# Takashi Yamazaki

Takashi Yamazaki (山崎 貴, Yamazaki Takashi, born June 12, 1964) is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects, he is considered a leading figure in the Japanese film industry. Yamazaki is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, eight Japanese Academy Awards, five Nikkan Sports Film Awards, two Hochi Film Awards, and an Asian Film Award. His films have collectively grossed over $523 million worldwide.
Yamazaki found employment at visual effects and animation studio Shirogumi in 1986, and has remained there throughout his career. His first directorial features were the science fiction films Juvenile (2000) and Returner (2002), for which he became known as the "Japanese James Cameron". He later gained further notice in Japan by directing film adaptations of popular anime, novels, and manga, including Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), Space Battleship Yamato (2010), The Eternal Zero (2013), and Stand by Me Doraemon (2014); the latter two films both earned a total of nine awards at the 38th Japan Academy Film Prize. Yamazaki's career later advanced with The Great War of Archimedes, Dragon Quest: Your Story, Lupin III: The First (all 2019), and Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020).
His 2023 kaiju epic, Godzilla Minus One, became the most successful Japanese Godzilla film of all time and one of his highest-grossing films. Yamazaki and the visual effects team also became the first Japanese crew ever to receive the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. In 2024, Yamazaki was included in Gold House's annual list of 100 Most Impactful Asians. He is currently working on another Godzilla film and his Hollywood debut.

## Early life

Takashi Yamazaki was born on June 12, 1964, in Matsumoto, Nagano, to Yoshisuke Yamazaki, a baker, and Kikuko. On his childhood, Yamazaki reflected: "My parents raised me by letting me do what I wanted freely. I think that has shaped a big part of who I am today". He also has a younger sister named Satsuki.
Yamazaki was first introduced to film by the "Umbrella Program" as a child; in 2023 he reflected that Ishirō Honda's Matango (1963) and King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) may have been among the first movies he ever saw. Growing up, Yamazaki was influenced to work in the film industry by monster movies and American films such as the 1977 American science fiction films Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He filmed his directorial debut on 8 mm film with the assistance of a friend during his third year at Matsumoto Shiritsu Shimizu Junior High School [ja]. This 1979 science fiction short, entitled Glory, was lost for 43 years until it was rediscovered in 2022 and screened in the director's hometown.

## Career
### 1984–1999: Early career

In 1984, Yamazaki began working as a miniature builder for Tatsuo Shimamura [ja]. Following his graduation from Asagaya College of Art and Design [ja] in 1986, he officially became an employee at Shimamura's animation and special effects studio Shirogumi in Chōfu, Tokyo.
After working on the Eko Eko Azarak series and Parasite Eve (1997), Yamazaki and his team at Shirogumi started pre-production on their feature NUE. The team spent two years preparing the project in collaboration with Robot Communications and they even went location scouting in Australia. Yamazaki, who was still heading the visual effects for up to three commercials monthly at this point, concluded that the film would require him to create the film on a relatively enormous budget of ¥2 billion, well above the average budget of ¥100 million usually given to first-time directors. Thus, Robot president Shūji Abe deemed NUE too expensive and requested that Yamazaki scrap it and attempt to make his directorial debut with a smaller scale.

