The Monsterverse is full of epic Titan battles, but not all of them are crafted with the same level of creativity or ferociousness. Now spanning two TV shows and five Monsterverse movies, Legendary Pictures and Toho’s Godzilla continuity has created some of the best kaiju fights ever put to screen in the modern age. That being said, there is a clear hierarchy to which giant monster battles are the most enjoyable to watch, with some being easily outclassed by others.
There are several obvious pieces of criteria by which the Monsterverse’s fights can be ranked. The duration, environment, number of Titans present, and level of fight choreography are all fine points to consider, with the best Monsterverse battles getting creative with all of these aspects. Above all else, a properly satisfying finishing move will get the highest of marks. Of course, it goes without saying that the Monsterverse’s many off-screen fights won’t be up for consideration for the best in the franchise, being only disappointing cutaways or background pieces of news footage.
15 Godzilla Vs. Tiamat
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Barely above the level of an off-screen fight is Godzilla’s battle with the Titan Tiamat in the frigid waters of the Arctic. Looking to secure his dominance of the surface world, Godzilla seeks out more and more power, including a mysterious pink energy apparently harnessed by the previously-unmentioned Titan Tiamat. An eel-like leviathan living in an icy lair, Godzilla swims to the Arctic to face Tiamat on her home turf.
This fight barely registers as a proper monster battle, being over before it even really begins. Though Tiamat makes an attempt to strangle Godzilla by coiling herself around him, the King of the Monsters quickly summons his nuclear breath, blasting her to pieces that slowly float up to the ocean’s surface. Not only is Godzilla and Tiamat’s supposed fight to the death tragically short, but the majority of it isn’t even clearly shown on-camera. How exactly Godzilla achieves his new form through absorbing Tiamat’s power also remains a mystery.
14 Godzilla Vs. The Ion Dragon
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Being an Apple TV+ streaming exclusive, it’s not a surprise that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is quite lean on actual monster battles compared to the movies. The majority of the series’ runtime is focused on the boots-on-the-ground human plotline, which haphazardly runs underfoot from Titan menaces like the Ion Dragon, the antagonistic new Titan introduced by the show.
The Ion Dragon gets its comeuppance the instant Godzilla meets it in combat, walking through an open rift. While the battle looks almost as good as anything in the movies, it’s quite short-lived, with Godzilla lazily tossing the Ion Dragon aside and into another rift. Still, at least the battle shows off the new monster’s unique abilities, such as a spiked prehensile tail, agile wings, and a nasty-looking oozing breath weapon it manages to land on Godzilla’s hide.
13 Kong Vs. Kraken
Skull Island
Not to be confused with Kong’s debut in the Monsterverse, the movie Kong: Skull Island, the prequel animated series Skull Island goes further in-detail with Kong’s origins through the lens of another group of survivors who find themselves stranded on the mysterious isle in the 90s. Again, like Moncarch: Legacy of Monsters, the human characters and their own close calls with monsters is the main point of focus here. However, the series does feature one prominent Titan vs. Titan battle as Kong enters a re-match with an old nemesis, the Kraken sea monster.
The Kraken is a wonderfully unique aquatic design for a creature, having multiple different types of tentacles, crushing claws, and bioelectric powers that all make for a fearsome opponent. While this fight’s choreography is quite good, it’s let down by the series’ awkward animation, which doesn’t do justice to Kong or his opponent. It’s a shame this fight was wasted in the underdeveloped spin-off series rather than being included in a big-budget Monsterverse movie.
12 Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah In The Sea
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
The second battle with Godzilla’s hated nemesis, King Ghidorah, in Godzilla: King of the Monsters might be the weakest monster battle of the film, but represents a huge step up in quality in Monsterverse fights as a whole. In this brief scuffle, Godzilla takes on Monster Zero in his home turf, the ocean, using his aquatic abilities against the flying invasive species. Shortly after King Ghidorah makes short work of Rodan off-screen, Godzilla resurfaces to take another crack at taking down his new rival.
In the water, Godzilla is in his natural element, while the massive and awkward body of King Ghidorah struggles to mount any sort of defense. Amazingly, Godzilla manages to actually rip off one of King Ghidorah’s heads, landing a seemingly decisive strike on the alien beast. Sadly, before a victor can be declared, the humans take the chance to hit both monsters with the experimental Oxygen Destroyer weapon, cutting the fight short. Just as this battle begins to get interesting, human intervention allows King Ghidorah to escape, growing back his severed head.
11 Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah In Antarctica
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
As cool as Godzilla and King Ghidorah’s second battle is, the two’s first confrontation in Antartica outclasses it. As King Ghidorah emerges from deep within his icy imprisonment, he begins wreaking havoc on the Monarch base, presenting one of the most threatening Titans the world had ever seen. Luckily, Godzilla soon appears to test his mettle against his fellow apex predator.
