Seiji Akitsu
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Not having been to war is something to be proud of.
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— Seiji Akitsu telling Mizushima why he can't participate in Operation Wada Tsumi (Godzilla Minus One) |
Captain Seiji Akitsu (秋津 誠司 Akitsu Seiji) is a supporting character and the captain of the minesweeper Shinseimaru in the 2023 Toho Godzilla film Godzilla Minus One.
History
- Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Reiwa era
Godzilla Minus One
Following the end of WW2, Seiji Akitsu became the captain of the minesweeping boat Shinseimaru and disposed of sea mines in Japanese waters with his crewmates Kenji Noda and Shiro Mizushima, paired with the minesweeper Kaishinmaru.
In March 1946, Koichi Shikishima secured a job aboard the Shinseimaru and arrived at the dock. Seiji Akitsu came out of the ship's cabin and greeted Shikishima, asking if he was a sailor. The captain was confused when Shikishima told him he was a fighter pilot. After Noda introduced himself and Mizushima, Akitsu explained that the Shinseimaru, paired with Kaishinmaru, clip mine wires with a cable cutter suspended between the two boats. The mines rise from the seabed "like balloons on strings" and then are detonated with the ship's machine gun. Akitsu attempted to demonstrate the detonation of a mine, but failed to hit it. Shikishima gave the gun a try, explaining that it was best to estimate the mine's position accounting for movement. After a few seconds, Shikishima successfully shot and destroyed the mine. Mizushima mused that he wished the war had lasted longer so he would have been able to enlist, prompting a sharp rebuke. Akitsu scolded Mizushima for his remark. Over the next year, the crew of the Shinseimaru and Kaishinmaru continued disposing of sea mines.
Akitsu and the crew of the Shinseimaru visited Shikishima for dinner one night. When Noda snapped a picture of Noriko Oishi, Akitsu jokingly told Noda to not covet her. The men assumed Oishi to be Shikishima's wife and were startled to learn of their living arrangement. When Akiko, Shikishima and Oishi's adopted daughter, called him her father, he told her to not call him that, to their alarm. Akitsu encouraged Shikishima to accept that he had found a family, but he angrily refused.
In May 1947, the Shinseimaru and Kaishinmaru were deployed near the Ogasawara Islands, where they found a capsized American Liberty ship. Akitsu questioned if a giant shark or whale could've destroyed it, but Noda dismissed his ideas, saying it was an enormous creature. When Shikishima explained that Godzilla was responsible, the captain didn't believe him, saying he saw an enemy tank while half asleep. Shikishima told Akitsu the entire garrison on Odo Island was killed by Godzilla, but Akitsu thought they were wiped out by island-hopping forces. Noda explained that the two boats were tasked with delaying Godzilla's advance towards Japan until the cruiser Takao could arrive from Singapore, having been returned to Japan to respond to the crisis. Their orders suggested they use the mines that they recovered as weapons and forbade them from telling anyone else about the mission. The captain was disappointed with their orders, suggesting the government couldn't change.
Later, dozens of deep-sea fish floated to the surface next to the Shinseimaru. Shikishima rang the bell of the minesweeper, warning of Godzilla's imminent approach. Akitsu told the crew to prepare, and radioed Kaishinmaru's crew to get ready to land the big one. Kaishinmaru's crew responded they're taking the credit for killing Godzilla to Akitsu's annoyance. Shikishima and Noda urged Akitsu to flee, but he was determined to face the monster, not wanting to see Tokyo destroyed again. Akitsu hated government orders but said someone had to do it. Suddenly, Godzilla grabbed Kaishinmaru from below and dragged it beneath the waves, shocking the crew of the Shinseimaru. Akitsu changed his decision immediately and pushed the engine throttle forward, but the engine gave out. As Godzilla swam towards them, Noda repaired it and ordered Akitsu to full throttle, and the minesweeper began moving at last. Godzilla swam dangerously close and began following their boat. Akitsu ordered them to drop their mines, yelling at Noda to try anything. The first lodged between Godzilla's spines and was detonated, but only provoked and angered the monster as it raised its head above the surface. Shikishima manned the machine gun but froze, only shooting at Godzilla once Akitsu snapped him out of it. The captain continued driving the boat until Shikishima detonated the second mine in Godzilla's mouth, destroying the stern of the Shinseimaru. Akitsu wondered if they succeeded, but Godzilla regenerated his injury quickly and rose up. Before Godzilla could destroy the boat, the guns of the Takao fired on him and momentarily incapacitated him. Godzilla turned his attention toward the Takao, destroying the heavy cruiser with his atomic breath as the Shinseimaru's crew watched helplessly.
