Godzilla has faced against a number of unique Kaiju of American origin, whether they're from his films or comic books.
To return to the main character index, go here. For the Tristar Godzilla from the 1998 movie and the cartoon series go here and here.
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All-Terraintula
All-Terraintula
First appearance: Dark Horse Comics Godzilla King of the Monsters #5, 1995
A giant robotic spider created by the US government to combat Godzilla. After Cybersaur was destroyed by Bagorah, the G-Force made use of All-Terraintula to battle Godzilla in Portland; only to be put out of commission by the Dianii, an alien race of giants who wished to hunt Godzilla for sport. Unbeknownst to the government, the team that created All-Terraintula were the Simeons from Black Hole Planet 3, who subsequently rebuild the robot and plant to use it to conquer Earth.
- Decomposite Character: Cybersaur got Mechagodzilla's overall design, but All-Terraintula got the Showa Mechagodzilla's origin.
- Inconsistent Coloring: On the cover art it's yellow, but in the actual comic it's purple (the opposite of yellow).
- Spider Tank: A giant monster-fighting mech built to resemble a spider.
- The Worf Effect: It's strong enough to go toe-to-toe evenly with Godzilla, but is taken out instantly by the Dianii to quickly establish the aliens as a much greater threat.
Bagorah
Bagorah
First appearance: Dark Horse Comics Godzilla King Of The Monsters #3, 1995
An alien bat Kaiju that came to Earth and battled both Godzilla and Cybersaur, successfully destroying the latter. After losing its fight against Godzilla, it was revealed that Bagorah was in fact being hunted by an alien race of big game hunters called the Dianii, and now these aliens have set their sights on Godzilla.
- Bat Out of Hell: It's hairless, fleshy and red, with a dewlap and bird like talons.
- Diabolus ex Machina: Appears suddenly without any buildup just as Godzilla is being defeated by Cybersaur, destroying the mecha in a quick battle and keeping the momentum of the story going as Godzilla's next opponent.
- Expy: He's a bright red winged kaiju with a plated chest that fights Godzilla and a mechanical version of Godzilla at the same time. In other words, he's Fire Rodan as an alien bat.
- Fragile Speedster: It's much faster than and has the advantage of flight over Godzilla, but it has no attacks that can do much damage to him, and is killed in a single blast of atomic breath.
- Giant Flyer: A giant alien bat kaiju with wings that let it fly through space.
- Make Me Wanna Shout: Like many bat monsters, it can attack with sonic screams.
- Make Way for the New Villains: On both ends of this; it destroys Cybersaur and establishes itself as Godzilla's new enemy, but after Godzilla defeats it the rest of the arc is dedicated to a fight between Godzilla and the aliens that were hunting Bagorah.
- Super-Hearing: As a bat creature, this is unsurprising, but Bagorah could hear Godzilla's roar in the vacuum of space.
- The Worf Effect: It managed to defeat Cybersaur, the mecha that had defeated and nearly killed Godzilla in the previous issue, setting itself up as a tougher opponent. Ironically, Godzilla has a much easier time fighting it than Cybersaur.
Cybersaur
Cybersaur
First appearance: Dark Horse Comics Godzilla, King Of The Monsters #1, 1995
A robotic dinosaur commissioned by the United Nations to battle Godzilla and other Kaiju.
- Humongous Mecha: Humongous Dinosaur Mecha.
- Killed Off for Real: Gets destroyed in battle against Bagorah, and subsequently replaced with the new Mecha All-Terraintula.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Dark Horse couldn't get the rights to Mechagodzilla, so they created their own Mecha-Kaiju for Godzilla to fight. He is almost exactly like Heisei Mechagodzilla in everything except colour and name, being created by the U.N. and even fighting Godzilla and a red flying kaiju at the same time.
Gekido-Jin
Gekido-Jin
First appearance: Dark Horse Comics Godzilla: Color Special, 1992
An oni who terrorized the Japanese island of Kiryoku-shima in the 12th century before being petrified by a monk who sacrificed himself so that his soul could battle the oni's in a duel.
Centuries later, Godzilla attacked Kiryoku-shima and Gekido-Jin was unleashed by the self-sacrifice of a villager named Kogenta. Initially outmatched, Gekido-Jin was eventually able to stalemate Godzilla and drive him off the island, whereupon he was returned to being a statue and sank to the bottom of the ocean.
- Dishing Out Dirt: He reforms his body from the rock and soil of Kiryoku-shima, and his body turns to stone when it's destroyed.
- Expy: Of Daimajin, being a giant living statue in the shape of a green-skinned oni samurai, whose wrath can only be sated by a willing sacrifice.
- Home Field Advantage: He's able to endlessly reform his body every time he's destroyed and even grow stronger each he's reformed, but only on his island of origin.
- Living Statue: Gekido-Jin's body is formed from the earth and stone of Kiryoku-shima, and crumbles to rubble whenever he is destroyed. He is also introduced as a petrified statue and returns to that state when his mission is finished.
- Oni: Gekido-Jin is a green-skinned oni who claimed the island of Kiryoku-shima as his territory and terrorized the people who settled there until being petrified in a Battle in the Center of the Mind by a monk.
- Resurrective Immortality: So long as Gekido-Jin is in contact with the island of Kiryoku-shima, he will resurrect when killed and grow in size.
- Sealed Evil in a Duel: Gekido-Jin's soul is trapped in a battle against the spirit of a monk who sacrificed himself to stop the oni's rampage, and Kogenta takes the monk's place after Godzilla is driven off the island.
- Sizeshifter: Every time he resurrects he increases in size and power. He was initially less-than knee-high to Godzilla, but eventually grows to match the mutant dinosaur in height.
- Summon Bigger Fish: When Godzilla attacks Kiryoku-shima, the local villagers unleash Gekido-Jin to drive him off. However, the oni samurai initially proves to be no match for the mutant dinosaur despite growing larger each time he reforms.
- Taken for Granite: He was turned to stone by the Buddhist monk sacrificing himself. After driving Godzilla from the island and being destroyed a final time, he is returned to being a statue and sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
- Yōkai: Gekido-Jin is a green-skinned oni wearing a full suit of samurai armor.
Inagos
Inagos
First appearance: Dark Horse Comics Godzilla King Of The Monsters 1987 Special
The Locust King and one of four Disaster Beasts prophesied to usher the Age of Monsters. He hatches from a giant egg and travels to Japan after being attracted there by a mysterious slab that was unearthed at a construction site and soon engages with both Soran and Godzilla.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: A giant locust.
- A Dog Named "Dog": A giant locust monster... whose name is just the Japanese word for locust (イナゴ, "inago").
- Expy: A male, locust version of Mothra, complete with a tribe that worships him and hatching from a giant egg. Concept art
◊ shows he was originally intended to be Mothra. - Mêlée à Trois: Battles against Godzilla and Soran over the Slab.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Once the Slab was dropped into the ocean, Inagos disengages being the only monster unable to swim.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He's awakened by the lifting of an ancient slab in Tokyo, but the slab is dropped into the sea before he's able to get close to it, with no indication what happened to him.
Kamerus
Kamerus
First appearance: Dark Horse Comics Godzilla King Of The Monsters 1987 Special
A Snapping turtle Kaiju, created for a one shot comic by Dark Horse Comics. He was drawn towards Japan by a radioactive slab discovered in Tokyo.
- Expy: Of Anguirus, with concept art◊ indicating he was initially planned as Anguirus (heavily redesigned into a turtle-like creature instead of an ankylosaur) but turned into a thinly veiled copy. In name and design he closely resembles Kamoebas, however.note
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He's awakened by the lifting of an ancient slab in Tokyo, but the slab is dropped into the sea before he's able to get close to it, with no indication what happened to him. He's seen in an Imagine Spot much later in the series, but it still doesn't answer where he went.
