Kong claimed the distinction of being the first and only monster to properly beat Godzilla in the 1962 crossover movie, King Kong vs. Godzilla. The clash of American and Japanese pop culture icons occurred when Toho and RKO collaborated to bring the two monsters together on the big screen for a match that was promoted as “the battle of the century”.

Though attempts were made to give the two a rematch, King Kong vs. Godzilla remains to this day the only film where the two monsters have met- and King Kong only appeared in one more Toho production, 1967’s King Kong Escapes. Fast forward 50 years later and another battle between Kong and Godzilla is finally on the horizon, thanks to Legendary’s MonsterVerse, where the two exist in the same world. In the fourth MonsterVerse movie, the current King of the Monsters will head to Skull Island for a highly-anticipated matchup with Kong, who may be looking to become the new alpha of the Titans. To accomplish this, he’ll have to get through Godzilla.

Though Kong is being regarded as an underdog in Godzilla vs. Kong, the character is actually the only monster who has beaten Godzilla in a fair fight. In the original movie, Godzilla was winning through most of the movie, but the tide turned when Kong was supercharged by a bolt of lightning. Thanks to Kong’s second wind and brand-new electrical powers, he was able to push Godzilla to his limit. The two fell into the ocean together, with only Kong emerging. Some counted this as a tie since what happened underwater wasn’t shown, but Toho later settled this debate by officially declaring Kong the winner in a synopsis.


That’s not the only time Godzilla has lost a fight, but it does differ greatly from all of Godzilla’s other losses; Kong beat Godzilla without help from other monsters. In Mothra vs. Godzilla, the adult Mothra proved incapable of stopping him, forcing her offspring, two Mothra larvae, to subdue him. In Godzilla vs. Mothra, Mothra and Battra had to team-up to drop Godzilla in the ocean. Mechagodzilla successfully changed Godzilla’s course in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, but didn’t obtain a decisive victory. Godzilla simply didn’t pursue Mechagodzilla, and both monsters walked away with significant injuries. In the sequel, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., Godzilla had to be taken down by the combined forces of Mechagodzilla and two more Mothra larvae.

Even Destoroyah, who is widely regarded as the deadliest Godzilla villain ever, couldn’t beat him. It’s also worth pointing out that Godzilla’s greatest enemy, King Ghidorah, is another monster who has never defeated Godzilla (even when he had help). Though Kong had a big advantage thanks to his electrical powers, the fact that no other monster has repeated this feat makes what he was able to do in King Kong vs. Godzilla that much more impressive. However, the MonsterVerse’s Kong doesn’t have those abilities, so the upcoming rematch could easily go the other way.

Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)