Godzilla Minus One

Godzilla Minus One (Japanese: ゴジラ-1.0; Gojira Mainasu Wan) is the 2023 installment of Toho's long-running Godzilla franchise, written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. It is the 37th film in the franchise and the the 33rd film by Toho.
The film takes place in 1947, two years after the end of the Second World War and the defeat of Japan. As former Imperial Navy aviator Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) tries to rebuild his life and move on from his experiences during the war, Japan is beset by a new crisis: a massive, mutated creature known as Godzilla that is wreaking havoc at sea and has set its sights on mainland Japan, threatening to bring the down-to-zero nation into the negatives (hence the title of the film).
The movie was a box office success in Japan and overseas. It was awarded the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, making it the first Godzilla movie to be nominated for and to win an Oscar. The film also received a limited black-and-white release entitled Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color.
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=Rifles=
==M1 Garand==
Period footage of General Douglas MacArthur features US servicemen holding M1 Garand rifles in the background.
==Type 99 rifle==
In the prologue, the maintenance personnel on Odo Island attempt to defend themselves against Godzilla with Arisaka Type 99s, which prove completely ineffective. It's worth noting that while the rifles are shown to have zero effect on the creature, this isn't accomplished by giving the rifles weak muzzle flash or sound effects. To the contrary, their muzzle flashes are blindingly bright and gunshots are very loud and punchy, thematically making Godzilla seem unstoppably powerful without making the humans and their tech feel unimpressive (as tends to be common in monster films).
=Pistols=
==M1911A1 (holster)==
Although not seen outside of their holsters, American soldiers in period footage are wearing holsters containing what are certainly M1911A1 pistols. Japanese police officers in Ginza are also seen with holsters, which given their size/shape and the post-war setting are also most likely M1911A1s.
=Machine Guns=
==Type 97 aircraft machine gun==
The A6M5a Reisen fighter flown by Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) in the prologue is armed with a pair of Type 97 aircraft machine guns above the engine.
==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 hull-mounted Type 97 tank machine gun. The Chi-To was developed very late in the war and intended for the defense of the home islands, but extremely few were produced.
==Type 93 heavy machine gun==
The minesweeper 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 boat Kaishin Maru is also armed with a single Type 93, as is a boat of similar size (Kuroshio 12) seen later in the film. The weapon is correctly referred to as being 13mm in dialogue.
=Autocannons=
==Type 99 Mark 2 Model 4 cannon==
Kōichi's A6M appears to specifically be an A6M5a variant, and as such has a pair of Type 99 Mark 2 Model 4 cannons in the wings; this was the first Type 99 variant to be belt-fed. 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 saying that 20mm cannons 
"can kill anything".
==20mm/70 Mark 4==
A damaged and adrift Liberty-class cargo ship is armed with eight 20mm/70 Mark 4 cannons, the American development of the Oerlikon SS. The Liberty ship also features a pair of deck guns, one each at the bow and stern; specific IDs of such guns are difficult as a variety of surplus was used for these emergency wartime ships.
==Type 96 cannon==
Takao-class cruiser Takao is equipped with two twin Type 96 cannons; her other triple, twin, and single Type 96 mounts, as well as her Type 89 heavy AA guns have all been removed. 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 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 defense 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 defense 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.
=Cannons=
==Type 5 tank cannon==
The primary armament of the Chi-To tanks defending Tokyo is the 75mm Type 5 cannon. As with many nations' military designations this simply reflects the year in which it was adopted, and it is of course unrelated to the 30mm Type 5 autocannons mounted in the Shinden.
==12cm/45 Type 10==
Ukuru-class frigate Ikuno has a close encounter with Godzilla when the monster swims under her on its way to Tokyo. Although functionally disarmed like all Japanese ships after the war, she retains her forward single and rear twin 12cm/45 Type 10 cannons, albeit with the barrels cut off. Her Type 96 AA guns have been removed.
Minekaze-class destroyer Yuukaze and Sokuten-class minelayer Katashima were armed with single 12cm/45 3rd Year Type cannons (four and one, respectively), from which the Type 10 was developed, however both have had all armament removed.
==12.7cm/40 Type 89==
Matsu-class destroyer Keyaki retains her forward single 12.7cm/40 Type 89 cannon and rear twin version of the same, again with the barrels cut off. Her Type 96 AA guns have been removed, however. Cruiser Takao formerly mounted four twin Type 89s as heavy anti-air guns, however as mentioned above they've been removed entirely.
==12.7cm/50 3rd Year Type==
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. Akatsuki-class destroyer Hibiki also retains her two remaining turrets, originally armed with the same guns, though the guns themselves have been removed entirely. As before, their lighter AA guns are also gone. Both ships originally carried three turrets (one fore, two aft), however as with many Japanese destroyers the rear superfiring turret was removed during the war and replaced with more AA guns. Additionally, within the film's story Yukikaze has also had her rear turret removed to make room for the large crane and depth-charge-rail-like equipment needed for Operation Wada Tsumi.
Of note, the named Japanese ships which appear in the film (Takao, Yukikaze, Hibiki, Yuukaze, Keyaki, Ikuno, Katashima) were all among the few IJN ships to survive the war in reality.
==20cm/50 3rd Year Type No.2==
Takao's main armament is ten 20cm/50 3rd Year Type No.2 cannons in five twin turrets. The unusual "3rd Year Type" designation refers to a particular design of breech block used in a number of naval guns of the period rather than being a name for the gun itself, per se. This results in many weapons sharing this "name", such as the 127mm guns listed above, despite effectively not being related. The No.2 variant is actually 203mm (8") rather than the exactly-200mm original version, but the calibre in the designation was not changed.
=Miscellaneous=
==40cm/45 Type 94 (shells)==
Although both Yamato-class battleships were lost during the war, shells for their enormous 40cm/45 Type 94 cannons (actually 46cm, misnamed to preserve secrecy) play an important role in Operation Wada Tsumi. Fourteen large apparatuses combining a tank of freon gas, a 460mm shell, and a large inflatable flotation device are dropped from the rear of Yukikaze and all connected to Hibiki with a spool of wire; this forms the primary tool of the operation. Noda's plan is to saturate Godzilla with freon gas, preventing contact with the water and thus robbing the creature of buoyancy. To aid in this, the 460mm shells are first lowered on cables and detonated, creating a large air pocket and accelerating Godzilla's descent. Should the absurd pressure change from a quick drop to 1500 metres not kill the creature, the flotation devices are to act as a Plan B, killing it through rapid decompression.
==Other ships==
A brief shot of Operation Crossroads, specifically Test Baker, is shown as the event that causes Godzilla to mutate. This shot contains all of the ships (and other things, such as aircraft on carriers) present for the test.
In addition to the M1 and M1911 listed in their own sections, the same War Office briefing contains historical photos of many ships, used in the film to represent damage done by Godzilla as it made its way towards Japan. Of note, the damage report for Balao-class submarine USS Redfish, which shadowed and photographed Godzilla before being sunk, is actually the real world damage report for her sister sub USS Tang.
Category: Movie
Category: Science-Fiction
Category: Horror
Category: Drama
Category: Japanese Produced/Filmed
Category:Takashi Yamazaki