Godzilla/Awesome

Crowning Moment of Awesome: Godzilla.

Despite the title this article should cover Toho's sci-fi, horror, and monster films in general, along with all the creative and determined producers, actors, writers, directors, and musicians. Since 1954 Toho has created monster, or kaijueiga, movies that have varied from serious commentary films to fun monster action. They have wowed children and adults alike with their monsters, music, and action. Godzilla was the first of their kaijueiga films, who was inspired by King Kong and The Beast from Twenty Thousand Fathoms. He is also their most popular monster, one of the most recognizable in the entire world, and formed the very back-bone of Toho's various sci-fi and monster universes.

As the Godzilla series is one of the longest running movies series in history (which is itself a Crowning Moment of Awesome), there is a lot of awesome involved.

Showa Era

 * Godzilla Raids Again is a unique sequel, in that it was made before the kaiju movie was its own genre, so it was made more as a horror movie in the same vein as Gojira. Thus, the monster battle is meant to horrify, not amuse, with the emphasis being on the destruction caused rather than the monsters themselves. That being said, it is a CMOA for the filmmakers, who made the actual brawl TERRIFYING, and for Godzilla himself, who
 * King Kong vs. Godzilla. It's the one of the most brutal battles in the series, especially when Kong tackles Godzilla, pins him down and pummels him several times.
 * And when you can see Godzilla clawing at Kong, blasting him with his ray, and nearly killing Kong more than once.
 * Let's not forget Kong RAMMING A TREE DOWN GODZILLA'S THROAT!!
 * Followed immediately by Godzilla showing off his Determinator status. Instead of trying to pull it loose he OPENS FIRE ON THE TREE TO BLAST IT LOOSE AND SEND IT FLYING STRAIGHT AT KONG.
 * Godzilla's raid on the artic NATO base.
 * Godzilla and Mothra's battle in Mothra vs. Godzilla. Mothra is old and fragile, yet quick and clever, but not even those making the movie were positive they could make a good fight. It's easily one of the greatest monster battles of all time. Another for the twin Mothra larvas who use strategy and lots of patience to defeat Godzilla without actually harming him.
 * King Ghidorah gets several in his first appearance, but of note is when Godzilla, who up till now has basically been The Big Bad of the Toho universe and easily its most powerful monster, attacks him and Ghidorah trounces him in about two seconds.
 * Mothra persuading Godzilla and Rodan to put aside their differences and help him fight King Ghidorah. Eventually they are persuaded and what follows is an awesome team battle between the four monsters.
 * The airborne chase between King Ghidorah and Rodan...which ends when Rodan turns around and rams Ghidorah!
 * On a human side note: Prof. Murai, who's pretty much been the "stoic scientist" for the past film and a half hits one of Malmess' retreating henchmen over the head with a wrench, then takes his gun and takes a few shots at the escaping others!
 * Godzilla's dance in Invasion of Astro-Monster doubles as a Crowning Moment of Funny
 * Ripping off Ebirah's arms and then taunting him as he retreats.
 * Godzilla opening a can of whoop-ass on the Giant Mook Kamacaras, first by dodging a leaping one and blasting it from head to a tail with fire. Then taking out another by slamming it into the ground several times then Killing It With Fire.
 * There's a truly epic CMoA in the classic film Destroy All Monsters in which Godzilla, Rodan, Anguirus, Mothra, Kumonga, Gorosaurus, and even Minya battle against pre-Badass Decay King Ghidorah and ultimately kill him.
 * I'd like to cite Anguirus' role in particular; he's the first one to attack Ghidorah, he latches his jaws on one of Ghidorah's necks and holds on even when Ghidorah tries to fly off! Finally dislodged, he falls about a thousand feet and gets immediately trampled by Ghidorah...then gets right back up and attacks him again! Determinator indeed. Oh, and he's the first monster to make Ghidorah bleed.
 * Let's not forget Gorosaurus! He and Godzilla charged Ghidorah and were blasted, but where Godzilla went down Gorosaurus got through and pulled Ghidorah off of his feet, signaling the turn of the tide. And then, after Godzilla and Anguirus pin Ghidorah on the ground, Gorosaurus does his signature kangaroo kick and knocks Ghidorah to the ground again, allowing the three dinosaurs to finally defeat the space beast.
 * Yes, even Minya kinda gets one, every annoying kid monster gets his day. Using his patience he waits for Gabara to get on end of a see-saw and then he jumps down, knocking Gabera into the air and actually hurting him for once.
 * Godzilla flying in Godzilla vs. Hedorah, doesn't get more epic then that!
 * Terror of Mechagodzilla has Godzilla making a straight charge for his mechanical foe. His determination at full power as Godzilla takes on Mechagodzilla's full barrage of missiles and beams. Mind you in the last movie Godzilla was doing a lot of ducking this happened to the Big G in the last movie so this is quite different. Despite the fact Mecha-Godzilla throws everything he has Godzilla never falters, even the dorsal fins caught on fire, an accident but still. The scene is so bad ass it overcomes the fact that most of Mecha-G's shooting is in fact stock-footage of a flipped Mecha-Godzilla and finally Godzilla reaches him and begins a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown.
 * In Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla rips Mechagodzilla's head off with his bare hands and destroys the escaping alien races.

