THE NEW VOYAGE
The Defense of Iscandar
After a reckless first encounter with the Dark Nebula Empire, Dessler arrives at Iscandar to protect the cascading planet. He faces off against a technologically superior enemy, valiantly defends the planet by acting as a physical barrier and frees up an opportunity for Starsha and Mamoru to escape together with Yamato’s aid.
In Ark of the Stars, Berger fills these shoes. The desperate defense and united front is self-explanatory, but the tactics deserve mention. Neredia and Vance (the Galunt missile pilot from 2199) stand in for Starsha and Mamoru. Berger puts himself in a position to be killed in order to buy time for Yamato to save them. But just like Dessler, he survives.
2205 sticks even closer in its depiction of this scene: Dessler positions his fleet on Iscandar’s seabank and defends against Admiral Deda of the Dark Nebula Empire. He urges Starsha to leave the planet, but she says she can’t because of the same blood curse the Garmillans suffer from. Before Iscandar and Dessler’s forces can be vanquished in one go, Yamato comes to the rescue. Scene adapted.
On a side note, two of Dietz’ soldiers in 2199 – Lance and Orto – show up on Dessler’s bridge in 2205. Or at least what could account for visual inspiration.
Defeating Space Fortress Goruba
To defeat the Goruba means to lay down your life. Nothing other than the destruction of Iscandar is powerful enough to stop it. Telling Mamoru she’ll evacuate with him, Starsha instead ejects her partner and daughter, then blows herself up. Yuki and Norran share this scene in 2199 Ep 23, where Norran takes Starsha’s role to blow up New Baleras before it destroys Yamato and Baleras.
After the original battle, the spirit of Starsha bids Mamoru farewell. This is reversed in 2199, where Starsha bids Mamoru’s spirit farewell.
BE FOREVER
Attack on the DNE supply outpost / Dagon vs Yamato pt II
On Yamato’s trip to the Dark Nebula, they encounter a supply outpost. It is discovered during a short recon mission by Kato’s younger brother, a role given to Shinohara in 2199. The base is massive, has a shielded dome and secret entryways to its shipyards. Kodai, Kato and others engage with it, find the secret passageway, destroy the domed shield, and coordinate an assault with Yamato to blow it up.
This was the go-to strategy to beat the Pluto base in 2199. Just… with a different Kato. This battle in 2199 merged with elements from Dagon’s Reflex Gun Base battle of Yamato III. How, you ask?
After discovering Dagon’s regional command base on Barnard 4, Yamato’s crew finds that it has a new and improved Satellite Reflex Gun. Kodai and the Cosmo Tigers head out to the icy wilderness in search of the guns themselves, then bring these down with Yamato’s help. They end up bringing down the underground ship docks as well.
Every scene with Dagon during this two-parter was echoed with Schulz in 2199, from his relationship with Göer and his XO to his inevitable and reluctant retreat from the base. The new and upgraded Reflex Gun Satellite from Yamato III also became the impetus for a technologically inferior upgrade, poached by Garmillan science slaves and forced into development and usage by Gatlantis in 2202.
In the first Yamato series, the Pluto sequence saw Kodai and crew physically infiltrating the Gamilas Reflex Gun base. 2199 chose to combine this scene with the DNE supply base attack from Be Forever to raise the stakes. The exploration of an icy planet was merged with the discovery of Kodai’s brother’s ship Yukikaze on Enceladus, rather than on Barnard 1.
This exploration arc was the “Pioneer Family” arc referred to in the Characters section. Something else Yamato III deals with is Kodai’s lack of faith in his skills as Captain. This later culminates in moments of utter despair in Final Yamato. 2202 picked up this element, building on Kodai’s tenure as Captain from Yamato 2 and integrating the stated elements from Yamato III and Final Yamato.
DNE Fleet battle and ambush
Inside the Dark Nebula, an ambush is laid for Yamato by Admiral Kazan. Camouflaged ships trick Yamato into a lightning-filled cave, patting themselves on the back for inviting it to certain doom. This same plan was hatched by Göer in 2199 Ep 25. There, he intends to trick Yamato into a recreation of Yamato III Ep 6.
In Be Forever, what proceeds inside the cave is a high stakes battle against several Gorubas. Their ultimate downfall is DNE commander Grotas’ insistence on bringing down Yamato even if their own ships are in the way. This creates a terrible chain reaction.
The pure-blood faction leader Zoellick employs a similar tactic at Balun in 2199 Ep 18, to equally poor success.
