Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack[a] (often abbreviated as GMK)[3][4] is a 2001 Japanese kaiju film directed and co-written by Shusuke Kaneko. The 26th film in the Godzilla franchise and the third of the Millennium era, it serves as a direct sequel to the original 1954 film, ignoring the events of every other installment in the series (albeit briefly referencing the 1998 American film). Chiharu Niiyama stars as a reporter covering the story of Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Baragon defending Japan from Godzilla, an undead creature possessed by the souls of those killed during the Pacific War. The supporting cast includes Ryudo Uzaki, Masahiro Kobayashi, Hideyo Amamoto (in his final film role), and Shirō Sano, with Mizuho Yoshida as Godzilla, Akira Ohashi as Ghidorah, and Rie Ōta as Baragon.

Kaneko originally slated Godzilla to face off against a revamped version of Kamacuras but ultimately decided to place Godzilla against three monsters representing elements of the Earth. The initial three monsters he pitched were Varan, Baragon, and Anguirus, however, Toho later convinced him to replace Varan and Anguirus with King Ghidorah and Mothra to attract more public interest. Principal photography began on May 11, 2001, on a $7–9 million budget, at Toho Studios, and wrapped on August 9.[5]

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 3, 2001. Toho later released it throughout Japan on December 15. The film earned $20 million internationally and tied in Japan for the position of the third-highest-grossing domestic film during 2002. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah received generally positive reviews from critics, with many considering it among the best in the Godzilla franchise.

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah was accompanied by a Hamtaro double feature, Hamtaro: Adventures in Ham-Ham Land.

The film was followed by Masaaki Tezuka's Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, which is set in a different continuity, was released on December 14, 2002.

Plot

During a briefing with the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) regarding the first Godzilla's attack and death,[b] admiral Taizo Tachibana is alerted about an American nuclear submarine that went missing off Guam. Search and rescue units find the submarine destroyed and capture footage of the creature's dorsal plates nearby.

Tachibana's daughter and reporter, Yuri, films a docudrama with her production crew at Mount Myōkō, where a mysterious earthquake briefly occurs. It occurs again later that night, burying a biker gang and leaving a surviving trucker, who witnesses the subterranean monster Baragon. The next day, Yuri's colleague Teruaki Takeda supports her theory that a monster may have caused the mysterious earthquakes and gives her a book called The Guardian Monsters.

At Lake Ikeda, Mothra in her larval form attacks a group of teenage vandals who disturbed her shrine and builds her cocoon. Yuri interviews Hirotoshi Isayama, an mysterious old man who explains the legend of the guardian monsters, iterating that they must be awakened before Godzilla, an undead creature, destroys Japan. Yuri and her colleagues visit the guardian monsters' shrine, where she finds a stone before returning to continue interviewing Isayama. In the process, she discovers that the souls of soldiers and civilians who were killed during the Pacific War are embedded within Godzilla and are lashing out due to modern Japan's denial of its past crimes. Meanwhile in Aokigahara, a suicidal man accidentally encounters a frozen 1,000-year-old ancient dragon called King Ghidorah.

Godzilla and Baragon surface and battle in Hakone, with the former killing the latter. Yuri is injured during the fray and goes on her own after Takeda refuses to take her to Godzilla's location. After the jets fail to stop Godzilla, Tachibana sets up a defense line in Yokohama. Mothra metamorphoses into her imago form and joins Ghidorah in battling Godzilla, but are overpowered. Godzilla attempts to attack the soldiers, but Mothra sacrifices herself and imbues her spirit into Ghidorah. An empowered Ghidorah injures and drags Godzilla underwater. Amidst this, Tachibana and his colleague Yutaka Hirose board miniature submarines to launch D-3 missiles into Godzilla's wound.

During Yuri and Takeda report on the struggle from Yokohama Bay Bridge that later collapses from Godzilla's atomic breath, the shrine stone falls from Takeda's pocket and revives Ghidorah, who saves Yuri and Takeda from their fall before they swim ashore while the monsters continue to fight. Godzilla kills Ghidorah, which unleash the spirits of the guardian monsters to drag Godzilla underwater, allowing Tachibana enters Godzilla's body through its mouth. As Godzilla attempts to kill Yuri and Takeda, Tachibana fires a D-3 missile at its wound, causing its atomic breath to escape through the gaping wound and build pressure within Godzilla. Tachibana escapes as Godzilla sinks and explodes after attempting to kill the former with its atomic breath.

As Japan rejoices at their victory, Yuri's colleagues discover all trace of Isayama has vanished from their recordings and that he was killed during the first Godzilla attack. Meanwhile, Yuri reunites with Tachibana, who salutes his colleagues and the guardian monsters. On the ocean floor, Godzilla's disembodied heart continues to beat.