{{Infobox Character
|era=Reiwa
|Symbol = Human - Insignia.png
|image = Haruo Sakaki - Infobox - 00001.png
|title = Captain
|nationality = Japanese
|species = Human
|gender = Male
|age = 24
|hair = Blue-gray
|eye = Light brown
|status = Deceased
|enemies = Godzilla Earth King Ghidorah
|relationships = Akira Sakaki † (Father)
Haruka Sakaki † (Mother)
Daichi Tani † (Foster Grandfather)
Yuko Tani † (Love Interest)
Miana (Love Interest)
Maina (Wife)
Unnamed child with Maina
|portrayedby = Wikipedia:Mamoru Miyano (Japanese)
Chris Niosi (English)
|Mamoru Miyano]] (Japanese)
Chris Niosi (English)
]]
Haruo Sakaki (ハルオ・サカキ?) was the protagonist of the 2017 Godzilla film, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, and its 2018 sequels, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, and Godzilla: The Planet Eater.
Appearance[]
Haruo held the appearance of a young man, possessing a pale complexion. His eyes were a light shade of brown, and his hair was a dark grayish blue. His body build was average.
Personality[]
Haruo was initially depicted as reckless in the film's intro, willing to put the Aratrum's entire population at risk over his idea that the Central Committee was seemingly willing to kill the elderly for the sake of resource conservation.
His reckless nature was shown again when he attempted to kamikaze Godzilla Filius with his hovercraft to activate its shielding, before being stopped by Eliott Leland's actions. He would later be saddened by Eliott's subsequent death and would acknowledge how Leland gave up his own life for the information that'd lead to Godzilla's defeat.
Haruo was also shown as revenge-driven over Godzilla's actions, as they killed his parents (don't worry. His parents survived, and helped save Mothra's egg). His drive for revenge changed during the film's events, where his want to stop Godzilla extends past himself, as he shifts to wanting to stop Godzilla for the sake of humanity, and all they lost, over just his own personal gain.
In spite of his recklessness and revenge-driven natures, Haruo also showed compassion and care for his allies, and even in dangerous operations, tried to ensure their safety. This was prevalent when Haruo ordered the pilots of diversionary landing craft to abandon ship provided they were targeted by Godzilla. This would later be seen again as Haruo would attempt to distract Godzilla Earth so others could escape.
In addition, during City on the Edge of Battle, Haruo's drive for revenge against Godzilla would be dampened by the larger threat of the nanometal.
Relationships[]
Godzilla Earth and Godzilla Filius[]
Neither Haruo and Godzilla Earth and Filius share a literal relationship, however, Haruo has a clear disdain for the monsters, repeatedly referring to both as "bastards". He also made the initial attack on Filius, clearly vengeful in his actions. Upon Godzilla Earth's awakening in the ending of Planet of the Monsters, Haruo intended to make an attack on the monster once more, to distract it, and when this failed, vowed to kill it.
During City on the Edge of Battle, Haruo acknowledged that his obsession with Godzilla seemingly hinged on a grudge, and regretted bringing others into the fray over it. In addition, as the Bilusaludo forced nanometal to assimilate him and his friend, Yuko, his priorities would shift, and he'd put his friends ahead of Godzilla, opting to stop the nanometal himself rather than take the chance to kill Godzilla. He did this under the notion of wanting to stop Godzilla as a human, rather than becoming the very thing they were attempting to stop.
Haruo ultimately acknowledges that he is the source of the cycle of hatred, and takes the last Vulture along with Yuko's body; committing suicide by allowing Godzilla to incinerate him with an energy beam.
Metphies[]
Metphies and Haruo share a pretty close friendship, with Metphies showing a clear adoration of Haruo's determination in wanting to defeat Godzilla. Haruo would initially dismiss this as overestimation on Metphies' part.
The two also began the film having a debate on the merits of Haruo's efforts in utilizing stolen data given to him by Metphies, and while the two disagreed on humanity's ability to defeat Godzilla, there wasn't inherent hostility present. A large contrast to Eliott and Haruo's disagreement later on, which would result in a physical scuffle.
