Toho ’s iconic characterGodzillamay be the most well - knownkaijū(Japanese for ' strange fauna ' ) ,   buthe ’s not the only one either . In fact , Toho ’s ownkaijūverse   has films without the ' Big G ' himself . TheGodzillafranchise come together from other movies Toho made after their successful flagship debuted in 1954 .

Mothra , Rodan , and Varan are just some of the bestkaijūwho look in standalone films before   they were each integrated intoGodzillafilms .   In summation , vie studios came up with their giant monster movies . Some of the bestkaijūmovies that do n’t boast Godzilla , which are the   films that are going to be turn over when compiling this lean .

update on   March   6th , 2021 by Scoot Allan : Giant monster pic fans have been enjoy watching   Titans face off in moving-picture show   like   Godzilla vs. Kong   to   determine who   becomes the top   kaijū , which is just the latest in the fan - favorite Legendary ’s MonsterVerse . Of of course , there are still quite a few   kaijū motion-picture show that do n’t boast the King of the Monsters for fan who are seem to explore the giant monster genre without retreading overfrequently explore Godzilla movies . So today we ’re go away to take a further flavor at a few of the good   kaijū picture without Godzilla , include a few mod return on the musical style that provide exciting new takings to the classic giant monster movie .

Ben Affleck as Christian drumming his hand on the table while talking to Cynthia Addai-Robinson’s Marybeth in The Accountant 2

Pacific Rim Mixed Kaijū Movies With Giant Mecha Anime in 2013

Guillermo del Toro introduced a man under attack from a serial publication of increasingly more dangerouskaijūin 2013’sPacific Rim , which explained the giant monsters as other - dimensional creatures who   were invading Earth through an underwater portal .

Earth ’s only vindication against the giantkaijūwere massive human - piloted mechas known as jaeger that reach famous person status among the outlive population . The movie ’s achiever   resulted in   a 2018 subsequence calledPacific brim : Uprisingthat further developed the singular man .

Many   movies in Toho ’s Shōwa era involved aliens . A good example is the 1970 entryGezora , Ganimes , and Kamoebas : Decisive Battle ! Giant Monsters of the South Seas . Other alternate title wereSpace AmoebaandYog : Monster from Space .

This standalone film has aliens crash on an island in the Pacific and call on ordinary brute   — a cuttle , a   mata mata turtle , and a crab   — into giant monster . With these behemoths under their command , the aliens desire to take over Earth . ThekaijūKamoebas had a cameo inGodzilla : Tokyo S.O.S.

2008’s Cloverfield Introduced A Mysterious Monster that Launched A Franchise

The found - footage " shaky cam " genre dive intokaijūmovie dominion with 2008’sCloverfield , which follow a group of friends at a going - away political party who are forced to empty the island of Manhattan after adestructive attack from a mysterious aquatic devil .

As the monster - dub " Clover " by fans - tore through New York City and the military machine assembled to fight it , looker were capture on the terra firma base of the action , and sometimes above it . TheCloverfieldfranchise is a generally connected anthology series that has left sports fan wanting more from Clover .

Gorgo Was A Gigantic Aquatic Monster That Debuted In 1961

An subaqueous volcano causes an earthquake in the Atlantic , and secret aquatic animals are unleashed . This includes a giant , bipedal beast knight Gorgo . sailor capture the tool without realizing what they have is an infant .

After sell the untried Gorgo to a British genus Circus , the child ’s even larger female parent add up to London to reclaim her progeny , and further topsy-turvydom ensued .

The Host Was A South Korean Film From 2006 With A Unique Giant Monster

Bong Joon - Ho ’s 2006 South Korean monster movieThe Hostintroduced the giant devil known as the   Gwoemul that lead from   environmental dumping dictate by a U.S. military base off the Han River in South Korea .

The disease - carrying monster kidnaps a new miss and terrorise the city while the family of the untested female child seek to track down the mutate monster . The Hostmakes a statement about the U.S. military ’s front in South Korea   ( in a post they created )   while also introducing one of the most unique monsters of the 21st century .

1977’s The Legend of Dinosaurs Featured An Epic Duel Between Prehistoric Monsters

From Toei , the producers behind theSuper Sentaifranchise , Legend of Dinosaurs & Monster Birdsis an obscuretokusatsu(special effects ) movie . In the U.S. , it ’s simply calledThe Legend of Dinosaurs .

In the movie , a Japanese sportfishing hamlet is under attack   by a plesiosaurus with a taste for humans . In the interim , a prehistoric egg has hatched : the contents is a flying reptile , who is flesh out to contend the plesiosaurus until only one creature is victorious .

D-War Is An English South Korean Movie From 2007 Starring Rampaging Dragons

Despite having   westerly actors and being shot part in English , D - War(orDragon Wars : D - War ) is a South Korean fantasy actioner . It stars Jason Behr ( Roswell ) and Robert Forster ( Jackie Brown ) and is lead by   Shim Hyung - rae ( Yonggary , 1999 ) .

According to Korean folklore , dragons are designate to return and ravage Earth . The legend come dead on target and it ’s now up to a reporter   — who is the reincarnation of a sixteenth - century warrior who battled the dragons   — to finish them . D - Warwas a decisive bust , but it was a financial success . A sequel calledD - War II : Mysteries of the Dragonis in the works , seemingly .

2010’s Monsters Explored An Alien Monster-Infected Quarantine Zone

Gareth Edwards directed 2014’sGodzillathat give up off Legendary ’s MonsterVerse , though he began his cinematic career in 2010 withMonsters , which explored a quarantine geographical zone fill with   extraterrestrial monsters that crashlanded aboard a NASA planet on the U.S./Mexico border .

Edwards not only directed the film , but he also design and make the special core which make headway a number of awards following the waiver of the picture . A 2014 sequel calledMonsters : Dark Continentfurther developed the monster - filled world .

Thieves Battle A Giant Underwater Monster In 1998’s Deep Rising

A luxury ocean liner predict the   Argonautica is the locale for crime and affright in this 1998 loge - office bankruptcy . A lone computerized axial tomography burglar and a gang of criminals with a confined boat bunch on an individual basis raid the ship hoping to make a steal , though they shortly get involve in the catastrophe aboard the   Argonautica .

A gigantic and tentacled ocean monster , know as the Octalus , emerged from the depths of the sea to snack on the passengers of the opulence racing yacht and would - be thieves . Deep Risingdidn’t fare well with critics , but it ’s developed a sizable cult following since then due to its unique sea monster .

1953’s The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms May Have Inspired Godzilla

When investigator screen atomic machine in the Arctic Circle , they accidentally awaken a slumbering , prehistoric monster who has been on ice for 1000000 of years . The creature , which leaves a path of death as it channelize for New York City , is invulnerable and only extreme measures   will terminate it .

The Beast from 20,000 Fathomsis conceive to have inspire the originalGodzilla , which came out in Japan the following twelvemonth . The monster in this motion-picture show even breathes ardor , similar to the later King of the Monsters .

Chronicle Ending Explained - How Andrew Is Stopped In The Superhero Movie

A collage image of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope

15 Best Kaiju Movies That Don’t Star Godzilla

Kaiju leaps out of the water at a Jaeger in Pacific Rim 2013

Original Poster for Space Amoeba aka Yog, Monster From Space

Cloverfield Movie Poster Skyline

Gorgo 1961

The Host leaps out of the sea in The Host

The Legend of Dinosaurs 1977

Dragons destroying a building in Dragon Wars

Andrew and Samantha in a jungle in Monsters.

The sea monster sneaking up on a victim in Deep Rising

The Beast From 20, 000 Fathoms

Movies

Godzilla