# Godzilla (Takashi Yamazaki)
**Godzilla** is the incarnation of the kaiju created by Japanese filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki for the films *Godzilla Minus One* (ゴジラ-1.0, 2023) and its sequel *Godzilla Minus Zero* (2026), produced by Toho. In this continuity, Godzilla begins as a 15-meter theropod-like reptile tied to the folklore of Odo Island and is transformed by the 1946 [Operation Crossroads](https://www.edgepedia.org/operation-crossroads) nuclear tests at [Bikini Atoll](https://www.edgepedia.org/bikini-atoll) into a far larger, regenerating creature with atomic breath that attacks a [Japan](https://www.edgepedia.org/japan-epzdpsev89) still devastated by World War II.[1](https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_%28Minus_One%29) • [2](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2023/12/07/10/36/GODZILLA_MINUS_ONE_PRESSKIT_ENG.docx.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appearance | *Godzilla Minus One*, released 3 November 2023; the 30th live-action Japanese Godzilla film and the first of the Reiwa era[2](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2023/12/07/10/36/GODZILLA_MINUS_ONE_PRESSKIT_ENG.docx.pdf) |
| Origin in story | A creature from Odo Island folklore, spelled 呉爾羅 (Gojira) in the film's theater program and novelization; mutated by the 1946 Operation Crossroads nuclear tests[3](https://wikizilla.org/wiki/MaiGoji) • [1](https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_%28Minus_One%29) |
| Creation | Designed by Yamazaki using ZBrush; the design builds on his Godzilla the Ride attraction and a dream-sequence Godzilla in *Always: Sunset on Third Street 2*[4](https://www.maxon.net/zh/article/behind-the-scenes-of-godzilla-minus-one) • [5](https://www.moviemaker.com/godzilla-minus-one-takashi-yamazaki-oppenheimer/) |
| Signature abilities | Near-instantaneous tissue regeneration, including teeth, and an atomic breath whose charging sequence runs from tail to head along glowing dorsal plates[6](https://wikizilla.teq.wiki/wiki/Godzilla_%28Godzilla_Minus_One%29) • [1](https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_%28Minus_One%29) |
| Production scale | Made on a budget of less than $15 million, with visual effects by Yamazaki's studio Shirogumi[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2024-02-06/creative-vfx-sees-godzilla-get-even-scarier-in-minus-one) |
| Recognition | *Godzilla Minus One* won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, the first Godzilla film to win an Oscar[8](https://time.com/6961543/godzilla-x-kong-franchise-history/) |
| Sequel | *Godzilla Minus Zero*, a direct sequel set two years later, released 3 November 2026 in Japan and 6 November 2026 in North America, introducing King Ghidorah[9](https://godzilla.com/pages/godzilla-minus-zero) |
## Origin and design
Yamazaki, who wrote, directed, and supervised the visual effects of *Godzilla Minus One*, had a long history with the character before the film. He introduced a Godzilla in the opening of his work *[Always: Sunset on Third Street 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/always-sunset-on-third-street-2)* and directed the video for Godzilla the Ride, an attraction at Seibuen Amusement Park.[2](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2023/12/07/10/36/GODZILLA_MINUS_ONE_PRESSKIT_ENG.docx.pdf) For the film, he made a rough 3D maquette in the sculpting software ZBrush with modeler Kousuke Taguchi, and the team ultimately settled on the ride's design as a foundation.[4](https://www.maxon.net/zh/article/behind-the-scenes-of-godzilla-minus-one) • [5](https://www.moviemaker.com/godzilla-minus-one-takashi-yamazaki-oppenheimer/)
Yamazaki stated that he aimed to reproduce the overwhelming terror felt by audiences of the 1954 original directed by [Ishirō Honda](https://www.edgepedia.org/ishiro-honda), addressing the issues of war and nuclear weapons, and described his Godzilla as supernatural and "very Japanese": "There is a concept in Japan called 'tatarigami.' There are good gods, and there are bad gods. Godzilla is half-monster, but it's also half-god."[10](https://apnews.com/article/7958c1f336840dea1444acf893dcbae9) In the film's story, the creature is known to Odo Island villagers through legend of sacrifices offered to it; Yamazaki said the pre-radiation Godzilla had regenerative properties, and theorized that exposure to radiation elevated it from a creature to something "almost a divine or god-like creature."[11](https://www.tohokingdom.com/blog/interview-takashi-yamazaki-02-14-2024/)
## Abilities
After surviving the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb test, which visibly damaged and mutated him, this Godzilla gained a signature atomic breath and other volatile abilities.[1](https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_%28Minus_One%29) His charging sequence is distinctive: the dorsal plates glow blue and extend outward starting from the tip of the tail and working upward, then retract all at once before firing; the beam's passage alone demolishes buildings.[1](https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_%28Minus_One%29) He regenerates any tissue in his body, including teeth, with one canine blown apart by a mine repairing itself nigh-instantaneously along with the surrounding soft tissue.[6](https://wikizilla.teq.wiki/wiki/Godzilla_%28Godzilla_Minus_One%29) As a marine reptile, he swims with speed and agility and survives crushing deep-sea depths.[1](https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_%28Minus_One%29)
