Despite the title this article should cover Toho's sci-fi, horror, and monster films in general, along with all the creative and determined producers, actors, writers, directors, and musicians. Since 1954 Toho has created monster, or kaijueiga, movies that have varied from serious commentary films to fun monster action. They have wowed children and adults alike with their monsters, music, and action. Godzilla was the first of their kaijueiga films, who was inspired by King Kong and The Beast from Twenty Thousand Fathoms. He is also their most popular monster, one of the most recognizable in the entire world, and formed the very back-bone of Toho's various sci-fi and monster universes.
As the Godzilla series is one of the longest running movies series in history (which is itself a Moment of Awesome), there is a lot of awesome involved.
Examples with their own pages:
- Godzilla (1954)
- King Kong vs. Godzilla
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
- Invasion of Astro-Monster
- Destroy All Monsters
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
- Terror of Mechagodzilla
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1977)
- Godzilla vs. Biollante
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
- Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
- Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
- Godzilla (1998)
- Godzilla: The Series
- Godzilla 2000
- Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
- Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack!
- Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
- Godzilla: Final Wars
- Godzilla: The Half-Century War
- MonsterVerse:
- Shin Godzilla
- Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
- Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D
- Godzilla Minus One
Showa Era
- Godzilla Raids Again is a unique sequel, in that it was made before the kaiju movie was its own genre, so it was made more as a horror movie in the same vein as Gojira. Thus, the monster battle is meant to horrify, not amuse, with the emphasis being on the destruction caused rather than the monsters themselves. That being said, it is a Moment of Awesome for the filmmakers, who made the actual brawl TERRIFYING, and for Godzilla himself, who viciously mauls Anguirus' neck and burns his corpse to a crisp.
- Godzilla and Mothra's battle in Mothra vs. Godzilla. Mothra is old and fragile, yet quick and clever, but not even those making the movie were positive they could make a good fight. It's easily one of the greatest monster battles of all time. Another for the twin Mothra larvae who use strategy and lots of patience to defeat Godzilla without actually harming him.
- In the same film, as one American producer put it, the two Mothra babies stop Godzilla with non-violence, the opposite of what everyone else tries for the entire film.
- Godzilla ripping off Ebirah's arms and then taunting him as he retreats. This was the second step in Showa Godzilla's steady character arc from villain to anti-hero, and it's amazing. What cements it is the humans actually cheering for him and trying to
- Godzilla opening a can of whoop-ass on the Giant Mook Kamakuras, first by dodging a leaping one and blasting it from head to a tail with fire. Then taking out another by slamming it into the ground several times then Killing It With Fire.
- Yes, even Minya kinda gets one, every annoying kid monster gets his day. Using his wits, he sets a trap. He waits for Gabara to get on end of a see-saw and then he jumps down, knocking Gabara into the air and actually hurting him for once. Godzilla's visibly proud afterwards.
- And two scenes later, Godzilla drives the bullying monster off for good.
- Godzilla flying in Godzilla vs. Hedorah, doesn't get more epic then that!
- He even does it in the IDW comic!
Heisei Era
- The Super X takes out Godzilla with some flares, distracting him and making him roar, then shooting him in the mouth with cadmium missiles. This actually knocks him out for a while.
- Godzilla killing King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. This is doubly significant with how Ghidorah was unstoppable in the Showa era movies. Back then, Godzilla could barely drive off Ghidorah without at least one or two other monsters backing him up, and Ghidorah always flew away to menace the world again later. This time? Heisei Godzilla beats him decisively, and once the Futurians' guidance is taken away, Ghidorah didn't stand a chance.
- Ghidorah gets his own CMoA when, rebuilt as Mecha King Ghidorah and with Emi operating his mechanical parts he fights the now rampaging Godzilla to a Mutual Kill. He even comes back in a Shout-Out to his original "birth" in his debut movie.
IDW Comics
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters
- The introduction of the monsters.
- Godzilla killing the twins.
- The three-way fight between Godzilla, Mechagodzilla and King Ghidorah.
Godzilla Legends
- Issue 1, Anguirus wins his first fight ever (in that universe). Who does he beat? Destoroyah.
- Issue 4, Heisei Mechagodzilla somewhat teams up with Godzilla to fight Hedorah, who is closer to its original movie version that almost killed Godzilla. Also Mechagodzilla carries Hedorah into the atmosphere, freezes it and blows it apart with the last of the Plasma Grenade.
- Issue 5, an old fashioned world explorer comes out of his adventure retirement and agrees to climb up Godzilla for a sample. Also features Godzilla breaking off one of Kumonga's legs and smashing her with it as well as utterly trouncing her in a matter of minutes.
Godzilla: Ongoing
- Boxer and his team taking on and defeating Anguirus by trapping him in Edinburgh's dormant volcano by using enough C-4's to level Mt. Kilimanjaro and a beam that disorientates monsters.
- Godzilla escaping an electric cage.
- The arrival of the space monsters.
- Rodan slamming into Gigan in issue 10.
- Boxer, Harrison and Hikari freeing the monsters from Monster Island and turning them loose on the space monsters.
- Godzilla's fight with Hedorah which has him being thrown into a canyon while the latter shoots acidic sludge at him in his flying form before flying out of there and outright vaporizing that mudball.
- Titanosaurus vs. Rodan. Rodan wins.
- Gigan vs. Rodan and Anguirus. All of it. Especially in issue 12 when Anguirus does a Big Damn Heroes moment.
- Battra and Titanosaurus fighting Space-Godzilla.
