Thanks to Rodan’s sacrifice, Mechagodzilla was promptly defeated.
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
In Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, the titular anti-hero battled a creature from outer space that was created when his own DNA was mutated by a black hole. After arriving on Earth, SpaceGodzilla captured Godzilla’s son, forcing the adult Godzilla to make a stand against him. Godzilla struggled to contend with the incredibly powerful SpaceGodzilla, whose immense strength and energy rays made him a force to be reckoned with. In their first encounter, Godzilla couldn’t beat him, but later, Godzilla crossed paths with Moguera, a giant robot built by the Japanese government in response to the destruction of Mechagodzilla in the previous film. After teaming up with Moguera, the odds shifted in Godzilla’s favor. SpaceGodzilla managed to destroy Moguera, but it was too late - Godzilla obliterated his body with his spiral heat ray.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
The MonsterVerse’s Godzilla nearly died to Ghidorah in Ghidorah was charged up with energy and more powerful than ever. Godzilla was lying on the ground, near-death, when a dying Mothra approached. After being blasted by Ghidorah’s gravity beams, Mothra gave her life force to Godzilla, similar to what Rodan did in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. With Mothra’s energy, Godzilla entered into his burning form and killed Ghidorah with his nuclear pulse attack.
