5 Monsters Who Never Really Stood A Chance Against Godzilla

Published Jul 24, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT Nicholas Raymond is an author and journalist based out of Alabama, where he proudly roots for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. A graduate of the University of Montevallo, he has a degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism. Godzilla's rogues' gallery is loaded with fearsome monsters, but not all of them are capable of actually posing a legitimate threat. Of course, the likes of Destoroyah, SpaceGodzilla, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla have done more than enough to earn their respective reputations, as all of them have proven their worth in combat against Godzilla. They've pushed him to his limits in ways that other Godzilla villains have never been able to achieve. Others, despite being inferior combatants, proved to be worthy adversaries. Even though Kong was the clear underdog throughout Godzilla vs. Kong, he had some strong moments, to a point where Godzilla unleashed the full brunt of his wrath on his ape rival in the final minutes of the movie. Similar to Kong, monsters like Hedorah, Gigan, Orga, and Megaguirus all put Godzilla through hotly contested battles. Due to their unique abilities, each presented him with a significant challenge to overcome. In contrast, there have been at least some monsters who never got quite that far. Their power levels paled in comparison to Godzilla's, to a point where Godzilla either won easily and quickly, or there was simply no doubt that Godzilla would emerge victorious, and without any help from the human protagonists in the story. 5 Anguirus Today, Anguirus is thought of as one of Godzilla's closest allies, but that's not how he was originally conceived: Anguirus was introduced as Godzilla's first-ever monster opponent in Godzilla Raids Again, the 1955 sequel to the first Godzilla movie. But even though Godzilla's fight with Anguirus was the main draw, the King of the Monsters retained control of the entire fight. For most of the batle, Anguirus wrestled with Godzilla, and managed to bite him multiple times. But at no point did it appear that he had what it takes to win. Godzilla held the advantage in terms of both size and raw power. Angurius does have his merits as a fighter, though, such as his ability to burrow through the ground and his signature move, an attack where he leads with his spiky carapace. But neither of these were part of his fighting style in Godzilla Raids Again. Movies like Godzilla vs. Gigan go to show that Anguirus works much better as a sidekick or partner to Godzilla in combat. Underscoring that notion is 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars, where Godzilla easily gets the best of Anguirus, Rodan, and King Caesar, all in one fight. 4 Ebirah In Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, Godzilla had to contend with Ebirah, a lobster kaiju that had become the primary weapon of a terrorist organization called Red Bamboo. While the plot itself threatened the planet with nuclear destruction, the two fights between Godzilla and Ebirah didn't share the same high stakes. In this respect, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is a rare film for the franchise, being a story where Godzilla clearly outmatched its main villain in each of their battles. The giant lobster tried to drag Godzilla down into the depths of the ocean in their first fight, but was chased off after being hit by a rock. During their second battle in the movie's final act, Godzilla tore off Ebirah's pincers, which were really his only method of inflicting harm on Godzilla. Godzilla had even less difficulty with Ebirah during their rematch 38 years later in Godzilla: Final Wars. A short sequence in the film saw Godzilla quickly dispense with both Ebirah and Hedorah before moving on to his next opponent. 3 Kamacuras Introduced as a preying mantis-like kaiju species that dwells on Monster Island, Kamacuras made its first appearance in 1967's Son of Godzilla. To protect his son, Godzilla had to fight off three Kamacuras, killing two in the process while the last of them fled. Even with numbers on their side, the Kamacuras never landed a hit on Godzilla, who slammed one of them to the ground and roasted them with his atomic breath. With their thin frames, it's no surprise that the Kamacuras were no match for Godzilla in Son of Godzilla. Consistent with their portrayal in Son of Godzilla, Kamacuras returned to the franchise in Godzilla: Final Wars, where a single member of its species was beaten with just one throw by Godzilla. All things considered, Kamacuras ranks among the weakest monsters in the history of the Godzilla franchise. 2 Ion Dragon Not unlike Toho's Godzilla, the Monsterverse version of Godzilla has experienced challenges of varying degrees when it comes to monster fighting. He's had to be saved from the brink of death in battles with Mechagodzilla and King Ghidorah. He's also faced struggles fighting Kong, the MUTOs, and Shimo. But he's had some easier fights as well, such as the one that he had with the flying Titan known as the Ion Dragon in the season 1 finale of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. When they crossed paths in the underground world of Axis Mundi, the Ion Dragon made the first move, bravely charging at Godzilla. But it didn't take long for it to become clear that the creature was fighting a battle it couldn't win. It was far too small to resist Godzilla's overwhelming strength, meaning Godzilla would be able to end the fight quickly if he got his hands on the monster. The Ion Dragon's acid spit temporarily blinded Godzilla, but all that seemed to accomplish was that it briefly prolonged the inevitable, not to mention that it most assuredly angered Godzilla further. Seconds later, Godzilla tore off one of the Ion Dragon's wings and tossed it into the Hollow Earth rift. The Monsterverse has yet to confirm if the Ion Dragon survived, but even if he did, its hard to imagine it will seek out Godzilla for a rematch. 1 Zilla The version of the iconic kaiju seen in TriStar's 1998 Godzilla has long been ridiculed as a watered-down take on Godzilla that detracts from the various traits that justifty his title as the King of the Monsters. Interestingly, Toho got in on the fun in Godzilla: Final Wars by including a scene where its Godzilla has a very brief faceoff with a monster that can be clearly identified as the 1998 interpretation. As if to make its position on the comparison between TriStar's Godzilla and its own version abundantly clear, Godzilla: Final Wars made mockery of the monster by letting Godzilla kill his much smaller Hollywood counterpart with just one well-timed kick. To add further insult, the studio officially renamed the creature "Zilla." Release Date May 14, 2014 Runtime 123 minutes Director Gareth Edwards Writers Max Borenstein Producers Brian Rogers, Jon Jashni, Kenji Okuhira, Mary Parent, Patricia Whitcher, Yoshimitsu Banno, Alex Garcia