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| Oxygen Destroyer | |
| Type: | Weapon |
| Continuity: | Godzilla |
| Availability: | Unique item |
| Manufacturer: | Daisuke Serizawa |
| 1st appearance: | Gojira (1954) |
The Oxygen Destroyer is a fictional weapon featured in the Godzilla film series by Toho Company. It first appeared in the 1954 Japanese feature film, Gojira and was also represented in the Americanized re-edited version of the film, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, released in 1956.
It is a device that causes instant asphyxiation in animal organisms, and liquefies the flesh of a creature until there is nothing left but its bones.
Description[]
The Oxygen Destroyer was a chemical weapon that was invented by a scientist and World War II vet named Daisuke Serizawa. Serizawa had actually discovered the process for creating the weapon by accident, but was horrified at its long-range effects. Put simply, the device is a small spherical item that contains chemical components that break down molecules of oxygen, converting them into a liquid. When displaced inside of a volume of water, even a smallest bit of the formula will destroy all life within, disintegrating flesh, and reducing an organism to a skeleton within seconds.
Doctor Serizawa recognized the implications of his work and was haunted by its destructive potential should a government agency ever lay claim to the process. He once confided in Emiko Yamane, and gave her a demonstration of the process by placing a small version of the prototype inside of a fish tank. Emiko was horrified and began screaming and crying. Serizawa swore her to secrecy, but she eventually revealed the truth about the Oxygen Destroyer to her boyfriend, Hideto Ogata.
Emiko and Ogata pleaded with Doctor Serizawa to allow the device's use in the hopes of destroying the monster Gojira, who had been rampaging across Tokyo. Serizawa was extremely reluctant to go public with his weapon, but ultimately he knew he had little choice but to use it. Before embarking upon such a mission, he made certain to destroy all of his notes pertaining to the Oxygen Destroyer.
Serizawa brought the prototype aboard a vessel out on Tokyo Bay and donned a deep sea diving suit. Accompanied by Ogata, he was lowered down into the depths until they found Godzilla's nesting place. Serizawa signaled Ogata to return to the surface, but rather than follow him, he cut his own line, knowing that he would die with his creation. He opened the canister containing the Oxygen Destroyer and activated it. The water in the surrounding area began bubbling as the compound took effect. Godzilla awakened, surfaced briefly to emit a roar of agony, then sank down again beneath the waves. His body disintegrated leaving nothing behind but a skeleton, which was lost to the tumultuous sea. Doctor Serizawa watched the entire affair until he too was consumed by his own weapon.
See also[]
Media
The World of Godzilla
Godzilla miscellaneous
External Links[]
- Oxygen Destroyer at Toho Kingdom
- Oxygen Destroyer at the Godzilla Wiki
- Oxygen Destroyer at the Movie Database