Who was Godzilla’s toughest opponent in the Showa Era

[Voyager]

We’ve got one for the MonsterVerse, so I better make one from my favourite era!

While many may say Hedorah, I’m going with Mechagodzilla. He put the hurt on Godzilla like no one before. MG made Godzilla spurt like a fountain with blood, and unlike Hedorah, Godzilla couldn’t just leave if he wanted too. MG is a killer.

[Legion1979]

I feel like I gotta give this to Hedorah. MG was powerful enough to nearly kill Godzilla, but Hedorah was so tough that he was almost impossible to kill. Once Godzilla got his hands on MG the battle was over pretty quickly. Just touching Heodrah's blood was enough to skeletonize Godzilla's hand. Godzilla left the battle with MG a little bloody but fine. Godzilla stumbled away from his fight with Hedorah with a corroded, boney hand and only one eye.

[Terasawa]

Gabara would get my vote because he's the only monster the Showa G never bested in a fight in reality. Duh.

[Arbok]

Hedorah, assuming we are talking about his final form. With no outside assistance, Godzilla would have been unable to beat him. He was deadly to puncture and immune to Godzilla's ray.

Mechagodzilla 1974 gets the runner up prize, as it's unlikely Godzilla could win one-on-one without help. It's not impossible, though, because as seen at the refinery a lucky shot to the head would have mostly left the mech in a vulnerable state that Godzilla could have won from. It really depends on landing that, though.

[GodzillavsRayquaza]

King Ghidorah stopped being a threat after GTTHM, Mechagodzilla 74 was powerful but Godzilla could theoretically have beaten him on his own, and 75 relied heavily on Titano. Hedorah on the other hand, Godzilla couldn’t do shit against the final form, no matter which way you look at it.

[edgaguirus]

Hedorah was near impossible to kill, but not the toughest.

That honor goes to MG. MG's arsenal is powerful enough to take on two monsters at once, and Godzilla was not only bleeding, but was set on fire by the barrage of beams and projectiles. Godzilla was able to beat the robot, but only by using an unexpected ability in the climactic fight. In Terror, he would have lost if not for Katsura destroying herself. MG is one tough machine.

[Legion1979]

...but Hedorah is almost completely unkillable.

[UltramanGoji]

Hmm, let's take a look from weakest to toughest:

13.) Kamacuras
Thematically, the Kamacuras are Godzilla's weakest opponents. They're intended purpose within the narrative of the film is basic fodder enemies, who serve as a threat only to the newborn Minilla. Godzilla exercises no effort in taking them all out.

12.) Ebirah
Ebirah's the main kaiju opponent of his film and gives Godzilla a smidgen of trouble by dragging him underwater momentarily (although it proves to be futile for the most part) though because he isn't the central villain of the entire film (that would be the Red Bamboo) he ultimately doesn't give Godzilla much trouble and is easily defeated.

11.) Rodan
Rodan and Godzilla's battle in GTTHM is played up as a minor squabble between two stubborn dickhead monsters. There's no real sense of Rodan giving Godzilla a struggle because the battle isn't meant to be seen as anything other than a minor spat. Rodan gets some good licks in (which would be the closest reason to putting it above Ebirah and Kamacuras) but ultimately the fight isn't very impactful to the overall plot and as such it's hard to say Rodan is a "tough" opponent.

10.) Anguirus
The battle in GRA is definitely fierce, that's for sure. It's hard to really say how much Anguirus' tenacity is meant to be evoked in the overall film itself though as the monsters are fairly characterless in the first two entries. Anguirus and Godzilla fight all the way to Osaka implying some struggle however minor on Godzilla's part but the way the film doesn't structure it's entire plot on the battle and its outcome leaves me to believe the intention wasn't there for Anguirus to come across as extremely challenging.

9.) Megalon
Godzilla primarily kicks Megalon's butt throughout the latter half of the movie but there's a few instances where Megalon gets the upper hand. The film is extremely basic in story however so instances like the "ring of fire" can be interpreted as necessary tension so the battles don't seem so one-sided. However, Megalon I would say is portrayed as "tougher" than Anguirus mainly because the structures of the two films have different focuses: GRA focuses on the monster's return to Japan while GVM is more simpler, about Godzilla saving the day against the villainous kaiju. Whether or not Anguirus is tougher than Godzilla doesn't really matter to the overall story of GRA while GVM revolves around Megalon being a big bad monster that needs to be stopped by Godzilla. The writers would feel more obliged to present Megalon as a challenge than Anguirus in these two scenarios.

8.) Kumonga
Son of Godzilla isn't really a movie with a central villain as the two types of antagonist kaiju are portrayed for the most part as occasional obstacles than outright characters. That said, Kumonga's more sadistic tendencies (as natural as they may be for a spider) lend itself to being a "tougher" opponent for Godzilla than usual. The film treats Kumonga as something to be feared once its awakened so when it eventually joins the fray, it puts up a bit of a fight against Godzilla. It even gets him in an usually vulnerable spot with the stinger to the eye. I think SOG portrays Kumonga in a way that's definitely tension-filled than earlier entries' enemy monsters but its rather quick ending doesn't really give it much credence to go higher on this list.

