Character Analysis: 6
Date: 8/16/07
Where to begin? In 1954, Toho unveiled its most famous creation: Godzilla. Audiences were mesmerized by this seemingly invincible creature. Conventional weapons were rendered useless. Soldiers were incinerated by its atomic breath. Buildings crumbled at its feet. Like the weapon that spawned it, Godzilla killed thousands. When all seemed lost, a brilliant scientist named Dr. Serizawa agreed to use his Oxygen Destroyer device against the creature. In the wake of its activation, the murky depths of Tokyo Bay became a cemetery. Both Man and Beast perished together. Serizawa died believing the world was a safer place.
Cutaway view of Destoroyah |
Forty years later, Toho sought to end the franchise
by killing Godzilla off. To do this, they sullied Serizawa's
sacrifice by having his invention give birth to one of the most
powerful and sadistic kaiju the King of the Monsters has ever faced.
Standing 120 meters tall and weighing 80,000 tons, Destoroyah was
up to the task of doing what so many could not. In this analysis,
I shall explain why Destoroyah lives up to its name.
Body:
Destoroyah is made up of billions of microbes. These tiny creatures,
all working as one, make up Destoroyah's organs, carapace,
eyes, wings, horn, etc. It feeds of Micro-Oxygen and taps into the
destructive force of the Oxygen Destroyer.
Destoroyah's micro form at work |
Transformations and Strategies:
One of Destoroyah's most prominent attributes is its ability
to transform. In the beginning, it started out as a microbe. First
observed dissolving an entire fish tank full of life, these microbes
assembled and formed larger organisms. They became 9-foot monsters
called Aggregates. These ruthless monsters cut bloody swaths through
the soldiers sent to stop them. In time, the Aggregates fused into
a larger creature. Within seconds, the armed divisions sent to stop
it were wiped out. Before a counterattack could be commissioned,
Destoroyah shocked Japan once more by taking to the skies in an
airborne form. It took the intervention of Godzilla Junior to expel
this vile creature into a blinding explosion. But within the womb
of the inferno, Destoroyah's final form emerged. Such a form
pushed Godzilla beyond his limits.
Destoroyah's Aggregate form |
Biollante, Battra, Mothra, and SpaceGodzilla exhibited different forms. However, not since Hedorah had we seen a kaiju use its forms so vigorously. Against an opponent of Godzilla's stature, Destoroyah remained mostly in its final state. But it did breakdown into a swarm of Aggregates after Godzilla prevailed in their first battle. Upon breaking down, a white haze enveloped the fallen Destoroyah. Like a squid using ink to make a quick getaway, Destoroyah used similar tactics to escape death. Before long, Destoroyah ambushed Godzilla, proving it could do more than just destroy.
Destoroyah is as relentless as it is sadistic. It took advantage
of Godzilla's love for his son by snatching the young reptile
away and then maiming it before its helpless father. Stricken by
grief and sadness, Godzilla could not control his erratic power.
As his temperatures continued to rise and threaten all life on Earth,
what did Destoroyah do? It fueled the fire. Destoroyah didn't
care. After all, destroying life was its purpose. Why should it
care if the world burned?
Destoroyah lifting Godzilla |
Strength:
Not many kaiju can rival Godzilla's immense strength, let
alone surpass it. Destoroyah is one of those few who can. When exchanging
blows, Destoroyah knocked Godzilla aside like a rag doll. With one
hand, Destoroyah lifted Godzilla Junior upwards and sailed across
the black skies. Later, Destoroyah flew through the air once more,
this time with Godzilla as its reluctant passenger. Destoroyah's
melee skills aren't impressive, but with its large body, strength,
and destructive power, it's a weakness easily forgiven.
Destoroyah in flight |
Flight:
While its flight speed is unknown, Destoroyah could fly circles
around Godzilla. Carrying Godzilla with its tail or Junior with
one arm didn't hinder its flight speed at all either.
Destoroyah Breaks Down |
Reformation:
Should Destoroyah suffer enough damage, it will breakdown. Destoroyah
lacks rapid cellular reconstruction, so it must devolve in order
to compensate for its injuries. This does prove useful. If its opponent
does not possess enough firepower to obliterate its every molecule,
then Destoroyah will return. However, it requires energy and time,
something Destoroyah did not have in the final moments of its existence.
Destoroyah's final form |
Micro-Oxygen:
To Destoroyah, Micro-Oxygen is as imperative to its survival as
water is to ours. Originally used to help make fish grow larger,
Destoroyah saw it as an excellent means of increasing its numbers.