### 2000–2007: First directorial features and breakthrough

Shortly after abandoning NUE, Yamazaki converted the idea for his debut feature film, Juvenile (2000), which he directed, wrote, and headed the visual effects for. A science fiction film, Juvenile is about a group of elementary school students who find a talking alien robot while camping in the woods and soon discover that it is their only hope in saving the planet from incoming evil alien invaders. Initially, Juvenile was to be shot on entirely on location by Kōzō Shibasaki under Yamazaki's direction on a budget of roughly ¥100 million, with Kiyoko Shibuya directing the visual effects on a budget of ¥50 million under Yamazaki's supervision. However, Abe decided to increase the film's budget to ¥450 million in order to allow Yamazaki to make it a "proper movie for the summer vacation lineup". Toho distributed Juvenile in July 2000 and it grossed ¥1.1 billion, making it the fifteenth highest-grossing Japanese film of that year. It was also shown at the 2000 Giffoni Film Festival.
His next film, the science fiction actioner Returner (2002), follows the story of Milly, a young woman living in a war-torn future, who is recruited by a mysterious time traveler named Miyamoto. The film was distributed by Toho in Japan on August 31, 2002 and was later in American theaters in October of the following year, where it was critically savaged. Western critics accused Yamazaki of plagiarising from popular American science fiction films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Terminator (1984), and The Matrix (1999). After its release, Yamazaki proposed a sequel to Returner but Abe asked him to make a film set in the Shōwa era instead.
Yamazaki's breakthrough came when he departed from the science fiction genre to create his third directorial feature, Always: Sunset on Third Street (2005), an adaptation Ryōhei Saigan's manga series Sunset on Third Street. Set in Tokyo during postwar Japan, this film tells the "heartwarming" story of the residents living at Third Street: Ryunosuke, a writer from the countryside; Norifumi, an auto mechanic; and sake bar owner Hiromi. Always: Sunset on Third Street – starring Hidetaka Yoshioka, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Koyuki, Maki Horikita, and Kenta Suga – was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews and grossed ¥3.23 billion, ranking fifteenth at the Japanese box office. In 2005, film critic Tadao Satō regarded the film as a milestone in the usage for computer-generated imagery and acclaimed Yamazaki's direction. At the 29th Japanese Academy Awards, the film won twelve awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Yamazaki next directed, co-wrote (with Ryota Kosawa [ja]), and headed the visual effects for Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), a sequel to Always: Sunset on Third Street also based on the manga series. The film opens with an "imaginary sequence" of Godzilla attacking Tokyo before returning to the story of the residents of Third Street. Yamazaki stated that he is a lifelong fan of the Godzilla franchise and incorporated the opening scene in order to "start with something fresh from the first film" and added that "having Godzilla destroy Tokyo Tower with his oral beam was a great way to surprise audiences". He also noted that the "two minutes (in which Godzilla appears) required a tremendous amount of work", with half of the crew having to work on the sequence over the course of six months. Upon its November 3 release, Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 became Yamazaki's biggest box office hit, ranking the third-highest-grosser at Japanese box office that year.

### 2008–2018: Directing film adaptations

In 2008, Yamazaki turned to assisting his fellow Asagaya College of Art and Design [ja] graduate and future wife, Shimako Satō, with the visual effects and screenplay for her action film, K-20: Legend of the Mask. Based on a novel by Sō Kitamura, K-20 is set in an alternate reality version of Japan during the 1940s and follows the mysterious masked antihero known as "K-20" who robs the rich and powerful, leaving behind a trail of dismay. K-20 was released in December 2008 and grossed ¥2 billion, making it the eighteenth highest-grossing Japanese film of 2009.
In 2009, Yamazaki created the visual effects for Yōjirō Takita's Sanpei The Fisher Boy – based on the manga Fisherman Sanpei – and directed, wrote and made the effects for the live-action jidaigeki romance film Ballad [ja]– based on the 2002 anime feature Crayon Shin-chan: Fierceness That Invites Storm! The Battle of the Warring States –. Yamazaki was inspired to create Ballad after visiting the filming location of The Last Samurai (2003) and contemplating "Maybe Japan could make a historical drama centered around battles?".
In October 2009, Yamazaki started filming his first science fiction film since 2002's Returner, Space Battleship Yamato. Featuring a screenplay by his partner Shimako Satō, it is an adaptation of famed manga artist Leiji Matsumoto's 1974 anime series of the same name. With a budget estimated at ¥2 billion ($22–23.9 million) and CGI used in 80% of the entire picture, it was anticipated to become an "unprecedented science fiction blockbuster", and Toho spent an additional ¥100 million on New Years Day alone to promote the film and ensure it met their expectations. Space Battleship Yamato was released in Japan during December 2010 and grossed ¥4.1 billion.
The first animated to be co-directed by Yamazaki and Ryūichi Yagi [ja], Friends: Naki on Monster Island, was released in Japanese theaters in December 2011. Loosely based on Hirosuke Hamada's children's book Naita Aka Oni, the film is about a monster named Naki who is protecting a young boy, whom they found lost on the Monster Island, from the other, man-eating, monsters. The film was nominated for an Japan Academy Film Prize and VFX Japan Award two years after its initial release.
Always: Sunset on Third Street '64, the sequel to Always: Sunset on Third Street 2, was Yamazaki's next venture. At the film's premiere screening on January 17, 2012, Yamazaki said that "it was very difficult to make this movie" but nevertheless expressed his desire for a sequel set during Expo '70.

