Top 10 Most Overpowered Godzilla Moments
#10: Kiss of Death
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“Godzilla” (2014) Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse wisely saved their kaiju cards for later installments in their franchise, instead debuting two new monsters with 2014’s “Godzilla.” The male and female MUTOs certainly don’t get treated with kid gloves by The King of the Monsters, with both of their demises featuring some overpowered Godzilla attacks. The male MUTO is unceremoniously ventilated by a building, after getting tail whipped by The Big G. Yet, this fearsome show of strength pales in comparison to what happens to the female mate. Godzilla’s atomic breath erupts from the screen as Big G pries open the MUTOs mouth, before blasting fiery breath down her throat. It’s complete cinematic overkill, and we just love it.
#9: Beating Baragon
“Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” (2001) Diehard fans of the “Godzilla” franchise likely possess their shortlists of favorite kaiju to appear in a Big G film. Baragon often appears on such lists, thanks largely to his appealing character design and endearing personality. This is what makes his death in 2001’s “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” feel so tragic. The camera lingers on Baragon’s futile attempts at escape from Godzilla’s relentless, overpowered attacks. The fight isn’t even really fair, because The King of the Monsters frankly dwarfs this diminutive kaiju puppy dog. We love Baragon, but this Guardian Monster stood no chance.
#8: Shrimp Flight
“Godzilla vs. Hedorah” (1971) Godzilla has historically been no stranger to debuting new powers that he uses once, and then apparently forgets about. 1971’s “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” featured a scene where the Smog Monster is attempting to escape his inevitable destruction at the hands of Big G. Our King of the Monsters, never one to allow a kaiju opponent an easy escape, decides to give chase…in the most hilarious way possible. The image of this gigantic kaiju curling into a shrimp pose and utilizing his atomic breath to grant the power of flight just has to be seen to be believed. It’s on one hand both silly and awesome, since it demonstrates just how strong G’s atomic breath must be in order to give him that much propulsion!
#7: Crushing the Super X
“The Return of Godzilla” (1984) The Japanese Self-Defense Forces have never really had an easy time inflicting damage upon The King of the Monsters. Oh, they try their best with missiles and tanks, but it usually takes either another kaiju or some sort of scientific mega-weapon to get the job done. The JSDF in 1984’s “The Return of Godzilla” seem to have an ace up their collective sleeves when they debut the Super X, a flying battle-fortress that’s constructed in the aftermath of international nuclear tensions. How effective is the Super X against Godzilla, you may ask? The answer is: not very, because The King of the Monsters actually drops an entire skyscraper on top of it. Ah well, back to the drawing board!
#6: Tsunami Arrival
“Godzilla” (2014) It was important for 2014’s “Godzilla” to establish a new MonsterVerse Godzilla with powers that could properly set itself apart from the version in Toho’s films. The kaiju’s arrival at the Hawaiian island of Oahu certainly seems to do the trick. The King of the Monsters storms onto the island in response to a call put out by the male MUTO. As he does so, Godzilla’s arrival sets off a massive tsunami, threatening both life and property on the island. The scene is certainly more impressive than setting off a doorbell, and presents the MonsterVerse Godzilla as a heavy duty threat, whose mere presence can spell certain doom.
#5: Blasting to Hollow Earth
“Godzilla vs. Kong” (2021) We all know that Godzilla’s atomic breath is simply out of control when it comes to [1] By the time 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” rolled around, however, the MonsterVerse was well on its way to entering “Fast & Furious” territory. The jury may still be out as to exactly when this franchise is going to start referencing “family” every two seconds, [2] but what we DO know is that this atomic blast through the earth’s strata, down to Hollow Earth is impressive. Overpowered, ludicrous and unrealistic, sure, but whoever came to a “Godzilla” film for sound physics, right? Just enjoy the mayhem as these two titans toss out the rules and start measuring their strength for the final confrontation.
#4: New Magnetic Powers
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“Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla” (1974) Lighting has historically been utilized within both the “Godzilla” and “King Kong” franchises as a means to supercharge a kaiju. An electrified edge was given to Kong during his 1962 battle with Godzilla, while The Big G himself received a lightning upgrade, in order to defeat MechaGodzilla during their inaugural encounter. It’s a good thing, too, because this 1974 iteration of MechaGodzilla absolutely BEASTS both Big G and King Caesar during their initial scraps. It isn’t until The G Man unleashes his lightning magnetic field that MechaG is drawn in for Godzilla’s final, epic decapitation move. [1]
#3: Surviving a Black Hole
“Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” (2000) This second film from Godzilla’s Millennium Era features not one, but two instances of an overpowered Godzilla committing feats of fearsome power. One is when Big G incorporates a WWE-styled splash onto Megaguirus, annihilating the dragonfly kaiju with a giant splat. Then, near the end of the film, it seems as if Godzilla is done for, as a weapon called the Dimension Tide fires a black hole in his direction. The King of the Monsters, undeterred, blasts the hole with atomic breath, before disappearing from view. Then, at the film’s final shot, we hear Godzilla roar once more as the ground shakes and it’s revealed the kaiju has survived.
#2: City Attack
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“Shin Godzilla” (2016) One of the great things about Godzilla fandom is analyzing all of the kaiju’s storied history. We’ve all seen Godzilla crush dozens of cities, but we love it when a new film is released, and we can view the destruction all over again. 2016’s “Shin Godzilla” was a unique take on the creature’s mythos, and its frightening physical design made its city attack sequences all the more intense. Specifically, the sight of Shin Godzilla’s unhinged jaw as he annihilates the skyline with atomic breath lends the well-worn power a new lease on life. The film makes the most of how big a deal this is, and the sequence underlines Shin Godzilla as a true, overpowered threat.
#1: Running the Gauntlet
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“Godzilla: Final Wars” (2004) Godzilla possesses an outstanding rogue’s gallery, but what happens when they ALL come at him in the same movie? Well…not much, it turns out, since “Godzilla: Final Wars” contains a G man that easily runs the gauntlet against anything that comes his way. Rodan, King Caesar, Anguirus and more all fall to Godzilla, while the King of the Monsters barely registers any damage. Godzilla blasts Zilla, a not-so-subtle knock to the 1998 American Godzilla into the Sydney Opera House. He decapitates Gigan with style. Even an upgraded Kaizer Ghidorah is no match for Godzilla, as this “Final Wars” iteration dominates from first fight to last.
