April 2025 didn’t just bring us the premiere of Chapter 3, it turned into one of the biggest months in Yamato history with new merch, live events, online publishing, and much more, something for every single day! Get comfortable and we’ll dig through ALL of it right here.

Photo posted on Twitter by the Yamato Production Committee

April 1: 1/100 Yamato display model returns

The 3.3 meter Yamato model was back in the public eye, but not where it is usually seen. Instead of the Shinjuku Piccadilly theater, this time it went on display at the MOVIX Kameari in the northeast outskirts of Tokyo. But fans still found it and grabbed enough photos to fill up a gallery.

See it here

April 2: CFSP Andromeda reissue announced

Last month, Megahouse announced a reissue of the Cosmo Fleet Special Yamato miniature with a new weathered paint job. This month, they announced the same for their 7.5″ Andromeda. Preorders opened April 3 for a scheduled release in September. The original version and newly-painted update are both shown above.

See more photos here

April 2: Blog series by Miroku

“Miroku” is the online name for a Japanese blogger and Yamato fan who works in America as a business consultant. This unique convergence provided the basis for a question that may never have been asked before: “What is the ideal organization as learned from Space Battleship Yamato?” In other words, what lessons does Yamato have for people in the business world? As it turns out, quite a lot!

From April 2 to April 6, Miroku wrote a series of five blogs that answered the question in detail, and it’s got sound advice for just about everyone.

Read the series here

Photo posted on Twitter by AnalyzerAU09

April 2: Shinjuku Piccadilly theater

Despite not hosting the big display model for REBEL 3199 Chapter 3, the Shinjuku Piccadilly still measured up by finding space for a mural to match those seen in previous years.

April 3: Streaming launch

Perfectly timed for an extended Golden Week holiday, Japan’s Amazon Prime unleashed the entire classic movie catalog in one day, from the original ’77 Yamato (4K edition) all the way through Resurrection, including the compilation films for Yamato 2 and Yamato III.

Screenshots posted on Twitter by takadreamn89332

One day later, another streaming service called U-NEXT announced the same package and added all three of the original TV series. As we know, the complete back catalog has been broadcast multiple times on satellite channels, but this marked the first time for unlimited VOD. As we’ll see, it inspired plenty of conversation in the online community.

April 4: 7 days to launch

Starting today, the Yamato Production Committee began a daily countdown on Twitter leading up to the premiere of Chapter 3. And that’s not all…

April 4: 3199 Chapter 3 Youtube preview

A much-appreciated tradition was upheld when the first half of the first new episode was released for global consumption, giving us all a free appetizer for the upcoming feast.

Watch it here

April 5: 6 days to launch

April 5: 365Cafe website

Seibu department store in Shibuya, Tokyo, was the site for the 50th Anniversary Exhibition (see Report 16 for all the details), and the 365Cafe served fans with a special Yamato menu throughout those two weeks. The cafe’s website published a retrospective with photos and art images, and even a ranking of the favorite dishes. (The Gamilas cheesecake won by a mile.)

They also did us a solid by sharing a complete PDF of the guestbook so we could see what all the visitors had to say (or draw).

Visit the website here; you can download the guestbook at the bottom of the page.

April 5: Cosmic Harmony concert

Here’s something for your future wishlist: Tokyo is now home to Ikebukuro Animation Philharmonic, an organization dedicated to orchestral performances of anime theme songs with accompanying dance choreography and planetarium lightshows. They put on their inaugural concert last July and followed up with their second concert on this day, called Cosmic Harmony.

It had a dream play list for SF anime fans, featuring music from Yamato, Macross, Gundam, Captain Harlock, Cowboy Bebop, Galaxy Express, and more. Visit the official website here and see a promo video for Cosmic Harmony here.

More importantly, keep an eye on this group for future concerts that might brighten up your next trip to Tokyo.

April 6: 5 days to launch

April 6: Bunshun Online interview

With Hideaki Anno stepping up to take an active role in the preservation and continuation of Space Battleship Yamato, his visibility in on the rise again. Bunshun Online published an extended interview with him that only briefly mentioned Yamato, but went in-depth on his history as a student filmmaker in the 8mm world. This interview is not translated here at Cosmo DNA, but if your browser has a translator function, you might want to give it a look.

Click here to read it

Photo posted on Twitter by Andy2205

April 6: Yamashiroya event

Yamashiroya is a long-lived toy store in Ueno, Tokyo. Back in April 2018, its model department was the site of an enjoyable fan event in which everyone ganged up to build a fleet of Kalaklum kits for a photo op (as seen here).

Photo posted on Twitter by the Yamato Production Committee

It happened again five days before the premiere of 3199 Chapter 3, this time with the goal of creating a squadron of Cosmo Tigers for a “War Medal Award Ceremony reenactment.” Scriptwriter Hideki Oka, General Director Harutoshi Fukui, and Series Director Naomichi Yamato were there to preside over the “launch” of over 30 Tigers built by participants on the spot (using the new Bandai model released in March).

April 7: 4 days to launch

April 8: 3 days to launch

Today we got our first look at the remake version of Yamato III‘s General Dagon.

April 8: Hobby Japan Web interview

Voice actors Yuto Uemura (Ageha) and Tasuku Hatanaka (Domon) were the first to be interviewed for Chapter 3. Their discussion was published in Hobby Japan No. 671 in late March, and reprinted today at Hobby Japan Web.