Heisei Era

 * Godzilla blasting a hole in Biollante's head during their climactic battle.
 * Godzilla in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.
 * The death of  in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.
 * Godzilla's final Heisei film has him pulling a number of these. First by kicking his rage Up to Eleven and tacking Destroyah in a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown. Later he begins to focus his breath weapon on one spot, blasting a hole in his enemy. Then he gets in close and tears the hole wider with his claws, spraying more blood, and finally fires once more at point blank range. Destroyah keeps fighting and only retreating when Godzilla's radioactive power is nearing critical and he fires several fire breathes and nearly blows Destroyah apart, weakening the monster too much and forcing it to retreat.
 * Destoroyah rising up from the flames like Satan himself. He then proceeds to show why he is one of Godzilla's most powerful foes by brutally murdering Junior and fighting Godzilla to a standstill, even though Godzilla is at the height of his power.

Millenium Era

 * GMK gives us Godzilla, who has never won a straight one on one battle against Mothra or King Ghidorah without some kind of help, whether overtly known by him or not, beating both of them to death, even turning an attempt by humanity to aid King Ghidorah against him. Having been annoyed at never seeing him get a one on one win before now against either one since they always had some kind of help or else Godzilla was getting a little help from the humans, this made this troper's day at seeing him defeat BOTH in the same damn movie on his own!
 * Godzilla Final Wars: Oh god, where to begin? There's everything Captain Gordon says and does, and I mean, everything, there's stopping lasers with your mind and sending them back at the alien who shot them, everything Godzilla does, the martial arts fight scene on speeding motorcycles while standing up, the Gotengo breaking out of the hangar...it just goes on and on.
 * I'm shocked no one's said this before...Captain Gordon, Defender of Earth!
 * Especially the parts where Godzilla blasts the meteor carrying Monster X while it's still in space and when Godzilla kills Keizer Ghidorah at the end.
 * How about the very end? Godzilla returns to the sea, turns to the camera, and gives one last triumphant roar right to the audience. "I'm Godzilla, and I approve this message."
 * I think we're all forgetting the part where he meets the American Godzilla and kicks his ass in thirteen seconds. While Sum 41's "We Are To Blame" plays. And then the evil alien overlord controlling the US Godzilla cusses him out. Take THAT!
 * Monster X showing up and kicking Godzilla's ass.
 * Mothra getting a Big Damn Heroes moment by saving Godzilla.
 * Minya (Yes, Minya) gets one of these. He gets between Godzilla and some humans to stop him from obliterating them. And, Godzilla actually backs down and leaves. Yes, a baby monster was able to convince his own father (Whom had been utterly demolishing his opponents until now) to leave just by standing his ground. That's Badass.

Out of Universe

 * From a production and story stand-point the entire production of the classic "Gojira" is one huge Crowning Moment of Awesome in film making. From Tomoyuki Tanaka's idea, Ishirō Honda's directing passion, Akira Ifukabe's musical genius, Eiji Tsuburaya's amazing special effects, Akihiko Hirata tragic and complex acting, and Haruo Nakajima's insane endurance in playing Godzilla. It horrified Japan by reminding them of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing and created the entire Japanese sub-genre of Kaiju-eiga movies. The sequels that followed are almost dethroning moments of suck due to lacking the story, character, and commentary input that puts the original in the same league as Seven Samurai.
 * Godzilla Raids Again is by no means a sequel that respects the original, it's in an awkward place where it feels like a cheapie sequel but without the franchise consent that it was okay for a Godzilla sequel to be more about monsters than people. But if the commentary is even half correct then it's a CMOA for the special effects team to come up with so many awesome shots and tricks with less than nine months to do them. Godzilla and Angirius fight is quite good, and the scene of Godzilla roasting a plane out of the air, causing it to to a loop and crash into the bay is quite startlingly awesome. Quite the Pet the Dog commentary.
 * The flooding of the Osaka subway is simply amazing stuff.
 * The fact that America's top monster took on Japan's is another CMOA out of universe.
 * Akira Ifukbe's music, really, ALL of it. From the march that stands for the humans fighting Godzilla, eventually becoming Godzilla's theme, to creating his roar, to even scoring the music for the final Heisei Godzilla film, Destroyah, and still being full of Crowning Music of Awesome.
 * The music of "Godzilla 1985" and "Biollante" are Crowning Music of Awesome's. The former is dark and grisly, signaling that Godzilla has gone even Darker and Edgier from "Terror of Mecha-Godzilla". Awesome music includes the Super X theme, Godzilla's rampaging music, and the final music where Godzilla falls into Mt. Mihara. Biollante's music is dark but a bit more poetic and even positive in a way. Biollante's theme, the Super X-2 theme, and even hearing Godzilla's original theme return all count among others.