Earth and Garmillas are recovering six months after the war with Gatlantis and the Yamato crew continue to mourn the loss of their comrades and ship, when an unexpected opportunity for a reunion with lost heroes presents itself. In Teresa's dimension, Mori tries to rescue Kodai from a future filled with nothing but war.
Summary[]
Six months following the final defeat of Gatlantis, the Ginga is seen commencing debris clearing around the Moon. Its drifting chunks, caused by the near-miss attack of the Ark of Destruction, still orbit close to Earth with some even falling akin to meteor showers. Captain Saki Todo laments about "the mess" left by the war as the ship gets to work. The AI reports that restoration efforts have only been 7.5 percent complete.
In front of Captain Okita's statue, the crew of the Yamato mourn an epitaph of their colleagues who lost their lives in the war. Among them was the Yamato's CAG Saburo Kato (survived by his wife Makoto and his son Tsubasa who were also in attendance), ace pilot Akira Yamamoto, Chief Operations Officer Yuki Mori, and Chief Tactical Officer Susumu Kodai.
Later, inside the time fault factory, workers were alarmed to see a badly-damaged Yamato emerge from the dimensional sea. Under orders from Director Todo, Sanada leads a small team aboard to look for survivors. Yamazaki stumbles upon an unconscious Akira in the engine room. Meanwhile, somewhere in a higher dimensional plain, Mori continues her search for Kodai who has been beset by grief over the endless cycle of conflict.
Before a memorial, Akira tells Ambassador Burrel about what she saw: a tree so massive that its roots and branches can be seen. Despite the vagueness of everything she experienced, she remembers one clear message to pass on. The fallen like her brother Akio and Keyman had the chance to return to life, but they chose not to.
Sanada gives his report to Captain Yamanami about the appearance of the Yamato, stating that Teresa's intervention using the Yamato as a medium allowed the Earth to escape destruction by the higher energies emitted by the Ark of Destruction's collapse. As a result, the Yamato too was pushed into a higher plane of existence along with Mori and Kodai. Initially having reservations, Yamanami agrees with Sanada out of a realization of the true cost of war. A meeting was arranged where Sanada and his group ask the higher-ups to authorize a rescue mission. Since moving a vessel through a higher dimensional plane would require close to infinite energy, the plan is to use the Ginga's CRS to collapse the dimensional node and launch the Yamato through it. Hearing that Earth will lose the time fault in the process, Serizawa vehemently protests the idea. Sanada, however, is confident that the plan will get the people's support due to what the war has done to both Earth and Garmillas.
Back in Teresa's dimension, the goddess continues giving Kodai his chance to return to Earth to forge his own future. She mentions that anything and everything that happens in life is made possible by people's feelings. Kodai knows this, yet he chooses to ignore and keep walking.
On Earth, a public debate was held to discuss whether to preserve the time fault or use it to rescue Mori and Kodai. Representing to preserve the time fault, Serizawa cites the advantages Earth has enjoyed with it such as energy, supplies, and military power and urges not to be swayed by emotion. Before Sanada's piece, Serizawa admits to Sanada that he envies him and the inseparable bond of the Yamato crew. Representing to save Mori and Kodai, Sanada explains the painful decisions Kodai took--from his journey to Iscandar to the moral burden of using the Wave Motion Gun, "betraying his own heart with every pull." He urges everyone not to call Mori and Kodai "heroes," as everyone is also like them.
Meanwhile, Mori finally catches up with Kodai inside the tree, which begins to sever itself. Kodai looks at her with hopelessness, saying that it's the same destructive future no matter where he looks. Mori reminds him that Kodai saved the Earth once and he would do it again with her by his side no matter how worn down he gets. Then, from the dimensional sea the Yamato emerged, with their friends looking on from the bridge.
The Yamato travels home, welcomed by the Ginga and her Murasame-class cruiser escorts. Everyone on Earth looks on in the sunrise as the Warriors of Love return.
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Noteworthy Dialogue[]
"I'm here today to talk about a certain man. Now he wasn't special, he was just a regular guy. He loved people, the lead in the society they created. The time came when the Earth was pushed to the precipice of ruin, and he joined the great expedition to Iscandar. When he finally returned, just like all of you here, he worked himself to the bone for the sole purpose of restoring the Earth. This man wished for one thing above all else, that we would be able to keep our promise to Iscandar. But after the war, the Earth was in a position which would no longer allow for that. He was betrayed, that of undoubtedly must have been what he felt. That's why when he received the signal from Terezart, he left the Earth fully prepared to commit treason.
"It was his wish to contribute peace to the universe as an Earthling no matter the cost. But his choice came with grave consequences. In his quest for peace, he had to pull the trigger on the Wave Motion Gun more than anyone. Whether it was to live or to protect, he betrayed his own heart with every pull. He felt hesitation, naturally. He always pleaded for reconciliation, and at times he stood before the enemy's gun in the hopes that sacrifice might save the rest of us. Try as he might, it all worked against him. In a twist of irony, this ordinary man would have to make his own life a weapon in the end. The cost of his life saved the Earth, but we only know this in hindsight.
"This man and Yuki Mori, a woman who loved him and made the same sacrifice as he did, you should resist the urge to call them 'heroes.' Because...he is you. For sake and by his hopes his future wanted. Tortured by the feeling that he lost something every single day. In order to press on and fulfill his duty, he grew accustomed to that constant suffering, ultimately losing sight of the man he used to be. He himself predicted that the selfishness of yesterday and the compromises of today would crush the future, yet he kept walking down the road not knowing where it would go. He was a man among many nameless people, trying his best to live in this harsh era. He is you, and he is me. We are all the same.
"My goal is not to make you feel inferior. So if you're thinking these are heroes worth saving no matter what it might cost, then you are mistaken. But if you believe they are worth saving because you'll also be saving yourself in some way, if after making this foolish choice you believe we can reclaim the original future we all deserve, then please make the right choice--cast your vote to save them. Don't be swayed by hollow speeches spouting numbers, convenience, or efficiency. Listen to your heart. Because the heart is our home, the place where our future exists."
--Shiro Sanada's piece during the public debate
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