Destoroyah デストロイア

In 1954, Japan was devastated by the original Godzilla, which destroyed Tokyo in a single night. Through the brave sacrifice of one Daisuke Serizawa, the leviathan was slain with the usage of his dreadful invention the Oxygen Destroyer.

Unbeknownst to anyone, a trilobite-like organism from the Precambrian era that was resting on the floor of Tokyo Bay was awakened by that same event. Originating from a time when Earth had almost no oxygen, it slowly mutated over decades as it adapted to the modern atmosphere.

By 1996, construction on the Tokyo-Bay Aqua Line disturbed these creatures, triggering strange incidents at the site. Investigators soon discovered living organisms in soil where none should exist. Professor Kensaku Ijuin, the discoverer of the strange compound Micro-Oxygen, realized that these microbes carried the same properties as it. This was revealed to him as he grabbed a vial of a soil sample to find a hole bored into it. The microbes had escaped into the water supply, joining more of their kin as they traveled, binding together into larger forms as they approached life…

• The image used for this bio is a composite created by Toho Kingdom, based on a small statue released by Cast depicting Destoroyah's Microscopic Body. The figure was originally distributed with a 2020 calendar commemorating the 25th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).
• In Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN 4063045579) this form is called the creature's "Micro form" although this could also be translated as "Microbody" (微小体 - Bisho Tai).
• This stage of Destoroyah is referred to, in English, as the creature's "Microscopic body" in the Godzilla the Encyclopedia (ISBN 9781835610363).
• For Destoroyah's character bio for the game Godzilla Battle Line, it's noted that the creature was originally a trilobite-like crustacean believed to have lived 2.5 billion years ago in the Precambrian era.
• According to the Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN 9784063048476), this form measures roughly 2 to 5 millimeters in size. Interestingly, that range slightly overlaps with the creature's Crawling Form, though that version is consistently heavier.
  

Having coalesced into forms resembling small crustaceans, the Precambrian mutants infiltrated the waters of Shinagawa Aquarium. Likely in order to feed and grow their numbers, they began to attack the fish within, dissolving the flesh and muscle off of them and leaving behind nothing but skeletons lining the floors of the tanks.

A security guard on duty watched the scene with horror, nearly passing out. The next morning, many were gathered to try and figure out what had happened, security camera footage being examined to discover the mutants responsible. However, it was too late to do anything, for by the point they had been discovered, their next evolution was already taking place...

• This form is called the creature's "Crawl form" (クロール体 - Kuroru Tai) in Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN 4063045579).
• According to Godzilla: The Encyclopedia (ISBN 9781835610363), this stage is labeled in English as Destoroyah's "Crawling Form."
• The Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN 9784063048476) lists this form as ranging from about 2 millimeters (0.002 centimeters) up to 30 centimeters in size. The lower end of that range slightly overlaps with the creature's microscopic body stage.
  

Now taller than humans and heavily armored, the Precambrian mutants moved in a swarm across Tokyo, causing great destruction in their wake. Bridges fell as dozens of them converged on the Tokyo Telecom Center in Aomi, using it like a hive. The area was shut off and SWAT teams were deployed to do contain the threat, however they would soon discover they were woefully unprepared.

Bullets bounced off their carapace as the monsters ripped through the walls like paper, hurling the men like toys and crushing them underfoot. Glowing rays of Micro-Oxygen spewed from secondary jaws, going through body armor and everything beneath with no resistance. Realizing that guns were doing nothing, the men switched tactics, utilizing flamethrowers and rocket launchers. These proved much more effective, incinerating the creatures. However, they could not get to every one of them, as seen with one which broke free of the building and charged towards the crowd gathered outside. Reporter Yukari Yamane was nearly killed by it, hiding inside a police car which the monster bashed into, flipped over, and then sliced in half with its Micro-Oxygen ray in its attempt to dissolve her and feast upon the slurry of cells. Professor Ijuin pulled her away to safety, allowing several SWAT members to arrive and bathe the monster in fire.

The next day, the JSDF arrived in force to the area, armed with new knowledge: Micro-Oxygen liquefies at -187 degrees Celsius. Equipped with cryolasers and cadmium missiles, they prepared for the creatures' return. The wait wasn't long as the creatures begin to emerge, in greater numbers and larger forms. Their mutations had accelerated due to the prior exposure to heat during their conflict with the SWAT team. This time, the JSDF unleashed a relentless assault, freezing and destroying the swarm with specialized weaponry.

