Oxygen destroyer

The Oxygen Destroyer (オキシジェン・デストロイヤー Okishijen Desutoroiyā) is a fictional weapon of mass destruction invented by Dr. Daisuke Serizawa and used to kill the original Godzilla in the 1954 film, Godzilla. It has appeared or been referenced in several other pieces of official Godzilla media since then. Origins The Oxygen Destroyer was the invention of Dr. Daisuke Serizawa. Having devoted his studies to the element oxygen, Serizawa accidentally stumbled upon a volatile and deadly chemical reaction. Though horrified by the destructive potential of his discovery, he nonetheless continued his research, optimistic that some beneficial outcome could be produced from it.

Design The Oxygen Destroyer is a heavy device composed of a metal capsule with a glass central chamber. Within this chamber is a second capsule attached by rods at either end. Contained within the capsule is a large amount of what would be later known as Micro-Oxygen, the weapon's payload. Numerous gauges and pressure meters are present on the larger capsule. To operate the Oxygen Destroyer, the two ends of the larger capsule have to be pushed inwards. This causes the rods securing the inner capsule to pull apart, releasing the Micro-oxygen within.

History Showa series Godzilla (1954)

The Oxygen Destroyer is activated on the bottom of Tokyo Bay in Godzilla (1954) The weapon was first revealed to Emiko Yamane by Daisuke Serizawa when they were in his lab. He demonstrated it on a tank of fish, which were instantly reduced to skeletons, much to Emiko's horror.

After Godzilla destroyed Tokyo, Serizawa reluctantly agreed to allow the Oxygen Destroyer's raw form to be used against the kaiju, but only after destroying his research documents and materials. The formula was still in his memory however, and fearing that it would lead to another arms race, the doctor knew that he would need to sacrifice himself as well. On the fateful morning in Tokyo Bay, Serizawa and Hideto Ogata descended into the water to find Godzilla, with Serizawa carrying the Oxygen Destroyer. Soon, Godzilla was located, and despite sighting the two divers, the monster was apparently unaware of their presence. Serizawa activated the device, then urged Ogata to return to the boat. As Ogata was pulled upwards by the boat's crew, Serizawa set the device down and then cut his diving suit's air tube. As the Oxygen Destroyer released its payload of Micro-Oxygen, Serizawa stood and waited to be disintegrated by the corrosive chemical.

In bouts of horrendous pain, Godzilla surfaced from the water and uttered one final roar before sinking back into Tokyo Bay. As the Micro-Oxygen continued to take effect, Godzilla's flesh was dissolved completely, followed by his skeleton. Both the monster and the brilliant scientist were no more.

Heisei series Godzilla vs. Biollante

The Oxygen Destroyer in Godzilla vs. Biollante For a brief moment, the Oxygen Destroyer appears alongside a statue of the KingGoji suit in Colonel Gondo's office, resting against the wall. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah

Destoroyah, the living incarnation of the Oxygen Destroyer, in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah In 1996, Dr. Kensaku Ijuin unveiled an invention he called micro-oxygen, which he intended to benefit humanity, like Serizawa before him. Ijuin confessed that he made reference to Serizawa's surviving work when working on micro-oxygen, but never intended to recreate the Oxygen Destroyer after his analysis of the soil where the weapon was fired, determining that it would have "turned Tokyo into a cemetery" if it were used on the ground. Emiko Yamane saw Ijuin being interviewed about the invention by her niece Yukari, and became concerned that Ijuin's invention was dangerously similar to the Oxygen Destroyer. Emiko begged Yukari and Kenkichi Yamane to convince Ijuin to shelve the project, since Serizawa had given up his life to ensure that the Oxygen Destroyer could never be used again for any purpose because of how dangerous it was. Despite their aunt's pleas, Yukari and Kenichi attempted to convince Ijuin to recreate the Oxygen Destroyer, believing it was the only way to stop Godzilla's impending meltdown and save the world. However, Dr. Ijuin revealed another concern, a lifeform had escaped from a soil sample recovered from the site where the Oxygen Destroyer was detonated to kill the first Godzilla in 1954. Soon, Ijuin was called to investigate when all of the fish in a local aquarium were mysteriously killed. Ijuin determined that the fish were killed by several microscopic creatures that had been mutated by the Oxygen Destroyer and were coming ashore after being disturbed by the construction of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line. These creatures began combining with each other into larger and more fearsome forms and wreaking havoc, eventually combining into a gigantic living incarnation of the Oxygen Destroyer, which Ijuin named Destoroyah. G-Force determined that their best option was to lure Godzilla to Tokyo and have him fight Destoroyah and hopefully be killed before he melted down. G-Force had Miki Saegusa and Meru Ozawa use their telepathy to lure Godzilla Junior to Tokyo, knowing Godzilla would follow. Junior was attacked by Destoroyah and managed to defeat him after a brutal battle. While Godzilla and his adopted son tried to reunite near Haneda Airport, they were attacked by Destoroyah in his Perfect Form, who killed Godzilla Junior and battled Godzilla. When Godzilla's temperature reached critical, Destoroyah tried to fly away, but was shot down by G-Force's freezer weapons and collided with the superheated ground, vaporizing him and ending the Oxygen Destroyer's destructive legacy once and for all.

