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Kyohei Yamane (山根恭平博士,   Yamane Kyōhei-hakase?) is one of the main protagonists in the original 1954 Godzilla film, Godzilla, and its 1956 counterpart, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!.

He would make an appearance in the 1955 sequel, Godzilla Raids Again, and be referenced in the 1995 Heisei era Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah.

Appearance[]

During Godzilla, Yamane is almost always dressed in formal attire, typically wearing suits to the various meetings he attended throughout the film. At home, he was also seen wearing white laboratory coats. For many parts of the film, he also wore glasses.

Personality[]

Yamane was portrayed as a faithful adherent to the cause of science, his intelligence placing him at the forefront of any scientific investigation into Godzilla throughout the film. However, this unwavering dedication to the field also worked to his own detriment, as seen when he carelessly handled a trilobite - which was later revealed to have been doused in Strontium-90 following Godzilla's movements through the area - with his bare hands.

Despite the risks Godzilla presented to society, Yamane expressed great distress once plans to kill it were put into motion, believing that the creature should be studied rather than destroyed.

Yamane maintained a stringent opposition to nuclear weaponry, believing continued testing and use of such equipment could awaken another Godzilla.

Relationships[]

Emiko Yamane[]

Kyohei Yamane fathered one biological child, his daughter Emiko Yamane, who at the time of Godzilla's first appearance was betrothed to Dr. Daisuke Serizawa.

Shinkichi Yamane[]

During the investigation of Odo Island, Dr. Yamane visited the grave of Masaji Yamada and his mother, victims of Godzilla's raid, and met Masaji's younger brother Shinkichi. Yamane later adopted Shinkichi as a son.

Shinkichi Yamane would go on to have two children, Kenichi and Yukari, who played integral roles in the events preceding Godzilla's meltdown in 1996.

Daisuke Serizawa[]

Serizawa and Yamane shared little screentime during the events of the film, but Kyohei expressed clear shock and sadness at Daisuke's decision to commit suicide during the film's final act, even taking off his hat as an act of respect.

History[]

Showa era[]

Godzilla[]

Following the devastation of the village on Odo Island, Yamane was invited to a special session of the Diet to hear accounts by survivors and give his thoughts. He recommended a investigation party be sent to the island, subsequently heading the team. Upon arrival, his team discovered that areas in the wake of the destruction had been exposed to massive radiation; these areas had been pounded with a trail of holes in the ground, which Yamane identified as footprints of a large creature. In one of these footprints he also discovered a well-preserved trilobite. The investigation was interrupted by the sudden reappearance of the creature beyond a hill. Yamane took several photographs before fleeing with the islanders; the creature soon retreated into the ocean, leaving a new trail of footprints.

Immediately upon the return of the investigative party another Diet session was held, at which Dr. Yamane presented his findings, including the trilobite and sediment from the footprints dense in Strontium-90, a byproduct of hydrogen bombs. Yamane identified the creature as an intermediary (land- and sea-going) dinosaur from the Jurassic age, based on carbon-dating the sediment and named it "Godzilla," in accordance with an Odo Island legend. He concluded that modern atomic tests had awoken the creature, and that in having survived exposure to atomic weapons it would be extremely difficult to subdue.

Yamane was consulted by the government and the military for the duration of the crisis, though his personal conviction was that Godzilla, the only known survivor of the atomic bomb and therefore a wealth of knowledge (and hope for a cure to radiation sickness), should be extensively studied while alive. Following the destruction of Godzilla by the Oxygen Destroyer, Yamane expressed concern that further atomic testing may awaken another Godzilla in the future.

Godzilla Raids Again[]

Dr. Yamane was summoned by the Japanese government to offer advice on how to deal with Godzilla after two pilots had reported seeing a second Godzilla and the monster Angruirus on a deserted island. Yamane regretfully stated that there was no known way to stop Godzilla following Dr. Serizawa's death, but offered advice that Godzilla was enraged by light, which reminded him of the atomic bomb, so he could be repelled from Osaka by keeping the city in darkness and luring him out to sea using flares.

Heisei era[]

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah[]

Dr. Yamane does not physically appear in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, and is implied to have passed away long before the film's events, however he is mentioned several times and is seen in a photograph with his adopted son, Shinkichi. Emiko still lives in her father's house, and Dr. Yamane's office is shown in the film as well, and still looks identical to how it did 40 years prior.

Reiwa era[]

Godzilla: Monster Apocalypse[]

Dr. Yamane is mentioned to have traveled to Odo Island on May 29, 2030, after the corpse of Kamoeba washed up onshore; that same day was the first meeting between humanity and a massive monster whom Dr. Yamane christened "Gojira", after the legendary dragon god of the island.

Gallery[]

List of appearances[]

Showa era[]

Heisei era[]

Millennium series[]

Trivia[]

  • Originally, Dr. Yamane was a more sinister character as he sported a Cape and living a gothic-style house. He was also gone to sabotage the military's efforts to destroy Godzilla. Then, they later changed him to a scientist who wanted to save Godzilla.
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