Compiled and analyzed by Anton Mei Brandt

Yamato 2205 took us for another lap around the field with new interpretations of classic story elements that have been with us for decades. Here’s a roundup of everything that connects 2205 directly to the past in new and interesting ways.

If you haven’t seen the entire catalog of analysis yet, click here for the full picture. All of this material can be found there as well.

SPOILER ALERT: Many 2205 details are revealed here. Proceed at your own discretion.

Earth Characters

Yamato III’s New Crew

Of the many new crew members originally introduced in Yamato III, one was promoted to the very beginning of the reboot continuity: Hajime Hirata. Originally, he was introduced as a former classmate of Kodai’s, who came from the same batch of students at the Space Warrior Academy. Just like Yamazaki, he’d apparently always been on the ship, quietly serving his own purpose. In Yamato III he was in charge of the Lifestyle Unit. (Which became the Logistics Unit in 2199.) His main purpose is to guide the young, hot-blooded and rebellious academy graduate Domon.

Ryusuke Domon wants desperately to become the next Kodai, applying to join Yamato’s crew to fulfill his youthful ambition. But after his parents die in a missile collision caused by Galman-Gamilas, the young boy weeps and blames Kodai and Yamato for not saving them. He applies for a gunnery position, but Kodai puts him in the Lifestyle Unit. In spite of this, he borrows a gun battery to prove his skills, hitting his target.

Hirata becomes his “senpai” – just like Hirata is a senpai to Kodai in 2199 – and proceeds to teach him that every department has a purpose; that Kodai’s job isn’t easy. After a short scene where Hirata explains how Kodai’s efforts on the ship double that of other staff members – without due appreciation – he shows Domon a cup of lemon tea. “This is all I can do for him. But I do it nonetheless.” Everyone has a purpose. And once Domon sees Kodai’s appreciation for the tea, his doubts fade. His anger shifts to Galman-Gamilas. And he’s later appointed Kodai’s Tactical Chief.

In 2199, Hirata’s role remains unchanged. He makes his lemon tea, enjoys his position, was Kodai’s classmate, and speaks highly of the man. But where’s Domon’s part in Hirata’s story? It was relegated, in part, to Akira Yamamoto. She applies for a pilot’s position, but is sent to the Logistics Unit on Kato’s orders.

Like Domon, Akira shares Kodai’s orphan status, something they bond over. She wants to desperately avenge her brother as a pilot, since he fell in battle with Garmillas. In their first fighter skirmish with Garmillas, she sneaks aboard a Cosmo Zero and proves her skills. Kodai explains to her the value of the Logistics Unit, but nevertheless allows her to join the Pilot Unit in recognition of said skills. Which brings us to Ageha.

Takeshi Ageha was a young, handsome, and initially cold genius pilot who applied to join Yamato after his mother’s choice to kill herself (over the cruelty that forces her son to fight for Earth’s survival). Throughout Yamato III, he establishes a friendship with Domon, rejects his father’s desire to have him become the heir of his military contractor company, falls in love with a quirky brown-haired girl with an affinity for the supernatural, becomes Yamato’s next cool ace pilot, and finally gives his life to save Yamato and the universe. Which allows the love of his life – Ruda – to remain happy. What a wealth of personality! Why isn’t he a character in the reboot? Because he was split up into eight separate people.

Cool, emotionally distant ace pilot who reveals their feelings only in battle? Akira Yamamoto.

Heir to a military industrial giant who’d rather join Yamato and find true love? Nanbu.

Young, difficult to read boy who falls for a girl his age with supernatural abilities? Hoshina.

Has a shaky bond with an engineer who knew his father? Shima.

Gives his life by flying his fighter into an enemy structure for both Yamato and the love of his life? Klaus Keyman.

Lays down his life for an alien girl with a shaky promise, begging her to save Earth? Ito.

Tragic love and a tearful embrace at the end? Kodai, but his suffering doesn’t last.

Businessman father affiliated with military production? Even that element has been redistributed, this time to the 2205 version of Domon.

Given all this, we shouldn’t expect Ageha to appear in any capacity that closely resembles his Yamato III counterpart.

Miyako Kyozuka and Heiji Bando

What about the other Yamato III academy recruits? They’ve almost all made their way into Yamato 2205. Let’s review: Miyako Kyozuka was a medical student who studied under Dr. Sado, Heiji Bando was comedic relief and part of the technical division with Sanada, and Goro Raiden was the new Cosmo Hound’s assistant pilot. For 2205, these three have been given an early entry into the reboot universe, alongside the last remaining recruit from New Voyage: Shigeru Sakamoto. But it’s all for a unified purpose.

Goro/Caroline Raiden and Shigeru Sakamoto

These four characters, alongside Rysuke Domon and Tasuke Tokugawa, are all Youth Warrior Academy mates in 2205. Miyako hangs out with everyone. Bando and Tokugawa are a duo who bond over their dead fathers. Domon’s grown quiet ever since his father’s death. Goro is part of the reboot universe, but this time he’s the father of a recruit. 2205 establishes that Goro and his daughter Caroline left for Japan during the height of the Garmillan invasion of Earth. Over the years, she’s become a hardened marine who shares a close bond with the smartmouthed ace pilot Sakamoto. He was expected to return, but one tidbit worth sharing is this: Sakamoto and Tetsuya Kitano never came back to the story after the original New Voyage. They appeared in the Be Forever Playstation 2 game, but otherwise stayed “off camera” until the 2021 Aquarius Algorithm novel.

Haruo Nishina and Namio Sakamaki

Two other recruits from Yamato III also returned in 2205 Part 1: Namio Sakamaki (Gunnery Captain) and Haruo Nishina (Gunner). Namio serves as Hyuga’s Tactical Chief while Nishina serves as Yamato’s Gunnery Captain in place of Nanbu. According to the 2205 Character Profiles, Namio has served on Yamato since 2199 as its First Gunner. In 2202, he served aboard a manned Dreadnought at the Mars Front in the year 2203, breaking the twin-gun long distance record. He’s a longtime friend and rival of Nishina. Nishina was originally set to join Yamato in 2199, but had to stay behind due to injuries. We can infer that these were incurred during the Garmillan bombing run on Yamato in the first two episodes.