For a moment, it seemed the threat was already over, but it soon became clear it had just begun. The crustaceans coalesced once more, forming a gigantic body of their combined mass. The creatures had converged into their Aggergate Form. It's immense destructive power also granted them a new name, for Micro-Oxygen by itself was not this powerful. They were the child of the Oxygen Destroyer, and so they gained the title Destoroyah.

• This stage of Destoroyah is called the creature's "Immature form" (幼体 - Yotai) in Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN 4063045579).
• According to the Godzilla: The Encyclopedia (ISBN 9781835610363), this stage is cited in English as Destoroyah's "Juvenile Form."
• The fact that exposure to heat would accelerate their mutation process is brought up in the kaiju guide found in Godzilla for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4. The Godzilla Encyclopedia - New Edition (ISBN 9784773087253) takes it a step further, explicitly citing that exposure to flames will cause them to rapidly grow.
• Sources have slight variances on the English name for the creature's beam. The Godzilla Movie Studio Tour, for example, cites it as a "microoxygen ray", although possible this was a typo. Godzilla: The Encyclopedia (ISBN 9781835610363) in contrast refers to this as a "micro-oxygen" weapon using a hyphen in the spelling.
• Originally, the film was only going to depict the Juvenile Form battling the special forces that night at Tokyo Telecom Center; however, director Takao Okawara suggested adding a scene where Yamane Yukari, played by Yoko Ishino, is attacked by one of them. He felt this would help the audience better connect with her character. This detail was noted in a Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Special Issue magazine published by Kindaieigasha.
  

Transforming into its Aggregate Form, Destoroyah proved its power immediately. Now being able to withstand the cryolasers that had slaughtered its Juvenile form, the creature sought revenge. Unleashing Oxygen Destroyer Rays onto the tanks, the creaature was quick to destroy them. The JSDF's forces were rendered useless as it tore them asunder, before shifting into yet another form by breaking down and combining into a winged demon.

Destoroyah flew into the city, causing great havoc as a plan was put into place to lure Godzilla and the Precambrian nightmare into a confrontation. The King of the Monsters was undergoing a terminal condition that would lead to his nuclear meltdown and the end of the world if not stopped, so the idea would be to kill him with the incarnation of what killed the first Godzilla.

To inact the plan, Godzilla Junior was telepathically coerced into traveling to Tokyo. Arriving in Tennozu, this is where he encountered Destoroyah before his father appeared, as the Precambrian terrorized the area from the skies.

Blasting the Flying Form out of the air, Junior found himself face to face with the creature's Aggregate form as it charged relentlessly, swinging its spiked limbs against him. The young colossus was unable to fight back, eventually being knocked to the ground by the menace's horrid ray and by a building being sent tumbling down upon him. Leaping into the air, Destoroyah came crashing down on Junior, impaling the young kaiju's gut with the myriad spikes on its underside. Extending its secondary jaws, the horrid fiend stabbed the teenager's chest, sending Micro-Oxygen flowing into his bloodstream.

Junior proved more hardy than assumed, however, unleashing his Atomic Ray to tear into his foe. This blasted off limbs and forced Destoroyah off the young Godzilla. The Aggregate beast attempted to flee, only to be struck yet again in its Flying Form, sending the monster hurtling into a nearby power plant, shrouding it in rubble and flame.

Believing the threat subdued, Junior moves on to meet his father. However, Destoroyah still lived. Having absorbed cells from its opponent and been exposed to the intense heat of the Shinagawa power plant explosions, its mutation accelerated, triggering its next evolution...

• The Aggregate Form of Destoroyah was portrayed by suit actor Eiichi Yanagida. Suit actor Yuichi Okada was originally selected to play the part but had to back out, which is noted in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Completion (ISBN 9784798615813).
• This form of Destoroyah is called the creature's "Aggregate form" (集合体 - Shugotai) in Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN 4063045579).
• The Aggregate Form name appears in English in numerous media, such as the game Godzilla Battle Line and Godzilla: The Encyclopedia (ISBN 9781835610363).
• Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Complete Works (ISBN 9784091014504) notes that Destoroyah is able to absorb the cells of its victims after breaking them down with Micro-Oxygen. The Godzilla Movie Studio Tour goes a step further stating that the creature "evolves rapidly by using the genetic code found on its prey".
• While some sources, such as Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works (ISBN 9784091014702), suggest the Juvenile Form possessed an Oxygen Destroyer Ray, this ability is actually first developed in the Aggregate Form. As noted in Godzilla: The Encyclopedia (ISBN 9781835610363), it far surpasses the destructive power of the Juvenile's Micro-Oxygen ray.
• The bio for this form in the game Godzilla Battle Line notes that the creature's ray had grown immensly more powerful "due to the dramatic increase in the concentration of Micro-Oxygen in its body".

