Godzilla Officially Returns This Year With 11 Iconic Kaiju In Their Biggest Battle Yet

Published Jul 29, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT Kyle Gratton is an editor and writer based out of Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree, dual majoring in English and History with a minor in Film and Media Studies, and has been a senior staff writer and reviewer for Screen Rant's Gaming section since 2021, with roles in editorial, and various freelance projects. A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history. Find Kyle on Bluesky: kwg.bsky.social and Letterboxd: KyleG5 It feels like we're never far from the next Godzilla appearance, and while Godzilla Minus Zero should certainly be on any kaiju fan's radar, Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game is shaping up to be an unmissable monster menagerie. Developed by IDW Games, the tabletop roleplaying game is expected to start landing in players' hands soon after exceeding its fundraising goals on Kickstarter. Originally hoping to raise $60,000, Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game garnered over $260,000. Created by Gav Thorpe, Jervis Johnson, and Mark A. Latham, all of whom have worked with Games Workshop (Warhammer), Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game includes at least 11 kaiju other than Godzilla. While there is an alternate ruleset that lets you play as one of the iconic monsters below, players typically embody a humanoid specced into one of 12 classes. The kaiju then become "forces of nature" in the game, with "unique statistics, signature traits, and devastating special rules," according to the Kickstarter description. Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game is card-based, and takes place in a disastrous era where kaiju roam the Earth, presenting a constant threat to the humans, robots, and mutants players assume control of. Flying past its original fundraising goal, Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game has hit a number of stretch goals, including providing backers with an upgraded, print edition of the core rulebook. A Godzilla miniature is even available as an add-on, and while the King of the Monsters is certainly the star of the TTRPG, he is accompanied by a nearly a dozen other famous kaiju from the franchise. Anguirus Anguirus is the Godzilla franchise's oldest supporting kaiju, first appearing in 1955's Godzilla Raids Again. In a franchise largely defined by giant monsters battling each other, Anguirus holds the esteemed honor of being the first rival kaiju to duke it out with Godzilla. Based on the ankylosaurus, Anguirus was a shoo-in for Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game. Hedorah Debuting nearly two decades after Anguirus, Hedorah is notable for originating from space. The weird, vaguely amphibious kaiju came to Earth on a comet. Hedorah feeds on pollution, and eventually is able to fly as it evolves, but its so-called Perfect Stage returns it to an upright, terrestrial stance. Kamacuras Multiple praying mantis kaiju called Kamacuras first appeared as rivals to Minilla, Godzilla's adoptive son, in the aptly named movie Son of Godzilla. Kamacuras were originally the result of weather experiments, and they're likely to be fearsome in Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game because of their exceptionally large claws. Kumonga Kumonga, a spider kaiju, is another Son of Godzilla invention, but like Kamacuras, Kumonga has gone on to become one of the many recurring Godzilla creatures, though it hasn't made a film appearance since 2004's Gozilla Final Wars. Getting caught in Kumonga's web is likely to be one of the scarier things possible in Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game. Manda Manda isn't originally a product of the Godzilla franchise, having debuted in the 1963 sci-fi film Atragon, where the giant sea dragon is worshiped as a god by the long-lost Mu Empire. Mandra's inclusion in Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game comes after numerous subsequent appearances in franchise movies, of which Destroy All Monsters was the first. Rodan Rodan similarly starred in its own movie—eponymously titled Rodan—before joining the Godzilla lineup. The pteranodon kaiju is almost as old as Godzilla, debuting just two years after the original Godzilla, and has gone on to become one of the franchise's most regular participants. Rodan is a common sight in the current Monsterverse continuity, most recently appearing in the Godzilla vs. Kong movie and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters TV series. King Ghidorah King Ghidorah is arguably Godzilla's most famous foe, and Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game wouldn't be complete without him. Ghidorah is another early mainstay of the franchise, making numerous appearances since the iconic, three-headed dragon first appeared in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster in 1964. Ghidorah is almost always a villain, and will likely be a major threat in his tabletop incarnation. Destoroyah Destoroyah didn't break onto the scene until 1995, but has its origins in the original 1954 Godzilla film. When the Oxygen Destroyer is used to eliminate the original Godzilla, it uncovers crustaceans from the Precambrian period that combine with one another into various forms, all known as Destoroyah. Despite having such a great origin story, Destoroyah doesn't have many major appearances in the franchise. Mothra Mothra is one of the earliest foe-turned-friend in the Godzilla franchise, putting in a double shift in 1964 with Mothra vs. Godzilla, then turning around to help save Earth from King Ghidorah in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. Perhaps the second most iconic supporting kaiju behind Ghidorah, Mothra has a long, storied legacy in kaiju fiction, and is another unsurprising inclusion in Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game. Biollante In the Godzilla RPG lineup, Biollante stands out for being the only one not based on some sort of animal or alien—Biollante was originally mutated from a rose. It's a fitting exception, since Biollante was the first plant-based kaiju featured in the Godzilla films. Being plant-based gives Biollante some unique abilities, like being able to transform into spore clouds and regenerate, a feat likely to be used in the tabletop game.