Since 1954, Godzilla has been a mainstay of the big screen, with the giant lizard standing tall in films like Godzilla Minus One and Legendary's Monsterverse movies.
Starting as a metaphor for nuclear disaster in post-war Japan, the iconic Kaiju evolved into so much more, appearing in 38 films and standing as the "longest continuously running film franchise" (according to the Guinness Book of World Records).
Produced by Toho in Japan and Legendary Pictures stateside, Godzilla now shows no sign of slowing down, winning an Oscar award for its latest iteration in 2023's Godzilla Minus One.
How Tall Is Godzilla In Every Movie?
Over his 70-year history, Godzilla has appeared in many forms. From tall to taller, here is just how big the beloved movie monster is in every Godzilla film:
Godzilla (1954) to Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
Height: 164 feet
Kicking things off was the original Toho Godzilla as seen in 1954's Godzilla. This particular iteration of the giant lizard clocked in at 164 feet - not necessarily towering over buildings but still a threat to humanity's concrete jungle nonetheless.
This version of the character appeared in 15 total movies between 1954 to 1975, making him the Godzilla with the most total film credits to his name.
Return of Godzilla (1984) & Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
Height: 262 feet
Following 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla, Toho gave Godzilla a breather after more than 20 years of box office domination (at least in his home nation of Japan). But, as most G-fans know, one can only keep the scaly kaiju down for so long.
In 1984, he would return to theaters with a new redesign that upped the size factor, bringing the movie monster up to 262 feet.
This take on the towering titan only lasted for two movies before getting sized up again, appearing in 1984's Return of Godzilla and 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante.
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
Height: 328 feet
After getting a glow-up heading into the '80s, Godzilla left the decade getting yet another monstrous makeover. This time, as Toho entered the 1990s the movie studio bumped up the size factor yet again for the King of the Monsters. This new version of the character would be the biggest yet and the largest fans would see for some time, measuring at 328 feet.
Godzilla would remain this size for much of the '90s, leading five Japanese-language films in just as many years.
Godzilla (1998)
Height: 229 feet
For the first Western take on Godzilla (seen in 1998's aptly titled Godzilla), the creative team shrunk Toho's tail-whipping titan down to a size not seen since his comeback in 1984. The '98 take on the character was a measly 229 feet, standing not even a sixth of the size of New York's Empire State Building.
The Matthew Broderick-led American blockbuster also significantly scaled back the powers of Godzilla as well as redesigning the monster for the film. The movie was met with widespread critical disdain, and the '98 version of the kaiju was never seen again.
Godzilla 2000 (1999) to Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
Height: 180 feet
Ringing in the new millennia, Toho debuted yet another new version of Godzilla for Japanese audiences. Recovering from the critical disaster of 1998's Godzilla in the West, the Japanese movie house went back to square one with the character, scaling him down to 180 feet. This would be the shortest the scaly superstar had been since his original 15-film run from 1954 to 1975.
The 180-foot Godzilla would stand tall for four movies from 1999 to 2003, with a slight sizing detour in 2001.
Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Height: 196 feet
The lone exception to Godzilla's 180-foot reign in the early '00s was the character's appearance in Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. In this 2001 monster mash-up, Godzilla would be scaled up a tad to 196 feet.
While some may wonder why the Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Godzilla was different, it is likely because the film takes place outside the Godzilla 2000 continuity, happening in an alternate timeline where the original 1954 Godzilla is reanimated and possessed by the spirits of those who died during World War II.
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
Height: 328 feet
After being shrunk down to a figure so close to his 1954 original appearance, Godzilla was beefed back up to his previous record-setting mark of 328 feet for 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. Marking the culmination of Toho's Godzilla 2000 initiative, the character's Final Wars appearance was seen as directly poking fun at the underpowered American take on the character seen in 1998's Godzilla.
This gargantuan Japanese titan would go as far as to kill off the 1998 version of the character in the film, showing - in a meta-commentary - who the true king of the monster movie was/is.
Godzilla (2014)
Height: 354 feet
After the disaster that was Godzilla (1998), Western studios stayed away from the character for nearly 20 years, afraid another kaiju-sized mishap may befall anyone who was to tackle it. That was until Star Wars: Rogue One filmmaker Gareth Edwards got his hands on the property, kicking off Legendary's Monsterverse with 2014's Godzilla.
The film would feature a new (more traditional) take on the beloved movie monster, setting a new high watermark for the character's sheer size. This new American version of Godzilla would be the tallest yet at 354 feet.
Shin Godzilla (2016)
Height: 388 feet
Serving as Toho's first Japanese Godzilla release in over a decade, Shin Godzilla hit theaters in 2016. After the response to Legendary's Godzilla movie, Toho knew it had to make a change to its iconic character, giving him a 2010 makeover and setting the record yet again for the biggest version of Lizzy seen on-screen yet.
Shin Godzilla went all out with this Godzilla redesign, bringing the character up to 388 feet, leaning into just how powerful the kaiju can be on the big screen.
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017) - Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2019)
Height: 164 feet/ 984 feet
Known as Godzilla Earth, this version of the character appeared in three animated Netflix movies based on the Toho IP released from 2017-2019. Godzilla Earth would take its initial height from the character's 1954 origins, standing at 164 feet tall.
However, the films would also introduce a new version of the monster. Jumping 20,000 years into the future, the animated Planet of the Monsters trilogy showed moviegoers just how big Godzilla can get, with this future take on the lizard coming in at a whopping 984 feet tall, marking the tallest iteration of Godzilla ever put to screen.
Godzilla: King the Monsters (2019) to Godzilla x Kong (2023): The New Empire
Height: 394 feet
Following his appearance in 2014's Godzilla, the Monsterverse continues with a slightly taller Godzilla. Coming in at 394 feet, this supersized kaiju stood 40 feet taller than his 2014 form. It is unknown why this growth spurt happened, but one can assume as the character started interacting with other titans, it was down for scaling purposes.
The 394-foot version of Godzilla is Legendary's current take on the character, appearing in 2019's Godzilla: King the Monsters, 2021's Godzilla vs Kong, and 2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Height: 164 feet
Last but certainly not least is the only iteration of Godzilla to have ever won an Academy Award. Godzilla Minus One saw the giant monster brought down to earth a bit, as Toho, yet again, went back to basics with its movie monstrosity.
As Minus One was a much more grounded kaiju tale (as grounded as a movie about a giant monster can be), telling a tale of post-war Japan and the collective trauma that came with the dropping of the nuclear bombs, it seemed fitting to ground Godzilla a little as well, taking him back to his 164-foot height seen in the 1954 original movie.
Godzillas x Kong: A New Empire comes to theaters on Friday, March 29.
