Published Sep 9, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
Nicholas Raymond is an author and journalist based out of Alabama, where he proudly roots for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. A graduate of the University of Montevallo, he has a degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism.
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After a long period of speculation, Godzilla Minus Zero has finally confirmed the inclusion of a second monster. Godzilla Minus One received so much praise for its human element that there were questions about whether a sequel would risk losing that focus by shifting toward monster fights. Comments from Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki indicated it may do just that, but Toho had carefully avoided revealing the presence of another monster in the story.
That has since changed, as the new trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero has made it abundantly clear that there will indeed be another kaiju on hand - namely, King Ghidorah. The roar near the end of the trailer can easily be identified as the one tied to the aforementioned creature, who has a long and storied history in Toho’s Godzilla movies as a hated rival to the King of the Monsters.
Since he didn’t appear in the flesh in the trailer, very little is known for certain when it comes to what audiences should expect from this new take on Godzilla’s three-headed archenemy. However, there are multiple consistencies across Ghidorah’s eight live-action movie appearances, which is more than enough to get a sense of what Godzilla Minus Zero might have in store for its Godzilla when it gives him his first-ever kaiju opponent.
Possessing of two tails, three heads, and a set of wings, King Ghidorah has long been depicted as a fearsome foe to Godzilla. Usually shown to be larger in size to Godzilla, Ghidorah has immense physical strength and a stature that enables him to hold his own against Godzilla on the ground. But, that’s not to say he’s stronger than Godzilla; when it comes to brute force alone, Godzilla usually holds the edge.
A big part of what makes Ghidorah such a challenge for Godzilla in battle is his versatility. Ghidorah is also armed with his gravity beams, which are yellow blasts of lightning that he can emit from all three of his mouths. By shooting three beams of destructive energy at once, Ghidorah is capable of inflicting a great deal of harm both on his fellow kaiju and his surroundings. Making him even harder to beat is that he can fly, thus allowing him to create distance between himself and Godzilla when needed.
The Monsterverse interpretation of Ghidorah in *Godzilla: King of the Monsters *was accurate to the image that Ghidorah had developed in Toho’s movies. He too was a force to be reckoned with, and is arguably the second most powerful Titan in the Monsterverse, surpassed only by Godzilla. He nearly defeated Godzilla, thanks to a new power that the film handed him. In the movie, Ghidorah could draw energy from artificial sources, specifically an electrical grid.
Over the years, Ghidorah has clashed with Godzilla in eight different movies, with the results usually favoring Godzilla. Godzilla has won most of their fights, but it’s important to note that conditions weren’t always fair. With a little help from Mothra, Godzilla and Rodan teamed up to defeat Ghidorah in the villain’s debut film, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. And Ghidorah had little chance of winning against Godzilla and a legion of other kaiju in Destroy All Monsters.
But Godzilla can win when the fights are fair as well. The odds were even when Godzilla and Anguirus worked together to repel Gigan and Ghidorah from the Earth in Godzilla vs. Gigan. Godzilla also got the best of his rival in one-on-one fights featured in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. In Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla technically killed him twice, beating him in his normal form and again when he was rebuilt as Mecha-King Ghidorah.
Interestingly, the only time Ghidorah was clearly the superior force between the two was when Godzilla was facing a unique variation of the kaiju, as opposed to a traditional version of Ghidorah; in Godzilla: Final Wars, Godzilla had to battle Keizer Ghidorah, whose power greatly eclipsed his own. Godzilla ultimately needed assistance from the humans in order to emerge triumphant.
To Ghidorah’s credit, he’s had some notable near-misses. Despite having to fight Godzilla and Rodan together, Ghidorah battled them to what can be called a draw, since only he was shown emerging from the ocean where all three fell to at the end of Invasion of Astro Monster. And though he did lose quite decisively to Godzilla early in King of the Monsters, Godzilla admittedly needed a power-up from Mothra to finally finish off Ghidorah.
Ghidorah’s reputation and track record against Godzilla in Toho’s movies sets the stage for a thrilling showdown, albeit not an unwinnable one for the King of the Monsters. Unless* Minus Zero* opts to drastically increase Ghidorah’s power level or make the gap between him and Godzilla comparable to the situation in Final Wars, Godzilla should be able to eventually overcome him in a one-on-one battle. Ghidorah is unqeustionably one of Godzilla’s strongest villains, but he ranks behind the likes of SpaceGodzilla and Destoroyah.
That said, it’s certain to come with some significant challenges, including one that may be unchartered territory. Provided that Godzilla hasn’t received any groundbreaking new powers, it appears that the gravity-defying blue energy in the Godzilla Minus Zero trailers relate to Ghidorah, which signals that the movie is making some changes to his powers.
Ghidorah’s signature attack may be called the “gravity beam,” but only the Keizer Ghidorah version of the monster could actually alter gravity. It’s possible that **Godzilla Minus Zero **will make the ability’s name more literal. If that’s the case, Godzilla’s impending fight with King Ghidorah could play out differently from their previous meetings, with Ghidorah having an extra tool in his arsenal to deploy against the kaiju.
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Takashi Yamazaki
Takashi Yamazaki