Ensemble Dark Horse / Godzilla

• Poor Anguirus - he crawls around on the ground, he's got no flashy beam-weapons, and whenever he appears you know it's just so Godzilla or the new Monster of the Week can beat him up to show how tough they are. For this reason, a lot of fans who feel sorry for him name Anguirus as their favorite kaiju.
  • Just a punching bag? Anguirus nearly took down Gigan all on his own - which is no small feat, considering that Gigan is one of the few kaiju that is truly on-par with Godzilla himself.
  • Let's not forget that he was Godzilla's very first opponent and nearly won! Plus, as noted above, he matched Gigan and was one of the three kaiju who directly kill one of King Ghidorah's heads in Destroy All Monsters. Punching bag my ass.
  • In the Mark Cerasi Godzilla novel series, Anguirus fights and defeats Gigan by himself, after the cyborg monster totally obliterates several Russian cities and new cosmodrome, and pulls him into the Baltic Sea to his death. Later on Anguirus twice battles the Russian-built super-robot MOGUERA and nearly wins both times (he is defeated, but merely sedated so he can be kept in an enclosure).
• Don't forget Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack! The movie features Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah and some other monster who appeared for five seconds in Destroy All Monsters and who doesn't even make it to the final showdown. Which just means little Baragon went up against Godzilla all by himself!
• Tristar's Godzilla (later turned into a separate character named Zilla by Toho in Godzilla: Final Wars) has slowly become this in recent years. While most fans, Toho, and even suit actors of past incarnations of Godzilla have been very vocal about their disdain for this incarnation, some have come around to appreciate him as his own monster. Perhaps it's because of the animated series, Tatopoulos design and sketches, the idea of a Kaiju who's speciality is speed and intelligence rather than strength and power (though he does have some strength, just not enough to compete with heavy hitters), or they just simply like his portrayal as a Villainous Underdog in Rulers of Earth. With some are hoping that he gets a proper film under Toho's direction (now that the World of Godzilla Cinematic Universe is thing) outside of simple cameos.
  • It should be noted than in countries outside of Japan and the United States, such as Hungary, the monster and it's movie had a much more warmer reception, this is probably because they've never had a proper Godzilla film dubbed nor released in Hungary at the time of the 1998 film's release.
• Hell, nearly every Toho Kaiju is an Ensemble Dark Horse of one kind or another. The most notable examples besides Anguirus are: Biollante, a gigantic rose/Godzilla/human hybrid that operates on sheer terror; Gorosaurus, the giant Tyrannosaurus rex from King Kong Escapes who got a Moment of Awesome in Destroy All Monsters! (Heck, if fellow Ensemble Dark Horse Baragon's suit hadn't been so damaged, he might not have appeared at all!); and Mechagodzilla, Godzilla's Humongous Mecha Evil Twin that always gives the King a run for his money.
• BAGAN. The one Monster in the series that to this day is still no where to be seen except on one video game, but is one of the most powerful monsters in the series. Also being the only monster to force Godzilla to transform into a Superpowered state, ONLY for Bagan to not only SURVIVE the fight, but just be beamed away by the retreating aliens.
• Jet Jaguar. His debut appearance made him a cult hit thanks to the sheer Narm Charm he exuded, being a campy, Ultraman-like robot with size-shaping capabilities, and his association with one of the more famous and fondly remembered. Mystery Science Theater 3000 gags gave him more notoriety. However, he really came to achieve this status when he appeared in the Pipeworks fighting games, where his unique fighting abilities and cool-factor really sold him to audiences. As such, he's become something of a Breakout Character for the series, with many spin-offs giving him a lot of screentime. He even got to become one of the main characters in Godzilla: Singular Point.
• In many ways, Zone Fighter. Despite being a ripoff of Ultraman, He is the only Tokusatsu superhero to have teamed up with Godzilla (and vice versa). Thanks to the internet, many fans still hope to see him return alongside Godzilla to this day.
• Ask fans who the best human character in the Japanese movies is and a surprisingly large number of them will name Action Girl Mechagodzilla pilot Akane (sometimes along with her supporting cast) even though she only has one major appearance and one cameo.
• MonsterVerse:
  • Joe Brody in Godzilla (2014) is considered to be the best human character in the movie, and to some, the franchise as a whole. Being played by Bryan Cranston probably has something to do with that. The real reason he's listed as part of the ensemble is because he dies in the first half of the movie, but gives a memorable performance in that time.
  • The MUTOs have become quite popular, even among those who mostly didn't like the first movie. They kick a lot of ass whenever they're on screen, almost defeats Godzilla, and arguably have more romantic chemistry than the main human characters. They also have a unique, interesting design paying homage to plenty of classic Hollywood monsters like Cloverfield and the Xenomorphs, helping them stick out more in the Godzilla rogues gallery.
  • The nameless Badass Driver bus driver who not only passes through a military/police barricade, he drives like hell when Godzilla has an explosive skirmish with the military.
  • Sergeant Morales has only three scenes but he is liked for being amicable and polite even in the face of danger.
  • Dr. Vivienne Graham has become strangely popular with the fandom, partly due to Sally Hawkins' role in The Shape of Water, where she has amorous relationships with a mysterious aquatic creature, causing fans to joke about Dr. Grahams true motivation for studying the monsters.
  • Marlow in Kong: Skull Island is rather popular for a human character in a monster movie, due to providing some much-needed levity, having a sympathetic backstory, and managing to be Mr. Exposition without getting too long-winded or boring. He also has a tendency to Lampshade his Ignored Expert status.
  Marlow: I've been on this island 28 years, what do I know?
  • Chapman is well-liked by many audiences thanks to being a competent, loyal, and friendly Number Two to Major Packard and surviving on his own for an impressively long time. Many people were genuinely saddened when he didn't make it.
  • Cole has his fans for his Cloud Cuckoo Lander nature, combat skills and Hidden Depths in questioning the fight they're picking.
  • King Ghidorah's left head (San/Kevin) has proven to be popular due to its curiosity and surprisingly Adorkable nature, with the other heads especially the center's interaction with it being praised.
  • Of the original Titans introduced in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Behemoth (the one which resembles a woolly mammoth) is probably the most popular of them, probably for having a very distinct design and being one of the rare examples of a mammalian kaiju (besides Kong, of course).
  • The older Houston Brooks who appears late in the film. For simply being a returning character from Kong: Skull Island and for now being played by Ensemble Dark Horse king Joe Morton.
  • The Ugly Cute lizard seen for five seconds in the Hollow Earth in Godzilla vs. Kong, being nick-named Doug or Dug to his friends, has become a one scene wonder. Adam Wingard himself got in on this, joking he'd have to push to bring Doug back in a future MonsterVerse movie.