- Boxer using Kiryu's Absolute Zero Cannon to pin Space-Godzilla down for Godzilla to get a clear shot at him.
- Keizer Ghidorah's first appearance. Also, he can fly.
- The entire final battle between Keizer Ghidorah, Rodan and Godzilla. For the first time in the entire 13-issue run, we finally get a battle that captures the epic feel of giant monsters fighting each other to the death. While Rodan didn't get to kill Gigan but he gets the awesome compensation prize of blowing off Keizer's center head with a sonic boom, keep in mind that Keizer Ghidorah was by far the strongest Kaiju at the time of this comic run and gave Final Wars Godzilla his hardest fight, reminding fans why Rodan is known as the Terror of the Skies!
Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
- The entire fight between Godzilla and Zilla. Especially the part where Zilla dodges getting his head crushed by Godzilla just in time to slash at his leg.
- Godzilla counters a charge by Zilla in the exact same way as in Final Wars, throwing him with his tail and follows up with a atomic blast immediately. Fight over, right? This time however, Zilla uses his burrowing skills to dive under the ground for a dodge and strikes at Godzilla from cover right after the smoke clears!
- In issue 2, when Steve is asking to sign up with the CKR, he is first denied due to him seeking vendettas, to which he is well aware before asking "Do you know anyone else who took down three monsters at the controls of a giant robot? With a little girl as their co-pilot?"
- Steve shoulder-barging a juvenile Destoroyah.
- The entire battle between Godzilla, Mothra and Destoroyah, including one awesome part where the Big G sword catches AND rips off Destoroyah's horn.
- Gaira vs Varan.
- M.O.G.U.E.R.A.'s Dynamic Entry.
- Jet Jaguar flying into Orga and enlarging himself up until he bursts right out of him.
- The entire battle of Las Vegas for both issue 6 and 7.
- In a flashback King Ceasar battles Megalon with some Bare-Fisted Monk moves, including several jump kicks!
- Issue 10 features the Gargantua siblings fighting the much larger Godzilla. Gaira is able to cut Godzilla's face and then Sandra sets the wound on fire with a petrol tank, for once it is Godzilla that is driven off.
- Issue 12 involves Titanosaurus getting into a punching match with Godzilla and does well until his arm is nearly broken. Up on the surface Jet Jaguar gets in a brief fight with Destroyah. It involves shrinking to free himself from Destroyah's tail and then ends the fight by using Kiryu's ice cannon while piloting him.
- Godzilla cleaning house with four mass-produced MechaGodzillas in issue 15. Had he not been exhausted from the fight he would have taken down Mecha-King Ghidorah as well.
- Issue 16: Godzilla teaming up with Anguirus to wipe the floor with Mecha-King Ghidorah.
- Issue 17 has Lucy getting a vision from the unconscious Twins of the Cryogs attacking Earth while King Caesar, the larval Mothras and Godzilla roar into the sky, causing her to collapse. This draws the attention of a Russian soldier who thinks she allied with them while Chavez warns him to back off... only to have Kiryu stomp its foot into the ground between them as if saying "Go ahead, just try."
- Issue 18 has Godzilla judo-throwing Ebirah and Lucy kicking one of the Meganula in the face.
- The one to finally kill, seemingly for real this time, the evil Twins is King Caesar by crushing them with his claw.
- The final issue is made of many awesome moments, which no doubt redeemed Zilla in the eyes of fans.
- The series as a whole. Kingdom of Monsters got 12 issues, Ongoing was able to get 13 but originally Rulers was set for 8. Due to popularity the series was suddenly increased to 12 and is set to end with 25 issues. A huge accomplishment to go from 8 to over triple.
Godzilla Cataclysm
- Pretty much every time we see the monsters rampaging in the prologue. Be it Godzilla and King Ghidorah fighting, Ghidorah fighting Manda and then Larval!Battra, Anguirus attacking Godzilla. They're even terrifying when they go berserk.
- Godzilla's atomic breath flat out scythes the top half of Biollante's jaw and body. A good attempt to outdo the classic scene of shooting her in the throat from the movie.
- Mothra tackling Megaguirus and easily dispatching the Meganula swarm. However where that fight was going to go is unknown since Godzilla one hit kills Megaguirus.
- Mothra's final stand against Godzilla in issue 4 as she tries her best to defend Biollante and humanity from the vengeful Godzilla. The conclusion marks the first time Godzilla's deadly red spiral breath appears in any IDW comic.
- The final issue has multiple stand-out moments.
- Hiroshi, having exhausted every other option, falling to his knees and praying to Godzilla. Crying and apologizing for the slights humanity had caused the being, while admitting he doesn't know if Godzilla really is a deity or not, he begs for forgiveness and that he'd offer up himself as payment for Godzilla to save Biollante, who could undo much of ecological devastation the dying world was suffering. Just after he is killed by a juvenile Destoroyah, Godzilla arrives.
- It's left ambiguous if Godzilla showed up by coincidence or if he really did heed the prayer, and it's no less awesome.
- has Destoroyah using his flying form to spin circles around Godzilla and get him on the ropes in just a few panels.
- Hiroshi, having exhausted every other option, falling to his knees and praying to Godzilla. Crying and apologizing for the slights humanity had caused the being, while admitting he doesn't know if Godzilla really is a deity or not, he begs for forgiveness and that he'd offer up himself as payment for Godzilla to save Biollante, who could undo much of ecological devastation the dying world was suffering. Just after he is killed by a juvenile Destoroyah, Godzilla arrives.
Kodansya Manga
- Godzilla lifting and throwing the 220000 ton Biollante.
