Godzilla Minus One

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Godzilla Minus One ゴジラ-1.0 (Gojira Mainasu Wan) Movie poster Country Japan Directed by Takashi Yamazaki Release Date 2023 Language Japanese Studio Toho Distributor Toho Main Cast Character Actor Kōichi Shikishima Ryunosuke Kamiki Noriko Ōishi Minami Hamabe Shirō Mizushima Yuki Yamada Sōsaku Tachibana Munetaka Aoki Kenji Noda Hidetaka Yoshioka Yōji Akitsu Kuranosuke Sasaki

Godzilla Minus One (Japanese: ゴジラ-1.0; Gojira Mainasu Wan) is the 2023 installment of Toho's long-running Godzilla franchise. The film opens near the end of the Pacific War, as Navy pilot Kōichi Shikishima, sent on a kamikaze mission, feigns a mechanical issue and instead lands his Zero at a small maintenance airfield on Odo Island. While there, a large dinosaur-like monster emerges and kills all present except for Kōichi and the lead mechanic, Sōsaku Tachibana. After the war, Kōichi finds employment aboard the Shinsei Maru, a small boat helping to clear the thousands of leftover American and Japanese sea mines. After Godzilla is inadvertently exposed to the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll, massively increasing its size and giving it "atomic breath", the monster makes its way towards Japan, damaging and sinking several USN ships along the way.

In 1947, while investigating a wrecked American merchantman, the Shinsei Maru is attacked by Godzilla; the crew manages to detonate a mine in its mouth, but Godzilla regenerates. They are subsequently saved by the arrival of the heavy cruiser Takao. Soon after, Godzilla makes landfall in the Ginza district of Tokyo, using its atomic breath in an attack that kills over 30,000 people. With effectively no military force of their own, and with the Americans unwilling to assist militarily due to tensions with the Soviets, any hope of defeating the monster is left to a volunteer group of former Navy personnel. The group is given use of four disarmed destroyers, as well as a Shinden interceptor, to be piloted by Shikishima. A plan is devised by Shinsei Maru crew member and former naval weapons researcher Kenji Noda, involving rapidly sinking Godzilla using freon gas, and should that fail, rapidly ascending it to the surface with balloons to induce explosive decompression... which will hopefully be enough to kill it.

The following weapons were used in the film Godzilla Minus One:

Type 93 heavy machine gun

The Shinsei Maru is equipped with a single Type 93 heavy machine gun, used to detonate mines once they're brought to the surface. Their fellow minesweeping ship is similarly armed with a single Type 93. The weapon is correctly referred to as being 13mm in dialogue.

Type 93 heavy machine gun - 13.2x99mm Hotchkiss

Shinsei Maru and her crew: Kōichi Shikishima, Yōji Akitsu, Kenji Noda, and Shirō Mizushima. Note that the Type 93 is unloaded, lacking a magazine.

Yōji Akitsu, the boat's captain, looks over at the other minesweeper, also armed with a single Type 93.

Shikishima mans the Type 93 aboard the small, wooden minesweeper.

Shikishima shows his war face.

Shikishima opens up on Godzilla.

Type 99 Arisaka

The maintenance personnel on Odo Island attempt to defend themselves against Godzilla with Arisaka rifles, which prove completely ineffective.

Type 99 Arisaka - 7.7x58mm

Type 97 aircraft machine gun

The A6M Reisen fighter flown by Shikishima is armed with a pair of Type 97 aircraft machine guns above the engine.

Type 97 aircraft machine gun - 7.7x56mmR

Type 99 cannon

The Zero is also armed with a pair of Type 99 cannons in the wings. Tachibana urges Shikishima to get in his parked fighter and blast the monster with the cannons as it walks in front, however Shikishima, paralyzed with fear, is unable to open fire. The cannons are referred to by calibre in dialogue, with Tachibana noting that the 20mm cannons should be far more effective than their rifles.

Top: Type 99 Mark 1 Model 3 - 20x72mmRB / Bottom: Type 99 Mark 2 Model 3 - 20x101mmRB

Type 5 cannon

The J7W1 Shinden interceptor is armed with four Type 5 cannons in the nose; the upper two cannons are removed from the aircraft in preparation for the battle. The weapons are again referred to by calibre (30mm) in dialogue, as well as correctly noting their capacity of 60 rounds per gun. The J7W was an experimental defence fighter which first flew only days before the atomic bombs were dropped. Only two were built in reality (with one preserved today) though in this universe it's implied that a small handful were produced before war's end, retained for defence of the home islands. A full-scale replica Shinden was built for the film, its high detail extending to the cockpit as well as internal components such as the engine and cannons. This replica now lives at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum.

