If you’re like me and most people on this fair planet of ours, the astonishing excellence of Godzilla Minus One got you interested in Godzilla like you’ve never been before. Or maybe you were always interested in Godzilla, and Godzilla Minus One reminded you that your fave is still the king.
Also, the American production Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire exists. Godzilla, everywhere. Godzilla, across the oceans. Godzilla, all over the world!
Hell, Godzilla Minus One’s VFX team’s win at the Oscars—complete with Godzilla figures and epic Godzilla shoes—continued to keep everyone’s minds on Godzilla. Shockingly, it was the first time an Asian production had ever won Best VFX at the Oscars—because so many other Godzilla films exist. And while they may look dated now, they paved the way for VFX in their time.
But … how many Godzilla films is that, exactly?
Godzilla for days, Godzilla forever
The very first Godzilla film—simply titled Godzilla—was a Japanese production which came out in 1954. It was produced by Toho Studios, which has produced and distributed every single Japanese Godzilla film since. As Godzilla Minus One—the most recent Japanese production from 2023—brilliantly reminded us all, Godzilla was concocted as an allegory for nuclear weapons. Given that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were both bombed in 1945, Godzilla spoke to people’s lingering fears about nuclear warfare.
But Godzilla’s history is a long one. By the mid-’60s, Godzilla turned from a villainous reminder of wartime trauma to a kind of anti-hero. The American productions—which began with a 1998 production also simply called Godzilla—were quick to follow this character progression, to the point where Godzilla and America’s best equivalent, King Kong, are now essentially buddy cops.
All of this means that Godzilla films have been in production for 70 years, across two continents. Obviously, far more Godzilla films have been made in our boy’s native Japan than have been made in the U.S. There are 38 Godzilla films in total. 33 are Japanese; five (including the films with Kong) are American.
However, here’s a fun fact which contradicts the official count: Toho declared that the Godzilla in the first two American films was not actually Godzilla, but a different-yet-related character named “Zilla.” But we’ll include those films in the count anyway.
38 films is a rather overwhelming number to pick from. Where should you start? My recommendations would be to either go back to the original and check out where it all began, or to jump straight to Godzilla Minus One, though Neon Genesis Evangelion fans might not want to miss out on series directors’ Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla.
Then again, Godzilla Minus One all day.
(featured image: Toho Productions)
