Daisuke Serizawa

Daisuke Serizawa is a fictional Japanese scientist who played a pivotal role in the events of Godzilla. He was portrayed by Akihiko Hirata.

1954 Film Appearance
In the 1954 film, Daisuke Serizawa was a colleague of Kyohei Yamane, betrothed to his daughter Emiko, and friend to Hideo Ogata and (in the US re-cut version) Steve Martin. He studied intensely the element oxygen, ultimately discovering a destructive chemical reaction he labeled the Oxygen Destroyer, which he later applied against the first Godzilla, but sacrificed his life in doing so.

Other Appearances
Though Serizawa would not play a role in other Godzilla films, pictures and footage of him abound in the series, most notably as flashback stock footage in Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995) and Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002).

The character did make a somewhat true return however in the 1998 video game Godzilla Generations, for the Japanese Dreamcast system. Dressed in his climactic underwater gear, this giant-sized version of Serizawa is a bonus fighter who can be unlocked after completing certain other monsters all the way to the Tokyo level's three stages. He activates the Oxygen Destroyer as his special fighting move, which completely demolishes any structure or military vehicle in its striking distance.

Trivia

 * As testament to how memorable the character has become (a rare feat for any normal human in a Godzilla film), Serizawa is often referenced in spoofs of the kaiju / giant monster genre. Most notably the anime mecha comedy series Mobile Police Patlabor, and the Tokyo Grows episode of the US cartoon Pinky and the Brain.