How many times was the Wave-Motion Gun fired in the Space Battleship Yamato series? Surprising facts discovered through research
by Seiichiro Hayakawa
Anime writer. A fan of anime and manga for 40 years, he started out as a writer on a whim, but before he knew it, more than 20 years had passed. He is also active as a scriptwriter under a different name. His hobbies are fishing, drinking, and visiting public baths. His favorite food is fried goby that he has caught himself.
Published by Magmix on January 7, 2025. See the original article here
The Wave-Motion Gun, which is synonymous with Space Battleship Yamato, is a key gadget in the story, even in the remake. So how many times was it fired in the original version? When I checked, an unexpected fact came to light.
In the first TV series, there was no case of it being fired at an enemy ship!
The Wave-Motion Gun is an ultimate weapon which uses all the energy generated by the Wave-Motion Engine, and has often saved Yamato from crisis. However, its use was very limited, and it was rarely seen. How many times did Yamato fire the Wave-Motion Gun in the series? We followed the firing scenes from the TV and movie versions.
● TV series Space Battleship Yamato
Episode 5
The memorable first use of the Wave-Motion Gun is when it is fired at Jupiter’s floating continent, blowing up an island the size of Australia along with the Gamilas base. The power is so great that Captain Okita admonishes his crew and himself, saying “We need to be extremely careful when using it in the future.”
Episode 12
As Yamato approaches the alpha star of Orion, it falls into a trap set by Gamilas, where its path is blocked by a super-magnetic barrier and it is attacked by a gas lifeform. Driven into the scorching heat of the alpha star, Yamato uses the Wave-Motion Gun to blow away the giant corona and escape.
Episode 17
It is used against the large creature Balanodon, tamed by Gamilas. Because Captain Okita had fallen ill, Susumu Kodai decided to fire it. Also, because it was used immediately after warping, Yamato was damaged by the recoil.
Episode 20
On the planet Balan, halfway between Earth and Iscandar, it was used to destroy the artificial sun that fell toward Yamato as it was attacking Gamilas’ frontline base.
Episode 24
During the decisive battle on the planet Gamilas, the cornered Yamato tried to induce a large volcanic event at Captain Okita’s suggestion, and used it to shoot through the bedrock, which was a life-saving move.
● Farewell to Yamato
In the film it was first used against the Comet Empire’s Goland Fleet, sweeping away the fleet along with its large missiles. This was the first time it was clearly fired at humans. It was also used against the vortex core of the White Comet. However, two months after the premiere of Farewell, the TV series Yamato 2 began, and the subsequent works followed on from there, so this time it will not be counted.
● TV series Yamato 2
Episode 10
It was fired at the missile fleet (30 ships) led by Admiral Goland of the Comet Empire, annihilating the fleet along with the missiles.
Episode 12
Yamato, which took cover in a hollow planetoid, was captured by a magnetic field, unable to move. It attempted to escape backward by using the recoil of the Wave-Motion Gun, which is usually absorbed by the gravity anchor, and succeeded.
Episode 19
It was used to blow up the Gatlantis battle fleet stationed on Planet 11, along with its logistics base. This was the first time the Wave-Motion Gun was used on the surface of a planet. Was Planet 11 safe?
In the movies, they tend to fire at a fleet
● TV special The New Voyage
Initially broadcast as a TV special and later released in theaters, The New Voyage features one firing at the giant battleship Pleiades, manned by Commander Deda of the Dark Nebula Empire. Note that it was not Kodai who fired it, but new member Kitano.
● Movie Be Forever Yamato
Two firings are confirmed. The first was at the Black Battleship Grodez belonging to the Dark Nebula Empire near the planet Dezarium, destroying it and succeeding in annihilating the fleet through a chain reaction explosion. However, the aftermath caused great damage to Dezarium, which was behind it.
The second target was the artificial city in the center of Dezarium. As the firing sequence begins, Susumu Kodai hesitates because his niece Sasha is inside Dezarium. However, Sasha is shot and killed, and he pulls the trigger while shouting her name. In this work, the result of Yamato‘s modifications is called the New Wave-Motion Gun.
● TV series Yamato III
Episode 9
The first shot was used to sweep away the Galman-Gamilas Empire Advance Base and the Planet Destruction Missile on Planet Barnard.
Episode 11
Yamato almost falls into a trap set by Commander Dagon of the Galman-Gamilas Empire, and fires the Wave-Motion Gun at a black hole to blow away a tractor beam. The plan works; Yamato is able to overcome the difficult situation and kill the formidable Commander Dagon.
