Summary

• Godzilla has had 11 different movie continuities, showcasing his evolution from villain to hero and protector of Japan.
• The Godzilla franchise has been subject to numerous sequels and reboots, with some movies connected canonically and others existing apart from the rest.
• The current Godzilla timelines include the MonsterVerse, which integrates the 1954 movie into its canon, and the new Toho version in Godzilla Minus One, which presents a standalone story for the monster.

The Godzilla timeline hosts 11 different movie continuities. Since his introduction in the 1954 classic, multiple different versions of the Japanese pop culture icon have graced the big screen. In over 60 years of cinematic history, various incarnations of Godzilla have threatened the people of Japan, saved it from destruction, and engaged in battle with rival monsters. Like other movie franchises, the Godzilla universe has been subject to numerous sequels and reboots. Many of Godzilla’s movies are connected canonically, but quite a few exist apart from the rest, with several incorporating parts of other movies’ stories.

The first Godzilla movie arrived in 1956 with Gojira, and over the years, he has morphed and changed with the times. He has been an antihero and protector of Japan and a destroyer of worlds, depending on the story being told. There was a cartoon that made him almost a pure hero and an American version that changed everything about him. However, in today's world, there are two different Godzilla timelines, including one American version that has brought in King Kong and others to fight with and against him, and a new Toho version in Godzilla Minus One that made the monster scary once again.

11 Showa Series

1954-1975

The Godzilla timeline that ran for the longest was also the franchise’s first. Although the 1954 movie killed off Godzilla, it didn’t break continuity when it brought him back for 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again. It pulled this off by establishing the existence of a second Godzilla, who started by repeating his predecessor’s villain role but eventually evolved into an anti-hero, and finally, into a heroic defender of Japan. It was during this era, which encompasses 16 Godzilla movies, that Toho introduced the majority of Godzilla's allies and enemies. The Showa series came to an end with Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975.

10 Heisei Series

1984-1995

In 1984, Toho pressed the reset button on the franchise by releasing Return of Godzilla. In the continuity depicted in Return of Godzilla (and the sequels that followed), Godzilla is a creature that attacked Japan in 1954 before disappearing. Throughout his seven-movie story, Godzilla survived heated showdowns with rebooted versions of Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla, and all-new monsters in the forms of Biollante, SpaceGodzilla, and Destoroyah. The Heisei era also chronicled the journey of Godzilla’s son, beginning with his birth in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II and ending with his transformation into the new Godzilla in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, which ended with the original's tragic death.

9 TriStar Godzilla

1998

During a period when Toho’s Godzilla franchise was inactive, Sony Pictures and TriStar attempted to develop their Hollywood series of Godzilla films. 1998 saw the release of Godzilla, which introduced audiences to a significantly smaller version of the classic kaiju, and one that shared few similarities with Toho’s Godzilla. Originally, the film was to lead into sequels, but poor reception to the movie and its Godzilla design culminated in these plans coming to a halt. Later, director Roland Emmerich said he never wanted to make a Godzilla movie, likely explaining the departure from what fans expected.

8 Godzilla 2000

1999

Following the failure of Hollywood’s first Godzilla adaptation, Toho launched Godzilla 2000, which kickstarted the Millennium series. Pitting Godzilla against a new adversary called Orga, the movie was the beginning of a new era for the kaiju. But while it did rejuvenate the Godzilla franchise, it was actually a one-and-done story. None of the other movies in the Millennium series are tied to Godzilla 2000, which centers on a version of the kaiju with an unknown origin. Despite this being its own timeline, it did start a new lineage for Toho.

7 Godzilla vs. Megaguirus

2000

The second Millennium movie brought back the Godzilla design introduced in Godzilla 2000 but separated itself from all other Godzilla stories by making one massive change to his backstory. Featuring a mutated, prehistoric dragonfly as the villain, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus exists in a timeline where some of the events of the 1954 film happened, but not the moment where the Oxygen Destroyer killed Godzilla. Somehow, he survived and returned to menace Tokyo nearly 50 years later. It has only the loosest connections to any of the original Godzilla movies.

6 Godzilla, Mothra, And King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack

2001

Similar to Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, the next installment in the Millennium era created a twist on the original Godzilla movie’s ending. This time around, Godzilla was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer. In Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Godzilla’s corpse was revived by the spirits of people killed by the atom bombs dropped in World War II. This new, supernatural take on Godzilla was utilized as a force for evil. This was never approached in later movies, but having Godzilla represent people slaughtered by the bomb made him a very different hero for Japan.

5 Kiryu Series

2002-2003

Like all three of the preceding Millennium movies, 2002’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla exists in its own timeline and bases its story on an altered version of Gojira’s ending. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla revealed that when the Oxygen Destroyer killed Godzilla, it didn’t dissolve his skeleton, thus paving the way for his bones to be used to build Kiryu, a heroic interpretation of Mechagodzilla. Acting as the movie’s protagonist, Kiryu battled Godzilla and returned for a rematch in the direct sequel, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. The two Kiryu films are the only Millennium movies to share the same timeline.

4 Godzilla: Final Wars

2004

The final movie in the Millennium era, Godzilla Final Wars, tells a story that builds on existing monster lore rooted in a long list of Godzilla films. At least some version of the history from the Showa era appears to be canon with Final Wars, as evidenced by the specific roster of monsters on hand in the movie. Godzilla: Final Wars sees the King of the Monsters cross paths with Rodan, Ebirah, King Caesar, Hedorah, Manda, and Gigan, all of whom are monsters from the Showa series. In this particular timeline, the latter turned out to be the villain of Mothra (not Godzilla), which is what confirms that Final Wars isn’t a continuation of the Showa series.

3 MonsterVerse

2014 – Present

Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla saw the birth of Legendary’s MonsterVerse, the second attempt by an American movie studio to build a successful Godzilla franchise. The MonsterVerse currently consists of five movies and an Apple TV+ show, with another in production in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. As things stand, the MonsterVerse is expected to march on until 2024 and could extend well beyond that.

The MonsterVerse, which has built its universe around both Godzilla and King Kong, also boasts a handful of creatures from Toho’s library, such as Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mechagodzilla. As for its approach to the Godzilla mythos, it found a way to integrate the 1954 movie into its canon. As explained by the 2014 movie, Godzilla is an ancient monster woken up by nuclear testing in 1954. Thankfully for the humans, this Godzilla isn’t interested in fighting them and is more focused on defending the Earth’s ecosystem from bigger threats.

2 Shin Godzilla

2016

Over a decade after retiring Godzilla yet again, Toho brought him back once more for Shin Godzilla. Instead of linking him to an event from 1954, Shin Godzilla acted as a modern-day retelling of Godzilla’s origin story and his first fight with the Japanese military. For this film, Toho utilized him as a mindless killing machine who gradually evolved from a fish-like creature to a more recognizable version of Godzilla. Despite Shin Godzilla’s success at the box office, there was no indication that Toho intended to keep this timeline going, and this Godzilla timeline ended with just one movie.

1 Godzilla Minus One

2023