Can you learn how to live from Susumu Kodai?

About Love

•The futility of battle

The theme of Yamato is neither battle nor the future. It is love.

A young man, Susumu Kodai, is a vibrant, honest, and pure soul. He awakens to “love” and nurtures it. This is the basic theme that runs consistently through Yamato Part 1 and Part 2.

At the end of Part 1, Yamato finally wins the battle against Gamilas. However, Kodai is not so pleased with his victory.

“I don’t want to fight anymore. Humans must love each other.”

The futility of fighting and killing each other can only be understood by those who have actually fought. Kodai finally learned this through a series of painful battles. He also witnessed a new beginning for his brother Mamoru and Starsha on the planet Iscandar.

The beautiful, enchanting expressions on their faces made Kodai deeply feel that “everything begins with love.”

•Growing Love

Why did Kodai decide to go back to the battle, after realizing the futility of fighting in Part I? It is because his love has grown even larger.

Angered by the politicians on Earth who turn a blind eye to the misfortunes of other planets, Kodai said, “The misery of any planet in the universe is the misery of the people of Earth! Peace and happiness in the universe, that is the true realization of hope!”

At first, human “love” is directed toward those closest to us. Gradually, it grows and expands to include maternal love, love for one’s hometown, love for one’s people, and love for humanity. The more love spreads, the less fighting there is. There have been many cases in which the clash between ethnic love has triggered wars. To overcome this, an even greater love of humanity was necessary.

Kodai’s love has reached a level of “cosmic love” that is broader and deeper than the love of mankind.

•A woman’s love

Yuki Mori, Kodai’s lover, is an ordinary girl, just like Kodai is an ordinary young man. She longs for peace and happiness, even if it is just a little. She wants to build a happy family.

But Kodai sacrifices his own happiness for the sake of cosmic love, and once again heads off to battle. At that moment, Yuki couldn’t say anything. She could have cried and begged, “Don’t go!” and Kodai might have decided not to go into battle. But Yuki knew how Kodai felt.

Love — it starts with caring for the other person’s heart!

Unable to stop Kodai’s actions, Yuki joined him on Yamato. Everyone has experienced the feeling of wanting to be near a loved one. In the end, it was this desire that led to Yuki’s death.

Did her love go astray? No, it did not. Kodai was also fully aware of Yuki’s feelings. His only regret must have been that he could not fulfill her small wish. With her corpse by his side, he said, “This is our honeymoon.” It was Kodai’s love for the universe in action, and at the same time, it was his way of repaying Yuki’s love for him.

These two people, merely dust in the cosmos, looked so beautiful shining in the vastness of the universe, showing us that love is something to devote one’s whole being to. We need to reconsider this.

About Courage

Rushing forward, dodging the missile fire of the enemy, must be an act of courage. But the important thing to remember is that you should not confuse courage with mere recklessness.

It is said that a boxer becomes truly strong when he knows fear. When you know fear, mere recklessness matures into true courage. Reckless people do not act calmly. They just rush in with gusto. Of course, that rarely brings victory. Only true courage will allow us to make calm decisions and overcome crises.

Kodai’s victory in several battles is a testament to true courage.

About Friendship

Kodai catches the message from Planet Telezart and disobeys the command center’s orders to launch Yamato. At that time, his friends came to him one after another. It was a dazzling and captivating scene.

The bond between Kodai and his friends is strong because their friendships have been forged in adversity. A happy friendship can be formed quickly. But a friendship that is just a lot of fun and noise can be easily broken.

They have helped and comforted each other in the midst of frustration and sorrow. It is only when we have a solid friendship that we can see the true light of life. How powerful and joyful it would be to have a friend like that. Do you have even one such friend?

Dessler’s role in Yamato Part I and Part II is also significant. He was Kodai’s nemesis and rival. What was the result of their battle? On the verge of death, Dessler said, “Tell the people of Yamato, although I have been allied with the Comet Empire, my heart is much closer to yours. Fight, Kodai!”

“Dessler!” Kodai shouts.

“With Yamato, there are many ways to fight. Aim for the central core of the white comet’s vortex. Yamato will win this battle…I wish you success!”

There was no longer any hatred between them. They had fought each other with all their might and were now praising each other.

The human heart is a mysterious and wonderful thing. Even in the midst of such a fierce battle, a kind of “love” called “friendship” emerges…

About a teacher

In the course of a long life, one may encounter several people who are far superior to oneself. If not, it’s safe to say that it was due to excessive pride.

You should cherish those encounters, because that person is your “teacher.” Not your school teacher, so to speak, but a teacher of your own choosing. In such a situation, you should listen to even the slightest words of that person, and pay attention to even the smallest gesture. Only then will you learn something important from them.

For Susumu Kodai, Juzo Okita was his mentor. His courage and wisdom never wavered in the face of any crisis. And deep love. Kodai absorbed these things as if he were devouring them.

But there comes a time when one must overcome one’s teacher, because your life and your teacher’s life are two different things. And one has to progress further. Okita’s death was a natural hurdle for Kodai to overcome. Kodai had to grow beyond Okita and become a better soldier.

Of course, things are rocky for Kodai and he has to try hard. But in the last scene of Farewell to Yamato, he heard Okita’s voice, which was also Kodai’s own voice. When he rushed toward the enemy battleship as the captain with Yuki by his side, Kodai was able to surpass his mentor Juzo Okita for the first time.