Due to this film having numerous characters, we'll focus on the ones who have the most relevance to the plot.
Go here for other characters and Kaiju of the franchise. To see the Godzilla that appears in this film, go here.
open/close all folders
Rando Yaguchi
"Don't give up. Don't abandon this country."
Played By: Hiroki Hasegawa
Rando Yaguchi is the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Japan, and heads the task force created to research Godzilla and find its weaknesses.
- Agent Mulder: Yaguchi is the only one to dare to believe that the "massive entity" is indeed a living creature. Initially, his claim is dismissed by the Prime Minister. Then the creature's tail shows up.
- Almighty Janitor: Rando is not particularly more capable of dealing with the crisis, but he's certainly the only one who's willing to put potential solutions above saving face. That makes all the difference.
- Badass Bureaucrat: He does everything he can to deal with Godzilla and minimize the kaiju's threat over the country. He gets help from all over the government to put together a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits to assist him to that end.
- Determinator: Yaguchi's determination to stop Godzilla pushes his team to do their utmost.
- The Hero: Is the one leading the effort to stop Godzilla as it ravages the country.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: As he's the one who convinced Prime Minister Okouchi and his cabinet to leave during the USAF's attack on Godzilla, the helicopters they were in got hit when Godzilla first focused his Atomic Breath into a solid beam. Granted, there's no way he could have known, and the building they had just evacuated from was likely destroyed anyway.
- Not So Stoic: Yaguchi is mostly a serious individual, usually keeping calm. However, when the Prime Minister and the senior staff are killed by Godzilla's atomic breath, Yaguchi blows up when someone insinuates that this event will doom Japan.
- Oblivious to His Own Description: At a point, an irate Rando goes off on one of his colleagues, demanding that said person calms down and be professional. He has to be actively stopped because he's doing precisely what he's decrying the other person about.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Rando has to bypass both the Japanese and American governments in order to stop Godzilla. This happens even after all the red tape is gone.
Hiromi Ogashira
- The Ace: She's one of the most capable scientists in Yaguchi's team, if not the most capable.
- The Aloner: Described as a "lone wolf" due to her introverted personality.
- Emotionless Girl: She is what happens if Rei Ayanami was a live-action character who works in the Japanese government.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: She expresses this sentiment upon learning of the UN's plan to drop a thermonuclear bomb on Godzilla.
- Men Act, Women Are: Deconstructed. Her accurate and informed analyses of Godzilla are repeatedly overlooked, furthering the film's critique of bureaucracy and workplace culture.
- She's the first to realize Gojira could make landfall, which was quickly dismissed before it happened almost immediately afterwards.
- She's the first to realize Gojira could be powered by nuclear fission, which Yasuda quickly laughs off... before loudly finding the same "realization", presenting it as its own, and apologizing to her when Yaguchi calls him out on it.
- She's also notably the only female expert scientist with a speaking role.
- Perpetual Frowner: For most of the movie, her face is set in a stoic frown.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Quiet and polite, to contrast Kayoco's more bombastic personality. As Kayoco confronts Yaguchi about who makes the power plays in Japan and the United States, she does so in a flirty way, while shoving Ogashira aside. Yaguchi then steps up, pushing her even further into the background.
Kayoco Anne Patterson
A liaison for the American government, and Special Envoy for the President of the United States.
- The Ace: She's noted to be almost absurdly young for her position, having attended Harvard University at age 15 and graduated with a doctoral degree and a trial lawyer qualification.
- Betty and Veronica: While not necessarily romantic, she's the Veronica to Ogashira's Yamato Nadeshiko Betty. She's outwardly flirty, and just a bit high-maintenance, looking for a Zara clothing store by the end of her first scene, for a change of clothes.
- But Not Too Foreign: The American government liaison just happens to be a Japanese woman who speaks flawless Japanese.
- Eagleland: She appears as a callous, somewhat arrogant, and definitely feminine lady—a stark contrast to the other women in the film, Ogashira and the Defense Minister Reiko Hanamori. However, she eventually awakens a connection to the land of her grandmother and does everything she can to protect it.
