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Godzilla has been around longer than Gen Xers, millennials, and Gen Zers have been alive. In fact, he’s a Baby Boomer, having first debuted in 1954 (aww). Since then, this big little guy - he has little guy energy, okay?! - has stomped his way into millions of fans’ hearts, appearing in dozens of movies. While we would certainly love for everyone to take the time to do a proper Godzilla marathon, we also get that most people have jobs that aren’t Godzilla-related.

If you’ve ever wanted a quick guide to give you the skinny on Godzilla, then you’re in luck. Just follow these quick steps, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a kaiju expert. And if that isn't enough, we're also answering some extra-credit questions about the king of the monsters, as well!

The Pitch: What makes Godzilla so different from other movie monsters?

People like Godzilla for a lot of reasons, but a common rallying point with him is that he’s this really massive, angry creature who dramatically walks to a killer musical theme. Seriously, the Godzilla theme has been consistent since his first film from 1954, with good reason. It immediately raises your blood pressure and fills you with a sense of dread. 

From there, Godzilla fans’ appreciation of the character can be generally split into two camps. One camp appreciates how the character is a metaphor for the trauma that Japanese people experienced during and after World War II. Though the character has been embraced by American and international audiences outside of Japan since then, his postwar Japanese roots are the foundation of his character. Godzilla embodied nature’s rage in the wake of nuclear bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The other camp of Godzilla fans love his rogues gallery of other kaiju, or giant monsters, that he either fights or teams up with. Beyond being a metaphor for the devastation wrought upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Godzilla’s personality as a certified hater is what this second group of fans connect with most.

The Backstory: What inspired Godzilla in Japan?

Just as a quick history refresher, Japan was not in a great place after World War II. Tokyo was badly bombed, while Hiroshima and Nagasaki were reeling from the effects of the atomic bombs dropped on their civilian populations. To make matters worse, the United States was using the Pacific Ocean as testing grounds for thermonuclear weapons, which exposed civilians in Japan and throughout the Pacific and South Pacific to radiation. The Daigo Fukuryū Maru Incident in 1954, where the Japanese crew of a small fishing vessel fell ill with radiation poisoning from American nuclear tests, provided direct inspiration for what would later become Godzilla. While monster movies had long existed by the time the 1954 Godzilla film hit theaters, the nightmarish visuals of the film and its music struck an unusual balance between horror, action, and thrills at the time. With the success of the first Godzilla film, the giant monster subgenre would continue to proliferate. 

The Essential: What is the best Godzilla film for newbies?

If you’re going to start with Godzilla, for the love of God(zilla), do not watch the American films first. The 2014 Godzilla film by Gareth Edwards is a very, very well-directed film, don’t get me wrong. I rewatch it all the time. But at his core, Godzilla is a Japanese character, who could have only been created by Japanese people at the specific point in time that he was born in. With the Japanese Godzilla films, the spectacle of destruction is meant to be genuinely upsetting, instead of mind-numbing. 

This is why the essential Godzilla film to start with is Godzilla Minus One. It takes place in 1953, a year before the events of the first Godzilla film (hence the name), and it offers both heart-racing action sequences and powerful emotional depth. It has the coolest atomic breath sequence in Godzilla’s history — you’ll know it when you see it. Even though there’s a lot of destruction in the film, in many ways beyond the physical, it’s a testament to the strength of the human spirit and is very healing to watch. In addition to presenting the devastation of postwar Japan, it also holds the Japanese Empire accountable for their horrific actions during the war. It’s a perfect marriage between the ethos of the original Godzilla film with the visual effects technology of today. And it’s an Oscar winner! 

The Takeaway: Why are we still making new Godzilla movies? 

I’ll step down from my soap box in just a moment, but I think Godzilla is a really important figure for empathy. Yes, he’s a giant monster who could crush us at any moment, but he’s only doing what he’s doing because he was awoken by nuclear bomb tests. He’s here to remind us just how small we actually are. In just about any great Godzilla story, there’s a great human story hiding behind it, and that’s one of the most rewarding parts about the franchise. 

Extra credit question #1: What is Godzilla’s gender?

I have referred to Godzilla in casual conversation as “my son,” but in the early Japanese Godzilla films, he was referred to with gender-neutral pronouns. In the 1998 Godzilla film, the monster (named “Zilla” in the film) was revealed to be female. That said, the recent crop of American Godzilla films produced by Legendary all refer to Godzilla with he/him pronouns. 

Extra credit question #2: How many Godzilla films are there?

There are 38 Godzilla films in total. 33 Japanese films, plus five American films. The Criterion Collection has a box set of the entire “Showa era” of Godzilla, spanning from 1954-1975, in case you want to take a deep dive into the kaiju’s roots (I highly recommend doing this after watching Godzilla Minus One). 

Extra credit question #3: Why does Godzilla hate Kong?

You’ve already seen me wax poetic about the emotional depth of Godzilla and his historical significance, but this is when I have to hang my cowboy hat up and tell you that there’s no particularly compelling reason why Godzilla hates Kong. There’s a reason, sure, but whether or not you choose to accept it is up to you. So, in the Legendary Godzilla films (also known as the Monsterverse), Godzilla and Kong are from this place in the center of the Earth called the Hollow Earth. I know, walk with me here. In this place, Godzilla has fought against other great apes from Kong’s species. Nature, I suppose. So because of his previous battles with other giant apes, Godzilla doesn’t like Kong. 

Whichever giant monster is your favorite, Popverse has you covered. We have a guide to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire's ending (and what it means for the broader MonsterVerse), as well as watch orders for both Legendary's MonsterVerse and Godzilla's overall movies, as well as why Godzilla Minus One left theaters early (and why New Empire could be to blame!), and if you're a Popverse premium member, a New York Comic Con-exclusive interview with the cast and crew of Legendary's kaiju-hunting drama Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.