Haruo and Metphies would develop their friendship to a point where Metphies entrusted Haruo with the name of a terrifying monster lurking somewhere in space, a name the Exif did not say carelessly, as they felt the word had that much strength.
Haruo is shaken to learn that Metphies was attempting to manipulate him into summoning Ghidorah to destroy Earth, resisting the Exif's attempts to break his will and killing him; thus enabling Godzilla to destroy Ghidorah. As Metphies said his final words and passed away, Haruo was shown crying over the loss of his friend.
Eliott Leland[]
Haruo and Eliott share a brief conversation as landing craft initially make their way to the Earth's surface. At one point Haruo remarks that Leland is just like he was when he was a kid, implying the two share a long history, however, this is never explored.
Later, upon Eliott's plan to retreat, Haruo becomes physically confrontational in anger, calling Elliot a coward.
In spite of their rocky relationship, Haruo would remember Eliott in a brief flashback pertaining to the people who got him to where he was, shortly before making the choice to destroy Mechagodzilla City's control station. Additionally, Eliott would be used by Metphies as a means to sway Haruo, using a hallucination of the fallen commander to guilt Haruo.
Yuko Tani[]
Yuko shares a basic relationship with Haruo, and the two briefly interacted in the film. Yuko was shown having a hard time calling Haruo by his name over his rank. The two were also the few to discuss whether or not the explosion of the landing ship containing the elderly was truly an accident. While Haruo became more angry at the idea it was truly a malicious action, Yuko seemed skeptical about the scenario.
In City on the Edge of Battle, the relationship between Haruo and Yuko would be furthered, with Yuko showing much more loyalty to Haruo due to his determination. Haruo would later promise her they'd win the fight against Godzilla, so he could show her Earth as it once was, and Yuko would kiss him for a brief time.
Their relationship meant enough to Haruo that he was willing to not only kill his friends and allies to save her, but also destroy Mechagodzilla and the nanometal making it up, the only known hope of stopping Godzilla. This would be in vain ultimately, and Haruo was visibly distraught upon seeing her brain-dead and learning that the only thing keeping her alive was the nanometal consuming her.
Metphies attempts to exploit Haruo's guilt over Yuko's condition to break him, causing him to hallucinate Yuko berating him for failing to save her and then cheating on her with Miana and Maina. When Harou learned the nanometal within Yuko could be used to rebuild civilization Harou chose to sacrifice Yuko, himself and the last Vulture to prevent this and protect the Houtua, dying together as Godzilla destroyed them.
Mulu-elu Galu-gu[]
Galu-gu and Haruo were shown to have had a generally smooth business-like relationship, working together well against their common enemy, Godzilla. During the initial operation against what would turn out to be Godzilla's offspring, Galu-gu would be shown worrying about Haruo, who put himself into dangerous situations in order to stop the beast, and in turn, the latter showed selflessness, ordering Galu-gu to fire on his location, regardless of the risks.
During City on the Edge of Battle, Haruo and Galu-gu would come to a slight head, arguing over the ethics of nanometal. While the two inherently disagreed, and expressed some intense viewpoints over the situations leading both groups to that point, Haruo worked with and cooled the situation between them, deeming working together to be better over fragmenting, with the latter reciprocating.
When the nanometal fusion was forced upon Yuko and Haruo, the latter would initially be angry with Galu-gu, deeming the action a betrayal upon first glance. As the situation developed and Metphies joined the conversational fray, Galu-gu brought up how Haruo lead them to where they are now, and Haruo would shift into a more neutral state between either side, while desperately trying to talk Galu-gu down, over opting to destroy the nanometal and kill him immediately. Once he was finally presented with the only option, killing Galu-gu and destroying the nanometal, Haruo was shown hyperventilating and nearly breaking down, and following the death of his cohort, Haruo remained wordless, and stunned, only moving as Godzilla arose and began to raze the remnants of the city.