- Engrish: While not bad, her English maintains a definite and noticeable Japanese accent to a native English speaker.
- Gratuitous English: She peppers her dialogue with a generous amount of English to highlight that she's American.
- Heroic Sacrifice: A non-lethal example: she uses her connections in the U.S. government to delay the dropping of the nuclear bomb and allow the Japanese to attempt Operation Yashiori, with full awareness that this will mean kissing her political dreams goodbye.
- Hidden Depths: Despite her behavior, she supports Yaguchi and his task force as best she can. Upon learning that the UN is about to fire an atomic bomb at Godzilla, she's appalled by the prospect of Japan being nuked a third time. She then doubles down on her efforts, risking her chances of becoming President of the United States to do so.
- Motor Mouth: For someone who refers to Japan as her grandmother's country, she's quite possibly the fastest Japanese speaker in the film, and handles the language much easier than she does English.
- My Nayme Is: Rather than being the actual Japanese name "Kayoko", her name is spelled "Kayoco" — presumably as a deliberate Anglicization.
- Nepotism: Played With. While looking over her dossier, the Prime Minister and his aides remark that she's probably in-part riding the coattails of her father, Senator John Robinette Patterson — who is a high-ranking member of the Democrat Party's upper house. However, this nepotism is what allows her to collude with Rando against the Japanese and American plans for Gojira.
- Oh, Crap!: When she finds out the US has decided to nuke Godzilla, her response is an incredulous and outraged "Are you serious?!"
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: When ordered to evacuate from Tokyo, she refuses to do so; not wanting to see a third nuke dropped on her beloved grandmother's homeland.
- Spell My Name With An S: Most of the reports and articles on the film spell her name "Kayoko Ann Patterson" — but the film itself spells her name as "Kayoco Anne Patterson".
Hideki Akasaka
- Played by: Yutaka Takenouchi
- Commander Contrarian: Played With. Akasaka goes against most of the planning made against Godzilla, but making educated guesses within reasonable logic. The problem is that they're dealing with the most unreasonable situation conceivable, so he always comes short.
- It's Personal: Played with. It's shown that he cares about Yaguchi, enough to be hurt by the perception that Yaguchi is meteorically ascending through government positions at his expense. He later realizes that Yaguchi didn't do it out of ambition.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Played with. He gives Yaguchi sound advice about how to behave in the PM's cabinet... that is, when there's still a cabinet. Once they're gone, he realizes that he's effectively out of his element, while Yaguchi isn't.
- Necessarily Evil: He sees the UN's decision to nuke Godzilla as the more pragmatic option compared to Yaguchi's freezing plan. When he's chewed out for his support of this, he maintains his stance and says that the UN's decision would be the same even if Godzilla attacked New York.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: He initially chastises Yaguchi's theory of a sea monster, since he backed Yaguchi's career and anything Yaguchi says or does reflects on his own reputation and could impact his own political ambitions.
- The Rival: Played with. He initially thinks that Rando is trying to climb up the grapevine for his own ambitions, but later realizes that this isn't the case.
- Rule of Symbolism: Akasaka represents the old form of government that's shown in the first half of the film, this being, obstructive, reliant on yes-men, politicking and full of bureaucratic obfuscation.
- The Svengali: He tries to guide Yaguchi to behave "politically", which is the main reason the government is shown as ineffective, as it involves a significant amount of boot-licking.
Prime Minister Kiyotsugu Okochi
The current Prime Minister of Japan.
- The Chains of Commanding: The Prime Minister struggles to make proper decisions on time, but he is leading his country against Godzilla and does make some tough calls. He's very reluctant to evacuate Tokyo while people are in danger, but is pressured to do so.
- Killed Off for Real: He and nearly his entire cabinet are killed when Godzilla starts firing his Atomic Breath all across Tokyo in response to the American's air bombing and other threats, their evactuating helicopter being blown up as Godzilla raked his beam across Tokyo.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Deconstructed. He's doing the best he can, but he's faced with an impossible situation, and no one is able to give him useful (nevermind accurate) information on which to base his decisions. As such, his "best" is nowhere near good enough in the face of a quickly-worsening problem like Godzilla.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: He initially refuses to evacuate when Godzilla is approaching the PM residence, because the American bombing operation is about to begin and he believes he must remain to oversee it. He's convinced by his aides that he must evacuate with the rest of the government officials, and reluctantly agrees. Their chopper is taken down by Godzilla's Atomic Breath. He really should have stayed behind.