Yamato III
Dagon vs Ram: Border Exchange
In the first few episodes of Yamato III, Captain Ram of Bolar Federation’s planet Berth fights an extended battle with Dagon of Galman-Gamilas over control of a contested piece of Bolar Federation territory in the Milky Way. Dagon’s the expeditionary commander, whereas Ram is the border defender.
Curiously enough, this battle was adapted in 2199 Ep 11, with Domel filling the shoes of both commanders. In skill and personality, he definitely takes after Dagon. But defending his empire’s border against what he considers barbarian enemies – meaning Dagarm’s lower caste Gatlantean expeditionary forces – was a role originally belonging to Ram.
That said, there’s nothing to say that the fake Gatlanteans under Sabera’s employ during 2199 can’t be pirates who left the Bolar Federation. In fact, based on their new greenish skin color chosen for 2205, which is more in line with the skin color of the people from Planet Berth, this seems more likely than you might think.
Dagon vs Ram & Yamato
After a multitude of skirmishes between Dagon and Ram, Ram is defeated after being tricked and ambushed. During this battle, Dagon enjoys a cup of wine, surprised to hear that the ships he abandoned failed to beat Yamato. “It’s a fearsome ship.”
Yamato decides to take part in the war against the Galmans, attempting to avenge Ram by beating Dagon. Terrified of Yamato’s tactical prowess, he orders his ships to shield his escape. His XO tells him that a commander shouldn’t abandon his soldiers on the front line, but Dagon simply responds with, “Do you want to die?” They leave the scene as one of his ships attempts a kamikaze run at Yamato. “Long live Dessler!”
In 2199, Göer’s the one who abuses Varus Lang’s warrior code, destroying his ship in an unethical move. Baffled at the infighting, Yamato proceeds to engage with Göer’s fleet while steadily retreating, until the black hole leading into the Sargasso of space starts pulling in Göer’s ship. This causes Göer and his XO to recreate Dagon’s moment of tactical cowardice. Göer survives.
The wine drinking was shifted to Dessler, musing on Yamato’s apparent strength in light of the Zaltsian commander Schulz’ failure to safeguard the Pluto base. The actual battle portion was integrated in Yamato’s battle at the floating content in 2199 Ep 3. The suicidal commander who died to shield Dagon’s escape was paid homage in two scenes: Yaretora successfully covering for Schulz’ escape from the Pluto base and Schulz’ death in pursuit of Yamato in 2199 Ep 8; where his crew yell out “Glory to Zaltz!” in their dying moments.
Other elements of this battle were utilized in Göer’s ambush in 2199 Ep 10, the missile exchange between Yamato and Domel in Ep 15, and the coordinated laser fire on Yamato at Balun in 2199 Ep 18.
Dagon’s Forces vs Yamato: An Infiltration
After Dagon’s untimely retreat, a lone ship manages to force its way inside Yamato. Soldiers pour in by the dozens, attempting to bring it down from the inside. Deadly battles erupt in the cafeteria and engine room. Barricades are set up, and DIY mounted guns are put on wheels. In the struggle for survival, Hajime Hirata loses his life in front of Domon’s eyes, and Domon makes his first kill. What follows is a burial at sea, for every man and woman who fell in battle. They’re given full honors and salutes.
This was adapted in three parts for 2199. First there’s the space burial, an honor granted to all soldiers who fell in the Rainbow Star Cluster battle against Domel in 2199 Ep 20. This included enemy crew. Secondly, there’s Domon’s first hands-on experience killing another person. This heartbreaking scene was shifted to Norran in 2199 Ep 21, when he killed one of his own people in order to protect Yuki. Based on his response, we can infer that it was the first life he’s taken.
Lastly, there’s 2199 Ep 25. Dessler himself sets up a situation where he and his soldiers violently board Yamato. His goal? To meet Yamato’s Captain, the man he considers responsible for destroying his carefully-constructed utopian dreams.
What proceeds matches Yamato III. Deadly battles erupt, this time in Yamato’s hangar and engine room. Barricades are set up, DIY mounted guns are put on wheels. In the struggle, the engineers Toyama and Iwata fall prey to enemy fire, deeply upsetting their superior officer, Isami Enomoto. Yamato’s crew win this battle in the nick of time, forcing Dessler to retreat.
Dagon vs Yamato part III: Dagon’s Demise
In a stormy star cluster, Yamato prepares to face off in a final battle against Dagon. He sends Dolcia torpedo bombers and flying wing fighters with the SMITE system to mess up Yamato’s hangar bay. Since Yamato still stands, Dagon recognizes that the ship’s becoming a real problem.
