Unpacking the Three Rules Godzilla Can ‘Never’ Break in Film

This year, Godzilla will celebrate seventy years of history in the movie world. Over this time, the king of the monsters has been featured with new looks, new motivations, and new universes that have seen the world’s most popular kaiju change with the times. While Legendary’s MonsterVerse is set to continue with a third entry in the Godzilla x Kong crossover series, the kaiju-packed universe is also set to reclaim the small screen thanks to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ second season and a new spin-off set to hit Apple TV+ in the future. In a surprising new release, Toho has revealed three key rules that must never be broken in Godzilla movies that originate in Japan.

The most recent Godzilla movie to hit Japan is arguably the biggest in the giant beast’s history. Godzilla Minus One focused on a killer kaiju who wreaked havoc in Japan following the effects of World War 2. Thanks to the hard work put in by the creative team, the latest Godzilla film wasn’t just nominated for Best Visual Effects at this year’s Academy Awards, but it also won the Oscar for this category. At present, no sequel has been confirmed but should a second film be released, it will most likely need to follow the three rules created by Toho and its “Godzilla Room”. For those who have not heard of this room before, it is a combination of Toho creators that dictate the future of all things ‘Zilla. 

1.) Godzilla Cannot Be Shown Eating People

In a recent interview, Tetsuya Yoshikawa, who has been dubbed the “Godzilla Room Director” revealed three key rules about Godzilla that must be adhered to when making Toho movies focusing on the king of the monsters. The first, as you can see from the title above, is that Godzilla cannot be shown scarfing down civilians. As those who saw Godzilla Minus One saw, this fact doesn’t necessarily mean that the lizard king has been “defanged”. The killer kaiju unleashed an atomic blast that decimated a large swath of Japan and it was clear that his path of destruction was an abject threat to the world at large.

2.) Godzilla Can Never Completely Die

For those who saw Godzilla Minus One, this rule might leave you scratching your head. The end of that movie sees the king of the monsters effectively blown to bits, as said parts fall into the ocean beneath it. As the ending hints, however, said bits begin to regenerate, leaving fans with the idea that Godzilla’s apparent death has only halted him for a limited time. While kaiju fans might never see Godzilla die under these rules, it doesn’t make the giant monster invincible and it doesn’t mean that humanity loses all hope of bringing it down should the need arise. 

3.) Godzilla Cannot Talk

Perhaps the easiest rule of the three is that Godzilla cannot converse with humanity and speak full sentences. There have rarely been times when the king of the monsters has been talking with anything or anyone, as the kaiju’s roars and bellows usually do a good enough job of conveying the monster’s emotions. There is an exception to the rule however as “Chibi Godzilla“, the pint-sized iteration of the kaiju, is allowed to speak in its television series and various anime projects. Regardless, don’t expect Toho’s king of the monsters to be talking back to the humans fighting him.

Want to follow along with the king of the monsters’ future? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for the latest updates on Godzilla and Toho’s Godzilla Room. 

Via Livedoor