September 2026 was short on activity, but not short on news and definitely not short on anticipation, especially when the final trailer dropped for 3199 Chapter 7. Here’s a rundown of what got everyone a month closer to the epic conclusion.

But first, a podcast! Ye editor was a guest on Third Impact Anime in September, talking a lot about Yamato‘s place in anime history and my forthcoming Icons of Anime documentary project! Listen to it here!

Have you filled out the survey yet to help get this ambitious project launched? Head on over to the Icons of Anime website and get that fixed!

September 2: Flashback Tweet

We open with a return to the distant year 2010. Back then, the number one topic on the mind of Yamato fans was the forthcoming live-action movie directed by Takashi Yamazaki (who would go on to direct Godzilla Minus One). Unless you were tuned in at the time, you might not have heard about the 50-foot model that was built for a promo exhibition in Tokyo. Everyone was reminded when a Twitter user named KG Masayuki posted the photos shown here.

His caption read:

I work as a fabricator, handling everything from sculpting and decoration to lighting effects and even meal prep. A jack-of-all-trades, you could say. Although I’m constantly racing against deadlines, I make it a point to participate in model-making events no matter what. I’m always looking for young people interested in film art direction (haha), so if you want to get into the industry but don’t have any connections, feel free to reach out!

See the post here

September 2: Monthly Kosen

Here’s one you didn’t see coming. Monthly Kosen is the online magazine for Japan’s National Institute of Technology, which covers projects going on at technical colleges all over Japan. The September issue contained an article with the headline, “Inspired by Space Battleship Yamato.” So what’s up? Did those kids build a reflection satellite cannon? Yep, they kinda did.

What’s it for? Find out here

September 4: CG animation by Haru

By now, you should know that everything posted by “Haru” is a must-see, since his homegrown CG work rivals anything seen in the anime. Here’s the description of his latest masterwork:

Can the Cosmo Tiger I fit in the No. 3 Hangar? An Investigation

Opinions on this series of craft vary, but I decided to verify whether it can actually fit inside the Yamato‘s No. 3 Hangar.

Watch it here

September 5 & 6: Hokkaido Modeler’s Exhibition

It was a good month for modeling fans, especially in the first weekend when you could find two public displays that included Yamato kits. One could be found here at Sapporo Factory Hall in Hokkaido.

See a photo gallery here

September 5 & 6: Otaru Anime Party

Otaru is another city in Hokkaido, home of the annual Otaru Anipa [Anime Party]. Since Hokkaido is the home of a Yamato modeling club named HOBAS, they can always be relied upon to bring the battleships.

Visit the event’s website here

See a photo gallery of the HOBAS display here

September 6: Takeshi Shirato on radio

Takeshi Shirato is as “old guard” as it gets, having worked on Yamato from Series 1 all the way through Final Yamato in 1983 as an animator and director. He’s still at it today (see his credit list here) and talked about his career arc on a radio show called Sunday’s Post.

Read all about the conversation here

September 11: Yamato 2199 manga Chapter 59

Michio Murakawa is still pushing his way through the Rainbow Star Cluster battle, which he freely admits is the hardest part of the story he’s ever had to draw. He turned in 12 new pages in September, which were published at Kadokawa’s Comic Walker website.

See the pages here, or see them larger at Comic Walker here

September 12-15: Concert tour

Akira Miyagawa and the Kitakyushu “Grand Phil” Orchestra teamed up for a whirlwind tour of three special concerts in quick succession: Yanagawa on the 12th, Kitakyushu on the 13th, and Fukuoka on the 15th. The setlist included several Hiroshi Miyagawa classics, opening with the Yamato overture and main theme. Vocals were provided by Ari Miyakawa, who has been part of the Yamato ensemble for many years now.

September 15: Book news

REBEL 3199 isn’t the only Yamato story rocketing toward its conclusion; screenwriter Hideki Oka posted the welcome news shown above to inform us that the Dawn Chapter trilogy will finish with book 3, titled The Zarathustra Zone, will be published by Kadokawa on November 6. Cover art and interior illustrations are by fan artist Umegrafix.

Oka leads a consortium of Yamato experts who consulted on the story under the group name “Asteroid 6.” This includes a mecha specialist we’ve seen online with the Twitter name “My EDF,” who had this to say:

I understand that some of you may have been worried about whether the story would truly conclude, given that it was described as the missing link connecting Final Chapter and Resurrection Chapter. However, Dawn Chapter has now successfully concluded. Mr. Oka and everyone involved worked with all their might to complete it. I hope you will take this opportunity to pick it up.

Hideki Oka retweeted that comment and added:

I could never have launched Dawn Chapter without this miraculous encounter. “My EDF” served as the tactical supervisor for Part 3. The intensity of the battle scenes is entirely underpinned by his deep knowledge and love for Yamato. If you’re a fan of mecha, you absolutely must read this. It won’t disappoint!

Order your copy of the book here

September 17: Official Tweet

This cryptic image, posted by the Yamato Production Committee, came with no explanation. However, the rainbow-colored background was kind of a giveaway.

September 18: REBEL 3199 Chapter 7 promotion

Sure enough! When the countdown hit zero, we finally got to see the official movie poster for Chapter 7, titled Rainbow of Reincarnation. As of today, anyone who bought an advance ticket voucher (shown at right) could take that poster home.

See a bigger version of the poster art at the end of this page.

The same art ardorned a new flyer that arrived in movie theaters. The back reprinted the summary from the official website:

Who, or what, is Dezarium? Are these memories the truth?