Writer’s Note: This article previously stated that Dairoku Akagi from Yamato III made his return as well. But following the 2205 website’s second Character and Mecha profiles update, Akagi has been disconfirmed. The name of this new character is Shoji Wakasa. That said, this doesn’t rule out whether or not he’ll fulfill Akagi’s small role in spirit. Shoji is a survivor from the Enceladus garrison that first encountered Baruze’s Gatlantean army at Saturn in 2202. He’s joined this voyage to help educate new engine staff, such as the new character Kuri Tetsuo.

Shoji Wakasa, Dairoku Akagi and the group portrait

One more thing before we close off on this new group of characters. In one scene of 2205 Part 1, we are treated to a graduation photo. At this point in the movie, we recognize all but two: The tall man standing behind Caroline and the short-haired boy at the far left (who looks suspiciously like Ageha).

In a March 2022 Yamatalk event, the list of candidates for participation in this photo has confidently increased, but at the same time become so much more apparent. Takeshi Ageha and Tetsuya Kitano’s big brother (a new role created for Kitano’s Be Forever PS2 game counterpart) are both set to return in REBEL 3199, which begins in 2207. Bearing this in mind, the boy on the far left is almost definitely Ageha.

As for the scarred man, he’s either Caroline Raiden’s American father Goro Raiden – who writers Fukui and Oka have confirmed exists – or, based on his likeness to Tetsuya Kitano, he’s the latter’s older brother and a senior space academy faculty member.

Other Characters

Citizens of Shalbart and Bolar

Princess Ruda, Mother Shalbart, Governor of Shalbart, Governor General Boroze and Captain of the Guard Rebarus

Princess Ruda and the Governor of Shalbart had their essence infused into Yurisha and Starsha Iscandar for the reboot. Both peace-lovers at heart, they lead their millenia old nation as arbiters of peace, objectors to the usage of Wave-Motion Guns. Shalbart ruled the universe with an iron fist a millennia ago, a past that’s left them with many graves and regrets. They now keep the secrets behind their ancient weapons and miracle machines sealed away until Yamato earns the right to use the Hydro Cosmo-Gen X to fix their sun.

In Yamato III, Ruda (Lerelai) is saved by Ageha (Berger) and Domon (Kodai) from her reclusive state at planet Phantom (Celestial Ark). On their journey to Shalbart, Ruda (Yuria) and Ageha (Hoshina) fall for one another. Whenever Yamato’s in a pinch, Ageha (Hoshina) makes sure Ruda (Yuria) is safe. Intimate hugs included. Ruda’s home is called Shalbart (Iscandar). It’s a religious symbol in both the Bolar Federation and Garmillas (Galman). After experiencing the depth of Ageha’s heart (Ito), Ruda (Yurisha) promises to help guide Yamato to Shalbart (Iscandar), and promptly points out where the planet is by using her telepathic abilities.

Ruda reveals that the reason she didn’t do so sooner was because she wanted to see if Yamato was worthy of receiving Shalbart’s blessings. Ageha (Ito) proved this to be the case. At the end of Yamato III, Ruda (Starsha) has to bid Ageha (Mamoru’s soul in the CRS) farewell. Someone has to stay and arbitrate on Shalbart (Iscandar) after all, to ensure it won’t fade as a symbol of peace in an increasingly violent universe. Yes, this arc has been completely adapted. No, I don’t think the Garmillan religious term “Rud[a] Iscandar” was chosen by coincidence.

Mother Shalbart is the religious leader of Shalbart. Her visage never changes, but the keeper of said visage does. As long as a Mother Shalbart exists, Shalbart won’t ever be forgotten. She can manifest her visage to believers all across the galaxy, giving them hope. Mother Shalbart was a name given to this constantly changing figurehead, rather than a name whoever acts in that role was born with.

While it doesn’t sound like the idea of a revolving figurehead for a 1000 year old religion hasn’t been used, it has. When Dessler orders the kidnapping of Yurisha in 2199, but receives the look-alike Yuki, he declares that it doesn’t really matter if she’s the real deal. As long as the people believe she is, the promotion of Iscandarism – and Yuki’s approval of it – will guide the people to the necessary degree.

What about the metaphysical properties of Mother Shalbart? Teresa attained the ability to spiritually project her image across the universe to those she calls on. Teresa’s name was (likely) given to her, rather than chosen. According to Burrel, she’s existed for over 1,000 years and has extremely strong religious significance in the universe. She even has her own incredibly devoted followers who guard her Telezarium in 2202.

Governor General Boroze of the Bolar Federation is a family man who works diligently for Bemlayze as Berth’s Governor General. Serving under him is a mild-mannered and stoic soldier named Rebarus, who’s Captain of the Guard. In an effort to stop him from executing prisoners, Yamato guns him down during an insurrection on Berth. After failing to quell this rebellion, Boroze and his territory is annihilated. Conceptually, these characters became Governor Bozen of Prison Planet 17, his XO and the Governor of Alteria in 2199.

Bozen – like Boroze – was a man who lost any semblance of morals during his tenure as Governor at Prison Planet 17. He lost his life during subsequent riots. Alteria’s governor suffered the same fate Boroze did in Yamato III: Execution for failing to govern annexed territory. That said, Boroze and Rebarus themselves both make a brief appearance at the start of 2205, where the former reprises his role as Governor General, while the latter reprises his role as Captain of the Guard; this time on planet Galman rather than Berth. What comes next is to be learned as of this writing.

Locations

Planet Galman and its moon

Planet Galman in Yamato III was Gamilas’ ancestral homeworld, located in the Milky Way galaxy. Between New Voyage and Yamato III, Dessler finds this planet, liberates it from the Bolar Federation and creates Galman-Gamilas, a new empire focused on peace and stability under imperial rule. In the opening section of 2205 Part 1, we see this mostly off-screen moment from Yamato III brought to animated glory. Curiously, Galman is run by Governor General Boroze of the Bolar Federation, the man who was in charge of Berth in Yamato III. Seeing as Dessler sends him home to warn his federation that he’ll show them true fear, I doubt Boroze will escape his execution this time around either.