Miana[]
Haruo's relationship with Miana was basic, and the two would barely personally interact past saying each other's names. Miana was the second Houtua that Haruo encountered, and he assumed she had been the one who saved his life. Despite initially fleeing, Miana used her telepathy to save his life after he wandered into a swamp infested with worm-type Servum. In turn, Haruo treated her affectionately - leading to Yuko Tani becoming jealous - and jumped in between her and his allies to avoid one of them shooting her during their first reuniting. In part, Haruo's kind treatment towards her stemmed from his belief that she had saved his life, and did not discover that it had actually been Maina who had saved him until after the destruction of Mechagodzilla City.
Additionally, Haruo, alongside Martin would be one of the few to interact with the two on his own accord, speaking with her to tell them of their mission, with the duo sharing information on how they saw Mechagodzilla City as poison. Unbeknownst to Haruo, Miana developed a crush on him - spying on his date with Yuko and expressing jealousy. During his battle with Godzilla Earth, Miana and Maina used their telepathy to warn Haruo of incoming attacks, providing him an edge in battle.
When Haruo confided his despair and hopelessness to Miana, she attempted to comfort him and offered to "connect life" with Haruo to alleviate his despair, but he turned her down and asked that she let him rest. He later saved her from Metphies, and she helped officiate the wedding between him and her sister; showing him the first blossoming of flowers to illustrate the Houtua's philosophy on victory. Miana was the only one to openly notice Haruo had become depressed again following Martin reactivating the Vulture, and unsuccessfully tried to stop him from taking Yuko's body and committing suicide.
Maina[]
Despite Maina having saved his life after Godzilla Earth's awakening, Haruo did not interact much with her as she was not present when he regained consciousness, and he incorrectly believed Miana had been the one who saved him. Maina, however, slowly came to admire Haruo's bravery and expressed jealousy over his relationship with Yuko Tani while spying on their date.
After Haruo rejected Miana's request to "connect life", Maina approached him and made the same offer, which Haruo reciprocated after realizing she was the one who had saved him. Maina communed with Mothra in an attempt to save him from Metphies, and after the Exif bishop and Ghidorah were defeated she married him -- having become pregnant with his child.
When Haruo left to sacrifice himself to destroy the nanometal, Maina showed no outward reaction -- having acknowledged and respected his choice -- and deified him as the "Wrathful God" so that the Houtua could learn from his life and death.
History[]
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters[]
Haruo is introduced, having confined himself to a ship with explosives on board, demanding to leave Tau-e, and abandon the emigration project, immediately. He threatens to detonate the explosives on board, provided the crew doesn't listen, as the planet's uninhabitable, and people will be killed by attempting to live on it.
He accuses the Committee of coercing the elderly into accepting the plan, with the motive of reducing the population on board, and thus those the crew needs to take care of, given dwindling supplies. Haruo broadcasts the conversation on an open channel, allowing everyone, including Yuko Tani to overhear the exchange. Haruo then states he'll give a one hour period for the ship to change course, before detonating the explosives present.
Daichi Tani then messages Haruo, demanding he stops what he's doing, insisting the volunteers of the operation made the choice on their own accord, rather than being coerced, as they, the elderly, felt they were at their limit for waiting, even if the younger generation present may be able to withstand it. He then attempts to reassure the distraught Haruo, and states he'd much rather die with his feet planted on the ground, on any planet.
Haruo is then incarcerated, and the landing craft proceeds out of the Aratrum as planned. As the ship enters the atmosphere of the planet, it suddenly blows up, killing everyone on board, and leaving Haruo screaming in anguish.
The film then flashbacks to events before the present day, when Haruo was a child. As he watches craft departing from the docks nearby, he asks where his mother and father are. He's told they'll catch up soon, and is pointed to the arrival buses, which are on a nearby road. Godzilla then suddenly arrives, with everyone panicking, causing Haruo to drop his dog tag, which has a flower engraved in it.
Haruo then watches as Godzilla destroys the nearby ships at the docks, with the massive explosion destroying everything nearby, including the buses transporting his parents. He's then seen on the Aratrum, departing the planet, which he describes as its own hell, compared to the Godzilla-ruled Earth.
