The iconic 1954 movie Godzilla depicts the monster as the living embodiment of a nuclear attack when he first arrives to destroy Tokyo. The enormous and radioactive figure was terrifying but unexpectedly popular, earning him the title “King of the Monsters” and a massive franchise. In the 70 years since the original Godzilla movie, Godzilla has regularly evolved. Different versions of Godzilla appear and disappear with every reimagination of the character, along with a range of mysterious (and often bizarre) powers.
Godzilla possesses many powers, most famously his atomic breath; this appears in each version of Godzilla, looking like a beam of blue fire that can melt through almost anything. Godzilla’s powers have been known to change slightly depending on the movie, but his ability to block attacks through his virtually impenetrable skin, regenerate, and breathe underwater are all well-known. However, Godzilla appears to have a much wider range of powers than expected, with some abilities that have only appeared once in the Godzilla movies.
10 Godzilla’s Flying
Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (1971)
Due to his enormous size and lack of wings, Godzilla is not the most likely monster to have hidden flight powers, but in Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Godzilla shows that he has a way to make himself airborne. As his enemy, the “smog monster” Hedorah, prepares to escape, Godzilla uses his atomic breath similarly to a rocket launcher, sending him rising into the air and flying backward with the force of this propulsion.
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Godzilla seems familiar with this unusual approach to flying, as he curls his tail around himself to protect it and reduce drag on the floor. The move looks ridiculous, and this technique might have been considered a little too campy to be repeated, even for a Godzilla movie. This could be why Godzilla has only demonstrated his atomic breath flight power once, though Shin Godzilla suggested a future Godzilla form could have wings.
9 Godzilla’s Magnetism
Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
Godzilla movies are often very different from each other, as Godzilla can be an evil villain, an environmentally conscious hero, or an antihero, depending on which version of the titular monster the plot needs. The plot for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is one of the wilder ones, as villainous aliens send a giant robot version of Godzilla to Earth, which wreaks havoc until Godzilla arrives to save the day with another one-time-only power.
After he is struck by lightning multiple times during a storm, Godzilla develops powers like Marvel’s Magneto. Magneto can control metal due to his mutation, while Godzilla appears to become a living lightning rod. Seemingly using the lightning’s power as built-up energy, Godzilla draws metal objects to himself. These include electricity pylons and the evil Mechagodzilla, who is then destroyed by Godzilla and his fellow monster, King Caesar.
8 Godzilla’s Size Changing
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Godzilla’s true size is often up for debate, as the movies have depicted him as ranging from about 50 meters to 300 meters. While the current Hollywood MonsterVerse has set Godzilla at 120 meters, this could change at any time depending on who is directing the movie, and if Godzilla decides to show his size-changing ability again. So far, he has only demonstrated this power once.
Godzilla begins Godzilla Minus One at around 15.2 meters — a relatively small size compared to other Godzilla movies. When nearby nuclear tests cause him to mutate, Godzilla begins growing larger, though this size change might not have been deliberate. In a call back to his size in the original 1954 Godzilla movie, Godzilla is 50 meters tall by the end of Godzilla Minus One, with the potential to grow bigger still.
7 Godzilla’s Rapid Evolution
Shin Godzilla (2016)
Godzilla has always evolved, but one movie showcases this ability to the extreme. Shin Godzilla changes Godzilla lore, making it an outlier, while still part of the Godzilla franchise. Shin Godzilla appears to show Godzilla evolving from his original primordial aquatic form, and adapting to his surroundings at a terrifying pace. Each of Shin Godzilla‘s forms is unique, with different abilities; Shin Godzilla‘s fourth form resembles a dinosaur, with blood that mutates its surroundings.
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Shin Godzilla‘s powers showcase one of the biggest differences between the American and Japanese Godzilla movies. The American Godzilla movies tend to focus on his destructive force and power, like his atomic breath and enormous size. On the other hand, Japanese Godzilla movies like Shin Godzilla often use horror to highlight Godzilla’s origins as an allegory for the effects of nuclear war.
6 Godzilla’s Water Breaching
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (2019)
Depending on the movie, Godzilla’s home is an underwater city or an island. Either way, Godzilla appears to be at home in the water. Though he is sometimes tall enough to stand on the ocean floor and still reach the surface, he is also amphibious and can swim much more rapidly than expected for a creature of his size. However, while viewers are familiar with seeing Godzilla in the water, he demonstrates a powerful new water-related ability in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
As the three-headed dragonlike monster King Ghidorah flies over the ocean, he is taken down by Godzilla, who would have needed to launch most of his body out of the water like a shark or crocodile to reach him. The ability to breach the water’s surface might not be a supernatural power, but it takes incredible strength for a large animal, and this one-time demonstration gave viewers a new perspective on Godzilla’s monstrous physical strength.