The inclusion of Galman in 2205 naturally presupposed the return of its blue moon, originally named after Starsha in her honor. A short scene near the prologue depicts Dessler and Talan musing on the chances of finding a planet so similar to Garmillas, with a moon equally similar to Iscandar. This is by no means a result of chance. In 2205 Chapter 2, Starsha reveals Iscandar employed some of Galman’s people as slaves, constructed a copy of planet Galman (with a fixed, shorter lifespan) and thus artificially managed to create a demand and co-dependency between the Iscandarians and the newly named Garmillans.

New Voyage Elements

Dessler’s love for Starsha

After the war with Gatlantis in Yamato 2, Dessler does some soul searching and comes to the conclusion that he loves Starsha of Iscandar. To rediscover his purpose in life, he sets out on a voyage with what remains of his people, to bid farewell to Garmillas and to re-establish contact with Iscandar’s fair princess. He reminisces about the pains Garmillas has incurred since the war with Earth and how much he loves Starsha. She’s already found a lover in Mamoru Kodai, but Dessler still tries his best to defend and protect her from foreign invaders. He ultimately fails as a result of Starsha’s compassion, where she trades her life for Dessler’s.

In 2199, Dessler’s love for Starsha is made clear at every opportunity. Her calls mean a great deal to him, he’s openly physical and affectionate with her, he wants her love and appreciation for the tremendous effort he puts into establishing the peace she yearns for. And in 2202, more details have come forth. He truly loves her more than anything, according to Teresa and himself.

In 2205, visual homages are paid to Dessler’s flashback sequence in The New Voyage. In the year 2180, he visited Starsha for the first time, falling for her even as a boy. Promising to establish peace in the universe, he sets out to unite all planets under one rule. A mural is chiseled, depicting him and Starsha, two leaders and two peoples united. He deifies Starsha and her planet, turning it into a religious icon of significance similar to Mother Shalbart in Yamato III. Will he be able to save Starsha this time around – in 2205? We’ll find out soon enough!

Be Forever Elements

Earth invasion, Evacuation and Separation

The iconic opening act of Be Forever Yamato. A powerful nation of humanoids blasts through the Milky Way galaxy, intent on crashing a giant superweapon onto Earth. Kodai recklessly tries to stop it, but is thwarted. He ultimately fails, but lands on Earth anyway to make sure the people he cares about are safe and sound. What proceeds is a full-scale invasion; air raids, alien tripods torching the harbor, and an ambush by jetpack-wearing Dark Nebula soldiers.

After a quick reunion, Sanada calls: Yamato’s waiting for Kodai and co. It’s been receiving a refit from him and Yamazaki on Asteroid base Icarus! The crew kick into high gear, infiltrating the abandoned president’s bunker to steal his evacuation craft. But the steel dome is locked! Yuki offers to manually open it from outside, but not before Dark Nebula soldiers break inside and halt her advance. She reaches for Kodai, he grabs her hand and almost manages to reel her in, but he drops her. Attempting to jump after Yuki, he’s pulled back by Aihara.

2202’s first Episode takes these building blocks and constructs something similar enough, but different in substance. After a devastating battle with Gatlantis, a giant super Calaklum manages to survive Andromeda’s split-WMG and heads toward Earth. It’s intent on crashing into the capital, utilizing its deadly mass and impact. Kodai and his small ship Yunagi fail to stop it. That’s when Sanada calls to inform Kodai that he and Yamazaki have been refitting Yamato since the voyage to Iscandar. They fire from inside its domed dock, destroying the giant battleship.

The bunker sequence was relegated to Ep 4, where Yamazaki, Kiryuu, Hoshina and Yuria fill Yuki’s shoes. They stay behind to ensure Yamato’s able to depart, exchanging fire with EDF security personnel during a time of mutiny, then they get left behind.

The sequence where Kodai jumps after Yuki was retrofitted into a huge plot point in Ep 9 at Stravase. There, no one’s able to stop Kodai from jumping after the falling Yuki, and he saves her.

Finally, in Ep 26, there’s the hands sequence. Inside Teresa’s dimension, Yuki tries to reach for Kodai, but he mentally brushes her aside. Eventually, their fingers connect after an emotional appeal to Kodai’s heart. But he lets her go until the future connection that is their child brings them together again.

In Be Forever, Mamoru observes their ship evacuating from Earth. He’s pleased. This was carried over to Saito in 2202, where he tried laying down his life to ensure Nagakura’s departure was carried out from the 11th planet.

With all this laid out, we’re left with two more elements: The sneaky jetpack ambush and the tripod devastation. 2199 Ep 25 took the jetpack sequence, merged it with the boarding party sequence from Yamato III Ep 6, and justified its inclusion by visually paying homage to Dessler and Talan’s deaths in Farewell. Abelt even sports a one-time suit very similar to Lt. Alphon’s. The scary humanoid jetpack soldiers became scary artificial jetpack Garmilloid soldiers.

The tripod attack? For 2205, the mining operation on Iscandar (originating from New Voyage) was merged with this sequence. The new tripods were given impenetrable shields, as well as their devastating energy beams and destructive intent from Be Forever Yamato. Ultimately, the invasion of Garmillas again results in the planet’s complete and utter destruction.

Two fathers, different species

Be Forever reintroduced Sasha, the daughter of Starsha and Mamoru from The New Voyage, this time all grown up. Apparently, the people of Iscandar have a speedy growth cycle, but due to her father being from Earth, her growth was stunted at around age 16. Realizing that her strange existence would be shunned on Earth, Mamoru Kodai’s best friend Sanada was entrusted with raising her on the Asteroid Base Icarus. Mamoru didn’t want his child to be treated poorly for being of a different race. When told of her father’s death, she cries her heart out. At the end of the movie, Sasha makes a tear jerking speech to her father-in-law Sanada, telling him that she was happy to be raised by such a fine man.

2205 was created in a different age, at a different time. An adoption storyline was already featured in 2199 with Yuki and Hijikata, but there was apparently more inspiration than we believed. After a long buildup, Hilde Shulz, a character that’s remained mostly dormant since her introduction in 2199, returned in 2205.

