The last full month before the release of Chapter 6 flew right by with a new trailer, more concerts, the latest radio suite, the year’s first major hobby show, online activity, and all the other things that help make the wait feel shorter. Here’s all the May news…

May 1: Anime World Star

This anime goods specialty shop (who we’ve heard from before) opened the month with an online campaign for its unique Yamato products, everything from art prints to Yuki Mori’s coffee.

Visit their website here and switch over to English for purchase through the international Zen Market!

May 2: Bolar language class begins

Japan went on holiday for Golden Week and the Twitter page for the Yamato Production Committee gave them some homework to take along: six days of Bolar language instruction.

Want to learn yourself some Bolar? Click here!

May 4: Mantan Web article

If you’ve seen the end of REBEL 3199 Chapter 5 (get on it at Crunchyroll if you haven’t), you joined the audience that was stunned by a completely unexpected plot twist. To help us orient ourselves, Writer Mitsuru Anima broke it down with commentary and staff quotes in an article for Mantan Web.

Read it here

Photo posted on Twitter by yoshikifukuyama

May 5: Super Robot Spirits 2026 in Osaka

The best of the best anime theme singers (old and new) gathered for another blowout in the SRS 2026 tour. The lineup included the back-to-full-power Isao Sasaki, who performed the themes for Yamato, Grendaizer, and Danguard Ace while also participating in an ensemble encore of Getter Robo.

Photos posted on Twitter by clnct and yoshikifukuyama

Any fan of 70s, 80s and 90s anime would have gotten a taste of heaven with live renditions of Zambot 3, Ideon, Godmars, Golion, Macross 7, Voltes V, Braiger, Dunbine, and many more; a total of 30 songs in two hours. And still no sign of retirement from Sasaki.

May 8: Chapter 6 promotion

The stakes (and the pulse rates) go up whenever official poster art for a new chapter is released. Chapter 6, titled The Azure Labyrinth, bears the distinction of a scene set in 2026 and the following catch phrase:

“Gather in the azure labyrinth. A place where lies and wars are permitted.”

See a textless version of the art at the end of this page.

The new image also appeared on the front of a new flyer. The back added this summary:

Having crossed a nexus in space-time, the Space Battleship Yamato arrived in a new world. It was not the future, but rather Tokyo in the year 2026.

It was an era long preceding the battle against Garmillas, an Earth of the past, bearing no trace of the Planet Bombs. If Yamato were to set course for Planet Garmillas in this era, the future could be changed.

The “historical alteration” that the Dezarium sought to enact…that very same temptation now lies before Ryusuke Domon. The future in which humanity is transformed into Dezarium — the very history of war itself — might vanish.

The Space Battleship Yamato, and the crew themselves, would vanish as well. Yet, even so…peace would remain.

Driven by a fervent desire to rewrite tragedy, and watched over by the red-eyed Sasha, Yamato begins to undergo a dark transformation.

What awaits at the end of its wake…?

This momentum was accompanied by sales of a new advance ticket voucher and (the best part) a new minute-long trailer that ignited all engines.

Watch it here and see our breakdown here

May 9: Radio Suite Yamato “Birth Chapter”

Talk about a one-two punch; the day after the new trailer came the latest 4-hour radio show produced by fans for fans. This was the 8th time (since 2018) with music curated by hosts Andro Umeda, Michio Murakawa (manga artist) and Fumi Fukukako (webmaster of Yamato Music).

The first two hours were devoted to soundtrack music from 1974 (Series 1) to 2009 (Yamato Resurrection). They were joined in the second hour by 3199 Director Naomichi Yamato, and the fourth hour was filled to the brim with listener requests. This is where the rarities come out to shine.

The first seven of these shows took their names from the original Yamato productions, and show 7 was titled Final Chapter. So where does “Birth Chapter” come from? It’s a deep trivia cut; in fall 1984, Yoshinobu Nishizaki announced his intention to create new Yamato projects, and “Birth Chapter” was the working title for the one that eventually became Yamato Resurrection.

Pro tip: if you were a member of the Cosmo DNA Facebook page, you were given instructions on how to listen to the show live. If you become a member now, you’ll get those same instructions next year. Even if you can’t follow what’s being said, the music smashes all language barriers.

May 13: Kia Asamiya on Twitter

To remind everyone of the incredible news that a 1/1000 Arizona model is on its way from Bandai, Kia Asamiya posted his box art on Twitter with the following text:

I got the OK from Bandai Spirits. I was in charge of the box art for Arizona, which is being unveiled at the 64th Shizuoka Hobby Show! This art was drawn as an homage to that heavy, majestic Yamato illustration by Miyatake-san and Katoh-san, because Bandai’s staff said, “Let’s go with the classic route!” So I went with a personal classic.

Follow Kia Asamiya on Twitter here

May 13-17: Shizuoka Hobby Show 2026

If you wanted to see the model itself, you needed to scoot over to Shizuoka for the 2026 hobby show. May 16 and 17 were designated as “public access” days.

Yamato fans had more than Arizona to seek out; a company named S14 (that’s S-one-four) surprised everyone with a lineup of 1/100 Cosmo Tiger miniatures scheduled for release in October.

And then there was the fan model wing of the event, where everyone’s personal 3D expressions got the spotlight.

