Every Version of Godzilla, Ranked by Size

The Japanese term kaiju comes from the Chinese word guài shòu, meaning “strange beast,” as found in an ancient Chinese text on mythical animals. These days, kaiju evokes only one image, and that is of Godzilla. It is little surprising that a creature of such formidable stature has become synonymous with the word in the modern lexicon.

Director Ishiro Honda, who brought the titular character to life in 1954’s Godzilla, once said that monsters are tragic beings whose size and strength unfortunately make them villains in the public eye. Over the decades, Godzilla has stomped through the screen, getting bigger and badder with each incarnation. And as the King of the Monsters has grown in size, so has his iconic history.

20 Fans Saw Godzilla Junior Grow Up

After years of portraying Godzilla as an adorable goofball, the Heisei era of Godzilla brought the King of the Monsters back to his destructive roots. Subsequent films gave him a new origin as a kaiju mutated from a fictional dinosaur called Godzillasaurus while also giving him a son from the same species.

Godzilla Junior debuted in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II as an infant and grew up to become a cute little kaiju by the time SpaceGodzilla came to Earth. The series’ final film, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, introduced audiences to an adolescent Godzilla Junior, almost as big as his adoptive father. Although not a full-size adult, Godzilla Junior did not hesitate to take up Heisei Godzilla’s mantle after his death.

19 Godzilla Filius Did Not Have the Stature of His Father

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters was Godzilla’s first anime film from Toho and depicted an alternate timeline. At the start of the 21st century, Godzilla relentlessly attacked Earth, and humanity had to flee to the stars. When they return, eons have already passed on Earth. While the humans manage to kill the beast, they soon learn it was just a normal kaiju spawned formed from the original beast’s cell, like everything else on the planet.

Godzilla Filius, as he was named (filius meaning son in Latin), bears a similar appearance to the Godzilla that terrorized entire nations millennia ago. Its bulky build, long dorsal fins, and pronounced muscle make him look menacing. However, Godzilla Filius is no taller than the 1954 Godzilla and only weighs about half.

18 Godzilla Remained the Same Throughout the Showa Era

Moving away from the grimdark of the original, Toho decided to cater to a family-friendly audience with a new Godzilla, which became the trademark of the Showa era. This remodeled and reinvented Godzilla has appeared in the highest number of Toho-produced films and survived the longest of any other versions of the character.

Popularly known as the Showa-era Godzilla, this second-generation King of the Monsters closely resembled the original design, albeit with rounder eyes and a friendly demeanor to go with Toho’s vision. Thus, he had a similar height and build as the 1954 version, but with all the features removed, that gave him a feral aura.

17 Godzilla (1954) Made a Humongous Impression

For the Japanese audience recovering from the harrowing events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 1954’s Godzilla arrived without a warning. A mammoth monster stomping through Tokyo and leaving behind death and destruction hung heavy on some. On the surface, it may look like regular monster mayhem. But the allegory for nuclear war and atomic testing is plain to see.

Even though the original Godzilla design may look crude or silly by today’s standards, a lot of thought was placed into its creation. With his reptilian appearance and lumbering walk, Godzilla became a menace everywhere he went. He was a 50-foot-tall monstrosity who towered over the tallest structure in Japan at the time, bringing them down at his discretion.

16 Godzilla Minus One Was Barely Taller Than the Original

As part of Godzilla’s 70th-anniversary celebrations, which happens to be this year, Toho released Godzilla Minus One well ahead to avoid scheduling conflict with the MonsterVerse. But critical acclaim and fan hype have kept the conversation going. The film revisits post-World War II-era Japan, invoking memories of the 1954 classic.

Minus One‘s Godzilla is one of the most aggressive incarnations of the kaiju to ever grace the screen. With rugged features and spiky dorsal fins, he even looks the part. When Godzilla first appears on screen, he is no taller than a two-story building. But by the time he enters Tokyo, he has reached a mammoth size that can easily challenge the original Godzilla, both in height and devastation.

15 Zilla Was More Agile Than Big

Hollywood’s take on Godzilla may not be widely popular, but his immense size and impact on pop culture is undeniable. Unlike most incarnations, this version of Godzilla, infamously called Zilla, lacks the usual dinosaur-like features. Instead, it is a mutated iguana that wreaks havoc in New York City while searching for a hideout.

Despite its lanky frame, Zilla is bigger than most early Godzilla designs, especially those from the Showa era. But it is also notably lighter in weight, making it nimble on its feet. Zilla’s anatomy allows it to climb skyscrapers and turn corners quickly, which is the opposite of the usual Godzilla shenanigans of ripping through buildings and causing wanton destruction.

