List of Space Battleship Yamato characters explained

This list of Space Battleship Yamato characters is a list, with biographical details, of major characters appearing in the anime series Space Battleship Yamato and its American dubbed version, Star Blazers, as well as the 2010 live-action film remake. Not all the American voice artists are known for the first two seasons (owing to their non-union status they were not credited in the shows' closing titles), and a different group of actors provided voices in the third season.

Yamato Crew

First season

In Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Admiral Okita is revealed to have been a senior naval commander for some time having led a United Nations fleet in a war with human colonists of Mars before headquarters got him suspended from his command after he refused an order to fire upon the Garmillans at their first encounter at Pluto, and ordered forward commander Commander Daigo Shima instead to do it. This results in the Garmillans fighting until near Mars, where Okita engineers a costly victory which included the death of his son who was also a naval officer. Garmillas pulls back to their base on Pluto and intensify their bombardment of Earth with irradiated asteroids. Okita leads an assault on the Pluto base, where his fleet was decimated by a far superior force, but managed to distract the Garmillans from noticing the arrival of a ship from the distant planet of Iscandar piloted by Princess Sasha, who perished while delivering the warp core that powered up Okita's new battleship, the Yamato. Okita is known for his aggressive head-on tactics, and it saw the Yamato through several battles. He also uses terrain with his ferocity to his advantage, frequently upsetting opponents with unexpected tactics. He would also be diplomatic when called for, making alliances more than once with Garmillans when necessary. He formed a bond with Susumu Kodai, reminding him strongly of his elder brother Mamoru whom he had mentored. He encouraged Kodai to think independently, giving Kodai the confidence to disobey orders. During the course of the series he had to contend with his illness, which caused him to collapse a few times, one of which required emergency surgery while battling the dimensional submarine at a protoplanet; but he even overrode the objections of his friend and immediate superior Admiral Hijikata before the voyage, just to be on it. He led the ship all the way to the Garmillan homeworld (revealed to be Iscandar's twin planet), smashing their way to the heart of the empire at Dessler's palace. Okita then chose to use the Wave Motion Gun to save the people of the Garmillan capital Baleras when Dessler attempted to sacrifice it just to destroy the Yamato. Okita was unable to leave the ship upon arriving at Iscandar, and became increasingly bedridden on the return journey, even during their encounter with the Celestial Ark and a Gatlantean expeditionary force and a final confrontation with Dessler within the warp gate dimension. Okita died as the Yamato came into Earth orbit having achieved his mission and seeing his home planet again, his spirit being captured by the Cosmo Reverse System, left vacant by Mamoru Kodai's spirit when he prematurely activated the system. Thus it was Okita's spirit and memories that directed the Cosmo Reverse System's restoration of Earth to a healthy world.

The character is modelled on Leiji Matsumoto's father.[1] and the characters names is based on the Japanese science fiction writer Unno Juza and Okita Sōji.[2]

In the 2199 series Kodai is depicted as a young, freshly graduated cadet officer and is promoted suddenly to command the tactical division of the Yamato when most of the junior officers are killed by Garmillas aircraft bombs immediately prior to boarding the Yamato. He matures quickly as one of the bridge crew on the Yamato and is the first to fire the Wave Motion Gun. After an initial confrontation with Okita over his brother's death, he forms a bond with him, who was his brother Mamoru's former mentor. Okita encourages Kodai's independent streak and he takes on Okita's aggressive tendencies in battle tactics, most notably disobeying Sanada's orders and developing anti-submarine tactics during their first confrontation with the Garmillan dimensional submarine. He and Operations Officer Yuki Mori become romantic partners over the course of the series and become engaged before the start of the 2202: Warriors of Love series. After the Yamato crew are summoned to Telezart by Teresa, Kodai gather the crew to rebel against the Cosmo Navy and steal the Yamato from dry dock where the ship had been rebuilt. Sanada gives Kodai command of the Yamato, noting that Kodai is a leader where he is not. Kodai struggles with command as he is still in his mid-twenties and placed under great strain which is only relieved when Admiral Hijikata accepts Kodai's offer of command as the ship approaches Telezart. Later when Yamato crashes onto Zemuria, Kodai is one of the few left behind when the crew abandons ship and is devastated when Mori loses her memories of their time together. Kodai offers his life to end the conflict during a confrontation with Dessler and Mir but Mori takes the shot intended for Kodai. After the Yamato is rebuilt it becomes the spearhead of the final assault on the Comet Empire. Hijikata is killed during the assault and Kodai takes command, storming Emperor Zworder's throne room with Yamamato and the Marines. Surviving this personal encounter with Zworder, Yamato is abandoned once again. Kodai and Mori use the Yamato's failing wave motion engine to destroy the Ark of Destruction and Zworder. Months later the Yamato reappears within the time-displaced Time Vault. The missing Yamato is found on board revealing Kodai and Mori are alive within the higher dimensions. Kodai feels no desire to rejoin humanity and is seemingly willing to walk aimlessly in eternity and Mori is unable to convince him to return until, the potential future of having a child with Mori is revealed. As Kodai and Mori reconcile by having regained a sense of responsibility to life, a refurbished Yamato arrives, penetrating this dimension and retrieving Kodai and Mori and returning them to Earth.