• The codex entry for the Aggregate Form found in the game Godzilla Defense Force claims that its exoskeleton "renders freezing weapons useless". In fact, it goes as far as to say that it transformed a "former weakness into a strength". Despite the claim, though, it's likely that had its exoskeleton been damaged or if it was exposed to the stronger weapons of the Super X3 it would have suffered the same fate of the creature's Perfect Form.
• There isn't a separate Destoroyah Aggregate Form costume, but rather it shares a costume with the Juvenile Form. In this case the unique elements, like the scissor-claw hands and two tentacle-like appendages, can be added or removed depending on what role the costume needed to play. Referenced in Special Graphix Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (ISBN: T1065429711806).
• According to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Completion (ISBN 9784798615813), the spiked underside seen on this form, and the earlier Juvenile stage, was partly a practical design choice meant to conceal the suit actor's feet during filming.
• Unlike Battra's evolution in Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), special effects director Koichi Kawakita stated in an interview that they intentionally allowed Destoroyah's evolution process to not be directly shown on screen. He cites in particular how a bunch of Juveniles entered a building before suddenly evolving or how the Flying Form was engulfed in flames at the refinery before transforming offscreen into its Perfect Form. His approach here was that it was better left to the viewer's imagination. It should be noted that despite this statement, the movie does show the creature changing back and forth from its Flying Form into its Aggregate Form. Brought up in Special Graphix Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (ISBN: T1065429711806).
  

After decimating a number of the maser tanks which threatened the colony's life, Destoroyah transformed into its flying form in order to travel into the city and wreak vengeance. Attacking in both Shinagawa and Tennozu, buildings exploded as it flew past, its Oxygen Destroyer Ray shredding through whatever it struck.

As part of a desperate plan to stop Godzilla from going into a catastrophic meltdown, G-Force turned to their psychics, Miki Saegusa and Meru Ozawa. The strategy invovled luring Godzilla Junior into Tokyo, knowing his adoptive father would be likely to follow. The hope was that the two monsters would clash, with Destoroyah potentially eliminating the greater threat of Burning Godzilla.

Placing this plan in motion, it wasn't long until the young Godzillasaurus encountered Destoroyah. The fiend swiftly barged into him, knocking him to the ground, before circling around and blasting apart a nearby building to send it toppling onto his form. Satisfied with its foe's defeat, Destoroyah turned its attention to a nearby helicopter, which contained the psychics.

Before it could strike, Godzilla Junior rose and fired his Atomic Ray, blasting Destoroyah from the sky. The monster quickly shifted into its Aggregate Form, engaging Junior in a savage battle that saw him pinned and injected with Micro-Oxygen. Despite the damage, Junior endured, driving his foe back with another Atomic Ray barrage. Destoroyah retreated into its Flying Form once more, only to be struck again and sent crashing into a refinery in a fiery explosion.

With the threat seemingly neutralized, Godzilla Junior moved on to meet his father. He was unaware, though, that within the burning wreckage Destoroyah was beginning another terrifying evolution...

• Destoroyah's airborne stage is called the creature's "Flight form" (集合体 - Hishotai) in Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN 4063045579).
• The Flying Form name appears in English in the game Godzilla Battle Line and Godzilla: The Encyclopedia (ISBN 9781835610363).
• This form's wingspan is rarely mentioned in media, although is listed in Godzilla 1954-1999 Super Complete Works (ISBN 9784091014702).
• Minoru Yoshida, who designed the form, stated that the face was meant to allude to the Perfect Form in its appearance. However, as noted in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah Completion (ISBN 9784798615813), he was dissatisfied with how the mouth appeared inconsistent when the creature shifted back and forth between this form and the Aggregate in the finished film.
• Destoroyah's Flying Form had a smaller role in the original script. It was special effects director Koichi Kawakita who added in the sequences of the monster attacking Shinagawa and Tennozu. Noted in Toho SF Special Effects Movie Series Vol.10 (ISBN 4924609609).
• The 2025 Destoroyah-themed event at Nijigen no Mori, an outdoor amusement park on Awaji Island, included brief write-ups for each stage of the creature's evolution, presented in both Japanese and English. Notably, the Flying Form description mentions that it uses Micro-Oxygen for propulsion. The English text is provided below, though it's worth noting that it uses a different translation for the Perfect Form's name:
  "This is the form it transforms into as needed for flight. The face changes from an insect-like shape to a reptilian form, and large horns grow from the head, bringing it closer to its complete form. A membrane forms between the tentacles on both shoulders and the torso, serving as primary wings. It flies by expelling micro-oxygen from its legs."
• The Godzilla Movie Studio Tour notes that it's a combination of absorbing "the life energy of Godzilla Junior" and "the energy from an explosion at Shinagawa power plant" as to why this form next evolved into its much larger Perfect Form.
  

