- "Huh? No, no. You must let me get this communication out. They have to be warned while there is still time! I can't... You don't know what I've seen, you can't possibly understand or comprehend! The devil is real. I know...I built his cage."
- ― Jonathan Ishii's last moments before the invasion begins [src]
Dr. Jonathan Ishii is a minor character in Doom 3.
Background[]
Dr. Johnathan Ishii is one of the scientists from the Delta Labs who works under Dr. Malcolm Betruger. He and the other scientists helped to create a new portal to another dimension. Eventually, it turns out one of the dimensions they opened the portal to leads directly to Hell, much to Ishii's shock and horror. Despite this, Ishii was forced by Betruger in continuing the experiments to set a direct path for Hell to invade Mars City.
Fearing the inevitable doom that is to follow, Ishii went AWOL in order to send a warning to Earth about the situation.
Doom 3[]
Upon arriving to Mars, the player finds an email in regards to a missing staff, which happens to be Ishii himself. Following the reports that Ishii was last spotted in the old communications facility, Sergeant Thomas Kelly then assigns the player this assignment to locate Ishii there and bring him back unharmed.
Once the player successfully locates Ishii, the scientist panics, desperately begging the player to let him send a transmission to Earth to warn them of Dr. Betruger's experiments. Both of them then witness a video terminal of the Delta Labs. The main portal suddenly undergoes a containment breach, causing countless demonic spirits to pour out. Forced to partly bear the responsibility for the horror he has just unleashed, Ishii helplessly watches the video cameras throughout the base, as the demonic forces are seen attacking and quickly possessing majority of the human residents on Mars. Ishii then shortly suffers from the same fate as he suddenly turns into a Zombie, forcing the player to kill him.
Finally understanding what Ishii was talking about, the player then sends his incomplete transmission, only for it to fail, as a footage is instead given of more human residents falling victim to the new threat.
Email - Code-Black: Missing Staff (11-15-2145)[]
This email can be downloaded directly from an information terminal in Mars City.
NOTE: The email cannot be downloaded after returning from the old communications facility.
Dr. Jonathan Ishii from the Delta Science Team is missing. Security is concerned that he may be injured and unable to respond to pages or return to his post. Please keep an eye out for Dr. Ishii and report to UAC Security if he is located.
He was last seen in Mars City Underground approaching the airlock leading to the old communications array.
Transmission Input[]
NOTE: Ishii never completed this transmission input as he was interrupted by the player's sudden arrival, followed by the immediate start of the invasion.
CODE STATUS: 1131 - TOP PRIORITY URGENT
FROM: J. ISHII - ACCESS CLEARANCE DB1
EMERGENCY REPORT ON CURRENT RESEARCH
I have recalculated the effects of a containment failure and they exceed our prior estimate. No biological entity in the blast radius is likely to survive, yet Betruger is pushing the stabilization fields far beyond system limita (end)
Trivia[]
- It's possible to kill Ishii before he is possessed, thus saving some pistol bullets.
- Ishii is the first enemy and the first casualty the player encounters.
- Shortly before Ishii becomes possessed, the player is given the option to talk to him. However, he is not going to respond, perhaps remaining speechless with guilt for the horror he has partly caused.
- According to the Making of Doom III book, the original story called for Ishii to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head. By looking in the game's folders, an unused audio file can be found called "jonathan_end" which contains Ishii's voice saying "It's too late. There's nothing I can do now. I'm sorry, it's up to you." This is presumably his last line from the earlier version where he commits suicide. It remains unknown why this sentence was cut from the game.
- Ishii is referenced during Doom Eternal The Ancient Gods - Part One as in the Blood Swamps, there is a castle found in the level named Ishii's Keep.