5 Godzilla Sending Telepathic Messages
Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (1971)
Most of Godzilla’s powers, like his strength and atomic breath, are centered on his physical strength. However, it appears that the “King of the Monsters” has another terrifying kind of ability, and yet he may have only chosen to use it once. In Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Ken Yano claims that Godzilla sent him a telepathic message. Though Godzilla’s ability to psychically connect with people has been addressed before, it was under different circumstances.
The psychic Miki Saegusa was a recurring character in the 1990s Godzilla movies. Though she could communicate with both Godzilla and his son, she was also able to control them telepathically. Godzilla’s choice to initiate contact telepathically without the possibility of mind control has not yet been seen in other Godzilla movies. If a future Godzilla movie brought in his telepathic ability, the MonsterVerse lore could expand significantly.
4 Godzilla’s Purple Atomic Breath Dorsal Beams
Shin Godzilla (2016)
Shin Godzilla gave Godzilla several new powers in quick succession as he mutated throughout the movie. While Shin Godzilla‘s fourth form did use Godzilla’s signature atomic breath, it took a form that had not been seen before or since. Shin Godzilla showed Godzilla’s radiation as purple, and he was able to send his radiation out of his tail and from between his dorsal plates, as well as out of his mouth in the form of atomic breath.
In Shin Godzilla, Godzilla can activate his atomic breath and his tail beams at the same time, making it difficult to attack him. Though the different versions of the mutating Godzilla are some of the most fascinating in the franchise, part of the horror of Shin Godzilla is his ever-changing form, so it is easy to understand why these abilities only remained for part of this one movie.
3 Godzilla’s Parthenogenesis
Godzilla (1998)
Many movies had made Godzilla a hero by the 1990s, but the immensely unpopular 1998 Godzilla cast the titular monster as a threat to mankind once again. Still, it explained one more of Godzilla’s mysterious powers. Godzilla established that while just one of his species could destroy entire cities, Godzilla was able to reproduce parthenogenically (without needing another member of his species), and the hundreds of eggs he laid could destroy the world.
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Godzilla is confirmed to lay eggs in earlier movies, and it was established that Godzilla had a son in 1967 when the Godzilla franchise introduced the mischievous Minilla in Son of Godzilla. However, while reptiles often reproduce asexually, Godzilla is no average reptile. Before 1998’s Godzilla explained his reproduction with parthenogenesis, it could have been possible that a plot twist was coming, with an unknown member of Godzilla’s species arriving in the form of a mate.
2 Godzilla’s Energy Transference
Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
Godzilla has demonstrated his electrical energy transference power just once, in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, which is not connected to the original Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. In this movie, humans built Mechagodzilla in an attempt to destroy Godzilla, giving the robot electrical shockwave anchors as a weapon. Though they appeared to be successful against Godzilla at first, making him foam at the mouth, the weapons soon backfired unexpectedly.
Godzilla’s atomic breath appeared to have little effect on Mechagodzilla, who converted the power into plasma energy, knocking Godzilla to the ground. However, when Mechagodzilla deployed his shockwave anchors, Godzilla’s internal radiation reversed the electrical charge. The charge then shot back into Mechagodzilla, damaging him. Advances in visual effects since Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II means that he could use his electrical power again to great effect in a later Godzilla movie.
1 Godzilla Talking
Godzilla Vs. Gigan (1972)
Godzilla is supposed to be the physical form of a catastrophe, which is terrifying and should resonate with people across language barriers without needing him to speak. This could be why Godzilla only speaks in one movie, Godzilla vs. Gigan. Godzilla teams up with a fellow kaiju, Anguirus, to destroy Gigan; when Godzilla detects the alien’s signal, the two monsters begin to talk. What happens next depends on the version of Godzilla vs. Gigan being watched.
In the Japanese version, speech bubbles appear onscreen; the American version dubs both monsters as they speak English, while record-scratching noises play over the conversation, distorting the sound. The moment was weird, even for a Godzilla movie, and it has not been repeated since. While there are plenty of opportunities for the next Godzilla movie to showcase some of his rarer abilities, speech is unlikely to be one of them.
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The Godzilla franchise, spanning over six decades, follows the adventures of the titular kaiju, a colossal, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. Originating in Japan, Godzilla has evolved from a destructive force of nature to a protector of humanity, battling various other giant monsters, including iconic foes like King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla. The series explores themes of environmental destruction, nuclear anxiety, and human resilience. With numerous films, TV series, and an expanding universe, Godzilla remains a cultural icon, captivating audiences worldwide with its epic battles and compelling narratives.
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