The setting and cinematography of these fight allows for some breathtaking shots, such as Ghidorah’s first flexing of his wings amid the Antarctic snowstorm, showing off just how much a threat he is. The moment King Ghidorah dodges Godzilla’s nuclear breath and strikes back with his own triple gravity beam drives home just how experienced of a fighter the beast was prior to coming to Earth. Sadly, this sequence is held back by a mostly human perspective, keeping large chunks of the action from being clear due to obscuring weather and shaky cam.
10 Godzilla Vs. Scylla
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Godzilla’s brief scuffle with the original Monsterverse Titan Scylla might not be the lengthiest or most well-choreographed action scene. That being said, the sheer spectacle it manages to deliver on in a short amount of time more than makes up for its shortcomings. In Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, it’s explained that Godzilla has been maintaining his grip on the surface world as King of the Monsters, occasionally taking down uppity Titans like Scylla who step out of line.
Previously seen bowing down to Godzilla in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Scylla’s arthropod body and tentacles make for quite a striking profile. However, Godzilla easily takes her down, stabbing her with her own limbs and firing his atomic breath to produce a fantastic shower of green blood. The cherry on top of the fight is Godzilla curling up like a cat and falling asleep in the Roman colosseum shortly afterward. Even if it’s a quick one, Scylla’s brief skirmish with Godzilla is a great thesis statement of his strength as a Titan.
9 Kong Vs. Skar King
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
image via Warner Bros. Pictures
Getting into the truly noteworthy battles, Kong’s first confrontation with the insidious Skar King in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire shows off just how well the Monsterverse can characterize inhuman protagonists. After discovering Skar King’s lair, Kong challenges him to a public duel, clearly presenting himself as a contender for Skar King’s throne. Skar King is a unique kaiju villain in that the majority of his power comes socially, holding leverage over the apes via his control of the frost Titan Shimo.
That’s not to say that the Skar King is a slouch in combat, utilizing his long reach, slinky, agile frame, and spine whip to their full advantage. However, up against Kong’s sheer brute strength and brutality, he ultimately stands little chance, forcing him to sheepishly retract the duel and call forth Shimo to dispose of the interloper. This contest of strength may be fairly one-sided, but it at least sets up the characterization for both Kong and Skar King quite brilliantly while still making use of the latter’s unique fighting style.
8 Godzilla Vs. Kong Over The Ocean
Godzilla vs. Kong
King Ghidorah isn’t the only opponent Godzilla attempts to leverage his dominance in the sea against, as he intercepts a Monarch battlegroup containing a ship hauling none other than Kong himself. Fearful of Godzilla’s approach, Kong wakes up, scanning the water for trouble and leaping from boat to boat. It soon finds him as Godzilla breaches the surface, kicking off the first round of the film’s promised title fight.
Using an aircraft carrier as a platform, Kong holds his own in a drag-down slugfest against Godzilla, leveraging his simian fists. However, he’s no match for Godzilla’s atomic breath, though he’s able to demonstrate his superior intelligence and instincts by dodging it at the last second. Of course, Kong barely escapes with his life when the fight goes to the open ocean, nearly drowning in Godzilla’s clutches. This fight has no satisfying conclusion and presents some difficulties in the consistency of Godzilla and Kong’s size, but is still an entertaining bout.
7 Kong Vs. The Giant Skullcrawler
Kong: Skull Island
The events of Kong: Skull Island once again focus more on the humans inhabiting the dangerous locale than it does on Kong himself, with the majority of the flora and fauna easily bowing down to Kong’s might. The glaring exception are the cave-dwelling Skullcrawlers, who kill the most humans of Skull Island’s food chain of hostile wildlife. A particularly big Skullcrawler specimen faces off against Kong in the final showdown of the film, presenting a gripping action scene.
Here, Kong leverages his simian intelligence to use a massive ship chain and propellor blade as a makeshift flail, later wrapping it around his fist to form a sort of kunckleduster. However, the best part of this battle is easily Kong’s finishing move on the creature, in which he reaches into its throat and messily rips out its G.I. tract from the inside out. If only the Skullscrawler was a more noteworthy enemy, this fight could’ve been rated even higher.
6 Kong Vs. Apes
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Thinking himself to be the sole surviving member of his race, the moment Kong comes across others of his kind in the Hollow Earth is a big, emotional reveal in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. This beat is made all the more disheartening due to their immediate hostility towards him, quickly registering him as a threat to the Skar King’s supremacy. It’s here that the Monsterverse establishes that Kong is especially strong even for a member of his race, taking on multiple foes at the same time.
It’s great to see the conflicted emotions Kong has during this fight, not wanting to hurt the only other members of his species he’s ever met while still needing to defend himself. This internal conflict, told through body language alone, is juxtaposed in the fight by one of the most ridiculous moments in the Monsterverse ever, in which Kong wields the infant ape Suko like a pair of nunchucks, batting aside the other apes with his flailing body. Getting closer to the best Monsterverse fight, this battle is only outclassed by the biggest action finales in the series.
