Look, trying to watch every Godzilla films in order is basically like trying to map out a family tree where half the relatives aren’t speaking and the other half keep getting reincarnated as different versions of themselves. It’s a mess. A glorious, radioactive, city-leveling mess. If you just jump in blindly, you’re going to be very confused when the King of the Monsters goes from a terrifying metaphor for nuclear trauma to a giant lizard who does gravity-defying dropkicks, only to reset back to a mindless engine of destruction.
He’s been around since 1954. That’s over 70 years of stomping on Tokyo. In that time, we’ve seen four distinct Japanese eras and two separate American attempts to capture the magic. You can’t just watch them chronologically by release date and expect a single cohesive story. It doesn't work that way. Most of these movies ignore the ones that came before them, except for the original masterpiece.
The Showa Era: Where it all started (1954–1975)
This is the foundation. If you want to understand Godzilla, you have to start with the 1954 original directed by Ishirō Honda. It isn’t a fun monster romp. It’s a bleak, black-and-white horror film about the consequences of the hydrogen bomb. If you’ve only seen the modern Hollywood versions, this one might shock you with how heavy it feels.
Then things get weird. Fast.
The Showa era is basically a fever dream that spans 15 movies. After the first film, Toho realized they had a hit, so they brought in Godzilla Raids Again in 1955, introducing the concept of monster-vs-monster battles with Anguirus. From there, the series takes a hard turn into colorful, campy fun. By the time you get to King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), the tone has shifted completely. Godzilla stops being a villain. He becomes a hero. He becomes a dad. He literally flies by using his atomic breath as a thruster in Godzilla vs. Hedorah. It's wild.
If you’re watching these Godzilla films in order, keep in mind that the continuity in the Showa era is loose. It’s mostly about the vibes. You see the introduction of icons like Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mechagodzilla. By the time Terror of Mechagodzilla rolled around in 1975, audiences were thinning out, and the Big G went into a long hibernation.
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The Heisei Era: A tighter timeline (1984–1995)
After nearly a decade away, Godzilla returned in 1984 with The Return of Godzilla (often called Godzilla 1985 in the US). This was a hard reboot. It ignored everything from the Showa era except for the 1954 original. This is actually a great place for new fans to start because the continuity is much tighter.
In this run of seven films, Godzilla is a force of nature. He’s huge, he’s grumpy, and he has a consistent design that many fans consider the "definitive" look. You get a real sense of progression here. Miki Saegusa, a psychic character played by Megumi Odaka, appears in almost every film, giving the series a human anchor that the other eras lack.
The Heisei era peaked with Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in 1995. It’s a tear-jerker. Godzilla’s heart is literally undergoing a nuclear meltdown, and he’s glowing orange and melting. It felt like a definitive end. Of course, it wasn't.
The Millennium Era: The "Choose Your Own Adventure" years (1999–2004)
This is where things get genuinely confusing for people trying to follow Godzilla films in order. After the 1998 American film (we don’t talk about that one much, though Toho eventually turned that creature into a character named "Zilla"), Toho brought the King back home.
The Millennium era isn't a single timeline. It's a series of "what if" scenarios.
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- Godzilla 2000 is its own thing.
- Godzilla vs. Megaguirus is its own thing.
- GMK (Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack) is a supernatural ghost story where Godzilla is possessed by the souls of those killed in WWII.
Almost every movie in this era acts as a direct sequel to the 1954 original while ignoring every other movie. It’s an anthology. The only exception is the "Kiryu Saga," consisting of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S., which share a story. The era ended with Godzilla: Final Wars, a high-octane, Matrix-inspired martial arts movie that features basically every monster Toho owned. It was a chaotic way to go out before another long break.
The Modern Age: Shin, Anime, and Minus One
We are currently living in a Godzilla renaissance. In 2016, Hideaki Anno (the genius behind Neon Genesis Evangelion) gave us Shin Godzilla. It’s a brilliant, terrifying satire of Japanese bureaucracy and the Fukushima disaster. It stands entirely alone.
Then there’s the Netflix anime trilogy, which is... divisive. It takes place thousands of years in the future where Godzilla has basically become the Earth's ecosystem.
And then, the heavy hitter: Godzilla Minus One. Released in late 2023, this movie took the world by storm and even snagged an Oscar. Like Shin, it’s a standalone story that resets the clock back to post-WWII Japan. It’s arguably the best human story ever told in a kaiju movie. Honestly, if you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and go find it. It’s that good.
The MonsterVerse: America gets it right
While Japan was doing its thing, Legendary Pictures launched the MonsterVerse in 2014. This is the first time an American studio really "got" Godzilla.
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- Godzilla (2014) – Slow burn, very grounded.
- Kong: Skull Island (2017) – Not a Godzilla movie, but essential for the setup.
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) – Pure fan service with Ghidorah and Mothra.
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) – The big grudge match.
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) – Neon-soaked, fun, 80s-style action.
This is a single, linear narrative. It’s easy to follow. It’s big, loud, and focuses more on the spectacle of monsters fighting like pro wrestlers.
How to actually watch these things
So, you want to tackle the Godzilla films in order. Don't try to watch all 38 movies in a single line. You'll burn out by the time you hit the talking Godzilla in the 70s. Instead, pick a "flavor" and go from there.
The "Purist" Path:
Watch the 1954 original, then jump straight to Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One. This gives you the best "serious" Godzilla experience without the camp.
The "Continuity" Path:
Watch the 1954 original, then the entire Heisei Era (1984–1995). It’s the most rewarding narrative arc in the franchise.
The "Modern Blockbuster" Path:
Just stick to the MonsterVerse. Start with 2014 and work your way up to the recent stuff. It’s the most accessible for a casual movie night.
Actionable Next Steps for Kaiju Fans
If you're ready to start your journey, don't just stream whatever is on the front page. Here is how to do it right:
- Check the Language: Whenever possible, watch the Japanese versions with subtitles. The English dubs—especially for the older films—often change the dialogue so much that they lose the original meaning, sometimes turning serious scenes into unintentional comedies.
- Physical Media Matters: Streaming rights for Godzilla are a nightmare. Some are on Max, some on Hulu, and some are seemingly nowhere. The Criterion Collection’s "Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films" Blu-ray set is the holy grail for collectors and covers the first 15 movies beautifully.
- Don't Skip the Humans: It’s tempting to fast-forward to the monster fights. Don't. The best Godzilla films use the human characters to reflect the themes of the monster. In Minus One, the human story is actually the best part.
- Explore the "Plus" Content: If you finish the movies, check out Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV+. It bridges the gaps in the American MonsterVerse and actually adds a lot of depth to the lore.
The beauty of Godzilla is that there is no "wrong" way to enjoy him. Whether he's a symbol of nuclear terror or a giant green superhero, he's survived for 70 years because he can be whatever the world needs him to be at that moment. Just pick an era, grab some popcorn, and get ready for some destruction.