Haruo then wakes up, obviously disturbed, with Metphies by his side, who questions him on a potential nightmare. Metphies then speaks up on how its his job to listen to prisoner confessions, and gives Haruo a data chip possessing information Haruo wants. Haruo speaks up on whether or not Metphies could get into trouble for giving him said data, to which the latter speaks up about admiring his enthusiasm. Metphies then retorts, and questions Haruo on why he wants the data. Haruo begins to go on about how humanity's suffering was caused by Godzilla, and expresses a distaste for running from the monster instead of fighting.
Metphies speaks, saying they had no way to fight the monster, with Haruo stating he'll prove that wrong, with the right strategy. Metphies in turn, finds it curious that Haruo, in spite of all the trauma he and his generation endured at the hands of the monster, wants to seemingly see the creature again, and leaves him in his cell. He takes the data Haruo had been tinkering with, with him, data on Godzilla's hypothetical weaknesses, and thus begins spreading it through the ship anonymously.
Later on, Haruo is released, following confirmation of Godzilla's survival on Earth, and the talks of dealing with him as put forth by Metphies and the once anonymous thesis. Haruo briefs the crew on what Godzilla's capable of, biologically, bringing up its shield system, and its electromagnetic pulse functions, and potential counters. The plan involves locating and destroying the amplifying organ of Godzilla's shield, before using either a close range assault, or the use of EMP probes which would result in self-destruction by destroying Godzilla from within. Said operation would require around 600 people. The operation's ruled out by one crew member, before, humorously preparations are made to land on the surface.
Eliott Leland gives a rousing speech, before being spoken to by Haruo, who inquires why it felt like he wanted to pick a fight with the Committee. Leland speaks on how a new hero would rise if they defeated Godzilla, to which Haruo speaks on how Eliott's just like he was as a kid. Shortly after, Metphies reassures Haruo's nervousness with hoping all goes to plan by stating all will be okay as long as they have a hero to guide them. When Haruo asks if he's a Leland sympathizer, Metphies states he put his hope in Haruo, not Eliott.
Once they arrive on the planet, Haruo is paired with Yuko Tani for a scouting mission, and the two, alongside a small group which includes Martin Lazzari, venture around the surrounding areas. Yuko and Haruo speak for a brief time, where Haruo states that he doesn't believe the Committee was corrupt to send elderly people to their deaths, knowingly, and states that they must fight Godzilla to reclaim the dignity they lost in running from him.
Haruo later encounters the remnants of past civilizations on the planet and is overcome with emotions, seeing that the planet didn't forget them in spite of their absence. He would then return with the group following the surprise Servum attack. Once the attack pushed Leland into wanting to retreat, Haruo became aggressive, pushing him against a wall and calling him a coward. Metphies then went on to break down the new plan, piece by piece, which showed it was already almost identical to Haruo's older plan, and still involved a trek through Godzilla's territory. Eliott simply told Metphies they would take no action to draw out Godzilla.
The crew would later board one of the salvageable landing crafts, and begin the flight across Godzilla's territory, attempting to move quickly to avoid detection. However, Godzilla would arise shortly after and the ensuing panic would cause the already unstable landing craft to stall and crash. Haruo would then be relieved of his cuffs by Metphies, and rush to the vehicle bay, before mounting a hovercraft and exiting the crashed craft, moving to attack Godzilla to learn how its shields work. Once small arms fire does nothing to spark the shield's activation, Haruo attempts to kamikaze the craft into Godzilla, only for Leland to rain artillery fire down on Godzilla's back, providing the information at the cost of his life, as Godzilla fires a beam at Leland's vehicle, obliterating it.
Haruo then organizes a plan to defeat and destroy Godzilla, utilizing a hovercraft squad distraction, and the use of the remaining landing craft's bombs to quicken the pace of the conflict by diverting Godzilla's path with the use of a bombing run. Eventually, Godzilla's lured into the trap, and strategically placed explosives collapse the canyon walls around the monster, and bury him to his head in rock.