Yamato then uses a large asteroid for cover, hiding inside it. Amused, Dagon eventually finds the ship, activating his twin-disk ship’s towing beam. His aim? To pull Yamato into a black hole. But Yamato decides to fire at it, providing the hole’s entrance with enough energy to pull Dagon into his own demise. Upon hearing of Dagon’s death, Gaidel’s at first surprised. But then he gives a toast to a portrait of Dessler, praising Yamato’s skills and vowing to defeat it for his leader.
These familiar factors were – as with many Yamato III battles – spread evenly throughout 2199. The space storm present in the star cluster? The tactical usage of Dolcia and Galunt (flying wing) ships with aid from the SMITE system? That’s in 2199 Ep 20, the Rainbow Star Cluster battle.
Yamato hiding inside a large asteroid to avoid battle with Dagon? That was shifted to Yamato’s battle with Frakken in 2199 Ep 13. Yamato being towed into a black hole? In 2199 Ep 10, Varus Lang towed Yamato OUT of a black hole-like fissure, using the same kind of towing beams.
Gaidel toasting Dessler’s portrait after commending Yamato’s skill in battle? This scene was given to Dessler in 2199 Ep 8, where he tells his men to offer Yamato a toast in anticipation for which manner of death it would choose: To burn inside the Barnard Star or be swallowed by deadly gas. After surviving their deadly predicament – resulting in Schulz’ death – Dessler swallows his words and commends the ship’s efforts.
The battle between Talan and Yamato is inspired by the Aquarius ocean battle from Final Yamato, but more on that in its section.
Excursion at Planet Phantom
Major details from the “Locations” portion aside, there’s still more to Phantom that’s been utilized in the reboot.
Planet Phantom was a living planet, capable of producing illusions by manipulating human senses. There, scenes, locations and figures from the past come to haunt its visitors. After its ruse is up, Captain Gustav of Galman-Gamilas kills the planet out of fear and duty, on Dessler’s orders.
The elation felt by Yamato’s crew at finally finding a seemingly Earth-like planet was transferred to 2199’s arrival at Iscandar, with Kodai filling Okita’s shoes as the one to deliver the good news. Beemela received its planetary design, with lush green pastures. The subsequent call to Todo happened once Yamato returned to the Solar System.
During this arc, Takeshi Ageha is initially tricked by Princess Ruda to enter the planet’s true core. This plum role was given to Klim Melch in Ark, when he’s tricked by Loerelei. But this arc also plays into the Jirel storyline from 2199. Out of fear, Garmillas sought out, persecuted and annihilated the Jirel race’s homeworld. Presumably to the same degree as they annihilated Alteria in 2199 and Phantom in Yamato III.
Jirels – close descendants of ancient Akerius – can manipulate the senses of humans to produce illusions, at least when paired up with the right ancient Akerian equipment. Scenes from the past coming back to haunt Yamato’s crew are adapted in 2199 Ep 14. This is further explored with more overt connections to planet Phantom in Ark. (And lest we forget the original “space witch,” there is also Leiji Matsumoto’s 1976 side story manga, Eternal Story of Jura.)
Finally, there’s Ruda’s part in the story. The bigger connections are explored in her Character profile, so I’ll stick with briefly mentioning a tidbit worth keeping in mind as the reboot carries on: Yurisha’s narrative connection with Princess Ruda is no mere coincidence. Her appearance, features, mannerisms, hairstyle and the like are already covered. But what about her origins?
In a short scene in 2199 Ep 14, the Jirel witch Mirenel probes Yurisha’s mind. In a rare occurrence, we see a young Yurisha Iscandar, having the same thick and brown hair as Yuria Misaki. She’s running around ancient ruins of marble pillars, clearly harkening back to the Athenian aesthetic of planet Shalbart from Yamato III. This connection was hinted at early on, with Yuria receiving Ruda’s hair color whilst Yurisha received Ruda’s hairstyle. There’s also Yuria’s apparent ability to experience and observe the supernatural.
As Mirenel probes Yurisha’s mind, she can’t believe what she’s seeing. In 2199, we are led to believe this is because she recognizes Yurisha to be from Iscandar… but what if she recognizes this other connection; that she’s Ruda from Shalbart? Or perhaps Mother Shalbart?
Reminder: The Yamato reboot firmly established that all alien beings under the human umbrella come from the same genetic pool. This is why Yuki/Yurisha, Gantz/Yabu and Meria/Mikage all look the same and share each other’s voice actors. This Yurisha origin revelation could perhaps hint at some genetic change to Yurisha’s appearance, maybe to hide her from evil actors seeking to abuse her powers?
