The Monsterverse is full of epic titan battles, but not all of them are crafted with the same level of creativity or ferocity. Now spanning two TV shows and five Monsterverse movies, Legendary Pictures and Toho’s Godzilla continuity have created some of the best kaiju fights that have been shown in modern times. That said, there is a clear hierarchy to which giant monster battles are the most enjoyable to watch, with some being easily outclassed by others.
There are some obvious criteria by which the Monsterverse’s fights can be ranked. The duration, environment, number of titans present, and the level of fight choreography are all good points to consider, with the best Monsterverse battles getting creative with all of these aspects. Above all else, a properly satisfying finishing move will get the highest of marks. Of course, it goes without saying that the Monsterverse’s many off-screen fights won’t be considered the best in the franchise, just disappointing cutaways or background images from news footage.
15
Godzilla Vs. Tiamat
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Hardly above the level of an off-screen fight is Godzilla’s battle with the titan Tiamat in the frigid waters of the Arctic. Seeking to secure his dominance of the surface world, Godzilla seeks more and more power, including a mysterious pink energy apparently harnessed by the previously unmentioned titan Tiamat. Godzilla, a leviathan like an eel in an icy lair, swims to the Arctic to face Tiamat on her home turf.
Related
This fight barely registers as a proper monster battle, and is over before it even really begins. Although Tiamat makes an attempt to suffocate Godzilla by coiling himself around him, the King of the Monsters quickly summons his nuclear breath, blasting her to pieces that slowly float up to the ocean’s surface. Not only is Godzilla and Tiamat’s supposed fight to the death tragically short, but the majority of it isn’t even clearly shown on camera. How exactly Godzilla achieves his new form by absorbing Tiamat’s power is also a mystery.
14
Godzilla Vs. The Ion Dragon
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Being an Apple TV + streaming exclusive, it’s not a surprise that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is quite lean on actual monster battles compared to the movies. The majority of the series’ runtime focused on the boots-on-the-ground human plot, Which haphazardly runs under the feet of Titan menaces like the Ion Dragon, the antagonistic new Titan introduced by the show.
While the battle looks almost as good as anything in the movies, it’s rather short-lived, with Godzilla lazily tossing the Ion Dragon aside and into another rift.
The Ion Dragon arrives at the moment, Godzilla meets it in combat, walking through an open rift. While the battle looks almost as good as anything in the movies, it’s rather short-lived, with Godzilla lazily tossing the Ion Dragon aside and into another rift. Still, at least the battle shows the unique abilities of the new monster, such as a spiked prehensile tail, agile wings, and a nasty weapon with breath that it manages to land on Godzilla’s hide.
13
Kong vs. Kraken
Skull Island
Not to be confused with Kong’s debut in the Monsterverse, the movie Kong: Skull Island, The prequel animated series Skull Island Goes in detail with Kong’s origins through the lens of another group of survivors who find themselves stranded on the mysterious island in the 90s. again, like Monkarch: Legacy of Monsters, The human characters and their own close calls with monsters is the main point of focus here. However, the series featured a prominent Titan vs. Titan battle when Kong entered into a re-match with an old nemesis, the Kraken sea monster.
The Kraken is a wonderfully unique aquatic design for a creature, with multiple different types of tentacles, crushing claws, and bioelectric powers that all make for a formidable opponent. While the fight choreography is quite good, it is let down by the clumsy animation of the series, which doesn’t do justice to Kong or his opponent. It’s a shame that this action was wasted in the underdeveloped spin-off series rather than included in a big-budget Monsterverse movie.
12
Godzilla Vs. King Gidora in the sea
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
The second battle with Godzilla’s hated nemesis, King Ghidorah, in Godzilla: King of the Monsters May be the film’s weakest monster battle, but represents a huge step up in quality in Monsterverse fights as a whole. In this brief struggle, Godzilla takes on Monster Zero in his home turf, the ocean, using his water abilities against the flying invasive species. Shortly after King Ghidorah makes short work of Rodan off-screen, Godzilla resurfaces to take another crack at taking down his new rival.
In the water, Godzilla is in his natural element, while the massive and ungainly body of King Ghidorah struggles to mount any sort of defense. amazingly, Godzilla manages to actually tear off one of King Ghidorah’s heads, landing a seemingly decisive blow on the alien beast. Unfortunately, before a victor can be declared, the humans take the opportunity to hit both monsters with the experimental oxygen destroyer weapon, cutting the fight short. Just as the battle begins to get interesting, human intervention allows King Ghidorah to escape, growing back his severed head.
11
Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah in Antarctica
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
As cool as Godzilla and King Ghidorah’s second battle is, the two’s first confrontation in Antarctica outclasses it. When King Ghidorah emerges from deep within his icy prison, he begins wreaking havoc on the Monarch base, presenting one of the most threatening titans the world has ever seen. Fortunately, Godzilla soon appears to test his strength against his fellow apex predator.