Through out the stages of its evolution, Destoroyah became a bigger
creature because of Micro-Oxygen. But Destoroyah has other uses
for it. Like the Oxygen Destroyer, Micro-Oxygen can tap into destructive
energies when its oxygen molecules are under constant use. After
choking Godzilla with its tail, energy was siphoned. Destoroyah
uses Micro-Oxygen to dissolve the flesh and then suck the energy
right out. It can also inject it into the bloodstream, as witnessed
when Destoroyah buried its mandibles into Junior's chest.
One mystery shrouding Destoroyah is its relationship with fire. Through out the film, we witnessed fire having no disastrous effect on it. After a Destoroyah Aggregate was blasted by a flamethrower, glowing spores dropped out of its mouth. Later, Destoroyah's final form was forged in the heart of a blazing explosion. Could Micro-Oxygen be at work here? It's plausible. Micro-Oxygen could be siphoning the fiery energies.
Destoroyah using its Laser Horn |
Laser Horn:
When engaging Destoroyah in close quarters, one should be wary.
Destoroyah has the strength to pummel a kaiju into the ground, but
it also has a deadly alternative. Its horn emits a long energetic
blade capable of piercing Godzilla's flesh with ease. It can
extend to great lengths and curve downwards in a cutting motion.
There is another element at work here. After piercing Godzilla's
skin, a milky white substance was formed. It's clearly connected,
as Godzilla never secreted these substances before. Safe to say,
whatever this substance is, it neutralized Godzilla's regeneration.
The Oxygen Destroyer Beam |
Oxygen Destroyer:
Micro-Oxygen is what keeps Destoroyah alive; the Oxygen Destroyer
is what gave it life. Coursing through its veins is the destructive
power of Dr. Serizawa's invention. In his studies, Serizawa
made a shocking discovery. His invention not only liquefied the
atoms and dissolved it at an accelerated rate; it also tapped into
an unknown type of energy. This energy proved destructive, which
was observed after Destoroyah unleashed it on groups of soldiers,
tanks, and Godzilla. Even if the Oxygen Destroyer Beam punched its
way through a police officer's chest, floored Godzilla, and
caused massive collateral damage, it didn't dissolve a single
creature. That's because its ray is pure destructive energy,
nothing more. But is that it? No. As witnessed in the aquarium,
a single Destoroyah microbe turned the fish tanks into a graveyard
of skeletons. In an underwater environment, Destoroyah is free to
use the full extent of its Oxygen Destroying abilities, proving
once and for all it was the spawn of Dr. Serizawa's insidious
creation.
Destoroyah being hit by the JSDF |
Weaknesses:
Freezing weapons brought about Destoroyah's downfall. In a
laboratory, Japanese scientists discovered that sub-zero temperatures
stopped Micro-Oxygen. The JSDF later replaced their flamethrowers
with freezing weaponry and launched a massive attack on the Destoroyah
Aggregate swarm. Unable to cope with the freezing attacks, the Destoroyah
Aggregates retreated, later uniting into a larger monster. At the
climax of the film, freezing weapons were used once more to neutralize
Destoroyah in midair, forcing it to fall. With its food source cut
off and its body weakened, Destoroyah dissolved into smoke.
Fire may have helped Destoroyah prosper, but heat attacks injured it. Godzilla's spiral blast wounded Destoroyah, forcing it to retreat twice. So Destoroyah energy sapping abilities are limited. Ultimately, Destoroyah's sadism brought about its end. It relished in Godzilla's suffering; it could've slain the saurian had it used its powers to its fullest potential. Destoroyah may be large and powerful; it's certainly not designed to engage faster opponents. Numerous kaiju could run circles around it. In doing so, their speed renders most of Destoroyah's abilities useless.
Final Thoughts:
In many ways, Destoroyah was the perfect candidate for killing Godzilla.
After all, their origins intertwined perfectly. So then why did
Toho mislead its audience into believing Destoroyah did in fact
kill the King of the Monsters, when it never did? If one pays close
attention, they'd realize Destoroyah did carry out its purpose.
It killed Godzilla's only son, Junior. In doing so, Destoroyah
killed the Godzilla legacy. Godzilla's death was imminent,
whether Destoroyah intervened or not. Having succeeded in its mission,
Destoroyah died. And yet, Destoroyah also played a vital role in
Junior's rebirth. When he absorbed his father's radioactive
power, Junior became fully grown. The cycle was complete.
Godzilla's rogue gallery is filled with many horrible monstrosities. Among them, Destoroyah stands out. Not many can rival Destoroyah's savage outlook on life. And not many can take it away so easily.