Destoroyah

Lore & Background

The existence of Destoroyah traces directly back to the Oxygen Destroyer used against the first Godzilla in 1954. Decades later, during the construction of the Tokyo Bay Aqua Line, a colony of these Precambrian organisms was awoken by the weapon's residue. Screenwriter Kazuki Ōmori originally proposed a story titled "Godzilla vs. Ghost Godzilla," but filmmakers settled on this new monster as a direct by-product of that historic event. The creatures were initially named "Barubaroi" before being rejected for sounding too similar to the Berbers. Minoru Yoshida designed all of Destoroyah's forms, instructing the creature to be crustacean in nature and surpassing Godzilla in height. The final form's design was incorporated into the movie poster by illustrator Noriyoshi Ohrai, whose depiction later served as the basis for the 3D model used to construct the suit.

In Their Own Story

One year after SpaceGodzilla's defeat, Destoroyah emerged from Tokyo Bay, engaging the JSDF in several deadly skirmishes. The organisms combined into human-sized crustacean-like monsters that were temporarily held at bay by low-temperature lasers before merging into a larger creature with flying capabilities. Miki Saegusa telepathically lured the grown-up Godzilla Junior to Tokyo, hoping he would draw out Destoroyah. When Junior arrived and battled the monster, Destoroyah absorbed his DNA before being seemingly defeated. However, it mutated again, growing larger, dropping Junior onto the Ariake Coliseum, and blasting him with a Micro-Oxygen beam that fatally wounded him. As Godzilla's temperature reached a critical state in his grief, the injured Destoroyah attempted to retreat. The JSDF fired low-temperature lasers at its wings, causing it to plummet to its death onto the superheated ground.

Reader's Guide

Destoroyah serves as the final adversary of the Heisei period, representing a threat born from human error rather than natural evolution. Its primary vulnerability is subzero temperatures, which can hold the smaller forms at bay and cause the larger forms to crash when their wings are targeted by low-temperature lasers like those on the Super X III. The creature's lifecycle involves merging from small units into a flying form, then mutating further upon absorbing DNA or facing defeat. In combat, it utilizes a Micro-Oxygen beam capable of fatally wounding even powerful monsters like Godzilla Junior. Its presence forces the JSDF to utilize the Super X III and coordinate attacks on its wings during its retreat. The creature's design emphasizes its crustacean origins, with all forms designed by Minoru Yoshida to be taller than Godzilla, creating a visual threat that escalates throughout the film until its final defeat via laser-induced structural failure.

Did You Know?

• The character was initially named 'Barubaroi' but was rejected because it sounded too similar to the Berbers.
• All of Destoroyah's forms were designed by Minoru Yoshida, who was instructed to make the creature a crustacean that surpasses Godzilla in height.
• Illustrator Noriyoshi Ohrai used Yoshida's final form design for the movie poster, which later became the basis for the 3D suit model.
• Destoroyah responds to threats by merging from human-sized units into larger forms, including a flying creature that destroys low-temperature lasers.