This article describes Susumu Kodai as depicted in Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and its sequels. For his counterpart in the original Space Battleship Yamato and its sequels, see Susumu Kodai (OS). For his counterpart in the live action film, see Susumu Kodai (live action film).
No matter what happens, never give in. Struggle! Seek peace and hate war. Act in accordance with mankind's ideals and we will save as many people as we can!—Susumu Kodai, to the Yamato crew, [18]
Susumu Kodai (古代 進, Kodai Susumu) is an Earthling officer of Earth Federation Cosmo Navy and the former third captain of the space battleship Yamato, he also previously served as head of Yamato's Tactics Department and as the ship's interim commander during the Battle of Shambleau and the Gatlantis Campaign. In addition to his important role in many of the ship's military victories, Kodai contributed to Garmillans and Earthlings finding a way out of the Great Garmillas War. After returning to Earth, he engaged with Yamato's Operations Officer Yuki Mori.
In December 2202, he was called from the goddess Teresa of Terezart together with the rest of Yamato's crew. Alongside his comrades, he rebelled against the Earth Federation and began a journey towards Terezart to liberate it from the occupation of the Gatlantis Empire.
In October 2205, he led the 65th Escort Corps during the fleet's diplomatic trip towards the Salezar System and subsequently during the Iscandar Incident. Following his dismission from the 65th Escort Corps in the aftermath of the incident, he became an inspector for the Saturn Restoration Project and was stationed aboard Ginga.
With the activation of Operation DAD in October 2207, Kodai returned to Earth, met up with his former comrades, and with Mori, to reach for the Yamato. However, after failing to rescue Mori and causing her to be stranded on Earth as it became occupied by Dezariam, Kodai's lost his mental fortitude and was dismissed from his post as captain of the Yamato by Admiral Osamu Yamanami.
Biography[]
Early life and career[]
Susumu Kodai was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He's the son of Tsuyoshi and Noriko Kodai, and the younger brother of Mamoru Kodai, to whom he was very close. Early in the Great Garmillas War, the entire Kodai family, including Susumu's parents and his uncle and aunt, were killed in the planet bombing of Earth by the Great Garmillas Empire. He survived the attack because he had left to meet Mamoru at a spaceport. The two brothers were the only Kodais left alive. Mamoru gave their father's harmonica to young Susumu, a gift that he would continue carrying into adulthood.[19][20]
Kodai followed in his elder brother's footsteps several years later and enrolled in the Space Officer Training Academy. While there, he studied under the guidance of the academy's headmaster, Ryu Hijikata, and received practical instruction from Isami Enomoto, a long-time non-commissioned officer. His academy classmates included Hajime Hirata and Daisuke Shima, the latter of whom would become his best friend.[3][6][21][22] At some point after graduation, Kodai was assigned to the 7th Air Wing Space Tactical Division.[2]
Operation M and the Yamato[]
For this topic in more detail, see First Battle of Pluto (2199) and Reconnaissance-in-force of the Yamato
On December 25, 2198, Kodai and Shima were assigned to the battleship Kirishima, flagship of the UNCN's first fleet, and took off from Earth to take part in Operation M. The following day, December 26, they were left on Mars and stationed at the ruins of Arcadia Port. They were given the codename Uzume and their task was to wait for an alien emissary, Sasha Iscandar, to rendezvous with them.[3][23]
On January 17, 2199, as Kodai lamented the long wait and not being able to actively fight in the currently ongoing battle off Pluto, him and Shima received their signal and moved out to intercept their target, codename Amaterasu. Kodai took the helm of a Type 100 Recon Plane, but just as they made visual contact with the alien spacecraft, it encountered a malfunction and its pilot was forced to eject. Noticing an escape pod launching, Kodai made a sharp turn to follow it. However, after landing to inspect the capsule, he found the messenger had died upon impact. Shima noticed the capsule's occupant looked like a Earthling woman, and Kodai agreed, calling her beautiful. Nevertheless, they successfully retrieved the wave-motion core she had tried to deliver. Later, Kodai and Shima buried Sasha and erected a makeshift gravestone for her. On February 7,[24] the Kirishima picked up Kodai and Shima from Mars. Kodai noticed that no other ships were present outside of the flagship. Upon meeting Hirata on board and giving him the device they had found on Mars, he asked about his brother's destroyer. Silently, he was given confirmation that Mamoru had perished in battle.[3]
Kirishima arrived back on Earth on February 8.[23] While they were walking down the hallways of the Far East HQ, Kodai and Shima encountered a pair of workers from headquarters, Yasuo Nanbu and Yuki Mori, discussing a rumor about the first fleet having been used as a decoy in the previous operation. Angered, Kodai approached Nanbu, asking if he was saying the truth, and demanding to speak to Admiral Okita, the fleet's commander. He then noticed Mori, and was surprised by the striking resemblance the woman had with the messanger. Mori broke the two apart and directed Kodai to the Central Hospital, before promptly leaving. Shima commented on the similarities between her and Sasha, but Kodai downplayed him despite his own initial thought having been the same. In spite of Shima's complaints, he left to meet Okita, barging in the hospital as the Admiral was undergoing an examination. He demanded to know the truth about Operation M, but was interrupted by Admiral Hijikata, who apologised to Okita for his former student's behaviour. Upon hearing Kodai's surname, Okita asked if he was related to Mamoru, which Kodai confirmed. The fleet commander commended Mamoru, and apologised for leading him to his death. Kodai saluted the Admiral and left. Outside, he and Shima discussed what they would do now that their assignment was over, and were interrupted by Doctor Sakezo Sado, the medic who was inspecting Okita. Kodai apologised for his behavior, and Shima commented on his surprise over meeting Hijikata at the hospital. Sado explained the two Admirals were friends since their time at the military academy, and compared the two to Shima and Kodai. He wanted to invite the two to drink with him, but before he could do it, they had already left.[3]
Kodai and Shima were told to stand by at the Homeland Air Defense Corps base, where they inspected a new fighter plane model, which a nearby pilot, identified as a Cosmo Zero, who Kodai recognized as the UNCF top ace, Saburo Kato. As he left to tend to other matters, Kato reminded them not to touch the aircraft. Kodai playfully suggested the opposite, but at that moment, an alarm sounded at the approach of enemy planes and a carrier. Eager for a chance to avenge his brother's death, Kodai encouraged Shima to help him commandeer the Cosmo Zero and flew off to intercept the intruder near the Japanese island of Kyushu. Despite being able to quickly target the reconnaissance plane, Kodai had neglected to notice that his fighter was unarmed. Several seconds later, the Cosmo Zero suffered engine failure and crashed into the dry sea floor. Kodai and Shima both walked away, with the latter recalling that they wouldn't last long on the open surface without protective gear. They watched from hiding as a group fighters engaged the Garmillas planes, and what appeared to be an ancient sunken battleship fired on the carrier.[3]
Kodai pondered over the extraordinary event they had witnessed, commenting the old wreck was alive. He and Shima were noticed by Kato flying overhead, and were rescued before they would fall to radiation poisoning. Kato punched them both in the face for having stolen his Zero, going as far as injuring his own wrist.[3][6] The three were all visited by Sado in his ambulatory, there, Shima informed Kodai the pilot was still glaring at them. The doctor informed them they had not suffered any harmful effects from the radiations, and asked them if they too had been called in for an announcement, which Kodai confirmed.[6]
The following day, Kodai and Shima both attended the announcement. Okita showed the crowd a video message from Queen Stasha of Iscandar, extracted from the wave-motion core the pair had retrieved. The alien monarch offered the Earthlings a Cosmo Reverse System, a device that could cure the Earth, damaged by the eight years-long war. She also informed them she had sent the plans to build an engine capable of superluminal travel, which would allow them to come and retrieve the device. During the showcase, Kodai recognized an image of the ship they had seen on Mars. Okita announced that the Yamato, the battleship selected to travel to planet Iscandar, would take off the next day. Much to Kodai's surprise, he had been assigned as the ship's Tactics Officer.[6]
2199: Voyage to Iscandar[]
Off toward the sea of stars[]
Now promoted to full Lieutenant, Kodai packed his things, including his brother's harmonica, and prepared to board Yamato. Kato, now the fighter squadron commander, confronted him and warned him not to get any of his men killed needlessly, but stated that he would follow his orders as his underling. Kodai assured him that this wouldn't be an issue. Upon reaching the ship's first bridge, Kodai met Mori once again, but coldly dismissed her when she tried to reintroduce herself. He then asked her where he could find Okita, who was to serve as Yamato's commanding officer. Upon meeting him in his quarters, Kodai expressed his uncertainty about his new appointment. Okita admitted that Kodai wasn't the original candidate for the position and that it was supposed to go to his older brother, but he added that Kodai's service record and his personal opinion both indicated that he was qualified for the task. He finished by saying that the final decision was Kodai's to make. Kodai then joined the other officers on the main bridge.[6] As Yamato's executive officer, Shiro Sanada introduced himself. The battleship was informed that a Garmillas interplanetary missile was heading towards them. Kodai manned his post, and as the battleship rid itself of its camouflage to take off, he realized that the wreck that had protected them in the previous attack was none other than the Yamato. Okita confirmed this and ordered him to fire the main cannons at the incoming warhead. Kodai's shot was successful, prompting Okita to command his work. Shima congratulated him by offering him a handshake as the Yamato set sail.[6] As they were leaving the atmosphere, Kodai looked over the Earth and wondered aloud if they could save it, leading Shima to ask him if he had gotten cold feet. Mori reported an incoming allied vessel, the Kirishima, and Kodai took his binoculars to look at it.[25]
Yamato's officers corps was called into the Central Operations Room for a meeting by Okita to explain the workings of the ship's warp engine and its derivative weapon, the wave-motion gun. Shima was uneasy with the mastery he would need to control the warp drive, prompting Kodai to sarcastically return his quip about getting cold feet. After the meeting ended, Mori asked Kodai for confirmation that the Iscandarian messenger had been buried on Mars. As Yamato passed over the red planet, Kodai looked out of Yamato's side observation deck toward Mars. He thanked Sasha, promising they would not let her sacrifice go to waste and asking her to watch over their journey. As he finished paying his respects, he noticed another crew member, Akira Yamamoto of the accounting department, looking at the planet.[25]
On February 12,[26] Kodai took his place on the bridge for Yamato's first warp test. During the jump, Yamato was caught in Jupiter's gravity field and fell into the gas giant's atmosphere. The battleship crashlanded on a floating continent suspended inside over the planet, and Sanada ordered Kodai to form a team to investigate the area they had found themselves in. Mori called for Analyzer, Yamato's subcomputer, who detatched from his console and introduced himself, much to everyone, including Kodai's, surprise. Later, four Garmillas ships attacked the battleship. Kodai ordered to prepare the main guns, but Shima informed him they couldn't fire positron beams with the engine currently under repair. Nanbu proposed firing physical rounds, but Kodai reminded him of their shorter range. Okita ultimately decided to perform a bypass to divert stored energy to the positron guns and to fire the physical rounds from the auxiliary turrets. As Yamato escaped from the floating continent, the Admiral ordered Kodai to fire the wave-motion gun against the continent's enemy base, intending to use this occasion as a test for the weapon. However, the DWIE's shot didn't simply destroy the base but the entire floating continent, leaving Kodai and the rest of the bridge crew aghast.[25]
Mission to Enceladus[]
The day after the battle, Kodai and the rest of the officers discussed Yamato's route. He opposed Shima's plans because they wouldn't allow Yamato to attack the Garmillas base on Pluto, responsible for the ongoing bombardment of the Earth. When the ship received an SOS signal coming from the Saturnian moon Enceladus, Kodai argued they shouldn't waste time there, answering Shima's rebuttals by stating that since they were unsure there would actually be any survivors, a rescue operation would be a waste of time. However, at that moment, Yamato's engine malfunctioned. The material necessary to repair the ship could be found on Enceladus, prompting Okita to opt for a detour. Yamato would be repaired on the moon, while a medical team would carry out a search and rescue operation. Later, in Yamato’s mess hall, Kodai apologised to Shima for his outburst.[27]
Later, Kodai asked Shima to sit beside him in the mess hall. He tried to explain that he wasn't necessarily against the rescue mission. Shima understood that Kodai simply wanted to get revenge for his brother's death. He told Kodai that he could relate, as he had been inspired by his father's words and was now acting upon them, wanting to follow in his footsteps. Kodai offered a fist bump, and the two made up.[27]
While they were on their way to the distress signal's origin point, the two bickered and drew the attention of Makoto Harada, the nurse accompanying them. Suddenly, Kodai, puzzled by her resemblance to the Iscandarian messanger, asked Mori if she had any alien relatives, greatly confusing the rest of the landing party. They found the wreck of an Isokaze-class destroyer but no survivors. While Kodai searched for the ship's log, they were attacked by a Garmillas patrol. Mori was captured by two enemy automatons, and Kodai lost his gun while trying to rescue her. He found another gun lying on the ground and shot down one of the androids. Mori freed herself with his help, but they were then faced with enemy tanks. Kodai pushed Mori to the ground for cover, and they were saved by a Cosmo Zero launched from Yamato. Mori embarassedly thanked Kodai, but he was oblivious to her awkwardness and simply attributed her rescue to the gun he had found. However, when he inspected the weapon, he realized it bore Mamoru's name on its hilt. Kodai rushed to the wreck and shot at the ice covering its name, confirming it was his elder brother's destroyer. The group erected a makeshift gravestone for the crew of the sunk destroyer before heading back to Yamato. This series of events mended Kodai and Mori's relationship despite their initial hostility towards one another.[27] Their blossoming friendship soon developed into romantic feelings.[19][20]
Kodai reported to Okita that they had found no survivors. The Admiral, visibly saddened, told Kodai that they wouldn’t let the Earth suffer the same fate as the sunken destroyer.[27] Later, Kodai and Mori went to report their findings on the Garmillan robots to Sanada. Kodai was frustrated with Sanada's cold demeanor, so Mori decided it was time for them to leave. As they approached the exit, Sanada asked Kodai to confirm that no survivors had been found, which he grimly did. As they returned to the bridge, Kodai expressed his frustration to Mori, who once again thanked him for helping her. He responded that he was just doing his job and then changed the topic to the pilot who had rescued them, who had turned out to be Yamamoto.[16]
Operation M2[]
For this topic in more detail, see Operation M2
Okita eventually agreed to launch an attack on the Garmillas base situated on Pluto. The plan, codenemaed Operation M2, was for the Yamato squadron to launch all its fighters to locate the base and then for the battleship to attack it directly. During an officers' meeting where Kodai explained the strategy, Nanbu asked why they couldn't just shoot the Wave-motion Gun at the planet. Kodai replied that doing so would destroy the entire dwarf planet. To his surprise, Okita put Kodai in charge of the air wing for the mission and agreed with his plan, stopping the argument. After the meeting, Kodai was stopped by Yamamoto in the hallways. The two discussed, and Kodai decided to accept her into the fighter squadron. He then visited Okita to officialize Yamamoto's transfer from the logistic department before briefing the airmen and introducing Yamamoto as the new pilot. He gave each pilot their assignments and ordered them not to risk their lives for the sake of revenge and to come back alive.[16]
On February 14,[26] Kodai and Yamamoto launched their Cosmo Zeros and led the Alpha Team in scouting for the enemy base. During their search, he caught a glimpse of a beam weapon hitting Yamato, but remained unaware of what had happened.[16] While sweeping the surface, Kato contacted Kodai, claiming to have found their objective. However, Yamamoto spotted enemy interceptors exiting a concealment field disguised as an aurora and urged Kodai to stop and look. They entered the field and found themselves inside a vast enemy facility, and began shooting down the Garmillas' air defenses and the concealment field's projectors. As Kodai contacted Yamato to request battleship support, Okita asked if they could see a beam emitter, but they couldn't. The Admiral concluded that the enemy weapon had to be hidden underground and ordered Kodai and Yamamoto to stay on site to locate it. Much to Kodai's surprise, when he asked how to locate it, Okita replied that they'd only need their eyes. Yamato bombarded the coordinates the two pilots gave, and Kodai confirmed the destruction of the enemy weapon. The battleship closed in, destroying the remnants of the base and all but one escaping ship, ending the battle. Kodai and Yamamoto returned to the ship, and as Kodai sat down at his console on the main bridge, his thoughts went to his brother.[28]
Beyond the Solar System[]
Days later, Mori approached Kodai in the ship's main elevator to ask him about the bizarre question he had asked her on Enceladus. She suspected it was born out of a possible resemblance between her and the Iscandarian messanger, which Kodai confirmed. He also recalled that another Iscandarian had contacted Earth in 2198. Mori gave him the name of Princess Yurisha Iscandar, but did not elaborate.[19]
Upon arriving at the bridge, the two were informed that Captain Okita would allow each crew member to contact their loved ones on Earth before Yamato's final departure from the solar system as part of a line-crossing ceremony. Kodai was confused as to how a ceremony held when crossing the Earth's equator would work in space, but Okita simply replied it was a symbolic gesture to celebrate Yamato's important milestone. However, as Kodai had no one to call back on Earth, he decided to help with the ship's repairs. He joined Enomoto, who had become Yamato's boatswain and was currently leading the repair crew. As Kodai explained he would switch places with one of his men so that he could call home, they were joined by Yamamoto, who had had the same idea. Enomoto made a remark about Kodai getting better at dealing with women, but the Tactics Officer did not understand the comment. As they worked together, Kodai asked Yamamoto if it was fine for her not to call home and noticed her red eye color, indicating her Marsnoid origins. She opened up about her family emigrating from Mars after the Second Inner Planetary War and about the death of all her family members during the war against Garmillas. Kodai related to her experience, explaining he had a very similar history. He went on to ask why she hadn't signed up for the fighter squadron in the first place, and she explained that Kato, a close friend of her deceased brother, had refused her application out of concern for her safety.[19]
After finishing his work, Kodai played his harmonica alone in the rear observation deck. He was approached by Mori, who congratulated him on his work and asked him why he didn't call anyone. He explained his situation and asked her the same question. Mori revealed that she was in a similar situation and that she had lost all memories of her past including those regarding her family. The two stood there, listening to the ship's internal radio broadcasting, and bid their farewell to the solar system.[19]
