Godzilla: All 12 Monster Allies (& Which Movies They Appeared In)

Godzilla has several giant monster allies who aid him in battle against powerful threats like King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla. And many are characters who exist outside the Godzilla franchise in their own movies, but were brought in at a later point to join forces with the King of the Monsters.

Though Godzilla is known for being involved in heated one-on-one showdowns in movies like Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, and Godzilla vs Biollante, there are plenty of instances where he has needed help from other kaiju to take down his foe. On other occasions, it’s the villains who have to team up against him. When that happens, other kaiju are needed so that Godzilla can secure a victory.

Godzilla has been teaming up with other monsters since the early 1960s and extending all the way to the most recent installment, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Over the years, he’s gained quite a long list of capable allies. Some are one-and-done characters, while others have fought at Godzilla’s side more than once. In the case of a few of these monsters, some of their appearances are actually just cameos created from stock footage of previous films, and aren’t accounted for in this overview of Toho’s heroic kaiju.

Rodan

Rodan, a pteranodon who lives in a volcano, is arguably Godzilla’s most important ally. They first met as foes in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, but their fight ended in the two agreeing to an alliance against Ghidorah. What followed was another team-up between the two monsters in Invasion of Astro-Monster when word of their teamwork reached the ears of scheming aliens. Once again, it was up to Godzilla and Rodan to defeat Ghidorah. In the Heisei series, a new version of Rodan sacrificed himself so that Godzilla could destroy his robotic counterpart and save Godzilla Junior in Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II. As for the MonsterVerse, Rodan hasn’t teamed up with Godzilla yet, but the door is open for that to change in the near future.

• Rodan
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
• Invasion of Astro Monster
• Destroy All Monsters
• Godzilla vs. Megalon
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
• Godzilla: Final Wars
• Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Mothra

Mothra, easily recognized by her colorful wings, is a peaceful and benevolent creature whose image represents the beauty of nature. Often accompanied by a pair of mystical women called the Twin Fairies, Mothra has devoted herself to protecting both humanity and the planet. Originally, she was an enemy of Godzilla, but in the situations where he’s utilized as a hero, the two have fought on the same side.

• Mothra
• Mothra vs. Godzilla
• Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster
• Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
• Destroy All Monsters
• Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
• Rebirth of Mothra
• Rebirth of Mothra II
• Rebirth of Mothra III
• Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
• Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
• Godzilla: Final Wars
• Godzilla: King of the Monsters

King Caesar

The plot of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla revolved around the movie’s human characters trying to summon an ancient Okinawan guardian deity with the power to oppose the main villain. The completion of the ritual brought forth King Caesar, who aided Godzilla in destroying Mechagodzilla. He wasn’t seen again until 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars, when he, Rodan, and Anguirus were mind-controlled and forced to fight Godzilla. All three were easily defeated, but were the only monsters Godzilla deliberately didn’t kill, perhaps as acknowledgement of their prior team-ups with him.

• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
• Godzilla: Final Wars

Kumonga

The giant spider known as Kumonga made his debut as a secondary villain that battled Godzilla on Monster Island in Son of Godzilla. By the time of Destroy All Monsters, Kumonga was no longer an enemy of Godzilla. He even contributed to Ghidorah’s defeat in the movie by using his webbing to subdue him.

• Son of Godzilla
• Destroy All Monsters
• Godzilla: Final Wars

Manda

Manda is a massive sea serpent and he first appeared as the guardian of an underwater kingdom in Toho’s Atragon, before being integrated into the Godzilla universe in Destroy all Monsters; it was in that film in which he was revealed to be a resident of Monster Island. He followed Godzilla into the final battle with Ghidorah, but since there were already seven kaiju fighting him, Manda was only a spectator during the fighting.

• Atragon
• Destroy All Monsters
• Godzilla: Final Wars

Varan

A four-legged, spiny creature who can glide like a flying squirrel served as the titular antagonist in the 1958 Toho classic, Varan the Unbelievable. Like Manda and many others, he was moved to Monster Island in Destroy All Monsters where he was present for the showdown with Ghidorah. This marked his last appearance on the big screen.

• Varan the Unbelievable
• Destroy All Monsters

Baragon

Baragon is a prehistoric monster who survived extinction thanks to his ability to burrow underground. He battled a giant-size version of Frankenstein in Frankenstein vs. Baragon and returned briefly in Destroy All Monsters. In the Millennium series, he was reimagined as a guardian monster sent to protect the world from Godzilla himself.

• Frankenstein vs. Baragon
• Destroy All Monsters
• Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack

Anguirus

Anguirus, a Toho kaiju based on the ankylosaur, became the first monster ever to fight Godzilla in 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again. Though he died in the fight, he was brought back as an ally in Destroy All Monsters. The two formed a nearly unstoppable duo in Godzilla vs. Gigan, where they teamed up to fight Ghidorah and Gigan. He was later beat up by Mechagodzilla (disguised as the real King of the Monsters) in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Before his defeat, though, he was able to figure out that his opponent was an impostor.

• Godzilla Raids Again
• Destroy All Monsters
• Godzilla vs. Megalon
• Godzilla vs. Gigan
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
• Godzilla: Final Wars

Moguera

The robot called Moguera was a weapon of destruction engineered by aliens in the campy 1957 science fiction film, The Mysterians. He was reinvented as a replacement for Mechagodzilla in the Heisei series. Though designed to fight Godzilla, he was sent to battle an alien clone of the monster in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. When SpaceGodzilla proved to be the one villain who Godzilla couldn’t beat alone, Godzilla was forced to rely on Moguera for help. After the robot destroyed SpaceGodzilla’s power source, Godzilla was able to finish him off. However, Moguera failed to survive the confrontation.

• The Mysterians
• Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla

Minilla

To increase the appeal of the Godzilla franchise to younger audiences, Toho introduced Minilla, Godzilla’s son. The creature, who didn’t resemble his father at all, was known for blowing loops of smoke out of his mouth, rather than atomic breath. He often attempted to assist Godzilla in his fights, but due to his small stature and lack of strength, he wasn’t of much help to his father.

• Son of Godzilla
• Destroy All Monsters
• All Monsters Attack
• Godzilla: Final Wars

Jet Jaguar

Toho’s kid-friendly Godzilla vs. Megalon centered on two scientists and a young boy who shared a strong emotional attachment to a human-size robot who answered to the name “Jet Jaguar”. After the Earth was threatened by the arrival of Megalon and Gigan, Jet Jaguar suddenly gained sentience and grew to humongous proportions so that he and Godzilla could engage in a two-on-two fight with the villains. After shaking hands, Godzilla and Jet Jaguar used teamwork to dispose of both Megalon and Gigan. Following the battle, Jet Jaguar returned to his normal state and never returned to the Godzilla franchise.

Gorosaurus

The only monster ever who has met both Godzilla and King Kong is Gorosaurus. In Toho’s King Kong Escapes, Gorosaurus was a dinosaur who got caught in a fight with Kong and lost. Though he was killed in the struggle, he was seen again in Destroy All Monsters where he played a key role in taking down Ghidorah. One of the movie’s most memorable scenes was when the combined forces of the kaiju held down Ghidorah so that Gorosaurus could knock him flat out on his back with a devastating kangaroo kick.

• King Kong Escapes
• Destroy All Monsters

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