2205 establishes that Mother Shalbart – or Ruda – might exist in this world. If so, would it be so strange for Starsha to have taken this princess with her in the past, changing her genetic makeup by using the Yuki base and shielding her from let’s say… the Dark Nebula Empire or the Bolar Federation?
This is pure speculation, so take it with a grain of salt. But all of this would help explain where this new “third” sister of Iscandar came from, why she has an affinity for both Yuria and Yuki, why she fills Ruda’s role from Yamato III in 2199 and shares her looks. Perhaps Yuria’s not even an Earthling herself…
Ever notice how different Yurisha is to her sisters Sasha and Starsha? Her face, eyes, speech pattern, mannerisms and even the style and color of her hair are all different. Her hair is thick and curly, not long and flat. She talks and acts like a child. She has… an odd connection to Yuria Misaki, whose hairstyle and mannerisms change to resemble Yurisha when possessed. And like Ruda, Misaki’s hair is thick and brown, but without the curls which Ruda imparted to Yurisha.
In that case, is Yuria – a girl from Earth who apparently can see ghosts and be possessed by Yurisha – Ruda Shalbart? But how can that be?
In Age of Yamato, a Bolar-looking spaceship is revealed to have been found over three decades ago, crashed on Mars. This ship is what ultimately gives the migrated Earthlings on Mars the technological bump needed to create their own fleet of warships with which to fight Earth.
2205 reveals that somewhere within the Milky Way lies planet Galman, heavily occupied by the Bolar Federation. Galman worships Mother Shalbart, a religious icon said to have ruled the universe 1,000 years ago in the original timeline. In 2199, this lore was given to the Iscandarians, but without a timestamp for their rule.
Perhaps the next ruler of Shalbart (an ancestor of Yuria’s) was being transported to a penal colony, just like Ruda was in Yamato III, only to crash on Earth, like the Bolar ship did on Mars? Maybe as far back as 1947, creating the Roswell incident in New Mexico? Speculation is endless at this point.
What is known, however, is that Yurisha and Yuria have a bond in name, appearance and their connection to the supernatural. Yurisha’s mannerisms, mixed with the image of her young self, suggests that she’s still that small Ruda-looking girl on the inside, carrying a masked older appearance JUST like Sasha in Be Forever. Maybe Starsha took in Yurisha shortly before the start of 2199, shielding her from the Bolars by changing her appearance? The possibilities are endless!
Final Yamato
Battle of Saturn
While the EDF escort a batch of refugee ships past Saturn, Dengil battleships warp in to do battle with them. After some losses, Earth’s WMG fleet fires a coordinated WMG strike at the enemy. While this does some damage, other Dengil ships arrive to penetrate the EDF ship’s hulls with hyper radiation missiles. One of them penetrates through a bridge, depicting its crew’s horrifying end. With the situation getting grimmer by the second, Captain Mizutani escapes with only seven other ships left under his command. To Mars. There, they regroup with Yamato.
Most details about this battle are featured in Mizutani’s Character Profile, so I’ll omit them. 2202 decided to merge Farewell’s Battle of Saturn with Final Yamato’s Battle of Saturn, while adding some unique elements.
Captain Ozaki of the Enceladus Defense Force commands a reconnaissance troop, waiting for Gatlantis to warp out at Saturn. When they arrive, the fleets exchange fire. The EDF ships are under-equipped and outnumbered. A ship’s bridge is penetrated by an Eater-I ship, depicting what was previously described.
But for 2202, this outnumbered force was a purposeful strategy meant to lull Gatlantis Admiral Baruze into a false sense of security. In warps Captain Yamanami’s WMG-fleet, firing off their own version of the WMG volley. Ozaki and his remaining ships retreat, presumably to be repaired at the temporary shipyard at Mars.
Battle of Mars and Earth’s Shipyards
While Mizutani and his forces limp away from Saturn in disgrace, Dengil’s advance fleet annihilates Earth’s military strongholds and shipyards. Some time after this, Mizutani and his forces regroup with Yamato at Mars. He pledges complete support. Together, they engage in battle with the incoming enemy.
Kodai and Kato lead the charge in their Cosmo Tigers. What proceeds is a devastating fighter and fleet battle, ending with Kodai’s fighter damaged and drifting off toward Yamato. In spite of Kato’s best efforts to thwart a missile barrage, one Hyper-Radiation Missile breaks through, with Yamato as its target! That’s when an officer under Mizutani positions his ship in front of Yamato, to defend it. He goes down with a salute.
