King Kong vs. Godzilla
Due to the success of "King Kong vs. Godzilla" (1962), Toho chose to pair Godzilla against Mothra for the following film, with Mothra chosen due to the success of "Mothra" (1961). Honda directly intended for the film to be meant for children in addition to adults, as a way to compete with television's growing popularity in Japan. Notably, it is the final film in the franchise's Shōwa period to depict Godzilla solely as an antagonist.