Night fell as Godzilla and Godzilla Junior met once again, finally reuniting after the horrid explosion of Birth Island. The monster king was wracked with horrid pain from his transformation into Burning Godzilla, his life drawing near its end, while Junior had changed greatly from the small, childish creature he was. By reuniting, though, they finally found happiness yet again.

However, it was not to last...

The refinery Destoroyah had been cast into burst into flames, a mighty explosion ripping apart nearby facilities as a gigantic monstrosity emerged. Destoroyah had emerged in a more perfected form, created through its evolution abnormally accelerated due to Junior's DNA, the energy absorbed from the Shinagawa Thermal Power Plant and the effects of being exposed to Junior's heat rays. Dread wings spreading as Destoroyah announced its new power to the world. Now standing upright with a biped's legs, as well as towering above even Godzilla, the child of the Oxygen Destroyer took to the air.

The Precambrian nightmare swiftly descended upon the two Godzillas. Knocking the adult monster to the ground with a powerful blow, Destoroyah then seized Junior by the throat and carried the young kaiju high into the sky. Helpless to escape, Junior was dropped onto an airport far below, crashing into the structure as it erupted in flames. Destoroyah then unleashed its Oxygen Destroyer Ray upon the fallen creature, delivering a brutal finishing attack.

Godzilla arrived, roaring with unholy fury at his son's brutalizing. Destoroyah landed before him, screeching in reply as the final battle began. Immediately, the Oxygen Destroyer Ray went forth, piercing the leviathan and sending him to the ground in agony. Further blasts of it tore into him, but he rose and fired upon Destoroyah, gaining no response even with his improved ray striking the fiend's neck and head. The two charged towards one another, engaging in physical combat. Burning Godzilla bashed his superheated body against Destoroyah's chest, fighting with every ounce of strength he had, only for the demon to bash him to the ground with its hideous bulk. Grabbing its foe by the neck with its tail's pincer, shocking him all the while, the Precambrian horror took off once more, dragging Godzilla for miles against the ground, eventually casting him into a nearby lake. Godzilla arose from it, returning to dry land where Destoroyah arrived once more, eager to continue their battle. Activating its Variable Slicer, the fiend shredded into the leviathan's form, leaving huge gashes in his body that cut to the bone. Godzilla was swift to reply, his Crimson Atomic Ray fired at the demon's chest several times, blasting it open and allowing him to carve into it with his claws. As Destoroyah spewed blood from its maw, the dying monster king blasted it once more, sending the Precambrian mutant plummeting and exploding in a cloud of mist.

Shortly afterwards, dozens of its Divided Form burst up from the ground, trying to weaken Godzilla with their sheer numbers. He repelled them in short order, leaving him alone with his dying son. He tried to breathe life into Junior, but Destoroyah's assault proved too much for him to withstand, and before his father's eyes, the teen passed away. Alone in this world yet again, his body tearing itself apart, Godzilla roared to the heavens in rage and sorrow. However, Destoroyah would not let him have a moment of reprise. Flying back into battle in its perfect form, the creature tore into the King of the Monsters with its mighty beam yet again. They battled once more, Destoroyah knocking Godzilla to the ground and wrapping its tail around his throat, draining his energy and hurling him into a building. Just when it seemed the child of the Oxygen Destroyer was unstoppable, things turned against it immediately.

Godzilla arose, his rising temperature having gone critical. Spines melted and spewed forth geysers of atomic energy, and the final assault of the nuclear colossus began. The Hyper Fire Ray tore away at Destoroyah's face and body, Nuclear Pulses blazed forth and shrouded the demon's form in powerful explosions. The very air and ground was growing hot like the inside of a furnace. Overpowered, Destoroyah attempted to flee by flying away. However, the military had arrived, the Super X3 and a squadron of freezer tanks focused their cryogenic firepower on Destoroyah. Intense cold tore at the Precambrian menace's battered and shredded body, destroying its wings and sending it plummeting back to the ground below. Completely chilled, Destoroyah's form detonated on impact, obliterating the living nightmare.