A red smoke-filled haze now stretches across the battlefield. Dengil’s forces feign retreat, giving the Mars Front the courage to start evacuating survivors. Most are gunned down by a hidden strike force, which then retreats for real. This enrages Kodai, who promptly heads out on a suicidal reconnaissance mission. It leads into his previously-discussed flight with Yuki.
2202 split this battle into many parts. The destruction of Earth’s shipyards was merged with the Gatlantis Earth invasion element from Farewell, depicted near the end of Ep 23. The disgraceful attack on wounded/refugees is carried out by the anti-Dessler insurgent group at Stravase in Eps 8 & 9. The duty of an officer who puts himself in a position to be killed – to save his commander – is split between Shuntarou Yasuda at Saturn in Ep 18 and Kozo Tani at Mars in Ep 21. The former gets to salute; the latter gets to presumably outlive his Farewell origins, based on Aldebaran’s apparent survival.
Once Gatlantis warps away from Jupiter, the collective UNCF retreat from Saturn to Mars is carried out in Ep 20, right after Gatlantis makes its (planned) second-to-last warp. The close-quarters cockpit battle that follows, with Kato at its forefront, comes in the second half of Ep 19. Kato fills Kodai’s reckless and suicidal shoes, receives his fighter damage and drifts across the red hazy battlefield.
An amalgam of Goland’s missiles and Teresa’s antimatter and Dengil’s Hyper-Radiation Missiles became 2202’s anti-matter “Arrow of Destruction” missiles.
Battle of Aquarius
After arriving at Aquarius, Yamato finds a strange Dengilian power plant. It’s sapping energy from Aquarius’ precious source of life! This energy is what powers their Hyper-Radiation Missiles. From the bridge, Kodai and Sanada take note of Uruk, The Dengilian people’s floating fortress. Suddenly, missiles travel at breakneck speed above the water’s surface, heading for Yamato. In a daring move, Yamato rides the wave, dodging the incoming fire. It leaves Aquarius’ atmosphere with Lugal De Zahl in hot pursuit.
Damaged and in dire straits, Yamato is faced with the difficult decision of annihilating a minor planetary group with its WMG in order to defeat De Zahl. With no remorse, Okita carries out the order. The WMG smashes through a planetoid, burning most of De Zahl’s ships to a crisp, but fails to destroy its intended target. De Zahl limps back to Uruk with Yamato in pursuit. Once there, his father rejects him, signaling that he’s failed his own kind by the weakness of his own warrior spirit. Fear in battle resulted in failure. And so, De Zahl’s disposed of, much to his own dismay.
2202 adapted this scene in three parts. Episode one committed the immoral act of blasting a WMG through a planet to defeat the enemy, but gave it to Yamanami and his Andromeda. Like with De Zahl however, the biggest ship survives the onslaught and promptly retreats. Only this time, toward Earth. This begins a recreation of a Be Forever scene.
Ep 13 then explored the Dengilian energy-absorption plants. Gatlantis employs them on Telezart’s artificial protective rockbed, sapping the planet of its antimatter to power their “Arrows of Destruction” missiles.
Later on – after Dessler’s arrival in episodes 14+15 – Yamato’s locked in a skirmish with Ghader Talan on Telezart’s watery surface. This scene pays homage to Yamato’s wave riding, but ultimately ends like Yamato III’s 15th episode does: With Yamato’s capture.
The death of De Zahl? Carried over both conceptually and literally to Admiral Mazer in Ep 11. Instead of Mazer’s father being the one to carry out the execution, it’s Dessler on behest of Gatlantis’ spiritual father, Zordar.
Battle of Uruk
After being pulled down by Uruk’s Neutrino Beam, Yamato crash lands onto its scorched rockbed. While they’re down for the count, Uruk prepares to make its final warp with Aquarius, but is temporarily thwarted.
After a fierce battle with Lugal and his mechanical horses, Kodai and Kato coordinate a Cosmo Tiger attack on the warp core. They succeed. Shima, wounded and dying, longs to see his kid brother again. But deep down, he knows he never will. In exchange for slowly bleeding out, his skills allow Yamato’s hangar to open up, letting Kodai and his squadron successfully launch.
By using the ship’s anchors, he manages to straighten Yamato. That’s when Uruk attempts to warp Aquarius again. Sanada posits that there’s probably a sub-control system inside Lugal’s throne room. Kodai and Kato gather some pilots to infiltrate it.
Upon entering it, they’re greeted by a giant demon statue. That’s when they’re ambushed by dozens of soldiers, and they have the high ground! Kato asks Kodai to leave this to him. He nods, then dashes to Lugal’s inner sanctum. On the way he meets up with the Dengil Boy, who guides him across the walkway that leads to Lugal.