In 2199 Kodai is best friends with Shiro Sanada in college and is in a relationship with Sanada's research partner Kaoru Niimi in the early stages of the war. By 2199 Mamoru Kodai has risen to rank of Lieutenant Commander and captains the missile destroyer Yukikaze when as the only other ship surviving the battle of Pluto he sacrifices himself and his ship to cover the retreat of the Kirishima, Earth's last battleship. He survives the ship's crash into the Saturnian moon Enceladus and is captured by Garmillan forces and sent as a biological sample of Earth to the homeworld when the destroyer crashes at Iscandar. Queen Starsha hides him from the Garmillans who recover the wrecked warship. He lives on for a few months with Starsha developing a close friendship while being the only two people on the planet but eventually succumbs to his wounds, leaving behind a message for the Earth ship approaching Iscandar and his brother Susumu. Starsha recovers Mamoru's spirit within the Cosmo Reverse Device which will restore the Earth. Mamoru, watching his brother's grief over the death of Yuki Mori and sensing Captain Okita's death, charges the Cosmo Reverse Device and revives Mori, leaving the Device dead until it captures Okita's departing spirit, re-initialising the system for use in restoring Earth.

In 2199 Mori is a staff officer at UN Cosmo Force headquarters serving under Admiral Hijikata, who has been her guardian since her parents were killed in a car crash which also gave her amnesia. It is later revealed she had been acting as a guide to Princess Yurisha of Iscandar, who had brought plans for the faster-than-light Wave Motion Engine. She was assigned to the Yamato as the Operations Officer and is in charge of the radar on the ship's bridge. She often clashes with Kodai, though the two develop a mutual attraction as Kodai quickly adjusts to his role as Tactical Officer. She, mistaken for Yurisha, is kidnapped from the Yamato by Garmillan operatives and brought to the heart of the Garmillan empire by Dessler, who uses her as a hostage against Queen Starsha. She plays along although Dessler knows who she really is. She eventually manages to sabotage the engine of Dessler's ship before being ejected from the ship by her Zaltzi guard, eventually reuniting her with Kodai and the Yamato. Dessler's personal guards shot her when he boarded the Yamato, and despite Dr. Sado's efforts, dies just as the Earth ship reaches the solar system a few weeks later; but is restored to life by the Cosmo Reverse Device.

By the start of 2202: Warriors of Love Mori and Kodai are engaged and she is again working at UNCF headquarters. Mori breaks off her engagement to Kodai when he insists she remain behind on Earth when the Yamato veterans re-unite to steal the ship for the journey to Telezart. She embarks with the crew in hiding and becomes a nurse until Kodai encounters her. She then returns to her former role as Operations Officer and radar operator and reconciles with Kodai. Mori receives a head injury attempting to save Toko Katsuragi/Sabera during Yamato's crash onto Zemuria and regains her lost pre-2199 memories at the cost of all memories since, losing all connection with Kodai. Despite losing memories of Kodai she takes a bullet intended for Kodai fired by Mir during Kodai and Keyman's confrontation with Dessler and Mir. Subsequently Mori stays behind on the Yamato when it is abandoned a second time, joining Kodai on the bridge, sensing a connection with him and a purpose that Earth can still be saved. When the wave motion engine chambers fails the Yamato falls into another dimension. Mori regains all her memories in this new space and seeks out Kodai, finding him having lost all will to live. A vision of a child Kodai and Mori might have together rekindles their commitment to life and each other as the Yamato with all her crew on board arrives to rescue them.

