The Oxygen Destroyer was the invention of Dr. Daisuke Serizawa. Having devoted his studies to the element oxygen, Serizawa accidently stumbled upon the chemical reaction. Though horrified by the destructive potential of his discovery, he nonetheless continued his research, optimistic that some beneficial outcome could be produced from it.
After the destruction of Tokyo by Godzilla Serizawa reluctantly agreed to allow the Oxygen Destroyer's raw form to be used against the kaiju, but only after destroying his research documents and materials. The formula was still in his memory however, and fearing that it would lead to another arms race, the doctor sacrificed himself as he detonated his device underwater, killing both Godzilla and the chance that his device would become a weapon.
The Oxygen Destroyer would carry on a larger role, and was later revealed to have awoken prehistoric creatures that mutated into the monster Destoroyah in the 1995 film Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. That film also noted that "if it had been used on the ground, it's quite obvious that Tokyo would've become a cemetery."
The chemical reaction initiated by the weapon (which is the actual part that destroys the oxygen) also powers one of Destoroyah's attacks, a beam of micro-oxygen, in the shape of a double-helix, with the destructive power of the Oxygen Destroyer itself.
In the continuity of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah it is established that the use of the Oxygen Destroyer against Godzilla was kept a national secret. It was feared that the military would face ridicule over its inability to defeat Godzilla and thus the Japan Self-Defense Force was officially credited with the monsters defeat.
In Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla, the Oxygen Destroyer didn't dissolve Godzilla's skeleton, and Kiryu's blueprints incorporated the original Godzilla's skeleton within it to make the design process and construction less strenuous.
The device works by activating a chemical stored within its spherical center, which causes the center to split in half and open. Once released, the chemical (dubbed Micro-Oxygen) reacts violently with the water, isolating oxygen molecules and splitting them. The molecules are then liquified. This means that any organism exposed to the chemical will first suffocate from the lack of oxygen, and then disintegrate. Depending on the amount of the oxygen destroying chemical released, the body of the victim will either be eaten down to the bone or destroyed completely. When used to its full potential, the Oxygen Destroyer will leave no remains.
- Godzilla Raids Again (Mentioned)
- Godzilla vs. Biollante (Cameo)
- Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (Stock Footage)
- Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (Mentioned)
- Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (Stock Footage)
- It should be noted that even though many weapons have been created to kill Godzilla, the Oxygen Destroyer is the only man-made weapon to accomplish this task. Technically, Super MechaGodzilla also killed Godzilla, but doesn't count, since Godzilla was revived shortly after dying.
- The Oxygen Destroyer prop is the oldest remaining Godzilla prop known, first being used in 1954 and recently seen in 2013, being displayed at the Godzilla Encounter, making the prop over 59 years old.