He confronts the Emperor. Kodai begs him to reconsider his decision to flood Earth with Aquarius, to cooperate and live together in peace. That’s when Lugal raises his gun at Kodai, telling him that peace comes through exerting power, by pulling the trigger on your enemies. Finding it difficult to argue against this without hypocritically aiming his own trigger at Lugal, Kodai panics, unsure of what to do. Before he can make the mistake of pulling out his gun, the Dengil Boy shows up, taking a bullet for Kodai. What happens next is described in the Dengil Boy’s Character Profile.
2202 adapted this battle in five stages. Episode 12 sets up Gatlantis’ ability to drag down ships with its artificial atmosphere. The crash landing occurs in Episodes 18+19, ending with Yamato lodged in Zemulia’s scorched earth.
In Episode 21, Andromeda Kai, Ginga, and their respective Captains engage in a fierce battle with Gatlantis, desperate to shut down its gravitational energy core and save Yamato. This succeeds, evidently denying Gatlantis the opportunity to make its final warp to Earth, slowing it down. They manage to escape Zemulia’s subsequent destruction with the help of Andromeda Kai’s rocket anchors.
Fast-forward to Episode 24. Kodai, Kato, Keyman, Akira, Nagakura and Saito coordinate a combined Cosmo Tiger/Space Cavalry assault on Zordar’s control room. Kato’s finally regained his desire to live and better himself as a father and a human being. All he wants is to see his son Tsubasa and his wife Makoto again. That’s when he’s wounded by Razera’s giant Eater-I ship. Bemoaning his fate, he decides to go out in style, giving his life like Shima does in Final Yamato.
This is when Kodai and Yamamoto reach the control room. Zordar confronts them, pitying the futility of their resistance. A group of mechanical Needleslaves fires at the pair. With a quick nod, Akira tells Kodai to move on without her, that she’ll cover him. He heads up to the second floor, crosses the walkway and confronts Zordar.
But now we have to go back to Episode 23. The actual Lugal confrontation is set between Kodai and Miru, Zordar’s clone son. Miru’s stance that trigger-pulling is mankind’s fate as long as they love and want to protect others. Keyman’s split-second decision to not pull the trigger on his Uncle Abelt in exchange for Garmillas and Earth’s safety once Kodai stops him… These elements originate from the Lugal throne room sequence.
The hellish red backdrop and even some of the cinematography originate from Alphon’s confrontation with Yuki in Be Forever. More on that in Alphon’s Character Profile.
Confronting Lugal, Shima’s Death and Okita’s Farewell
After infiltrating Uruk’s throne room with Shiro Kato’s help, witnessing the splendor of Uruk’s history, Kodai makes his way to Lugal’s inner sanctum. He urges for peace and an end to all hostilities between their two kindred people, but Lugal refuses; peace is for the weak. After reasserting his might-makes-right mantra, he aims his gun at Kodai, intending to kill. Kodai, unable to face the hypocrisy of praying for peace with a trained gun, has difficulties facing Lugal. That’s when the Emperor’s son, the Dengil Boy, jumps in front of Kodai.
He’s shot, much to everyone’s shock. “How can you claim to be human?” Kodai asks with tears in his eyes. Before confronting his own sin, Lugal escapes on an evacuation craft, then commits to the difficult choice of destroying his own home in order to end Yamato.
2202 split the throne room sequence between five episodes. The death of the young rookie pilot Jiro Tsurumi in Episode 14 took thematic, narrative and directorial inspiration from the death of the Dengil Boy. He asks his senior, Akira, if what he did would be seen as a good thing. She urges him not to talk, and that’s when he repeats one of the many classic Yamato mantras about fate, and how Akira’s destined to survive this war.
2202 Episode 24 depicts the throne room infiltration and its sad conclusion. Aiding Kodai on his way in is Kato, filling the shoes of Shiro Kato. Just like his Farewell predecessor however, he dies while airborne, leaving Akira to fill his shoes as Kodai’s right-hand (wo)man when infiltrating the throne room. The scene’s layout, individual lines of dialogue and the general progression follow Final Yamato to a tee. After crossing the bridge leading to Zordar’s throne, Kodai confronts him with gun in hand.
Zordar’s goal in 2202 is to remake mankind into a sturdier, loveless species, capable of surviving the heartache of loss. In a way, he subverts Lugal’s might-makes-right mantra by giving it a soap opera coat of paint. Instead of denouncing Zordar’s humanity, Kodai affirms it. Before cooler heads can prevail, however, Zordar’s clone father Gairen is shot by accident while trying to defend Zordar. He becomes the third allegorical Dengil Boy of this tragedy, but again acts as a subversion of the classics: The old protecting the young.
