2024 marks the 70th anniversary of Godzilla, the iconic Japanese monster that launched the kaiju genre into the cinematic mainstream. The original continuity of the film series is the franchise’s longest and most prolific, dubbed by fans as the Shōwa Era in reference to the contemporary Japanese monarchy.
Running from 1954-1975, there were 15 Godzilla movies released theatrically in Japan during the Shōwa Era, from the original movie’s pointed commentary on the dawn of the Atomic Age to the more family-friendly fare the franchise became known for. Many of these movies introduced their own memorable set of kaiju to either team up or go up against Godzilla in earth-shaking showdowns. Here are all 15 Shōwa Era Godzilla movies ranked, from worst to best.
All Godzilla Shōwa Era Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best
15. All Monsters Attack
With Toho Studios doubling down on making the Godzilla franchise appeal more to children while looking to shrink production budgets, this direction was reflected in 1969’s All Monsters Attack. The movie follows an ostracized schoolboy fantasizing about traveling to Monster Island and befriending Godzilla’s adopted son, Minilla, joining him to observe Godzilla’s greatest battles. Saccharine coming-of-age story aside, All Monsters Attack is a glorified clip show of previous ‘60s Godzilla movies stretched out to feature-length, highlighting its cheap production and standing as the definitive low point of the Shōwa Era.
14. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
If Godzilla feels oddly mischaracterized in 1966’s Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, it’s because the main monster of the movie wasn’t originally supposed to be Godzilla at all but King Kong. Godzilla exhibits behavior more befitting his simian counterpart as he battles the crustacean kaiju Ebirah and, in an oddly tacked-on and anticlimactic fight to extend the runtime, Mothra. Slapdash, and with the budgetary limits starting to show, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep just isn’t an especially memorable or inspired entry in the franchise.
13. Invasion of Astro-Monster
After making Godzilla and Rodan heroic figures in the preceding movie, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, 1965’s Invasion of Astro-Monster feels like a weaker retread, bringing back the 1964 kaiju cast of Godzilla, Rodan, and King Ghidorah for a new adventure. The movie has aliens mind control the kaiju in an effort to conquer Earth, while a handful of human characters move to free the monsters and have them defeat Ghidorah and save the day. From recycling old footage to momentum-killing human sequences, this movie feels like a rushed, cheap production to capitalize on the franchise’s success.
12. Son of Godzilla
If there was ever a clear marker that Toho was repositioning the Godzilla franchise more for children by the mid to late ‘60s, it’s 1967’s Son of Godzilla, which debuts the King of Monsters’ adopted child Minilla. After discovering Minilla on a remote island, Godzilla teaches his ward how to use his atomic breath and roar, often to comical effect, while defending him from ravenous enemies like the arachnid Kumonga. Simply put, viewers who have no time for the increased camp in Shōwa Era Godzilla movies are going to detest Son of Godzilla, but it does have an admittedly goofy charm to it and a less formulaic story than many of its contemporaries.
11. Destroy All Monsters
The largest ensemble of kaiju in a single Shōwa Era movie takes place in 1968’s Destroy All Monsters, bringing together virtually every monster Godzilla had faced so far (minus King Kong), along with Varan, Manda, and Gorosaurus. As humanity celebrates finally achieving world peace, the monsters suddenly attack major cities around the planet, eventually revealed to be another mind-control plot by aliens looking to conquer the Earth. While the sheer number of kaiju present is impressive, Destroy All Monsters recycles footage from multiple movies to pad out its runtime and save on visual effects, occasionally giving it the feeling of being cobbled together.
10. Godzilla vs. Megalon
By 1973’s Godzilla vs. Megalon, the franchise had settled into a reliable narrative formula of setting up an otherworldly society that summons a kaiju to attack humanity, with Godzilla intervening to save the day. While its eponymous enemy, the subterranean Megalon, isn’t one of the more memorable kaiju, Godzilla gets one of his wildest allies yet in the size-changing robot Jet Jaguar as they battle Megalon and Gigan who are working for a group of disguised space cockroaches that survived the previous film. While this premise alone should make Godzilla vs. Megalon rank higher, the use of recycled footage from Godzilla vs. Gigan and minimal screen time for Godzilla himself holds the movie back from true greatness.
9. Godzilla vs. Hedorah
By 1971, the filmmakers decided to make Godzilla a monster movie with a message once again, with Godzilla vs. Hedorah warning audiences of the dangers of rampant corporate pollution while pitting Godzilla against a kaiju made primarily from toxic sludge, Hedorah. Godzilla vs. Hedorah is the most psychedelic and moody of the latter Shōwa Era movies, with its fights being more visceral than any other Godzilla movie at the time while presenting the stakes for humanity in an explicitly grim fashion. Still, the movie drags considerably in its second half, biding its time to pit Godzilla and Hedorah in a no-holds-barred rematch that makes the viewers feel every second of that runtime.