Hilde was born and raised on the planet Zaltz by an unknown loving mother, alongside military man and father Vuelke Shulz. 2205 reveals the planet’s tragic fate: It was obliterated by Garmillas during its imperialistic expansion, ensuring that its remaining peoples would fall in line. Following this, the Shulz family moved to Garmillas and Vuelke became a veteran in the army alongside Domel. Sadly, he’d later die for honor and glory, leaving Hilde an orphan. The likewise shunned and oppressed Jirel space witch Celestella hires her as a maid, providing for Hilde until her own death at the end of 2199.

In the final days of Garmillas’ war with Earth, Vice President Redof Hyss would take Hilde under his wing, raising her until his own demise in 2205. When Garmillas became the target for obliteration. While she couldn’t call him a father to his face, something Hyss laments, she cried out “father!” as the planet implodes, beset by sorrow.

By the midpoint of 2205 Chapter 2, many of the escaping refugees are left stranded on Iscandar’s surface. Hilde ends up in a heated argument with Vance Baren, the drill missile pilot from 2199 who also served under General Domel. She tells him that even though she had two different homes – both of which are now gone – and two different fathers of very different racial origin, it doesn’t make her any less grateful to either of them. They were both great fathers, so right now she’ll keep doing her best to protect and save as many Garmillan refugees as possible.

Another Sasha nugget adapted.

You’re my Uncle/Sister; Sasha’s farewell

In Be Forever’s climax, Sasha begs Kodai to leave her behind on what she believes to be the future Earth that cares little for race, appearance, or love. This decrepit, broken and desolate landscape is all she needs, not to become a wrench between Yuki and Kodai’s love.

“You’re my Uncle, too. From the beginning, you understood me. I… Farewell!” Kodai fails to stop her. As Yamato leaves Dezarium, Starsha’s spirit appears to give Sasha some cold hard truths: it is her destiny to die on this planet. Even so, she shouldn’t worry, cry, or be sad, for her mother will stay with her until the end. Sasha holds out her arms to embrace Starsha, but since she has no physical body it’s not possible.

In the movie’s epilogue, Sasha’s spirit manifests in the breadth of the universe. She expresses joy and contentment at having lived her short life alongside family like Kodai and Sanada. To die for the splendor of mankind to keep shining was her duty; she was happy to do it. She gives Yamato’s crew her heart, then returns to her mother’s spiritual embrace, departing with these words: “Farewell Yamato’s crew. Farewell… my excellent young Uncle.”

This scene became a focal point of one of Yamato III’s ending songs, Parting (sung by Mitsuko Horie). Its composition used the leitmotif from Starsha’s parting in The New Voyage and Sasha’s in Be Forever. These elements are all present in 2205 Chapter 2.

After some hefty revelations about Garmillas and Iscandar’s true origins are revealed by Starsha, all refugee ships depart along with the Yamato fleet. Starsha muses on the idea of partings; how a short, limited lifespan that ends in death is ultimately a more satisfying existence than an eternal one spent in a cage. Living one life to the fullest is all you need. A perishable existence is meant to perish, and that’s why she never brought her departed sister Sasha back to the mortal world. But if she were to be brought back… she would be an entirely different person.

Starsha is about to push the symbolic button that will destroy Iscandar, then turns to Yurisha. She apologizes for things turning out this way; for forcing her to go along with her incoming martyrdom that will cost the lives of not only herself, Sasha and Starsha, but also Iscandar’s people sleeping beneath the royal palace.

“I’m sorry Yurisha. As someone brought out for the sole task of visiting Earth, you don’t understand what I’m talking about, do you?” It appears that Yurisha’s body is not nearly as old as Starsha’s. In fact, by my estimations, she should be… around 8-10 years old.

Yurisha turns to Starsha as the music swells. “I don’t understand… I don’t understand… but… right now… I’m lonely and it hurts.” They embrace as the song comes to a close. But they are interrupted before the button can be pushed.

Kodai and the new crew aboard Yamato depart to pick them up. Kodai expresses his own discontent with “having to lose another family member,” referring to Starsha as his sister. To support Kodai’s emotional appeal, Yurisha directly confronts Starsha, saying that even if it’s for just another minute… she wants to live! But it wasn’t to last. Since their souls are bound to the fate of Iscandar, their bodies being mere projections out of ceremonial duty, the planet’s demise will take them with it.

Later, when saying her final goodbye to Dessler, Starsha says these words: “I always wanted to see those eyes of yours. I’ll never forget them. Thank you…” Dessler, like Sasha in Be Forever, is unable to hold Starsha as she fades away. Yurisha then fulfills her role as Sasha in the story, saying she is destined to die (when her homeworld perishes). But since the new Sasha was conceived with Mamoru’s help, an Earthling, she’s not bound to that same fate. At the end, Yurisha was happy to have lived her short life.

The story ends and Sasha is born, mirroring the original The New Voyage. Yurisha’s existence, fate and role mirrored Be Forever’s Sasha. The new Sasha exists outside the confines of the original stories. Perhaps this time, she won’t suffer the same fate as her mother and aunts.

Yamato III Elements

First Day of Practical Training

One of the goals with 2205 was to streamline original story elements to enhance future story potential and re-energize the reboot. Instead of having a New Voyage-inspired training sequence and focus on its recruits alone, this scene was merged with the training sequence from Yamato III Ep 4, alongside completely new elements.

The New Voyage originally had a military march, a short boat ride to Yamato, Kitano almost failing to raise Yamato after engine failures caused by the younger Tokugawa, the new recruit Sakamoto showing off his arrogance, and an asteroid field exercise with Kodai. After poor communications between Kitano and Sakamoto almost leads to destructive results, they’re both forced to run through the ship in their boxers.

Yamato III had a surprise 16-hour training sequence including target practice with an assisting escort ship, unplanned food production and delivery, Cosmo Tiger training, mock-damage assessment, repairs and healing for both the engineer and medical staff, ending with an exhausted group of recruits.

2205 incorporates all of these elements and introduces some new ones. Akira takes Kodai’s place as Cosmo Tiger instructor in The New Voyage, while Sakamoto expands his role by taking Ageha’s place as the new hotshot recruit. This action is combined with the next-gen mobile armor training, where the new character Caroline Raiden takes the spotlight in Saturn’s shoal zone. Afterward, the two of them pay homage to the underpants run in fully-clothed fashion. Kitano’s role in nearly failing to raise the ship is shifted to Domon. Kitano still retains his Tactical Chief role.