Zordar, unlike Lugal, admits to his own humanity, then moves to kill his own race by activating 2202’s version of the Hyperon Bomb: Golem. Prior to this in Episode 21, Zordar activates a kill switch for his own homeworld of Zemulia to stop Yamato. Just like Lugal, he bears full witness to the destruction of his own kind later on in Episode 24, bearing the same stone cold expression. Unlike Lugal however, Zordar chooses his own fate: He becomes one with the Ark of Destruction, 2202’s version of the White Comet. Any visual resemblance to Lugal’s original death can be seen in Razera’s brutal demise, if one squints hard enough.
Episode 21 depicts the destruction of Zemulia (Uruk) at the hands of Zordar (Lugal) in order to stop Yamato’s advance and to counter their idealistic notions of love (might makes right) and what it means to be human. This leads to a riveting Yamato departure sequence, its orange hue from Final Yamato fully transferred to 2202.
Back to Final Yamato; Shima’s bleeding out at the helm. He has a secret to share: he always loved Yuki. While he would have loved to pursue his own quest for love, he’d rather the woman he loves live out the rest of her life with the man she loves. He dies peacefully, knowing Kodai and Yuki will live happily ever after as a result of his sacrifice. Kodai promises to keep Yuki safe and to make her happy.
2199 decided to shift Shima’s secret crush on Yuki to Nanbu, allowing the same reveal to happen gradually and naturally during the course of the series. Come Episode 23, he practically confesses, begging Kodai to find Yuki and to make her happy. Unlike Shima, Nanbu survives, because he was also given the task of reenacting Domon’s act of saving Galman-Gamilas from Yamato III.
In Final Yamato, Captain Okita invites Kodai to his cabin for yet another farewell. Kodai realizes the Captain’s plan: sacrifice Yamato and its alien fuel gathered at Aquarius prior to save Earth. But he won’t let Kodai join him. “If you die, who will take care of Yuki? You have someone who relies on you now.” He then lays down some more wisdom, telling the boy that dying isn’t in itself a responsible thing, but living on is. After Kodai leaves, Okita reminisces about his own unknown sins as Captain, coming to the conclusion that an old war dog like him has no reason to live on in a world of peace. The age of soldiers is over.
Episodes 22 and 23 combined the setting for Kodai’s confrontation with Dessler in Yamato 2, with the style and substance behind the confrontation between Yuki and Lt. Alphon in Be Forever, finally mixing it in with Kodai’s confrontation with Lugal in Final Yamato.
Yuki got to fulfill her own Farewell role as the recipient of wounds, while at the same time becoming the series’ first true-to-his-fate Dengil Boy to cross our first allegorical Lugal (Miru) and Kodai, who fills his own shoes. Kodai urges for peace, but is literally almost shot down. Unlike Lugal, Miru ends up changing his mind, but is accidentally shot to death… just like the Dengil Boy.
Finally, there’s Okita’s pep talk with Kodai. Since Okita’s dead in 2202, and likely to stay dead according to Writer Harutoshi Fukui, there were few moments of spiritual connection between him and Kodai. Some scenes took bits from Farewell, others took inspiration from Final Yamato.
But Kodai being confronted with the fact that he can’t lunge into danger while being responsible for Yuki? That scene was shifted to Shima and Kodai in Episode 2.
The no-responsibility-in-dying message? Passed on from Hijikata to Yamanami in Episode 21.
Okita’s desire to die for the sake of the peace to come? This is expressed by Yamanami in that very same episode, as he heads to his own death. Thankfully, he survives.
Yamato vs Dezarium / Yamato vs The Bolar Federation and Bemlayze / Yamato vs Uruk and Lugal
Be Forever: Yamato faces off against the heavy armor Grodez-class ships of the Dezarium army. According to the fate Lord Skaldart showed Yamato’s crew, they are sure to perish in this battle. But Yamato crushes fate with her newly-upgraded WMG, grinding down both the attacking ships and the fake outer shell of the Dezarium.
Skaldart reveals his true self by ripping off his face mask. He wasn’t human. And the Dezarium was no planet Earth. Lord Skaldart believes that a set fate can never change. Mankind is doomed to repeat the past. Perhaps this event proves him wrong. The reveal of Dezarium’s true nature shocks the crew, with Sanada pointing out its metallic and alien artificiality. Skaldart promises to activate the Hyperon Bomb, effectively threatening to end mankind as we know it!
