The Convoluted Chronology of Godzilla

Godzilla is one of the oldest film franchises in the world. (But not the “longest-running.” That title is still claimed by Japan but it belongs to a series of softcore porn movies.) In 2024, the world celebrated 70 years of the King of the Monsters smashing buildings, fighting other kaiju, and embodying the horrors of nuclear weapons. One problem with that, though. Technically, the giant dinosaurian creatures from the 33 live-action Japanese Godzilla movies are not always the same giant dinosaurian creature, meaning that there isn’t one kaiju that’s been continuously appearing in cinemas for more than seven decades now. Confused? Let us explain.

‘Godzilla’ Is More of a Species Name

We don’t mean that “Godzilla was portrayed by different actors in a series of reboots so it’s not the same Godzilla.” No. Christopher Reeve’s Superman and David Corenswet’s 2025 incarnation have different backgrounds, looks, and powers, yet they’re still the same character. However, within the Godzilla cinematic universe there are numerous creatures that are called Godzilla but which are (as far as we know) unrelated to each other. In total, the Godzilla franchise may feature anywhere from 3 to 7 of these monsters, depending on how pedantic you want to get.

All but two Godzilla movies acknowledge the 1954 original where Godzilla is ultimately killed by the fearsome Oxygen Destroyer weapon that reduces it to a pile of bones. So, almost every “Godzilla” outside the first movie is actually the second giant dinosaurian creature to attack Japan while its predecessor chills at the bottom of Tokyo Bay. And this isn’t some made-up fan theory.

The second movie in the franchise, Godzilla Raids Again (1955), is a direct sequel to the original and clearly states that the atomic ancient beast fighting the Ankylosaurus-like Anguirus belongs to the same species as the Godzilla that rampaged through Tokyo a year ago, but it’s not the same kaiju. That one is still an underwater Halloween decoration in that timeline. The title of Godzilla Raids Again is thus a little misleading because the monster that appears in the film actually only raids for the first time.

New Era, New Godzillas

Godzilla movies are typically classified by Japanese eras. The Showa-era films (1954 – 1975) were famously loose with the idea of continuity and tone (in 1969’s All Monsters Attack, the titular monsters only appear in the dreams of a latchkey kid dealing with bullies… and jewel thieves.) Nonetheless, the Showa movies undisputedly feature at least two different monsters belonging to the “Godzilla” species.

Let’s say that the creatures from between the Godzilla Raids Again and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) movies, which can be enjoyed in any order, are the same monster despite some differences in design and behavior. We will tentatively call this kaiju “Godzilla 2,” and the 1954 version “Godzilla 1.” During the Heisei era (1984 – 1995), Godzilla 2 was written out of existence. Within the universe kickstarted by the once-again-misleadingly-titled The Return of Godzilla (1984), only the first movie happened and then Japan enjoyed 30 years of peace until a brand-new Godzilla appeared. Technically speaking, this one was Godzilla 3.

There are just too many differences between Godzilla 2 and 3 for them to be the same “reimagined” kaiju. For one, the latter is MUCH bigger. The Showa version was 50 meters high. The Heisei one is 80 meters high and also has a “a nuclear reactor heart,” a “magnetic honing instinct” and feeds on nuclear energy.

There’s even a case to be made that Godzilla 3 only hung around for a few years and was replaced by Godzilla 4 in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991), where the creature’s origin was retconned to make it a Godzillasaurus, a dinosaur roughly the size of a T-Rex, which was mutated by radiation. In the previous movies, it was heavily implied that Godzilla was always kaiju-sized and that nuclear bombs only awakened it or possibly only gave it the atomic breath.

Whatever you want to call it, the Heisei Godzilla died in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) and was replaced by a new mutated Godzillasaurus. If you count the 1991 version as a new character, then the ending of the 1995 movie gave us Godzilla 5 (the third monster to appear in that one movie’s universe.)

Godzillas of the 21st Century

Godzilla 5 was rewritten out of the franchise when the whole series rebooted during the franchise’s Millennium era (1999 – 2004). The first film in the series, Godzilla 2000: Millennium, once again ignores everything except the first movie but also notably shrinks the “new” Godzilla back to about 50 meters. Still, we can probably count it as a variation of Godzilla 2. However, we cannot extend the same courtesy to the monster in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, aka GMK (2001), since THAT Godzilla is a supernatural creature created by the accumulated energy of vengeful ghosts of those killed in WW2. No, really.

If you’ve been generous with the counting, this is Godzilla 6. Hideaki Anno’s Shin Godzilla (2016) might give us #7. In Anno’s universe, for the first time ever, the 1954 movie isn’t a shared canon, and Godzilla is a whole other type of monster that starts out as an aquatic animal before evolving through amphibian and land forms. This actually new Godzilla (befitting the “Shin” in its title, which means “new”) was very different from Godzillas 1 – 6. It shot lasers from its dorsal fins and tail, could reproduce asexually, and ultimately started evolving into hive-minded humanoid creatures after recognizing humanity as a powerful threat.

Interestingly, the Godzilla from Godzilla Minus One is very easy to categorize. Since the entire movie is essentially a not-so-stealth remake of the 1954 original, then the titular monster is just a riff on Godzilla 1. Yes, there are many differences between it and the 1954 kaiju, but there are many differences between Superman from the Fleischer cartoons and Zack Snyder’s movies, yet it’s still the same character. But, as we’ve seen, this does not apply to ALL cinematic Godzillas. Turns out, there isn’t just one King of the Monsters. There is an entire monster dynasty.