On March 5th[26], Kodai was involved in a battle at the Gliese 581 system. During the battle, Yamato became trapped between a Garmillan bioweapon and the furnace of a red dwarf. Even though he had doubts about Okita's battle strategy, he followed orders and fired the Wave-motion Gun at a solar flare, creating a hole in it. Thanks to this, Yamato was able to escape. After the escape, Kodai noticed Mori silently praying in the rear observation deck, but chose not to interrupt her.[29] For the next few days, Yamato's navigation went smoothly until one of the androids captured on Enceladus began interfering with the ship's systems. The android's conversations with Analyzer caused the crane in one of Yamato's hangars to malfunction while two pilots were re-entering from a patrol. Kodai confronted the two deckhands who were present during the incident, but he took no reprimandary action as no one had been injured.[30]
Dealing with Ditz and Shima[]
Weeks later, Yamato remained trapped inside a dimensional fault, where they encountered the Garmillan battlecruiser EX-178. The enemy ship sent Lower Storm Leader Merda Ditz as a liaison to the Earthlings to find a way out of the pocket dimension for both sides. Kodai met with Ditz in Yamato's lounge in what became the first face-to-face meeting between their two species. The Garmillan noted that the Earthlings had a similar skin tone to some second-class citizens of Garmillas. Kodai took the comment in offense and asked her if she had come to negotiate. Ditz replied, mentioning Kodai had brought his gun to a negotiation, prompting him to take it off and ask her to continue with her proposal. The plan was for Yamato to shoot its Wave-motion Gun, opening a passageway through the dimensional fault. As Kodai noted, however, this would leave the battleship unable to move, so the Garmillans agreed to tow it in regular space. Okita agreed to collaborate, and the two ships managed to escape the desperate situation. However, the EX-178 was sunk by friendly fire when a larger Garmillas formation appeared to hunt down Yamato. Kodai was present for the subsequent skirmish and saluted the wreck of the destroyed EX-178 as Yamato sped off.[31]
Due to her ship's destruction, Ditz remained stuck aboard Yamato and was kept inside a cell in the ship's brig. Kodai lamented the situation in an officers' meeting, suggesting they'd release her. Sanada reminded him that the fighter she had used to get to their ship had no warp capabilities, meaning abandoning her would equate to a death sentence. He still believed keeping her in a cell was excessive, but Niimi, Sanada's assistant, pointed out it was necessary to protect her from eventual revenge attempts from the crew. Kodai's lack of logic annoyed Sanada, but before their argument escalated, Okita announced that he would put Kodai in charge of Ditz's interrogation. Despite his attempts to ease her into talking, as he later reported to Okita, Ditz refused to give Kodai any information. Later, the Admiral discussed freeing their prisoner as Yamato approached Garmillas-controlled space, but Shima angrily opposed the decision, prompting Kodai to try and talk his friend down. At that moment, Yamamoto had Ditz evade from her cell and stole two fighters to fight each other outside the battleship. She refused to listen to Kodai's orders to stop, but eventually, her plane malfunctioned, and she had to be rescued by Ditz. After the Garmillan returned with Yamamoto, she prepared to leave the battleship. Kodai gave her a bag of supplies and bid her farewell, reiterating he believed they could understand each other. Ditz asked him to compliment Yamamoto's piloting abilities, prompting him to state they had the same mentality.[32]
Although the situation was resolved peacefully, Shima's troubles persisted even after Ditz had left the ship. Her claim that the conflict had been initiated by Earth, not her people, only made the situation worse. In a later meeting, Kodai and Shima argued about this matter, prompting Okita to relieve them of their duties and sentence them to cleaning duties. As they cleaned out the Wave-motion Gun's muzzle, Kodai cursed the Admiral for their punishment, and tried to have a conversation with his friend, but Shima coldly dismissed him, and he moved on to clean other sections of the ship. After finishing his punishment, Kodai sat in the cockpit of his Zero playing his armonica, and was approached by Mori. She playfully asked him if he thought she could one day become as good a pilot as Yamamoto and was somewhat taken aback when he replied negatively. Suspecting she wanted to talk about the pilot and Shima's plight with Ditz, he stated that he understood how they felt since he too had lost many loved ones in the war. Still, he reasoned that Shima still having a family back home must be a heavy burden for his friend, although that was a burden he was somewhat jealous of. Mori reassured him that he could still create a new family and that Yamato's crew was already a big family.[33]
Later, Kodai visited Okita's cabin, as it was the last room he needed to clean, and the Admiral asked him to sit down and talk. He revealed to Kodai the truth behind the beginning of the war with Garmillas, explaining that the United Nations had indeed asked him to fire first but that he had refused. He asked Kodai if he thought he had done the right thing, stating that soldiers should always follow orders. However, he explained that there are times when even soldiers must disobey what they believe to be misguided commands. Afterward, Kodai and Shima reconciled on the first bridge.[33]
Engaging the dimensional submarine[]
For this topic in more detail, see Encounter with the Garmillas Dimensional Submarine
On March 31,[26] the Yamato was ambushed while passing through a proto-star system. The ship was targeted by several torpedoes, but the radar was unable to locate the enemy vessel, which the crew suspected to be operating from another dimension. As a result, Yamato had to hide and wait for the enemy to reveal themselves. The situation became worsened significantly when Admiral Okita fell unconcious due to his Planet Bomb Syndrome and needed emergency surgery. Kodai was greatly concerned for the captain's health, even after being reassured by Okita's longtime friend and Chief Engineer Hikozaemon Tokugawa. He finally confronted the eerily calm Sanada, asking him what he knew about the captain's condition. However, as Kodai spoke up, the radar detected a Garmillan ship leaving the system. But Kodai was not convinced the enemy had given up on hunting them down. When asked to back up his claim by Niimi, he simply stated it was a gut feeling. She accepted the Tactics Officer's answer and concurred with his skepticism, proposing to use Yamato's subspace sonar to try and scour for eventual hostiles still hidden in subspace. Kodai pointed out that doing this would give away Yamato's position and instead proposed to use a Seagull to launch subspace sonobuoys. The two argued over the pros and cons of both strategies, but Sanada ultimately decided to go with Niimi's out of safety concerns. At that moment, Sado informed the crew that Okita's surgery had been successful, and Tokugawa suggested Kodai go and visit the commanding officer. Upon entering the operating room and seeing Okita sleep in a medical capsule, Kodai remembered the Admiral's words about refusing a wrong order. Deciding to act on his own accord for the battleship's sake, he left after asking Sado to take good care of the captain.[21]
As he arrived at the hangar, he was surprised to discover that Enomoto had already ordered his subordinates to load the sonobuoys on a Seagull. The group took off on the plane, but by the time they did, the subspace sonar had already revealed Yamato's position to the enemy and began being targeted. Kodai called in the bridge to announce he'd release the sonobuoys and send their data back to the battleship. This way, Yamato traced the enemy's torpedoes and eventually located and shot down their periscope. Later, Tokugawa and Kodai visited Okita as he awoke. Tokugawa commended the Tactics Officer's work, and Sado announced that Sanada wouldn't take any disciplinary action against him despite his insubordination.[21]
The Witch's attack[]
For this topic in more detail, see Psychic Attack on Yamato
Mori was tasked to perform recon missions around the ship with the subspace sonar in the days following the attack, to ensure that the enemy submarine hadn't been following Yamato. As Kodai had been suspended from his duties as Tactics Officer, he was tasked with escorting her. On April 7,[34] as the two watched the Milky Way, Mori asked Kodai to give her control of their Type-100 plane, but he refused, once again implying he didn't trust her piloting abilities. They began arguing, and unbeknownst to them, their quarrel was broadcasted directly to the first bridge, much to their fellow officers' amusement and to their embarrassment upon being called out.[20]
However, the lightheartedness was soon broken as Yamato fell under a psychic attack from Lt. Mirenel Linke, a Zirel agent of the Great Garmillas Empire. Mori and Kodai were spared from the attack since they were outside of the ship. They tried to reboard the ship, but the hangar didn't respond to their commands, prompting them to enter through an airlock. They found the battleship's corridors and the bridge had been emptied of all personnel. Yamato suddenly reactivated and began moving on its own toward an unknown destination. Mori and Kodai resolved to inspect the automatic navigation room and the main computer room, the only facilities with control over Yamato's route. As they prepared to leave the bridge, Kodai saw an illusion of a planet bomb rapidly approaching. He refused Mori's proposition to split off, deeming it too risky, but the two soon fell to Linke's psychic abilities and lost each other. Kodai answered a ringing payphone in the corridor and heard his mother's voice telling him to go home. He ended up in his childhood house, sitting at the fateful family meeting that had killed his family. From the shadows, Linke appeared and urged him to answer another ringing phone, which turned out to be Mamoru. Kodai asked his brother why he had died, and he responded by asking if the tactical officer was even alive to begin with. Mamoru went on to question Kodai on what he was doing aboard Yamato, stating someone like him should not fight. Kodai put the phone down, and was once again beckoned to return home by Linke. He refused, stating he had to go back, but couldn't remember where he was supposed to go.[20]
Suddenly, Kodai found himself as his childhood self watching his brother play the harmonica. They conversed, and Kodai re-experienced the memory of Mamoru giving him the instrument. He then returned to his homestead, where his family tried to convince him that there was no war. However, Kodai managed to take a hold of his own memories and refused the illusion. He woke up in Yamato's movie theater and saw a projection of Mori calling for help from her illusion on the screen. He was able to escape the illusionary world and woke up in the engine room, where the rest of the crew had been put in a catatonic state by the alien psychic. Kodai rushed to the engine compartment and took Mori away from an avatar of Linke controlling her movement. He escaped with Mori, and shut the door of the compartment, trapping the attacker's projection inside of it as the engine reactivated. The surge of energy killed the telepath, freeing Yamato's crew from her influence.[20]
After the attack ended, Kodai and Mori stood on Yamato's second bridge. he shared what he had seen in his illusion, and Mori replied ambiguously that she had also seen someone she cared about, confusing him. She then added that Kodai had come to save her in the end, which embarrassed him. Kodai asked what she meant, but Mori ran off laughing and said it was a secret.[20]
Battle at Carell and Beemela 4[]
Days after, Kodai and Mori wandered into the Yamato's second hangar, as Mori was still determined to make him teach her how to fly a Cosmo Zero. While the two bickered, the nearby Yamamoto ran off in jealousy, as she had started to develop feelings for Kodai in the previous months and couldn't stand how close he and Mori had gotten. At that moment, Yamato's alarms went off, and the two rushed to their stations on the main bridge. However, it turned out to have only been an offensive recon rather than an attack. Similar operations had been carried out by the Garmillas forces of the galactic theater for the past days to exhaust Yamato's crew before making a direct assault. Eventually, in late April, Yamato was ambushed by a large fleet of warships, and the battleship was encircled and heavily damaged in combat. Kodai rejoiced to see Admiral Okita return to take command during the fighting but was confused when he ordered to attempt a breakthrough of the enemy encirclement, as they had a superdreadnought class right in front of them. Despite this, Okita's plan worked, but only temporarily. Another wave of hostiles arrived and surrounded Yamato. Despite Kodai's attempts to boost morale, the battle seemed a lost cause, but the Garmillan warships suddenly retreated while at the brink of victory.[35]
In the aftermath of the devastating battle, Yamato prepared to resupply at the nearby Earth-like planet Beemela 4, as the ship's officers had agreed on in a previous meeting.[35] Okita fainted once again, but Sado informed Kodai and Sanada that the captain was only experiencing the side effects of his surgery and simply needed some time to rest. Kodai was put in command of a landing party and was sent to gather supplies. During their descent, Kodai and Hirata expressed their concerns for the young warrant officer Yuria Misaki, who had been suffering from memory blanks. In reality, Misaki had been unknowingly falling under the influence of Yurisha Iscandar, who was being kept in a comatose state inside Yamato's Automatic Navigation Room. Kodai decided to inspect a nearby metal object, but the group was chased by a giant autochthonous bug-like creature. They eventually made their way to the structure they were looking for, which turned out to be the wreck of an Iscandarian craft. Misaki, now under Yurisha's control, stated that Iscandar had come to further its goal of universal salvation for all lives. Kodai asked if that meant Beemela 4 once harbored intelligent life, which the Warrant Officer confirmed. She then fainted and returned to her usual self, confusing the tactical officer. The group wandered inside a nearby alien structure and found a Wave-motion Core containing information on a subspace gate outside the star system.[36]
Kodai and his team tried to return to Yamato but found the battleship had started to leave without them. They were contacted by Mori who informed them that a group of rebels led by Head of Security Shinya Itou had started a mutiny against the mission to Iscandar. The insurrection was eventually stopped, and the resupply team was welcomed back. Kodai was embraced by a tearful Mori as he landed.[36]
The subspace gate and Sanada's revelations[]
Days later, Shima announced that they could use the subspace gate to skip ahead on their journey by 30.000 light years. Sanada stated that he could try to reactivate the gate but that another civilization already controlled the subspace network. Seeing his hesitation, Kodai asked the XO to reveal the civilization's name and was surprised to find out it was the Garmillans. Kodai and Mori were selected to help Sanada in his mission to the gate's control Satellite. During the mutiny, Itou had accused Mori of being an alien because of her memory loss and possession of an Iscandarian device. The crew had started to question Mori's identity, which caused her great distress. However, during their mission to the control Satellite, Mori recognized a verse from a 20th-century poem book that Sanada had mentioned. Kodai pointed out that an alien wouldn't have known about Earth's poetry, which lifted her spirits. Sanada then revealed the truth behind Mori's amnesia and the disappearance of Princess Yurisha Iscandar one year earlier. The two had been in a car crash, possibly an act of terrorism, which resulted in Yurisha falling into a coma and Mori losing her memories. The Iscandarian princess was being kept alive in Yamato's Automatic Navigation Room, where her memories were being traced to chart the battleship's route to Iscandar.[37]
The XO proceeded to access a console to try and complete their mission but realized that doing so would release a harmful amount of radiation. To protect Mori and Kodai, he shut down the door leading to the console and proceeded to operate the station despite this possibly costing his life. Kodai desperately banged on the door, begging his superior not to sacrifice himself. Hearing his desperate pleas, Sanada revealed that the poem he had cited beforehand had been gifted to him by Mamoru, who had been his best friend. He painfully admitted to Kodai that, despite knowing his brother was heading to his death in Operation M, he hadn't dared to tell him. After a moment of silence, Kodai reassured Sanada that Mamoru would have participated in the battle nonetheless, before continuing to implore him not to kill himself, stating he wanted him to tell him more about his brother. Despite his attempts, Sanada's section was flooded by radiation as the subspace gate opened. The door automatically unlocked, and the two rushed in only to find that Sanada had survived by submerging himself in a nearby body of water.[37]
Sanada's actions successfully reactivated the subspace gate. Back on Yamato, Sanada gave Kodai the poem book that Mamoru had given him. Kodai initially refused, but the XO insisted that he take it.[37]
After the mission, Okita decided to publicly tell the truth regarding Yurisha, and the princess, now completely in control of Misaki's body, finally came forward and revealed herself to the crew. Kodai participated in a meeting between the ship's command staff and the alien. He announced that Kato would select one of his pilots to carry out a recon mission beyond the subspace gate to assess the situation before Yamato traveled through it. As the data retrieved during the recon was reviewed, he and the rest of the staff discovered that an enormous fleet of more than 10,000 Garmillan warships was gathered on the other side of the gate at planet Balun. Despite the situation, Okita chose to risk it by carrying out a breakthrough operation at Balun and escaping through another subspace gate linked with the Large Magellanic Cloud, Iscandar's home galaxy. Kodai was on the bridge during the subsequent battle and was impressed by Okita's strategy. Yamato completed the operation, arriving at the Large Magellanic Cloud and Kodai shot the Wave-motion Gun to heavily damage Balun, destroying 70% of the enemy fleet in just one shot. After the end of the fighting, Kodai stood on the first bridge, smiling at the view of the Satellite galaxy ahead of them.[38]
Mori's kidnapping[]
Okita chose to traverse the Rainbow Star Cluster, the fastest way for Yamato to get to Iscandar, despite Kodai and Shima's worries about the area's instability. However, the enemy commander, Col. General Elk Domel, had anticipated this move, and a task force had already been deployed to the cluster to ambush Yamato. Kodai was at his station on the first bridge when the battleship came under attack and directed the battleship's operation for the first phases of the battle.[39] However, the battleship was boarded by a Garmillan special forces team, and Okita dispatched him to take control of the security department. As he arrived at the scene, where a gunfight had erupted, he spotted Mori being taken away by one of the enemy soldiers. Before he could do anything to rescue her, one of the boarders blew himself up, setting off the emergency bulkheads and blocking his path. Kodai desperately ran to his Cosmo Zero to chase the boarders' escape vehicle, but it was picked up by a dimensional submarine and disappeared into subspace. He desperately fought off a squadron of torpedo bombers before returning to Yamato. In the aftermath of the battle, he stood desperately at the site of Mori's kidnapping. He was met by an unknown woman whom he initially mistook for Mori. She introduced herself as Yurisha Iscandar, who had finally retaken control of her own body.[40]
Days later, Kodai was still grieving for Mori's loss. He participated in the funeral ceremony for the fallen soldiers from the previous battle, before once again going to the corridor where she was taken by the enemy, watching it aimlessly. Concerned about his well-being, Okita and the other officers decided to send him on a resupply mission to the nearby planet, Leptapoda. As he was about to leave, Yurisha unexpectedly entered his vehicle and claimed to know where Mori was being held. Despite his initial resistance, Kodai decided to trust her and they departed for Leptapoda. However, as they entered the atmosphere, he questioned how she could know Mori's position. Yurisha simply replied she loved Mori, and asked him if he didn't too. Before he could answer, they were interrupted by two mutineers, Itou and his fellow mutineer Yabu, who had survived the previous battle and held them at gunpoint, mistaking Yurisha for Mori. Kodai managed to tilt the plane and throw them off balance, causing Yabu to accidentally shoot the vehicle's controls, making them crash land on Leptapoda's surface. They were then taken hostage by a group of Garmillas androids and imprisoned. At that moment, a prison riot broke out and Kodai was separated from the rest of the group while trying to escape a granade. He freed himself of his shackles, before wandering inside the prison, eventually finding himself in the facility's control room. From there, he spotted Mori being taken away toward a departing Garmillas ship. He desperatly tried to use the nearby consoles to stop the ship or contact Mori, but to no avail. As the dust settled, he was met by Yurisha, who revealed him she now knew where Mori was being taken. She showed him a map of the Salezar system and pointed at planet Garmillas. The map revealed another world lying in the orbit next to their enemy's origin planet, which, much to Kodai's shock, Yurisha identified as Iscandar.[41]