Yamato III: before Yamato can fire the Hydro Cosmogen (their new weapon of peace acquired at planet Shalbart) at the Sun to save it from a premature death, the Bolar Federation’s President Bemlayze attacks! He fires a “Black Hole Bomb” at the ship, promising its crew a swift and painless death. At Kodai’s behest, Shima manages to ride Yamato through the thick of the storm, steering clear from any major damage. That’s when ships of an “unknown nationality” appear from all sides to aid Yamato. They’re from Galman-Gamilas.
Eventually, thanks to their help, Yamato gets an opportunity to fire the Cosmogen. But this time Kodai won’t fire it alone: Yuki’s at his side, pulling the trigger with him. Thus, Earth and the Sun are saved. But not before brave new warriors of Yamato, Ageha and Domon, have laid their lives on the line to save Earth. Domon gives his life to make sure the Hydro Cosmogen would work. Ageha gives his life to stop Bemlayze.
Final Yamato: crippled and outgunned, Yamato’s quickly surrounded on all sides by Lugal’s forces as it positions itself to protect Earth. Before the finishing blow is dealt, ships of known nationality appear to aid Yamato. They’re from Galman-Gamilas. Eventually, thanks to Dessler’s help, Yamato gets an opportunity to stop the water planet Aquarius from flooding Earth.
After Lugal’s death at the hands of Dessler, Captain Okita stops Aquarius by firing the WMG, tearing Yamato apart.
These scenes were rearranged and explored in 2199 Ep 24 and 2202 Ep 12+13+24. Each scene is paid visual and narrative homage in various ways.
Be Forever: The general scene progression follows the same direction and conclusion in 2202 as the Dezarium reveal, depicting Yamato breaking the outer shell of the White Comet, along with its escorting fleet, with its upgraded Transition WMG. Like Skaldart, Zordar muses over whether or not this too is fate, as does Captain Hijikata, who fills in for Yamanami. The comet’s broken Akerian visage rears its ugly head, tentacles and all. A screaming woman brings it in, but at different moments in 2202.
Farewell / Yamato III / Final Yamato: That’s when the Garmillan navy shows up to aid Yamato, escorting it inside the White Comet. Filling in for Dessler and his white rose in Final Yamato are Frakken, Berger and Burrel. Dessler’s already provided support in spirit by gifting his Gatlantean/Garmillan hybrid ship the Nue Deusula – its design eerily reminiscent of Dessler’s flagship from Final Yamato. But the White Comet isn’t brought down easily. Many lives are lost, most importantly (for this comparison) Keyman, who gives his life in the same manner Ageha does: By ramming his fighter into the enemy’s core, for the sake of protecting the love of his life. More on that in Alphon’s character profile.
Be Forever: After they infiltrate the comet and Zordar’s throne room, a twist to the original tale and Final Yamato occurs: Zordar accepts that he’s human; like Kodai, rather than the opposite; like Skaldart. Zordar believes that mankind’s fate to hurt and be hurt by love can never change; that mankind is doomed to repeat its past. But according to Teresa, there is no set fate. Fate can change as bonds affect the flow of time. He was proven wrong.
Bonus facts: The Yamato III scene where Shima and Kodai ride the wave out of the Black Hole bomb was shifted to 2202 Episode 11, where Kodai urges Shima to do that very same thing out of an Akerian space sausage; itself a callback to Yamato 2.
The shock and awe at seeing Dezarium’s true nature was first paid homage to in Ark, where Akira fills in for Sanada upon the reveal of the Celestial Ark’s true form.
Yamato III’s Cosmogen scene was given some love in 2202 Eps 13 and 21. In Ep 13 Yamato’s WMG shot became a support group session to pep Kodai. (After Okita’s promise to never abuse Wave-Motion energy was broken by the Earth Federation government, Kodai had difficulties firing the gun on his own.)
In 2202 Ep 21, Yamanami’s given a chance to redeem his failure at the Battle of Saturn, allowing his Andromeda Kai to be filled with the vibrantly golden energy of Ginga’s CRS System; itself based on the Hydro Cosmogen.
One could even make a compelling argument that the Cosmogen firing at Earth’s Sun became the principal inspiration behind Yamato’s strategy at the 11th planet in 2202 Ep 7, where they shot the WMG at a Garmillan artificial sun to EMP the occupying Gatlantean task force. This comparison holds more weight when we factor in the artifical sun’s origin. More on that in the Minor Details section of this article series.
Needless to say, 2202’s final confrontation takes major inspiration from Farewell, too.