6 Godzilla Movies To Watch Before Seeing Godzilla Minus Zero (Besides Minus One)

Published Nov 3, 2026, 5:21 PM EST 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. Before heading into the theater to watch Godzilla Minus Zero, several Godzilla movies are worth checking out first. Given that it's the highly anticipated sequel to Godzilla Minus One, the 2023 kaiju movie is obviously the only project canonically linked with it, but that's not to say that other Godzilla movies aren't relevant. That notion is made apparent just by its choice of villain. Godzilla's only enemy in Godzilla MInus One was humanity itself, but that's far from the case in the sequel. As the marketing for Godzilla Minus Zero has confirmed, the King of the Monsters is up against the three-headed golden dragon known as King Ghidorah. King Ghidorah has a well-earned reputation as Godzilla's greatest enemy, having fought him in a long list of kaiju films going all the way back to the villain's debut in 1964. Although Minus Zero is offering its own interpretation of the creature, it makes sense to go into Godzilla Minus Zero with a thorough understanding of the monster's identity, background, and powers. Knowledge of the previous iterations of Ghidorah will naturally make for an interesting point of comparison. Something similar can be said for the first movie that saw Godzilla pivot from strictly fighting humans to battling another giant monster. 6 Godzilla Raids Again Admittedly, Godzilla Raids Again doesn't rank extremely high in regards to the greatest Godzilla movies ever made, but its subject material makes it an appropriate film to watch ahead of Godzilla Minus Zero. Released in 1955, Godzilla Raids Again was a direct sequel to the 1954 classic that spawned the franchise and the first of many movies to pit Godzilla against another monster. In this particular story, Godzilla's main opponent is Anguirus, a kaiju who was later reinvented as a Godzilla ally. Godzilla's battle with Anguirus created the formula that defined the franchise, setting the stage for dozens of movies to revolve more around monster fights than military-led plans to defeat Godzilla. Similar to Godzilla Minus Zero, Godzilla Raids Again exists as a follow-up to a story where humanity prevailed in their efforts to kill Godzilla. In both movies, the human protagonists have to reckon with Godzilla's return and an impending clash between him and another kaiju. Watching Godzilla Raids Again can build even greater intrigue concerning how Minus Zero will tackle the same underlying concept. 5 Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster When it comes to getting to know King Ghidorah, there's no better starting point than the very movie that introduced him to the world. That film was 1964's Ghidorah, Three-Headed Monster. Ghidorah, Three-Headed Monster carries a great deal of significance for the franchise, considering that it features Godzilla's first-ever monster team-up. The story sees Mothra unite Godzilla and Rodan for a battle against King Ghidorah. In the context of Godzilla Minus Zero, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is important because it's what established the foundation for Godzilla and King Ghidorah's long-running rivalry. Here, Ghidorah is revealed to be an all-powerful dragon from outer space. Most of Ghidorah's subsequent appearances have honored that interpretation of Ghidorah's origin story, and that includes two other Godzilla movies that should precede a Godzilla Minus Zero viewing. 4 Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Toho hasn't made a live-action Godzilla versus King Ghidorah movie since Godzilla: Final Wars in 2024, making Godzilla: King of the Monsters the most recent film to include the villain prior to Minus Zero. The second film in Legendary's Monsterverse, King of the Monsters tells a story about a plot by eco-terrorists to unleash the Monsterverse's Titans on the Earth as a sort of reset for the planet. But the plan backfires, as they don't count on King Ghidorah being an alien who cares nothing about the Earth's future. Instead, he bends the other Titans to his will, forcing Godzilla to intervene in one of their epic showdowns of all time. The idea of using Ghidorah's alien nature to justify his position as the main villain was a brilliant way to honor his roots. And with modern special effects, King of the Monsters was able to make sure he lived up visually to his reputation as Godzilla's biggest villain. All things considered, Godzilla: King of the Monsters's take on Ghidorah set a high bar for Godzilla Minus Zero to meet. 3 Godzilla, Mothra, And King Ghidorah, Giant Monsters All-Out Attack Curiously, the movie that deviated the most from the traditional definition of Ghidorah's character came not from Hollywood but Toho itself. Whereas the Monsterverse portrayed him as an evil alien eager to upset the natural order of the Earth, Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack depicted him as a heroic, ancient guardian of the planet. In this version of the story, Ghidorah - alongside Mothra and Baragon - rise up and take a stand against a surprisingly supernatural take on Godzilla. The 2001 film takes a number of liberties with its characterization of Godzilla, and yet it still stands out as a truly great entry in the franchise. Part of that stems from the level at which in excels in leaning into horror. The movie trades in Godzilla's anti-hero image for a more terrifying interpretation of the monster, and the move sets up some of the most evil moments in Godzilla's history. Its approach to Godzilla's image goes hand-in-hand with the dark world that Minus One created for the monster. 2 Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah Godzilla Minus One received a great deal of praise from its critics for its dark and emotional storytelling and great cast of characters, but it's important to note that it's hardly the first film to present a story that goes beyond just superb monster action. Among those that belong in that conversation is Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, the film that ended the 1990s series of Godzilla movies. In Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, both Godzilla and his son battle a fearsome new kaiju incidentally created by the Oxygen Destroyer, the weapon that famously killed the original Godzilla in 1954. Using the weapon that killed Godzilla in the very first film as the basis of Destoroyah's origin epitomized the notion that the monster was the ultimate threat to Godzilla, a feeling that was ever-present in the movie. It perfectly supplemented its dark and bleak tone, which is consistent with the atmosphere of director Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla movies. Watching it, complete with its heartbreaking ending, is a great way to set expectations before watching Minus Zero. 1 Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah Released in 1991, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is an unusual installment in the franchise, due in part to its use of time travel and the many plot twists that comprise its story. In the movie, the human characters are convinced by an alien species that they must travel back in time and prevent Godzilla's creation during World War 2. Unsurprisingly, the plan backfires when it turns out that the aliens had a hidden motive. Their actions culminate in the birth of King Ghidorah. In an effort to undo their mistake, they bring Godzilla back into existence. And in turn, their machinations set the stage for not one, but two thrilling slugfests between Godzilla and King Ghidorah, with their final bout flipping the script of a Godzilla versus Ghidorah plot in an interesting way. The trailers for Godzilla Minus Zero are indicative of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah having what may be a heavy influence on the story, which make it all the more relevant. Release Date November 6, 2026 Runtime 135 minutes Director Takashi Yamazaki Cast Ryunosuke Kamiki Koichi Shikishima Minami Hamabe Noriko Oishi Min Tanaka Kanji Murakami Hidetaka Yoshioka Kenji Noda