GT25's Battle Series: Godzilla vs. Gamera

"MST3K once called Gamera, 'Godzilla with a backpack', and I thought 'Well, one could see him like that'. Now I wonder what the MST3K would call Godzilla if they had seen one of his movies for the first time after watching Gamera."

- gojiratoho25

Godzilla, Lagos Island, and any related material is owned by Toho Co., Ltd. Gamera, Barugon, and any related material is owned by Kadokawa-Daiei Studio Co., Ltd.

Salutations, and welcome to the third installment of the Battle Series. In this series, we see who would win in a hypothesized battle to the death by comparing two warriors from the multitude of universes out there. For this installment and to celebrate the New Year, I will analyze the one battle everyone wants to happen: Godzilla vs. Gamera. To determine the winner, I will compare the warrior's weapons/powers, abilities, strengths/weaknesses, foes, aliases, physiology, and battle experience. Even though most people know who these two are, I will still place their histories for those unfamiliar of the two.

History of the Warriors

Godzilla first appeared in 1954, attacking Tokyo and turning the city into a sea of fire before returning to the sea. Even though the first monster was killed, a second Godzilla showed himself during a battle against the monster known as Anguirus the year after the first attack. The two kaiju soon made landfall in Osaka and destroyed the city as they fight before Godzilla was able to kill his opponent.

While Godzilla will continue to appear in the "Original Continuity", the second Godzilla series discounted all but the original movie of the series. In this series, a second Godzilla appeared in 1984, where he once again attacked Tokyo and tried to set the city on fire. However, Godzilla was tricked into going to an offshore volcano and was trapped in said volcano.

After escaping the volcano and fighting the monster Biollante, Godzilla was supposedly taken from Lagos Island before the atomic fallout and was placed in the Bering Sea. Unfortunately for the people from the future, Godzilla was mutated by atomic fallout while in the Bering Sea before absorbing the energy from a small nuclear sub and became much larger than he originally was.

After this, Godzilla would fight King Ghidorah, Mothra, Battra, MechaGodzilla II, Rodan, Moguera, and SpaceGodzilla before he was killed when he had absorbed too much nuclear energy and suffered a "meltdown" after fighting Destroyah. Fortunately, Godzilla transferred the nuclear energy to Godzilla Junior, who was killed by Destroyah, and revived the young kaiju.

Gamera first appeared in 1965 when he was released from the ice of the Artic when a Russian bomber was shot down by an American fighter jet. After being freed, Gamera set his sights for Tokyo and was able to trash the city before he was sent into space due to the "Plan Z". However, Gamera escaped due to a meteor crashing into the rocket he was trapped in and made his way back to Earth before he was defeated in combat by the monster Barugon.

Gamera came back for a second battle against Barugon and was able to drown the monster in a lake after he was injured by the humans reflecting the Rainbow Ray back at Barugon. Gamera would continue to battle against opponents before he sacrificed himself to destroy an alien race in the year 1980.

In the Heisei series, Gamera was built by the people of Atlantis during ancient times, but appeared in the year 1995 when the monsters known as Gyaos also showed themselves to the world. After the military found the Gyaos to be the greater danger, Gamera and a Super Gyaos fought in a massive battle that ended with Gamera destroying the Super Gyaos.

The next year, Gamera found himself in combat with the creature known as Legion, who unleashed her army of Legion Soldiers against him, easily wounding him. After his victory over Legion, Gamera went around the world to find the emerging Hyper Gyaos and destroy them. Ultimately, Gamera went up against the monster Iris, a mutant Gyaos, and was only able to win after severing his right arm off.

Physiology

Godzilla is an irradiated Godzillasaurus, transformed from the fallout of an atomic bomb while the dinosaur was on Lagos Island. At a height of 100 meters, or 328 feet, Godzilla towards over some of the buildings that he destroys during his trail of destruction in the world.

Gamera is a product of engineering done by the people of Atlantis to combat the Shadow of Evil before their demise. At a height of 80 meters, or 262.5 feet, Gamera towers over many of the structures created by humans.

Verdict: In terms of appearance, Godzilla is a dinosaur and Gamera is a turtle. Godzilla would be the better of the two worlds, since this makes him more believable than Gamera and could do more damage when compared with his foe. The edge in this category goes to Godzilla.