Episode 17
In the defense of the Galman home planet, it was fired at the Bolar Federation’s warp-type planet destroyer missile. At this time, Kodai was injured, so new recruit Domon pulled the trigger.
● Movie Final Yamato
The Wave-Motion Gun is used twice. The first time, it was fired at the fleet led by Lugal II of the Dengil Empire, destroying the surrounding asteroids.
The second time, it was used to scuttle the ship in order to stop a water column from the water planet Aquarius. The trigger was pulled by Captain Okita, who was resurrected. Due to the destructive power of the large amount of tritium loaded on board, Yamato broke in half the moment after the Wave-Motion Gun was fired, but the objective was achieved. After revealing its bridge and bow, Yamato sank into the water.
Totaling all of the above, Yamato used its Wave-Motion Gun 16 times. If we include Farewell, it was used 18 times, making it clear that it was a rare ultimate weapon.
Yamato‘s Shiro Sanada is actually a pretty crazy character. “I thought something like this might happen!”
by Seiichiro Hayakawa
Published by Magmix on January 8, 2025
It’s been half a century since Space Battleship Yamato began airing, and the voyage of Yamato, which is currently being remade, shows no signs of ending. When we focus on one of the main characters, Shiro Sanada, a background emerges that may be surprising.
Shiro Sanada, a calm and passionate man
In 2025, 45 years have passed since the film Be Forever Yamato was released. This April will see the release of Chapter 3 in the remake series REBEL 3199, which premiered in 2024. The remake opened with Sanada’s version of the familiar narration, beginning with “The infinitely expanding universe.”
Sanada is one of the main characters in the Yamato series. He is known online for his line, “I thought something like this might happen,” and this line was also used as a joke in the commercial for the Space Battleship Yamato DVD series.
Since the first series, he has saved Yamato from crisis again and again with his outstanding technical skills, and in his first appearance in Episode 3, he instantly assembles an “Astro Bike,” surprising Susumu Kodai and Daisuke Shima. In Episode 9, he devises the “Asteroid Ship Plan” to replace Yamato‘s damaged armor, and remotely controls asteroids to use them as a barrier, sinking several Gamilas ships. Sanada is strong not only in theory but also in practice, as expected.
His greatest achievement may have been defeating the Drill Missile used in the final battle against the Domel Fleet in Episode 22. He reversed the rotation of the Drill Missile fired into the Yamato‘s Wave-Motion Gun, sending it back to the enemy and causing an explosion that dealt a fatal blow to the Domel Fleet. It could be said that Sanada singlehandedly achieved results on par with the Wave-Motion Gun.
It was also Sanada who was in charge of assembling the Cosmo Cleaner, the object of the voyage to Iscandar. Moreover, he repaired a minor defect, and one could even say that he saved Earth with his own hands.
Sanada’s achievements from the beginning to the end of the series are too numerous to mention, and one might say that he always has a cool gaze backed by his skills and theory. However, contrary to this impression, he is also a passionate man who is not afraid to make personal sacrifices, as shown in Episode 18. This episode could be said to be the one in which Sanada really comes into his own.
Sanada’s “critical role”
In Episode 18, it is revealed that he was a friend of Susumu Kodai’s older brother, Mamoru, and that he regrets not being able to complete maintenance on Mamoru’s ship, Yukikaze, at the time of its final departure. It is also revealed that he lost both his arms and legs in an accident in the past.
In addition, a bomb was (for some reason) installed in his prosthetic limb. After infiltrating the fortress with Susumu Kodai, Sanada tells him to leave. He then detonates the bomb with a determination to kill himself in order to destroy the control computer of the enemy fortress. This successfully destroys the computer and he survives.
In a past accident, he lost both his arms and legs as well as his sister, and it is said that this incident caused him to have suspicions about science and a desire for revenge, which inspired him to become a scientist.
It is precisely because he has a strong background, or even an obsession, with such things as “science” and “technology” that his words have the persuasive power of “if Sanada says so, I have no choice but to agree.” This also guarantees the “authenticity of things” in the story, and one could say that he is able to move the story forward even in cases where, upon further thought, there are doubts or points that could be criticized.
In fact, Sanada has never once said the line, “I thought something like this might happen” in the TV anime. The only line that comes close is found in the second half of Yamato 2 Episode 10.
According to anime and tokusatsu researcher Hikawa Ryusuke, the line “I thought something like this might happen” was “a standard line that a professor in a robot anime would say when using a secret weapon or something.” He wrote about it as “a little musing” in his doujinshi Kaiju Club, and before he knew it, it had been slipped in as a real line from Sanada. There are all kinds of lines in works with a long history.