### 2018–present: Godzilla and other activities

In July 2018, the production of Yamazaki's next film The Great War of Archimedes was announced; based on a manga by Norifusa Mita, this picture about the building of the battleship Yamato, and starred Masaki Suda in his first collaboration with Yamazaki. It was released by in July 2019, and was the sixteenth highest-grossing Japanese film of 2019.
After the release of The Great War of Archimedes, Yamazaki was given the opportunity to make a Godzilla film by Toho executive and film producer Minami Ichikawa. Ichikawa stated that he and Yamazaki decided to collaborate on the project during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and Yamazaki spent three years writing the screenplay. The film, entitled Godzilla Minus One, was released in Japanese theaters in November 2023, and became one of the most acclaimed films in the franchise. For their work on the film, Yamazaki and his team became the first Japanese film to ever to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects, ultimately winning.
On December 27, 2023, Yamazaki began directing a kaiju web film in Ashikaga, Tochigi for a major food corporation, scheduled for a March 2024 release with a runtime of approximately one minute. Its visual effects were also made by the same team behind Godzilla Minus One. It was later revealed to be titled Foodlosslla (フードロスラ, Fūdo Rosura) and produced by Ajinomoto.
Yamazaki declared in February 2024 that he has a new film in development. The following month, Variety reported that Yamazaki had recently enlisted with the American talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA); the agreement could potentially help Yamazaki to be employed for Hollywood productions. At Godzilla Fest in November, he disclosed that he had declined several offers in order to helm another Godzilla film. Deadline later reported that Yamazaki is set to make his Hollywood debut with Grandgear for Bad Robot and Sony Pictures. In addition to writing and directing the film, he will also serve as a producer alongside J. J. Abrams and Glen Zipper.

## Personal life

Yamazaki is married to fellow filmmaker Shimako Satō, whom he met at Asagaya College of Art and Design [ja]. The couple own several cats, one of which influenced Yamazaki while making Godzilla Minus One.

## Filmography
### Films

Film work by Takashi Yamazaki :
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Effects | Effects | Notes | Ref. |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Visual | Special | Notes | Ref. |
| 1987 | The Drifting Classroom | No | No | No | Yes | | |
| 1988 | A Taxing Woman's Return | No | No | No | Yes | | |
| 1989 | Sweet Home | No | No | No | Yes | | |
| 1993 | Daibyonin | No | No | No | Yes | Also digital compositor | |
| 1994 | Uneasy Encounters | No | No | No | Yes | Also digital compositor | |
| 1995 | Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness | No | No | No | Yes | Also digital compositor | |
| 1995 | A Quiet Life | No | No | No | Yes | Also digital compositor | |
| 1996 | Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard | No | No | No | Yes | Also digital compositor | |
| 1996 | Supermarket Woman | No | No | No | Yes | Also digital compositor | |
| 1997 | Parasite Eve | No | No | No | Yes | Also storyboarder | |
| 2000 | Juvenile | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2002 | Returner | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2005 | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2007 | Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Also Godzilla designer | |
| 2008 | K-20: Legend of the Mask | No | Associate | Associate | No | | |
| 2009 | Ballad | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2010 | Space Battleship Yamato | Yes | No | Yes | No | | |
| 2011 | Friends: Naki on Monster Island | Yes | Yes | No | No | | |
| 2012 | Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2013 | The Eternal Zero | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2014 | Stand by Me Doraemon | Yes | Yes | No | No | | |
| 2014 | Parasyte: Part 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | |
| 2014 | Bump of Chicken: Willpolis 2014 | Yes | No | No | No | | |
| 2015 | Parasyte: Part 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | |
| 2016 | Fueled: The Man They Called Pirate | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2017 | Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura [ja] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2019 | The Great War of Archimedes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | |
| 2019 | Dragon Quest: Your Story | Yes | Yes | No | No | | |
| 2019 | Lupin III: The First | Yes | Yes | No | No | | |
| 2020 | Stand by Me Doraemon 2 | Yes | Yes | No | No | | |
| 2021 | It's a Flickering Life [ja] | No | No | Yes | No | | |
| 2022 | Ghost Book Obakezukan [ja] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Also character designer | |
| 2023 | Godzilla Minus One | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Also Godzilla designer | |
| 2024 | Foodlosslla | Yes | No | Yes | No | Short web film | |
| TBA | Untitled Godzilla film | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Pre-production | |
| TBA | Grandgear | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | In development; Hollywood debut; Also producer | |

