Certain scenes in Godzilla Minus One have sparked conjecture that the film surreptitiously set the framework for one of Godzilla's most powerful antagonists to return in a sequel.
Though a sequel would make sense given Godzilla Minus One's record-breaking box office performance, Toho has yet to clarify whether Godzilla Minus One 2 will happen.
Nonetheless, the finale of Godzilla Minus One appears to have been intended to set up a sequel.
If Toho's new portrayal of the King of the Monsters fully regenerates and returns to menace Japan, it's worth considering how the sequel will handle such a battle.
Another confrontation with humans is theoretically possible, but as Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki pointed out,
Toho has now released two films following that formula back-to-back, and may need to consider including a second monster.
Godzilla Minus One does not appear to provide a direct setup for a kaiju encounter, but the tools required to introduce a certain adversary may be hidden throughout the picture.
At the end of Godzilla Minus One, Koichi discovers that Noriko, despite being caught up in the destruction created by Godzilla's atomic breath, has survived. In an unsettling twist, the film revealed an unusual mark on her neck.