## Godzilla Minus One
*Godzilla Minus One* is set in the period immediately following World War II, when Japan had lost everything; the title's conceit is that Godzilla knocks the ruined nation from "zero" to "minus."[2](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2023/12/07/10/36/GODZILLA_MINUS_ONE_PRESSKIT_ENG.docx.pdf) The story follows former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima ([Ryunosuke Kamiki](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryunosuke-kamiki)), who survives Godzilla's attack on an island base, returns to firebombed [Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tokyo-ep6jg0kyrw) with survivor's guilt, and later joins a civilian effort to stop the newly mutated monster.[12](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/godzilla-minus-one-release-date-news-ending) The monster destroys the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo in the film's central rampage.[13](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/17/godzilla-minus-one-review-takashi-yamazaki-a-thunderously-entertaining-sequel)
The film was made on a budget of less than $15 million, with a 35-person crew at Yamazaki's CG studio; visual effects consumed between a quarter and a third of the budget, and the creature model required polygon counts in the millions.[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2024-02-06/creative-vfx-sees-godzilla-get-even-scarier-in-minus-one) Yamazaki said the creature was designed as a metaphor for nuclear weapons: "we mimicked the way a weapon would work inside of his body."[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2024-02-06/creative-vfx-sees-godzilla-get-even-scarier-in-minus-one) He also stated he was deliberate in making this "the most powerful of all the Godzillas that have come before."[14](https://www.moviefone.com/news/godzilla-minus-one-interview-takashi-yamazaki-and-ryunosuke-kamiki/)
**Reception.** The film became the highest-grossing Godzilla film ever to emerge from Japan and won the [Academy Award for Best Visual Effects](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-visual-effects), the franchise's first Oscar.[12](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/godzilla-minus-one-release-date-news-ending) It holds a 99% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 213 reviews, with a critics consensus that its engaging human stories keep the film compelling between destruction scenes.[15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/godzilla_minus_one) Critics praised the return to the character's roots as a metaphor for Japan's postwar anxiety and grief.[16](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/godzilla-minus-one-review/5187805.article)
## Godzilla Minus Zero
A direct sequel, *Godzilla Minus Zero* (G-0.0), was confirmed to continue the Shikishima family's story, set two years after Godzilla's initial defeat on Sagami Bay.[17](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/godzilla-minus-zero-first-reviews/) • [18](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/hideo-kojima-has-seen-godzilla-minus-zero-and-is-being-totally-normal-about-it-i-was-so-excited-that-i-practically-felt-dorsal-fins-sprouting-from-my-back/) Yamazaki returned as director, screenwriter, and VFX supervisor, with Ryunosuke Kamiki and [Minami Hamabe](https://www.edgepedia.org/minami-hamabe) reprising their roles.[19](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/godzilla-minus-zero-director-explains-adding-terror-kaiju-film) The film introduces [King Ghidorah](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-ghidorah), the multi-headed dragon first seen against Godzilla in 1964's *Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster*; in the new film, Professor Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka) dubs the dragon Ghidorah, with the prefix "King" added later by a radio broadcaster.[20](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/godzilla-minus-zero-review-kaiju/) • [21](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/godzilla-minus-zero-this-new-godzilla-movie-is-missing-something-very-important/) It was released theatrically in Japan on 3 November 2026 by Toho and in North America beginning 6 November 2026 by GKIDS.[9](https://godzilla.com/pages/godzilla-minus-zero)