King Kong
King Kong
First appearance: King Kong vs. Godzilla, 1962note
Film Appearances:note King Kong vs. Godzilla | King Kong Escapes | Kong: Skull Island | Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)note | Godzilla vs. Kong | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
A large and powerful ape who lived on Faro Island in the South Pacific and was strengthened by electricity. Kong was worshiped as a deity by the natives, who would leave him drinks made from the indigenous fruit trees as offerings (which tended to make him fall asleep after ingesting). During one such ceremony, Kong drove off the giant octopus Oodako, who was attacking the natives, and after drinking his offering was captured by representatives of a pharmaceutical company and taken back to Japan, where he escaped and ran into a rampaging Godzilla. Falling back from the initial confrontation, Kong made a meal of electricity from power lines before he was captured and pitted against Godzilla again. The second fight was a much longer and more brutal affair which ended when both combatants tumbled into the sea and Kong swam away, leaving Godzilla defeated beneath the waves.
A while later, after making a new home on Mondo Island, Kong saves visiting scientists from Gorosaurus, is captured by the evil Dr. Who to mine a rare mineral, battles his mechanical doppleganger Mechani-Kong, and then destroys Dr. Who and his ship before once again swimming off to live in peace.
For the other iterations of the character, see here.
- Adaptational Badass: The original Kong died to biplanes after a short fight. This one is big enough that biplanes would be little more than an annoyance to him, can fight and defeat Godzilla on his own, and has lightning powers on top of that.
- Composite Character: As his film was originally supposed to have Frankenstein's Monster, he gains buffs from electricity (which, one would assume, would've buffed the former back in his version).
- Darkest Africa: Averted. The King actually hails from the Pacific islands.
- Defeating the Undefeatable: He wins against his final battle with Godzilla.
- 11th-Hour Superpower: In the climactic duel, Godzilla is clobbering Kong until the ape is struck by lightning, which revives him and grants him electric powers on top of that, allowing him to face Godzilla equally now.
- Expy Coexistence: Downplayed. Godzilla was explicitly greatly inspired by the original King Kong (a giant prehistoric beast travels to a major city, where it wrecks havoc amidst themes about humanity's hubris), and in King Kong vs. Godzilla the two actually crossover and fight!
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He attempted to use his momentum by rolling into Godzilla with his entire body, although what he didn't account for was that Godzilla merely dodged his attack by stepping out of the way, only for the giant ape to slam face-first into a boulder, knocking himself unconscious. Godzilla becomes amused from the sight.
- Human Hammer-Throw: Pulls off this attack after gaining his Heroic Second Wind by getting zapped by lightning from a storm. He grabs Godzilla's tail by surging him with electrical shocks, and fiercely swings him into a group of trees.
- Intercontinuity Crossover: King Kong throws it down with Godzilla.
- It Can Think: Established as being extremely intelligent for a kaiju, Kong realized in their first encounter that he couldn't take Godzilla in a head-on fight since he couldn't No-Sell the big guy's Breath Weapon or do damage to him with thrown boulders. So in their second encounter, he utilizes every advantage he can come up with to even the odds: he uses the momentum of sliding downhill to just plow into Godzilla and send him rolling down a mountain, then hides and tries to pin Godzilla from behind to keep him from using his blasts or his superior size and strength. Doesn't work, but credit for trying.
- Killer Gorilla: Is supposed to be a giant gorilla, though he more closely resembles an orangutan.
- Lightning Bruiser: He's a lot more mobile than Godzilla's sluggish pace despite being almost closer to his size, and can really lay a beating on him. When he gets powered up by electricity, Kong essentially becomes a literal depiction of this archetype when he starts pummeling Godzilla with amplified zapping melee attacks.
- Made of Iron: He gets blown up by TNT on the raft that he was strapped on and he lives through it all with no signs of fatal injuries. Godzilla's Atomic Breath itself only does much as basically roasting parts of his fur, as Kong himself doesn't even tend to show any form of pain from his attack.
- Power Creep, Power Seep: He's made much larger than he ever was before and given electrical abilities in order for him to be a match for Godzilla (who in turn was made more vulnerable to electricity than before).
- The Rival: To Godzilla both in the film and in a meta sense.
- Shock and Awe: Electricity makes Kong stronger, and he can channel electric shocks through his hands.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In both the original King Kong and its sequel, both giant apes perished at the end of each film. In the Toho King Kong duology, Kong survives in both films and gets to return home.
- Took a Level in Badass: The first brief battle Kong quickly runs away from Godzilla's Atomic Breath, and then during the second battle Kong ends up getting his ass kicked during the fight. An electricity power-up later and the battle ends with Kong ignoring two Atomic Breath blasts and running through them to get to Godzilla.
- Wolverine Publicity: Similar to Frankenstein's monster, he's sometimes the focus of renames for movies he doesn't actually appear in. For example, Destroy All Monsters became The Heirs of King Kong and Terror of Mechagodzilla became Destroy Kong! The Earth is in Danger! in Italy, while Godzilla vs. Megalon became King Kong: Demons from Outer Space and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla became King Kong vs. Godzilla in Germany,
- World's Best Warrior: You know how Godzilla is referred to as the King of the Monsters, and the "most powerful weapon on Earth." That said, canonically, Kong beat Godzilla.
- Your Size May Vary: The original King Kong was roughly 25 feet tall, whereas the Toho one was resized to roughly 147 feet (or 45 metres) to make a better opponent for the 50 meter tall Godzilla. In King Kong Escapes he was downsized somewhat to 20 metres now that he didn't need to keep scale with Godzilla.
Soran
Soran
First appearance: Dark Horse Comics Godzilla King Of The Monsters 1987 Special
A Thunderbird Kaiju created for a one shot from Dark Horse Comics. He fights against Godzilla and Inagos over a Slab that has attracted the monsters to it.
- Expy: Of Rodan. It's possible that, like Inagos and Kamerus, he was originally intended to be the Toho kaiju but acquiring the license for the character was too difficult so they substituted an original kaiju.
- Giant Flyer: Goes without saying, being a bird Kaiju.
- Mêlée à Trois: Fights Godzilla and Inagos over the Slab.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He's awakened by the lifting of an ancient slab in Tokyo, but the slab is dropped into the sea and he's last seen diving after it, never to return. He's seen in an Imagine Spot much later in the series, but it still doesn't answer where he went.
Trilopod
Trilopod
First appearance: Godzilla: Rulers of Earth #19, 2014
An arthropodal alien kaiju used by the Cryogs in Rulers of the Earth.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Their arms are scythe like blades.
- Cannibalism Superpower: By sucking the blood of other kaiju and fusing together, the Trilopods can take on their abilities and parts of their appearance.
- Canon Foreigner: The only kaiju in the various IDW Godzilla comic series to not originate from the films.
- Dragon Their Feet: Magita is essentially the ultimate war-beast of the Cryog emperor and Big Bad, Karkaro, who ends up dying before Magita, making the Trilopod king the Final Boss for Rulers of Earth. Probably for the best, considering the Cryog are roughly human-sized and wouldn't really be able to "fight" Godzilla.
- Fusion Dance: Once a Beta Trilopod acquires another kaiju's genetic material, it'll clamber onto and fuse with an Alpha Trilopod to become a transformed Trilopod with the abilities and partial appearance of the kaiju it took the DNA of.
- Insectoid Aliens: They resemble Anomalocaris, mixed with generic arthropod features, and are named after trilobites.
- King Mook: Magita, the King of the Trilopods, really just resembles a gigantic version of the Beta Trilopod.
- Large and in Charge: Magita, the king of the Trilopods. while the other Trilopods are in the size range of the other kaiju, Magita is one of the largest monsters that has ever appeared in the entire franchise, utterly dwarfing all the other kaiju present, with
Word of God stating that it is nearly half a kilometre in height. - Made of Plasticine: Unlike most kaiju, they aren't very durable (despite their evident exoskeletons), and in basically all of their appearances, they end up getting torn into chunky pieces.
- Power Copying: Sucking the blood of other kaiju not only allows the Trilopods to use their powers, but their physical appearance also changes to look just like the ones they absorbed their powers from.
- Xenomorph Xerox: Colonial insectoid aliens emerging from egg-like pods able to take on the appearance of their hosts and with a gigantic "queen" and used as a weapon of conquest by another alien race. Word of God confirmed they were partly based on the xenomorphs, with their differing Beta and Alpha forms based on the facehugger and drone forms specifically.