The setting and cinematography of the action allows for some breathtaking shots, such as Ghidorah’s first flexing of his wings amidst the Antarctic snowstorm, that show just how much of a threat he is. The moment King Ghidorah dodges Godzilla’s nuclear breath and strikes back with his own triple gravity beam drives home just how experienced a fighter the beast was before coming to Earth. Unfortunately, this sequence is held back by a mostly human perspective, keeping large chunks of the action clear due to obscuring weather and shaky cam.
10
Godzilla Vs. Scylla
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Godzilla’s brief fight with the original Monsterverse titan Scylla may not be the longest or most well-choreographed fight scene. That being said, the sheer spectacle it manages to provide in a short time more than makes up for its shortcomings. in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, It is explained that Godzilla has maintained his grip on the surface world as King of the Monsters, occasionally taking down Titans like Scylla who step out of line.
Previously seen buying down to Godzilla in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Scylla’s arthropod body and tentacles make quite a striking profile. however, Godzilla takes her down easily, stabbing her with his own limbs and firing his atomic breath to produce a fantastic spray of green blood. The cherry on top of this fight is Godzilla curling up like a cat and falling asleep in the Roman Colosseum shortly afterwards. Even if it’s a quick one, the brief skirmish with Godzilla is a great thesis statement of his strength as a titan.
9
Kong vs. Scar King
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Get into the truly noteworthy battles, Kong’s first confrontation with the insidious Scar King in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Shows how well the Monsterverse can characterize inhuman protagonists. After discovering Scar King’s lair, Kong challenges him to a public duel, clearly presenting himself as a contender for Scar King’s throne. Scar King is a unique kaiju villain, as the majority of his power comes socially, holding leverage over the apes through his control of the Frost Titan Shimo.
That’s not to say the Scar King is a slouch in combat, using his long reach, slinky, agile frame and spine whip to their full advantage. However, against Kong’s sheer brute strength and brutality, he finally stands a chance, forcing him to gracefully withdraw from the duel and call out Shimo to free the interloper. This contest of strength may be fairly one-sided, but it at least sets up the characterization for both Kong and Scar King quite brilliantly and still utilizes the latter’s unique fighting style.
8
Godzilla Vs. Kong over the ocean
Godzilla vs. Kong
King Ghidorah isn’t the only opponent that Godzilla tries to leverage his dominance in the sea against, as he intercepts a Monarch battle group with a ship from none other than Kong himself. Frightened by Godzilla’s approach, Kong wakes up, scanning the water for trouble and jumping from boat to boat. It soon finds him as Godzilla breaches the surface, kicking off the first round of the film’s promised title fight.
Using an aircraft carrier as a platform, Kong holds his own in a drag-down slugfest against Godzilla, leveraging his simian fists. however, He is no match for Godzilla’s atomic breath, although he is able to demonstrate his superior intelligence and instincts by dodging it at the last second. Of course, Kong barely escapes with his life when the fight goes to the open ocean, nearly drowning in Godzilla’s clutches. The fight has no satisfying conclusion and presents some difficulties in the consistency of Godzilla and Kong’s size, but is still an entertaining bout.
7
Kong vs. The Giant Skullcrawler
Kong: Skull Island
The events of Kong: Skull Island Again focus more on the humans inhabiting the dangerous premises than it is on Kong himself, with the majority of the flora and fauna easily bowing down to Kong’s power. The glaring exception are the cave-dwelling skullcrawlers, which kill most humans from Skull Island’s food chain of hostile wildlife..
Here, Kong leverages his simian intelligence to use a massive ship chain and propeller blade as a makeshift flail, later wrapping it around his fist to form some sort of Kunklduster. however, The best part of this battle is easily Kong’s finishing move on the creature, In which he reaches into his throat and massively rips out his GI tract from the inside. If only the Skullscrawler was a more noteworthy enemy, this fight could be rated even higher.
6
Kong vs. Apes
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Thinking himself to be the only surviving member of his race, the moment when Kong encounters others of his kind in the Hollow Earth is a big, emotional revelation in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. This blow was made all the more disheartening due to their immediate hostility to him, quickly registering him as a threat to the Sakar king’s supremacy. It is here that the Monsterverse establishes that Kong is especially powerful even for a member of his race, taking on multiple enemies at the same time.
It’s great to see the conflicted emotions Kong has during this fight, not wanting to hurt the only other members of his species he’s ever met while still having to protect himself. This internal conflict, told through body language alone, is juxtaposed in the fight by one of the most ridiculous moments in the Monsterverse ever, in which Kong wants the baby to imitate Suko like a pair of nunchucks, backing apart the other apes with his flailing body. . Closer to the best Monsterverse action, this battle is only outclassed by the biggest action finals in the series.