Battle over Garmillas[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle of the Imperial Capital
After the riot ended, a rebellious faction of the Garmillan military under the command of Admiral Gul Ditz, Merda Ditz's father, took control of the prison. The Admiral and his loyalists met with Yamato's officers, including Kodai, and exchanged information on Garmillas and its politics. Yamato's crew came to know that the Great Garmillas Empire was under the authoritarian rule of Supreme Leader Abelt Desler, whose rule was being opposed by Ditz and his men. While the rebels and Yamato did not come to an agreement, they left Merda Ditz behind a liaison to help the Earthlings in the coming battle against the dictator. It was also confirmed that the empire had taken Mori prisoner believing she was Yurisha, and that she was being taken to Desler.[42]
Yamato departed from Leptapoda, and began making its way to the Salezar system. During the journey, Kodai had to step in an argument between Kato and Ditz. She wanted to fly one of Yamato's Cosmo Falcons, despite the air squadron commander's opposition. Kodai reminded her that her duty did not include flying one of their planes. Afterwards, Shima joined Kodai in the rear observation deck in an attempt to lift his spirits. He mentioned Ditz's conviction that Mori was being treated well on Garmillas, but Kodai reminded him that this would only be true if her cover hadn't been blown. Later, when Yamato's staff gathered to discuss their strategy, Kodai grudgingly rejected Nanbu's plan to carry out a rescue operation and save Mori. Kato reminded Kodai that their objective was Iscandar, and Garmillas was right next to it, so they could change their mind at any moment. Taking the airman words to heart, Kodai meditated over the plans alone in the second hangar, conflicted over whether or not to go through with the rescue mission.[42]
As Yamato warped toward the Salezar system, it was attacked by a Garmillas-made Wave-motion Gun.[42] They managed to avoid being hit directly, Okita decided to take offensive action against the enemy and ordered the ship towards Garmillas. The battleship deployed all its assets in a decisive battle over the Garmillas imperial capital, culminating in it ramming Desler's presidential office. Okita ordered Kodai to assemble a team and storm the building, but before he could do so, an escape ship detached from the tower, and Yurisha sensed Mori's presence in it. Initially, Kodai refused to follow the vessel as it escaped towards an orbital city between Garmillas and Iscandar. However, hearing Yurisha wanting to save Mori herself, he finally came to his senses and asked Okita to launch in his Zero. Okita agreed, officially tasking Kodai with Mori's rescue and, much to his surprise, allowing the princess to come with him. The two were assisted and encouraged in their flight by Yamato's fighter squadron, and even by Ditz.[43]
But before they could reach the orbital city, it exploded due to an internal sabotage, heavily damaging the Cosmo Zero and seemingly killing all those onboard. Thinking he had failed his mission, Kodai initially despaired, but as the explosion subsided, he spotted someone floating in a spacesuit among the debris. He flew out of the cockpit and was met by a miraculously still alive Mori, who asked him to reassure her that she wasn't dreaming. Tearfully, Kodai affirmed that she wasn't, and the two held each other close as they watched their destination, planet Iscandar.[43]
Stay on Iscandar[]
The trio were soon retrieved by Yamato, and the battleship finally landed on Iscandar's capital. As Okita had suffered a relapse in his condition due to the stress of the previous battle, Sanada assembled a delegation, including Kodai, Niimi, Mori, Yurisha, and himself, to meet with Queen Stasha at her palace. Initially, the monarch mistook Mori for Sasha before being corrected by Yurisha. Kodai explained that the messanger had died on Mars, and that the Earth owed her its survival. Stasha initially refused to give the Earthlings the coveted Cosmo Reverse System, the device she had promised them, citing their usage of Wave-motion Energy-powered weapons as the cause of her predicament. Although Kodai tried to reason with her, Sanada called him to stand down. After hearing Kodai's name, the Queen recoiled and asked him to introduce himself. Stasha informed them that she would discuss with Yurisha what she had seen aboard the battleship before asking them to leave.[44]
After the crew was informed of Stasha's impending decision, Kodai and Shima sat alone on the first bridge, discussing the general uneasiness that had fallen over Yamato. Kodai affirmed that it was only natural given the situation, but stated that they had to find something to do to relax while they waited for the Queen to choose. The two continued to sit alone until the evening, enjoying their view of the Iscandarian sea. The day after, Kodai and Sanada watched Iscandar's sunrise from Yamato's stern. He wondered aloud how long they were supposed to wait and whether Stasha would even give them the device she had promised, and was surprised when Sanada uncharacteristically told him to have faith. At that moment, the Iscandarian monarch arrived at Yamato. They met the Queen together with Okita and Niimi, and Stasha revealed to them the bloody history of Iscandar's empire, making them promise they would never repeat their mistake and use wave-motion energy as a weapon. The Admiral agreed with the Queen's demands, and a clause was added to the battleship's truce with the new Garmillan government to ban wave-motion weaponry, finally allowing Yamato to receive the Cosmo Reverser.[44]
At the end of the meeting, Stasha asked Kodai to have a private word with him and brought him to a mass cemetery outside of the capital city, where she informed him all Iscandarians outside of her and Yurisha were resting. She stopped in front of a grave, and Kodai was shocked to realize that it belonged to his brother. Stasha revealed that Mamoru had been taken prisoner by a Garmillan ship that had then crashlanded on Iscandar. She had hidden the Earthling from the Garmillans and had tried to nurse him back to health, but his injuries had eventually cost him his life. She entrusted Kodai with a message capsule containing a message from Mamoru, which he later broadcasted to the entire Yamato crew. In the hologram, Mamoru addressed his little brother directly, begging him to live for the both of them. After hearing the message, Kodai returned to his brother's grave and played his harmonica. Before leaving, he laid Mamoru's gun to rest at the feet of his tombstone.[44]
Yamato fully retrieved the Cosmo Reverse System and prepared to leave Iscandar on July 27.[26] He, Mori, and Yamamoto said their farewells to Ditz and Yurisha on a dock near the battleship. He extended his hand to Ditz, and she confirmed the words he had said to her months prior about sharing the same mentality before taking it in a firm handshake. Kodai boarded Yamato and took his place on the first bridge as the battleship took off.[44]
Returning to the Earth[]
First encounter with Gatlantis[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle of Kappadokia
In August,[45] Kodai visited Admiral Okita in his cabin as Yamato was exiting the Large Magellanic Cloud. The two listened to an old vinyl, which the captain described as a German folk song about friends who part, hoping to one day be reunited. He also mentioned that he had a variant of the same disc sung in Japanese. Kodai likened the song to his reunion with his brother, even if it was only via hologram. He was glad to have had that possibility, stating it had helped him understand how his brother had lived and cared for others. Okita noted that Mamoru would have been about the same age as Kodai when he had met him the first time, and said he wished he could have served alongside them aboard Yamato. Breaking the silence, Kodai told the Admiral he would have liked to hear the Japanese version, and Okita jokingly stated he'd put in a request for it on Yamato's on-board radio show. The two shared a laugh and were interrupted by Doctor Sado coming in for a routine visit for the captain. Kodai took his leave, not before Okita asked him to come visit more often.[10]
As he exited the cabin, he met Yamamoto out of the main elevator, and the two sat together for a moment. She revealed that she had been thinking about her brother lately, and Kodai admitted to having been doing the same. Kodai smiled and told Yamamoto that having siblings was a beautiful thing, to which she concurred. They were met by Shima, who took them with him to take some pictures in Yamato's rear observation deck, where Kodai was supposed to meet Mori for a date. Mori was already there when they arrived, and they began snapping photos together. When it was Mori and Kodai's turn to take a picture together, he tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but Mori playfully pinched him instead. He called her mean, but she jokingly scolded him, telling him not to be a crybaby and that it would make a good memory.[10]
The tender moment was interrupted by a sudden attack from an unidentified strike force. Kodai, Mori, and Shima rushed to the bridge. Due to Sanada's temporary absence, Kodai took command of the ship's defenses. Yamato was soon contacted by the enemy commander, who identified himself as Goran "Thunder" Dagam, the Grand Chief Commissioner of the Small Magellanic Cloud for the Gatlantis Empire. He ordered the Earthlings to surrender their ship, but Kodai refused. Instead, he ordered to scan nearby space for celestial bodies to escape towards. Yamato ran away to hide in a free-floating cavernous planet, but the Gatlantean forces continued to pursue them. As Yamato tried to maneuver through the planet's surface, a group of native life forms attached to it and began draining its energy. Kodai suggested performing an emergency warp to dislodge the creatures, stating to the hesitant Nanbu that remaining there would cost them their lives. Sanada and Mori agreed that it could work, and the ship warped away.[10]
The World of Tranquillity[]
The bridge crew of Yamato lost consciousness due to the shock of sudden warp and found themselves trapped inside a dimensional fault. When they regained consciousness, they discovered that Yamato had automatically reactivated and was heading towards a mysterious ringed planet. Kodai asked to check the radar for any hostiles, but none were found. Memories of the psychic attack Yamato had suffered months prior came to his mind. Sanada, Niimi, and Kodai reported the current situation to Okita, and both Kodai and Niimi simultaneously suggested sending a landing team to inspect the planet they had stopped in front of. They were joined by Analyzer, Yamato's communications chief Yoshikazu Aihara, the young airman Sho Sawamura, and Niimi's assistant, Mikage Kiryu. As their craft went through the fluid outer layer of the world's atmosphere, they found themselves in an exact recreation of Earth's Amazonian forest.[10]
There, Aihara received a Garmillas mayday signal, and Kodai chose to follow it, eventually deciding to continue their journey on foot as their vehicle remained stuck in the jungle's terrain. Sawamura complained about following an SOS from their former enemy, but Kodai reminded him about the events at Enceladus, where they had found Mamoru's destroyer by following a similar signal. The sudden mention of Mamoru startled Niimi, who almost fell to the ground, but was caught by Kodai before she could. Mikage exclaimed that the forest they were traversing looked exactly like one she visited as a child, which once again reminded Kodai of Linke's memory-based illusions. The party found the SOS was being transmitted from a recreation of the original IJN Yamato, the wreck used as their battleship's camouflage back on Earth. Inside the ship was a hotel, which appeared to be taken out of Mikage's memories. Kodai attempted to open the elevator doors but was unable to do so. Suddenly, they found that the entrance to the hotel had disappeared, and that they were unable to contact both Analyzer and Yamato.[10]
Stay at the hotel[]
After Kodai instructed Sawamura to remain composed, the group followed the sound of a piano playing in another room and discovered the Garmillas group that had sent an SOS. The aliens mistook them for Zaltzi, a subject race of the Garmillas Empire with skin tones similar to the Earthlings. The Garmillas Major, Fomt Berger, asked which unit they belonged to, but they could not answer without revealing their true identity. Kodai hesitated to respond, and Berger deduced that they must be part of a top-secret mission. Kodai went along with that story, citing it as the reason they couldn't reveal their unit. The two groups began living together in the hotel, attempting to escape through a hole. Niimi and Kodai discussed their situation and she expressed her concerns about the Garmillans discovering their true allegiances. Kodai was convinced they could find a mutual understanding with the aliens, just like his brother had stated in his message.[10]
Later, Kodai stood in the hotel lounge with his co-prisoners, enduring the hunger-induced fit of a young Garmillas pilot, Klim Melhe. Berger told his subordinate that they wouldn't give up until the bitter end, and apologized to Kodai for his behavior. Unfazed, Kodai commented on the Major's line, which he attributed to one of his superiors, and affirmed that Okita had stated something similar once. The two shared a laugh, and Berger expressed his desire to meet Kodai's commanding officer, prompting him to say the same about Berger's superior. Another Garmillan later explained to Kodai and Sawamura that the superior Berger was talking about was Col. General Elk Domel, who had fallen in battle against Yamato, and that the Major only lived to eventually take revenge on the Earthling warship.[10]
On the seventh day in the hotel, Kiryu managed to activate the locked elevator and went up on it alone. Kodai and the others found that the building's stairs now led to its top, and ran up to try and catch up with her. He and Berger found Melhe holding Kiryu at gunpoint and were unable to reason with him. Suddenly, Neredia Ricke, another one of Berger's comrades, appeared behind Melhe and revealed to the Major the real identities of the Yamato crewmembers. Shocked, Berger pulled his gun at Kodai and he did the same, but neither of them shot. Kodai expressed his respect for the deceased General Domel, and lowered his firearm, reaffirming his conviction that he and Berger could find a way to understand each other. Despite his Neredia's complaints, Berger did the same, and instead pointed the gun at her, revealing he had already been growing suspicious of her behavior the past days. The woman let go of her disguise, revealing herself as a Zirellan priestess, Loerelai Loer.[10]
The illusion was lifted, and the group found themselves inside a control room of sorts. Loer revealed that the planet they were on was named Shambleau, the ancient Ark of the Stars built by the Archelias civilization to spread the seeds of life through the universe. When her species was genocide, a group of survivors had made Shambleau their new home and had since been hiding from the rest of the universe, killing all those who came to look for them by trapping them and making them turn on one another. Kodai was surprised, stating that a Zirel had attacked Yamato once, but Loer explained that they had nothing to do with that attack, which had been carried out by a Zirellan agent of Garmillas. Mikage read an ancient line of Zirel text, which claimed Shambleau would come to life once the members of various human species held hands at the center of a circle of light in the middle of the room. Berger and Kodai stepped forward and invited Loer to join them, but she hesitated. Kodai told her that remaining there forever would only doom her species to extinction and that she should believe in the future. The three joined hands and the ark began reactivating.[10]
They exited the structure and were picked up by Analyzer, who took them to Yamato.[10]
The Battle of Shambleau[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle of Shambleau
Upon arriving on the bridge, Kodai was informed that Shambleau had fallen under attack from Dagam's fleet. He asked Sanada to grant him command for the coming battle, stating he knew how to win despite the overwhelming enemy's strength. As Yamato emerged from Shambleau's clouds to face off against Gatlantis, it was joined by a large Garmillas fleet led by Berger. Kodai urged the battleship not to shoot and affirmed that they would not be alone in their fight. Amid the battle, Berger hailed the Yamato and informed that the carrier carrying the real Ricke had remained stuck in Shambleau's transforming surface. He requested Yamato go and help them, despite knowing that his remaining forces alone could not resist Gatlantis' assault. Begrudgingly, Kodai accepted the role, and Yamato launched at full speed to rescue the trapped carrier. Kodai also led the battleship in a close-quarters fight against Dagam's flagship, destroying it and killing the Grand Chief Commissioner.[10]
After the end of the battle, Kodai and his comrades saluted the surviving Garmillas, including the still-alive Berger, hoping to one day meet his new friends again. He then ordered Yamato to resume its journey toward the Earth.[10]
Trouble at the Galactic Theater Gate[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle with Desler in Subspace
On September 21,[46] Kodai visited Okita in his cabin, leaving after the captain had fallen asleep. He later discussed Yamato's current heading, Balun, with Shima, and his friend confirmed that he intended to use the subspace gate to the Milky Way. The battleship picked up a Garmillan distress signal belonging to the empire's former Minister of Propaganda. Since Mori had met the minister during her stay on the planet, she was assigned to tend to her. Nanbu was preoccupied with Mori's assignment, but Kodai reassured him she'd be fine.[47]
Yamato was then attacked by a renegade Garmillas fleet, which had defied the armistice signed between Yamato and the empire's new government. Kodai was shocked to witness another Garmillas ship, loyal to the new government, fight against their attacker and wondered aloud what was happening. Yamato escaped through the subspace gate, but another enemy ship attacked them while traveling through the subspace corridor. An army of Gamiloids invaded the ship, and Kodai headed out to take command of the defense forces. He fought off against the borders and joined up with the security department before being told about another bridge on the 4th deck and heading there. When he arrived, he spotted Mori on the ground being faced by a group of Garmillas soldiers but was forced to duck to take cover before he could go and help her. He could only watch in agony as Mori jumped in front of the minister to stop her from committing suicide and was subsequently gunned down by the enemy soldiers. The boarders began to take their injured commander away, and Kodai rushed to Mori, begging her to wake up. As he pulled her unconcious body down the corridor, he heard one of the soldiers refer to her commander by the title of Supreme Leader and realized that Abelt Desler, thought to have died in the battle over Garmillas, was alive and standing in front of him.[47]
The boarding party was eventually defeated, and Desler's flagship was destroyed, seemingly killing the Supreme Leader for good.[47] Mori survived, but her injuries were too grave to be treated effectively aboard Yamato. She fell into a coma, and her body was kept alive in the capsule previously holding Yurisha.[48]
The miracle[]
In the coming weeks, Kodai tried to maintain a calm demeanor to keep morale among the crew, despite his fear for Mori's situation. Yamato received their first video communication from Earth while he was on the bridge weeks after the battle. Although the rest of the crew was relieved to be approaching home, Kodai ordered them not to let their guard down just because they were nearing the Solar System. He later visited Mori in the Automatic Navigation Room before returning to the bridge. There, he comforted Aihara, who had just received news of his father's passing, and encouraged the crew not to give up hope, assuring them that they could still save Earth, even if it was approaching its death. He then invited Shima to Kato's upcoming wedding with Harada, joking about the old-fashioned pilot's reluctance to throw a party to celebrate. However, Shima saw through Kodai's cheerful facade, sensing his internal struggle.[48]