In 2199, like Kodai, he begins the series as a freshly graduated cadet officer and is suddenly promoted to command the Navigation division aboard the Yamato and acts as the ship's helmsman. He and Kodai remain close friends despite several disputes. Shima is recruited by Kaoru Niimi and Shinya Ito, members of a faction whose plans were scrapped by the Yamato's launch, to mutiny and return home with the plan to abandon Earth and resettle the human population on Beemela 4. Ito installs Shima as commander with the intention of killing Okita and Sanada and leaving Kodai behind on Beemela 4. Shima is instrumental in dismantling that mutiny as he is recruited by Ito's deputy Toru Hoshina, who himself was planted aboard the ship by Director Todo as an undercover investigator, aware that there might be rebels aboard the ship planning to sabotage the mission to Iscandar.

In the sequel series 2202: Warriors of Love Shima has left the military and is captain of a transport ship when he receives the call from Teresa of Telezart. He is reluctant to commit to Kodai's plan to steal the Yamato and only boards the ship as it appears the plan will succeed. Shima is restored to the helm and pilots the Yamato to Telezart and back, abandoning the ship after the engine failed during the Battle of Saturn and it crashes into Zemuria. Shima joins the rescued crew aboard the Ginga, taking the helm again. Shima with Sanada and the other Yamato survivors convinces Captain Todo to abandon plans for Ginga to flee Earth as a gene bank to re-establish humanity on another world and recommit to the battle to save Earth. Shima reboards the repaired Yamato for the final battle against the Ark of Destruction and subsequently is forced to abandon Yamato again and is distressed to see Kodai still on the bridge as the shuttles depart. With the war over, Shima, with Sanada and Captains Yamanami and Todo seek to convince military command to use Yamato to rescue Kodai and Mori.

In 2199, Sanada is often seen with an anthology of Chūya Nakahara's poems, a gift from Mamoru. The "bionic limbs" subplot was removed, and is depicted as having been Mamoru Kodai's closest friend from school. He is a scientist having been pivotal in adapting Wave Motion Energy to the Yamato and developing the Wave Motion Gun independently from Iscandarian science. He is older than most of the bridge officers and serves as the Yamato's executive officer as leader of the Technology division, taking command during Okita's bouts of illness. He eventually confides to Kodai his guilt over not warning Mamoru Kodai of the dangers of the battle of Pluto and how it was only being fought to cover the secret arrival of Princess Sasha's arrival on earth with the Yamato's warp core. Sanada was intending at the time to sacrifice his life to activate the warp gateway allowing Yamato to take over a month off their journey to Iscandar, but survives after finding a way to hide from the neutrino radiation bombardment that would have killed him. Out of that a friendship is formed between Sanada and Kodai and a mutual respect. In Odyssey of the Celestial Ark, Sanada's increasing trust on Kodai allows him to give Kodai command during the first encounter with Gatlantean warships. When the rebellion to steal the Yamato begins Sanada gives Kodai command of the Yamato noting he is much better suited to the role and remains the ship's Executive Officer. Sanada joins Kodai and Hajime Saito on Telezart to meet Teresa.

In 2199 Sado, despite his sake-swilling ways retained, is portrayed as a respected surgeon whose part of his resume is being involved with treating Yuki Mori and Princess Yurisha of Iscandar after a car crash. He is assigned to the Yamato as Medical Officer, as a warship on such a journey is likely to need a surgeon. In addition Sado goes on orders as additional safeguard against Captain Okita's failing health. He is both a cheerful and irascible presence aboard the Yamato and is seen on numerous occasions berating Sanada for exposing Okita to stressful situations as the two are among the very few onboard who is aware of Okita's health. Along with Hikozaemon Tokugawa, he is one of Okita's confidants and friends and is the last to see Okita alive when the Captain asks he to step outside his cabin so he can die having accomplished his goal of seeing the Yamato return to Earth. He has been retired from military service in 2202 when he gathers the crew together on the third anniversary of Okita's death at a statue erected in his honor. It is at this gathering that the crew discussing the summoning from Teresa and begin to plan their response. Sado joins the crew in stealing the Yamato. He helps Yuki Mori in hiding from Kodai after he prevented her from joining the crew. He spends time with the wounded Admiral Hijikata after the rescue of the Planet 11 survivors and the two discuss with Mori how best to support Kodai's command.