As the reality she believed in crumbles, Sasha loses sight of the very proof of her own existence.

Alphon, too, driven by doubts about his own being, arrives at a terrifying conclusion.

The Grand Reverse, a hyperon bomb capable of resetting all of humanity.
The Partisan fleet rallies to defy the looming catastrophe, seemingly guided by the bonds of fate.
Their final trump card, the Space Battleship Arizona, takes flight.

Mother Dezarium’s objective remains unfulfilled. And the true nature of Dezarium is finally revealed.

“I will return.” With that promise to Yuki held close to his heart, Kodai takes his seat in the captain’s chair.

Seeking answers to countless mysteries and a future for Earth…
Space Battleship Yamato now plunges into the heart of the Dezarium home world.

Best of all, the very last trailer for REBEL 3199 made its online debut and pushed anticipation higher than it’s ever been.

Watch it and read our breakdown here

September 18: Yasuhiro Fujiwara on Twitter

We’ve heard from Mr. Fujiwara in past reports, a veteran voice actor who is greatly honored to have landed the role of Talan in the remake series. Today he posted the following about the release of the new trailer:

Fellow countrymen of Galman-Garmillas. The moment has finally arrived. The last trailer for REBEL 3199 Chapter 7 has finally been released.

First — without unnecessary prying, without idle speculation, witness this footage with your own eyes. We have witnessed so many battles thus far. Struggling. Hesitating. Choosing. Losing. And yet, witnessing those who strive to move forward. And now the story is finally heading toward its ultimate conclusion.

Chapter 7: “Rainbow-Colored Reincarnation.” What does this title signify? Who will choose what, bear what burdens, and where will they arrive? The answer still lies beyond this trailer.

Fellow countrymen. First, let this trailer be deeply etched in your hearts. And on October 30th, we shall witness the fate of this long voyage. As we head toward the final chapter, let no one neglect their preparations.

Ghale Dessler. Ghale Garmillon.

See the original post here

September 23: Hobby Japan Web

The online version of Hobby Japan posted Yamato Mechanics Part 23, which focused on Dezarium’s Pleiades and Hyades ships.

See the post here and read it in English here

September 24: RIP Toshio Masuda

Space Battleship Yamato represented only a small percentage of Toshio Masuda’s career, which spanned more than 80 live-action films and earned him a directorial reputation roughly akin to that of Martin Scorsese. He was an early consultant for Yoshinobu Nishizaki and was scheduled to direct the first TV series, but had to shoot a movie instead. He edited the 1977 movie and went on to contribute to every Yamato film that followed, up to and including Resurrection.

Today we learned that he died of “old age” on August 26, and numerous tributes appeared in Japanese media. Read some of them here.

See his anime credits at Anime News Network here and read their article here

September 25: Hobby Japan #689

This issue of the top hobby magazine contained Part 24 of Yamato Mechanics, examining the long-lived Garmillas carrier Lambea.

Right next to it was a 5-page pictorial on a diorama project incorporating Bandai’s 1/1000 Arizona.

See all of this content here

September 26: Mega Hobby Expo 2026

Akihabara (in Tokyo) became the setting for a huge exhibition of forthcoming products from figure manufacturers. Among them could be found Yuki Mori in “Dezarium suit,” coming in December from Megahouse.

See video coverage of the expo here (Yuki appears at 17:30)

See a LOT more figure news here

September 27: Space Battleship Works Exhibition

Another event for model makers and model admirers alike was held at the Volks Showroom in Osaka. There were space battleships of all stripes from multiple anime works (do more homework if you don’t recognize the promo image), and fans showed up to photograph them.

See a gallery here

September 27: Blade Licking Thieves podcast #127

If you’re looking for lively, well-informed commentary on anime, tokusatsu, and other Japanese gems, head on over to Blade Licking Thieves and dig into their catalog. You can start with their first-ever Yamato episode, in which they discussed Be Forever Yamato for about as long as it would take you to watch the movie. It earns the Cosmo DNA stamp of approval!

Listen here

September 30: Nobuyoshi Habara on Twitter

The month ended with words from one of our favorite people, lifetime Yamato fan and supervising director of 2202, Nobuyoshi Habara. He shared his thoughts on a filmmaking technique that originated in a familiar place…

While the “shimmer” or “jitter” seen in analog works might sometimes occur during film scanning, I generally believed it was primarily caused by the movement and stabilization of the film perforations during the actual shooting process.

I first became aware of this phenomenon with the theatrical release of Space Battleship Yamato in 1977. During the scene where Captain Okita passes away, I noticed that the film suddenly stopped moving. The jitter and grain froze completely. After entering the industry, I learned that the shot’s duration had been extended using an optical printer.

It felt as though the “breath” of the film vanished the moment it froze. Consequently, during my time at Xebec, I experimented with ways to recreate that film-like jitter in consultation with the photography department.

The first test I conducted was for a single shot in ZOIDS. It was a static “hold” shot for the finale, but I really wanted to capture that sense of the film’s “breath,” so I had them shift the image by one pixel at a time. It was an act of pure self-indulgence, but I personally felt, “This is it!”

Now, I make it a standard practice to request this kind of jitter during filming for projects I direct. I am truly grateful to the photography staff for accommodating this! Incidentally, for shots where a character’s emotions are in flux, I sometimes add even more movement, using a “handheld camera” style, a technique employed not just by me, but by many other directors as well.

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