Nonconventional Weaponry- WMDs and Kaiju

[SandwormPhish]

We’ve all heard this phrase, almost always in a negative light. Put simply Weapons of Mass destruction consist of Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical weapons (though the nukes are the only weapons on that list that can cause mass destruction without having to use stupidly large amounts of them). This brings up the question of just why these weapons are so seldom used against the kaiju menace, something which has repeatedly cut a swath of destruction across the Japanese country-side, and something both Daiei and Toho JSDF forces are guilty of, though to differing degrees.


Chemical Weapons- When most people use the phrase ‘chemical weapons’ most people tend to think of things like Mustard and Phosgene gas that have left such a mark on history thanks to their use in World War I. Other people may think of nerve agents such as Sarin that have been in the news so often these past few years. Chemical weapons are banned for the most part by international treaty so its little wonder that they’re so rarely shown, most nations likely do not have significant stocks of them aside from that used to help in the creation of countermeasures to such weaponry. Use of these weapons is limited almost solely to the Toho JSDF as a result of the nature of their principle Kaiju opponent. Let’s take a look at some possible uses for chemical weapons in the anti-kaiju roll and also some reasons why they are not used as such.

Cadmium- The most often used chemical weapon in the arsenal of the Toho JSDF. Cadmium is used in two separate incidents which puts it as more often used than any other chemical agent (and yes in this instance it does qualify). Cadmium as mentioned in previous posts acts as an inhibitor to nuclear fission, slowing down the reaction. This explains why it would prove so effective against Godzilla, a creature that has a nuclear reaction as one of its primary life processes. Simply put a large enough dose of cadmium into his system can slow and even stop the nuclear reaction that provides the immense energies necessary to run such a large body (also providing the large amounts of power necessary to fire his heat beam). At its most basic cadmium poisoning causes a condition in Godzilla roughly analogous to cardiac arrest in a human. This weapon of course never appears in the arsenal of the Daiei JSDF when they go up against the kaiju since none of them are nuclear powered (though gamera does make use of nuclear fusion with his plasma balls).

Tear Gas- Usually the province of police officers (this is due to the fact that using it in warfare violates anti-chemical treaties just as surely as using mustard gas would). Its use in Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla is rather strange (but then a lot of things in that movie are strange) considering just how much gas would be necessary to even get it up to the proper height to affect Godzilla’s eyes and respiration not to mention how much might be needed just to affect him in the first place due to the size of the organs in question. It is possible this could just be chalked up to the general nuttiness of the guy who had them set up.

Blood Coagulant- Interesting possibility, but I have to wonder just how effective it would be due to the rather strange life system inherent in a radiovore like Godzilla. For one thing the dose contained in that bullet is ridiculously small. Secondly, the idea of piercing his hide with a hand-fired bullet seems patently ludicrous (yes he claims there’s a weak spot under the arm but how exactly could he come to this conclusion given that to my knowledge Godzilla has never been hit there and taken appreciably greater damage than anywhere else). Then there’s the question of just how vital a circulatory system is to a creature like Godzilla considering the long lengths of time he can go between feedings and the fact that he apparently doesn’t need oxygen. Any circulatory system he has could be purely vestigial or it could be potentially used to carry radiation to various parts of the body via irradiated materials. It’s an idea that has some potential unfortunately the one person backing the idea is kind of crazy which raises serious concerns as to its true validity.

Blister Agents- Never actually used, blister agents cover things like Mustard gas. However given both the general distaste for chemical weapons by most governments world-wide, and the questionable effectiveness against Godzilla, a creature with a decidedly abnormal body chemistry on top of his regenerative abilities.

Nerve Agents- A better idea. Godzilla has shown through incidents such as GvsMG that his nervous system is much less easily healed than his other bits, so there is a potential in nerve agents. There are some problems. For one a fairly large amount of gas would be necessary in part due to the fact that these agents typically disperse and become inert VERY quickly. Another brings into question their effectiveness against his biological systems since when dealing with Kaiju most conventional knowledge regarding biology gets chucked straight out the nearest window.



Now that only addresses the Toho chemical weapon options. Use on the Daiei kaiju is of dubious value. There are very few ‘open field’ engagements against Kaiju like we get in the Toho films. Most of the time these engagements take place in and around residential areas where chemical weapons aren’t a valid option due to political and moral reasons. Another significant chunk of these engagements are high-speed, aerial affairs where again Gas isn’t a valid weapon. Then finally as with the Toho kaiju there’s the question of just how effective these weapons would be against genetically engineered combat lifeforms like Gamera, Irys, and the Gyaos, or the alien biochemistry of the Legion.