One night, Kodai was summoned to the Automatic Navigation Room where he was informed that Mori had just passed away and Harada tearfully revealed that her last wish was to see him again. Upon seeing Mori's lifeless body, Kodai broke down in tears. He asked Sado and Sanada not to reveal the truth about Mori's death to the crew to spare them any additional bad news. On December 8, Kodai attended Kato and Harada's party, congratulating the couple and pretending to be calm. Kato recalled what he had told him prior to Yamato's first take off, expressed his admiration for Kodai's leadership throughout their journey, and assured him that Mori would be fine. Kodai smiled in response and told him to take good care of his wife.[48]
After leaving the party, Kodai returned to the Automatic Navigation Room where he was alone with Mori's body. He took her out of the capsule and hugged her, grieving for their lost time together and professing his love for her. As he fell into despair, a consciousness operating inside of the Cosmo Reverse System activated the device and brought Mori back to life. Kodai was overjoyed to see his love resurrected, dismissing her death as a bad dream. They shared their first kiss and walked to the first bridge, where they were welcomed by their adoring shipmates and the sight of Earth as the Yamato approached home.[48]
Life on Earth[]
Opposing the Wave-motion Gun fleet[]
After Yamato's return, the Earth was restored to its original blue state, and the Great Garmillas War ended. Yamato was decommissioned and turned into a museum ship.[49] However, in 2201,[50] the newly-formed Earth Federation proposed the Wave-motion Gun fleet plan, a rearmament plan that aimed to rebuild the Earth's forces by equipping ships with Wave-Motion Guns, despite Captain Okita's promise to Queen Stasha. Yamato was to be rebuilt and re-enter service as part of this plan.[51]
Kodai and the rest of Yamato's former crew, supported by Admiral Hijkata, opposed this decision. As a result, the leaders of the Earth Federation Defense Force removed him from his post and sent him to a backwater base at the edge of the Solar System. Just before he left, Hijikata met with Yamato's officers, including Kodai, and encouraged them to not give up hope. At a later meeting, the crew members discussed the situation, and he maintained his stance against the plan. Sanada announced his intention to rebuild Yamato as per his orders. This greatly angered Kodai, who hit Sanada in the face despite Mori and Tokugawa trying to stop him.[51] The two subsequently cut off all contact with each other for the following year.[52]
Despite this unfortunate event, Mori and Kodai continued to live their lives in relative peace and happiness. He was assigned as the commander of the newly built Kongo Kai-class Battleship Yunagi, with Nanbu and Aihara serving under his command.[4] By late 2202, he and Mori had gotten engaged.[13]
The 8th Floating Continent[]
For this topic in more detail, see 8th Floating Continent Recapture Operation
In December of 2202, the Great Garmillas Empire called upon a mutual security agreement it had signed with the Earth Federation to fight back against the Gatlantis Empire, which had invaded and occupied the Garmillas 8th Floating Continent. Kodai's Yunagi participated in a joint operation with the Garmillas forces as part of the Special Hybrid Fleet. Before the battle began, Aihara commented on the unusual lineup of the Garmillas fleet, which included three Zoelluguut-class dreadnoughts, and Kodai reprimanded him, asking him to show more respect to their allies. During the battle, Kodai's battleship distinguished itself for its daring strategies. However, despite their best efforts, the tide turned against the joint forces, especially after Gatlantis revealed its first Calaklum-class Battleship and wiped out most of the Garmillan fleet. Yunagi and the rest of the Earth-Garmillas fleet were ordered to fall back as Earth Defense Force HQ issued a secret directive for the deployment of the first wave-motion gun-equipped battleship, Andromeda. Kodai witnessed the firing of Andromeda's DWIEs, shocked to see the Earth's rearmament plan had bore its fruit so soon.[4]
The Gatlantean fleet was almost entirely destroyed by Andromeda's sudden appearance, but the Calaklum managed to avoid being hit directly and reactivated. By following two Earthling ships that were retreating to the Earth, the Gatlantean battleship found the planet's location and threatened a suicide run onto its New Capital. Upon receiving confirmation of the enemy's trajectory toward Earth, Kodai ordered Yunagi to emergency warp and tried to push the Calaklum out of collision course with the capital city. Although his efforts failed, Mori contacted him from HQ on a secret channel and patched him through to Sanada. Their former superior had taken control of the still under-repair Yamato and intended to use Kodai's data on the battleship's trajectory to shoot it down from the Earth with Yamato's superior guns. Kodai was initially unsure about the plan but decided to put his faith in Yamato's crew.[4]
Sanada's plan was successful, and the crisis was averted. As the Gatlantean battleship exploded, Kodai was hit by a vision of the deceased Admiral Okita, telling him to board Yamato.[4]
Teresa's call and the Yamato Revolt[]
Okita's anniversary[]
On December 8,[26] Kodai was court-martialed for his actions in the previous operation at the Grand Court's bench courtroom. Mori waited for him outside of the court, playfully saluting him as he left. While they drove toward the capital in their car, she tried to make him vent his frustration, ironically stating he should've rebutted his superiors' accusations as he was in the right. She yelled out that Kodai had just saved the Earth for the second time and that everyone should be grateful to him, also adding that it had worried her. Hearing her concerned voice, Kodai apologized in a jokingly stern manner, causing them both to burst out laughing. Later, at a café, Mori commented on how the Earth almost looked like what it was before the Garmillas War, prompting Kodai to carelessly ask if she had regained any of her former memories. He immediately apologized, but Mori didn't care much, instead asking if he had any anxieties about marrying someone with only four years worth of memories. Kodai stated that those were the only years that mattered and that they would find their happiness. She stopped him and clutched his hand, proclaiming she was already happy.[53]
They later joined their former comrades of the Yamato crew at Hero's Hill, the monument where the body of the late Okita had been enshired, to celebrate the third anniversary of Yamato's return and the Admiral's death. Kodai reunited with Shima, who informed him that rumors about his acts during the previous battle had made their way to the Transport Fleet. At Sado's command, the entire crew lined up in front of Okita's statue and saluted their fallen commander, and remained at the monument until late at night. Sanada approached Kodai and apologised for making him take all the blame for Yamato’s intervention, but he didn't care. Sanada then informed him that after the end of the fighting a large communication failure happened throughout the Solar System, and that it's cause was unknown. He trailed off, before asking Kodai if he too had seen a vision. As it turned out, every member of Yamato's crew had received a similar call. Sanada revealed that the military was already aware of the situation and had begun a formal investigation. Kodai moved away from the group to reach Mori, who was staring at the sea in silence. She asked him who he had seen in his vision, admitting she hadn't received the call.[53]
Afterward, Kodai and Shima met with Sanada to discuss the energy wave that had seemingly caused their visions. He showed them a quasar located tens of thousands of light years away which was approaching the Earth at near luminal speed. The object, while innocous in and on itself, was on the same direction of their visions' energy wave. Sanada tried to show them a copy of Yamato's logs, which had recorded a message transported by the same wave, but the hologram projector went out of control. Suddenly, the trio was engulfed by light and heard the voice of a woman praying. Kodai was deeply shaken by the new vision, and asked his friends if they had heard the same thing. He stepped into the projector, pointing in the direction from where the call had been detected, stating that someone was calling for their help and that they had to go and rescue them. He almost fell into the machine but was stopped by Shima. Sanada agreed with him, and Kodai reiterated that they had to go, stating that Okita would have said so himself. However, Shima was conflicted. Despite Kodai's attempt to reason with him, he stated that the military wouldn't send them on a rescue mission, and that Kodai now had Mori to care about and couldn't just go off on his own against his superiors' orders.[53]
Escapade on the Moon[]
Conflicted, Kodai drove off toward the former underground capital of the Far-East District, visiting its UNCF regional headquarters. He soon realized he was being tailed and ran to get cover. Before he could get caught, a young man appeared out of nowhere and, gesturing for him to stay silent, led him out of danger. The man informed him that the entire Yamato crew was being kept under surveillance by the Earth Defense Force and, upon Kodai's request, revealed his identity as a Garmillas. He understood Kodai's reluctance, stating that the wounds of the past war were still felt by Garmillas too, but that he was there to repay his people's debt to the Yamato. He revealed his identity, Klaus Keyman, and invited him to the Garmillas Empire's Lunar embassy, where Ambassador Loren Burrell wanted to meet him to discuss a matter of the utmost importance for both Earth and Garmillas.[53]
Kodai contacted Yamamoto, currently stationed at the UNCF's lunar base, to ask for help sneaking past the Moon's security. He boarded a civilian plane embarked aboard the cargoship Kisaragi, helmed by former Yamato crew member Kenjiro Ota. With Ota's complicity, a fire was faked aboard the vessel as an excuse to drop the cargo near the surface of Earth's Satellite. From there, Kodai flew his plane toward the embassy's chancery and was joined by Yamamoto. He evaded the facility's automatic defense drones until Yamamoto could destroy them. She then took the blame for their activation, claiming to the Moon HQ that she had been the one to accidentally set them off. Now out of danger, Kodai safely reached the embassy and met with Ambassador Burrell.[53]
Burrell revealed to Kodai that the voice heard by Yamato's former crew was that of the goddess Teresa of Terezart, the being born out of the ascension of the Terezartian race thousands of years ago. As a being residing in a higher dimension, Teresa could see the entirety of the flow of time, meaning that those called by her must perform their roles in constructing a future she already knew. He asked Kodai not to dismiss this information as mere myths, stating that proof of Teresa's existance dated back thousands of years and was present in multiple interstellar civilizations. He proceeded to show him the presumed coordinates of planet Terezart but revealed that the planet had always been inaccessible to explorers. Kodai recognized the coordinates as the origin of the message of the energy wave analyzed by Sanada, and Keyman reported that Gatlantean ships had been observed in that sector. Burrell assumed that Gatlantis must have broken the seal preventing access to Terezart, prompting Kodai to ask why they would do such a thing. Keyman responded that legends stated that whoever controlled Terezart could fulfill their every desire. The Ambassador was convinced that those legends were true and reiterated to Kodai that Yamato's crew had been chosen by the goddess and must now act upon her instructions. He then asked Keyman to bring him back to Earth, requesting Kodai to see with his own eyes the truth behind the Earth's reconstruction.[54]
Keyman took Kodai to a restricted area outside the Earth's capital. They wore protective suits and went to a secret underground military facility. As they walked down a corridor filled with rotating mechanisms, Keyman explained that their tour would only last an hour, the maximum time the human body could tolerate in that place. He went on to describe the area as suffering from "reverse syndrome," a side effect of the activation of the Cosmo Reverse System years prior. While they were talking, Kodai noticed the space-time around them slow down, with water dripping at a slower pace. Kodai was surprised to see hundreds of Wave-motion Gun-equipped warships in the final stages of construction at a large automated shipyard. Keyman explained that the factory was built to exploit the time dilation effect, which extended the time spent in the area tenfold. This so-called time fault was the backbone of the Earth's reconstruction effort after the Garmillas War. Kodai was angry at this sight and shouted that it couldn't be called simply "reconstruction." Keyman went on to show him Garmillas warships being built in the same facility, explaining that the Earth had sold slots in the factory in exchange for colonies outside of the Solar System.[54]
Planning the revolt[]
After discovering the dark truth, Kodai immediately visited General Commanding Director Heikuro Todo's office, demanding he send Yamato on an exploratory mission toward Terezart. His plan was rejected, prompting Kodai to ask Todo if he would have given the same answer if it had been Okita to raise the proposal. Exacerbating the situation, he also brought up the time fault and the Earth's rejection of the promise to Iscandar, judging Todo's morals and leaving him deeply upset. The commander insisted no such place existed and dismissed Kodai altogether.[54]
Later, in the hallway leading to Yamato's dock, Kodai met with Sanada as his anger turned to desperation. He told the former XO that he couldn't recognize the Earth they had fought to protect anymore. Sanada had already sent the data on the time fault to the rest of Yamato's officer corps, and he and Kodai met with them in front of their former battleship. He revealed that he had only agreed to rebuild the Yamato to gain more information on the time fault but that in the end, he could not stop the path the Earth was walking towards. Tokugawa informed Kodai that the former crewmembers were being reassigned to new posts. As the group looked at the Yamato, Kodai gave an impassioned speech, claiming that the Earth's government didn't understand their predicament and could not reason beyond its cold rationale. However, he stated that Yamato's crew had been called by Teresa to stop a great catastrophe and that he could not simply stand down. He asked everyone to leave with him on Yamato to find Terezart, and after a brief silence, Sanada and the rest of the crew agreed to join him, with the sole exception of the still-hesitant Shima.[54]
Kodai and Mori decided to prepare for their upcoming rebellion and left together. While they were in an elevator, Kodai suggested to Mori that she should find a safe place to hide on Earth. Mori questioned if he was asking her not to join because she was the only one who had not received a vision, but Kodai clarified that he was concerned for her safety and did not want to involve her in the uprising. He tried to hold Mori's hands and convince her to listen, but she refused and ran away, telling him that they knew nothing about each other. As she left, she removed her engagement ring.[54]
Kodai and Sanada met in the Yamato's captain's cabin. Sanada wanted to resign as the acting captain because he believed that his analytical mind was too rationalistic and had caused the deaths of some crew members during the Encounter with the Garmillas Dimensional Submarine. He thought the ship needed a commanding officer with a stronger resolve and asked Kodai to take over the role. Kodai reluctantly agreed and became the acting captain. However, he was filled with doubts and fears. He stood inside the Wave-motion Gun's muzzle and expressed his concerns out loud, including his fear of having to fire the weapon eventually, addressing the deceased Okita. He considered sealing the gun, but he was also afraid that it could put his men's lives at risk. Suddenly, he saw Okita's spirit again, who told him to show the resolve of a captain.[55]
Open rebellion[]
For this topic in more detail, see Yamato Revolt
On December 25,[24] all former crew members who were present on Earth gathered to Yamato, which had been secretly moved to the drydock in the former underground capital. Kodai entered the bridge and Nanbu informed him that Earth Defense Force Headquarters had deployed one of their defense Satellites to stop them. They were then hailed by General Commander-in-Chief Todo, who expressed his compassion and understanding, recognizing their contributions to Earth's restoration. As Iscandar had once saved Earth, the Yamato's crew now wanted to go and rescue the being that called them for help. However, the Commander-in-Chief reminded them that their mission may endanger Earth. He asked the crew to surrender the battleship, stating that they wouldn't face any repercussions, and gave them five minutes to consider his offer.[55]
Kodai broadcasted Todo's ultimatum to the entire crew before presenting himself to the Commander-in-Chief as the rebel's leader. He then addressed his crew, telling them that while Todo was in the right, the ship would depart as planned. He allowed anyone who wanted to leave the Yamato, but his fellow officers reassured him that nobody would. At that moment, the dock's control room blew up and UNCF armed guards swarmed the area. Yamato's emergency chief, Susumu Yamazaki, informed them that they now needed to physically send a team to the subcontrol room to flood the dock and take off. Kodai assembled a special-ops team at Sanada's suggestion before ordering Nanbu to use the Yamato's anti-air weaponry to fire some warning shots at the approaching hostiles. As the facility began flooding, Yamazaki's team contacted the bridge from the subcontrol room, informing Yamato that they would not be able to join them. Kodai took his place at the helm of the ship in place of the absent Shima and began driving Yamato toward the ocean surface. As he was doing so, Shima suddenly arrived behind him and apologized for his indecisiveness. Surprised and relieved, Kodai transferred control of the ship to his best friend. At his orders, the Yamato fired and destroyed the defense Satellite that was preparing to fire at them and left the atmosphere.[55]
As Yamato moved through the inner solar system, a group of fighters appeared on its radar. Kodai ordered the crew not to initiate any offensive action but soon realized that the planes were the former members of Yamato's fighter squadron from Yamamoto Team. Kodai was greeted by Ensign Hiroki Shinohara and then confronted a Garmillan pilot who had joined the pilots as they deserted from an exercise in Jovian orbit. The pilot turned out to be Keyman, who pretended to be accepted on board during the journey to Terezart as an adviser. Kodai was hesitant to allow him to stay, but Shima playfully remarked that they were understaffed and could use the extra help. At that moment, Andromeda hailed Yamato. The flagship's Captain, Osamu Yamanami, ordered Kodai to turn around and stand down and asked him what he was going to do if the crisis they were heading out to face was too great for Yamato to face alone. He begged them to look at reality, but Kodai refused, stating that reality was leading them to the wrong future. The situation escalated to active combat, and at Sanada's suggestion, Yamato used the ARGO system to take control of part of the asteroid belt to protect itself from Andromeda's guns, before activating the Wave-motion Shield and ramming the flagship.[56]
As Yamato brushed past Andromeda, Earth Defense Force Headquarters sent a transmission to all ships in the solar system to stop pursuing Yamato. Kodai wondered aloud what had made HQ decide to drop their charges, and Keyman sarcastically replied that he had told him they would be useful. Todo then personally contacted Yamato and formally ordered its crew to uncover the mystery behind the ongoing crisis and return home safely. As the rest of the former Yamato pilots returned to the battleship, Kodai was overjoyed to hear that Kato was joining them on the new voyage. The pilots brought with them a bas-relief of Admiral Okita, which had been gifted to them by Yamanami. Kodai and the rest of the bridge crew put it up above the captain's chair.[56]
War against Gatlantis[]
The 11th Planet Rescue Operation[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle of the eleventh planet
As Yamato journeyed through the outer solar system, they encountered a damaged high-speed boat and rescued its pilot, the cosmo marine Sergeant Major Shiori Nagakura. Nagakura reported that the 11th planet had come under attack by the Gatlantis Empire. Kodai and Sanada radioed HQ to ask for permission to lead a rescue mission to the besieged planet, but Todo and his deputy Serizawa refused to permit them. The 11th planet was a joint colony between the Earth and Garmillas, meaning neither party could intervene without the other's permission. At a later strategy meeting, Keyman and Shima confirmed that the 11th planet was considerably off course compared to Yamato's planned route to Terezart. However, Yamamoto interrupted the discussion, supporting an intervention to save any potential survivors. The decision was ultimately left to Kodai, who chose to lead a mission to the planet. Despite Keyman's doubts, he was convinced that Nagakura's insistence meant that some survivors were still alive. He and Keyman later discussed this in Yamato's main elevator. The acting captain reinstated his belief that Yamato had to act, and Keyman compared his claim to Yamamoto's, sarcastically commenting on their idealism. He stated that Yamato's refusal to use the Wave-motion Gun was a great weakness that Kodai had to take into account. He later allowed Keyman to fly with the other Yamato pilots for the following mission.[57]