14 The Millennium Godzilla Had a Respectable Build

Before the turn of the 2000s, Godzilla fans vocally demanded a new Godzilla movie from Toho to rinse the bad aftertaste left behind by Tristar’s mess. The result was Godzilla 2000: Millennium – an action-packed affair that returned the franchise back to its sci-fi roots. And at the center of it was a menacing new Godzilla.

Millennium Godzilla was a breath of fresh air. Unlike most others, this Godzilla had green skin and red dorsal fins, which made him stand out immediately. Not to mention a substance in his DNA called the Organizer G-1, which allowed him to heal quickly. Showing a cunning sense of strategy, the Millennium Godzilla used his size to great advantage.

13 Godzilla vs. Megaguirus Confused Fans Regarding Godzilla’s Stature

The Godzilla in Godzilla 2000: Millennium is often mistaken for the one in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. And why not? Both movies came out a year apart, which makes fans mistakenly believe they are part of the same series. But more than that, the latter film reused Millennium’s body suit, which forever cemented this confusion, despite Godzilla vs. Megaguirus telling its own story.

Because Godzilla vs. Megaguirus used the same suit, not only in appearance but also the stats are the same between the two. This Godzilla stands just as tall and just as menacingly as the Millennium one. Even their conniving personality trait are identical. If the Godzilla vs. Megaguirus version of Godzilla wins the round, it is only because of the small details in his design that pay homage to the Heisei era.

12 The Kiryu Series Did Not Change Millennium Godzilla

The Kiryu series consists of two movies – Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, both featuring the fourth incarnation of Godzilla in the Millennium era. But what sells the films is how they give the original Godzilla from the 1954 film a redemption arc. The JSDF salvages the skeleton of the long-dead kaiju and uses it to create the bio-robot, Kiryu. The resulting tussle between Kiryu and a new Godzilla takes centerstage in these movies.

The new Godzilla retains the design elements from the previous films in the Millennium era, along with a destructive persona. The Kiryu series Godzilla has the same height and weight as his predecessors. The only difference is his charcoal grey skin and longer tail.

11 Godzilla: The Series Made Zilla Junior Taller Than His Father

Love it or hate it, Tristar’s Godzilla was instrumental in giving fans new Godzilla content, including an animated series whose production was so secretive that the production team had to use loose representations of the character to storyboard. Developed by Jeff Kline and Richard Raynis, the show aired on Fox Kids and featured the son of the deceased Zilla.

In Godzilla: The Series, Godzilla was a meter taller and significantly more muscular than the 1998 version, making him weigh several metric tons more than him. He is also more similar to the other versions of the characters than Zilla. The series showed a benevolent Godzilla working closely with humans to save the world, with the legendary Frank Welker vocalizing Godzilla’s noises.

10 The 1954 Godzilla Had a Growth Spurt After Death

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is the closest fans can get to a horror version of the King of the Monsters. To teach Japan a lesson for forgetting its past, the vengeful spirits of the dead inhabit the lifeless body of the original Godzilla and come ashore to raze the country to the ground. For the first time, Godzilla’s enemies had to band together to protect the world in a reversal of roles.

Perhaps due to this paranormal possession, Godzilla was taller and heavier than the first time he made landfall. What is known for sure is that this creature is a supernatural entity with large fangs and claws and white pupil-less eyes that stare deep into the soul the longer one looks.

9 The Final Wars Godzilla Towered Over His Enemies

In 2004, Toho released Godzilla: Final Wars to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the King of the Monsters. It was the last film of the Millennium Era before Toho put the franchise on ice. Final Wars gave the world one of the strongest versions of Godzilla, who took on fourteen monsters alone in a single movie and still came out victorious.

The Final War Godzilla stood upright with a frown upon its eyes and a pointy snout that made him look tall and menacing. Although he does not bulk up further or evolve into other forms, Godzilla is tall enough to have a commanding presence over his enemies, with his agility, speed, and powerful atomic breath giving him the upper hand.

8 The Heisei-Era Godzilla Beefed Up

A destroyer, a protector, and a father – the Heisei-era Godzilla showed he could be anything the world needs him to be. The Heisei films form a line of connected narrative, which ignores everything that came before it, except the 1954 film. And like said narrative, Godzilla’s design also remained consistent throughout the series.

The Heisei-era Godzilla was significantly taller than any of his predecessors. Although all seven movies in the series featured the same Godzilla, each film tweaked the design ever so slightly to make their version of the suit stand out. As a result, Godzilla doubled in size from what he was in the Showa era as the series progressed.

7 Singular Point Godzilla Became the Ultimate Kaiju

Godzilla: Singular Point introduced a Godzilla that started evolving rapidly immediately after coming ashore and took on several forms until reaching the pinnacle – the Ultima form. Produced by the animation studios Bones and Orange and licensed by Netflix, Singular Point gets its name from the concept that the show’s monsters come from a singularity, implying that all the kaiju in the show are of alien origin.