Akitsu and the minesweeper crew waited with Shikishima in a Yokosuka hospital until he woke up. Akitsu told Shikishima they were airlifted there and that the Kaishinmaru and Takao didn't make it. Shikishima protested they must warn everyone, but Noda told Shikishima the government wasn't telling the public to prevent mayhem and confusion, with Akitsu remarking Japan's specialty in information control.
After Godzilla's rampage in Ginza and attending the memorial service for Oishi, Akitsu attended a meeting alongside other former navy personnel to devise a plan to defeat the monster. He and his crewmates were surprised when Noda was the one who devised and explained the operation. Akitsu questioned if Godzilla could withstand the pressure from sinking, with Noda reassuring that ocean-born creatures couldn't survive the pressure change.
The crew of the Shinseimaru went out for drinks, where Noda voiced the belief that Godzilla would return to Japan in as soon as 10 days. Akitsu expressed his skepticism of Noda's plan, with Noda admitting that his plan could fail in many different ways, but challenged them to come up with a better one. Shikishima finally spoke up, offering to help with luring Godzilla if Noda could procure a fighter plane. Akitsu asked if Shikishima had a death wish, then grabbed him, saying he couldn't avenge Noriko and that he missed his chance to marry her. Shikishima explained that he wanted to, but his war wasn't over.
At the dock where the former Japanese warships were being prepared for the operation, Akitsu and Mizushima met up with Noda, with Akitsu telling him to cheer up. Noda expressed concern about his plan failing without a miracle, but the captain reassured him they were going to make a difference. When Godzilla was located by radiation-detecting buoys, Akitsu and the other private citizens held a meeting where Noda ordered them to spend the night with their families. Mizushima was excited to participate, but Akitsu and Noda told him he wasn't coming. When Mizushima urged his crewmates to take him with them, Akitsu told him that never having gone to war is a badge of pride.
The morning of the operation, the private citizens began boarding the stationed ships, with Akitsu and Noda boarding Yukikaze. Noda voiced his concerns about Shikishima to Akitsu. The captain reassured him that he'd stay alive for Akiko. Godzilla arrived faster than anticipated, with Akitsu saying the plan was ruined. Noda told him and the private citizens to set sail anyway, with the task of bringing Godzilla into position now entirely up to Shikishima. Before Shikishima lured Godzilla out to sea, Akitsu ordered the pilot to come back alive for Akiko, to no response. Akitsu was impressed at Shikishima's technique of luring Godzilla, commenting that the monster looked ticked off.
After Yukikaze and Hibiki circled Godzilla, Akitsu was prepared to rupture the Freon canisters once the wire went tense. As Godzilla prepared to fire his atomic breath again, Akitsu triggered the switch to rupture the canisters, forcibly pulling him underwater. Upon surpassing the target depth, Godzilla froze in place, with Akitsu asking if they succeeded. After the balloons were inflated and tore through by Godzilla, the destroyers tried pulling him the rest of the way themselves, but as Noda predicted, the monster's weight was too great and one of the cranes collapsed. His plan seemed hopeless until a fleet of tugboats, led by Mizushima, arrived to help the destroyers, surprising Akitsu. Upon the monster surfacing, Akitsu and the others accepted their fate as an enraged Godzilla coursed with power and prepared to unleash his atomic breath. Shikishima interceded, flying the Shinden toward Godzilla as Noda and Akitsu shouted for him to stop.
Akitsu and the private citizens saluted Godzilla as his body crumbled into the ocean. He and the rest of the crew accompanied Shikishima at the dock.
Books
Gallery
Godzilla Minus One
Akitsu and Kaishinmaru near the Ogasawara Islands
Akitsu looks at the capsized American ship
Akitsu orders Mizushima to detonate the mine
Godzilla chasing the Shinseimaru
Akitsu watches Godzilla rise after regenerating his injury
Akitsu prepares to activate the switch to rupture the Freon canisters
Akitsu and Noda accepting their fate
Akitsu and the crew arriving at the dock
References
This is a list of references for Seiji Akitsu. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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