Type 97 tank machine gun

Several Chi-To tanks are seen attempting to drive Godzilla out of Ginza. In addition to their Type 5 75mm main cannon, each tank is also equipped with a Type 97 tank machine gun in the hull. Like the Shinden, the Chi-To was developed very late in the war and intended for the defence of the home islands, but extremely few were produced.

Type 97 tank machine gun - 7.7x58mm

A quartet of Chi-Tos make a stand against the behemoth, their Type 97s clearly visible in the hull.

One of the tanks fires its Type 5 main gun, casting some fantastic light and shadow.

12.7cm/40 Type 89

In addition to her primary armament of ten 20cm/50 3rd Year Type No.2 cannons (actually 20.3cm) in five twin turrets, heavy cruiser Takao features four twin 12.7cm/40 Type 89 cannons for long range anti-air work.

12.7cm/40 Type 89 twin mount - 127x580mmR

Takao arrives to assist, preparing to fire a volley of ten 203mm shells. One of the Type 89 AA mounts can just barely be made out above the first trace of muzzle flash. Also of note, her starboard forward torpedo launcher is swung out, indicating the crew attempted to use them against Godzilla as well.

The cruiser's main guns fire, illuminating the ship. Two of her twin Type 96 mounts can be seen as well, on the platforms either side of the bridge superstructure.

Type 96 cannon

In terms of lighter AA, Takao also mounts several twin Type 96 cannons. Takao is noted as returning from Singapore, given back to Japan as a means of defending against Godzilla, rather than being scuttled (as historically happened).

Type 96 twin mount - 25x163mm

Godzilla attacks the ship's bridge, giving a good view of one of the Type 96 twin mounts, its barrels visible just to the left of the funnel smoke.

Disarmed destroyers

The ships which appear in the film, notably Takao and the four destroyers previously mentioned (Yukikaze, Hibiki, Yuukaze, Keyaki) were all among the very few IJN ships to survive the war, thus their appearances are very much appropriate. The destroyers were disarmed after the war, with their lighter mounts removed and their main armament either removed or simply left in place with the barrels cut off. As a portion of the guns remain present, even if no longer functional, they'll all be noted together in one entry. All of these destroyers were previously armed with varying numbers of Type 96 cannons and/or Type 93 machine guns, though all have been completely removed.

Kagerou-class destroyer Yukikaze retains her forward turret, its two 12.7cm/50 3rd Year Type cannons left in place with the barrels cut off at the forward edge of the turret. Fubuki-class destroyer Hibiki also retains her turrets, originally armed with the same guns, though it appears hers were removed entirely. Minekaze-class destroyer Yuukaze was armed with four single 12cm/45 3rd Year Type cannons, however these have been removed. Matsu-class destroyer Keyaki retains her single forward 12.7cm/40 Type 89 mount, with the gun's barrel cut off; this is the same gun type fitted as twin mounts on the Takao-class.

Yukikaze, Hibiki, Yuukaze, and Keyaki on their way to the final battle. In addition to her guns, Yuukaze also lost her torpedo launchers.

A closer look at their forward turrets, showing the cut down barrels on Yukikaze and Keyaki, the missing guns on Hibiki, and complete absence of the mounts themselves on Yuukaze.

20mm/70 Mark 4

The damaged and adrift American merchantman is armed with several Oerlikon 20mm cannons, designated 20mm/70 Mark 4 in US service; she also features a pair of deck guns, one each at the bow and stern.

20mm/70 Mark 4 - 20x110mmRB

Shinsei Maru inspects a severely damaged American merchantman, its bow and stern cannons visible here. A pair of Oerlikons sit just forward of the stern deck gun.

A closer look at the cargo ship. An Oerlikon with a gun shield can be seen on the less damaged port side of the forward deck, with another two at the front and rear port corners of the bridge. Their three starboard equivalents have ceased to exist.

M1 Garand

Period footage of General Douglas MacArthur features US servicemen holding M1 Garand rifles in the background.

M1 Garand - .30-06