Space Battleship Yamato
A space warship voyages to save Earth from radiation.
Space Battleship Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマト, Uchū Senkan Yamato), also known as Cosmoship Yamato and Star Blazers, is a Japanese science fiction anime series. It was written by Yoshinobu Nishizaki, directed by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, and produced by Academy Productions. The series ran on Yomiuri TV from October 6, 1974, to March 30, 1975, for 26 episodes. The story follows Susumu Kodai (Derek Wildstar in the English version) and an international Earth crew during an interstellar war. They travel aboard the space warship Yamato, based on the World War II battleship of the same name, after receiving a message from the planet Iscandar. Their mission is to retrieve a device that can reverse the radiation poisoning Earth has suffered from Gamilas (Gamilon) bombings.
The series is considered one of the most influential anime in Japan. Its shift toward serious themes and complex narratives shaped later works like Gundam, Macross, and Evangelion, and also influenced video games such as Space Invaders.
**Development**
The initial ideas for Space Battleship Yamato began in 1973 with producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, but the project underwent many revisions before reaching its final form. The creation team included Nishizaki, Keisuke Fujikawa, Eiichi Yamamoto, and Aritsune Toyota. It was first planned as a tokusatsu, and Nishizaki drew inspiration from *Methuselah's Children*. Aritsune Toyota also offered his 1970 novel *Desecrated Earth* (地球の汚名, *Chikyū no Omei*) as a source.
In 1973, works like *The Poseidon Adventure* and *Japan Sinks* were very successful. Eiichi Yamamoto believed this was due to their depiction of people surviving extreme situations, which influenced *Yamato*'s creation. He also felt industrialization made people more miserable, and *Yamato* was designed to show a triumph of humanity and love.
Originally conceived as an outer-space version of *Lord of the Flies*, the project was first titled "Asteroid Ship Icarus." It featured a multinational crew traveling through space in a hollowed-out asteroid to find the planet Iscandar. The crew was meant to be deeply discordant, with many acting out of self-interest. The original enemy aliens, called Rajendora, were robots of unknown form; it was planned that they and all life on their home planet had died centuries earlier.
- Japanese title
- 宇宙戦艦ヤマト
- Romanized title
- Uchū Senkan Yamato
- Alternative titles
- Cosmoship Yamato, Star Blazers
- Genre
- Science fiction anime
- Writer
- Yoshinobu Nishizaki
- Director
- Leiji Matsumoto
- Producer
- Academy Productions
- Network
- Yomiuri TV
- Original run
- October 6, 1974 – March 30, 1975
- Episode count
- 26
Lore & Background
The first ideas for Space Battleship Yamato began in 1973 by producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, inspired by Methuselah's Children and Aritsune Toyota's 1970 novel Desecrated Earth. The project initially was planned as a tokusatsu and underwent many revisions. Early concepts included an asteroid ship called 'Asteroid Ship Icarus' with a crew from around the world, discord among them, and enemy aliens called Rajendora. The first rough draft in summer 1973 featured a regular spaceship with a rock shell and a darker story where only one crew member survived. Eiichi Yamamoto oversaw early development until 1974, when Leiji Matsumoto took over, overhauling the story and designing the titular ship after the IJN Yamato, its crew, and the Wave Motion Gun, which came from his 1968 erotic comedy manga Sexaroid. The series was originally planned for 52 episodes, then 39, before being cut to 26 due to low ratings and high production expenses. The cut episodes would have introduced Captain Harlock as a new character.
Reader's Guide
Space Battleship Yamato is one of the most influential anime series in Japan. Its turn toward serious themes and complex storylines influenced later works in the medium, including Gundam, Macross, and Evangelion, in addition to influencing the style of video games such as Space Invaders. The series revolves around Susumu Kodai (Derek Wildstar in the English version) and an international crew from Earth, tasked during an interstellar war to go into space aboard the space warship Yamato, derived from the World War II battleship of the same name, in response to a message of aid from the planet Iscandar to retrieve a device that can reverse the radiation infecting Earth after being bombed by the Gamilas (Gamilons). The original series contained 26 episodes following the Yamato's voyage out of the Milky Way and back again, featuring the declining health of Captain Okita and the transformation of the brash young orphan Susumu Kodai into a mature officer, as well as his budding romance with Yuki Mori. The foreign edits tend to play up individual characters, while the Japanese original is often more focused on the ship itself.
Did You Know?
- The series was originally planned as a tokusatsu before becoming an anime.
- The Wave Motion Gun originated from Leiji Matsumoto's 1968 erotic comedy manga Sexaroid.
- The episode count was trimmed from 39 to 26 due to low ratings and high production expenses.
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