Godzilla Minus One (2023)

In 1945, kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima lands on Odo Island, claiming his plane is broken. That night, a giant dinosaur-like creature the islanders call Godzilla attacks the base. Shikishima freezes and cannot fire his plane's guns. Nearly everyone is killed. Only he and the mechanic Sōsaku Tachibana survive, and Tachibana blames him.

Back in Tokyo, Shikishima learns his parents died in the bombing. Ashamed and lost, he meets Noriko Ōishi, a young woman caring for an orphaned baby, Akiko. The three form a makeshift family, though Shikishima feels too guilty to marry her. He takes a dangerous job clearing naval mines on the boat Shinsei Maru, with captain Akitsu, former naval engineer Kenji Noda and young Mizushima.

Meanwhile, Godzilla is mutated by American nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll, becoming huge and gaining a deadly atomic breath. It attacks the crew's boat, and then storms Tokyo's Ginza district. Noriko pushes Shikishima to safety but is swept away by the blast of Godzilla's atomic breath. Shikishima believes she is dead and vows revenge.

With no help from the government or the Americans, Noda leads a civilian plan: lure Godzilla into deep water in Sagami Bay, sink it with Freon gas tanks, then raise it fast with balloons to kill it with the pressure change. Shikishima asks Tachibana to repair a Shinden fighter plane, planning a suicide attack.

The plan nearly works, but Godzilla survives. Shikishima flies his explosive-packed plane into Godzilla's mouth and blows its head apart. At the last second, he ejects with a parachute, which Tachibana secretly fitted. Godzilla sinks into the sea. Back on land, Shikishima learns that Noriko is alive in hospital. They reunite, but a dark mark spreads on her neck. Deep in the ocean, Godzilla's remains begin to regenerate.

Does Shikishima die? No. Tachibana fitted his plane with an ejection seat, telling him to live. Shikishima ejects just before the plane hits Godzilla, choosing life over a pointless death.

Does Noriko survive? Yes. She was blown away by the blast in Ginza but survived and was found injured. Shikishima finds her alive in hospital.

What is the mark on Noriko's neck? A black mark spreads on her neck in the final scene. Many fans believe it is a sign of radiation from Godzilla, or that Godzilla's cells have entered her body, which could lead to a dark twist in the sequel.

Is Godzilla dead? No. In the final shot, the pieces of Godzilla sinking to the ocean floor start to regenerate. The monster will return.

What does "Minus One" mean? Japan was at zero after the war. Godzilla's attack takes it below zero, to minus one. It is also about Shikishima, who must climb back from his own despair.

Is there a sequel? Yes. Godzilla Minus Zero was released in November 2026.