Yamato warped-out close to the 11th planet's surface, and Kodai ordered Nanbu to take all civilians on board. He led the battleship in an engagement with Gatlantean warships in a canyon, but at that moment, an enemy superweapon hit them from orbit, collapsing the ravine over them.[57] They managed to suspend the rocks in mid-air and protect the battleship using the ARGO system, but the ship remained stuck under the rubble. Kodai, Sanada, and Shima watched as Keyman reported thousands of Gatlantean warships emerging from warp in orbit of the 11th planet. However, they were interrupted by Second Lieutenant Hajime Saito, the commander of Nagakura's regiment, which they had taken on Yamato together with the civilians. Saito thanked Kodai for rescuing them but confronted him on his refusal to fire the Wave-motion Gun at the enemy. Before the acting commander could answer, they were informed that Admiral Hijikata had survived the Gatlanteans' attack on his command center. Saito left to rescue the old Admiral, and Kodai and the bridge crew continued to observe the growing number of Gatlantean battleships. Sanada figured out that the enemy was using them to assemble a giant weapon using the 11th planet's artificial sun as a battery. By making it go supernova, the enemy could fire an energy beam powerful enough to destroy the Earth itself.[58]
The conflicted Kodai went to reflect in the Wave-motion Gun's muzzle, where Okita's ghost had visited him. He loudly asked the deceased Admiral to tell him what his words had meant and begged him for guidance. Sanada approached him and stated that firing the DWIE was the only way they could save the Earth. Distraught, Kodai vented his frustration to him, stating that he only wished to maintain the promises he had made and to save those who needed help, but that the cold reality of the world was always against him.[58]
On the main bridge, Kodai was contacted by Keyman. The Garmillas simply commented the beauty of the dawning artificial sun, but through his words, he suggested a new strategy to the acting captain. Yamato would fire the gun at the artificial sun instead of the enemy fleet, and the resulting interference wave would disable the invaders' fleet. Kodai understood the liason's intention and fired the weapon. The Gatlantean fleet was rendered immobile and fell into disarray, but no ship was directly destroyed by the Wave-motion Gun. Kodai contacted the enemy Admiral, requesting his forces to leave the solar system, promising Yamato would not attack them if they did.[58]
Meeting Mori[]
At the suggestion of Keyman, Yamato's officers decided to head towards planet Stravase - a volcanic world located on the way to Terezart - to hand over the rescued refugees to a Garmillas fleet that was headed towards Earth. While Yamato was still on the 11th planet, Saito spoke to Kodai on the battleship's rear. Holding back his frustration, Saito informed Kodai that more than 200 people had been saved, but that ten times more had perished under Gatlantis' attack. Despite knowing this, Kodai had let the attackers survive. Later on, Kodai asked Shima to provide him with the navigational charts to Stravase. As he was speaking, Mori rushed past him, who was shocked to see her on board despite his insistence that she'd stay on Earth.[59]
Kodai followed her to Yamato's med bay, where he demanded an explanation. He addressed Doctor Sado loudly, and this prompted her to reprimand him for his behavior. Trying to stay formal, Kodai asked her to identify herself, stating she wasn't on the personnel list for this journey. Even though Sado tried to claim it was a mistake, he stated that he could not maintain military discipline in these conditions and asked Mori to leave the battleship. Mori accepted the order and began removing her uniform, embarrassing Kodai and breaking his act. He confusedly asked what she was doing, to which Mori coldly replied that she had been ordered to leave and that she'd find her way home even if it meant having to space-walk from the eleventh planet to Earth. He asked her what she was doing, and Mori coldly replied that she had been ordered to leave, and that she'd find her way home even if it meant having to space-walk from the eleventh planet to Earth. Kodai then gave her a new order: when Yamato reached Stravase, Mori would be tasked with tending to the civilians and escorting them from Yamato to the Garmillas ships.[59]
Feeling exhausted, Kodai went to refresh in a restroom, where he was confronted by Shima. He claimed that Kodai was too stressed and tense, but Kodai coldly waved him off. Shima went on to remind him of Teresa's vision and asked him if he thought the crew would have joined the journey if they hadn't been called. This made Kodai recall the words he had heard from Okita's ghost, stressing him even further. The chief navigator continued by saying that Mori had joined them even without seeing a vision, and Kodai was dumbstruck to find that his friend knew of Mori's illegal boarding of the battleship. Before he could say anything, Shima playfully put his fist under his chin and reminded him that depending on someone wasn't shameful, before grinning and stating that as much as Kodai hid behind military regulation, they were aboard Yamato, and that he would turn a blind eye on the irregularity.[59]
As Yamato warped near Stravase, Mori reported for duty on the first bridge. Kodai gave her her orders and informed her that if no problems arose, they would begin the transfer as soon as the ship landed. Later, during the passenger transfer, Kodai stood on the first bridge, observing the engagement ring that Mori had left behind. Sanada, Shima, and Tokugawa subtly pushed him to wave off Mori, and he rushed out of Yamato to do so. However, at that moment, someone stole a plane from one of the battleship's hangars. Toko Katsuragi, one of the refugees, informed him that the thief was the archaeologist Robert Redrowz, whom she worked for, and that he was headed towards the nearby Archelian ruins. Kodai and Katsuragi left on an airboat to pursue him.[59]
The Devil's choice[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle on Planet Stravase
Kodai and Katsuragi entered the ruins, but he suddently fell unconcious. When he woke up, he found Redrowz giving a speech to the Archelias mural in the ruins, questioning the Archelians' actions of spreading the seeds of humanity. He stated that humans were irrational beings who disrupted harmony throughout the cosmos. The Emperor of the Gatlantis Empire, Zworder, appeared before Kodai in a vision projected from the researcher's body. He exposed the failings of human emotions and revealed that the Gatlanteans were an artificial race built for war. Kodai was shocked by the revelation, and asked if the Gatlanteans had wiped out their creators. Zworder payed no mind to his inquiry and went on to state that since his people were free from the curse of human love, they were the only ones able to create a peaceful universe as they saw fit. He mocked Kodai for having lost his way due to the turmoil of his emotions. He called him by his name, confusing Kodai on how the enemy sovereign could have gained information on him, and stated that he was afraid of losing those he loved, a fear which he believed had doomed the Yamato.[59][60]
A battle erupted outside of the ruins between Yamato and a Garmillas rebel army. It was sending shocks throughout Stravase, which started a process of planetary collapse. The Emperor proclaimed that Gatlantis would use Teresa's grace to put an end to the suffering brought on by humans, prompting Kodai to ask what link there was between the empire and the goddess. He was shown a vision of planet Terezart with the White Comet that had been detected by Sanada superimposed over it.[60]
Wanting to show Kodai the pain that love could bring forth, Zworder revealed to Kodai that Gatlanteans suicide bombers had been planted on each Garmillas ship carrying civilians. Kodai was given the choice to save only one vessel. The other vessels would fall onto Stravase's collapsing surface, and Kodai would have had to chose knowing that Mori was aboard one of the ships. At that moment, the vision of Zworder disappeared, and Redrowz's body exploded. Saito arrived just in time and put Kodai out of the explosion's way. The acting captain boarded the stolen Type-100 and explained the twisted choice Zworder had presented him with to Saito and Nagakura. He contacted Yamato and asked to get patched through to the refugees aboard the Garmillas ships. On the verge of tears, he informed them that an unexpected situation had arose, but that Mori would stay with them until they reached the Earth. He then addressed Mori directly and asked her for forgiveness for his previous actions, admitting they had been brought on by his fear of losing her. He revealed to her how happy he had been to find her on Yamato, and added that whatever would happen then had nothing to do with her, but that he could not stand the idea of losing her.[60]
Mori realised that Kodai was going to make a horrible decision for her sake, so before he could submit his answer to Emperor Zworder, she ejected herself from the ship that was carrying her. Now, Kodai couldn't bring himself to choose any of the ships, so Zworder sabotaged all of them. Fortunately, Hijikata and Sanada intervened quickly, reversing the planetary collapse, and leaving the vessels floating in space. Meanwhile, Kodai flew his recon plane to rescue Mori from falling to her death. They held each other in the cockpit of the damaged vehicle, and Kodai asked Mori to marry him once again. Mori asked him how many times he wanted her to say yes before hugging him and telling him to never let her go. Later, Kodai fell asleep, and they were located by Yamamoto from her fighter before being rescued and taken on board.[60]
The space fireflies crisis[]
After their rescue, Mori convinced Kodai to undergo a medical examination by Doctor Sado. The captain was physically healthy, but both Mori and Sado were concerned about his mental state. Sado suggested prescribing Kodai with some vitamin tablets, but he refused them. Later, Kodai attended a meeting in the strategy room where Shima announced that Yamato would soon encounter the White Comet. This prompted images of Teresa and the White Comet to invade Kodai’s mind. Sanada brought up his encounter with Zworder and asked if he had been given any confirmation of the White Comet being the enemy's homeland. He explained that Zworder hadn't given any clear information, prompting Keyman to question the vague answer. Todo then called from Earth HQ, ordering Yamato to continue its journey to Terezart but suggesting they carry out a recon mission of the White Comet. However, he ultimately left the decision of how close to get to the potential enemy base to them.[61]
Yamato was suddenly invaded by a swarm of flying creatures similar to fireflies, which affected the crew's mood. Kodai was given a pellet containing the creatures by Nanbu, and fell under their influence. The fireflies began heightening Kodai's doubts about his command, and he began asking Okita for guidance. Saito was also infected by the creatures and began loudly commenting on Kodai's indecision during previous battles, and his luck being the only thing that had saved them. The acting captain was unfazed, until Saito berated Yamato as a ship of cowards, which prompted him to grip the cosmo marine's shoulder and demand him to take back his words. Saito revealed to him that Hijikata had saved his life in a past battle, one where he had lost many of his comrades and still affected him to that day. He yelled at Kodai for refusing to avenge the dead and threw a punch at the screen behind him. Kato tried to interrupt the quarrel, but Kodai stopped him, stating he didn't care for his rank or personal offenses but wouldn't let Saito insult Okita's ship. Before an actual fistfight could erupt, Sanada and Keyman managed to neutralize the creatures' influence on the crew. Now in control of his emotions, Kodai asked Saito to take control of the area, before heading to the engine room where the fireflies had begun attacking Yamato's engine. Sanada suggested to burn the invading creatures away by feeding energy directly into the engine, and Kodai accepted, even considering the high level of risk that it could cause. However, at that moment, Analyzer and Dr. Sado came in and attacked the fireflies with bug spray, killing them.[61]
After the crisis was dealt with, Yamato's crew received yet another vision from Teresa, and Kodai was once again confronted by Okita. When he expressed his concerns, asking for direction, the Admiral simply smiled at him, stating he was doing a good job and that he only had to follow his heart. The crew was also shown an image of Teresa praying over their destination, Terezart. Kodai and Mori later visited Hijikata in his room in Yamato's med bay and asked him to join the crew officially. The Admiral replied that he was a loser, a predicament he had started to develop after his exile and his defeat on the 11th planet. However, he stated he wanted to tag along, as he had seen the vision. Back on the first bridge, Sanada pointed out that Yamato still had the option to turn back. With newfound hope, restored by Teresa's call, Kodai refused to turn back, vowing to do what humans should and rescue those who call for help.[61]
Fighting Gatlantis[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle in Subspace
Sanada picked up a mysterious energy with a similar behaviour to anti-matter during Teresa's message, which carried a vast amount of data. He showcased the newly acquired information in a strategy meeting which was attended by all of Yamato's section heads, including Kodai. The data revealed that planet Terezart was being surrounded with an artificial rocky crust by the Gatlantis Empire, which had also deployed a heavily armed fleet to protect it. The planet was hollow, and energy emanated from it, which Kodai correctly assumed was coming from Teresa herself. Responding to the other officers' concerns on how to handle the difficult situation, Hijikata addressed Kodai, asking him how he intended to fight the coming battle.[62]
Later, Yamato was attacked by a fleet of Gatlantean ships. Kodai, who was on the bridge, ordered the battleship to take defense against the warheads that had been fired at it. However, Yamato was surrounded by another swarm of missiles and struggled to escape as the enemy continued to pursue them. Hijikata arrived at the bridge, and Kodai informed him of the situation. As Analyzer calculated a possible escape route, the Admiral pointed out how it could probably lead them into an enemy trap. Despite the risk, Kodai decided to go through with the emergency warp. Yamato ended up falling inside a dimensional fault and was forced to shut down its engine to avoid being destroyed by the unique materials filling that space. The enemy continued to pursue them, and Kodai ordered the battleship to enter a large tubular Archelian structure. Sanada believed they could use the structure to escape, and Hijikata came up with a dangerous plan to attempt to warp away. Shima agreed to it, stating he and Tokugawa would bear the responsibility. However, Kodai interrupted him, affirming the responsibility would be shared by all of them. A wave-motion cannon's beam suddenly approached Yamato, and Hijikata suggested using it in place of his previous plan. Kodai agreed, and Yamato successfully warped away.[62]
Some time later, Kodai met Keyman in Yamato's main elevator and asked him about the investigation he was carrying out on Katsuragi, suspecting her of being under the empire's control much like Redrowz had been. Keyman replied that he was still working on it. Yamamoto and Keyman combined their efforts to uncover Katsuragi, and soon, a manhunt began on the battleship to catch her. Kodai announced her status as a possible spy on the internal radio and ordered anyone who found her to report to the bridge. Suddenly, the White Comet, which had just been detected by Yamato, disappeared and warped out near the battleship. Hijikata called Kodai to action, but befor the acting captain could give out his orders, Yamato was caught by the comet's gravitational forces. However, the gravity suddenly weakened, allowing Shima to pull Yamato out of the comet's influence. But just as the battleship tried to escape, it was pulled back into the comet's energized gas cover, passing through an enormous Gatlantean fleet. A planet came into view, roughly the diameter of Mars, which Kodai assumed to be the empire's homeland.[63]
Surprisingly, the gravity forces once again dissipated, allowing Yamato to warp away. Hijikata reported their finding to HQ and informed the crew that Yamato would continue its quest to liberate Terezart. As the crew received the news, the troubled Kodai looked out into space, determined to reach their destination.[63]
Kodai was later tasked with interrogating the captured Katsuragi. He attempted to gather information about her background and the attack on the 11th planet, but Katsuragi refused to provide any details. Frustrated, Kodai mentioned that Katsuragi had promised to cooperate, to which she called him a powerless idealist and a hypocrite. She claimed that such people did not exist in the Gatlantis Empire. This made Kodai question whether their society had any ideals, but she interrupted him. Katsuragi revealed her true name, Sifar Saberah, and sarcastically stated that it was all she would disclose for the day. He later vented his doubts to Keyman, stating that Katsuragi hadn't given them any useful information on how to face Gatlantis. The Garmillas told him that he knew her type from his days in the intelligence department, and that she wouldn't reveal anything more. He also suggested Kodai stopped talking to her, stating she was the type to manipulate the interrogator's emotion to her advantage.[64]
Fighting on Terezart[]
For this topic in more detail, see Terezart Landing Operation and Blockade of Terezart
On March 2203,[26] Yamato closed in on Terezart, and the crew planned a strategy based on the information they had received about the planet. The plan was for Yamato to warp out beyond an opening in the artificial crust and destroy part of it to damage the enemy fleet with its debris. Saito asked how they planned to do it, and Kodai explained they would use the Wave-motion Gun, much to his surprise. The operation started on March 26[26] and Kodai took command from the main bridge. During the battle, the Gatlantean fleet destroyed the piece of crust Yamato intended to attack with the Wave-motion Gun, and trapped the battleship in a gravitational turbulance. Kodai asked Tokugawa to pull them out of the trap, but even at full power the ship's engine wasn't enough to let them escape. Kodai accepted that he would have to fire the Wave-motion Gun directly at the enemy fleet. Saito called the bridge to ask Hijikata to fire the weapon in Kodai's place, but Keyman stopped him, stating that the survivors of the journey to Iscandar had to free themselves of that burden alone. Okita's words began resounding in Kodai's head as he prepared to fire, and he was surprised to see the other officers on the bridge began expressing their camaraderie to him, stating that would be everyone's shot. The acting captain asked Saito to use his men's mobile armors to stabilize Yamato by hand. Just before Kodai took the shot, Hijikata finally accepted his proposal to become the battleship's commanding officer. As Kodai fired the weapon, a single tear washed down his cheek.[64]
After the enemy fleet had been destroyed, Kodai expressed his concern over the remaining enemy forces still present on the artificial crust, and was granted permission by the newly appointed captain to continue the operation.[64] To destroy the artificial crust once and for all, Kodai and Sanada took off in two Cosmo Zeros to plant a Wave-motion Warhead. The enemy ground forces tried to hit them from afar, but the two persevered and Sanada eventually managed to set up the bomb. Kodai ordered every unit to go the randevous point before escaping from the blast zone himself.[65]
