- This article describes Hajime Saito from Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark and Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love. For his counterpart in Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato and Space Battleship Yamato 2, see Hajime Saito (OS). For the similarly named character in the live action film, see Hajime Saito (live action film).
Hajime Saito was a non-commissioned officer serving in the United Nations Cosmo Marines.
History
Early Life
Saito enjoyed a close friendship with future regiment commander Colonel Goro Kiryu and his family. The colonel's daughter, Mikage, grew to see him as a kind of big brother. Saito developed a reputation for his hand-to-hand fighting abilities after becoming a Marine. At some point, Saito was injured and received a star-shaped scar on the left side of his face [3](Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark).
2199
Saito and the rest of the 7th Regiment were stationed on the Moon early in the year when their base was attacked by a Garmillas carrier. No United Nations Cosmo Navy ships were available to fend off the attack and the base was destroyed, killing Colonel Kiryu and leaving Saito as the highest ranking officer. When the space battleship Kirishima finally arrived to evacuate survivors, Saito was enraged by the loss of his friend and many of his comrades, and charged onto the bridge to demand an explanation. His persistence compelled the senior officer, supreme military commander Admiral Ryu Hijikata, to reveal the launch of a highly advanced interstellar ship intended to save Earth from extinction.
By December, Saito was transferred from the 7th Regiment to riot control in an underground city in Earth's Far-East District, fighting a population that had become increasingly agitated by worsening living conditions. Frustrated by having to fire on fellow humans, Saito forced his way into the command center of the UN Space Planning Office and confronted chief executive Heikuro Todo and, once again, Hijikata. The admiral heard his complaints and tried to assure him that the situation will improve soon, until they were interrupted by news that the new ship launched months earlier had returned (Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark).
Terezart and the War with Gatlantis
By 2202, Saito was made the commander of the UNCM 5th Regiment, stationed on the Eleventh Planet in the outer reaches of the solar system[2]. During a Christmas celebration that year, his post was ambushed by a vanguard fleet of the Gatlantis Empire. He ordered the 5th Regiment to gather the survivors and attempted to escape the battle. Due to the Gatlantean blockade and an inability to send any transmissions, he sent Master Sergeant Shiori Nagakura into space to get help, which resulted in him and the rest of the survivors being saved by the Yamato ("Battle to the Death - The 11th Planet Rescue Operation").
Personality
Saito with Goro and Mikage Kiryu during a happier time.
Saito is fiercely loyal to the Cosmo Marines with whom he serves and to the values and reputation of the UNCM, and when he feels that either is neglected or disrespected, he does not let protocol stop him from showing his indignation. His forthright attitude quietly impresses and amuses Admiral Hijikata. With his "little sister" Mikage Kiryu, Saito's playful side emerges (Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark).
Notes
- Saito is a late example of a character from the original Space Battleship Yamato continuity being introduced at an earlier point in the Yamato 2199 television and movie series. Unlike the earlier form of the character, the new Saito already has an established relationship with at least one crew member aboard Yamato.