Pacific Rim's Kaiju Ranked In Order Of Awesomeness

While most big monster movies tend to feature one or two giant beasts causing mayhem and destruction, Pacific Rim showcased a host of spectacular creatures. The Kaiju of Guillermo Del Toro's 2013 film were some of the biggest and baddest giant movie monsters ever created, inventively designed and incredible to watch while slugging it out with the movie's mecha Jaegers.

In an interview Den of Geek at the time, Del Toro described how he wanted his monsters to homage classic Japanese monster movies. "The first notion was to inform the ideas with the tradition of the kaiju [movies]," he said. "We tried to preserve, for example, the basic proportions of a man in a suit for the monsters. Even for the giant crustacean monster, you could execute that monster as a suit.

"When detailing the monsters, I had the team reference real things, like in National Geographic, for example, the profile of a goblin shark, the skin of an elephant--but not reference, ever, other movie monsters."

So with Pacific Rim: Uprising smashing into theaters this weekend, here's a look back at the main Kaiju of Del Toro's movie, ranked in order of how big, strong, fast, cool-looking, and generally awesome they are...

While many of the Pacific Rim's Kaiju stand tall on two legs, Onibaba is a smaller, four-legged creature that resembles a crab. But while it is not as openly hostile as many of the other Kaiju, it nevertheless destroys half of Tokyo by blundering mindlessly through the streets during a key flashback scene.

Although glanced only fleetingly, Hundun is the second Kaiju to attack humanity, six months after Trespasser's attack on San Francisco. This horned beast is spotted causing mayhem in Manilla.

Mutavore's fight with Striker Eureka is the only one to take place in daylight, after the creature smashes through the completely ineffectual anti-Kaiju wall. It's got three eyes, a cool bladed head, and massive axe-like wings that sprout from his back. But while Mutavore is good at smashing walls, Eureka takes him out in only a couple of minutes.

Scunner has speed and strength on its side. Four arms enable it move quickly underwater, while two massive horns means it can smash the hell out of its opponents. The Jaegers do manage to beat Scunner in the final battle with Slattern and Raiju, but only by detonating a thermo-nuclear device in its face.

Trespasser was the first creature to attack mankind and this towering beast--also known as Axehead--gives us the perfect introduction to the destructive power of the Kaiju. Its thick hide allows it to resist most conventional weapons, meaning that it has to be defeated by nuclear missiles.

Like Scunner, who Raiju fights alongside towards the end of the movie, this Kaiju is built for underwater combat, with angled feet allowing for rapid movement through water. Raiju is heavily armored, with massive crocodile-like jaws that encase his head, making him one of the coolest-looking Kaiju.

The movie's first major Jaeger vs Kaiju fight is between Knifehead and Gypsy Danger. This seriously scary-looking beast bursts out from the ocean and uses his huge bladed head to cause maximum destruction, as well as killing Yancy Becket, the brother of the movie's hero, Raleigh. It's also the first Kaiju to use tactics in its fighting style as well as brute strength.

One of the biggest and strongest of all the Kaiju, Leatherback is a hulking six-eyed monstrosity who resembles a bad, mad gorilla. Its battle with Gypsy Battle is a lengthy, brutal showdown, which nearly ends in victory for the Kaiju. Leatherback also possess the ability to generate a huge electronics-killing pulse, making him especially deadly in a Jaeger battle.

Otachi is perhaps the meanest and deadliest of all Pacific Rim's Kaiju. She spits gallons of Jaeger-melting neon acid, can fly, has a lethal barbed tail, and just keeps on fighting. And, as we discover when she is finally stopped by Gipsy Danger, she does all this while pregnant!

Otachi might have cunning and the ability to fly on her side, but when it comes to sheer size and strength, Slattern is the king of the Kaiju. With its armoured hide, three deadly spiked tails, extending chest spike, and earth-soaking, building-crushing sonic roar, this Kaiju is a terrifyingly huge prospect. Even the nuclear payload that destroys Striker Eureka and kills Scunner isn't enough to stop Slattern; it takes a second nuclear blast to finally fell the beast.