Kodai and Sanada joined up with Saito, and the three ventured into the Terezarium, Teresa's sanctum and the source of her message. Once inside, they found themselves in a large underground garden. Kodai was puzzled by how the garden could have grown without sunlight. Saito noticed a circular bulb at the center of the room, which he believed could be acting like a sun. This prompted Kodai to wonder why Gatlantis was interested in the planet. Suddenly, the bulb bloomed into a flower of light, illuminating the whole garden and revealing Teresa, much to Kodai's surprise. He asked the goddess why she had called Yamato instead of anyone else in the universe. Teresa said she hadn't chosen Yamato, but rather Yamato was destined to come to her. Sanada explained to Kodai that Teresa was a high-dimensional being living in a realm beyond time where the entire flow towards the future was visible. The crew had come to hear her voice in the only place where she could manifest herself. Teresa confirmed Sanada's words and explained the origin of the White Comet. Its real name was the Ark of Destruction, a safety device created by the Archelias to destroy all human races if they ever grew into an evil species. Despite Kodai's opposition, Saito asked the goddess what outcome their actions would have. She replied that if she revealed the future to them, it would change. Kodai doubted Earth's forces could stand up against Gatlantis and asked for any hint on how to fight. Teresa showed them a vision of Terezart, and Mamoru and Okita's spirits and explained that a bond connected both her and the Yamato crew. All living things created bonds like theirs, and the power of those centered around Yamato would be enough to stop Gatlantis.[65]
The goddess pointed them in the direction of another figure entering the Terezarium. To Kodai's surprise, it turned out to be Supreme Leader Abelt Desler, who was still alive.[65] A group of androids in his service stormed the garden and he tried to hold the goddess at gun point, but she disappeared. Kodai asked the Supreme Leader what his intentions were, and he explained that he planned to use Terezart as leverage to negotiate with Zworder. Nagakura appeared and attacked Desler's robots. Kodai then approached the Supreme Leader and held him at gunpoint, asking him to order his forces to stand down. He hesitated to shoot the former dictator, but suddenly Keyman arrived in his Czvarke fighter, breaking the stall and destroying the remaining enemy automaton. Much to Kodai and everyone else's surprise, Keyman introduced himself as Ranhardt Desler, the Leader's long lost nephew. Keyman explained that Desler had learned that planet Garmillas was approaching the end of its planetary life, and his expansionism was an attempt to find a new planet to which the entire Garmillan race could emigrate. Shocked, Kodai asked if this was true, but the Supreme Leader replied that it didn't make any difference. Desler then asked Keyman to join him. Keyman agreed and shot at Kodai, causing him to lose consciousness.[17]
Only his helmet had been hit and he suffered no major wounds. He awoke in a cell on board Desler's flagship, Neu Deusura. Days later,[24] Keyman entered the cell and released the Earthlings from their captivity. Kodai stopped Saito from attacking Keyman and asked him for an explanation. Keyman revealed that he was an undercover agent for the Garmillas Security Intelligence Agency and that Burrell had sent him on a mission to infiltrate the ranks of Desler's supporters who opposed the democratization of Garmillas. Kodai questioned why he would do this if he was a member of the Desler family. Keyman explained that he was trying to atone for being born into a family of dictators. Kodai also inquired if this was the reason why he had led them to Terezart, which Keyman confirmed. It was part of a plan to get close to the mastermind behind the Desler-aligned movement. When questioned by the Tactics Officer, Keyman agreed that he could have followed Desler, especially since he was trying to save Garmillas from impending doom, but that the goddess had told him to follow his heart instead of his reason.[66]
Keyman helped them board a landing ship and escape toward Yamato, but to their shock, his fighter fell into the ocean soon after he took off from Neu Deusura. Thankfully, he was rescued by Yamamoto in the nick of time. Kodai was welcomed on board by a joyful Mori, who had finally heard Teresa's voice. The two held hands and watched as the goddess made planet Terezart disappear. Kodai wondered if the bonds Teresa had talked about were the love that moved the universe. At Hijikata's orders, Yamato turned back toward the Earth, intending to fulfill the mission they had been entrusted by the goddess of stopping the Gatlantis Empire's advance.[66]
The Battle of Saturn and Zemuria[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle of Saturn and Decisive Battle off Mars
As Yamato made its way back to the Earth, Kodai and the other officers held a strategy meeting to prepare for the upcoming battle against Gatlantis. During the meeting, Sanada suggested an experimental method to boost the Wave-motion Gun. While Kodai agreed that it might be their trump card, he was concerned about why Gatlantis had been trying to control Teresa's power. Sanada theorised that the goddess was a being from a higher dimension, and if she descended into normal space, she might cause the entire universe to lose its variable nature, ultimately destroying it. This realization led Kodai and Shima to recount their enemy's ultimate goal, which was the extermination of all human life, including themselves. On May 8,[26] the Gatlantis Army's main force began an all-out invasion of the solar system, and the Earth Federation officially declared war against the empire. As the bridge crew looked at a video showing the Wave-motion Gun fleet warping toward the battlefield on Saturn, Kodai was hit with contrasting emotions.[67]
The White Comet warped to Saturn, destroying the planet and laying waste to the Earth forces' ranks. Footage of the onslaught was broadcasted to Yamato, and Hijikata declared to a shocked Kodai that they would bet everything on the boosted Wave-motion Gun. Yamato warped out in front of the Comet on May 9,[68] and Kodai prepared to fire the weapon. But at that moment, Katsuragi sabotaged the battleship's engine, causing Yamato to plummet inside the enemy fortress' gravity field.[69] Faced with dire circumstances, Hijikata ordered all hands to abandon the ship, and gave Kodai the command of evacuating the port side. Part of the crew didn't manage to escape on time, including Kodai, and they crash-landed together with Yamato on planet Zemuria, a world held within the Ark of Destruction. During the landing, Mori was hit by the collapsing ceiling and fell unconscious. Kodai stood by her side in the med bay, eventually falling asleep. When he woke up, he found that she had already regained consciousness and he met her in the alley right outside the room and offered to contact Doctor Sado. To his horror, however, the injury Mori had sustained made her lose all memories since her incident in 2198, albeit giving her back those she had previously lost. This meant that she had completely forgotten the journey to Iscandar and everything that followed it, including Kodai himself.[70] Kodai was left in shock by the sudden turn, and could only wander the empty corridors of the battleship crying.[71]
A reconnaissance team discovered two ancient Zemurian AIs who revealed that their race had created the Gatlanteans. Kodai interrogated Katsuragi and asked if the reason Gatlantis hated love was that they had experienced it in the past and had been hurt by it. He presented Katsuragi with the two AIs, and they recounted the story of the Gatlantean revolt against the Zemurians. The original Zworder had led his people in the rebellion, but his wife and adopted son were taken hostage by their overlords to force him to reveal his troops' hiding spot. The Zemurians then killed Zworder's wife and child, leading the soon-to-be Emperor to develop his omnicidal philosophy. The dead Zemurian woman who Zworder loved was none other than the original Sifar Saberah, of whom Katsuragi was a copy. As Kodai listened to the story, he was reminded of the alternative Zworder had proposed to him back on Stravase, which was similar to the Gatlantean sovereign's own experience.[71] The Gatlantis Empire remotely cut off the two AIs before they could reveal the location of Golem, a device that could instantly kill all Gatlanteans upon activation. However, Katsuragi revealed that it was placed inside Zworder's throne room. The empire then targeted Zemuria to prevent Yamato from leaving with the intel, but the battleship used the planet's collapse to break free of its gravity and escape. Kodai took the ship's helm in place of the evacuated Shima. With help from Andromeda and the Yamato-class Ginga, Yamato successfully escaped from the White Comet.[72]
The battleship was replaced at an emergency drydock. While Kodai and Shima were standing on the main elevator, his mind fell to a memory of him and Mori at Hero's Hill, but he denied his worries to his friend. He just so happened to walk past Mori right at that moment, but the two didn't exchange a word. Shima tried to ask him about her situation, and Kodai faked a calm facade claiming that she had actually gotten better. He later attended another strategy meeting, where the plan to raid the White Comet and activate Golem was discussed. Despite Nanbu and the rest of the officers' opposition, Kodai suggested trying to negotiate with Zworder by capturing Golem and using it as levarage. He hadn't forgotten Gatlantis' crimes, but he stated that knowing how Zworder had become the man he was changed things, and that even if he was unsure he could persuade him he had to try, Hijikata agreed with him, but ordered him to know when to give up. He later tried to calm Saito down as the Admiral and Keyman informed him that the space cavalry would be suspended for the next mission. Testimonies indicated that another spy besides Katsuragi was operating on board, and the cosmo marines were the most likely suspects.[73]
A love that breaks all barriers[]
For this topic in more detail, see Battle against Neu Deusura
On June 1,[26] Yamato was ambushed by Desler's Neu Deusura. Keyman spotted the light of the Leader's Desler cannon, and despite Shima and Kodai's doubts, Hijikata decided to short-warp ahead to eliminate all doubts. Yamato rammed the enemy flagship and Kodai was ordered to lead a boarding team. Amid the battle, Keyman reached Neu Deusura's bridge and was compelled by the Type Zworder Gatlantean Mil to pull the trigger on his uncle Desler. Mil promised that Gatlantis would give both the Earth and Garmillas 10,000 years of truce if he did so. Kodai interrupted them, telling Keyman not to follow Gatlantis' twisted choice which he had been presented with in the past. He stated that whatever decision he made he would still lose something dear to him and that the only right choice was not to choose. Angered, Mil tried to shoot Kodai but he dodged the bullet. Instead, Kodai shot at the console behind Mil, deactivating Desler's automatons. He then sneaked up behind the Gatlantean and put his gun to his head.[74]
Mil sarcastically commented that even if the target had changed, Kodai was still going to pull the trigger on someone. Kodai acknowledged this, stating that humans would always give up their principles for survival. He believed that one day humankind would have to pay for this. Despite this, he decided to let go of his weapon and offer peace to Mil, stating that he was ready to surrender himself to them if necessary.[74]
The young Gatlantean broke into laughter, mocking Kodai and telling him that people like him had always tried to sway Gatlantis, to no avail. Kodai remained steadfast in his conviction, so Mil pointed his gun at him and shot. At that moment, Mori burst into the room, running in between them and taking the bullet instead of Kodai. Kodai held her in his arms and asked her why she would do something like that. She replied that she didn't know but that she was glad she had done it, before falling unconscious. Mori's sacrifice awakened something in Mil and made him question Zworder's philosophy. He offered his weapon to Kodai, saying that the Gatlantis Empire needed a better understanding of humans to move towards a new future. However, Mil was accidentally shot down by Desler's guards who had come in to rescue the Supreme Leader.[74]
With the battle over, Mori was taken back to Yamato to rest in the infirmary. Kodai stood by her before going to talk to Katsuragi and ask for her help with the final battle. Mil was a clone of the son lost by Zworder and the original Saberah. Kodai believed that, with Katsuragi's help, they could carry the hope that he had left before dying. Even if the conflict now seemed to be resolvable only with the annihilation of Gatlantis, Kodai was determined to find a way to save both Gatlantis and Earth.[74]
The Golem Assault Battle[]
For this topic in more detail, see Golem Assault Battle
After bidding farewell to Desler's departing forces, Kodai and Keyman headed to the Wave-motion Engine room. There, they found Saito exiting the active engine after submerging himself in radiation. Kodai inquired about what had happened, and Saito and Nagakura revealed that the regimental commander had been an unknowing spy for Gatlantis aboard Yamato all along. He had injured himself to cut off the empire's control over him, but he affirmed that he would last long enough for another battle. At that moment, the Garmillas forces at Mars announced that the White Comet had broken through their defenses and was heading directly for Earth. Kodai looked up in determination for the coming fight.[74]
On June 2,[26][24] Yamato warped out in front of the White Comet and, shielded by Neu Deusura, Kodai fired the boosted Wave-motion Gun. This wiped out the fortress' gaseous cover and greatly damaged its superstructure. The ship was assisted by the bulk of the Garmillas naval forces led by Burrell and was carried inside the Ark via dimensional diving by a group of dimensional submarines. With Katsuragi's telepathy, they managed to take control of a group of Gatlantean warships and began making their way to the throne room. The battleship was targeted from all directions, and Hijikata concluded that Zworder was aware of their objective. Kodai worriedly looked at the captain before regaining his composure and ordering a frontal breakthrough of the Gatlantean armada. He was distraught to hear Tokugawa's dying words through the ship's intercom as he tried to protect the engine. Yamato's conning tower was hit by a wave of missiles, and part of the first bridge's ceiling collapsed over Hijikata's seat, mortally wounding him. Kodai rushed to the captain's side, ordering Doctor Sado to be called, but the Admiral ordered him to compose himself. He suggested using the ARGO system on the remaining ships under their control before naming Kodai his successor as Yamato's captain. Hijikata told Kodai to grasp the future before exhaling his last breath. Devastated, Kodai looked at his hands bloodied by the captain's wounds before yelling out to execute Hijikata's last orders.[75]
He then took off aboard his Cosmo Zero, taking command of the assault team. Kodai's group stormed the throne room, but a series of bulkheads closed down, separating them from each other. He and Yamamoto were left alone to face off against Zworder and Gairen, another Type Zworder Gatlantean and the Emperor's predecessor. Zworder informed him that Katsuragi had died, prompting Kodai to ask him why he'd kill someone who loved him that much. Infuriated, Zworder mocked Kodai, claiming he had sacrificed multiple comrades to get there despite his choice not to pull the trigger and that it would all be for naught. At that moment, Saito and Nagakura broke through the bulkheads and began facing off against a group of automatons. Kodai used the turmoil to sneak up behind the two Gatlanteans and take them hostage. He reaffirmed that if the Gatlanteans were humans, there was room for negotiation, stating that his meeting with Mil had conviced him of this. The Emperor continued to deny their humanity until Gairen ran in between him and a stray bullet from one of their androids, dying to protect him much like a father would for a son. However, instead of accepting to negotiate with Kodai, Zworder used this newfound revelation to activate Golem.[75]
All of the Gatlanteans died instantly, except for Zworder, who had become a self-proclaimed human. With this new status, he was able to take control of the Ark of Destruction alone. As the Ark began to transform, Kodai was grabbed by Saito, and the Emperor fused[76] with the superweapon. The rest of the assault team evacuated, and Sanada contacted Kodai, informing him that the Ark was converting all its mass into energy. They had to stop the conversion before it was too late by carrying the last Wave Excavator directly inside the Ark's core. Keyman took up this suicide mission, but Kodai begged him to let him take his place. The Garmillas refused, and Kodai asked for Kodai to be brought back on board Yamato to fulfill his duty. Keyman was joined by a dying Saito, and Nagakura begged Kodai to let them die like human beings. Kodai was forced to let them go, and watched as the detonation of the excavator seemingly destroyed Yamamoto's fighter.[77]
Despite Keyman and Saito's efforts, their deaths only served to slow the Ark of Destruction, which fired a powerful beam at the Moon and headed toward the remnants of planet Saturn to refill its energy. With Yamato's engine approaching critical, Kodai ordered all hands to abandon ship. He remained on board the Yamato, intending to carry out a last-ditch suicide run against the Ark of Destruction to buy time for the evacuation of Earth. He called Lt. Commander Saki Todo of the Ginga, asking her to leave the solar system in search of a new habitable planet to transfer the Earthlings to, before addressing Okita's basrelief, telling the deceased Admiral he would scold him in the afterlife. At that moment, Mori walked into the first bridge. Kodai protested, asking why she'd violate his order to leave the ship, but she ignored him, replying that she would help him pilot the Yamato as navigator. Mori closed the distance between her and Kodai, stating that even if she didn't remember him, she knew what was on his mind and reminded him that he was not alone.[77]
Mori sat in Kodai's lap and as the two got close and kissed, the engine went fully out of control and opened a hole toward the higher dimension. Teresa descended through the hole, using Yamato to manifest herself in regular space. With her came the spirits of the deceased crew members from the past two voyages and Mamoru, who appeared on the bridge. The couple watched in amazement and listened to Teresa as she proclaimed herself part of the "great harmony" of the bonds between the Yamato crew. With Yamato enveloped in Teresa's power, Kodai and Mori held hands and led the battleship straight into the enemy superweapon, annihilating it and bringing an end to the war with Gatlantis.[77]
In Teresa's dimension[]
Yamato survived the attack on the White Comet and was transported into Teresa's higher dimension, despite appearing destroyed. Mori and Kodai also entered the same realm, but were given a chance to leave on a battleship. Kodai refused to leave, feeling weighed down by the actions he had taken during the war. He spent his time in the higher dimension exploring all the possible futures, hoping to find one where they wouldn't have to continue fighting and killing. Teresa tried to convince Kodai to return to reality, as that was the only way to restore the course of time towards the most optimal future. She showed him all the possible pasts and futures and said that his emotions alone could change the direction in which time flowed. However, Kodai was too desperate, and he continued wandering aimlessly in the higher dimension.[78]
Kodai was standing alone inside a large tree made of light, which visualized time as seen from the higher dimension. Okita and Hijikata's spirits called out his nihilism, and Mori suddenly broke through the tree, having regained her memories. She begged Kodai to come with her, but he refused, believing that they would only face more suffering. He pushed Mori away, but she continued to reach out to him, saying that the same was true for her too. She reminded him that he had saved the Earth and would continue to do so numerous other times, because she would always be there to support him. Finally, Mori broke through to Kodai, but he was still hesitant to reach back to her. At that moment, Teresa intervened and showed them both a vision of their future child's small hand holding onto Kodai's fingers. The goddess explained that, throughout the infinite number of possible futures, that was the only one awaiting the couple if they chose to go back. The two finally held hands, restoring the flow of time.[78]
Just then, a fully repaired Yamato ascended to the higher dimension. The citizens of Earth had voted to sacrifice the time fault to give Yamato enough energy to reach Teresa's domain and rescue the two officers. Mori and Kodai were welcomed on board the battleship by their fellow crew members and returned to Earth on December 31, 2203,[26] filled with joy.[78]
The new Earth[]
After their return from the higher dimension, Kodai and Mori were facing a very different Earth. The sacrifice of the time fault had caused a shift in Earth's military policy and had major aftereffects on the planet's economy. Kodai felt guilty for leading Earth's citizens to such a decision, and Mori tried to support him through his troubles. Kodai eventually found a message for Desler left behind by Keyman in Yamato's data bank. He sent it to the Supreme Leader, who was now collaborating with the Garmillas Democratic Government to find a new homeworld for the Garmillans. In an effort to showcase its new foreign policy of pacifism, which was becoming more and more crucial due to the rising tensions between Garmillas and another interstellar power known as the Bolar Federation, the Earth Defense Force created the 65th Escort Corps, a fleet staffed mostly by old Yamato crewmembers and new recruits, to send it on a diplomatic mission to Iscandar and Garmillas. Yamanami was named its fleet commander and Yamato, now officially under Kodai's command, became his flagship. The battle carrier Hyuga, assigned to Sanada, and Mori's supply carrier Asuka made out the rest of the flottilla. The mission was set to take off on October 2, 2205,[79] after welcoming a class of cadets for what would be their first training journey.[80][81][82]
