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.