| Daisuke Serizawa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Daisuke Serizawa | |
| Aliases: | Doctor Serizawa Daisuke Serizawa-hakase |
| Franchise: | Godzilla |
| Notability: | Main character |
| Type: | Scientist |
| Gender: | Male |
| Location: | Honshu, Japan |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Born: | 1927 [1] |
| Died: | 1954 |
| Introduction: | Gojira (1954) |
| Final: | Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) |
| Actor: | Akihiko Hirata James Hong |
Daisuke Serizawa is a fictional scientist and a key character featured in the Godzilla film series. Played by actor Akihiko Hirata, he appeared in the original 1954 film, Gojira. Many of Hirata's scenes were re-edited into the 1956 Americanized version of the film, Godzilla, King of the Monsters. In the English-dubbed version of Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, Daisuke Serizawa was voiced by actor James Hong.
Biography[]
Daisuke Serizawa was a scientist and a veteran of World War II. At some point during his military history, he suffered an injury, resulting in scarring upon the right side of his face and the loss of one eye.
After the war, Doctor Serizawa's greatest contribution to the scientific community was the discovery of a chemical formula that came to be known as the Oxygen Destroyer. 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, and Ogata and he even came to blows over the matter. Ultimately however, 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. He insisted on making the dive alone, but Ogata wouldn't allow it, citing that he would never let an inexperienced diver go down by himself. Accompanied by Ogata, he was lowered down into the depths until they both 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.
Once the people aboard the ship realized that Godzilla was no more and that Serizawa was dead, they offered up a respectful salute.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Daisuke Serizawa was created by director and screenwriter Ishirô Honda and writers Shigeru Kayama and Takeo Murata.
- Original script treatments crafted more of a love triangle between Serizawa, Emiko Yamane and Hideto Ogata. There are even some production stills in existence of a younger Serizawa with Emiko prior to his injuries, suggesting that they had been close to one another since high school. None of these scenes were filmed however. [2]
- Another unfilmed scene from Gojira would have shown Emiko Yamane and Hideto Ogata flying a helicopter and dropping wreath over the spot on Tokyo Bay where Serizawa died. This would have been the final scene of the film. [3]
See also[]
Media
The World of Godzilla
Godzilla miscellaneous
External Links[]
- Daisuke Serizawa at IMDB
- Daisuke Serizawa at the Holosuite
- Daisuke Serizawa at the Godzilla Wiki
- Daisuke Serizawa at Multiversal Omnipedia
References[]
- ↑ Date approximated based on the age of actor Akihiko Hirata.
- ↑ Gojira (1954) DVD; Godzilla: Story Development; Steve Rythe
- ↑ Gojira (1954) DVD; Godzilla: Story Development; Steve Rythe
Keywords[]
Characters who are disintegrated; Japanese; Self sacrifice; Scientist
 This article relates to characters featured in and pertaining to the Godzilla film franchise. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Godzilla characters category. |