On October 1,[80] Kodai left Shima, his new XO,[22] to deal with the preparations for the take off, and went to visit Hero's Hill to vent his fears for the coming journey to Okita's statue. He was soon joined by Mori and he asked her if she was supposed be there, given they were on the eve of their departure. Mori sarcastically asked if the same wasn't true for him too. She explained she had come to help him with his predicament and the two exchanged a loving embrace. Mori asked how many months it had been since they had been alone together, and Kodai reminded her they could be photographed at any moment. She jokingly replied that it they were the most expensive couple in the world. Kodai's mood turned somber as he explained how guilty he felt for having caused the Earthling race to give up the time fault. He believed he would carry that weight for the rest of his life. At that moment, a bystander called him out, asking him if he could shoulder that responsibility. Kodai tried to run after him, but he was gone. Seeing Kodai break down, Mori silently hugged him.[82]
Journey to Salezar[]
Setting sail and dealing with Domon[]
Just before the cadets' presentation ceremony, Yamato's Head of Security Toru Hoshina and Sanada informed Kodai and Yamanami that one of the cadets, Ryusuke Domon, had falsified his records to get on board Yamato. Domon's father Ryuzo had seemingly committed suicide after his company had gone bankrupt in the aftermath of the time fault's sacrifice. Hoshina believed Domon could be trying to get close to Kodai to enact his revenge. Kodai later attended the cadets' presentation, where Domon was the one to recite the pledge of allegiance on behalf of his class. Wanting to test him, as soon as the young Warrant Officer finished the pledge, Kodai ordered him to take the helm of Yamato for immediate take off.[83]
Kodai remained calm as Domon took control of the ship during departure, even when the auxiliary engines failed due to a mistake made by the engineering cadets. He kept his composure even when Domon did not complete take off, appearing to plan to crash Yamato into an island nearby. However, the recruit ultimately decided to take off, and Kodai smiled calmly as the battleship left Earth. Later, Kodai confronted the members of the peace delegation about the incident. Ambassador Serizawa ordered him to get rid of Domon for illegally manipulating personnel files, but Kodai decided to keep him on board because his results at the military academy indicated he was fit to serve aboard Yamato. He claimed he didn't want to lose talented crew members due to unfounded suspicions, but Yamanami and Burrell saw through his facade and called out his self-destructing tendency to carry the responsibility of events out of his control on his shoulders.[83]
Domon was allowed to stay on board as a quartermaster for the accounting division. The fleet was joined on its journey by Yabu, who had emigrated to Garmillas after the failed mutiny in 2199 and had become a technician for the Garmillan military. Ginga transported him to the Yamato to carry out a technological exchange between the empire and the federation. Yamanami confronted Kodai about the situation with Domon while the two were saluting the passing Ginga. He also pointed out that the newly formed fleet had many other issues, such as a lack of personnel and proper training. He likened the 65th Escort Corps to a baby taking its first steps and told Kodai that their job would not be an easy one.[83]
For the following days, Kodai led Yamato into a series of combat exercises with the rest of the fleet throughout the solar system.[83] On October 16,[24] Kodai, Mori, and Sanada attended a meeting with Yamanami, where the fleet commander briefed them about the subspace gate they were approaching. This gate was a crucial piece of infrastructure supporting the Garmillas Empire's migration from Garmillas to planet Garmann. Yamanami then asked Kodai if he thought the fleet had grown over the past weeks, and he responded that it still wasn't enough. Even though the recruits were skilled, they still lacked the experience and awareness they needed, and it would be their job to prepare them for whatever situation they were about to face. Yamanami then asked him specifically about Domon. The situation aboard Yamato was already tense due to Yabu's presence, so he wanted to know why Kodai would aggravate the situation by letting the Warrant Officer stay on board.[84]
As he later confided to Mori in Yamato's rear observation deck, Kodai saw his young self in Domon's eyes. Just as he had tried to test Okita for causing Mamoru's death, Domon was now testing him. He felt that Domon's burden was even heavier than his own ever was because he had had to give up his father to rescue him. Kodai felt that he couldn't prove himself enough to the young man and that perhaps getting him off the ship would have been the right decision, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. With no way of resolving his doubts, Mori simply listened to him before putting her arm around him, silently showing her support.[84]
The destruction of planet Garmillas[]
Mori and Kodai's moment together was interrupted by Shima and Niimi, carrying the news that planet Garmillas had been destroyed in a sudden attack by an unidentified enemy. Nobody had any details on the attack or the attacker, only that a small group of survivors had managed to reach Iscandar to hide. However, Garmillas' double planet had already left its orbit, was accelerating at abnormal speeds, and was pursued by Supreme Leader Desler's fleet.[18]
The captains of the fleet met with the peace delegation to discuss their next course of action. The 65th Escort Corps was the closest Earth formation to Iscandar, but if the attack against Garmillas had come from Bolar, launching a rescue mission might mean getting the Earth involved in another war. Kodai pointed out that Garmillas was now in the same situation that the Earth had been during the Great Garmillas War, with 70% of its population wiped out. He saw this not as karmic retribution, but as a sign that they needed to act, believing it was the responsibility of humanoids to help each other out instead of fighting. Serizawa interrupted him and questioned if that was what he had learned during his time in Teresa's dimension, but Kodai regretfully informed him that he had lost all memories of the future he had seen there. Serizawa suggested that Yamato was carrying too many important individuals to risk entering an active battlefield. He subtly suggested Kodai to abandon the members of the peace delegation and act independently against HQ's orders.[85] Kodai, Sanada, Mori and Burrell later participated in a call with the commanders of the Garmillas patrol fleet near the subspace gate, where they apologized for being unable to help the Garmillas forces.[18]
Later, Kodai, Sanada, Mori, and Burrell participated in a call with the commanders of the Garmillas patrol fleet near the subspace gate. They apologized for being unable to help the Garmillas forces. However, during the call, a mutiny erupted on Yamato as the Domon and his fellow cadets tried to take control of the ship to continue the mission to Iscandar. They planned to oust the peace delegation from the ship, but they were stopped by Yamato's new Tactics Officer and brought before Kodai on the first bridge. Kodai asked Domon why he didn't ask him before acting out on his own, reminding him that he too had revolted against authority in the past. At Kodai's orders, the peace delegation was sent out in a fireboat. He then proceeded to broadcast to the entire fleet, informing all crew members that they would carry out a rescue mission on Iscandar against headquarters' wishes. He promised to let everyone who didn't agree with the plan to leave and ordered everyone to not lose hope and fight to save as many people as possible, seeking peace in an otherwise hateful conflict.[18]
Rescuing Iscandar[]
For this topic in more detail, see Rescue of Iscandar, Battle in the Vorzon System, and Immigrant Fleet Rescue Operation
The fleet entered the subspace gate, and arrived at planet Iscandar just in time to save Desler's forces from an attack from an unidentified enemy fleet.[18] After the enemy forces, now identified as Dezariam, withdew, Kodai met with Berger, now a Lieutenant Colonel of the Desler fleet. He apologised for the lateness, and his cold demeanor confused his old friend. The 65th Escort Corps officers and the Garmillas commanders held a meeting in Yamato's strategy room, and Sanada informed them that the energy derived from Garmillas' destruction had been diverted somewhere by the enemy and that they were presumably going to do the same to the nearby planet Garmario. To stop them, Kodai decided to destroy the planet using the Wave-motion Gun. Shima questioned if he had considered any other alternatives, but Kodai replied that they had little time to act and that this was their best chance. Mori also objected, asking him if he was going to use the weapon in front of Queen Stasha, but he stayed adamant, saying he would shoulder the responsibility for this action.[86]
As the plan was underway, the Dezariam forces moved Iscandar in front of Yamato's line of fire, using it to shield Garmario. Princess Yurisha contacted the Earth fleet, telling them to use one of their excavation warheads on a the specific point on the Iscandar surface. The resulting reaction would push the world out of Yamato's way. Iscandar was successfully brought out of the line of fire, but Hyuga and Asuka had to leave Yamato alone to fire the warheads. This left the flagship at the mercy of the Dezarian forces' fire. Given the circumstances, Domon suggested interrupting the operation, but Kodai believed they would not have another chance now that the enemy understood their plan. Thanks to an energy bypass, they could keep the Wave-motion Shield active for half a minute, but that would leave the ship immobile and force it to face the explosion's shockwave undefended. Despite Domon's opposition, Kodai believed they couldn't waste the chance Iscandar had given them and chose to go through with the operation. Garmario and the enemy fleet were destroyed, but a wave of debris threatened to destroy the battleship. Kodai believed that the situation was entirely his responsibility, but he was berated by Mori, calling from her ship's bridge. She told him he should stop facing the burden of his actions alone and that he should rely on his comrades. Asuka arrived in the nick of time to deploy a shield and rescue the flagship, and despite Kodai insisting on the danger of such actions, Mori refused to pull back. She reminded her fiancé that despite being on different vessels, the former Yamato crew were all on the same boat, just as they had chosen to be years prior over Terezart when Kodai had been forced to fire the Wave-motion Gun at Gatlantis.[86]
At that moment, the Dezariam capital ship revealed itself. Kodai contacted the enemy commander, stating that they wouldn't allow them to steal planet Iscandar and that he intended to meet with a Dezarian delegation to agree on a ceasefire. As he was speaking, however, Desler fired his flagship's Desler cannon at the enemy, but the Dezarians' superior shielding protected their mothership from any damage. The remaining Dezarian forces began pulling Iscandar away, moving close to the star Vorzon.[86]
Kodai and the other commanders of the Garmillas-Earth joint fleet convened a meeting and devised an operation to carry the Garmillas civilians stuck on Iscandar's surface to safety with the help of the dimensional submarines. Merda Ditz, who had served as Stasha and Yurisha's attendant for the previous years, personally asked Kodai to convince the Queen to leave the planet. Given Mamoru's close relationship with Stasha, she believed he could change her mind, but he refused. Kodai stated that he had forced her to abandon her principles against the usage of DWIEs, and instead suggested Supreme Leader Desler should be the one to speak to her. Desler interrupted him, and asked him if he had truly come to Iscandar to rescue them, or if he was trying to save himself by running away. He nevertheless agreed with the plan, and humbly asked Kodai to help him rescue the people of Iscandar before leaving the meeting.[87]
The operation was initially successful, but the Dezarians soon found out their plan and pointed a massive superweapon directly toward Iscandar's royal palace. At Domon's suggestion, Kodai ordered Yamato and Hyuga to put themselves in the enemy's line of fire and stop the weapon with their combined Wave-motion Shields. Desler's new flagship also joined them, and they were able to protect both the palace and the civilians near it. The enemy commander soon began recharging the weapon, but Stasha herself brokered a ceasefire between the two sides. She then called Desler and Kodai to her palace, intending to reveal the truth behind the origins of the Garmillas race.[87]
The secrets of the Sanctel[]
Stasha took the two men to the basement of her palace where she explained that the Iscandarians were the first human species to evolve. This unique status had led them to become greedy, egotistical and arrogant. Suddenly, Stasha disappeared behind a column, and Kodai tried to run after her. To his and Desler's shock, the Queen had taken on the appearance of the deceased Keyman. She explained that a human face that they both knew was necessary to reveal the truth. They would enter the underground vault known as the Sanctel, but to do so, they would first need to undergo a ritual. The Iscandarians had undergone a process similar to the ascension of the Terezartians into Teresa. However, while they had lost their individuality and the ability to interact with the physical realm, the Iscandarians had managed to preserve their memories. This process was usually irreversible, but to Desler and Kodai, it would only appear as if they had dreamed.[88]
At that moment, light surrounded Kodai, and he awoke to the sight of a massive cavern-like structure filled with crystals. Stasha explained that these were the crystallized planetary memories of multiple civilizations, including the Iscandarians themselves, which continued to live on statically for all eternity in perpetual bliss.[88]
Kodai found himself in the body of his child self inside a vision where he was playing with Mamoru in a field, catching butterflies. Mamoru explained that once the insect was put in a display case, it would preserve its beauty forever. A planetary bomb appeared in the sky, and Kodai's parents joined them. Mamoru asked Kodai what he would do if he had the chance of forgetting the dreadful past and live forever in happiness in his favorite moment in time.[88]
Kodai then appeared in a room filled with taxidermied butterflies. Mamoru explained that just like those butterflies existed fixed in time, humans could crystallize themselves too, and that was the only way they could exist in peace. Kodai was shown the vision of a series of wave-motion guns incinerating a planet, and Mamoru explained that that was the ritual necessary to enter the Sanctel. To be crystallized and be beautiful forever, a civilization first needed to be destroyed and turned into elements. The Iscandarians themselves had undergone that process first, but leaving their mortal bodies meant they had to find someone who could continue to annihilate civilizations to store them inside the Sanctel. Their choice fell on a group of humans from planet Garmann, who were bound to their home planet's unique ecosystem and couldn't survive anywhere else. To make them their slaves, they recreated a copy of planet Garmann on Iscandar's twin planet, and they named the new people "Garmillas".[88]
Kodai and Desler returned to reality, and the Supreme Leader, filled with anger by the revelation of his people's origin, pointed his gun at Stasha. She explained that the practice had been stopped years ago, and that she wasn't seeking atonement for the action of her predecessors. Those who were stored in the Sanctel were carrying on static lives for all eternity, and she believed that was no different from being dead. Kodai correctly assumed that Dezariam was trying to obtain the vast information deposit inside of the vault, and Stasha stated that she would not allow them to get their hands on such a destructive power. The distraught Kodai left Iscandar aboard his Zero, and he radioed Mori, saying he didn't know what to do anymore. She tried to ask what had happened, but he only started sobbing without giving any answers.[88]
Stasha's rescue and Sasha's birth[]
On the first bridge of Yamato, Kodai informed his crew that Stasha intended to self destruct Iscandar to not let Dezariam conquer the planet. Enraged, Shima grabbed Kodai's uniform and questioned why he hadn't stopped her, but Kodai simply replied that the Queen's resolve was too strong. Domon angrily shouted at the captain, asking him if he was alright with that outcome.[88]
As the Garmillas-Earth fleet left Iscandar, Desler turned his ship around and rammed the Dezarian flagship. He asked Kodai to fire the Wave-motion Gun at his battlecarrier, hoping it would destroy the enemy spacecraft from the inside. Despite learning the truth, he was still in love with Stasha and could not bear to see her die that way. Kodai prepared to fire the weapon, but Domon pointed his gun at him and stated that he should have done it sooner. The young Warrant Officer's words hit Kodai, and he decided to agree with his plan to rescue both Desler and the Iscandarian royals. Kodai, Domon, Yabu, and a group of cadets took off from Yamato towards Asuka, where the Cosmo Hound, a prototype dimensional submarine, was being developed. They used the Cosmo Hound to reach the Iscandarian palace while the rest of the joint fleet distracted the Dezariam forces. Confronting Stasha, Kodai stated that since she had loved his brother, she was now part of his family, and he didn't want to lose any more relatives. Domon and Yurisha intervened in his favor, and the Queen ultimately agreed to come with them.[15]
Aboard the Cosmo Hound, Kodai expressed his happiness regarding their decision, but Stasha stated that she would still have to destroy Iscandar, something which Kodai understood would cause her and her sister to die. Suddenly, while in subspace, they were attacked by a Dezariam weapon. Since Domon had a plan to counter the attack, Kodai gave him command of the operation. When the enemy started to get too close to their vehicle, Kodai instructed their pilot on how to evade their pursuer and taunted the space cavalry recruit that was supposed to detach part of the submarine to push her to do her best.[15]
As soon as they reemerged from subspace, Kodai gave Domon a thumbs up and contacted Desler to tell him Stasha had escaped. Iscandar's self-destruction wiped out the remaining Dezarian forces, bringing an end to the brief but devastating conflict. The Cosmo Hound landed on Desler's ship, and Kodai watched as Stasha hugged Desler and disappeared. Confused and angered, Domon asked Kodai why he did everything they did if he knew this would happen. Barely holding back his tears, he replied that by making Desler see the woman he loved one last time, they had saved his soul, and that was the only thing a human could do for another.[15]
They then landed on Asuka, where Kodai met with Mori and gave her a capsule they had been given by Yurisha. He wondered if they should put it in quarantine, but suddenly the light contained inside of it began taking human shape. Sasha, Stasha and Mamoru's daughter, was born into the world. Mori took her in her arms, and the surprised Kodai extended his hands towards her, and the baby grasped his finger. Kodai later bid Desler farewell on Yamato's open-air deck. The Supreme Leader thanked him for what he had done, telling him to take care of Stasha's child and to never let go of those he loved. The 65th Escort Corps separated from the Garmillas fleet and headed back to Earth.[15]
Facing the consequences[]
Following the 65th Escort Corps's return from what became known as the Iscandar Incident, the fleet was immediately reorganized. All captains, including Kodai, were held responsible for their violation of the Earth Federation's policy and were dismissed. All members of Yamato, Hyuga and Asuka's crews were also relocated. Approximately two years later, Kodai disappeared, leaving only a small trace in the Outer Planets Route's security records.[9] As of 2207, it has also become public knowledge that his relationship with his engagement Mori has not progressed.[89]
Kodai was assigned to the Saturn Restoration Fleet as an inspector for the Saturn Restoration Project. He was stationed aboard Ginga, the fleet's flagship, and Ensign Mikage Kiryu served as his assistant.[90]
Operation DAD and the Dezarian invasion[]
For this topic in more detail, see Invasion of the Ground Reverse.
