Although no clear ranking system was shown for the Earth Defense Force in the original Yamato series, in the 2199 remake the United Nations Cosmo Force does use one. Here are those ranks.
The following details the officer ranks of the UNCN, showing the Japanese rank, the English translation and the NATO equivalent.
- Commissioned Officers
| UNCN Insignia | Japanese Rank (Japanese) | Japanese Rank (Romaji) | Japanese Rank (abbrv) | UNCN Rank (in English) | UNCM Rank (in English) | NATO Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
司令長官たる宙将 | Shirei Chōkan taru Chūshō | Shō | Admiral | General | OF-9 |
|
宙将 | Chūshō | Shō | Vice-Admiral | Lieutenant General | OF-8 |
| 宙将補 | Chū Shōho | Shōho | Rear-Admiral | Major General | OF-7 | |
|
一等宙佐 | Ittō Chūsa | Issa | Captain | Colonel | OF-5 |
|
二等宙佐 | Nitō Chūsa | Nisa | Commander | Lieutenant Colonel | OF-4 |
|
三等宙佐 | Santō Chūsa | Sansa | Lieutenant Commander | Major | OF-3 |
|
一等宙尉 | Ittō Chūi | Ichii | Lieutenant | Captain | OF-2 |
|
二等宙尉 | Nitō Chūi | Nii | Lieutenant Junior Grade | First Lieutenant | OF-1 |
|
三等宙尉 | Santō Chūi | San'i | Ensign | Second Lieutenant | OF-1 |
- Warrant officers
|
准宙尉 | Jun Chūi | Jun'i | Warrant Officer | Warrant Officer | OR-9 |
- Non-Commissioned Officers
|
宙曹長 | Chū Sōchō | Sōchō | Chief Petty Officer | Sergeant Major | OR-8 |
|
|
一等宙曹 | Ittō Chūsō | Issō | Petty Officer 1st Class | Master Sergeant | OR-7 |
|
|
二等宙曹 | Nitō Chūsō | Nisō | Petty Officer 2nd Class | Sergeant 1st Class | OR-6 |
|
|
三等宙曹 | Santō Chūsō | Sansō | Petty Officer 3rd Class | Sergeant | OR-5 |
- Enlisted
|
宙士長 | Chū Shichō | Shichō | Leading Seaman | Leading Private | OR-4 |
|
|
一等宙士 | Ittō Chūshi | Isshi | Seaman | Private 1st Class | OR-3 |
|
|
二等宙士 | Nitō Chūshi | Nishi | Seaman Apprentice | Private | OR-2 |
|
|
三等宙士 | Santō Chūshi | Sanshi | Seaman Recruit | Recruit | OR-1 |
Enemy Ranks
The villains in the Yamato series tended to use WWII-era ranks.
- Commissioned Officers
| Japanese Rank (Japanese) | Japanese Rank (Romaji) | Army/Air Force | Naval |
|---|---|---|---|
| 総統 | Sōtō | Leader | Supreme leader |
| 元帥 | Gensui | Field Marshal | Grand admiral |
| 上級大将 | Jōkyū Taishō | Colonel General | General Admiral |
| 将軍 | Shōgun | General officer | n/a |
| 提督 | Teitoku | n/a | Admiral |
| 大将 | Taishō | General | Admiral |
| 中将 | Chūjō | Lieutenant general | Vice-Admiral |
| 少将 | Shōshō | Major general | Rear-Admiral |
| 准将 | Junshō | Brigadier general | n/a |
| 代将 | Daishō | n/a | Commodore |
| 大佐 | Taisa | Colonel | Captain |
| 中佐 | Chūsa | Lt. Colonel | Commander |
| 少佐 | Shōsa | Major | Lieutenant Commander |
| 大尉 | Taii | Captain | Lieutenant |
| 中尉 | Chūi | Lieutenant | Lieutenant (junior grade) Sub-lieutenant |
| 少尉 | Shōi | 2nd lieutenant | Ensign |
- Warrant officers
| 准尉 | Jun'i | Warrant Officer | Warrant Officer |
- Non-Commissioned Officers
| 曹長 | Sōchō | Sergeant Major | Chief Petty Officer |
| 軍曹 | Gunsō | Sergeant | Petty Officer 1st Class |
| 伍長 | Gochō | Corporal | Petty Officer 2nd Class |
| 兵長 | Heichō | Lance corporal | Petty Officer 3rd Class |
- Enlisted
| 上等兵 | Jōtōhei | Senior Private | Leading Seaman |
| 一等兵 | Ittōhei | Private 1st Class | Seaman |
| 二等兵 | Nitōhei | Private | Seaman Apprentice |
Notes:
- In the Classic saga, salutation of respect among the EDF was right hand in a fist over heart with thumb facing to the ground with heels together for ranks lower than Captain. Ranks Captain and higher was allowed to return a standard salute back at the crew or exchange at another Captain or a higher ranking officer. This special salutation technique was abandoned in the 2199 remake and the fist-over-heart was dropped completely; allowing all ranks to salute to each other.
- The salute mentioned above was done slightly differently in Season 1 of the Classics, as the palm of the fist is facing the chest, not the edge of the fingers. The thumb is either tucked within the fingers or pressed against the index finger. The fist is more centered in some scenes.