After utilizing artillery to destroy Godzilla's dorsal plates, Haruo utilized his power suit to bury an EMP probe in the monster's hide, before artillery kept firing to ensure Godzilla's regeneration couldn't rebuild his dorsal plates, and allow his shield to recharge. Yuko and the rest of the power suit squad then join in the fight and help Haruo secure their own EMP probes in Godzilla's hide, which burrow into the monster's skin, cause the electromagnetic waves within the monster to become erratic, which in turn destroys him, causing him to violently explode.
The next morning, Haruo and Martin speak on the defeat of Godzilla, with the latter stating he didn't think the defeated monster was the original, hypothesizing it was an offspring of the original. While Haruo's apprehensive, he's content with the knowledge that they have an effective counter against Godzilla, provided another one rises again.
Shortly afterwards, earthquakes rock the region, and the original Godzilla awakens, blindsiding the remainder of Haruo's forces, and destroying some evacuating vehicles. Haruo attempts to stay behind to distract the monster, but an attack from Godzilla incapacitates Haruo, who then blacks out shortly after.
Haruo was eventually taken under the wing of a native human female from the planet.
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle[]
Following Godzilla's attack, and Haruo's slip into unconsciousness, he woke up in a hut covered in glowing powder. After checking his comms and donning his suit once again, he attempts to exit the hut, only to stumble into a girl identical to the one who saved him, startling her and causing her to dash off. Haruo follows her out of the area and into the surrounding forest, attempting to catch her; but realizes that if he chases her, she'll just keep running. Subsequently, he stops and begins trying to relocate his friends.
After some searching, he stumbles upon a swamp, which he wanders into. The girl returns and stuttering out a warning to get Haruo's attention, and despite his confusion, she helps him out of the swamp. The two try to communicate, with the girl stumbling on Haruo's name, before she runs off after a high-pitched noise occurs. Haruo runs after her and later stumbles into the remnants of a group of his friends, before stepping between Miana and them to avoid further conflict. As more Houtua surround the group, the group stands down and follows them.
Following this, Haruo meet up with Martin and Galu-gu, alongside more survivors from a separate group of survivors in the Houtua's encampment. The two groups question the Houtua's intentions, with Haruo pondering where Metphies was, as he was nowhere to be found. Maina - Miana's twin sister - arrives, and the group are led to a large chamber where Miana and Maina act as conduits for telepathic communications.
Haruo acts as the primary speaker for the remnants of their group, defending their actions, apologizing for inadvertently attacking the twins, and stating their intent to defeat Godzilla; much to the surprise of the Houtua around them. The twins simultaneously express that they feel the group is non-hostile to them, but how they will not be able to defeat Godzilla, stating their god, Mothra, had been defeated, leaving only an egg. Shortly thereafter, the group is let go.
As the group trudged back to their meeting place within the Houtua caves, Martin speaks to Galu-gu and Haruo on both Godzilla, and the Houtua. This involved the former's supreme dominance on the planet, resulting in wildlife mimicking Godzilla's "monster factor," and the latter's surprising amount of culture despite their primitive appearance. Later, Marco confronts Haruo, stating he was the reason they got into their predicament in the first place. Belu-be is the first to speak up for Haruo, and while Adam is doubtful they could stop Godzilla, the Bilusaludo states they will eventually come up with a plan, much like that used against the prior Godzilla, regardless of size.
The group later leaves the Houtua's quarters, but not before speaking to the two twins, thanking them and the chief for their hospitality. The duo request to come along, much to the Bilusaludo's skepticism, but Haruo agrees, with the group venturing into the nearby forest in search of a landing ship.
As the trek into the forest progresses, Haruo makes the distinction between the twins, figuring out Maina tends to frown, compared to her sister. As the two groups interact, Yuko becomes jealous of Haruo acting affectionately towards Miana and storms off into the swamp Haruo had seen earlier, being attacked by ground-type Servum. Rushing to her aid, Haruo, his friends, and the Houtua kill the worms and flying-type Servum that descended upon them, with Metphies arriving shortly afterwards.