Zilla
Zilla
First appearance: Godzilla: Final Wars, 2004 note
Film Appearances: Godzilla: Final Wars
Pretender to the Throne
Rulers of Earth
Rulers of Earth
Zilla is a mutant reptile superficially resembling Godzilla, possessing superior speed and agility but lacking in durability compared to other kaiju.
In 2004, director Ryuhei Kitamura and producer Shogo Tomiyama wanted to pit the 1998 American Godzilla against the Japanese Godzilla to establish which was superior. Since Toho had to share film rights with TriStar but owned Patrick Tatopoulos's creature design,note they created their own version, dubbed "Zilla". Zilla appeared as a mutant monster of the alien invaders in Final Wars, rampaging through Sydney before being effortlessly killed by Godzilla.
Zilla — specified as being based on the Final Wars incarnation but having the appearance of the 1998 Godzilla — appeared in Godzilla: Rulers of Earth, one of the IDW Godzilla comics, and fights Godzilla in Honolulu. This time, though, Zilla not only lasts more than a few seconds, but manages to get a few good blows in and survives the fight by getting the hell out of dodge when Godzilla is distracted. He makes a brief reappearance swimming off the coast of Monster Island, and returns for the final battle to help fight against the Trilopods, holding his own against them. Zilla also cameoed in Godzilla: Oblivion as one of the invading kaiju.
The Final Wars incarnation of Zilla appears in Godzilla: Kaiju Collection, which was released on April 21, 2015. Zilla also appears in the 2017 novel Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, a prequel to Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, where it surfaces in France and is quickly slain by the military — who mistake it for Godzilla. Zilla's offspring overrun the city of Rouen, but are eventually exterminated.
For the pre-2004 versions of this character, see here and here.
- Adaptational Badass: In the Godzilla comic Rulers of Earth, Zilla fights Godzilla and survives, albeit only by turning tail when the going gets too rough, though he gets several good hits in during the fight. And then there's the fact that he survived an encounter with Destoroyah note . He's also the only monster aside from Gigan to not be captured by the alien invaders and copied by a Trilopod, and in fact rips several of them apart by himself, which impressed Godzilla and the rest of the Kaiju enough to finally accept Zilla as a part of the group of Earth Kaiju.
- Alternate Self: Emmerich's, Devlin's, and Toho's stance is that the 1998 GODZILLA film is set in its own continuity unrelated to any of the other films. Despite this, in GMK some Japanese politicians briefly discuss how the Americans claim to have killed Godzilla due to having slain a giant reptilian monster that attacked New York in 1998; and a pamphlet for Godzilla: Final Wars mentions that Zilla—or a member of the same species—attacked New York in the 1990s, meaning that Broad Strokes versions of the 1998 GODZILLA movie's events occurred in those films' continuities as well.
- Ambiguous Situation: Like the Take That! nod in GMK, Godzilla: Final Wars' film pamphlet mentions that Zilla is a mutated iguana-like lizard that may or may not have attacked New York City in the late 1990s and been mistaken for Godzilla, leaving it ambiguous as to whether or not it's a Broad Strokes version of the 1998 American Godzilla.
- Alternate Self: Zilla is one to the 1998 American Godzilla, with them sharing the same creature design but being legally distinct characters.
- Big Damn Heroes: In IDW's Rulers of Earth series, twice, in the same issue, and the same circumstances: rescuing a fellow monster from the alien Trilopods. The first was Jet Jaguar, the second was Godzilla himself, which is the reason he gets accepted to live on Monster Island at the end, no doubt impressing the King of the Monsters.
- Black Sheep: At the end of Rulers of Earth, Zilla is seen off the coast of Monster Island, apparently afraid that he will be rejected by the other Kaiju if he comes ashore. Lucy hopes that the other monsters will accept him in the near future. Making Zilla The Unfavorite and Ensemble Dark Horse both in-universe and out-of-universe.