Second season

Cosmo Tiger 3rd Squadron commander. Tsurumi got little screen time. His fate is unknown, but he was likely killed in the final battle with the Comet Empire with the other Cosmo Tigers.

Yamato: The New Voyage

Be Forever, Yamato

Argo Press's Be Forever, Yamato Comic Series

Third season

Space Battleship Yamato 2199

Allies of humanity

Garmillas

The Garmillans (originally romanized as Gamilas, Gamilons in the Star Blazers dub) are a race of humanoids from the planet Garmillas in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 50 kiloparsecs (≈160,000 light-years) from Earth. They are biologically indistinguishable from humans aside from their blue skin (although, owing to early series production decisions, they were given human-colored skin for the first ten episodes of the original series). Many of those who appear in the series are named after high-ranking members of the Nazi party. Garmillan civilians seldom appear in the original series implying that it is a highly militarized society, and the few female Garmillans who appear in the series are invariably concubines. In the remake, the Garmillan society is shown with more detail, depicting most Garmillan soldiers as family men, and some females are featured as part of the military as well.

In the 2010 live-action film, the Garmillans are depicted as a more alien-like race with a hive mind.

Although initially an enemy to Earth, he informs Earth Defense Force of the dire situation planet Iscandar was in when he returned to Garmillas to find the Black Nebula Force mining for resources to fuel their war machine. He later becomes an ally of the Yamato when Iscandar was plunged into deep space after Garmillas exploded, and the Black Nebula forces pursued the planet and threatened Starsha. Working together with the crew of Yamato, his bitterness lifted and he acclaimed his love for Starsha. Starsha however sacrifices herself and her planet to stop the giant Black Nebulan battle fortress sent to secure the planet's resources for war purposes. Because of her sacrifice, Dessler had a renewed sensation of love and peace which he had never realized was inside his heart. He departs at the end of the battle on good terms with Earth and Yamato.

A couple of years after the destruction of Garmillas, Dessler wanders the Milky Way Galaxy, and finds his ancestral home planet Galman which is occupied by the Bolar Federation. He quickly mounts a counter-attack to free his people, and in doing so proclaims himself as the new Emperor, set on ridding the galaxy of the cruel Bolars. However, because of his quick quest to secure the entire Milky Way Galaxy, his officers become war-mongers who would use planet-destroying hyperion missiles to eliminate any enemy or resistance. One such missile had gone astray and struck Earth's Sun causing accelerated nuclear fusion to the point that the Sun was to explode in less than a year. In response to Earth's dire situation, and unaware that Dessler's empire is responsible for it, Yamato was sent to search for a new planet suitable for human habitation. The Yamato was attacked by Galman forces when they intervened in a conflict in a neighboring system, Berth. Because of the intervention, Galman officers and generals made it a top priority to destroy or capture the ship. Yamato was trapped inside the hangar of a mobile super fortress of the Galman Eastern Task Force fortress, and taken to be presented to Dessler. Upon presentation, Dessler flew into a rage at his generals' failure to obey his order to stay far from Earth's solar system, and apologized to the crew of Yamato. He then learned that his empire was the cause of Earth's plight. He offered to help Earth by dispatching a fleet of the empire's best scientists to restore the proper nuclear fusion to the Sun. This however proved to be futile, and the Sun worsened from their manipulation. Out of scientific ideas, he provides coordinates to a planet like Earth called Phantom. Phantom however turned out to be a unsuitable planet, as it was a living organism able to telepathically camouflage itself as a planet to protect Queen Mariposa from the Bolars. Upon Yamato's discovery of this fact, Queen Mariposa is escorted and protected by the crew of Yamato to her home planet, Guardiana, where she offers the Hydro-Cosmogen cannon to correct the Sun's erratic nuclear fusion. Dessler, following Yamato, learns of the Queen's home planet, and decides to peacefully add planet Guardiana to his empire so as to sway all people of the galaxy (Galman and Bolar) towards peace as her people's culture are pacifists and peace-talkers. Stability and peace is spread throughout the Milky Way Galaxy.