At its [New York Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-film-festival) world premiere in September 2026, the film debuted to a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score from 22 reviews, slightly below the first film's 99%; if the score held, it would rank as the second most critically acclaimed Godzilla movie on the site, below *Minus One* and above the 1954 original.[22](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/godzilla-minus-zero-debuts-to-near-perfect-rotten-tomatoes-score/) Early reviewers described the destruction sequences as eclipsing those of *Minus One* in complexity and VFX fidelity, though some found the human elements less cohesive and noted that Godzilla himself is largely absent until the film's final half hour.[17](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/godzilla-minus-zero-first-reviews/) • [21](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/godzilla-minus-zero-this-new-godzilla-movie-is-missing-something-very-important/)
## Place in the franchise
This incarnation is the fourth Godzilla of the [Reiwa era](https://www.edgepedia.org/reiwa-era) of the franchise and the first Japanese-produced Godzilla film since 2016's *Shin Godzilla*.[1](https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_%28Minus_One%29) • [4](https://www.maxon.net/zh/article/behind-the-scenes-of-godzilla-minus-one) Unlike the Hollywood MonsterVerse films, which pair Godzilla with [King Kong](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-kong) in a lighter tone, Yamazaki's films return the character to the horror register of the 1954 original; [Adam Wingard](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-wingard), director of *Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire*, noted in a conversation with Yamazaki that the two approaches "couldn't be more tonally different," while Yamazaki praised the Showa-era psychedelic style as another important element of the character.[8](https://time.com/6961543/godzilla-x-kong-franchise-history/)
## References
1. [Godzilla (Minus One), Gojipedia](https://godzilla.fandom.com/wiki/Godzilla_%28Minus_One%29)
2. [Godzilla Minus One press kit, Toho](https://media.fetch.fm/media/uploads/production-notes/2023/12/07/10/36/GODZILLA_MINUS_ONE_PRESSKIT_ENG.docx.pdf)
3. [Godzilla (Godzilla Minus One), Wikizilla](https://wikizilla.org/wiki/MaiGoji)
4. [Behind the scenes of Godzilla Minus One, Maxon](https://www.maxon.net/zh/article/behind-the-scenes-of-godzilla-minus-one)
5. [Godzilla Minus One Director Takashi Yamazaki on Oppenheimer, Moviemaker](https://www.moviemaker.com/godzilla-minus-one-takashi-yamazaki-oppenheimer/)
6. [Godzilla (Godzilla Minus One), Wikizilla](https://wikizilla.teq.wiki/wiki/Godzilla_%28Godzilla_Minus_One%29)
7. [How Godzilla gets even scarier on budget VFX, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2024-02-06/creative-vfx-sees-godzilla-get-even-scarier-in-minus-one)
8. [Godzilla x Kong and the Long History of a Serious Monster Turning Seriously Silly, Time](https://time.com/6961543/godzilla-x-kong-franchise-history/)
9. [Godzilla Minus Zero, official Godzilla site](https://godzilla.com/pages/godzilla-minus-zero)
10. [Director of new Godzilla film pursuing 'Japanese spirituality' of 1954 original, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/7958c1f336840dea1444acf893dcbae9)
11. [Interview: Takashi Yamazaki (02/14/2024), Toho Kingdom](https://www.tohokingdom.com/blog/interview-takashi-yamazaki-02-14-2024/)
12. [Godzilla Minus One Ending Explained, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/godzilla-minus-one-release-date-news-ending)
13. [Godzilla Minus One review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/17/godzilla-minus-one-review-takashi-yamazaki-a-thunderously-entertaining-sequel)
14. [Godzilla Minus One Interview: Takashi Yamazaki and Ryunosuke Kamiki, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/news/godzilla-minus-one-interview-takashi-yamazaki-and-ryunosuke-kamiki/)
15. [Godzilla Minus One, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/godzilla_minus_one)
16. [Godzilla Minus One: Review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/godzilla-minus-one-review/5187805.article)
17. [Godzilla Minus Zero First Reviews, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/godzilla-minus-zero-first-reviews/)
18. [Hideo Kojima has seen Godzilla Minus Zero, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/hideo-kojima-has-seen-godzilla-minus-zero-and-is-being-totally-normal-about-it-i-was-so-excited-that-i-practically-felt-dorsal-fins-sprouting-from-my-back/)
19. [Godzilla Minus Zero Director's Take On Adding 'Terror', CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/godzilla-minus-zero-director-explains-adding-terror-kaiju-film)
20. [Godzilla Minus Zero Review, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/godzilla-minus-zero-review-kaiju/)
21. [This New Godzilla Movie Is Missing Something Very Important, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/godzilla-minus-zero-this-new-godzilla-movie-is-missing-something-very-important/)
22. [Godzilla Minus Zero debuts to near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies/godzilla-minus-zero-debuts-to-near-perfect-rotten-tomatoes-score/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Film characters and fictional worlds › Science fiction and fantasy film characters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license