- Brains Versus Brawn:
- Much like the 1998 American Godzilla he's based on, their speciality is speed and intelligence as opposed to sheer strength and power, making them more of a survivor than a fighter. This is best demonstrated in his fight against Godzilla in Rulers of Earth, though he can still throw down when needed to as he was easily capable of killing several Trilopod clones with his bare claws.
- This is also how they're depicted in fan-made animations where they are pitted against other Kaiju. That is, when they're not given the fighting skills and atomic breath of Junior from Godzilla: The Series, who is far more badass than it's parent and is made to be a proper clone of Godzilla.
- Breath Weapon: An interview from 2004 attributed to Ryūhei Kitamura attributed a blast of flames preceding Zilla walking around a corner to an "acidic flame breath", though the interview is now long-lost and this ability hasn't popped up in other appearances.
- Butt-Monkey:
- Got beaten even faster than most of the other monsters in Final Wars, as a reference to the fandom's general repudiation of the 1998 American Godzilla.
- In Rulers of Earth, it's seen off the coast of Monster Island, with Chavez noting that Zilla almost seems afraid that the other monsters will reject it if it comes ashore, and Lucy expressing hope that in the near future it will come to be accepted—meta-commentary on the fandom's slowly-changing opinions towards the character.
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: In Rulers of Earth, Zilla's eyes are shown in a tidal wave just before he makes landfall.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: In Rulers Of Earth, while still woefully outclassed by Godzilla’s might, it puts up a much better fight than it did in Final Wars and actually manages to land several good hits on Godzilla, which no doubt impressed his Japanese counterpart.
- Decomposite Character: Patrick Tatopoulos's creature design was first created for and used in the 1998 American adaptation of Godzilla, but was poorly received by fans and even many Toho employees. Toho poked fun at this in GMK, where it's mentioned that a giant reptilian monster attacked New York in 1998 and was slain by the American military, who mistook it for Godzilla—to the amusement and condescension of some Japanese politicians. In 2004's Final Wars, director Ryuhei Kitamura wanted to have the American Godzilla fight the Japanese Godzilla to prove which one was superior, and learned that while Toho has to share the 1998 film's rights with Tristar they have sole ownership of Tatopoulos's creature design, which they subsequently used under the name "Zilla" due to the 1998 film having "Taken the 'God' out of 'Godzilla'" by portaying it as a frightened animal able to be killed by conventional weapons. In the film itself, Zilla rampages through Sydney, Australia but is killed in under 13 seconds by the Japanese Godzilla. While many fans took this to mean that the version of the creature in the 1998 movie was renamed "Zilla" as well, according to Matt Frank and Keith Aiken, while Toho considers the 1998 Godzilla and Zilla from Final Wars to be different incarnations of the same character, they are legally obligated to refer to the 1998 and cartoon versions as "Godzilla" while all post-2004 incarnations of the creature are to be called "Zilla".
- Dynamic Entry: In Rulers of Earth, he makes a dynamic return by rescuing Jet Jaguar just as it is about to be defeated.
- Explosive Breeder:
- In Godzilla: Oblivion, a panel shows Zilla crouched amidst the ruins of a city surrounded by hundreds of eggs, in reference to the 1998 movie.
- The chapter featuring Zilla in Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse was a nod to the 1998 GODZILLA movie's worst-case scenario, where the military defeated the original monster only to learn it had laid hundreds of eggs, which hatched and proceeded to wreak havoc in France.
- Fragile Speedster: One of the most agile of all movie kaijus, but squishy enough to be one-shot by Godzilla's atomic breath in a fight that only lasted 13 seconds.note He puts up a far better fight in Rulers of Earth. In Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, Zilla is noted to be fragile compared to other kaiju but compensates through superior speed and agility.
- Gender Flip: The children's show Goji Goji Banban portrays Zilla as a pink female monster that Goji is romantically involved with. Yes, you read that right.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: In Rulers of Earth, Zilla quickly realizes it's outmatched against Godzilla and returns to the ocean the moment Godzilla is distracted.
- Meaningful Rename: The character was trademarked as "Zilla" beginning with Final Wars because Ryuhei Kitamura and Shogo Tomiyama believed the American Godzilla didn't deserve to have the "God" prefix, though Toho still has to call the 1998 and cartoon versions "Godzilla" for legal reasons.