As everyone regroups by a landing craft, Metphies sends out an SOS to the Aratrum, and Haruo then speaks to the survivors, explaining that the Bilusaludo have a plan to win involving nanometal obtained from the corpse of Mechagodzilla, once thought lost. Haruo's words rouse all but three survivors, who end up flying back to the Aratrum; and with the twins as their guide, Haruo and those remaining on the ground follow them to the source of the nanometal.
Martin and Haruo speak up on the Houtua, with the former bringing up the idea that the race had a genetic relation to the monster they worship he termed "monster factor," similar to that between the Servum and Godzilla. However, a signal is detected shortly after, with the group finding an exit from the cave system they were in. Arriving outside, the group is attacked by Servum. Metallic spikes made of nanometal erupt from the ground, impaling the Servum and assimilating the corpses; revealing that the nanometal's source came from a massive city complex: Mechagodzilla City.
Before entering the city, Haruo thanks the twins once more, who reveal the Houtua deem the location sinister and poisonous, much to the confusion of Metphies, before leaving. Once the group journies into the city, Haruo comes upon the corpses of multiple Houtua being consumed by nanometal, much to the surprise of everyone, before moving into a large chamber containing the physical body of Mechagodzilla with everyone else. Noticing the head is still mostly-intact, Belu-be activates it and rebuilds the command structure out of the city's nanometal.
Later that night, Haruo explains the plan to defeat Godzilla, alongside Galu-gu. The reveal of the Vulture then occurs, with its use being that of a provoking method to lure Godzilla into a nanometal-laced deathtrap made from the city. With the plan, being a retread of the one to kill Filius, now explained, Haruo takes part in a Vulture's test run, with Yuko piloting the first mech.
Following the successful test, Haruo and Yuko talk privately, with Yuko expressing her desire to follow Haruo wherever he goes, due to what he's taught her. The conversation ends as Haruo's racked with a brief chest pain, before he ends up sitting alone. Martin later speaks with Haruo, informing him that the nanometal is having negative effects on the city's soldiers, specifically those who were healed by the Houtua's powder. When questioned if he was alright, Haruo affirms he is, and strides off to meet Metphies.
Metphies, having made a cave-based workshop outside of the city, talks with Haruo. Both speak on their skepticism of the nanometal, before Haruo questions Metphies on the fate of his home planet. The latter confirms it was destroyed by monsters as well, and he shares the name of the monster responsible with Haruo: Ghidorah.
After this, Haruo meets back up with Yuko, and the two speak on the Bilusaludo and the Exif. When Haruo appears aloof, Yuko questions him on it, and Haruo states that he isn't lost and is dead set on stopping Godzilla. Here, he also promises that Yuko will see Earth as it once was, once their mission's complete. Yuko then kisses Haruo, and the two walk back to the city's interior.
Godzilla awakens once more, and Haruo meets up with the two Bilusaludo on the city's preparation for a battle. Galu-gu informs Haruo on the Vulture's capabilities and the newly developed EMP harpoon, before Adam Bindewald storms in, frantically shouting about the nanometal's seemingly "crazed" state, as it's assimilated some Bilusaludo. Galu-gu assures them all is fine, and Haruo states that this is unforgivable. Galu-gu then asks Haruo if he wishes to win against Godzilla, and when Haruo presses Galu-gu on the potential intent to give rise to a new figurative Godzilla, the latter states that he sees Godzilla as an achievement, and the lack of control over it as the true failure. As the spat grows in intensity, Yuko stands up for the Bilusaludo, stating the assimilation with nanometal is voluntary and not forced.
As the gas generated by the city dissipates to divert energy to fortification creation, Godzilla begins to march on the city, and Haruo orders everyone to prepare for battle. Following a heat ray attack on the city, Haruo, Yuko, and Belu-be all take up the Vultures in order to distract Godzilla. A large engagement then takes place, with the three managing to lure Godzilla into a trap, leading to the monster's incapacitated state by the harpoon's overload. However, instead of exploding as Godzilla Fillius had, Godzilla's skin turns red and its eyes yellow, and it radiates the energy overload as intense heat that begins to melt the nanometal.
