Later this year in November, the highly anticipated sequel to Godzilla Minus One, Godzilla Minus Zero, will premiere in Japanese and American theaters. Director Takashi Yamazaki is again leading the charge for what many hope to be an amazing film for the franchise after the massive success of its predecessor, culminating in an Academy Award nomination and win. On April 13th to 16th, CinemaCon in Las Vegas will host Godzilla Minus Zero’s first look with Yamazaki personally in attendance, and fan speculation is running rampant for what may be revealed for this new entry.
It’s no secret that Godzilla Minus One has been highly praised across the globe, with accolades including the aforementioned Academy Award for Best Special Effects, twelve Japan Academy prizes, and numerous critics’ choice awards across the film industry at large. Now, the question is… what can we expect from its upcoming sequel? What do fans want from Minus Zero? What do we think Yamazaki will do for his new movie? Let’s dive into the possibilities for the sequel to Minus One. Fair warning, there are spoilers for Minus One.
As of now, no official trailer, teaser, or plot summaries have been provided by Toho. Filming and production details are sparse and/or being kept under wraps, leaving us to wonder and speculate about what the film could be about. Some Godzilla fans want the new film to pick up right where Minus One left off, expanding on Noriko’s Godzilla Cell infection, and how Godzilla was regenerating from a piece of himself in the last scene. These fans would like to see Godzilla return and attack Japan once again while Shikishima tries to figure out how to cure Noriko and help her cope with her infection.
Other Godzilla fans, myself included, want to see the film take place years after the events of Godzilla Minus One and focus on Shikishima’s adopted daughter, Akiko. Audiences could be introduced to a time jump, watching her have a normal life with both of her parents, just her father if Noriko doesn’t survive her G-Cell infection, or even have her already grown up while having a family of her own. She could also experience Godzilla’s return after several years have passed. It could be interesting to see how history, society, and culture at large has progressed while Godzilla was slowly resurrecting after the King of the Monsters ravaged Japan and the world bore witness to its path of destruction.
Now it’s time for my take. Personally, I want to see the sequel take place in the 1950s or 1960s where America has left Japan on its own, bringing Godzilla close to its roots around the same time the original film was released in real life. In this time, we can see Ginza and other places from the previous film finally rebuilt. Akiko is growing into teenage life with Shikishima still raising her. For Noriko, I think it is best if she wasn’t present due to succumbing to the G-Cell infection and has since passed on. Not that I don’t want her in the film, but that would serve as a harsh reminder of the effects from the radioactive cells, and a stark reminder of the real-life consequences of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It wasn’t just the blasts that killed people and tore apart families; many people survived the initial attack and succumbed to radiation poisoning later on, sometimes even months or years later.
In regard to Godzilla’s design in the new sequel, we are unsure if Godzilla will have a different design for Minus Zero. It is still likely, considering that Godzilla’s design always changes for each movie, whether a slightly different shade of color or a new set of dorsal spines. Frankly, I think his spines should be different. The spines for MinusGoji are amazing, but maybe they could be more jagged in shape, like Godzilla 2000 or KiryuGoji from Godzilla x Mechagodzilla (2002). And instead of matching the color of its skin, they could be white with charcoal grey in the center just like the Heisei Godzilla.
Godzilla’s size should also increase just to emphasize its big return. In Minus One, Godzilla was 50.1 meters tall (164 feet) which is 0.1 meters taller than the original Godzilla. For Minus Zero, I think our titular creature should regenerate into a height of 90 meters (295.3 feet). That way, the situation is more dire than in the last movie. In the Heisei era, Godzilla’s size increased because of how large Japan’s buildings got. The size increase can help signify that Godzilla will grow bigger just as Japan will. In addition, its skin color could remain the same brown color. This represents scarring from radioactive exposure just like the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims. If not, charcoal grey can fit for the new design just like with previous Godzillas.
Now if there is one thing that Godzilla fans want in this film, it’s another Kaiju for the King of Monsters to fight. Although there has been no official confirmation for an additional monster, many fans still wish and speculate for one or two Kaiju to be in the film. Yamazaki once said on social media that he is interested in making a serious monster film where both Kaiju fighting scenes and human story are well made, resulting in numerous people in the fanbase thinking that the sequel will have at the very least one Kaiju to fight Godzilla.
But what Kaiju could Yamazaki and Toho bring in to fight Godzilla in Minus Zero? In a panel at New York Comic Con 2024, Yamazaki answered in a fun hypothetical that if he were to remake a past Godzilla film, he would remake Godzilla vs Hedorah if he could, because of the window of possibilities in pulling off the Smog Monster with modern special effects. Based on this, some fans think he is bringing Hedorah in for the sequel. However, that is just him saying that he wants to remake the Smog Monster film. He has not confirmed that Hedorah is in the sequel, and neither has Toho. Though, it would be interesting to have Hedorah as pollution did increase after World War II, adding to the historical aspect and common period piece plots found in Yamazaki productions.
