The Top 10 Godzilla Team-Ups – Jet Jaguar, Rodan, Mothra, Anguirus

The Top 10 Godzilla Team-Ups – Jet Jaguar, Rodan, Mothra, Anguirus

by Aaron Neuwirth
March 28, 2024

While he is the irrefutable “King of the Monsters“, Godzilla has recently found himself in the spotlight quite a bit. Between Apple’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series (streaming now), the Oscar-winning hit Godzilla: Minus One, and the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, kaiju fans have had a lot of time to spend marveling in awe of Big G. With that in mind, this upcoming Legendary Pictures movie will presumably be featuring Godzilla partnering up with his previous rival, Kong. Sure, Godzilla has often found himself taking on other giant monsters on his own, or being a party to the destruction of major cities because he (or she) actually just wants to lay some eggs or topple towns because he’s a real mean bastard. However, when the going gets tough, Godzilla sometimes finds himself in a spot where it’s more beneficial for him to have a teammate handy to stop various three-headed dragons, giant cyborg claw beasts, robotic versions of himself, etc. Below is my list of Godzilla’s Best Team-Ups in the franchise’s 70-year history.

For more – read my rundown Stomping Through Godzilla History: Where to Begin & What to Watch.

10. Father and Son – Godzilla and Minilla

Godzilla’s children had to make this list because when it comes down to it – they step in when needed. I feel like kids don’t really need an awkward-looking little monster to bring further appeal to an increasingly kid-friendly monster series, but that’s another story. Minilla is introduced in 1967’s Son of Godzilla and later returns in Destroy All Monsters (1968), All Monsters Attack (1969), Godzilla: Final Wars (2004). Born prematurely thanks to interference from Kamacuras (giant mantises), Minilla is trained by Godzilla to protect himself from other giant bugs. With no atomic breath like his pops, Minilla blows smoke loops, which are not a ton of help. All that said, he does get in his shots during a throwdown against King Ghidorah (it’s a long story) AND helps a latchkey kid stand up to bullies (that’s an even longer story). Not everyone’s favorite, and certainly not a looker, but as a part of the lighter side of things, Minilla is a well-meaning ally.

9. Father & Son Again… – Godzilla and Godzilla Jr.

First introduced as an egg in 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Godzilla’s other child (first known as Baby Godzilla) had quite the epic arc during the Heisei era. Having imprinted itself onto a biologist before birth, Godzilla Junior (then “Little Godzilla”) would go on to interact with the G-Force member through a psychic bond in the movie Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994). In the final Heisei Era film, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995), Junior is grown enough to be a very capable fighter against one of Godzilla’s biggest threats. However, Junior is killed at one point during the battle, only to be revived by the movie’s end as an adult taking over the family business. With more of a dinosaur-like look as it grows up, Junior felt more like the Dick Grayson / Tim Drake to Minilla’s Damian Wayne and certainly gave its all when a true villain was looking to take down the King. I don’t really know where Godzilla Junior would be now through the Heisei timeline as a full-size Godzilla replacement. Still, I’m sure it’s living up to its elder’s legacy.

8. RoboFriend – Godzilla and M.O.G.U.E.R.A.

While Moguera (aka M.O.G.U.E.R.A.) first appeared way back in 1957’s The Mysterians film (directed by Godzilla’s own Ishirō Honda), the robot kaiju (operated by multiple pilots) would ultimately enter Godzilla’s universe in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), helping Big G take on the crystal-enhanced beast (see the gif above). However, even with the ability to split into two parts (Land Moguera and Star Falcon), it would eventually be defeated. Sure, this thing is fast & armed to the teeth, but weak armor is never helpful against an alien clone from outer space. Still, Moguera does end up destroying SpaceGodzilla’s main power source, allowing Godzilla to finish him off. Even with death on the line, teamwork can make the dream work.

