The ending of Godzilla Minus One in 2023 heralded the arrival of a sequel in a way that created more excitement than any other tease in the franchise’s history. Following his defeat, the heart of Godzilla began to sink to the ocean floor just as it started to regenerate and begin to beat again, signaling his return. In theory, the series could have left it there, but after the blockbuster success of the film and winning the first-ever Academy Award in the history of the franchise, a sequel felt mandatory. With Godzilla Minus Zero now here three years later, we found ourselves wondering again.
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Picking up two years after the previous movie, Godzilla Minus Zero not only brings back some of the beloved characters from the original (with plenty of fresh ideas sprinkled in) but also some newcomers that radically change the film’s plot as it moves forward. On a bigger scale, Godzilla Minus Zero also delivers some major new additions to this branch of the franchise on the kaiju side of things. All of which culminates in a movie that clearly isn’t the end. Naturally, Godzilla Minus Zero spoilers follow.
Godzilla Minus Zero Ending and Sequel Setup Explained
It’s worth noting that Godzilla Minus Zero has been marketing itself in a very peculiar way, with the official description including two key sentences: “There is no third time. Everything ends here.” Ahead of the movie’s release, it sounds quite definitive, but after seeing the movie, it becomes quite absurd, because Godzilla Minus Zero clearly ends in a way that sets up a third chapter in the series.
The larger plot of Godzilla Minus Zero hinges on the arrival of a new kaiju, featuring a brand new take on Ghidorah, an alien species that crash-landed on Earth and assumed the form of a dragon-like creature after meshing together some of the wildlife it encountered in its first form. Though they’ve stayed busy, the newly formed Large-Scale Disaster Response Bureau, headed up by Minus One‘s Kenji Noda, must lead a group of scientists eager for a way to stop the new monster.
After a failed attempt to kill Ghidorah ends up causing the kaiju to mutate (and grow his signature extra heads and tails), the team realizes that perhaps the best way to combat the beast will be fighting fire with fire, planning to use technology by Kanji Murakami, a biologist who has crafted a technology that can be used to lure (and potentially control) Godzilla out of hiding. Key to this tech, though, is Noriko Shikishima, whose encounter with Godzilla in the first movie has left her partially mutated, with Godzilla cells growing out of her body (and her eye color changed). Unbeknownst to everyone, though, Murakami’s plan to control Godzilla isn’t an altruistic one, as he has hopes for revenge against the United States following his family’s death in Hiroshima.
Godzilla Minus Zero‘s big finale not only sees the two kaiju fight, with the titular monster coming out victorious after a bloody fracas, but the end of their battle is far from the conclusion of the story. With Ghidorah defeated, the United States Army moves in to seize control of Murakami’s technology, hoping to one day exploit it to weaponize Godzilla one day. Knowing that his plan to use the King of the Monsters against the US would go against the wishes of his family, he burns it all to save it from falling into their hands.
As Godzilla walks back into the ocean and swims away to live another day, Godzilla Minus Zero is still not done, including with teases for the future. At the film’s end, Kลichi and Noriko decide that because of her G-Cell mutation, she’ll likely be a target for the United States, forcing them to go on the run. The film ends as they, along with their adoptive daughter, go into hiding.
If Godzilla still being alive and wandering back into the ocean wasn’t a sign that there was still more story to tell, the two main characters running off to live another day makes it all doubly obvious. Once again, this brings us back to the wild marketing plot for Godzilla Minus Zero, “There is no third time. Everything ends here.” The movie itself makes it CLEAR that this movie isn’t the ending, but that said, Toho and director Takashi Yamazaki haven’t committed to another film.
After the success of Godzilla Minus One, Yamazaki was quickly courted for other projects, including in Hollywood, with his next movie confirmed to be Grandgear for J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Sony Pictures. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Yamazaki opened up about the potential for a new film to follow Minus Zero, saying it’s “fifty-fifty at this point” whether he’ll return for another story.
“Iโm quite satisfied and happy with the current ending we have,” Yamazaki said. “It entrusts the interpretation to the audience in terms of how they want to receive it and what they want to walk out of theaters with. That being said, if Godzilla Minus Zero is my last Godzilla film, that would make me a bit sad…At some point in my career, I would love to revisit Godzilla and see how we can expand this world.”
Based on how Godzilla Minus Zero ends, there’s no chance he doesn’t at some point down the line. That said, Toho selling the new movie as the end of this saga means these two movies can, in theory, exist as their own continuity while the studio potentially explores other Godzilla ideas. Until Yamazaki decides to return, the story for this branch of Godzilla lore appears done…even if it’s far from over.
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IMAGE COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL
