Godzilla Minus One ending explained

Godzilla movies are usually pretty straightforward — big lizard smashes things — but Minus One has a bit more to it than that. Here’s a breakdown of the Godzilla Minus One ending, who dies along the way, and how a sequel was teased.

Now that we can all watch Godzilla Minus One whenever we want on Netflix, there’s ample opportunity to pore over every little detail again and again.

It’s easily one of the best Godzilla movies ever made, as you can tell by our glowing review, but unlike the MonsterVerse movies, Minus One has a lot to say.

Let’s dive into that chaotic, brilliant Minus One ending, and see what the future might hold for Godzilla now.

Godzilla Minus One ending explained

Godzilla Minus One ends with protagonist Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) seemingly killing Godzilla.

This comes after a plan formulated by Doc (Hidetaka Yoshioka) fails to take down the King of the Monsters. Doc’s plan involves defeating Godzilla through a combination of deep-sea pressure and explosive compression — a riff on the 1954 film’s “Oxygen Destroyer” weapon.

This two-pronged attack is enough to wound Godzilla, but not kill him outright. What’s more, the oversized lizard emerges from the ordeal furious with his human attackers. But, as Godzilla attempts to exact revenge with his atomic breath, Shikishima crashes his plane into the beast’s mouth.

Shikishima’s plane then explodes, obliterating Godzilla’s head along with it. The young pilot seemingly dies as well, however, we soon learn he bailed prior to the collision — convenient! Further details come via a flashback scene, confirming mechanic Sōsaku (Munetaka Aoki) added an ejector seat to the aircraft.

With Godzilla down for the count, Minus One shifts into epilogue mode. This culminates in a heartfelt reunion between Shikishima and Noriko (Minami Hamabe), whose injuries during Godzilla’s Ginza rampage turn out to be non-fatal. The pair’s adopted daughter, Akiko (Sae Nagatani), is present as well.

Who dies in Godzilla Minus One?

Well, Godzilla, for one. Plus around 31,000 Japanese citizens are killed by the monster.

Godzilla’s kill count in Minus One is one of the highest we’ve ever seen in a Godzilla movie. The devastation he causes is the main reason for the Minus One title, actually, as he plunges Japan even further below their lowest point in the wake of World War II.

He begins by killing a bunch of soldiers on Odo Island, but it is his attack on Ginza that inflicts the most damage. Then, of course, Godzilla chomps on various boats in the final battle, surely killing more people.

As we mentioned previously, though, Godzilla appears to be killed at the end of the movie. However, there is a tease that he may have survived thanks to his regenerative powers.

The ending sets up a potential sequel

There is no news of a Minus One sequel yet. However, the ending of this movie definitely leaves the door open for more.

Given its success at the box office, the Academy Award win, and the general buzz around the movie since its release, we’d be very surprised if we don’t see a Minus One sequel at some point in the future.

The Minus One ending gives us a happy reunion between Shikishima and Noriko. However, this touching family moment is quickly undercut by two key shots in the closing moments.

First, we see a hunk of Godzilla’s flesh sinking towards the ocean floor, regenerating as it goes. This strongly suggests Godzilla will return, with the monster’s G-Cells likely allowing him to come back from the dead, and be stronger than ever, too.

That’s not all, though. Eagle-eyed viewers came up with a neck theory related to Noriko, after spotting a mysterious black lump crawling up her neck. Has Noriko been infected with G-Cells, too? Hopefully the next Godzilla movie will answer this question.

Until then, here’s what we know about Godzilla’s height and Godzilla’s age. We can also tell you about Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color.