Wasn’t Leiji Matsumoto the original author of Space Battleship Yamato?
Bringing the Battleship Yamato back to life is a historic achievement in anime history.
by Kou Aokage
Posted on Realsound September 6. See the original article here.
The new Space Battleship Yamato film, REBEL 3199 Chapter 4, will be released on October 10th.
Space Battleship Yamato first aired in 1974. At the time, anime was dominated by robot stories and children’s entertainment, but Yamato was different. Earth is contaminated with radiation, and with only one year left until the extinction of humanity, the only hope is to retrieve a radiation removal device from the planet Iscandar, 148,000 light-years away. It was an epic and serious story about a group of young people who boarded a space battleship modified from the Yamato and embarked on a desperate battle and journey.
While the series wasn’t a huge success in terms of ratings, due in part to the fact that Heidi Girl of the Alps, popular with children and families, aired at the same time. But its popularity exploded with reruns and a film adaptation. It overturned the conventional wisdom that “anime is just for children” and sparked the anime boom that followed. Isao Sasaki’s theme song is still sung today.
Furthermore, a complete remake, Yamato 2199, was released in 2012. While based on the original, it had a modern sci-fi setting and character portrayals, and added female characters and a political background, attracting a new generation of fans. The subsequent remake series has made Yamato more than just a nostalgic work; it is a story that continues to evolve.
Why has Yamato enjoyed such long-lasting popularity? The first reason is that the story is universal. The premise of “one year left until the extinction of humanity” and “a journey for survival” resonates with viewers of all ages, and the themes of sacrifice and hope resonate with people of all ages, from students to working adults.
The second is the power of the visuals. The idea of the battleship Yamato soaring through space is powerful, and the fact that Yamato, a symbol of defeat that penetrated the postwar consciousness of Japanese people, was reborn as a “ship of hope” held special significance, especially for the postwar generation.
The third reason is the constant updating of the series through remakes. By preserving the nostalgia of the original for longtime fans, while updating the depictions to suit new audiences, it has become a rare series that can be enjoyed by two generations, parents and children, and even grandchildren.
By the way, many people think of Yamato as “Leiji Matsumoto’s masterpiece.” However, Space Battleship Yamato was actually an original television anime series planned by producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, along with screenwriter Keisuke Fujikawa and science-fiction author Aritsune Toyota. Matsumoto joined the project after it was well underway, and initially only worked on art design. However, his subsequent involvement was extremely important, and it can be said that he was almost single-handedly responsible for determining Yamato‘s look and feel, including the design that brought Yamato to life as a space battleship, the character designs for Susumu Kodai, Captain Okita, and Yuki Mori, and the visual realization of the Gamilas Empire and the outer space world.
In addition, Matsumoto serialized the manga version in magazines in parallel with the anime, and worked on the later White Comet Empire arc, which is likely why the general impression that “the original work = Leiji Matsumoto” remains strong. In any case, technically he was not the original author; the framework of Yamato‘s story was already in the hands of Nishizaki, Fujikawa, and others. Nevertheless, without Matsumoto’s presence, there is no doubt that Space Battleship Yamato‘s visual impact and memorable worldview would not have been achieved.
Space Battleship Yamato holds a special place in the history of Japanese anime. The original version elevated anime’s social status, and the remake has bridged the gap between generations, sharing anime culture. The story of Yamato will continue to thrill new generations.
PS: In the late 1990s, Matsumoto filed a lawsuit against Nishizaki, claiming that he was the original author of Space Battleship Yamato, but lost. The case was later settled, but as of September 2025, the credit for the series, including REBEL 3199, is still “Original Story: Yoshinobu Nishizaki.”
Kou Aokage profile
Magazine and web writer/editor. After working as editor-in-chief for a major publishing company for a weekly men’s magazine, a monthly idol magazine, a gravure idol magazine, and web media, he is now freelance. He currently writes articles on TV dramas, movies, and anime, primarily for entertainment and celebrity websites. As a manga otaku, he struggles to find time to check 26 magazines a month. His favorite is Maison Ikkoku.
Click here for Realsound’s photo article on the Leiji Matsumoto 2025 art exhibition