The Yamato III escort ship became Sanada’s Hyuga, Kitano’s screwup during targeting practice is retained, food production with Domon is carried out 1:1, mock-damage tests – including smoke machines – comes back, as does the mock repair and medical procedures with increased focus on Miyako and Bando. The emphasis on communication between the pilots and gunnery division is shifted to Nanbu and Kato’s dispute prior to the attack on the Pluto base in 2199 Ep 5.

Struggles Between the Crew

At one point in Yamato’s journey to find a new planet in Yamato III, they stumble upon a pitstop. Some crew members settle at a bar to relax before departure. Crew members Nishina, Sakamaki and Akagi end up in a playful – but dirty – fistfight with Kodai, Shima and Raiden when they arrive to impose order. The privilege of a Captain is challenged by the soldiers under his command. And even by Shima, who recognizes the need for soldiers to find an outlet to vent their frustrations with the military. Why? Because in Yamato III, Shima’s been promoted to Vice-Captain of Yamato.

2205 does something similar by having Bando and some unnamed crew members duke it out over nepotistic privilege. The unnamed characters question Bando and Tokugawa Tasuke’s inclusion on the crew roster, because they’re the sons of Yamato crew who died during the war with Gatlantis. This fight is stopped by bridge crew members Nanbu, Aihara and Ota, with Shima making it known that he recognizes the need for crew members to vent their feelings. Hoshina takes Kodai’s place in this scenario. And just like in Yamato III, Shima’s been promoted to Yamato’s Vice-Captain under Kodai at this point. Here too, he prefers not to abuse that authority.

Kodai’s Struggle as Captain

In an early segment of Yamato III, Kodai vents to Yuki about the difficulties of carrying the burden as Yamato’s Captain; of being entrusted with the duty to find a new home world. He shows an unusually sensitive side, accepting Yuki’s support behind closed doors. 2205 has sprinkled these scenes into its narrative, tying it together with 2202’s ending. Kodai has survivor’s guilt after the Time Fault was sacrificed to save him, Yuki and Yamato, so it’s no wonder.

Bemlayze meeting & the origins of the Garmillan people

Upon first meeting President Bemlayze of the Bolar Federation and Governor General Boroze in Yamato III, Yamato’s crew – spearheaded by Kodai – appeals to the president’s heart to release all prisoners on planet Berth. Bemlayze laughs this off, telling them that criminals and subjects under his own jurisdiction are his to do with as he pleases, and that a Bolar Federation “member nation” like Earth shouldn’t stick its hand in their affairs.

“Member?” Kodai asks. Bemlayze explains that since they previously tried to save his vassal Captain Ram, they’re obviously part of his Federation. If not, they’re his enemies and will meet a swift doom. Kodai refuses to comply, which leads into another prison revolt.

2205 Chapter 1’s prologue depicts Dessler arriving at planet Galman, confirmed in Chapter 2 to be the ancient ancestral home of his people. As in Yamato III, these far-off cousins of the Garmillans have been persecuted by the Bolars ever since most of the planet’s population left 1,000 years ago. There’s even a statue of Mother Shalbart on-site, its eyes cut out for unknown reasons.

The meeting between Dessler and Governor General Boroze goes through the exact same motions and topics of conversation as the ones facing Yamato’s crew and Bemlayze. The differences between the two works are superficial in origin, such as the planet, the representative Dessler speaks to, and the result. Just like his liberation of Galman in Yamato III, the revolt this time around is a success. Dessler, like Kodai, refuses to become another slave to the Bolar Federation. He refuses to yield to the “Eternal Administration” and their system of governance.

Hostile Takeover of Galman

Between The New Voyage and Yamato III, Dessler searches the universe for the perfect planetary candidate to become a new home for his people. On this journey, he finds his ancestral homeland of Galman, located somewhere inside the Milky Way galaxy. It’s under heavy and oppressive occupation by the Bolar Federation. The Galmans are chained, beaten and forced to work. Seeing this, Dessler immediately attacks, retaking this ancestral home. A great unification of his people and the Galmans results in the creation of the Galman-Gamilas Empire.

The reboot has approached this storyline in different ways. 2199’s production materials establish how Dessler’s uncle Erik unified the Garmillan provincial areas and feudal lords, resulting in the planetary nation of Garmillas that Abelt would come to rule over 103 years later. 2202 canonizes this in animated and text form, referring to this as Erik Dessler’s “Great Unification.”

Succeeding his uncle, Abelt attempts the Great Unification of Iscandar and Garmillas. This fails with devastating consequences, leading Abelt into self-imposed exile from his home. But his efforts did result in more open diplomatic dialogues between the twin planets.

2205 adapts this Yamato III storyline beat for beat with an added level of nuance thanks to the previous character-building. The Galmans are still oppressed by the Bolars. Dessler still liberates the planet. But he does so with a scheme in hand; with style. The planet’s head honcho is General Governor Boroze, the man who originally governed the prison planet Berth in Yamato III. Like Bolar President Bemlayze does for Yamato’s crew, Boroze offers Dessler his cooperation if he puts on a deadly (and might I add symbolic) slave collar. Cooperation under tyranny. But Dessler enacts his scheme, blowing up his own flagship to emit a catastrophic EMP wave. In comes Berger and dozens of more ships via the SMITE system to destroy Boroze’s defending fleet. Frakken takes care of the infantry and planetary garrison.

Before Boroze can activate the annihilation switch on the slave collars, Dessler shoots him in the shoulder. Dessler vows that his people will never be forced to live under harsh tyranny or oppression, releasing them all. Interestingly, this scene could harken back to the death of Rebarus. In Yamato III, he’s just about to order the execution of a bunch of slave workers, when he’s gunned down by a passing Cosmo Tiger. Or it could be a visual callback to when Dessler kills Miru in Farewell.

Planet Berth/Galman Sect

During the prison planet story in Yamato III, the crew learns of the ancient Shalbart religion. Its followers – native to the planet, yet imprisoned for their beliefs – are persecuted and deprived of their freedoms. At the same point in time, this religion is also spreading on Dessler’s new homeworld, Galman. Like the Bolar Federation, he has a zero tolerance policy. 2205 combined these two story elements.