See a photo gallery of all these sights here

May 14: Isao Sasaki on TV

Good luck to anyone trying to keep up with this guy. His next appearance was on a Fuji TV series titled Showa Kayou [Popular Song] Parade. The official promo read as follows:

Isao Sasaki, who celebrated his 65th anniversary as a professional singer last year, makes a special appearance! Join us as we look back on his illustrious career in show business, accompanied by a retrospective of photographs. He will perform a medley featuring numerous iconic hits, including Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999!

May 14: NOTE blog

You didn’t see this one coming, but that’s what keeps these reports interesting. A blogger named Yushi Wada (a self-described “future navigator”) has been writing a very insightful series titled Civilization OS: The next 50 years for Japan and the World. The 7th installment of that series brought two significant anime titles into view: Yamato and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Each brings its own perspective on how to deal with a global crisis, and much is learned by comparing and contrasting their solutions.

Make some time to read this one, it will be well spent. Click here to read it.

Photo at right posted on Twitter by Marimo_aquarius

May 16: Jupiter & Yamato, Symphony of the Skies concert

The second concert of the month with Yamato content was part of the 31st Miyazaki International Music Festival, performed by the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra. Official description:

We present a program featuring Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C Major, hailed as his greatest masterpiece and known as “Jupiter,” alongside a symphony composed based on themes from the popular anime series Space Battleship Yamato. Led by former Music Director Tsugio Tokunaga serving as Concertmaster, and conducted by Tatsuya Shimono, the orchestra will bring these grand-scale compositions to life with a truly overwhelming orchestral sound.

Photos posted on Twitter by S_Meijin

The Yamato portion of the concert was derived from Kentaro Haneda’s 1984 Yamato Grand Symphony. What made it extra special was the presence of Tsugio Tokunaga in the role of concertmaster. He played solo violin for the very first performance in 1984 and returned to reprise it again here, a meaningful moment for audience and performers alike.

May 17: Studio Khara on Twitter

The famed studio in which the next Yamato anime project is being created reached its 20th anniversary and posted the following to mark the occasion:

As of today, May 17, 2026, we have reached the milestone of our 20th anniversary. This achievement is entirely the result of the support we have received from all of you who have cheered us on over the years, and we wish to express our deepest gratitude.

A commemorative illustration above right was created by Kazuya Tsurumaki, a company director who also serves as an animation director and animator. This statement from studio president Hideaki Anno was also released:

We started out as a company consisting of just one president, one employee, and one advisor, working from a tiny room in a multi-tenant building in Nishi-Shinjuku [Tokyo]. We have since grown into a company that possesses its own studio, has produced numerous works and continues to create many more to this day.

All of this is thanks to you. Once again, I offer my deepest gratitude.

Follow Studio Khara on Twitter here and here

May 24: Welcome to Akira-san’s World! concert

We’re not done concerting yet! Akira Miyagawa took up the baton to lead his own “best of” performance with the Harima Prefecture Wind Orchestra. Vocals were provided by Dynamite Shakariki Circus (who have appeared at many Yamato concerts), and the venue was Arcrea Himeji.

The playlist was an overview of Akira’s entire career with his score for Blackjack and the 4-part Yamato Suite as the second act. The final number was Matsuken Samba II, his beloved sequel to his father’s hit Matsuken Samba.

May 24: More live music

Still not done! If you couldn’t make it to Akira-san’s World, you would have lucked out if you went to a certain horse race in Tokyo. There, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force belted out the Yamato theme at halftime. It’s been part of their repertoire for decades, and never fails to delight. The singer was amazing, and the length of his closing note was superhuman.

See it for yourself here and here. Get the full closing note here.

May 25: Hobby Japan #685

The latest issue contained part 20 of the ongoing Yamato Mechanics series, this time profiling the Dezarium Annihilation Battleship Grodez.

Read it here

May 25: Yuki Mori figure announced

You know what? Maybe it’s time for another Yuki Mori figure. We have only 200 or so to choose from, right? Nevertheless, Megahouse is rolling out a new one. On this day, photos of a prototype figure were published online of a 1/8 Yuki in a Dezarium suit. Price and release date are both TBA.

May 25: Tamashii Nations on Twitter

Tamashii Nations is the “elite” branch of Bandai with high-end products such as the 1/2000 Yamato 3199 “shining ship” miniature. The photos above were posted by tamashii_tnt of the ship on display at the Tokyo store.

Get a better look here

May 27: Model kit news

If you’ve slept on all the previous 1/1000 Yamato “remake” models from Bandai, this news might wake you up. Scheduled for release in October, the Yamato 3199 Deluxe Set is essentially a roundup of all previous Yamatos with enough option parts to build two distinct ships out of one box.

It will literally have everything you need to create all four iterations of Yamato from 2199 through 3199, including the “final battle” specs from 2202. Included for the first time will be a 1/1000 Cosmo Hound and shock cannon effects parts.

See larger pics at Bandai’s website here

May 29: Chapter 6 Blu-ray news

The month ended with a look into the future at some of the frills to come with the Chapter 6 Blu-ray. The first chance to get it will be at theaters when the film opens on June 26. That version will come with the slipcase shown at upper left and the storyboard booklet shown at right (cover art by Character Designer Nobuteru Yuuki).

One week later, other vendors will sell the theatrical edition with a range of other bonus items. One of them will be the model shown at lower left, a clear plastic Cosmo Python mini-kit. As usual, the first-round vendors only ship to Japanese addresses. Customers outside Japan will have to wait for the standard edition, to be released on August 26.

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