Tear Jerker / The Return of Godzilla

• Godzilla plunging into Mt. Mihara at the end, followed by Raymond Burr's ending monologue:
  "Nature has a way sometimes of reminding Man of just how small he is. She occasionally throws up terrible offspring's of our pride and carelessness to remind us of how puny we really are in the face of a tornado, an earthquake, or a Godzilla. The reckless ambitions of Man are often dwarfed by their dangerous consequences. For now, Godzilla - that strangely innocent and tragic monster - has gone to earth. Whether he returns or not, or is never again seen by human eyes, the things he has taught us remain..."
  • Godzilla's pitiful roar as the ground explodes beneath him and he suddenly begins plunging into the volcano is one of the sadder moments of the series. It sounds not like an "evil" monster, but like an animal afraid for its doomed life. The depressed look the characters' faces make after the fact seals the deal. Martin's ending dialogue following after is really just icing on the cake, especially this line:
  "For now, Godzilla - that strangely innocent and tragic monster - has gone to earth."
  • The Love theme which comes in the credits certainly makes the whole thing much more sadder, particularly with its beautiful, yet mournful lyrics.
  • The cues that play when Godzilla leaves Tokyo and enters Mount Mihara is surprisingly low key and somber compared to the more bombastic and gothic sounding pieces heard throughout.
  • The Manga adaptation of the film heartrendingly elaborates further:
    "And so, at last, Godzilla was sent back into the belly of the earth. The news flashed around the world—'Godzilla is dead,’ and many, no doubt, slept easier after that. But to those of us who stood on the slopes of Mt. Mihara that day and watched as Godzilla was slowly buried beneath the flood of molten rock, his cries did not sound like those of a dying beast. Rather, they conveyed a sense of sadness—a regret that his freedom should be so brief. For all the destruction he caused, Godzilla acted only according to his instincts. In that sense, he is beyond good and evil as we would define it. And I believe all those who were witness to Godzilla’s entombment realized this fact, and, to some extent, were also saddened. To this day, I can still hear the echo of those screams. But in them I now hear something else—a deeper note beyond the sadness… I hear a threat. A threat that one day, as civilization revels in its own advances—even as it destroys the balance of the world—Godzilla may again rise up from the depths and challenge mankind for possession of the world. And my deepest fear is that man, in his arrogance, will not heed the reality of that threat—that Godzilla will not rest in peace."