Read the interview here

April 9: 2 days to launch

April 9: Bandai Channel website

In its role as Yamato‘s most active licensor, Bandai hosts its own Yamato page on the Bandai Channel website to promote the series and its many spinoffs.

See the Chapter 3 update here

April 10: 1 day to launch

He looks like he knows something that you don’t.

April 10: Animate Times interview

The boys were back in the hot seat to talk about the new developments for Domon and Ageha in Chapter 3.

Read the interview here

April 10: Virtual Gorilla Plus article

“What are the Highlights of Chapter 3?” was the title of an article posted at the entertainment website Virtual Gorilla Plus. It served as a review of where we’ve been and a look at where we were about to go.

Read the article here

April 11: Launch day!

Photos posted on Twitter by Spino_raptor, OjisanGt, Red Schumaker, kensuke1211 and ppmorutaru_2010

April 11: REBEL 3199 Chapter 3 premiere

Ultramarine Asteroid shifted from “Coming soon” to “Now showing” in 71 theaters (the largest number yet) with fans stampeding in to find out where REBEL 3199 was going next, earning it a 6th place ranking for its opening weekend. It comprised episodes 7-10 of the series, still short of the halfway point, almost all of which departed from what we’ve seen in either Be Forever Yamato or Yamato III.

And then, for the first time in Yamato history, fans outside Japan got to see the same episodes on the same day when they premiered on Crunchyroll. As of this moment, everyone was finally united in the real time generation.

April 11: Chapter 3 week 1 handout

All ticketholders were given a free handout upon entry into their screening room. Following the precedent of chapters 1 and 2, it was an art board featuring an imaginary moment. In this round, it was Domon and Ageha wrestling over cup noodles. The handout had previously been introduced by the voice actors themselves on April 6; see their video on Twitter here.

April 11: Chapter 3 program book

The 44-page program book for this chapter covered all the bases as the first print media devoted to the new episodes. See it from cover to cover and read Harutoshi Fukui’s introduction here.

April 11: Chapter 3 limited edition Blu-ray

If you bought a ticket, you could buy the Chapter 3 Blu-ray at your theater. It came with a slipcase (art by the great Naoyuki Katoh) and an interior booklet, which you can see from cover to cover here.

The bonus features this time were trailers, audio commentaries, the December 2024 Yamatalk with Kia Asamiya, and Science Beginners videos 4-6.

The limited edition bonuses consisted of a 34-page Concept Design booklet (above center) featuring art and interviews from Michio Murakawa and Yoshinori Sayama, chiefly focusing on monitor graphics. A second 166-page booklet (above right, cover by Nobuteru Yuuki) contained the script for Episode 8 and the storyboards for Episode 10.

The standard edition (without the bonus booklets) is scheduled for release on June 25; preorder it from Amazon.co.jp here or CD Japan here.

Photos posted on Twitter by MiyaT

A few participating retailers also offered the limited edition blu-ray, and if you bought it from the right one it came with a bonus mini-model kit; a clear version of Deusula III. If you got the clear Yamato with Chapter 1, you could re-enact the Chapter 3 teaser visual as shown above.

April 11: Chapter 3 theater goods

It should surprise no one that the first on-screen appearance of teenage Sasha tilted a lot of the Chapter 3 products in her direction, but there was plenty more to feast on in theater gift shops.

See the complete lineup here

April 11: Chapter 3 ending song released

Eureka, performed by Miho Karasawa under the name TRUE, was released digitally on premiere day. She posted the photo above right on Twitter to thank all of the musicians, describing the track as “A song filled with admiration for Yamato.”

Until Eureka gets released on CD, you can listen to it on Youtube here (both vocal and instrumental versions).

April 11: Chapter 3 opening day stage greeting

On the evening of opening day, the primary staff members gathered for a live discussion about the new episodes and gave some clues about the future.

Read the official report here

April 11: Chapter 4 promotion

Pale Blue Maiden/Sasha is the title of the next chapter, scheduled to premiere on October 10. The catchphrase on the striking poster art by Kia Asamiya reads, “With that one blow…the world was detuned.” The six-month wait between chapters will be the longest one yet in the remake era, and we can only assume it speaks of how demanding the next four episodes will be on the production team.

The poster was offered as a bonus item with advance ticket purchases, and was accompanied by a 30-second teaser that strongly invoked elements of Yamato III.

Watch it here and read our breakdown here

April 11: Mantan Web interview

When discussing “The soul inherited by REBEL 3199” there are no better consultants than General Director Harutoshi Fukui and Author Ryusuke Hikawa, whose life has been tied up with the saga since he first visited Office Academy studio in 1974. Mantan Web sat down with them both for a deep dive into the history of Yamato and the impact felt in the latest remakes.

Read the interview here

April 11: Pachinko news

Yamato pachinko games have been with us since the start of the 21st century, and another one is on the way. But there’s a twist this time; it’s a variant of Yamato 2202 Super Wave, which was released by the Fields company in October 2024. The new game is titled Yamato 2202 Super Wave Yuki Mori 199LT Version, and the twist is that it casts Yuki as the main character.

Hopefully we’ll get to see more than the promo image after it rolls out on May 7.

That’s part 1 of 3! Click here to continue.