Another Kaiju that fans think will appear in the sequel is Biollante from Godzilla vs Biollante (1989).This is because of Noriko and her Godzilla Cell infection at the end of the movie. Initially after the film’s premiere, no one had a clue about what was infecting her neck veins at the end, sparking fan theories and analysis all over the internet. Eventually, Yamazaki confirmed online on Twitter that Noriko was indeed infected with Godzilla’s cells. After this confirmation from the director of the film, a significant number of Godzilla fans think that Noriko will mutate into either a Godzilla-like humanoid, or Biollante.
Again, neither option has been confirmed by the filmmaker or movie studio. It makes no sense for Noriko to mutate into Biollante unless she is infused with plant DNA, too. It’s too far-fetched to even have that in the sequel if Yamazaki wants to make a serious Godzilla film. Personally, I do not think Biollante would be a viable Kaiju for Minus Zero. Her creation in the film would just be too difficult to write seriously. Now, Noriko developing Godzilla-like features on her body due to the infectious G-Cells is more interesting, and is something that could match the tone of the previous film.
If you ask other Godzilla fans, myself included, on which monster Yamazaki should bring in to fight Godzilla, it is the one that fought Godzilla first in Godzilla Raids Again and has yet to receive proper attention from Toho: The giant ankylosaurid, Anguirus. Anguirus is arguably just as recognizable as Toho’s Big 5 Kaiju (Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla and Rodan), and yet it hasn’t made any major film appearances. The Kaiju’s last movie appearance was in Godzilla: Final Wars, and it recently appeared in the anime series Godzilla: Singular Point.
Having Anguirus return for the Minus Zero film would fit perfectly in my opinion. If it happens, this film could be a sort of homage to Godzilla Raids Again. Many fans long to see Godzilla and Anguirus duking it out just like in 1955. Not to mention, it is long overdue for Anguirus to be back on the big screen. For Godzilla’s first ever opponent turned best friend, you would think it would appear more often.
If Yamazaki wishes to make a serious Kaiju brawl, choosing Anguirus is the best option. The ankylosaur Kaiju could have a similar origin as Godzilla in Minus Zero. Perhaps Anguirus could be a rival species and ended up being mutated by a different nuclear bomb such as the Tzar Bomb. For building the confrontation between Godzilla and Anguirus, Yamazaki could have them meet at one location where the characters can learn that not only Godzilla is back but another Kaiju exists.
This can build or stack tension for Shikishima and Akiko. Not only do they have to help Noriko with her G-Cell infection, but they have not only Godzilla coming back, but also potentially bringing a fight with Anguirus to Japan. Now if this is going to be like Raids Again, I want the climax of the film focusing on Godzilla and Anguirus’ titanic battle. And if Yamazaki writes the human aspect well enough, then Godzilla Minus Zero could be the successor to Minus One.
However, what if Anguirus wasn’t the Kaiju for the sequel? If not Anguirus, there are other likely candidates that Yamazaki and Toho can choose from. For a serious Godzilla film, I think the Kaiju that would fit Yamazaki’s current style are Rodan and Varan. Rodan is yet another rival turned friend for Godzilla, and is popular amongst fans across the globe. It would be fun to see Godzilla and Rodan duking it out in their own separate film, unlike what we saw in Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster.
Varan is another unique choice as he hasn’t received much recognition since Destroy All Monsters. I think having Varan as Godzilla’s opponent in Minus Zero can work. Imagine Godzilla having to deal with an opponent that can run on land, swim in the water, and fly up in the air. Varan can add difficulty for Godzilla with these abilities.
I chose Anguirus, Rodan, and Varan mainly because they came around near the end of the 50s. Rodan and Varan both debuted in the mid to late 1950s right after Godzilla. If Minus Zero takes place in the 50s, it would be great to have either of these Kaiju fight Godzilla simply for the early Showa film theme. If not these three, then it can be an original Kaiju that could fight Godzilla instead.
In the end, all we can do in anticipation of Godzilla Minus Zero is hope for a great Godzilla movie. Yamazaki was able to deliver a wonderful Godzilla movie that everyone loved. If he’s able to produce such a film, then I wouldn’t doubt that he could do it again through this upcoming film. With CinemaCon just around the corner next week and November several months away, it is only a matter of time before new information or a teaser will drop for Minus Zero.
