2025.03.15 イベント&特集ゴジラ迎撃作戦

[For English] Exhibition Comments List of “Destoroyah Special Exhibit”

Comments from Minoru Yoshida, Destoroyah designer

Illustrator. After graduating from Musashino Art University, he was involved in designing monsters for “Ultraman Great.” Following the unproduced “Mothra vs. Bagan,” he contributed to the design of numerous monsters and robots in the works of Special Effects Director Koichi Kawakita.

 

Q1: Could you tell us about how you came to be in charge of designing the Destoroyah’s juvenile, aggregate, and flying forms? Also, were other forms, such as the perfect form, already completed at that point?

I had been involved in Director Kawakita’s films since the legendary unproduced project “Mothra vs. Bagan,” so this time as well, it felt like, ‘Just do what you usually do.’ The work started around the end of 1994, after “Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla” was released. At that time, the only things decided were ‘Godzilla dies’ and ‘The new monster will have something to do with the Oxygen Destroyer.’ There wasn’t much else confirmed. Director Kawakita’s main intention was something along the lines of, ‘We want to create a monster much larger than Godzilla,’ so based on that, the design team and I freely created various designs and rough concepts. Ideas for a monster that would grow through various stages came a bit later, after some initial drafts were created. At that point, we started assigning the designs we had created to different forms such as the juvenile and perfect forms, and we began to consider different options.

Q2: Were there any particular aspects you focused on or challenges you faced when designing each form of Destoroyah?

First, I struggled with the concept of how this monster would be born, grow, and change while becoming more massive, and how to present that in an interesting way. Also, both the director and I strongly wanted to create a shape that was different from traditional monster forms. However, during the process, the request came from headquarters to make the final form resemble a traditional Godzilla-like monster, and the overall direction of the project itself changed, which made things quite challenging. I think the decision to include the flying form came much later in the process.

Since the monster was supposed to come from the sea, I thought that using marine creatures as the motif would be the easiest way to communicate the idea. So, I based the design on crustaceans like shrimp and crabs, incorporating elements of ancient marine life from the Paleozoic era. For the juvenile form, since it would be fighting special forces on a one-to-one scale, I hoped to convey a more realistic, creature-like feel, similar to Hollywood monsters, in close-up shots where it faces off against humans.

The flying form was a particular challenge because I had to figure out how to make a creature that resembled a crab fly. After a lot of deliberation, I think it turned out to be an interesting and unique design that hadn’t been seen before.

As usual, halfway through the process, I asked Mr. Seirai to draw a poster. The Destoroyah depicted in the poster turned out to be a combination of various ideas we had worked on, and from then on, we used that image as a reference, with Mr. Okamoto finalizing the design for the perfect form. Destoroyah, unlike many other monsters in the “VS series,” stays within the Tokyo Bay area and doesn’t move around much. Initially, the perfect form wasn’t supposed to fly, but since Mr. Seirai drew wings in the poster, we quickly adjusted the design to have it fly as well.

Q3: What was the most memorable aspect when you first saw the Destoroyah suit and props? Also, were there any particularly memorable moments during filming? Lastly, what did you think when you saw its movement in the film for the first time?

I was checking photos of Destoroyah while it was being created, and I remember that the silhouette of the perfect form’s head resembled “Devilman” a bit too much, so I gave instructions to modify it. Also, the director asked for some additional refinement on the chest area of the perfect form, so I instructed the team to add a petal-like organ, similar to the one on the juvenile form. This part was intended to be a powerful finishing move: when the monster is in a pinch, the organ would open wide, releasing the micro-oxygen stored inside. Unfortunately, it wasn’t handled well in the movie, which I felt a bit disappointed about.

Q4: From your perspective, what do you think is the most attractive feature of Destoroyah?

I think the greatest appeal of Destoroyah is how it embodies the image of a final boss in a game, fitting perfectly as the last entry in the series. Also, while the film didn’t fully explore it, I find it interesting that many mysteries remain about its ecology. It was a bit disappointing that it was easily defeated by the Frozen Maser, but since Destoroyah is a monster that could potentially come back in a new form, I hope that one day it will return even more powerful.

Comments from Hideo Okamoto, Destoroyah designer

Hideo Okamoto, born in Tokyo in 1960, is a multi-talented creator who works as a designer, illustrator, and film director. He has participated in various design works, including “Mobile Suit Z Gundam,” “Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ,” “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah,” “Mothra,” and “Godzilla 2000: Millennium.”

 

Q1: What does Destoroyah mean to you, and can you describe it in a single word?

When asked about its existence, I had some difficulty answering at first, but now I consider Destoroyah as a symbol of my design work and a reflection of my confidence. Over time, both domestic and international kaiju fans have elevated Destoroyah into a supreme kaiju. I am truly grateful for that.