### Commercials

* Lotte: Airs (2006)
* CR Neon Genesis Evangelion ~Apostle, Again~ [ja] (2007)

### Music videos

* Bump of Chicken: "Namida no Furusato" (2006)
* Bump of Chicken: "Good Luck" (2012)

### Theme park attraction

* Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle - Seibu-en (2021)
* Ultraman the Ride: The Great Duel of the Century - Seibu-en (2023)

### Video games

* "Onimusha 3: Demon Siege" (Opening CG movie director) (2004)

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2000 | 30th Giffoni Film Festival | Early Screens Section | Juvenile | Won |
| 2005 | 30th Hochi Film Awards | Best Picture | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2005 | 18th Nikkan Sports Film Awards | Yūjirō Ishihara Award | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2006 | 9th Far East Film Festival | Audience Award | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Nominated |
| 2006 | 29th Japan Academy Film Prize | Picture of the Year | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2006 | 29th Japan Academy Film Prize | Director of the Year | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2006 | 29th Japan Academy Film Prize | Screenplay of the Year | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2006 | 79th Kinema Junpo Awards | Readers' Choice Award | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2006 | 60th Mainichi Film Awards | Readers' Choice Award | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2006 | 60th Mainichi Film Awards | Technical Award | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2006 | 27th Yokohama Film Festival | Best Technical | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2006 | 27th New York Asian Film Festival | Audience Award | Always: Sunset on Third Street | Won |
| 2008 | 31st Japan Academy Film Prize | Picture of the Year | Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 | Nominated |
| 2008 | 31st Japan Academy Film Prize | Director of the Year | Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 | Nominated |
| 2008 | 31st Japan Academy Film Prize | Screenplay of the Year | Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 | Nominated |
| 2008 | 2nd Asian Film Awards | Best Visual Effects | Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 | Nominated |
| 2011 | 24th Nikkan Sports Film Awards | Readers' Choice Award | Space Battleship Yamato | Won |
| 2011 | 5th Asian Film Awards | Best Visual Effects | Space Battleship Yamato | Nominated |
| 2013 | 36th Japan Academy Film Prize | Animation of the Year | Friends: Naki on the Monster Island | Nominated |
| 2013 | 56th Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Film | The Eternal Zero | Nominated |
| 2014 | 38th Japan Academy Film Prize | Picture of the Year | The Eternal Zero | Won |
| 2014 | 38th Japan Academy Film Prize | Director of the Year | The Eternal Zero | Won |
| 2014 | 38th Japan Academy Film Prize | Screenplay of the Year | The Eternal Zero | Nominated |
| 2014 | 16th Far East Film Festival | Audience Award | The Eternal Zero | Won |
| 2014 | 27th Nikkan Sports Film Award | Best Film | The Eternal Zero | Won |
| 2014 | 27th Nikkan Sports Film Award | Best Director | The Eternal Zero and Stand by Me Doraemon | Won |
| 2014 | 38th Japan Academy Film Prize | Animation of the Year | Stand by Me Doraemon | Won |
| 2015 | 5th Asian Film Awards | Best Visual Effects | Parasyte: Part 1 | Nominated |
| 2015 | 12th Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival | Best Film | Parasyte: Part 1 | Nominated |
| 2015 | 12th Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival | Best Film | Parasyte: Part 2 | Nominated |
| 2018 | 12th Nippon Connection Japanese Film Festival | Best Film | Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura [ja] | Nominated |
| 2019 | 44th Hochi Film Awards | Best Picture | The Great War of Archimedes | Nominated |
| 2019 | 32nd Nikkan Sports Film Awards | Yūjirō Ishihara Award | The Great War of Archimedes | Won |
| 2020 | 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize | Animation of the Year | Lupin III: The First | Nominated |
| 2020 | 42nd Annecy International Animated Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Lupin III: The First | Nominated |
| 2021 | 5th Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards | Best Animated Film | Lupin III: The First | Won |
| 2021 | 44th Japan Academy Film Prize | Animation of the Year | Stand by Me Doraemon 2 | Nominated |
| 2023 | 36th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Use of Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2023 | 36th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2023 | 28th Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2023 | 28th Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2023 | 48th Hochi Film Awards | Best Picture | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2023 | 48th Hochi Film Awards | Best Director | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2023 | 15th Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards | Best Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2023 | 15th Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Runner-up |
