6 Biggest Godzilla Minus Zero Theories, Ranked By How Much We Hope They're True

Published Aug 20, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Nicholas Raymond is an author and journalist based out of Alabama, where he proudly roots for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team. A graduate of the University of Montevallo, he has a degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism. Godzilla Minus Zero is months away from its theatrical release, and yet, details remain sparse as to what the story will actually entail. It is known, however, that the highly anticipated sequel to the highly successful Godzilla Minus One will see the King of the Monsters somehow return to threaten the Earth just two years after his death. Many of the characters involved in the battle to defeat him will be back too, this time in a story that brings the United States into the fold. Not much else about the plot has been established, though. It's not even clear if Godzilla Minus Zero is another movie where it's essentially Godzilla against humanity, or a "versus" film where the humans ultimately realize that Godzilla is the lesser of two evils. Takashi Yamazaki, who helmed Minus One and is back to direct the sequel, previously acknowledged that a sequel would most likely feature a second monster for Godzilla to fight. But even as the movie's release quickly approaches, Toho has carefully avoided any confirmation of that. Also uncertain are the circumstances of Godzilla's return, why he sports different designs in specific shots in the teaser trailer, and, if there is a second monster, who exactly Toho would pick as Godzilla's opponent. That said, various theories point to some of the avenues the movie might be taking. Of course, some of these possibilities are more appealing than others, with a few having a ton of storytelling potential. 6 There Are Two Godzillas In Godzilla Minus Zero Original SR Image by Shawn Lealos One particular theory would promise a franchise first if it turned out to be true. Godzilla boasts different designs in Godzilla Minus Zero's teaser trailer, with one looking more like Minus One's version and the other sporting a more muscled frame with more pronounced dorsal fins. A popular explanation for this among fans is that Minus Zero will include two different Godzillas. In-universe, this does make some degree of sense. In Godzilla Minus One's ending, Godzilla's body was destroyed, but it was confirmed that at least a piece of him survived and is in the process of regeneration. It's not implausible that a second shred of his flesh will regenerate separately into another Godzilla. The problem with this idea is that it runs the risk of undermining a key aspect of what makes Godzilla special, which is the sense that he's one-of-a-kind. It's true that there are multiple Godzillas in other versions of the canon, but there's traditionally only one shown to be alive at one time. For instance, Godzilla Junior doesn't fully evolve into Godzilla until after his father's death in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. And a second Godzilla emerged in Godzilla Raids Again, but only after the original's death. 5 Godzilla Minus One Set Up Noriko To Become Biollante Interestingly, one of the oldest and most intriguing theories pertaining to Godzilla Minus Zero's story actually predates the announcement that it was officially in development. In the Godzilla Minus One post-credits scene, the film ominously highlighted a black mark on Noriko's neck that was left by her proximity to Godzilla's atomic breath blast. The obvious implication here is that Noriko has been infected with Godzilla's DNA. An admittedly dark interpretation of this twist is that Godzilla Minus One did this to Noriko to set up her transformation into Biollante, who hasn't appeared in a Godzilla film since 1989. Biollante was born from a scientist's experiment; he made her from combining the genetic material of his dead daughter, a rose, and Godzilla himself. In other words, Biollante possesses the soul of a human trapped in a monster's body. With that in mind, Biollante's origin could be the biggest clue as to what's really going on with Noriko and her newfound link to Godzilla. Biollante appearing as the villain of Godzilla Minus Zero would be a thrilling outcome to be sure, given that she comes complete with a great backstory and a design that could look truly meaningful if rendered with modern visuals. Unfortunately, her debut would come at the cost of a heartbreaking end to a memorable love story, a rare thing to see in Godzilla movies. 