Millennium series Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack In the continuity of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah, the Japanese government covered up the use of the Oxygen Destroyer against Godzilla. It was feared that the military would face ridicule over its inability to defeat Godzilla and thus the Japanese Self-Defense Forces were officially credited with the victory.

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

The Oxygen Destroyer is used against Godzilla in a flashback in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla In Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, the Oxygen Destroyer didn't dissolve Godzilla's skeleton, and Kiryu's blueprints incorporated the original Godzilla's skeleton within it to make the design process and construction less strenuous. MonsterVerse Godzilla: King of the Monsters

The schematics for the Oxygen Destroyer as seen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) As the USS Argo battled with Monster Zero near Isla de Mara, Monarch was contacted by Admiral William Stenz, who asked them to evacuate immediately. He informed them that the military had developed a prototype weapon specifically to combat the Titans: the Oxygen Destroyer. The chemical weapon, attached to a missile, was already inbound to the area and would kill every organism within a five-mile radius. After dispatching Rodan, Monster Zero turned his attention to the Argo only for Godzilla to erupt from the sea and drag Monster Zero down with him. Godzilla seemed to be winning the fight, keeping Monster Zero under the water and even tearing off one of his heads, but the Argo was forced to withdraw as the Oxygen Destroyer prepared to impact. As soon as the warhead struck the water, it produced a colossal mushroom cloud emitting an eerie green glow. As the smoke cleared, dead fish began floating to the surface of the water.

Suddenly, the now two-headed Monster Zero flew out of the water seemingly unaffected by the blast and made his way to the Isla de Mara volcano. Shockingly, he near-instantaneously regenerated his severed head and was none the worse for wear. Godzilla, however, was seriously injured by the blast and began to sink into the deep, his vital signs rapidly decreasing. Finally, Dr. Rick Stanton informed his colleagues that Godzilla was dead. The military had apparently killed its best hope for defeating Monster Zero, or "Ghidorah" as he would subsequently come to be known. Fortunately, Godzilla was not killed by the Oxygen Destroyer and had retreated to his lair to feed on radiation and heal. Monarch's Dr. Ishiro Serizawa gave his life to accelerate this process by detonating a thermonuclear warhead next to the resting Godzilla, the radiation immediately rejuvenating him. Godzilla was revived to fight another day, and with the assistance of Mothra triumphed over Ghidorah.

After Godzilla's victory, the waters surrounding Isla de Mara were still contaminated by the Oxygen Destroyer, leaving the locals unable to catch fish. They caught something else, however: Ghidorah's severed head. Alan Jonah and his men traveled to Mexico to examine it; upon doing so, Jonah simply said, "We'll take it."

Mechanisms The device works by activating a chemical stored within its spherical center, which causes the center to split in half and open. Once released, the chemical (later dubbed Micro-Oxygen by Kensaku Ijuin) reacts violently with the water, isolating oxygen molecules and splitting them. The molecules are then liquefied. This means that any organism exposed to the chemical will first suffocate from the lack of oxygen, and then disintegrate. Depending on the amount of the oxygen destroying chemical released, the body of the victim will either be eaten down to the bone or destroyed completely. When used to its full potential, the Oxygen Destroyer will leave no remains. According to Dr. Ijuin, if the Oxygen Destroyer had been used on land, it would have turned Tokyo into a cemetery. Creatures that thrive in anaerobic environments, however, such as the Precambrian crustaceans that became Destoroyah, can actually be empowered by the Oxygen Destroyer's chemical reactions and mutate to incorporate Micro-Oxygen within their bodily processes.

In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the basic shape of the device itself is evidently mostly unchanged, as seen on a digital schematic. However, the Oxygen Destroyer is now fired while attached to a missile. Upon striking the water, rather than simply causing a violent chemical reaction, the Oxygen Destroyer produces a powerful explosion that creates a mushroom cloud. The blast does not reduce its victims to skeletons, though it effectively kills all sea life nonetheless. The explosion given off by the device was sufficient to seriously injure and weaken Godzilla, while the extraterrestrial King Ghidorah proved immune to both the blast and the chemical itself.