Godzilla is the undisputed King of the Monsters. Through nearly 70 years of movies, Godzilla has beaten the likes of King Ghidorah, King Kong, and even a poorly named American remake from the late 1990s. Utilizing his signature atomic breath, skyscraper size and other abilities, he has cemented his legacy as the greatest movie monster of all time. But as powerful as he is, not every incarnation of Godzilla is evenly matched with others.
Over the decades, the King of the Monsters has undergone makeovers and has experienced a shift in his powers. But aside from his height changing with the size of the Tokyo skyline, Godzilla has displayed abilities that rival the great superheroes in fiction. But of all the Godzillas in existence, these five are the most powerful.
Shin Godzilla's Atomic Breath Is Next-Level Powerful
When Shin Godzilla premiered in theaters, audiences were promised the most unhinged Godzilla to date, and they delivered. Godzilla debuted with a more monstrous appearance than the dinosaur-like looks of the past and had a more wild and destructive presence. Representing the Fukushima disaster, Godzilla was a walking nuclear meltdown that grew from three different physical stages and tore through Japan with some of the best effects the series had seen in years. Though one of the tallest and strangest incarnations in the series, his standout power was his atomic breath.
As with his appearance, his atomic breath had separate stages. The first was a combustible smog that flowed throughout the city before turning into a massive fireball that decimated buildings. The final was his signature atomic breath that sliced through structures effortlessly in all directions and came from his tail and dorsal plates. Godzilla was as powerful and frightening as any incarnation of the past, but he only fought humans and had a major cooldown process after each use, which kept him from being considered better.
Burning Godzilla Capped an Iconic Series
The Heisei series was a necessary evolution in the franchise, taking Godzilla back to his monster roots. The series saw him grow to his largest size at the time, over 300 feet tall and showcased his immense strength and absurdly strong atomic breath. This Godzilla was strong and intelligent and fought great villains, both old and new, one of which was Destoroyah, who he may not have beaten on his own if it wasn't for Godzilla gaining an accidental power that caused him to melt down.
The Heisei Godzilla was large enough and strong enough to compete with every incarnation, but his Burning Form from his battle with Destoroyah is the pinnacle of power. Godzilla had a spiral heat ray that decimated opponents, and his body temperature was nearly 1,200 degrees Celsius (steel melts around this temperature). However, after defeating his opponent, he disintegrates. So, while powerful, Burning Godzilla is barely outclassed by the next entry.
Legendary Godzilla Combines Physical & Distance Power
The Legendary Pictures Godzilla is the bulkiest to be shown on the silver screen, but he's also one of the most powerful versions. Portrayed as a prehistoric apex predator, Godzilla fought multiple enemies and shrugged off attacks like they were nothing. At nearly 400 feet tall and weighing close to 100,000 tons, he is the largest live-action version of Godzilla, but he has legitimate power and abilities to justify his placement on the list.
This Godzilla is arguably the most physical version, where he uses his teeth, claws and tail to wear down opponents, performing feats such as impaling the male Muto and biting off King Ghidorah's head. Godzilla also had one of the strongest atomic breaths among the kings as he blew a hole through the Earth. He could also have a fiery meltdown and disintegrate the surrounding environment.
Final Wars Godzilla Was Unbeatable
The final two Godzillas are among the most powerful beings in media, but Millennium's Final Wars Godzilla was virtually unstoppable. Comparable in size to Burning Godzilla, he was awakened in 1954 and fought humanity and other monsters. Though he never lost against humanity, he fell into an icy crevasse and froze for decades before reawakening. Once awakened, he was angry and went on a rampage that rivaled every Godzilla on the list.
The Millennium Godzilla was not only strong, but he was also unstoppable. His atomic breath and spiral breath attacks were so powerful that he nearly one hit KOed every enemy in his path. He could also take the 30,000-ton Kumonga and throw him over the horizon like a softball. Godzilla even threw Kaiser Ghidorah into the atmosphere before obliterating him with his spiral ray.
Godzilla Earth Drove Humans Off His Planet
In the Netflix animated series Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, Godzilla became so powerful that he drove humans from Earth and defeated everything he came into contact with. Years later, humanity returned to take back the planet, only to find the largest Godzilla ever created. Over 1,000 feet tall and becoming more plant-like, Godzilla Earth single-handedly defeated monsters and humans alike and gained new powers never seen before.
Aside from his gargantuan size, his atomic breath evolved into an electromagnetic beam that has destroyed cities and leveled mountains and was even able to destroy an asteroid comparable to the Moon. He could regenerate cells, lacked thermal temperatures and outsmarted humans and monsters. Few beings in his universe, and ones outside of it, could face him, making him the most powerful incarnation of all time.