7. Lion in the Toho – Godzilla and King Caesar

A guardian deity modeled after Japan’s stone lion statues, when you really look at it, King Caesar is pretty cool and a stand-up ally. For one, this is one of the few characters Godzilla doesn’t have any beef with from the start. True to life, this giant cat gets involved once it is woken up and deems a situation worth dealing with. In this case, we’re talking fighting Mechagodzilla in 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Granted, King Caesar is sadly not one of the stronger kaiju to team up with Godzilla, being beaten by Mechagodzilla on its own and then having Big G do most of the work while battling the alien robot together. Nonetheless, as a creature recruited to keep humans safe, the lack of drama between them goes a long way – long enough for him to let King Caesar live during its mind-controlled reappearance in 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars.

6. The Two Kings – Godzilla and Kong

Here’s the thing with these two – they don’t see eye to eye, and they both see themselves as the best. While plenty of other adversaries are merely challengers to the throne, this IS the “King of the Monsters” vs “King Kong”. With that in mind, their time spent working together is minimal so far. While Godzilla x Kong implies the two will have to team up (no spoilers from me right now), 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla was all about the two fighting each other. 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong movie spent most of the time letting the two alphas battle it out (with Godzilla ultimately winning, natch). The real enemy of the film, however, was revealed to be a secret weapon developed by the Apex company, which, as it turned out, was Mechagodzilla (telepathically controlled by Apex’s chief technology officer using a dismembered skull from Ghidorah… it’s a whole thing). When Mechagodzilla started running wild (breaking free of its controller, because of course it did), Godzilla and Kong needed to work together to stop it. As it turns out, the two champions made for a natural pair, complete with combo moves, weapon assists, and more.

5. King and Queen Combine – Godzilla and Mothra

Perhaps this is controversial, but Mothra is ultimately more of a peacekeeper than a true ally. Therefore, I see other team-ups as more worthy when considering the role the Queen of the Monsters has played in this series. Granted, it’s not for lack of appearances. Mothra has shown up a lot in Godzilla’s history (and even had her own Rebirth trilogy, along with starring in her own movie to begin with). As far as when Mothra has made her efforts to protect humanity by actually assisting Godzilla, 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster found the giant butterfly actually talking Godzilla and Rodan into taking on the colossal dragon (more on that soon). In later entries, she also works with Godzilla to help him battle an upgraded Gigan and Monster X (aka Keizer Ghidorah – yup!) from Toho in Godzilla: Final Wars. In the MonsterVerse, in 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Mothra practically seems like an old girlfriend who decides to lend a hand to Godzilla during a battle with King Ghidorah and Rodan, sacrificing herself in the process (although Mothra does have a long history of being reborn in some way, so who knows if this is permanent).

4. Best Sidekick Ever – Godzilla and Anguirus

With a similar origin to Godzilla and a more diminutive stature than most other kaiju, Anguirus is more of a sidekick than a friend, but a good one. Think of him as the Robin to Godzilla’s Batman (yes, a second Caped Crusader reference for this article, but bear with me). While the two first battled it out in 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again (Godzilla’s first rival for the series), they quickly teamed up in multiple Showa Era films, including Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). The latter would make for their most impressive adventure together, as they had quite the selection of opponents to take on. After talking it out (because Godzilla and Anguirus actually talk to each other in this one) and a little reconnaissance, the two take on Gigan and King Ghidorah together in a brutal battle that leads to a lot of bloodshed (it’s a pretty gory Godzilla movie) but ultimately a victory. The film practically predates Jaws having us watch Godzilla and Anguirus swim back to Monster Island together, having triumphed over their monstrous adversaries.

3. A Friend Forged in Fire – Godzilla and Rodan

Like Mothra, Rodan also got his start in his own movie before going to the Godzilla-Verse. However, there’s a critical difference between the Queen and him that I’ve tried to make very clear over the years – Rodan is a dick. He relishes causing destruction and wears a smile while doing it. That’s never been more evident than in 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, with his finest solo showcase action scene to date. However, Rodan and Godzilla did make for good friends. Initially enemies (as usual when it comes to Godzilla’s desire for dominance), Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) found the two working together after some coaxing by Mothra. This carried over to 1965’s Invasion of Astro-Monster, which had them taking on King Ghidorah once again after Earth was duped into letting the Xiliens from Planet X “borrow” them to fight this battle in exchange for the cure for cancer (this ended up being an elaborate ruse). Even more notable are the events that occurred during the Heisei Era. In 1993’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, not only did Rodan essentially take a bullet for Baby Godzilla, but while dying, he would go on to let his life force regenerate Big G to help him get supercharged to take down the Super-Mechagodzilla. What a pal.