Q2: Can you recall how you became involved in designing Destoroyah?

I had the opportunity to design the kaiju for “Yamato Takeru,” but all my designs were rejected. It was a completely different process from what I was used to, and it caught me off guard. However, this led to my involvement in designing kaiju for Godzilla films, and I had to abandon all previous design approaches and embrace a new one. I didn’t think of myself as the sole designer for Destoroyah.

Q3: What was the concept and theme behind the design of Destoroyah? Also, were there any specific aspects you focused on during the design process?

Since this would be the final entry in the “VS series,” I felt that the kaiju fighting Godzilla should be a human-like monster created from the consequences of human scientific weaponry. Initially, I proposed a humanoid kaiju called ‘Barbaroi.’ I believed that the kaiju created by the influence of human-made substances would make for a fitting final battle for Godzilla. This concept was partially realized in ‘Millennium Godzilla.’

Q4: What was the most difficult part of designing Destoroyah?

Making a movie is always a team effort, and each person’s role is to realize the vision of the director. Designing Destoroyah was no different, and understanding that it was a collaborative process took me some time.

Q5: What was your first impression of the Destoroyah suit? Were there any memorable moments during filming? And what did you think when you saw the kaiju in motion for the first time in the film?

I had imagined a beetle-like exoskeleton for Destoroyah, but the completed suit exceeded my expectations. It had an overwhelming presence, with an aura of menace befitting the final enemy. The complex texture of its body was maximized by lighting effects, and the overall form conveyed a sense of silent intimidation. Despite worrying whether the suit would allow the suit actor to move properly, I was relieved when I saw the finished footage.

Q6: In your opinion, what is the most attractive feature of Destoroyah?

The most striking feature of the fully evolved Destoroyah is its ultimate super-heavyweight form, a destructive king of kaiju with a devilish appearance. I look forward to the day when it returns to face off against the strongest space monster, King Ghidorah! Of course, if they were to team up, I can’t imagine anything but despair!

Comments from Shinichi Wakase, Destoroyah sculptor

Born March 2, 1960, in Tokyo. Representative Director of Monsters, a special effects company. After graduating from high school, he worked at Cosmo Production before founding Monsters in 1980.

 

Q1: What does the kaiju Destoroyah represent to you, Mr. Wakasa?

I first participated in the Heisei Godzilla series in 1993 with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and the following year with Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. By the third year of my participation in Toho films, Godzilla dies. Taking on the task of creating the design for Godzilla vs. Destoroyah was a project that would conclude the Heisei Godzilla series.

I thought it would be challenging just to create the final form, but since this was the movie that would conclude the series, I was determined to design all of Destoroyah’s forms by myself.

Q2: Do you remember the circumstances that led to you working on the design of Destoroyah?

As usual, I was called in by Kawakita-san for a meeting. There wasn’t any specific request, and I was given full responsibility for the design.

Q3: Do you remember what you thought when you first saw the design sketches of Destoroyah?

The crawl form, larval form, aggregate form, flying form, and final form all looked ominous, and I thought they had a design style that Kawakita-san would like. However, like usual, the design sketches were not finalized right away, and we finalized the final form while working on the three-dimensional model.

Q4: Destoroyah is much larger than previous kaiju, but what part of the design process was the most challenging? Also, were there any points you were particularly careful about during the design?

It was difficult to create all of the forms of Destoroyah at once. Especially for the final form, I felt that it had to have an absolute size when facing off against Godzilla, so I had to maximize the volume while maintaining the proportions. I remember that being quite challenging. Having worked on enemy kaiju designs for Godzilla films through Mecha Godzilla and Space Godzilla, I think that experience helped with creating this one.

Q5: Do you have any memorable episodes from the creation process (during sculpting) and filming?

During the sculpting process, the entire production period was tight, only 45 days. Even with late-night work, the final week consisted of sleepless nights. The delivery dates for each form were a bit staggered, and I couldn’t even go home for the last week. I had to sleep on cardboard laid on the floor of the workroom. As for filming, there were episodes for each form. The flying form broke during the first day of shooting when it crashed into a transformer station in Shinagawa. The final form’s first shot was its appearance at the transformer station, but it got scorched by gasoline flames called napalm, which caused the wings to burn. Having attended Kawakita’s shoots for three years in a row, I wasn’t surprised by such accidents, and even though parts got scorched or broken, I simply repaired them and continued with the filming.

Q6: What do you think is the most appealing aspect of Destoroyah, from your perspective?

Especially for the final form, the size, volume, shape, and movement are all incredible. The giant body with its massive wings makes it so that not everything can be controlled by the performer; we needed to rely on the effects team to bring it to life. It’s a kaiju that is very much in line with Toho’s special effects films.