- Mondegreen Gag: In Rulers of Earth it's named "Zilla" after Steven Woods misinterprets a static-garbled radio transmission warning him that Godzilla had been sighted.
- Monster Is a Mommy: In Godzilla: Oblivion and Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, Zilla lays hundreds of eggs in reference to the worst-case scenario from the 1998 Godzilla movie. In the latter, these eggs hatch and the ensuing offspring wreak havoc across France.
- Mythology Gag:
- Zilla's official trademark logo is derived from official concept art for the 1998 GODZILLA movie.
- In Rulers of Earth, Zilla makes landfall by causing a swell in the water, attacks a person filming it with a video camera, and escapes danger by burrowing under the ground — references to the 1998 GODZILLA movie. Zilla is also sent flying into a building by Godzilla and immediately blasted by Atomic Breath, a nod to their battle in Godzilla: Final Wars, though unlike that encounter, Zilla lives.
- In Godzilla: Oblivion and Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse, Zilla lays massive clutches of eggs in reference to the 1998 film's worst-case scenario.
- The name for Spiral Studios' Zilla figure uses the same font as the 1998 Godzilla movie.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In Rulers of Earth he gets the Hell out of Dodge after Godzilla is distracted by Hellfire missiles in order to lick his wounds.
- Signature Roar: A higher-pitched version of Godzilla's roar, transcribed as "SKREEEENK" in Rulers of Earth.
- Stylistic Suck: Zilla's model in Godzilla: Final Wars was created by scanning a Trendmasters' Ultimate Godzilla figure and was intentionally made to look rushed as a jab against the 1998 film's extensive use of CGI. It particularly looks off when compared to his appearance in the Rulers of Earth comic, which was taken from the 1998 film, and Spiral Studios' statue — which combines the look of the 1998 Godzilla with the Final Wars Zilla's color palette.
- Take That!: Like the "Americans claim they killed Godzilla" scene in GMK, Zilla's appearance in Godzilla: Final Wars was a tongue-in-cheek nod to the 1998 American Godzilla being reviled by the Godzilla fanbase, with the scene of him being curb-stomped by Godzilla being titled "Pretender to the Throne" and the fight's soundtrack — Sum-41's "All to Blame" — emphasizing contempt towards the American Godzilla.
- To Serve Man: In Final Wars, Zilla lunges jaws-first at a pair of fleeing civilians and is indicated to have eaten them. In Rulers of Earth it tries to eat Lucy before being distracted by the military.
- Took a Level in Badass: Compared to the 1998 incarnation of the character and the incarnation seen in Final Wars, the version seen in Rulers of Earth manages to put up a decent fight against Godzilla and not get killed in the process, he's also shown to be far more durable than he usually is (as in he can tank military arterially, something his 1998 counterpart failed to do), though he's still frail by Godzilla Kaiju standards, he even plays a major role in the Trilopod War, where he successfully kills several clones of Kaiju.
- Tunnel King: Can easily burrow through solid rock and concrete, using this to get away from Godzilla in Rulers of Earth.
- Villainous Underdog: In any fight with Godzilla, who has a Breath Weapon, a thicker hide, and a major size advantage. This results in Zilla getting stomped flat in Final Wars, though in the Rulers of Earth comic he puts up a much better fight through strategic use of his Tunnel King ability.
- Villainous Valour: You just might find yourself rooting for the big iguana when he throws down with Godzilla in Rulers of Earth and uses his cunning, tunneling skills, and speed to get a few hits in on the much bigger and stronger monster, however he plays a big role in the Trilopod Invasion, where he's firmly on the side of the Earth's Kaiju and even managed to kill several Trilopod Kajiu clones.
Zoospora
Zoospora
First appearance: Godzilla War For Humanity #19, 2023
A mysterious new Kaiju introduced by IDW, Zoospora is an unusually violent fungal-based monstrosity known for attacking and infecting multiple Kaiju to be transformed into its mutated thralls.- Zombie Apocalypse: A Kaiju zombie apocalypse, if you can believe it.