| 2023 | 27th Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Horror/Sci-Fi Movie | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2023 | 27th Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best International Movie | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2023 | 27th Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2023 | 27th Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Action Movie | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2023 | 36th Nikkan Sports Film Award | Yūjirō Ishihara Award | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2023 | 7th Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Awards | Philips Steaks Cheesesteak Award | Godzilla Minus One | Runner-up |
| 2023 | 10th Phoenix Critics Circle Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2023 | 20th St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 96th Academy Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 17th Asian Film Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 19th Austin Film Critics Association Awards | Best Film | Godzilla Minus One | 6th Place |
| 2024 | 19th Austin Film Critics Association Awards | Best International Film | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 66th Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Film | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 66th Blue Ribbon Awards | Best Director | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 5th Chicago Indie Critics Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 7th Columbus Film Critics Association Awards | Best Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 7th Columbus Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 29th Critics' Choice Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 16th Denver Film Critics Society Awards | Best Sci-Fi/Horror | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 16th Denver Film Critics Society Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 16th Denver Film Critics Society Awards | Best Non-English Language Feature | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 5th DiscussingFilm Critic Awards | Best International Film | Godzilla Minus One | Runner-up |
| 2024 | 5th DiscussingFilm Critic Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 13th Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | Best Picture | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 13th Georgia Film Critics Association Awards | Best International Film | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 6th Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 22nd Gold Derby Film Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards | Best Horror Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards | Best Sci-Fi Film | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 17th Houston Film Critics Society Awards | Best Picture | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 17th Houston Film Critics Society Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 17th Houston Film Critics Society Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 47th Japan Academy Film Prize | Picture of the Year | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 47th Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Director | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 47th Japan Academy Film Prize | Best Screenplay | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 59th Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Awards | Best International Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 78th Mainichi Film Awards | Excellence Award | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 78th Mainichi Film Awards | Best Director | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 6th Music City Film Critics' Association Awards | Best International Film | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 6th Music City Film Critics' Association Awards | Best Action Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 12nd North Carolina Film Critics Association Awards | Best Narrative Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 12nd North Carolina Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 5th North Dakota Film Society Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 27th Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 27th Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Film Not in the English Language | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 3rd Portland Critics Association Awards | Best Film Not in the English Language | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 3rd Portland Critics Association Awards | Best Science Fiction Feature | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 3rd Portland Critics Association Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 3rd Portland Critics Association Awards | Best Stunts or Action Choreography | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 28th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Godzilla Minus One | Runner-up |
| 2024 | 28th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 28th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | Best Sound Design | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 8th Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | Best International Film | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 8th Seattle Film Critics Society Awards | Best Action Choreography | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |
| 2024 | 22nd Utah Film Critics Association Awards | Best Non-English Feature | Godzilla Minus One | Runner-up |
| 2024 | 22nd Utah Film Critics Association Awards | Best Visual Effects | Godzilla Minus One | Won |
| 2024 | 22nd Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature | Godzilla Minus One | Nominated |