5 The Hong Kong Battle
Godzilla vs. Kong
The final round in the ongoing battle between Godzilla and Kong in their first Monsterverse crossover, the final battle of Hong Kong has a lot to appreciate. The battle starts off heated, with Kong leveling the playing field with his Godzilla-scale ax to absorb and deflect Godzilla’s atomic breath. He even references the original King Kong vs. Godzilla in 1962 by stuffing it into his mouth like a tree. The more vertical environment of Hong Kong’s bustling metropolis also allows Kong to get more use out of his ape agility, putting the two on a more even playing field.
While Godzilla ultimately wins against Kong, Kong rises again after Mechagodzilla enters the picture, teaming up with the Titan he was just fighting to the death to put an end to the mechanzied menace once and for all. It’s quite satisfying to see the two finally work together against a common enemy after spending an entire movie feuding. Unfortunately, this fight is ruined by the dumb convenience of Josh pouring liquor on Mechagodzilla’s control panel to stun him at a key moment, tying the events of the battle to one of the most nonsensical scenes in the Monsterverse.
4 Kong, Mothra, And Godzilla Vs. Skar King, His Apes, And Shimo
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
The most crowded fight of the Monsterverse also manages to be one of its most spectacular, with Godzilla and Kong’s final team-up against their evil ape-and-lizard counterparts making for an excellent action climax. Successfully recruiting Godzilla to his cause, Kong dives back into Hollow Earth alongside Mothra to confront him head-on and prevent another ice age. What follows is a dizzying Zero-G battle as gravity is briefly disabled, making for a singularly unique setpiece as Kong, Godzilla, and Skar King all leap from platform to platform.
Following that, the action breaches the surface in Río de Janeiro, in which the opposing forces are whittled down to just Godzilla, Kong, Skar King and Shimo. There are lots of cool moves to appreciate, like Skar King throwing a building with his whip or Shimo unleashing her frost breath on Kong. Even Suko gets his licks in, using Kong’s ax to destroy Skar King’s coveted crystal. That being said, the fight is held back by feeling slightly weightless, even once gravity is reintroduced, lacking the raw impact of the Monsterverse’s very best brawls.
3 Godzilla vs. MUTOS
Godzilla
2014’s Godzilla was more about destruction than monster-on-monster action, with the camera frustratingly cutting away before Godzilla and the insect-like MUTOs have the chance to duke it out. While Godzilla seemingly chases off the sexually dimorphic pair of mated MUTOs on their own, together, they pose a much more significant threat to him. Here, Godzilla finally gives its earth-shaking monsters room to breathe by allowing them to fight uninterrupted.
Godzilla certainly has his hands full with the MUTOs, with the larger, bulkier female nearly matching him in raw strength while the nimble flying male dances around him. Luckily, Godzilla is able to divide and conquer, separating the beasts before taking advantage of their simple minds, sneaking up on the female. The moment in which Godzilla breathes atomic breath down the MUTO’s throat until its head falls off established the Monsterverse’s excellent tradition of brutal finishing moves. It’s a shame the action of this fight couldn’t be just a little bit clearer.
2 Godzilla Vs. Kong In Egypt
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Despite Godzilla vs. Kong literally being titled after Godzilla and Kong’s battles in the film, their best fight easily comes later in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The sequel exposits that since the events of the former film, Godzilla and Kong have entered an uneasy truce, with Kong ruling the Hollow Earth and Godzilla ruling the surface. Knowingly breaking this truce to get Godzilla to his location so he can join him in the fight against Skar King, Kong bellows a mighty roar heard around the world, prompting a response from Godzilla.
Seeing Kong attempt to reason with Godzilla with worry in his eyes only to be tackled through one of the pyramids of Egypt never gets old, not to mention the suplex from Godzilla that follows. It’s no wonder the moment has turned into a meme since, poking fun at Godzilla and Kong’s frenemy relationship. The fight itself has plenty more in the tank after that, with a vicious pounding from Kong’s new cybernetic arm and a devastating blast from Godzilla’s new pink atomic breath. If the fight wasn’t cut short by Mothra, it could easily be the franchise’s best.
1 Godzilla And Mothra Vs. King Ghidorah And Rodan
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
For all the criticism and commercial failure Godzilla: King of the Monsters may have suffered from upon release, it can at least be said to contain the most incredible fight sequence of the entire Monsterverse thus far. Godzilla enters his second rematch with King Ghidorah with Mothra at his back, though Ghidorah himself also retains reinforcements from Rodan. Re-energized by Serizawa’s nuke, the four Titans enter the fray in a brutal tear-down fight through the Boston city skyline.
Mothra’s tragic death lends the fight a certain amount of emotional impact, but her sacrifice to give one of Godzilla’s strongest power-ups ever doesn’t go wasted. Hot enough to make steel melt from sheer proximity to him, Godzilla unleashes an annihilating wave of nuclear energy, finishing off King Ghidorah by ripping his head off, placing it in his mouth, and vaporizing it from the inside out with a final burst of atomic breath. Gory, exciting, emotional, and epic in the true sense of the word, Godzilla: King of the Monsters‘ final fight is easily the best of the Monsterverse.