Summary
It has long been said thatGodzillais the king of the monsters, but a king is nothing without a queen, and fan favorite kaiju Mothra has filled that role within the Godzilla universe ever since she first battled the beast in 1964’s Godzilla Vs. Mothra.
Like many ofGodzilla’s other fearsome foes, Mothra has a long history rife with different designs, so on behalf of the one and only queen of the monsters, it’s time to take a look through the character’s past and celebrate the best looks Mothra has ever sported on screen.
10Planet Eater Mothra
This Technically Counts As A Design, Right?
You both see and don’t see Mothra in the Planet Eater anime trilogy, as she appears only in vague shape form, and is only seen very briefly. The reason we mention it at all when ranking the designs ofthis iconic kaijuis that the cameo speaks to the power of the character’s silhouette.
It’s impressive that fans can instantly recognize Mothra even when we don’t get a good look at her, and we’re certain that somewhere out there is concept art that shows Planet Eater Mothra in full detail, but until that art is uncovered, we must unfortunately conclude that Planet Eater Mothra is really cool in concept, and kind of lame in retrospect.
9Original Mothra
The Design That Started It All
Before Mothra crossed paths with Godzilla, and even before she had her first film appearance, the queen of the monsters got her start in a novel whose title has been translated as The Luminous Fairies And Mothra. In that novel, the titular Mothra is depicted as a giant creature that looks vaguely like a giant swallow with moth-like attributes.
Outside of your own imagination, this is the only look we’ve ever got at the original novel’s Mothra design, and something about the shape and size of the character, alongside the subtle horror of the illustration itself, makes the original Mothra design feel frighteningand powerful.It doesn’t really look much like Mothra, unfortunately, but it’s a cool monster design nonetheless.
8Chibi Mothra
Cute, Timid, And Hilarious
In true chibi fashion, Chibi Mothra is a simplified, cute-ified, and ultimately delightful take on the character we all know and love. The red wings and fluffy antennae are irresistible, and the expressive eyes this version of Mothra sports lend the design the ability to sell a wide range of emotions, something other versions of Mothra tend to struggle with in comparison.
As good as it is for a chibi version of the character, however, the lack of detail does feel a tad…well, lacking. Especially when you compare it to some of the other designs Mothra has had over the years.
7First Generation Mothra
The Original Film’s Classic Design
Outside of the occasional left-field redesign, Mothra’s default look hasn’t changed much since her first film appearance, and the reason that’s the case is because the design team (no one artist is credited as being the definitive designer behind Mothra’s original appearance) nailed it right out of the gate with a near perfect moth creature.
First Generation Mothra, The Thing, or whatever you want to call her is exactly what you picture when you think about the character today. A bright fluffy head with blue eyes and large antennae, little legs, notable mandibles, and a semi-fluffy segmented abdomen. Her wings are brown with accents of yellow and orange, and above all else, she is drop-dead gorgeous. Maybe not perfect, but gorgeous.
6Titanus Mosura (MonsterVerse)
Quite Possibly The Largest Wings Mothra Has Ever Had
The MonsterVerse is amazing in many ways, and this redesign of Mothra is one of them. Featuring a more intimidating face, false eyes on the tips of her absolutely titanic wings, and massive new scythe-like appendages, MonsterVerse Mothra is a fantastic example of the way the films have breathed new life into older characters.
While it’s true that Mothra is much less friendly looking this way, that ultimately doesn’t hurt the overall design much,considering the foes this new take on the beast is generally up against. It might not hold up against more traditional takes on the character, but it certainly holds its own as a fantastic design for a giant moth.
5GMK Mothra
Moth Or Wasp, You Decide
GMK Mothra isn’t going to be everyone’s favorite owing to the wasp legs and dangly abdomen, but the excellent use of Mothra’s iconic white fuzz, and the fiery redesign of her classic wing pattern is enough to win most of us over, and as a resultthe crossover film’s Mothra design has garnered a massive fanbase among Mothra enthusiasts.
While it isn’t a stretch to say that GMK Mothra’s body has more in common with a paper wasp than your traditional moth, it’s also not a stretch to say those more fearsome elements of her design work in her favor, providing the queen of the monsters with a regal, yet intimidating design that is also one of her most distinct.
4Mothras
Plural
Godzilla: Singular Point technically features two separate Mothra designs over the course of its 13 episode run. The first is the most accurate to the classic Mothra look, and can be found in the end credits of every episode. The second is more unique and specific to Singular Point’s version of the Godzilla universe: a hoard of tiny Mothras that appear in episode 12.
While we do wish Mothra was a bit morekaiju sizedin Singular Point, the design work on these little bugs is downright fantastic, keeping the features you’d expect to see on Mothra, like the colorful wings and fluffy head, and adjusting them to feel fresh, sleek, and realistic.
3Rainbow Mothra
Taste The Webbing
Rainbow Mothra is a lot of fans' favorite design, and that makes perfect sense with just one look at this gorgeous and original take on the classic Mothra design. The wings have been gifted a whole new palette, and the iconic blue eyes have been shifted to green. Additionally, the white fluff has extended to the arms, which are much bulkier here, probably owing to the fact that this is one of Mothra Leo’s forms.
Realistically, any one of the Mothra Leo forms could take Rainbow Mothra’s place here, as each of them are interesting designs in their own right, but the rainbow form is just so huggable and lovely to look at that you can’t pass it up.
2Mothra (Godzilla vs. Mothra)
A Few Little Tweaks Can Go A Long Way
When Mothra and Godzilla officially met for the first time in 1964’s Godzilla vs. Mothra, the original Mothra prop was revamped and ever so slightly redesigned, with absolutely stellar results. Mothra’s eyes light up a gorgeous blue in this depiction, and her appearance is all around more refined.
While it’s true that there are other unique takes on this design, like Tokyo S.O.S. Mothra or GFW Mothra, this is the gold standard for the character, and is proof that sometimes, fixing what isn’t broken isn’t all that bad of an idea after all. Or at the very least, that a little tweak here and there couldn’t hurt.
1Eternal Mothra Leo
The Only Male Version Of The Kaiju
Mothra Leo’s eternal form is a sight to behold, and by far the most jaw-droppingly beautiful Mothra has ever been, regardless of the form or generation. Technically speaking, Mothra Leo is actually a male, being the original Mothra’s offspring. This of course sparks a whole bunch of weird questions about the other Mothra that showed up in Godzilla x Kong that we don’t need to get into here.
The magnificent wingspan and the beautiful pattern mixed with the snow-white color and piercing gaze make Eternal Mothra Leo not justthe most powerfulversion of Mothra (he can fly back in time, after all) but the most incredible to look at as well.