Biological Weapons: A weapon potentially even more hazardous to its users than chemical weapons. In addition to having some of the same problems as chemical weapons (inefficient in the amounts of agent needed, what happens if the wind shifts, etc.) Bio weapons carry the problem of being living and evolving organisms. This means that they can change unpredictably. Then there’s the problem of how you engineer these organisms to attack a kaiju. There are no readily available live-tissue samples for the Daiei kaiju and most of the Toho bunch. Godzilla’s cells are available but in such a limited quantity that they’re considered by many to be worth killing over. Note for simplicity’s sake I am limiting the bioweapon discussion to micro-scale weapons and not those on the macro scale (like the gyaos) which have many of the same problems.

Anti-Nuclear Energy Bacteria: The one micro-scale bioweapon used in the Toho universe. Like many of its most effective weapon these micro-organisms were constructed for a completely different purpose. Unlike most of those effective weapons this one didn’t work all that well so it’s no wonder they weren’t used again. They simply weren’t effective. Godzilla’s usual body temperature is too low for them to multiply in the numbers they need, and his immune response was able to dispatch them in short order despite this being a first time encounter.


Nuclear Weapons- The one weapon of mass destruction that truly causes the damage needed to really be considered WMD. Nuclear Warheads are of course treated rather gingerly in these films. The Japanese are the only country in the world to actually be hit with a nuclear attack, furthermore the destructive power of nuclear warheads is simply put enough to make anyone nervous. It forces you to ask the question of whether it will cause more damage than your problem kaiju. That being said there is the distinct possibility that their effectiveness would be somewhat limited against your average Kaiju. This is in part due to the nature of the beasts, and I'm not referring to radiovores like Godzilla. Most Daikaiju from both the main studios can take stupidly high amounts of energy being dumped into them and continue on like they're on a sunday stroll. Furthermore some Kaiju, Gamera being the most obvious, have on occasion taken blasts equivalent to a large nuclear detonation at point blank range (where that pesky inverse square law doesn't get to tear into the intensity figures as much) and survived. Another big problem is that most of the Kaiju that are vulnerable enough for nuclear warheads to have a reasonable success against also tend to be the ones mostly likely and capable of skeedaddling from the area and outrunning most nuclear delivery systems.

It should be noted however that on numerous occasions both the Daiei and Toho interpretations of the JSDF have used weapons that produce nuclear scale energy releases, often times in a manner capable of delivering very high intensities that would be difficult to match with most tactically viable nuclear attacks. Many of the missiles and tank rounds of the Daiei JSDF produce these effects as do some Toho JSDF weapons (usually energy mounts such as those on Mechagodzilla).

[Tomzilla]

Well, you've been a busy Phish, haven't you?

A good read. Concerning the blood coagulant part, I am also puzzled with how Yuki came to a conclusion that there was a weak spot on Godzilla's arm. In order to know this, surely he would've discovered this earlier by using 'Yuki's Special' - which he had already shown to possess a large quantity of. Best to conclude that movie was filled with plots holes...even though SpaceGodzilla rules.

While a little off topic, I'm surprised they never implemented the use of bird calls anymore. I mean, if I were the Japanese and could not figure out how to kill Godzilla and his kaiju brethren, I would at least figure out a way to keep the most powerful one out. Just place sound beacons miles away, which would activate should Godzilla approach a populated area. In regards to the other monsters, I'd simply not waste all the money on making worthless projects like MechaGodzilla and Moguera, and work on making an army of Super-Xs.

In what classification would you place the Oxygen Destroyer, by the way?

...Thinks it would've made a nasty surprise if the public learned that the government actually created the microscopic Destroyahs, and had been monitoring them ever since to become the ultimate weapon...

[SandwormPhish]

This is a problem that continues to crop up with the Toho JSDF.. namely that once something proves to work they promptly forget about it by the next movie (and it WILL be brought up in the comparitive essay I'm writing regarding Daiei and JSDF tactics btw).

As for the Oxygen Destroyer, if I'm remembering my dialogue from G:KotM right, it's definitely a chemical weapon, albeit a rather strange one.