What Really Happens to Godzilla in ‘Godzilla Minus One’?

Godzilla Minus One has finally made its long-awaited debut on Netflix. As viewers catch up on the film, some may wonder what ultimately happens to Godzilla.

Godzilla Minus One is a standalone film in the Godzilla franchise produced by Toho Studios, the titular monster’s original creator. The film takes place in post-World War II Japan, as the country struggles to put itself back together following the war and the devastating impact of the atomic bombs. As a result, it is hardly equipped to handle an attack from the mutated dinosaur-like creature Godzilla. With the country at its lowest, it is up to a few brave citizens and veterans to stop the monster’s attack.

Upon its release in Japan and a short theatrical run in the United States, Godzilla Minus One received high praise for its stunning visual effects, powerful performances, and intriguing commentary on nuclear weapons and post-war Japan. Unfortunately, the movie was pulled quickly from U.S. theaters to give enough space to the Monsterverse movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. After it left theaters, many viewers were simply stuck waiting for the movie’s arrival on streaming. Following its official release on Netflix, viewers may be looking for answers about the movie’s ending.

What happens to Godzilla in Godzilla Minus One?

In Godzilla Minus One, Godzilla is as formidable as ever as the monster boasts its typical atomic breath, strength, and energy absorption. Due to mutation from nuclear weapons, this Godzilla also has an even more impressive and powerful healing factor than other iterations and can spread radiation poisoning to individuals who get too close. The monster’s strength, combined with Japan’s post-war state, makes defeating the monster particularly difficult.

Multiple attempts to defeat the monster fail, including a particularly clever one, which dragged the monster deep into the ocean before rapidly raising it to the surface in an explosive decompression. With Godzilla injured but still standing after the decompression attempt, former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), seeking to redeem himself after the war, resorts to last-ditch effort and guides his plane filled with explosives into Godzilla’s mouth. He manages to eject himself safely before the plane flies into Godzilla’s mouth and detonates, causing the monster’s entire body to explode. It appears to be a fairly definitive end for the monster.

However, as mentioned above, Godzilla Minus One‘s iteration of the monster includes an extremely powerful healing factor. Viewers learn just how powerful it is when the final scene carries them to the bottom of the ocean, where they see a remaining piece of Godzilla’s flesh beginning to bubble and regenerate. The shot hints that the monster’s healing factor is powerful enough for it to regenerate from a mere remnant of skin. Godzilla Minus One‘s ambiguous ending leaves the door open for a sequel in which the regenerated monster returns for vengeance.