It's determined that Godzilla is attacking the city by generating heat, and the three Vultures then begin to resume their attack on Godzilla, attempting to get it to shoot another heat ray for a successful overload. When this fails, the now assimilated Galu-gu forces Haruo and Yuko into being overtaken by the nanometal. When Haruo angrily confronts the two, Belu-be simply states that he feels Haruo of all people should understand why they did it, given he hates Godzilla as much as they do.
Metphies then contacts Haruo, who discovers he's immune to the nanometal. The former states that the nanometal's being controlled by Galu-gu in a control station that's highlighted to Haruo's HUD, and that stopping it will stop its encroachment on not only Yuko, but the rest of the planet. When Galu-gu and Metphies debate the merits of either decision, Godzilla's shield begins to recharge, showing resuming activity.
Haruo, opting to take Metphies' side, descends to Galu-gu's position, Yuko in tow, and orders him to stop the nanometal, stating that in stopping Godzilla, they shouldn't lose their humanity and become the very thing they intend to destroy. Galu-gu retorts by stating that stopping Godzilla is now outside of the realm of a mere human's accomplishment, and orders him to steel his resolve, to stop Godzilla and be a part of something bigger than himself.
After a moment of hesitation and reflection, Haruo aims his Vulture's weaponry at Galu-gu, and in spite of Belu-be's pleads to stop, begins to open fire, killing Galu-gu, Belu-be, and destroying Mechagodzilla. Haruo then flies off with Yuko as Godzilla begins to burn the remnants of the city to the ground, and lets out a distraught scream of despair as Yuko seemingly perishes from the nanometal.
Godzilla: The Planet Eater[]
In the wake of the fall of Mechagodzilla City, Haruo and the survivors would return to the Houtua village. Here, Haruo was informed by Martin that while Yuko's heart is still beating due to the nanometal acting as a life-support system, her brain has shut down and she has no chance of awakening, being effectively brain dead. Metphies arrived shortly after and informed Haruo that returning to the Aratrum was out of the question, as the remaining Bilusaludo were trying to pressure Captain Mori into declaring Haruo a traitor and having him executed for destroying Mechagodzilla City and killing his cohorts. As Haruo lamented his failure to save Yuko, Adam Bindewald - who had become a fanatical member of the Exif religion - enraged him by stating that Yuko deserved to die for siding with the Bilusaludo.
The next day, Haruo and Martin watched a gathering of Metphies and his followers; one of them stated he survived touching nanometal while his friend - who was not a member of the cult - was consumed. Metphies stated that it was a miracle granted by their god, and that Haruo was chosen to be the hero who will defeat Godzilla. Martin remarked to Haruo that the true cause of the immunity was the medical treatment administered by the Houtua, but that he was reluctant to openly state this given the growing fanaticism of Metphies' followers.
Haruo asks to speak to Metphies alone, and is shocked when the Exif bishop reveals he is aware of the true source of the nanometal immunity and is misleading his followers in order to exploit their vulnerability. Metphies states he intends to summon the god of the Exif in order to defeat Godzilla, and Haruo is outraged, demanding to know why Metphies waited for so many people to lose their lives before doing so. Metphies states that he needed to intensify Haruo's rage and hatred towards Godzilla, attempting to convince Haruo to convert to the Exif religion and serve as his god's avatar, but Haruo angrily refuses and storms off.
Meeting with Martin in Yuko's chamber, Haruo tells him of Metphies' plans and is surprised when the scientist says that the Exif bishop is only doing his job as a missionary. However, Martin states that Metphies is turning Haruo into a figurehead for his cult, depriving him of true authority among the survivors. Taking Haruo outside, Martin informs him that the Bilusaludo have taken the Aratrum hostage in order to force Mori into having Haruo executed; and that he has arranged with the Houtua priestesses to keep Haruo safe and hidden until they can find a solution to Metphies' cult and calming the Bilusaludo down.