In 2199, the religious persecution element from Yamato III was transformed into racial persecution of the Jirel witches. In 2202, Dessler is at first reluctant to change his ways, spiting the Godlike Teresa for allowing his ceaseless tragedies to occur. But by the end of the series, he sets out on a redemptive journey to pay for his sins. When he stumbles upon planet Galman, he finds his ancestral homeworld’s people stuck in chains, beaten and murdered openly on the streets for daring to believe in what appears to be the Shalbart religion. Dessler liberates them, then departs.

Once Dessler leaves, the two head priests of the Galman sect set out to liberate the rest of planet Galman.

Domon’s glimpse into Kodai’s true self

Yamato III had many memorable moments, though some easily fall under the radar. One of these is the inclusion of the short-lived character Hajime Hirata and his role as Domon’s life adviser.

In Episode 4, he takes Domon on a short walk, showing him the hardship his seniors put themselves through even after full days of intense combat training. But the one Domon understands the least is Kodai, who’s rigorously pushing himself to his very limits in a training chamber all on his own. Hirata explains how Kodai’s personally taken on the responsibility of becoming Yamato’s spiritual representative; a soldier with an unshakable conviction who can carry Yamato on his very back without appreciation or support. With this, the two generations grow closer and Domon’s respect increases exponentially.

2205 Chapter 1 saw Domon hit a similar slump, where he feels like he definitely doesn’t belong on the ship and most assuredly will never understand Captain Kodai. Hirata takes the boy under his wing earlier in 2205, but the original 2199 character Hoshina decides to show him who Kodai really is underneath the surface.

“I understand,” Domon says. Hoshina challenges him: “Do you…? You think you understand, but you haven’t seen or heard anything yet.”

Hoshina allows the boy to listen in to a high-level military discussion behind closed doors, where Kodai’s effectively being told – reluctantly – by the brass to let Garmillas and Iscandar be left to their fate of annihilation, lest the consequences of intervention hit Earth like a truck. Domon’s response is to curse the adults who push Kodai into a role where he has to lie to himself and the crew, then leaves with indignation. Hoshina smiles, confident that Domon’s now become aware of who Susumu Kodai truly is.

Subverting Ryusuke Domon

At the beginning of Yamato III, Domon makes it expressly clear that he wants to be part of the Tactical Combat Division. This request is denied, resulting in the new kid being relegated to kitchen duty. This soon leads to a fistfight where Domon protests that Kodai couldn’t save his parents. Throughout the series, this kid with more brawn than brains learns the hard way what it means to be part of Yamato’s crew.

Later in the story, he embarks on an exploration mission to planet Phantom with his best friend Takeshi Ageha, meeting Princess Ruda. They save her from the planet’s tragic destruction. At the end of the series, Domon commits to a risky endeavor that costs him his life, but ultimately makes sure that Yamato is able to save Earth.

Fast-forward to 2205. “Reboot Domon” has no wish to be on Yamato in the first place, he’s only there to avenge his father, or at the very least understand what kind of lunacy compelled Earth to abandon the Time Fault in exchange for Kodai and Yuki. After realizing the kid illegally altered his application forms, Kodai decides to test Domon, letting him helm the ship for takeoff in place of Kitano; getting that sweet Tactical Division spotlight early on, against his wishes.

During the course of 2205, Domon is heavily reprimanded for almost purposefully crashing the ship, but later reforms. He learns to understand and value Kodai’s heart, despite his father’s death.

2205‘s Domon has more brains than brawn. He graduated top of his class and shows little dissatisfaction working in the life support unit. During a fateful moment near the end of 2205 Chapter 2, Domon reverses his original counterpart’s role as the WMG operator, opting to smash the emergency shut-down button. He does not want Kodai to sacrifice Dessler for the sake of destroying Goruba. He won’t let it happen.

Domon and the rest of the new recruits all join up with Kodai on a youth rebellion of sorts, departing in the Cosmo Hound to reverse the tragic fate that seems to befall Dessler and Starsha, attempting to rescue the Iscandar royals and consequently save Dessler’s will to live. They succeed, but fate is not on their side, seeing as the royals perish with Iscandar. But they do save Dessler’s spirit, giving him the chance to part with the woman he loves.

Domon survives his original counterpart’s risky endeavor, becoming somewhat of a maverick for future Yamato installments. The end result? He subverted almost every single aspect of the original Domon!

Kodai and Dessler’s Mutual Friendship & Respect

In Yamato III, upon reuniting for the first time since The New Voyage, Kodai and Dessler find that they’ve both grown and changed. Kodai had wondered where the Supreme Leader had gone, now happy to receive his aid with fixing their sun (dying as a result of a stray missile from Galman’s fleet). Earth has been roped into a war with the Bolars that they never wanted.

While talks are at first fruitful, the two scarred men soon come to a realization: their ideals are too different to be compatible. Dessler wants an empire run on fear. Earth wants a democracy run on openness. Even so, Dessler aids Yamato in fixing their sun.

Seeing as 2202 borrowed nuggets of both this story and The New Voyage, it’s only reasonable for the creators of 2205 to use Yamato III elements in their continuation. It begins with Kodai sending a recovered data log from Klaus Keyman to Dessler, together with an anguished concern from Kodai regarding Dessler’s whereabouts.

In 2205 Chapter 2, Kodai reunites with both Berger and Dessler. It’s just as tense and disconcerting. But then there’s the scene where their differences are made abundantly clear.

Kodai proposes to Dessler and his command structure a complete evacuation of Iscandar, focused primarily on Garmillan refugees. They agree, but Melda has one question: “Kodai, will you help persuade Queen Starsha to leave the planet behind?”

Kodai responds meekly that she won’t listen to someone like him, who repeatedly broken the promise Okita made to her. He defers this duty to Dessler. Dessler asks if Kodai came here not to save them, but to run away from his own troubles. He walks away, bemoaning the fact that his nephew Ranhart entrusted the future to two small-minded men like himself and Kodai.

There’s no retort. They’re both weakened men who can’t face the consequences of their actions. Thanks to Yamato‘s intervention, Earth is now in a war with a hostile nation, and they would rather resolve it diplomatically. Even so, Yamato will help save the Garmillan people, creating an inverse of Yamato III‘s death-of-the-sun storyline.

