Godzilla (1954): Dr. Serizawa’s Love and His Suicide with the Monster

The film Godzilla is a 1954 masterpiece directed by Ishiro Honda. It is the genesis of the Godzilla series that continues to this day, and my personal impression is that its most significant appeal lies in its sheer terror. It’s not just that “Godzilla is scary”—the entire film is terrifying. In particular, the cries of a young girl who has lost her mother are filled with a sorrow that is almost unbearable to hear.

In this article, I want to explore the character of Dr. Serizawa, a pivotal figure in this work. Why can we not forget Dr. Serizawa? And why did he choose to die with Godzilla?

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “【初代ゴジラ】芹沢博士の恋とゴジラとの心中。“.

Dr. Serizawa in the Original Godzilla

Dr. Serizawa is a scientist who appears in Godzilla. He sustained an injury to his right eye during the war and wears an eyepatch. He keeps his research a secret, but for some reason, he reveals its nature to Emiko Yamane.

Emiko promises Serizawa she will keep his research a secret, but faced with the horrific situation after Godzilla’s landing, she breaks her promise and tells her partner, Ogata, about it. In the end, Serizawa agrees to use the oxygen-destroying weapon born from his research, the “Oxygen Destroyer,” to annihilate Godzilla. However, during the operation, he makes the decision to perish along with the monster.

Dr. Serizawa’s Eyepatch

To uncover the truth behind Dr. Serizawa’s death, I believe the “eyepatch” is a crucial element. In the film, Ogata says the following:

“I know I shouldn’t hesitate, but when I think of Serizawa, I lose my nerve. If it weren’t for the war, he never would have suffered such a terrible wound.”

(Original Text in Japanese)
「誰にも遠慮することはないと思いながら、芹沢さんのことを考えると、どうも弱気になる。戦争さえなかったら、あんなひどい傷を受けずに済んだはずなんだ。」

Taken out of context, this might be a bit confusing, so let me explain. Emiko, who is Ogata’s girlfriend, is a long-time acquaintance of Serizawa, and they have a relationship that is publicly perceived as a betrothal.

However, Ogata is dating Emiko, which is why he “loses his nerve” when he thinks about Serizawa. Moreover, Serizawa suffered a severe injury during the war. Emiko tries to reassure Ogata by calling Serizawa “like a brother” to her, but one can only wonder about Serizawa’s true feelings.

From Ogata’s testimony, it seems Serizawa’s injury was quite severe. In reality, though, Serizawa is “just” wearing an eyepatch and is quite a handsome man (it’s hard to tell in black and white, but you can see keloid scars under the eyepatch).

Realistically, however, he is certainly blind in that eye, which is undoubtedly a major injury. Yet, the visual impression slightly differs from Ogata’s testimony; he doesn’t look that tragic. So, it becomes a question of whether we should trust Ogata’s testimony or the visuals we see.

I choose to go with Ogata’s testimony. In other words, I take the position that “the wound on Serizawa’s face was far more gruesome than what is shown on screen, and the eyepatch is merely a symbol of it.” There is one reason for this: “it makes more sense.”

Serizawa’s Despair, Egotism, and Love.

Ogata suffers from a sense of guilt for having “snatched away” Emiko, who was supposed to marry Serizawa, and the root of that guilt is Serizawa’s “eyepatch.”

In other words, he’s pondering things he shouldn’t, like, “What if Serizawa hadn’t been injured like that?” It’s not about Emiko or anything, but the triviality of such thoughts in a man that torments his conscience.

To put it another way, he feels he isn’t competing on a level playing field.

Meanwhile, Serizawa was in a hardship that made Ogata’s suffering seem insignificant. He had developed a deep-seated complex about his appearance.

Of course, a stereotypical “genius scientist” would be “so obsessed with his research that he wouldn’t care about a facial scar,” but Dr. Serizawa, while a genius, was not a simple man who fit into stereotypes.

So, what was the source of this complex? Emiko Yamane, of course. He had been in love with her for a long time. If he had lived his life proudly as Daisuke Serizawa without worrying about such things, the world might have turned out slightly better for him. But no one can deny his pain and anguish.

Ultimately, the reason Serizawa revealed his research to Emiko—a secret he should have kept for ethical reasons—was “because he was in love.” But it seems a more complex mix of emotions was at play. I lack the skill to put these complex feelings into words, but I believe it was a combination of three main sentiments.

First, the desire as a scientist to publish his findings, no matter how cursed the research might be. Second, the desire to tell the woman he loved, “I am a great man.” And third, an aggressive impulse to show the ugliness of this world to the woman before him, who he assumed would abandon him anyway.

Of course, the third point is pure speculation, but I can’t imagine it wasn’t there. He had to show something as ugly as himself to the woman before him, who was trying to live a happy life in a “beautiful world.” In other words, it was a question: “Emiko, what do you think of me for creating something so hideous?”

The Secret Revealed and the End of Love.

Harboring emotions that could hardly be put into words, Serizawa told Emiko about his research and asked her to keep it a secret. Of course, Emiko did.

However, faced with the horrific situation after Godzilla’s landing, Emiko reveals the secret to Ogata. The two visit Serizawa, and Ogata asks him about the “Oxygen Destroyer.” The unfolding events from here are heart-wrenching.

Now, everyone. Why do you think Serizawa decided to use the “Oxygen Destroyer”?

I deliberately omitted it from the sequence above, but during these events, Ogata’s persuasion and a requiem for schoolgirls playing on the television are also present. While these undoubtedly influenced Serizawa’s inner state, might they have just been a convenient excuse for him?

Perhaps the deciding factor was the sight of Emiko tending to Ogata’s wound. Seeing the two of them together, Serizawa understood that his love had come to an end.

In retrospect, wasn’t Serizawa’s request for Emiko to keep his research a secret his final gamble? And he lost that gamble spectacularly when the secret was revealed to Ogata. While that fact alone was enough, seeing Emiko’s concern for Ogata must have confirmed for him that “it’s really over.” The spirit of Dr. Serizawa, who said “You two have won,” not “You have won, Ogata,” is almost too beautiful.

In that moment, Serizawa may have decided to disappear “alone.”

The Ugliness of Godzilla, and of Himself

In the end, Dr. Serizawa uses the “Oxygen Destroyer,” and the final scene on the boat is quite poignant. Initially, Ogata was supposed to dive alone, but Serizawa stubbornly insists on diving himself. Everyone who tries to stop him, especially Ogata, seems to foresee the undesired end.

And having dived into the water himself, Serizawa comes face to face with Godzilla.

A creature “born” because of hydrogen bomb testing. And therefore, a creature that had “become ugly.” Didn’t it look just like Serizawa himself, a tragic product of war?

I think Dr. Serizawa intended to die from the beginning, but upon seeing Godzilla up close, he might have found a friend. That is, “a friend who shares the wounds created by war.”

Conclusion

That is what I think about the genius scientist Daisuke Serizawa from the original Godzilla. It’s a bit scattered, so let me summarize the truth about Dr. Serizawa as I see it.

I believe this is how it happened.

It’s an incredibly sad story. The ending of the original Godzilla is so sorrowful not only because of the self-reproach of “killing a being born of human convenience for human convenience,” but perhaps we also find it sad because, on some level, we understand Dr. Serizawa’s suffering.