- It should be noted that both were completely reasonable decisions given their respective context. Him staying to oversee the bombardment is correct as that's part of his job as prime minister to see Godzilla eliminated and their American allies doing it properly as the country's leader, while him being persuaded to evacuate is also correct because it is a legitimately very dangerous situation and they can't afford the government being taken out as that could paralyse the country. No one could had anticipated Godzilla's Atomic Breath.
Ryuta Azuma
Chief Cabinet Secretary to the PM. An elderly and wise cabinet member and the PM's second-in-command at the cabinet.
- Cool Old Guy: Azuma is probably the oldest cabinet member, is a source of wise advice, and seems to get along well with The Hero on a personal level.
- The Reliable One: One of the most reliable members of the cabinet, and one of the few that doesn't denigrate on Rando and his team.
Reiko Hanamori
- Played by: Kimiko Yo
- Gondor Calls for Aid: She is the first to propose asking other nations for military help, saying her own forces won't be enough.
- The Smurfette Principle: She is the only woman in the cabinet.
Yusuki Satomi (SPOILERS)
- Played by: Sai Hiraizumi
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He pays a bit too much attention to his soggy noodles for a man with his responsibilities, but he's capable of decent judgment.
- Language Barrier: Satomi speaks no English and needs a translator to communicate with the U.S. President.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He struggles to make good decisions, but can be persuaded to a good course of action without unnecessary delays.
- Reluctant Ruler: He is clearly overwhelmed by and nervous about his sudden promotion. Once the crisis is over, he and his cabinet resign to make way for more qualified people.
- Unexpected Successor: He's an obscure minister of wildlife and fisheries who doesn't even appear prior to the core cabinet being wiped out, and he only becomes the new prime minister due to to party loyalty making the government secretaries rush him into the role. In hindsight, his absence before becoming the PM is odd, considering that the initial investigation of the nature of the beast deals with the possibility of it being a type of marine wildlife, which involved his then ministerial position.
Kunio Hazama
- Played by: Shinya Tsukamoto
- Almighty Janitor: He's an associate biology professor at a university, but becomes a key figure in responding to a national crisis.
- Scarf of Asskicking: He isn't a fighter, but Hazama wears scarves and is an effective and passionate scientist who works to find a way to kill Godzilla keeps a cool head in a national crisis, even while working in a Race Against the Clock.
Shuichi Izumi
- Played by:Satoru Matsuo
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: At first, Izumi seems to be the opposite of the hard-working Yaguchi, being introduced at a fancy Japanese restaurant when he responds to a phone call from the latter. That said, he confidently promises Yaguchi that he'll send the necessary people who won't be afraid to speak their minds to the Prime Minister to Yaguchi, resulting in the formation of the counter-Godzilla task force.
- Honest Advisor: He gives advice with both frankness and reason behind his words.
- Internal Reformist: Like Yaguchi, Izumi is aware of the problems with the bureaucracy but works to smooth it out from within.
- Serendipitous Survival: He survives being killed with the senior cabinet due to taking the day off.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: The bespectacled Izumi is one of the more capable bureaucrats in the movie.
Yusuke Shimura
- Played by: Kengo Kôra
- The Friends Who Never Hang: Shimura knows Hiromi from college and recruits her for the task force, but they barely interact in the movie.
- The Mole: A sympathetic version. He leaks information about the government's conflict with the monster to a reporter in order to increase public awareness and rally opinion against a few controversial decisions. It's unclear whether he does this on his own initiative or under Yaguchi's orders.
- Not So Stoic: He normally has a firm mask of control, but it briefly cracks and shows deep concern and frustration when the Race Against the Clock in the final act gets down to two days.
- Number Two: He's Yaguchi's trusted aide throughout the story and is rarely seen away from his side.