4 Noriko Will Become Godzilla Minus Zero's Answer To Miki Saegusa A different way to look at Godzilla Minus One's Noriko tease is that the movie is preparing to do its own take on the longest character arc in the history of the Godzilla franchise. Appearing in six Godzilla movies between 1989 and 1996, Megumi Odaka's Miki Saegusa was a young psychic woman who possessed a telepathic connection with Godzilla. This made her valuable to the human characters looking to defeat him, but also gave her a deep understanding of Godzilla on an emotional level that no one else shared. Having this link to Godzilla helped the Heisei era movies get across the idea that Godzilla had feelings too, and helped portray him as a sympathetic figure. It's possible that being infected with Godzilla's DNA will enable Godzilla MInus Zero to take Noriko down a similar path. After all the destruction he wrought in Minus One, humanizing him will be no easy task, but doing so would allow him to morph from a villain into an anti-hero ahead of a possible showdown with a second monster. 3 Godzilla Minus Zero Is A Loose Remake Of Godzilla Raids Again One of the most talked-about candidates for a second monster in Godzilla Minus Zero is Anguirus. Thanks to movies like Godzilla vs. Gigan and Destroy All Monsters, the anklyosaurus-like kaiju is thought of primarily as a hero and an ally to Godzilla, but there is historical precedent for Anguirus to be utilized differently. Introduced in 1955's Godzilla Raids Again, Anguirus was the first-ever monster to fight Godzilla in a movie. That fact, and other parallels between Godzilla Minus Zero and Godzilla Raids Again have fueled speculation that the upcoming movie might take inspiration from the 1955 film's choice of villain. Similar to Godzilla Raids Again, Minus Zero will see the humans reckon with the return of Godzilla not long after his supposed death. Both films are also the immediate, direct sequels to the first entry in a Godzilla series. Putting Anguirus in Godzilla Minus Zero would be a meaningful tribute to the monster and his place in Godzilla lore. What's more, it would finally put an end to a 22-year drought for the fan-favorite kaiju, who hasn't appeared in live-action since 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. If there's any disappointment to be had about Anguirus being in Minus Zero, it's that it would most likely result in him being killed by Godzilla, when it's arguably more fun to watch him fight side-by-side with the King of the Monsters. 2 Godzilla Minus Zero's Title Secretly Refers To King Ghidorah The prospect of Anguirus showing up in Minus Zero is exciting, but the theory lacks solid evidence outside the comparison to Godzilla Raids Again. That's not the case, though, when it comes to Godzilla's greatest and most prevalent enemy, King Ghidorah. There's ample reason to suspect Ghidorah is a secret villain in Minus Zero. Part of that stems from Godzilla Minus Zero's title; there's already a working explanation for the "Zero" in the title, but there may be a hidden meaning too, given that "Monster Zero" is Ghidorah's codename. Adding credence to that theory is the presence of gravity-altering blue energy in the teaser trailer. It shouldn't be forgotten that Ghidorah's signature lighting blasts are called "gravity beams." It may be that Minus Zero is putting more emphasis on the gravity-altering nature of his attacks than most of his previous movie appearances, where the name carries little significance. Reinventing this power could pave the way for a powerful new iteration of Ghidorah, and while it would surely lead to an epic grudge match, it would still feel like a bit of a missed opportunity, considering that Ghidorah has already been represented onscreen more times than any other Godzilla adversary. Meanwhile, several Godzilla villains have gone decades without being revisited once. Ghidorah's "Monster Zero" moniker originated in Invasion of Astro Monster, and was later made relevant again by the Monsterverse in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. 1 Hedorah Is The Villain Of Godzilla Minus Zero One Godzilla villain in need of a proper resurgence in live-action is Hedorah. Also known as the Smog Monster, the titular villain of Godzilla vs. Hedorah was introduced as a blob-shaped kaiju who feeds off of pollution. Although he's visually less imposing than the likes of King Ghidorah, Destoroyah, or Biollante, Hedorah was indeed a challenging opponent for Godzilla, in that his body seemed almost impervious to harm, thus forcing the humans to find a weakness to exploit. Thematically, Hedorah is a perfect fit for a Godzilla movie, especially one set in the canon of Minus Zero. Not unlike Godzilla, the threat of Hedorah exists as a consequence of humanity's actions. By reviving the Hedorah character, Godzilla Minus Zero can place Godzilla in the all-too-familiar role where it falls upon to clean up a mess left by humans. Godzilla movies have a tendency to embrace an environmental message, so it wouldn't be uncharacteristic of the franchise to do so again in Godzilla Minus Zero. Making the possibility even stronger is the director's own words; Yamazaki voiced his interest in pitting Godzilla against Hedorah at New York Comic Con in 2024. Release Date November 6, 2026 Director Takashi Yamazaki Writers Takashi Yamazaki Cast Ryunosuke Kamiki Koichi Shikishima Minami Hamabe Noriko Oishi Min Tanaka Kanji Murakami Hidetaka Yoshioka Kenji Noda