7.) Mothra
Mothra in her initial appearance opposite Godzilla is portrayed as an above-average challenge for Godzilla with the hurricane winds and dragging him by his tail. However, the decision to have Mothra explicitly be portrayed as at the end-of-her-life puts a damper on how we could theoretically judge her toughness against Godzilla proper. You could read the film's choice in having an aging Mothra over a spry Mothra as implication that the latter could best Godzilla (an occurrence of which happens in Sea Monster two years later lending credence to this theory) but it's unclear. The larva forms besting Godzilla was a quirk of narrative necessity (and a great quirk at that, suck it haters) in order to leave the film with a happier conclusion so it's probably not a good idea to judge this as intent that larval Mothra is one of Godzilla's toughest. It's an exception, definitely not the rule.

6.) King Kong
Ultimately, it might seem that Kong is one of Godzilla's toughest opponents but I'd put him just below the top 5. It's clear in the film that Godzilla is quite the challenge for Kong, especially with his atomic breath. Kong's electricity power-up certainly gives him a little more to work with towards the end but it doesn't give him as much of an advantage as it's usually claimed. Kong has a quick sprint of energy on initial recharge but then seems to mostly return to normal for the rest of the battle. Narratively, I would put Kong above Mothra in terms of perceived "toughness" as KKVG does attempt to put the two on equal footing (with Godzilla's slight edge as mentioned earlier) moreso than MVG does with Mothra.

5.) Gigan
Might seem like a dark horse pick for the top 5 but...hey, we're not talking Fantasy Match nonsense here just plain old readings of the film and authorial intent. Gigan cracks the top 5 by the pure fact of being the first enemy of Godzilla's to make him explicitly bleed. The decision to showcase that alone is enough to place Gigan up high because clearly the intention was to push Gigan as a very tough opponent with his arsenal of weaponry and speed. While Godzilla eventually turns the tide and ends up on top, there is a great deal of film time spent on showcasing how Gigan is just brutally beating Godzilla down to basics, even essentially knocking Godzilla out at one point.

4.) Titanosaurus
Yet another unusual pick for such a high ranking but Titanosaurus WHOOPS Godzilla's butt throughout most of their encounters in TOMG. Titanosaurus is mostly responsibly for burying Godzilla in the climax (a feat which to my memory doesn't last too long but a feat nonetheless). That, combined with his formidable offense put in on Godzilla (at times doing more than the titular Mechagodzilla) makes it clear the writer was very intent on having Godzilla be outclassed by Titanosaurus. If it wasn't for the sonar weakness, it's implied Godzilla had no chance against the combined might of the alien's kaiju.

3.) King Ghidorah
As time went on, Ghidorah's formidable standing among Toho's kaiju was severely weakened purely from overexposure. But from his very initial appearance to his final one in 1972, Ghidorah has exclusively been a monster that requires multiple opponents to be defeated. Godzilla never faced Ghidorah one-on-one in the Showa era and that was unquestionably by design. It's very clear from watching his debut film and even his subsequent appearances that Ghidorah is placed as one of the toughest monsters Godzilla and co. can face just by this "multi-man brawl-only" rule.

2.) Mechagodzilla
I don't think I need to explain this one much. The only thing as strong as Godzilla would be...another Godzilla, natch. Mechagodzilla's initial film especially portrays him as an ultra-powerful opponent, crippling one of Godzilla's allied monsters with ease and severely wounding Godzilla in their initial encounter (though at the expense of himself so YMMV on this one). Even in the final encounter he beats King Caesar with ease and gives the combined might of KC and Godzilla a literal fountain of explosive prowess to deal with. Both film appearances required either a narrative crutch or outside interference from the human characters to allow Godzilla the chance to defeat it.

1.) Hedorah
Even if Mechagodzilla has the explosive ordnance to mutilate Godzilla with ease, Hedorah's film takes an especially unique approach to its titular monster enemy: Hedorah is nearly indestructible. Much like pollution itself, Hedorah requires an immense think-tank to even attempt to come up with a viable solution to defeating it. And when one is found, numerous problems persist throughout that come close to utterly ruining humanity and Godzilla's combined chances at defeating Hedorah. I mean, what other Godzilla film from this era has him literally ripping the body of his opponent apart to make sure its truly defeated? When viewed through a lens of authorial intent and what's presented on screen, Hedorah is unquestionably Godzilla's toughest opponent if not the toughest opponent he has ever faced, Showa or otherwise.

[Arbok]

Great list. I semi disagree with Gigan and Titanosaurus for the same reasons. Both did well against Godzilla when combined with another monster. Gigan was cunning, and having someone to help bring the pressure allowed him to leverage that. Similarly, Titanosaurus was a great melee fighter, able to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla and prove his equal. However, both have the same weakness in these fights: Godzilla's atomic ray floors them. As a result, I don't think they would be able to do all that well in a one-on-one situation.