Aliases

Godzilla is also known as "Gojira", "King of the Monsters", "Gigantis", "Monster of Justice", "Big G", "God of Destruction", "Big Gray Gecko" (which is stupid), "Kaiju Alpha", and "Goji".

Gamera is also known as "Gamera the Invincible", "Guardian of the Universe", "Friend to all Children", and "Toto" in the movie Gamera the Brave.

Verdict: Okay, this may not be important, but what the heck! Anyway, I have to go with Godzilla since with the alias "Friend of all Children", um…kind of creepy. That, and "King of the Monsters" is more marketable than "Guardian of the Universe".

Enemies

Godzilla has had many foes, from the terrible duo of Gigan and Megalon, to his mechanical double known as MechaGodzilla, his rival to the west King Kong, and his arch nemesis, King Ghidorah. A few of his foes later became allies, such as Mothra, Rodan, and Anguirus.

Gamera also has had many foes, from the space guard dog called Guiron, to the rainbow-shooting beast Barugon, the mutant beast known as Iris, and the shadow of evil itself Gyaos.

Verdict: So this also doesn't factor into the fight, either, but whoever cares about that? Anyway, I would side with Godzilla, since he has had more time to fight more enemies than Gamera.

Battle Experience

Godzilla has fought 24 different monsters, from his first foe Anguirus to the latest Dragon King imposter Monster X/Keizer Ghidorah. These fights ranged from one-on-one combat to one-on-two combat when not being helped by his allies. If he was defeated by a foe the first time, Godzilla would soldier on and find a way to outmatch a foe during the second battle. This is most likely due to his mind remembering how his foe would fight and counter his foe's attacks.

Gamera has fought 9 different monsters, from his first foe Barugon to the latest kaiju known as Zedus. All of these battles have been one-on-one matches and often Gamera would lose or get injured during the first battle before Gamera returned to the sea to recover. After he recovers, Gamera would fight his foes a second time and would emerge victorious. Most likely, he would remember how his foe would fight and be prepared for the second battle.

Verdict: In terms of how they handle one-on-one matches, Godzilla and Gamera are able to stand their own ground against a foe. However, Godzilla would continue to soldier after a foe while Gamera would recover after he loses a battle. In terms of determination, Godzilla has a mindset of defeating an enemy even if it meant his possible demise. However, Gamera would rather recover and ready his mind for the second confrontation of his enemy. So in terms of battle experience, despite Godzilla having more years of battle, both warriors are nearly identical and neither warrior gets the edge.

Strengths/Weaknesses

Godzilla has extraordinary strength, able to lift up King Ghidorah, who is about 1.5 times the size of the Monster King. He is also amphibious and can dive to the floor of the ocean where he would hibernate occasionally. Despite the weaknesses he has shown over the years, Godzilla has only been affected by the Oxygen Destroyer, a devise that was able to completely liquefy him down to the bones (or in the original film, to nothing).

Gamera has extraordinary strength, able to tear off Legion's nose horn, and is amphibious plus can dive to the ocean floor in order to enter a coma-like state to recover from a battle. One of the best strengths that Gamera has is to retreat back into his shell and fly with jets fired from his arm and leg cavities. However, Gamera can retract his legs and fire jets from his leg cavities while his arms transform into wings similar to flippers which add control and aerodynamics.

Verdict: In terms of strength, Godzilla seems to most likely have the superior strength, while Gamera is not outmatched by the Monster King. Also, Gamera has an advantage with his flying ability while Godzilla can only stay on the ground and in the ocean. Gamera gets a slight edge for his flying ability, but this is questionable since Godzilla has been known to battle monsters who can fly and has defeated these flying kaiju.

Abilities

Godzilla has one of the best regenerative powers in the world of fiction, for the Regenerator G-1 cells are able to quickly regenerate nonfatal wounds. Seeing as he is amphibious, Godzilla is capable of breathing underwater and, unusual for a kaiju like him, can use some magnetic powers such as becoming a living magnet and has shown the ability to reverse electrical shocks back to its source, used against MechaGodzilla II.