If it does turn out that the Dark Nebulans are future Earthlings, then this storyline can be anchored to Dagon’s mishap as well. Rather than Galman-Garmillas being the culprit for the sun’s slow death, we have the future Earthlings being the culprits behind Garmillas’ destruction.

Shalbart’s royal graveyard, Ruda’s Fate & Iscandar’s true origin

This portion has been partially covered in the “Locations” section, but there’s much more to say now with 2205 having finished up. Let’s begin.

Planet Shalbart is a pacifist world that once ruled the universe with an iron fist. After coming to terms with their own cruelty, they chose the path of peace to make up for their own mistakes. An avatar of peace, Mother Shalbart, was spiritually constructed and the word spread across the cosmos. Believing in Mother Shalbart is the same as believing in peace for all living beings.

Of course there’s no one who lives for a millennia to fill that role, so every few years a new heir to the mantle of responsibility is born – such as Ruda – who subsequently takes the former’s place as this spiritual guide. She’s not a physical being; she’s an eternal idea who carries the memories, scars and harsh truths that belie wars.

Yamato’s crew discovers this harsh truth underneath the crystal graveyard on Planet Shalbart, where the nation also buried all their ancient artifacts and WMD’s. The key to access is a necklace worn by Ruda, the heir. Shortly thereafter, Ruda her would-be companion Ageha a loving embrace and a tearful parting. She’s to become the next Mother Shalbart, for that is her destiny. But she says she’ll never forget him.

2199 showed us glimpses of this story, depicting Starsha as an arbiter of peace who withholds the key to mutual assured destruction via Wave-Motion Energy. She leads the “salvation of all intelligent life in the galaxy” as well, but 2205 takes the Shalbart connection even further.

Underneath the crystal graveyard first seen in 2199 lies a mausoleum, or a sanctum if you will, called Sanctel. The key to access? A crystal worn by Starsha. Here, the souls of all Iscandarians have been given an eternal existence, free from their bodies in a different way from Teresa’s people.

It is revealed that Iscandar’s dark past as a warring nation came from them destroying civilizations and worlds across the cosmos in order to crystallize and catalogue their memories as “Wave-Motion energy.” This gave them the gift – or curse – of an eternal existence. Starsha, Sasha and Yurisha are not completely physical beings, but rather avatars projected from their souls lying buried in Sanctel, to act as ceremonial representatives of Iscandar.

Garmillans were used to carry out many of Iscandar’s past atrocities, until Starsha came along and motivated Dessler’s Uncle Erik to unite the Garmillans. Ever since, Starsha has been trying to redeem her elders’ sins by subtly guiding Abelt to become the best man he could ever be. She couldn’t do as much as she wished, of course, seeing as it would go against the role given to Starsha by her kind.

Like Ruda, Starsha spends her last moments in physical form embracing Abelt, telling him these words: “I always wanted to see those eyes of yours. I’ll never forget them. Thank you…”

Note: The same strand of stars depicted in Yamato III when the Shalbart governor explains his kind’s dark past can be seen by young Kodai in 2205 Chapter 2’s Sanctel sequence.

Visual References

Recollecting Starsha

Following Dessler’s turn from a path of conquest to redemption in Yamato 2, he returns home to Gamilas in New Voyage. On his way there, memories of his neighbor Starsha come back, superimposed over Iscandar. 2199 took kernels from this scene and presented hints of the pair’s mysterious past from the original works, such as their first meeting after Abelt assumed the mantle of monarch. 2202 directly referenced New Voyage’s direction and story beats in its own take on this scene, allowing Dessler’s love for Starsha to take center stage prior to 2205.

Then in 2205 Part 1, the aforementioned New Voyage scene was given a twist: Dessler first met Starsha as a young boy. At the time, a terrible secret was imparted to young Abelt. Be on the lookout for what this terrible secret could mean in 2205 Part 2.

Dark Nebula Commander Deda

Let’s be honest: Commander Deda wasn’t much of a character in the original New Voyage. That said, what little screen time he did get was fun in a quirky way. He was a big, muscular brute with a penchant for laughing at the overconfidence of his human adversaries. After using Iscandar as a shield and growing overconfident himself, Yamato swiftly deposed him. The remains of his ship hailed down on Iscandar, creating a chaotic storm of debris.

In Ark of the Stars – a movie which takes many story nuggets from New Voyage – the Gatlantean lower caste soldier Dagarm is introduced. As a character, he ticked all of Deda’s superficial boxes. Deda’s overconfidence, his laugh and subsequent death carried over to Dagarm, including the aftermath of his ship’s destruction. All this said, Deda has returned for 2205, and his character is a completely different beast from his original counterpart.

As a bonus, his imposing scar was inherited from Yamato III’s Captain Gustav.

Gamilas’ Destruction, Pleiades & Deda, Meldarz & Goruba

In The New Voyage, Dessler returns to Gamilas to find scavengers from an unknown area of space, plundering his planet for resources. Distraught and angered, he orders a direct strike, resulting in a terrible accident that ends up overheating Gamilas’ core and destroying the planet.

2205 Part 1 saw this harrowing sequence brought back to life, with many shots being direct callbacks to the original New Voyage. The drilling machines took on elements from the Be Forever tripod mecha, such as their impenetrable shields and their numerical superiority. Just like in the past, Garmillas’ destruction causes Iscandar to warp away with Dark Nebula Commander Deda in pursuit.

Deda and his superior Meldarz both made their return in 2205, alongside the iconic Great Pleiades and Goruba mecha. The iconic reveal of Great Pleiades was carefully reconstructed with some added visual composition harkening back to Be Forever’s Admiral Kazan’s fleet.

Kodai’s captain’s coat

Throughout the original saga, Kodai’s design remains mostly the same.

He wears a red/white tactical officer uniform, with a few military exceptions and no alterations all, the way up to Yamato III, where he adds a Captain’s coat. This coat is navy blue, differentiating Kodai from seniors like Okita, Hijikata and Yamanami, who all wore black coats with red details. This was likely to signify his permanent promotion to Captain of Yamato and to symbolically show his ascendancy to adulthood. Until that point, he’d only ever served as Acting Captain in times of pressing need.