It is, however, not until the film, Final Yamato, when the people of Dinguil try to conquer Earth by using Aquarius to bring massive floods, that Dessler performs one last act of assistance for Earth. The Denguilan fleet surrounds the Yamato which, having been converted into an H-bomb to block the column of water hurling towards Earth, was unable to fight. Dessler launches a surprise attack on the fleet, and destroys its capitol ship using his Dessler cannon. The attack comes as a surprise to the Yamato's crew as well, as they had assumed that Dessler had been killed when Galman had collided with another planet earlier in the film. In the last scene, when Yamato detonates to stop the 10-trillion-ton water column from hitting Earth, Dessler is seen atop his ship silently watching the Yamato settle in an ocean in space.

For the live-action film, Dessler has no physical form; instead, he appears as one or more multiple crystals and initially possesses Hajime Saito's body to tell the Yamato crew the true motive of his race's attack on Earth.

His Japanese name is believed to come from Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler, and Dessler's title is the Japanese translation of führer. Leiji Matsumoto has claimed this similarity is in fact a coincidence, and that Dessler comes from "Death-Ra" (also written as デスラー in Japanese).[7]

Galman Empire

Space Battleship Yamato 2199

White Comet Empire Gatlantis

The people of the White Comet Empire Gatlantis (白色彗星帝国ガトランティス Hakushoku Suisei Teikoku Gatorantisu) appear in the second season; like the Gamilons they are identical to humans aside from their green skin.

Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love

Dark Nebula Empire

The people of the Dark Nebula Empire, Black Nebula Empire, or Dark Star Cluster Empire (暗黒星団帝国 Ankoku Seidan Teikoku) live on the metal planet Dezarium in the Dark Star Cluster, a double-galaxy 200,000 light years from Earth. Although humanoid, they are in fact mostly bionic, having given up the pleasures of human flesh in exchange for longevity. They appear in the movies Yamato: The New Voyage and Be Forever, Yamato.

Argo Press Comic Series

It's worth noting that, according to the character Karl Ryder, this version of Dezarium's behaviors and cultural patterns "bear a startling similarity to pattern's we've seen before...From the Gamilons. Language analysis so far confirms this..."

Space Battleship Yamato 2205: The New Voyage

Bolar Federation

The people of the Bolar Federation appear in the third season.

Dingir

The people of the planet Dingir (Also romanized as Dinguil), who appear in the movie Final Yamato, are descendants of Sumerians rescued from Earth by unknown aliens (whom they now regard as gods) during The Great Flood 10,000 years ago. They developed an advanced empire (as well as grey skin) on their new homeworld they named Dingir and have become extremely arrogant and militant. Most of them were wiped out when their homeworld was flooded by the planet Aquarius.

Great Urup United Star Systems

Great Urup United Star Systems (大ウルップ星間国家連合軍 Dai Uruppu Seikan Kokka Renpō Gun)

SUS

The Spacemen United Systems (異星人連合 Iseijin Rengō) are the antagonists in .

Amarl

アマール星 (Amaaru-sei)

Etos

エトス星 (Etos)

Notes and References

  1. 『さらば宇宙戦艦ヤマト 愛の戦士たち 設定資料集』(スタジオDNA、2001年)pp. 124-125。
  2. 『さらば宇宙戦艦ヤマト 愛の戦士たち 設定資料集』(スタジオDNA、2001年)p. 126
  3. 『宇宙戦艦ヤマト画報 ロマン宇宙戦記二十五年の歩み』(竹書房、2001年、ISBN 978-4-8124-0700-4)pp. 202-211。
  4. Web site: 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2202 愛の戦士たち. 宇宙戦艦ヤマト2202 愛の戦士たち.
  5. 『宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199 COMPLETE WORKS-全記録集-脚本集』(マッグガーデン、2015年、ISBN 9784800004697)pp. 294-318。
  6. Web site: SPACE BATTLESHIP ヤマト . October 30, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151030215027/http://dogatch.jp/cinema/yamato-movie/index.html?CastStuff . 30 October 2015 . dead.
  7. Web site: 3 July 2013. Yamato Origins, Part 7 Story Notes by Leiji Matsumoto. Cosmo DNA.