2. Get Me Everyone! – Godzilla and All of Monster Island

Before Marvel’s The Avengers, Toho gave us Destroy All Monsters, which put together an all-star roster of kaiju battling against King Ghidorah (firmly establishing the three-headed creature as Godzilla’s primary nemesis). In this film, following a whole section of the narrative where all the monsters are being mind-controlled by the Kilaaks (this series loves its alien names), a major showdown occurs on Monsterland (the Japanese island that has been converted into a confinement area where the monsters can be contained and researched). This is where Ghidorah must go up against Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, and Gorosaurus, along with some support from Minilla, Kumonga, and Mothra in larval form. Baragon, Varan, and Manda are also present but aren’t really needed for this incredible kaiju brawl. Now, granted, the odds were pretty stacked against Ghidorah at this point (not that he’d care, as he’s one cocky bastard). Still, as far as team-ups go, Godzilla had plenty of reason to put in the order for team jerseys after this one.

1. Instant Besties – Godzilla and Jet Jaguar

🎵 Godzilla and Jaguar, they punch, punch, punch! They are the friends of justice! 🎵 Yes, Jet Jaguar may just be a kid-friendly creation by Toho to capitalize on the popularity of Ultraman at a rival studio, but this colorful robot is also 100% awesome. Only ever appearing in 1973’s Godzilla vs. Megalon movie, this friendly human-sized machine initially served as a companion to two scientists and a young boy, only to realize he would need help stopping a threat to Earth. With the arrival of Megalon and Gigan, Jet Jaguar gained sentience and grew to giant kaiju size so he could take on the others. And that’s not all! Jet Jaguar then decided to recruit Godzilla and form an alliance (literally shaking hands to seal the deal – see image above). Were Gigan and Megalon ready for this major bout of double trouble? No, no they weren’t. Cut to the duo stomping all over the villains, with the well-known epic finishing move of Jet Jaguar holding down Megalon while Godzilla lays out an impossible drop kick on the giant beetle. This instant friendship is a joy to see take place, and it’s a shame Jet Jaguar hasn’t returned since.

B-b-b-bonus! – Mothra, King Ghidorah & Baragon against Godzilla

One more for the road, as 2001’s Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack has a unique set of allies worth mentioning. Part of the Millennium Era, basically an extended anthology series, this film functions as a direct sequel to Godzilla (1954), making Godzilla the villain against everything and everyone. In an exciting twist, Mothra, Baragon, and King Ghidorah (I know, right?) are now Guardian Monsters who must be awakened to stop Godzilla from destroying Japan. It’s not an easy battle for these monsters, with King Ghidorah ultimately getting a lift from Mothra’s sacrifice play (her standard move) to, at the very least, damage Godzilla enough for humans to take advantage of the situation and stop the devastation. A wild approach in one of the most memorable Godzilla films from early in the 21st century.

How will things turn out in terms of team-ups in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire? We’ll find out soon, as the film opens in theaters March 29th, 2024. Are Godzilla and Kong really going to be working together? More importantly, will this be a lasting friendship? One thing’s for sure: Godzilla may be King, but he does have a history of taking on an ally or two at a given moment. Perhaps it could lead to something more long-term. After all, who doesn’t need a hand when it’s time to, I don’t know, move a large refrigerator, or have a partner for monster pickleball? Anyway, a new Godzilla movie is opening soon. As always – let them fight.

Follow Aaron Neuwirth on Twitter + ask him anything about Godzilla movies – @AaronsPS4

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