Ever sinceGodzilla’s debut in the 1954 Japanese filmGojira(Godzilla), the mighty reptilian, dubbed “King of the Monsters,” has dominated the big-ass monster corner of pop culture. King Kong, his adversary in bothKing Kong vs. Godzillain 1963 and in 2021’sGodzilla vs. Kong, is perhaps the nearest contender to the throne, but let’s face it: no other monster comes close. Not the towering alien fromCloverfield, not the kaiju from thePacific Rimfilms, not the mighty beast behind the infamous “Release the Kraken” line fromClash of the Titans(both the Kraken and the line delivery byLaurence Olivierfrom the 1981 original are the best, in the opinion of yours truly). Godzilla, apart from the godawful Americanized 1998 version, has remained pretty much the same over the years: green, large protruding scales on his back, atomic breath, andthe iconic roar. But if you’re wondering how tall Godzilla is, that answer is much more complicated.
Godzilla’s Height Remained Constant — For a While
Noger Chen, a graphic designer and creative director out of Taiwan, painstakingly researched and developed a stunning piece of art that compares the sizes of every live-action Godzilla, as found inthis 2019 article fromNewsweek. Part of that piece details the first eight Godzilla designs, from the originalGodzillatoTerror of Mechagodzillain 1975. In those 23 years, known as the Shōwa period (so named for the era ofEmperor Hirohito’s reign), the look of Godzilla alters slightly from film to film, but his height remains constant: 50 meters (164 feet). It’s rumored that the height was chosen so that Godzilla would be just tall enough to look over the tallest building in Japan at the time, adding a level of tension for the audience. It should be noted, however, that the Americanized version of the 1954 original,Godzilla: King of the Monsters!, not only cut 40 minutes, rearranged scenes, dubbed the dialogue and broughtRaymond Burrin for some new footage, but Godzilla was stated to be 400 feet tall.
In the nine-year period betweenTerror of Mechagodzillaand 1984’sThe Return of Godzilla, everyone’s favorite Tokyo terror grew 30 meters, up to 80 meters (262.5 feet) from the original 50.The Return of Godzillakicked off theHeisei period, which rebooted the series by discarding the sequels to the original film and making it a direct sequel toGojira. The first two films of the Heisei period,The Return of GodzillaandGodzilla vs. Biollante, would see Godzilla stay at 80 meters before growing to 100 meters (328 feet) forGodzilla vs. King Ghidorah, doubling his size from the Shōwa period. He remained at that height for the remaining four Heisei titles, ending with 1995’sGodzilla vs. Destoroyah.
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The Long and Short of Godzilla in the 2000s
1998’sGodzilla, from directorRoland Emmerich, America’s first real entry into the world of Godzilla, stands alone, a largely derided one-off entry with no ties to Toho or the MonsterVerse to come. But for the record, “Fake Godzilla” comes in at 70 meters (230 feet), the only time Godzilla would be seen on film at that height. Released one year after,Godzilla 2000: Millenniumkicked off theMillennium period, and featured a throwback to the earlier iterations of Godzilla, coming in with a height of 55 meters (180 feet). 2001 saw Godzilla add another 5 meters inGodzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, before returning to the 55-meter height for three more films before hitting that 100-meter mark again for the final film of the Millennium Era, 2004’sGodzilla: Final Wars(which had Godzilla, in a hilarious moment,slam the 1998 American Zillainto the Sydney Opera House, killing him).
2014 introduced a rebootedGodzillafor the American market, launching the MonsterVerse with a far more accurate (and better received) take on Toho’s iconic franchise, with a Godzilla that tops out at 108 meters (354 feet). Toho also rebooted the original franchise with 2016’sShin Godzilla, kicking off the Reiwa era. As far as Godzilla’s height,Shin Godzillais a unique entry in that we find Godzilla evolving over the course of the film, from 28 meters (92 feet), to 57 meters (187 feet), to his final form at 118.5 meters (389 feet). It remains to be seen just how tall Godzilla will be for the upcomingGodzilla Minus One, although there is speculation that he is in that 55-meter height of the Millennium era.
The MonsterVerse Godzilla’s Height Impacts His ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Castmate
SinceShin Godzilla, the unrelated (but faithful) MonsterVerse Godzilla has been in two more films:Godzilla: King of the MonstersandGodzilla vs. Kong. Both of those pictures see Godzilla at his all-time tallest, a whopping 119.8 meters (393 feet), which should see him as a no-brainer pick for the monster basketball team. Yet it isn’t Godzilla’s height in these films that is interesting, but rather his castmate in the latter:King Kong. The first time the pair met, in 1962’sKing Kong vs. Godzilla, Kong was 148 feet tall. InPeter Jackson’s epic remake of the film in 2005, he shrank to 25 feet tall. 2017’sKong: Skull Islandhe was four times that height: 104 feet. But a fight where a 104-foot ape takes on a 393-foot lizard would be over almost as quickly as Godzilla’s epic battle against Bambi in the 1969 shortBambi Meets Godzilla, so Kong enteredGodzilla vs. Kongat 335 feet, still smaller than his foe but a much fairer battle (the discrepancy between 2017 and 2021 is explained by Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly) inKong: Skull Islandwhen he says “Kong’s the last of his kind, but he’s still growing.")
The next time we see the King of the Monsters will be later this year when Toho’sGodzilla Minus Oneopens on November 1, and in the MonsterVerse’s Apple TV+ seriesMonarch: Legacy of Monsters, set for a fall release. Where we won’t see Godzilla is in real life, with an amusing, but veryscientific, rationale given by paleontologistMike Habibas to why (Godzilla’s heart would have to be thousands of tons and fill up his chest just to get blood to his brain, for example). And in a way, that fact alone is a little comforting.
