Let’s start with some clarification: There are many versions of Mechagodzilla. There’s the alien robot from the Shōwa Era; the human-built mecha from the Heisei Era; the other human-built mecha from the Millennium films, codenamed Kiryu, which is powered by the original Godzilla’s soul (kind of); and the evil Mechagodzilla from “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which is powered by Ghidorah’s brain (kind of). There’s even an anime version, but we don’t ever really get to see that one in action (rude, Toho — we crave the robots).
As with the other entries on this list, we’re considering all forms of Mechagodzilla in aggregate. And the data places him at a respectable but definitive bronze medal spot. The Shōwa version of Mechagodzilla is cool, but it doesn’t necessarily show that much more power than other leading kaiju from the era. The suped-up version seen in “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II,” aptly called “Super Mechagodzilla,” nearly achieves victory over its biological counterpart, and without the intervention of Rodan, it likely would have. In 2002’s “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla,” the battle ends in a stalemate, but in the direct sequel, Kiryu finally vanquishes Godzilla (with some help from Mothra).
The MonsterVerse version loses, but in a one-vs-two battle against both Godzilla and Kong. Against either of them individually, the mecha would have had much better odds. With such an impressive resume, you could argue that Mechagodzilla deserves to be even higher on this list, but he can’t quite breach the greatest rivalry in the history of kaiju cinema.