That evening, Haruo confides his despair at having failed to kill Godzilla and losing Yuko to Miana, who tries to comfort him by saying that the Houtua believe that winning constitutes survival and having children, and that only dying and being forgotten constitutes loss. Stating that Haruo must win in order to defeat Godzilla, Miana undresses and asks to "connect life" with him; but as she struggles to figure out how to remove his exosuit he stops her and says she doesn't have to go that far, asking that she let him sleep.
Haruo awakens later on to find Maina removing his exosuit, realizing she was the twin who had saved his life and treated his injuries after Godzilla's awakening. Maina undresses and asks Haruo to "connect life" with her; stating she's afraid that he wants to lose, so she wants to make him win. Admitting he's afraid too, Haruo embraces her and they make love.
Haruo has a dream-vision where Metphies again attempts to convince him to summon the god of the Exif, offering him a bowl of silvery liquid. Suspicious, Haruo investigates sees Miana's severed head floating in the cauldron. Miana's eyes open and her mouth moves, with Haruo then screaming in horror and awakening to see Maina in shock - having had a similar vision of her sister screaming the name "Ghidorah".
As Haruo and Maina search for Miana and Metphies, the Exif bishop summons Ghidorah, which destroys the Aratrum before descending to Earth and attacking Godzilla. Leaving Maina with Martin and the remaining survivors, Haruo tracks down Metphies and finds him at an altar to Ghidorah, Miana unconscious and crucified as an offering to the Exif god. Haruo confronts Metphies, who psychically attacks him in an attempt to break his will and fully summon Ghidorah. In turn, he reveals that the Exif discovered Ghidorah while trying to see beyond the boundaries of the universe, sacrificed their homeworld to it in a fit of nihilism at the finiteness of existence, and took to worshiping it while searching for someone who could unleash its full power and enable it to destroy the universe. Maina and Martin channel Mothra in an attempt to help Haruo fight back, informing him that Metphies is acting as Ghidorah's anchor, but are repelled. However, Haruo regains his determination and shatters the stone amulet connecting Metphies to Ghidorah, enabling Godzilla to fight back and vanquish it. The following morning Haruo regains consciousness to see Metphies slumped against a rock. Metphies applauds Haruo's rage and hatred, saying that as long as Haruo clings to that life, Ghidorah will watch over him before dying, with Haruo breaking down and embracing him.
As time passes, Haruo and the other survivors (it turns out several more humans from the ship survived without joining the cult, although almost none of them have been on camera up until this point) assimilate into Houtua society, and he marries Maina - who is revealed to be pregnant. As spring arrives, Miana takes Haruo and shows him a field of flowers; but later that same day Martin excitedly reveals to Haruo that he was able to harvest nanometal from Yuko's body and use it to repair the last Vulture. When Martin excitedly declares that he can use the Vulture's nanometal to restore human civilization and bring it to new heights, Haruo has a Gematron-induced vision of Metphies' voice sneering that humanity's insatiable desire for progress will prepare the planet for harvest once more.
That evening, Haruo sits with Maina and Miana, listening as the other survivors excitedly discuss Martin's research. Noticing his despair, Miana asks if he is alright, but he brushes her off and leaves; going to Yuko's resting place and taking her body. Miana follows him and demands to know what he's doing, berating him when she realizes what he intends to do. Haruo asks Miana if she hates Godzilla, and she says she doesn't and that hatred is a foreign concept to the Houtua. Haruo states that he hopes she never has to learn what hatred feels like but that his presence among the Houtua could corrupt that purity; he takes the last Vulture and flies towards Godzilla's location. Stating he carries the weight of humanity's defeats, deaths, and broken dreams on his shoulders alone, Haruo dives towards Godzilla, smiling, and at peace, as the kaiju vaporizes the Vulture, Yuko, and himself with its atomic breath.
Trivia[]
- Haruo was named after Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor who portrayed the character from 1954 to 1972.
- Haruo Sakaki is the first Human Protagonist in a Godzilla movie to die at the end of the movie.
List of appearances[]
Films[]
- Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (First appearance)
- Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle
- Godzilla: The Planet Eater
Novels[]
