In 1945, near the end of World War II, kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima lands his Mitsubishi A6M Zero for repairs at the Japanese base on Odo Island. Lead mechanic Sōsaku Tachibana deduces that Shikishima is feigning technical issues to flee from his duty. That night, Godzilla, a large dinosaur-like creature, attacks the garrison. Tachibana tells Shikishima to fire at the monster with his plane's cannons, but he panics, fails to shoot, and is knocked unconscious. When he awakes the following day, he finds that the only other survivor is Tachibana, who is furious at him for failing to act.