Gamera has the ability to absorb fire in order to regenerate his wounds while also using his cells to regenerate wounds. Since he is also amphibious, Gamera is capable of breathing underwater and, much like the Gyaos in the Heisei series, has the ability to manipulate his genetic structure to adapt to his environment.

Verdict: When comparing the regenerating powers of the two kaiju, their cells work in the same way while Gamera has the ability to use fire to regenerate faster than the Regenerator G-1 cells. However, one could make the argument that Godzilla could do the same thing with nuclear energy. I didn't include Gamera's flying since that's more of a strength and I have already discussed that ability.

When comparing the magnetic powers of Godzilla and the genetic manipulation used by Gamera, I find it hardly relevant for either power to be used in the simulation. However, if I had to decide which warrior gets the edge, I am unable to find a defiant and superior ability. So neither warrior gets the edge.

Weapons/Powers

Godzilla's main form of attack is firing a Thermonuclear Beam from his mouth. This blast of radiation is able to cause massive damage, can cause fires, and is able to cause massive explosions. When fighting in close, Godzilla will rely on his teeth, claws, and his tail to overtake his foes.

In the case of being unable to shake off a foe on him, Godzilla can unleash a Nuclear Pulse from his body that can throw any foe touching him off. After he had absorbed Fire Rodan's energy when he had been crippled by Super MechaGodzilla, Godzilla has been able to launch a Spiral Heat Blast from his mouth that can destroy the most powerful of opponents and can cause explosions even larger than himself.

Gamera can launch Plasma Fireballs from his mouth that can destroy normal Gyaos and can harm much stronger kaiju. Much like Godzilla, Gamera can launch a much stronger fireball called High Plasma when he has absorbed enough flames to produce it. Additionally, he has a claw on his elbows that he can use with his teeth and claws as well as, after absorbing mana into his body, launching a Mana Blast from his chest powerful enough to destroy his foe Legion.

Verdict: Despite Gamera's Mana Blast and High Plasma, I highly doubt that Gamera could successfully launch the Mana Blast since Godzilla would fire his Spiral Heat Blast into Gamera's chest as he is charging the attack. In terms of power, I would give the edge to Godzilla for his quick charging Thermonuclear Beam and Spiral Heat Blast.

Category Edge Recap

Physiology: Godzilla

Battle Experience: Draw

Strengths/Weaknesses: Gamera

Abilities: Draw

Weapons/Powers: Godzilla

Verdict: This is a highly controversial battle, for fans of both monsters don't want their favorite to lose. However, after comparing the two monsters, I can't go back and say that this battle will not be done. In terms of the categories, Godzilla has the edge in Physiology and Weapons/Powers, while Gamera has the edge in Strengths/Weaknesses.

I highly doubt that Gamera would win solely because he can fly and Godzilla is unable to. Godzilla has fought many flying enemies and has been able to dispatch them despite being outmatched due to the terrain advantage his foes had. Gamera has also had this happen to him before, so both aren't out of place with this terrain advantage factor.

In terms of the Weapons/Powers, I will say that the Mana Blast could destroy Godzilla if given the chance. However, I think that Godzilla would use the charging of the attack to his advantage and fire either a Thermonuclear Beam or Spiral Heat Blast into the charging attack, causing it to "short out" and possibly take Gamera in a massive explosion. Also, Gamera may have the claw on his elbows to help in close combat, Godzilla could easily counter with a Nuclear Pulse to throw Gamera off him.

In this case, it is a battle between a warrior with better powers and weapons against a warrior with nearly identical powers but with a huge strength on his side. I don't think this battle would take a few minutes, quite the opposite. I think it would take nearly 24 hours, with both Godzilla and Gamera making the other bruised and bloody while their regeneration heals the wounds.

Ultimately, I think Gamera would play the Mana Blast card for the hopes of finishing the battle towards the end. Godzilla, giving the charging of the attack and how vulnerable Gamera would be when charging the Mana Blast, would quickly fire the Spiral Heat Blast and cause the charging attack to explode, no doubt in my mind eliminating Gamera in the explosion.

Possible Winner: Godzilla

Please note that this is just my opinion. I know that many people would say think that Gamera would win against Godzilla, which is why this is called GT25's Battle Series, not so-and-so's Battle series.

Have a hypothesized battle that you want to see? Leave the battle in the reviews or PM me and I would be happy to do it.