At the start of Farewell to Yamato, Kodai wears a navy-blue coat over a homogenized EDF uniform. This design decision was likely made to depict Yamato’s free spirit being swallowed up by the EDF war machine, and to signify a passing of the torch from Okita’s black rationalism to Kodai’s bright blue youthful spirit.

Once he boards Yamato for the Telezart mission, Kodai ditches this coat/uniform combo for the rest of the series. This trend of depicting Kodai wearing a coat over an EDF uniform for the prologue portion of subsequent works can be seen in The New Voyage and Be Forever. He briefly wore a coat in Yamato III and Final Yamato, but only over his familiar red/white uniform.

2199 saw Kodai in the red/white uniform, as was to be expected. He also wore a ceremonial coat when meeting Queen Starsha on Iscandar, similar to the one in Yamato III.

2202 saw Kodai in a buttoned, black Captain’s coat with red details aboard Yunagi and for ceremonial events on Earth, ditching it once Yamato departs for the Telezart mission.

2205 sees Kodai fully embracing the black Captain’s coat. He has formally become the Captain of Yamato and thus dresses for the occasion like his Yamato III counterpart. But as in that series, he does change when necessary, such as in 2205’s climax where he dons EVA gear.

Yuki’s Fashion Sense

Yuki Mori’s no stranger to fashion. In fact, she found alternate outfits for each story, including the original series.

Here’s a list with its corresponding reboot appearance:

Series 1: Nurse uniform (seen in 2202), yellow plugsuit (seen in 2199/2202), white gown (seen in 2199)

Farewell/Yamato 2: Pink civilian attire (seen in 2202)

Series 1/New Voyage/Yamato III: Pink dresses (Unused)

Be Forever: White military jacket and scarf (seen in 2202)

Final Yamato: White double-breasted EDF coat (seen in 2205), White plugsuit (seen in 2202, used by Toko Katsuragi)

Resurrection: White double-breasted Captain’s coat and hat (seen in 2205).

Thinking Man & classical music

Strap yourselves in for a convoluted story.

“The Thinker” is a famous bronze sculpture from 1904, originally cast in small plaster form by Auguste Rodin in 1880. Initially, the statue was named “The Poet” and was commissioned to be the centerpiece for “The Gates of Hell,” a large doorway surround based on the 14th-century poem The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. Whether this statue is supposed to illustrate Dante himself is a point of contention in the art world.

Now, why do we call this statue “The Thinker” these days? Apparently, it’s because some foundry workers at the time thought it looked awfully similar to Michelangelo’s statue of Lorenzo de Medici called “Il Pensieroso” (The Thinker). After this observation reached Rodin’s ears, he decided to allow the statue to become its own separate art piece. Subsequent castings of varying sizes were supervised, produced and shipped out across the world, with three or so dozen still in existence. It’s often seen as a symbol of philosophy.

Back to Yamato…

Arriving at Dezarium in Be Forever, the crew is greeted by a red carpet procession with classical music in the air. The Great Emperor reveals the Dark Nebulan Empire’s supposedly true origins as humans from the future. Yamato crew member Tasuke Tokugawa discovers an odd discrepancy in the DNE’s museum of history: a replica of the thinking man statue, but mirrored. He makes a rough sketch of the original statue – that in itself is inaccurate – then later presents it to Kodai while the ship is under attack. Their conclusion? The Great Emperor lied! They’re impostors!

In a surprise deepcut reference to this, 2205 depicts Dezarium Admiral Meldars ruminating on Yamato’s futility in the mirrored Thinking Man pose, all while listening to impressionist pianist and poet Claude Debussy’s classical piece Reverie (Dream).

The pictures provided here depict the major differences in “The Thinker’s” depiction.

Original sculpture: Right hand supports the chin. Right and left arm rests on the left thigh.

Dezarium copy: Completely mirrors the original Thinker. Left hand supports the chin. Left and right arms rest on the right leg.

Tokugawa’s sketch: Right hand supports the chin. Right arm rests on the right leg. Left arm rests on the left leg.

Meldars: Completely mirrors Tokugawa’s original sketch from Be Forever. Left hand supports the chin. Left arm rests on the left leg. Right arm rests on the right leg.

Note: While classical music has been used in Yamato Resurrection, the Be Forever connection is much stronger in this case. But who knows, maybe the bright scarlet designs of the new Dezarium army are supposed to harken back to the baddies from Resurrection, such as Metzler and his SUS space fortress?

Here’s a list of all four classical pieces of music used in 2205:

1. Claire de Lune – Claude Debussy
2. Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E flat major – Frederic Chopin
3. Reverie (Dream) – Claude Debussy
4. Fantasia in D Minor, K. 397 (Fragment) – Amadeus Mozart

Details

Yamato’s maintenance bots

In Yamato III’s second episode, a batch of new and unique robots was introduced to help aid Yamato. They’re hardly seen throughout the series, but their inclusion is nonetheless worth mentioning.

2205 seems to have taken note. Aboard Shiro Sanada’s ship Hyuga, four dozen AU19 Analyzer units participate! They come in three different color schemes, each color signifying their role aboard the ship. Three leader units lead the three sections, each with a unique personality and complex A.I.

Magellanic Galaxy & Dessler’s Cape

In Yamato III, Dessler recounts to Kodai how planet Galman was liberated by the Gamilans, giving us a brief but memorable image. First a view of Dessler, then his silhouette containing the galaxy.

2202 adapted this in the conversation between Kodai and Teresa, ending with a beautiful rendition of the Magellanic galaxy. In 2205 the beautiful galactic landscape returns, along with a cape-fluttering sequence after the liberation of Galman, bringing the callback to full circle.

Mecha and Music Notes

Be Forever Yamato

In 2205, mecha inspiration was extracted from Be Forever in the form of the Dezarium hammers, the series’ new tripods.

Then there were the 3-wheeled ground tanks with their iconic head shape. This feature was passed on to the new Dezarium spider mecha, who themselves seem to be heavily influenced by that very same kind of machine from the Be Forever PS2 game. You be the judge!

“Small multi-legged tank” design by Kazutaka Miyatake, 2001.

Yamato III

Final Yamato

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