[UltramanGoji]

Great list. I semi disagree with Gigan and Titanosaurus for the same reasons. Both did well against Godzilla when combined with another monster. Gigan was cunning, and having someone to help bring the pressure allowed him to leverage that. Similarly, Titanosaurus was a great melee fighter, able to go toe-to-toe with Godzilla and prove his equal. However, both have the same weakness in these fights: Godzilla's atomic ray floors them. As a result, I don't think they would be able to do all that well in a one-on-one situation.

On closer examination, I probably would place Titano under Gigan or at least on the same tier as each other. I only put Gigan below Titano because I misremembered the plot of both movies and forgot that the Godzilla Tower's destruction causes Gigan and King Ghidorah's control to be severed, i.e. both Gigan and Titanosaurus required human intervention to defeat. So yeah, I think it's safe to say both are narratively on equal footing. I don't really consider the atomic breath weakness to be much of a factor because I look at this question from the perspective of how they're portrayed on-screen from the perspective of each film's writers and their authorial intent. In both films, it's not really treated with enough gravitas to give it much consideration, it's just treated as another one of Godzilla's attacks, even if it lands finishing blows on Titanosaurus.

[GodzillaDude]

I feel like I gotta give this to Hedorah. MG was powerful enough to nearly kill Godzilla, but Hedorah was so tough that he was almost impossible to kill. Once Godzilla got his hands on MG the battle was over pretty quickly. Just touching Heodrah's blood was enough to skeletonize Godzilla's hand. Godzilla left the battle with MG a little bloody but fine. Godzilla stumbled away from his fight with Hedorah with a corroded, boney hand and only one eye.

Alrighty was gonna come on here and give my own assessment but this nails it on the head.

[miguelnuva]

Hedorah was his toughest because Godzilla lacked anyway to kill him. Godzilla was stronger than Hedorah but lack of a finishing blow and the fact that Hedorah could poison Godzilla makes him the toughest by far.

MechaGodzilla however is by far the strongest opponent. MechaGodzilla I is the only foe Godzilla was unable to overpower until the very end.

[Breakdown]

Really close tie between Hedorah and MechaGodzilla, as both required external factors to defeat. Godzilla would have been worn down and killed by Hedorah eventually as he literally couldn't inflict any lasting damage. Hedorah had a very specific weakness that only humans could figure out and leverage against it. MechaGodzilla nearly killed Anguirus, King Caesar, and Godzilla in the same movie. If Godzilla didn't use a last-minute asspull with the magnetic powers, Mechagodzilla would have proceeded to shoot him to death then finish off King Caesar.

[Legion1979]

But of course Godzilla still managed to defeat MG completely on his own. Without those electrodes what was Godzilla going to do to Hedorah?

[miguelnuva]

But of course Godzilla still managed to defeat MG completely on his own. Without those electrodes what was Godzilla going to do to Hedorah?

Agreed. Godzilla learning a new power doesn't over look the fact that he did defeat MechaGodzilla. Hedorah was basically invincible.

[ShinGojira14]

I'm tied between Hedorah and MechaGodzilla, with King Ghidorah as a close second and Rodan in third.

[shadowgigan]

My first thought was of MG, but I’ve bought the arguments brought up in this thread. Going with Hedorah. Also I more or less agree with UG’s list.

[HillyHulk]

If weren't for II being a part of Mechagodzilla, I would say it (same for Mothra in regards to the larva). Because II is, II was more a weapon for Titanosaurus than a legitimate threat on its own as he ran through its all-out assault and pulverized it when he reached it. Mothra was more an annoyance than a true threat before getting set ablaze while her children were smart little buggers during their fight since I brought that up. Anyway, I can't choose Mechagodzilla as a result. Hedorah was tough as H.E double toothpicks as most attacks didn't work initially but he still lost when his weakness was exploited.

King Kong, through my personal process of elimination, was the toughest without the threads hindrances dragging certain characters back or having a way around him. King Kong was the underdog in their fight, getting knocked down but still coming back up. That tenacity would pay off as he rose back up and was able to leave Japan when the two of them fell off a cliff. For being able to turn the tables and win, I vote King Kong.

[godjacob]

I fully expect Hedorah to win the vote but I think the Kaiju who consistently gave Godzilla the most trouble is Mechagodzilla. Curb stomped him in their first fight, nearly beat him and King Ceaser together and in the follow up with Titanosaurus' aid curb stomped Godzilla again and they only lost cause the humans interference and the loss of its controller.

I do find it hilarious (Though not inaccurate) how the two Kaiju with definitive wins over Godzilla in this canon (Mothra & King Kong) have a single vote between them.

[miguelnuva]

I fully expect Hedorah to win the vote but I think the Kaiju who consistently gave Godzilla the most trouble is Mechagodzilla. Curb stomped him in their first fight, nearly beat him and King Ceaser together and in the follow up with Titanosaurus' aid curb stomped Godzilla again and they only lost cause the humans interference and the loss of its controller.

I do find it hilarious (Though not inaccurate) how the two Kaiju with definitive wins over Godzilla in this canon (Mothra & King Kong) have a single vote between them.

Mothra and Kong weren't tough fights despite him losing to them.