5
The Hong Kong Battle
Godzilla vs. Kong
The latest round in the ongoing battle between Godzilla and Kong in their first Monsterverse crossover, the final battle of Hong Kong has a lot to appreciate. The battle starts off heated, with Kong leveling the playing field with his Godzilla-scale ax to absorb and deflect Godzilla’s atomic breath. He even references the original King Kong vs Godzilla In 1962 by stuffing it in his mouth like a tree. The more vertical environment of Hong Kong’s bustling metropolis also allows Kong to get more use out of his monkey agility, putting the two on a more even playing field.
While Godzilla finally wins against Kong, Kong rises again after Mechagodzilla enters the picture, along with the Titan he was just fighting to the death to put an end to the mechanized threat once and for all. It’s quite satisfying to see the two finally work together against a common enemy after spending an entire movie feuding. unfortunately, The fight is ruined by the dumb convenience of Josh pouring vodka on Mechagodzilla’s control panel to choke him at a key momentTying the events of the battle to one of the most nonsensical scenes in the Monsterverse.
4
Kong, Mothra and Godzilla Vs. Scar King, his apes, and Shimo
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
The tightest fight of the Monsterverse also manages to be one of the most spectacular, with Godzilla and Kong’s final team-up against their evil ape and lizard counterparts making for an excellent action climax. Successfully recruiting Godzilla to his cause, Kong dives back into Hollow Earth alongside Mothra to confront him head-on and prevent another Ice Age. What follows is a dizzying zero-g battle as gravity is briefly disabled, making for a unique set piece as Kong, Godzilla and Scar King all jump from platform to platform.
After that, the fight breaks the surface in Rio de Janeiro, in which the opposing forces are whittled down to just Godzilla, Kong, Scar King and Shimo. There are plenty of cool moves to appreciate, like Scar King throwing a building with his whip or Shimo unleashing her frost breath on Kong. Even Suko gets his licks in, using Kong’s ax to destroy Scar King’s coveted crystal. That said, the action is held back by feeling a bit weightless, even once gravity is introduced, lacking the raw impact of the Monsterverse’s best brawls.
3
Godzilla vs. Mutos
Godzilla
2014s Godzilla was more about destruction than monster-on-monster action, with the camera frustratingly cutting away before Godzilla and the insect-like Mutos had a chance to duke it out. While Godzilla seemingly chases off the sexually dimorphic pair of Mate Mutos on their own, together, they pose a much more significant threat to him. here, Godzilla Finally gives his earth-shaking monsters room to breathe by allowing them to fight uninterrupted.
Godzilla certainly has his hands full with the Mutos, with the larger, bulkier female nearly matching him in raw strength while the nimble flying male dances around him. Fortunately, Godzilla is able to divide and conquer, separating the animals before using their simple minds, sneak up on the female. The moment in which Godzilla breathes atomic breath down the MUTO’s throat until his head falls off established the Monsterverse’s excellent tradition of brutal finishing moves. It’s a shame that the action of the fight could not be just a little clearer.
2
Godzilla Vs. Kong in Egypt
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Despite Godzilla vs. Kong Literally being titled after Godzilla and Kong’s battles in the film, their best fight easily comes later Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The sequel shows that since the events of the first film, Godzilla and Kong have entered into an uneasy truce, with Kong ruling the Hollow Earth and Godzilla ruling the surface. Knowingly breaking the truce to get Godzilla to his place so he can join him in the fight against Scar King, Kong bellows a mighty roar heard around the world, prompting a response from Godzilla.
If the action wasn’t done by Mothra, it could easily be the franchise’s best.
Kong attempting to square off with Godzilla with worry in his eyes only to be tackled by one of the pyramids of Egypt never gets old, not to mention the suplex from Godzilla that follows. It’s no wonder the moment has since become a meme, poking fun at Godzilla and Kong’s frenemy relationship. The fight itself has a lot more in the tank after that, with a vicious pounding from Kong’s new cybernetic arm and a devastating blast from Godzilla’s new pink atomic breath. If the action wasn’t done by Mothra, it could easily be the franchise’s best.
1
Godzilla and Mothra Vs. King Ghidorah and Rodan
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
For all the criticism and commercial failure Godzilla: King of the Monsters May have suffered from upon release, it can at least be said to contain the most incredible action sequence of the entire Monsterverse to date. Godzilla enters his second rematch with King Ghidorah with Mothra at his back, though Ghidorah himself also retains reinforcements from Rodan. Reenergized by Serizawa’s nuke, the four titans enter the fray in a brutal tear-down fight through the Boston city skyline.
Mothra’s tragic death lends the fight a certain amount of emotional impact, but her sacrifice to give one of Godzilla’s strongest power-ups ever doesn’t go wasted. Hot enough to make steel melt from sheer proximity to him, Godzilla unleashes an unhinging wave of nuclear energy, finishing off King Ghidorah by ripping his head off, putting it in his mouth, and vaporizing it from the inside out with A final burst of atomic. Breath. Gory, exciting, emotional and epic in the true sense of the word, Godzilla: King of the Monsters‘ Final Fight is easily the best of these Monsterverse.