Toho Kaiju Popularity Index

Reader survey of kaiju popularity from "Godzilla Magazine" Vol 2 1993 right in the middle of the Heisei aka Versus era. Readers sent in postcards from the first Vol of Godzilla Magazine. The results are just over 900 votes, with Godzilla easily the number 1. Also included was most hated ranking with Jet Jaguar the clear winner. Hedorah the only kaiju to make both lists. 

Favorite Kaiju

1 Godzilla (206). 

2 King Ghidorah (124) 

3 Mothra (108) 

4 Anguirus (84) 

5 Rodan (73) 

6 Mechagodzilla (60) 

7 Battra (56) 

8 Baragon (42) 

9 Biollante (41) 

10 Mecha King Ghidorah (38) 

11 Gorosaurus (21)

11 Gigan (21) 

13 Varan (9)

13 Hedorah (9)

13 King Caesar (9) 

Most Hated Kaiju 

1 Jet Jaguar (59) 

2 Gabara (32)

2 Hedorah (32) 

4 Megalon (28) 

5 Minilla (14)

5 Kumonga (14)

Godzilla Final Wars

Toho decided for Godzilla's 50th Anniversary they would do a big extravaganza again like "Destroy All Monsters". They hired a young up and coming director, chucked it full of daikaiju's and former Godzilla actors. But still had it made in the same short development and shooting time.

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS

Another direct sequel that follows completely different human characters. Made by the same director, who also helped write this time around, and a new effects director.
 

Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack AKA GMK

After the box office was down after "Godzilla X Megaguirus" Toho hired Shusuke Kaneko the director of the Heisei Gamera Trilogy to try and revive the Godzilla franchise like he did Gamera. However Toho made a few changes to the original idea and gave Kaneko a tight filming schedule.

Godzilla Vs. Mothra aka Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth

With the success of "Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah" Toho decided to bring their next most popular daikaiju, Mothra into the new series. They brought back Kazuki Omori to write but he doesn't direct this time, the new director is Takao Okawara. With this entry Toho is releasing a new Godzilla every December.

Destroy All Monsters

What happens when you try to end a franchise with a huge extravaganza? You end up revitalizing to genre into the next decade. Toho took every useable daikaiju suit and made a couple of new ones and through them together into on epic film that ends the golden age of daikaiju movies.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep aka Godzilla Vs. the Sea Monster

Taking a break from the city destruction and world saving Godzilla takes a south seas vacation in a film originally written for King Kong. We also have a new director Jun Fukuda, Sadamasa Arikawa taking a more active role in effects, and Masaru Sato does the score.

Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster

To borrow a term from wrestling, the fifth entry changes Godzilla from the villain, to a tweener. He and Rodan work out their differences across the Japanese countryside. Then Mothra convince them to team up and face the powerful space monster Ghidorah.

Mothra Vs Godzilla aka Godzilla Vs the Thing

The fourth entry into the Godzilla franchise is his last appearance as a pure villain in the original Showa era of films. After hitting box office gold with King Kong Vs Godzilla, Toho decided to pit Godzilla against Mothra who just had her own successful film a few years earlier.