- One-Steve Limit: His first name is very similar to that of Agricultural Minister Yusuki Satomi.
- The Reliable One: He's an efficient and thoughtful man who is capable of getting things done once he's asked to do them.
Kanai Kōji
- Played by: Ikuji Yakamura
- Alliterative Name: Both of his names start with a "K."
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: About half of his dialogue is urging the cabinet to destroy Godzilla with torpedos or missiles, whether he's in the middle of an empty harbor or is rampaging on land. This is actually a pragmatically correct proposal, but by the time the cabinet agrees to it, Godzilla is too strong.
- Big "YES!": He lets out an excited yes when he thinks that a missile strike has killed Godzilla.
- It's Probably Nothing: He initially agrees with the consensus that the boiling ocean is being caused by minor volcanic activity and dismisses the Godzilla sightings as a breaching whale.
Koriyama
- Played by: Tetsu Watanabe
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: He isn't trying to be, but he wastes time constantly proposing crisis meetings which merely require the same people going to different rooms, as well as advocating for a press conference which the PM turns out to be unprepared for.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: As Godzilla rampages toward the government building and American bombers are brought in, Koriyama urges the Prime Minister to evacuate the cabinet somewhere outside of the city (with Yaguchi and Azuma backing him up). This leads to Godzilla destroying the evacuation vehicle containing the Prime Minister, Koriyama, and most of their colleagues.
Kunihiko Yanagihara
- Played by: Yajima Kenichi
- Never My Fault: He suggests that the ocean disturbance is being caused by a volcano. When Meteorological Agency official Yoshiro Oki tells him that this theory doesn't match the scientific facts, Yanagihara blames Oki for not telling him that earlier, even though there's no indication that he had time to.
- Smug Snake: He's more snide than he has a right to be.
- Uncertain Doom: He isn't clearly visible in the crowd boarding the doomed evacuation chopper, but it's suggested that he dies, given how Satomi becomes the next prime minister.
- Underestimating Badassery: He thinks that the military will be able to chase away Godzilla.
Goro Maki
The mysterious scientist that first identified and sampled the monster. His boat is found adrift at Tokyo Bay with his research, with him missing and speculated to have committed suicide.
- Ambiguous Situation:
- While it's very clear that he committed suicide, it's not made clear how since his body wasn't found.note Given what he knew about Godzilla's abilities and his proximity to the creature during his study of it, the disturbing possibility that he fed himself to the beast becomes apparent.
- The immediate explanation by the JCG member filming/narrating the boarding of his boat is that he 'fell overboard'. Since he says it right as the camera focuses on Maki's left-behind shoes, the implication is that it's an euphemism and the JCG have seen cases like it before.
- The Cassandra: He discovered and studied Godzilla decades before the events of the movie and predicted it could mutate to become a threat to humanity, but the American DOA silenced him and covered up his research until it was too late.
- Despair Event Horizon: Knowing the threat Godzilla posed to humanity and still being disgraced and ignored by the Japanese and American governments is implied to have pushed him over the edge and led directly to his suicide.
- Driven to Suicide: Disregarded and disgraced by both the Japanese and American governments, he's indicated to have taken his own life immediately before the events of the film.
- Posthumous Character: He's implied to have committed suicide, but remains an important figure throughout.
- Secret Test of Character: Goro discovered how to defeat Godzilla, though he deliberately obfuscated the solution behind a series of overly convoluted puzzles and left out key pieces of data, with only an origami crane left behind on his yacht serving as a clue. The rest was up to humanity to figure out, or be destroyed by Godzilla. Yaguchi even speculates that Maki anticipated or even orchestrated Godzilla's attack on Japan as a test for humanity.
- The Worm Guy: Deconstructed. It is made very clear that he's the only man on the planet with the better understanding of how Godzilla's physiology works, but a Trauma Conga Line that occurred long before the movie started (which was mostly fueled by, as is typical of this trope, being ridiculed by fellow members of academia) drove him to suicidal despair and he's taken his life, forcing everybody else to do whatever they can with the bits of data he left behind alongside a Suicide Note that reads: "Do as you will".