Godzilla changes his size multiple times throughout the show, starting with his first form, Godzilla Aquatilis, looks like a whale. Following this, Godzilla evolved into Godzilla Amphibia and later Godzilla Terrestris when he arrived on land, each form making him much stronger and bigger. His fourth and final form, Godzilla Ultima, is terrifying to look at, with a bulky appearance, multiple rows of teeth lining its mouth, and large legs to support its disproportionately huge torso.

6 A Short Film Gave One of the Coolest Godzilla

When budding VFX artist Takuya Uenishi won a Godzilla-themed contest with his fan film G vs. G, he had no idea he would get to work with Toho to make a short film in an official capacity. Following the popularity of Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex, he made a sequel named Godzilla vs. Megalon as part of Godzilla’s 70th anniversary celebrations.

Uenishi’s Godzilla borrows from several incarnations for its design. He has the stature of the Heisei Godzilla, the noticeable lumpy scarring like Shin Godzilla, and the lighting up of his dorsal fins like the MonsterVerse Godzilla. And he even has a Special State that burns white with a similar pattern to Heisei’s Burning Godzilla.

5 The 1978 Cartoon Did Not Disappoint

The Hanna-Barbera studio, creators of shows like Scooby-Doo and The Flinstones, would go on to make a Godzilla cartoon series at the height of their popularity. Simply named Godzilla or The Godzilla Power Hour, the show ran for two seasons from 1978 to 1979 on NBC, airing a total of 26 episodes.

As a kid-friendly cartoon, Godzilla portrayed the titular character as a benevolent kaiju who would help the crew of the research vessel Calico from other kaiju attacks. Yet, the animated Godzilla was mean and green and the tallest incarnation of the King of the Monsters until the introduction of the MonsterVerse Godzilla. Surprisingly, he is significantly lighter than most versions, making him akin to Zilla in that respect.

4 Shin Godzilla Shows the Evolution of a God

Science fiction has often asked a profound question: what would the perfect organism look like? Director Hideaki Anno answered it in 2016’s Shin Godzilla when a mysterious creature rises from the seas, adapts to the challenges on land, and eventually grows big enough to crush Tokyo under his foot.

Shin Godzilla’s terrifying look bears resemblance to the 1954 Godzilla’s scarred skin. This version of the character goes through several stages of evolution. From an aquatic monster to a bipedal beast, Shin Godzilla grows four times in size by the time it matures into the ultimate monster, who only knows one thing – destruction.

3 MonsterVerse Godzilla Is a Heavyweight Champion

After Godzilla (1998), fans and critics alike were skeptical about another Hollywood adaptation of one of Japan’s greatest and beloved monsters. Under the guidance of Legendary Pictures, the Monsterverse has proved all naysayers wrong. The franchise has now grown into a multi-movie shared universe, and this growth spurt seems to have also touched the King of the Monsters.

MonsterVerse Godzilla does not evolve from one form to another. But he does grow considerably in size with each movie. In his latest film, Godzilla x Kong, the Titan grows to about 120 meters, becoming the tallest Godzilla in the King of the Monsters’ cinematic history while reaching about 100,000 in weight alone.

2 Marvel’s Godzilla Was Taller Than the Golden Gate Bridge

Fans often say that the Hanna-Barbera Godzilla was the first to have green skin, decades before the Millennium era. But in truth, Marvel Comics was the first to introduce a green Godzilla in the pages of their comic books just a year ahead of the cartoon. The King of the Monsters rampaged through several US cities in his 24-issue run from 1977 to 1979, putting him on a collision course with Marvel’s many superheroes.

Apart from performing feats of strength and breathing a fiery atomic breath, Marvel’s Godzilla had an astounding size that eclipsed some of the tallest landmarks in America. One of those was San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Godzilla’s sheer size destroyed the bridge in seconds, making him one of the biggest versions of the characters to exist.

1 Godzilla Earth Changed an Entire Ecosystem

Netflix’s Godzilla anime films gave its world a titan so ferocious that the human populace had to flee the planet for survival. When they return, they try to kill the first Godzilla-like being they encounter, hoping to end the King of the Monsters’s reign once and for all. Unfortunately, the creature they killed held only a fraction of his power, and the real Godzilla was now the master of Earth.

Godzilla Earth was a colossal giant, who had grown six times his original size in the 20,000 years he had lived on Earth. His immense size and presence affected the balance of the entire world, as his cells had created a new ecosystem alien to humans. It is by far the most humongous incarnation of Godzilla across all franchises, timelines, and stories.