Having been demoted to a boring job, Kodai once took to reflect on his life, hoping to create a new family with Mori and the young Sasha.[5] On one occasion, in October of 2207, one month before the end of Sasha's quarantine, he practiced proposing to Mori to marry and adopt his niece, but was frustrated with the result.[91]
Later that day, Captain Todo of the Ginga, the daughter of Director Heikuro Todo, explained the necessity for the military to keep paying the expenses to maintain the Cosmo Reverse System, the core of the restoration project, and handed him the overview of the project for 2207. After she left, her Executive Officer Megumi Kanzaki reassured Kodai that the military knew he was not cut to be an Inspector and would soon return him to active duty, so he would have to propose to Mori as soon as possible. Kodai was surprised to hear that news of his proposal had already circulated on board. He explained to Kanzaki that he was worried because of the increasingly tense climate between the Earth and the Bolar Federation, and that he feared it was not the right time to start a family. She encouraged him to go ahead with it, stating that his fear was normal. She also mentioned that although she had lost her own family, he should not be afraid to create one for himself. Kodai later went to his quarters and reflected on a picture of Mori and Sasha.[91]
An alarm sounded, summoning him to the bridge. An unidentified object had entered the solar system and was heading towards Earth. However, communication was unreliable due to an outage in the Earth Defense Force's network. Kodai proposed traveling to Earth to investigate the situation, arguing that remaining still without knowing what was happening was pointless. Todo accepted his proposal while addressing him as "Captain Kodai". She later explained that her father had instructed her to continue recognizing Kodai as the captain of the Yamato. This was her response to Kodai's suggestion that Commander-in-Chief Todo might have anticipated the invasion and that dispersing the members of the 65th Escort Corps could have been part of his plan.[91]
As Ginga warped out near the Moon, Kodai and the crew witnessed the landing of the alien object right outside of Earth's capital. Suddenly, the ship's autonomous sub-computer relayed an emergency order for the members of the former 65th to gather at the Yamato.[91] Following their orders, he and Kiryu boarded a Cosmo Seagull and entered the atmosphere to pick up their fellow crew members. A Dezarian fleet had warped out over the planet, but Kiryu confirmed it was holding position and not moving. Kodai thus decided to change their route and fly over the mysterious object. However, they were pursued and shot down by Dezariam fighters.[92]
After they crashlanded, he attempted to communicate with the Hyuga, but lost contact with the carrier too. Kiryu stated there were no pick-up points left, so Kodai suggested to go to Earth HQ. On their way there they encountered a group escaping headquarters from a collapsed underground tunnel. Kodai reached to help and to his surprise, he was met by Mori. As they watched the besieged city, Kodai noted that they could not go to HQ and that nobody would come for them, adding they didn't know if Sasha was saf either. Mori encouraged him to go to the last remaining pick-up point, Hero's Hill. There, they reunited with other former Yamato crew members, including Shima. Kodai shook hands with his best friend and apologised for their Seagull having been shot down.[92]
Suddenly they were contacted by Domon, who stated he was coming to get them the "Iscandar way". As they fought their way through the presidential building's hangar to meet up with Domon, Shima asked what the young officer meant to do, and Kodai explained he would use the Cosmo Hound. As Kodai and Mori held off Dezarian foot soldiers, the Hound was hit and lost the ability to perform a dimensional dive, forcing Mori to stay behind and open the hangar's hatch. Kodai covered for her, but as she tried to make it back on board she was hit by enemy fire. Kodai grabbed her hand but she could hold on and ended up falling to the ground as the Cosmo Hound took off. He tried to jump after her but Domon held him off.[92]
Later, after they landed safely aboard the Asuka, Kodai kept staring at his hand in silence. [92]
Personality[]
In many ways, Susumu Kodai is a reflection of his elder brother. As his experience grew, he started to demonstrate the natural, instinct-driven way of living that Mamoru displayed during his lifetime. However, the younger Susumu was initially more prone to acting recklessly combative and creating more difficulties in the process.[3][33] It is only as the long and difficult mission to Iscandar progressed that he gradually learned more self-control and became more like the leader that his brother was. He came to accept his brother's faith in cooperative relations with Garmillas, and he demonstrated friendliness and compassion toward his enemies.[10][31]
He grew to recognize the importance of showing strength and calm to his shipmates in difficult times, even going so far as to hide the death of Lieutenant Mori and his own grief and exhaustion over it in an effort to maintain ship-wide morale.[33][48] This tendency eventually evolved into his self-destructive nature of bearing the weight of command alone, without seeking help from others.[61][83] Many of his friends and superiors have pointed out this trait of his.[83][86] Kodai's idealism is another trait he inherited from his brother, which led him to face numerous moral dilemmas as his optimistic view of the world collided with the harsh realities of war.[32][51] After the trip to Iscandar, he became strongly opposed to wave-motion weaponry, even rebelling against the Earth Federation when they started producing warships equipped with these weapons.[51] However, he was forced to use Yamato's wave-motion gun many times in dire situations, and he had to live with the guilt of the difficult decisions he made during wartime.[64][75][86] After the Gatlantis Campaign, the burden of his guilt became too much for him to bear, causing him to lose all hope and choose to stay behind in Teresa's dimension. With the help of Mori, he regained his hope and decided to return to Earth with her.[7] Nevertheless, in the following years, he was weighed down by the knowledge that he had caused the Earth to sacrifice the time fault to save him.[82] This feelings are what made him refuse to throw Ryusuke Domon out of the Yamato after learning he falsified his background to board the battleship. Domon blamed Kodai for his father's death, and Kodai wished to prove himself to him, relating the young man's situation to his own experience with Okita.[18][83][84]
During the voyage to Iscandar, Kodai initially had a difficult time building relationships with his fellow crew members such as Yuki Mori, Admiral Okita,[3] Shiro Sanada,[16] Saburo Kato,[6] and Yasuo Nanbu,[3] due to his impulsive nature. However, as Kodai matured, these relationships gradually developed into strong and familiar bonds.[19][27][37][10][48]
His relationship with Mori started on the wrong foot after she berated him for his disrespect toward Admiral Okita.[3] However, the two gradually came to respect each other professionally and became friends.[19][27] Kodai realized the depth of his feelings for her only after Mori's was abducted.[40][48] The two started a relationship after her return to Yamato, and they eventually engaged after their arrival on Earth.[13] Out of fear of possibly losing her, Kodai ordered Mori to stay on Earth at the start of Yamato's second voyage, prompting her to call off the engagement,[51] but they reconciled shortly after.[60] Mori goes to great lengths to help Kodai through his predicaments and often plays as his primary support and source of comfort.[61][75][82][84]
Kodai initially blamed Admiral Juzo Okita, his brother's commanding officer, for Mamoru's death and harbored anger towards him.[3] However, he gradually began to respect and trust Okita and his leadership.[6][29][33] Over time, their relationship evolved into one of personal mentorship and eventually developed into something similar to a father-son bond.[33][10] As captain, Kodai has started to develop the resolve and stoicism that characterized Okita in his command.[86][87] Another one of Kodai's initially rocky relationship was with Shiro Sanada, Yamato's executive officer. Kodai didn't get along well with him due to his cold demeanor, but the two grew closer as Kodai began to see past Sanada's cold exterior. Their friendship was strengthened when Sanada revealed his deep connection with the late Mamoru.[27][37][44] Sanada's trust in Kodai's abilities was enough to make him the acting commander for Yamato's second journey.[55]
Kodai's closest friend is Daisuke Shima, his academy classmate. The two generally work well together, but their different priorities and Kodai's willingness to cooperate with a Garmillas prisoner, Merda Ditz, caused some brief rifts between them during their journey to Iscandar.[33] Kodai also connected with Akira Yamamoto, who he brought onto the ship's fighter squadron over Kato's objections.[16] Having both lost beloved older brothers over the course of the war, the two quickly established a very good rapport. She later became attracted to him, but he did not reciprocate and remained oblivious to her feelings until they eventually waned.[19][10]
Chief Enomoto initially believed that Kodai had little skill in dealing with women, but was encouraged to see that he had "gotten better" when Yamamoto volunteers to join him for repair work.[19][27]
Kodai also had a profound respect for Admiral Ryu Hijikata, his former teacher and eventual superior.[3] On various occasions, he tried to pass the command of Yamato over to him until he eventually accepted.[62][64] Throughout the battleship's journey to Terezart, Hijikata pushed Kodai to overcome his difficulties with command and helped him in various situations, always showing great trust in his abilities and resolve.[61][62]
During the journey to Terezart, Kodai also developed a friendship with Klaus Keyman and Hajime Saito, despite the latter's initial distrust in Kodai's command due to his refusal to fire the Wave-motion Gun.[57][77]
Battles[]
Great Garmillas War[]
- First Battle of Pluto (Operation M)
- Reconnaissance-in-force of theYamato
- Second attack on Yamato
- Operation M2
- Breakthrough of the Garmillas Encirclement
- Encounter with the Garmillas Dimensional Submarine
- Skirmish Outside of the Dimensional Fault
- Psychic Attack on Yamato
- First Battle against Domel
- Planet Balun Breakthrough Operation
- Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster
- Uprising on Prison Camp 17 (also part of the Garmillas Civil War)
- Battle of the Imperial Capital
- Battle with Desler in Subspace (also part of the Garmillas Civil War)
Garmillas-Gatlantis War[]
Gatlantis Campaign[]
- Battle of the eleventh planet
- Battle on Planet Stravase (also part of the Garmillas Civil War)
- Battle in Subspace
- Terezart Landing Operation
- Blockade of Terezart
- Battle of Saturn
- Decisive Battle off Mars
- Battle against Neu Deusura
- Golem Assault Battle
Iscandar Incident[]
- Rescue of Iscandar
- Battle in the Vorzon System
- Immigrant Fleet Rescue Operation
- Operation to rescue Supreme Leader Desler
Others[]
Manga[]
In the Space Battleship Yamato 2199 manga adaption by Michio Murakawa, Kodai does not resolve his issues with Okita immediately after boarding Yamato. He only begins to trust the captain after he watches Yukikaze's logs during the mission to Enceladus, which reveal to him the truth behind Mamoru's sacrifice. His hatred of the Garmillas is also much more prominent at the start of his journey than it is in the anime and he initially considers them to be devils.[93][94][95]
Generally speaking, Kodai is more aggressive in the manga than he is in the anime, bringing him somewhat closer to his original series counterpart.[96]
Novel[]
In the Space Battleship Yamato 2199 novelization Kodai is the one drinking with Okita during the line-crossing cerimony instead of Tokugawa, much like in the original series.[97] His behaviour during the Encounter with the Garmillas Dimensional Submarine has also been changed to be more in line with military regulations.[98] In the novels he is also involved with events in which he didn't participate in the anime, like the Mutiny on Beemela 4 and the gunfight against Domelaze III during the Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster.[99][100]
Behind the scenes[]
In the original series, Kodai is much more hot-blooded and does not hesitate to act out on his own. According to Space Battleship Yamato 2199 director Yutaka Izubuchi, since the remake series was set to be a crowd drama, he had to be changed into a calmer character for the story to have better progression.[101]
The remake series also establishes Sanada as the battleship's executive officer, making the military heirarchy on board more similar to real life.[3] This means that Kodai does not gain the position of Deputy Commander of the battleship unlike in the original series.[102] However, during Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark, he takes command of the ship for the Battle of Shambleau.[10]
His new design was created by Nobuteru Yuki.[103] He is portrayed by Daisuke Ono in Japanese and by Christopher Wehkamp in English.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- His medical file shows that his blood type is A Rh+, and that by early 2203 he was 172.3 cm tall and weighed 65.1 kg.[61]
- Kodai's photo in his personnel file depicts her with the rank insignia of Lt. Junior Grade, despite him never obtaining the rank. At the time the photo would have been taken, she would have been an Ensign, as seen in "Messenger of Iscandar".[3]
- Curiously, Mori's file is depicted with the same mistake.[3]
References[]
- ↑ Personnel file on Susumu Kodai reviewed by Admiral Juzo Okita in "Messenger of Iscandar"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Yamato 2199 official website 2199 Series character introduction for Susumu Kodai
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 "Messenger of Iscandar"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "AD 2202 - Revive, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 starblazers-yamato.net CHARACTERS Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 entry for Susumu Kodai
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 "Toward a Sea of Stars"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Earth, Yamato Is..."
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Yamato 2205 official website CHARACTERS entry for Susumu Kodai
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 starblazers-yamato.net CHARACTERS Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 first entry for Susumu Kodai (archived on Cosmo DNA)
- ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 "Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark"
- ↑ "Departure to the Unknown!"
- ↑ "Yamato, Attack the Comet Empire!"
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Yamato 2202 official website CHARACTER & MECHANIC entry for Susumu Kodai
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Model Sheet Design Collection EARTH p.232
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 "Hello Sasha"
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 "The Trap on All Sides"
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "O Teresa, Cry for Dessler!"
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 "Save Iscandar! Rebellion of the Young Heroes!!"
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.8 "Farewell to the Solar System"
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 "The Whisper of the Witch"
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "The Wolf from Another Dimension"
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Yamato 2205 official website CHARACTERS entry for Daisuke Shima
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Personnel file for Daisuke Shima seen in "Point of No Return"
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 Trajectory of YAMATO official 2024 calendar
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 "Escape from the Jupiter Sphere"
- ↑ 26.00 26.01 26.02 26.03 26.04 26.05 26.06 26.07 26.08 26.09 26.10 26.11 "The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202"
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 27.7 "Gravestone on a Frozen Field"
- ↑ "The Sun Sets on Pluto"
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Wish Upon a Star"
- ↑ "Clockwork Prisoner"
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Graveyard of the Universe"
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 "A World I Once Saw"
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 33.5 33.6 "What Lies Beyond"
- ↑ Day count at the end of "The Wolf from Another Dimension"
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Point of No Return"
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 "A Choice for the Future"
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 "Out of the Forest of Memory"
- ↑ "Over the Black Light"
- ↑ "They're Coming!"
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 "Under a Rainbow Sun"
- ↑ "Prison Planet 17"
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 "The Planet That We Head For"
- ↑ 43.0 43.1 "One Man's War"
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 "The Distant Promised Land"
- ↑ Mikage Kiryu states that the events of Odyssey of the Celestial Ark (outside of the prologue and epilogue) are set one months after Yamato's take off from Iscandar, as that event is stated to take place on July 27, 2199, it can be deduced that the movie takes place in August of the same year. See Yamato 2199 timeline inconsistencies for more details
- ↑ Day count at the end of "The Distant Promised Land"
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 47.2 "The Forever War"
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 48.4 48.5 48.6 "Memories of the Blue Planet"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.1 p.3
- ↑ The Era of Space Battleship Yamato: Choice of 2202 Theater Pamphlet p.18
- ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 51.3 51.4 "Shock – Legacy of the Cosmo Reverse"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works vol.1 p.21
- ↑ 53.0 53.1 53.2 53.3 53.4 "Tension – Reach the Embassy on the Moon"
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 54.3 54.4 "Shock – Legacy of the Cosmo Reverse"
- ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 55.3 "Departure to the Unknown!"
- ↑ 56.0 56.1 "Clash! Yamato vs. Andromeda"
- ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 "Battle to the Death – The 11th Planet Rescue Operation"
- ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 "The Beam of Light Flashes! / Radiance of the Wave Motion Gun"
- ↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 59.3 59.4 "The Trap at Planet Stravase!"
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 60.3 60.4 "Zworder, the Devil's Alternative"
- ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 61.3 61.4 61.5 61.6 "Bewitching - The Space Fireflies Beckon a Crisis"
- ↑ 62.0 62.1 62.2 62.3 "Dessler's Challenge!"
- ↑ 63.0 63.1 "The Shocking White Comet Empire - The Yamato Rams Through!"
- ↑ 64.0 64.1 64.2 64.3 64.4 "The Terezart Landing Operation – Crush the Enemy Missile Fleet!"
- ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 "Zurvival's Fierce Assault - Find Teresa"
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 "Farewell, Teresa! Flowers for Two Desslers"
- ↑ "Battle off the Coast of Saturn - Gather the Wave Motion Gun Fleet!"
- ↑ "The Era of Yamato" dates Yamato's repairs on May 29 and states that the battleship fell on Zemuria 20 days prior, meaning the event must take place on May 9
- ↑ "Yamato in Crisis - The Devil's Alternative Once More"
- ↑ "Heir to the Yamato, Her Name is Ginga"
- ↑ 71.0 71.1 "Gatlantis, the Cursed Children"
- ↑ "Escape from the Nightmare!"
- ↑ "The Fated Showdown"
- ↑ 74.0 74.1 74.2 74.3 74.4 "Warriors of Love"
- ↑ 75.0 75.1 75.2 75.3 "Yamato, Attack the Comet Empire!"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2202 Complete Works Vol.2 p.173
- ↑ 77.0 77.1 77.2 77.3 "Farewell, Space Battleship Yamato"
- ↑ 78.0 78.1 78.2 "Earth, Yamato Is..."
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2205 Complete Works p.162
- ↑ 80.0 80.1 Yamato 2205 Official Website CHARACTERS
- ↑ Yamato 2205 Official Website MECHANIC
- ↑ 82.0 82.1 82.2 82.3 "A Galactic War is About to Break Out! Assemble the Yamato Fleet!!"
- ↑ 83.0 83.1 83.2 83.3 83.4 83.5 83.6 "Yamato, a New Departure!!"
- ↑ 84.0 84.1 84.2 84.3 "The Last Day of Garmillas"
- ↑ Yamato 2205 official website CHARACTERS entry for Kotetsu Serizawa
- ↑ 86.0 86.1 86.2 86.3 86.4 86.5 "Emergency Order! Yamato, Shoot Iscandar!!"
- ↑ 87.0 87.1 87.2 "Immigrant Fleet Rescue Operation. Go Beyond the Dimensional Wall!"
- ↑ 88.0 88.1 88.2 88.3 88.4 88.5 "Iscandar, the Dying Planet of Sorrow"
- ↑ starblazers-yamato.net CHARACTERS Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 first entry for Yuki Mori (archived on Cosmo DNA)
- ↑ starblazers-yamato.net CHARACTERS Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 entry for Mikage Kiryu
- ↑ 91.0 91.1 91.2 91.3 "Begin the Secret Operation! Head for the New Yamato!"
- ↑ 92.0 92.1 92.2 92.3 "The Silent Invasion! Ginga, Take Up Your Arms!"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Vol.1 pp. 112-115
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Vol.2 pp. 156-173
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Vol.3 pp. 127-144
- ↑ Tim Eldred's interview with Michio Murakawa and Nobuyuki Sakurai May 9, 2012
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Vol.1 "Chapter 4: Leaving the Heliosphere" pp.pp. 215-240
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Vol.1 "Chapter 7: The Wolf from Another Dimension" pp. 311-342
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Vol.2 "Chapter 9: A Choice for the Future" pp. 65-120
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Vol.2 "Chapter 11: Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster" pp. 157-238
- ↑ Director Yutaka Izubuchi talks about the appeal of the new Yamato April 4, 2012
- ↑ "The Day the Sun Falls onto Planet Balan!"
- ↑ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Model Sheet Design Collection EARTH p.192
- ↑ While Kodai's Cosmo Zero's name is spelled α1, the screen seen on "The Trap on All Sides" spells his calls name as "Alpha 01"