8. Godzilla vs. Gigan
After the middling response to Godzilla vs. Hedorah, the studio decided to bring the Godzilla franchise back to the basics by having him fight against his old nemesis, King Ghidorah, along with a new alien villain, Gigan, in 1972’s Godzilla vs. Gigan. The movie has space cockroaches disguise themselves as humans and use Ghidorah and Gigan to attack humanity before Godzilla and Anguirus intervene. Godzilla vs. Gigan plays it relatively safe, and this approach works, delivering a solid, if not particularly remarkable, effort.
7. Godzilla Raids Again
To capitalize on the successful momentum of the original Godzilla, the studio rushed out a direct sequel the following year, 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again. Continuing to depict Godzilla as a relentless destroyer, the movie marks the first time he fought another kaiju, with the spiny, four-legged Anguirus as his opponent. Though the human story feels tacked-on and the visual effects noticeably shoddier than its predecessor, a lot of the moody sensibilities from the 1954 movie carry on into Godzilla Raids Again, elevated by the movie’s black-and-white cinematography, with the 1955 film being the last the series to use this presentation.
6. Terror of Mechagodzilla
The final film of the Shōwa Era, 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla, is also one of its most overlooked and underappreciated, ending this run on a strong note. The alien invaders from the preceding movie, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, rebuild their robotic antagonist and team him up with the aquatic kaiju Titanosaurus in a bid for revenge against Godzilla. And while not as lovably goofy or well-paced as its predecessor, Terror of Mechagodzilla is an entertaining farewell to the franchise’s initial continuity.
Related: Every Entry in Godzilla & King Kong’s MonsterVerse, Ranked
5. King Kong vs. Godzilla
Decades before Godzilla vs. Kong or Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, there was 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, which completely revitalized the Godzilla franchise after a seven-year hiatus. The movie features a revived Godzilla attacking Japan just as King Kong is brought from a remote island in time for the two kaiju to have a seismic showdown. Though Kong’s design is particularly shoddy, the movie is among the better ‘60s Godzilla movies, with genuinely entertaining fights, while the film itself set the narrative template for the Shōwa Era moving forward.
4. Mothra vs. Godzilla
The final villain during the Shōwa Era to depict Godzilla as the antagonist, 1964’s Mothra vs. Godzilla continues the franchise, moving to a lighter, more family-friendly tone. The movie has the fairy twins, the Shobijin, summon Mothra to defend Japan from a resurgent Godzilla despite Mothra’s failing health in the wake of a mysterious egg being uncovered. With its tonal changes and social messaging, Mothra vs. Godzilla is one of the few movies of the era to strike the delicate balance of appealing to both younger audiences and adults, incorporating some camp, but not to the film’s overall detriment.
3. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
It was a bold move to reposition Godzilla as a heroic character after the initial four movies in the franchise depicted him as a mercilessly rampaging villain, but 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster pulled off the tricky redemption arc successfully. When the alien kaiju King Ghidorah attacks Earth, Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra are forced to work together to take the electrical monster down before he can destroy the Earth. The visual effects are better than usual, and the opportunity to see four kaiju all employed dynamically set a high-quality bar for the franchise for years.
2. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
It’s to write the latter movies in the Shōwa Era era as campy fare intended for younger audiences, but that doesn’t mean some of them aren’t entertaining high points in the franchise. 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla features a shape-shifting alien race unleashing its robotic Godzilla doppelganger against Godzilla, Anguirus, and Godzilla’s new ally, King Caesar, in Okinawa. A mix between espionage action and kaiju fights, the movie strikes the tricky balance between embracing the camp and delivering genuinely engaging set pieces while moving at a welcome brisk pace. Mechagodzilla would go on to become one of the kaiju’s most enduring foes, with his debut still standing as his finest moment.
1. Godzilla (1954)
It’s really hard to argue against the original Godzilla still being the best movie in the entire franchise, not just for its significance in creating Godzilla and popularizing kaiju movies but for its sheer quality and introducing Japanese cinema to a global audience. Director and co-writer Ishirō Honda crafted a movie that was haunting in its portrait of Japan recovering from fiery devastation, released when the cultural memory of two atomic bombs dropped on the country was less than a decade old. Hauntingly shot and still the most menacing Godzilla has ever been, 1954’s Godzilla set the template for kaiju movies going forward and was the most emotionally resonant the Shōwa Era ever got.
And that’s all the Godzilla Shōwa Era movies ranked, from worst to best.