• The Perfect Form of Destoroyah was portrayed by suit actor Ryo Hariya. Because balancing the massive wings proved difficult, the suit had to be suspended from above while he performed in it. Noted in Toho SF Special Effects Movie Series Vol.10 (ISBN 4924609609).
• Destoroyah's largest stage is called the creature's "Perfect form" (完全体 - Kanzentai) in Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063045579).
• The Perfect Form name appears in English in the game Godzilla Battle Line while a variant of this appears in English in the game Godzilla Defense Force as Perfect Type.
• The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587) lists Destoroyah's powers as "Oxygen Destroyer Ray" (オキシジェンデストロイヤーレイ - Okishijen Desutoroiya Rei), "Variable Slicer" (ヴァリアブル・スライサー - Bariaburu Suraisa) and "Giant Claw" (巨大なツメ - Kyodai Natsume). The book also references Destoroyah's ability to constrict enemies with its tail and divide back into its "Aggregate Form" (集合体 - Shugotai).
• A shortened variation of the creature's signature beam appears in Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9784063048476), where it is called the "OD Beam" (O・D光線 - O. D Kosen), with "OD" serving as an abbreviation for Oxygen Destroyer.
• Spaceship Magazine Special Issue: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah 1996 (ISBN: T1001844011206) notes that the very tip of Destoroyah's tail is responsible for its energy-draining ability.
• Godzilla Battle Line describes the creature's Variable Slicer in English as being able to "slash up its opponent while expelling Micro-Oxygen".
• In a deleted scene, the spikes on Destoroyah's chest opened to unleash a massive energy beam. However, unlike other unused abilities such as the Showa incarnation of Gigan possessing a laser beam, this attack is never referenced in official power listings or guidebooks. As a result, it is generally assumed the creature does not canonically possess the ability.
• The number of cells in the creature's lungs capable of converting carbon dioxide into Micro-Oxygen doubled from the Aggregate Form. This dramatically increased Destoroyah's Micro-Oxygen production, which was then stored within a compressor located beneath the armored plates on its chest. Noted in Spaceship Magazine Special Issue: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah 1996 (ISBN: T1001844011206).
• The kaiju guide found in Godzilla for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 cites that Destoroyah could heal wounds thanks to its hive body, which in the context of the film was seen when the creature divided and reformed.
• Although the Perfect Form serves as Destoroyah's final stage in the film, the movie pamphlet states there is no guarantee the creature's evolution would have ended there.
• The Oxygen Destroyer Ray and Variable Slicer appear spelled that way in English in the Godzilla: The Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9781835610363), Godzilla Defense Force, Godzilla Battle Line as well as in the kaiju guide found in Godzilla for the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.

After taking a brutal beating from Godzilla, Destoroyah's Perfect Form fractured into numerous Aggregate-like bodies. Shifting strategies, the creatures attempted to overwhelm the King of the Monsters through sheer numbers. Swarming over the burning titan, they sprayed Oxygen Destroyer Rays to sap his strength. Godzilla fought back, grabbing one and flinging it aside. As he prepared to unleash his Nuclear Pulse, though, he collapsed, sending another attacker flying. In the confusion, the creatures seemed to vanish into the smoke... only for it to later become clear that they were busy reforming once again into their Perfect Form.

• This form of Destoroyah is called the creature's "Divided form" (分裂体 - Bunretsutai) in the mobile game Godzilla Kaiju Collection and is distinct from the Aggregate Form that also appears in that title.
• Both the Everything Godzilla: The Complete Super Encyclopedia (ISBN: 4063045579) and Definitive Edition: The Perfect Godzilla Giant Monster Super Encyclopedia (ISBN 9784063048476) lists this form with a height of 20 meters, roughly half the size of the Aggregate Form. Neither book, though, cites the mass of this form.
• At present, there's no confirmed English name for this form. Godzilla: The Encyclopedia (ISBN: 9781835610363) describes them as both "aggregate (or meristematic) forms." A unit called "Destoroyah Larva" appears in the game Godzilla Battle Line and closely resembles it, depicted as a group of five smaller Destoroyahs with pincers and long spiked appendages. However, in the Japanese version, these are labeled as the Juvenile form (幼体 - Yotai), despite not matching that stage visually and behaving more like the Divided Form seen in the film with the Perfect Form splitting into them. In the Perfect Form's character bio, these are referred to by a different name as "Aggregate Form Destoroyahs".
• The script originally didn't include a scene where the monster splits into its Divided Form. This was an addition made during production by special effects director Koichi Kawakita, as noted in Toho Special Effects Movies: Complete Works (ISBN: 9784864910132).