Were we fooled by 2199?! Toru Hoshina’s turning point
By Mitsuru Anima
Published at Mantan Web, February 23, 2026.
See the original post here
Toru Hoshina, a new character who appeared in Yamato 2199, is an intelligence professional who unites anti-Dezarium forces within the Defense Force. He lays the foundation for a resistance organization, and continues to operate underground, demonstrating unprecedented success. We spoke to Motoki Takagi, the voice actor who plays Toru Hoshina, about his thoughts on Space Battleship Yamato and his character.
2199: “I don’t want you to think about anything.”
Space Battleship Yamato is a hugely popular anime, first airing on TV in 1974 and now celebrating its 50th anniversary. Takagi isn’t part of the “Yamato generation.”
“It was made before I was born, so I’d never seen it. I had the impression it was an anime for adults, a complex work. My parents were incredibly happy when I was cast in 2199.” They asked me, ‘What role are you playing?’ I remember saying, ‘It’s a new character!? I hope (Hoshina) lives a long life.’ I’m glad he did. I don’t know how much I’ll be involved, so I feel nervous every time I open a new script. When people in my hometown ask me, ‘What are you in?’ and I say, Yamato, and they’re happy. It’s become like a calling card for me.”
The first remake series, Yamato 2199, began in 2012. Hoshina appears in 2199 as a good-looking, friendly young man, but his true identity is that of a spy watching the Yamato crew. He recalls that at the time, he was recording without being told how the story would unfold, saying, “I was deceived.”
“When I was acting, Director Yutaka Izubuchi told me, ‘I don’t want you to think about anything.’ He said, ‘I want you to speak as you are now. I can tell you the plot developments if you really want to know, but for now, just act without knowing.’ So, I think the viewers were surprised, and I was surprised too. I was fooled by the adults. (Laughs) At the time, the Yamato crew gathered to record, and there were so many of us that we couldn’t all fit in the chairs in the studio. We lined up spare chairs, and it felt like the first bridge of Yamato. We all interacted with each other and felt the speed of the story as we recorded.”
Becoming an Adult in 2205
In Yamato 2202, Hoshina was involved in the construction of the Wave-Motion Experiment Ship Ginga and served as a crew member on the ship. In Yamato 2205, he appears as the head of Yamato‘s security department, keeping an eye on Ryusuke Domon’s movements.
In REBEL 3199, he becomes the head of the HQ Security Department, and after the HQ falls to the Dezarium invasion, he goes into hiding underground. He unites anti-Dezarium forces within the Defense Forces and establishes the foundations of a resistance organization. He devises a counter-attack using Van Gogh’s masterpiece Starry Night as a fuse, attempting to expose Dezarium’s deception, but the operation fails. He has now returned to the underground to prepare for his next move, and is acting as a core member of the partisans.
Looking back, we can see that Hoshina has always been an important character who has operated in the shadows.
“He’s not at the forefront, but he’s always working in the background. I think he’s a capable worker, but I think it’s amazing that he somehow doesn’t get noticed. It’s the same in 3199. He carries out important missions without attracting attention and without causing any discomfort.”
Hoshina was 18 years old when he first appeared, and by 3199, he’s 26. The turning point was 2205.
“Even now, I’m still an extension of Director Izubuchi’s words from 2199, ‘Just be yourself,’ but there have been some changes. Hoshina has gotten older, and he’s gradually become more conscious of being an adult rather than a boyish character. Since 2205, the next generation of crew members has appeared, and although Hoshina is young, he’s now part of the older generation. I assisted Domon in welcoming him to the Yamato crew, and that was a turning point for him.”
Hoshina’s first “defeat”
In 3199, he devises a rebellion plan to burn down Van Gogh’s masterpiece, Starry Night.
“I think Hoshina has the most lines in 3199 so far. I have the image of him constantly talking. He works hard to come up with strategies, but nothing ever goes as planned. (Laughs) Before we started filming 3199, Director Fukui told me, ‘Hoshina has been a superhuman up until now, but I want to portray him as human as well.’ That was something that really stuck with me. Up until now, he’s been active out of the public eye, always smiling and doing great things, but from now on, I think there will be scenes where he loses his nerve like a human being.”
Hoshina is talented, but not a superhuman. In 3199, he seems more three-dimensional.
“He’s still the same character, so there’s a core focus on protecting that character. But when expressing him, I’m trying to act flexibly, keeping in mind his growth and change, without locking down the range of his reactions. This is the first time we’ve seen a ‘defeated Hoshina’ like this, and I’m performing with the mindset that it can’t be the same as before.”
Hoshina is not a superhuman, so he struggles but tries to move forward. Takagi says he sees Hoshina in some ways like Alphon, another character in 3199.
“The person I’m most interested in is Alphon. Even within the highly controlled Dezarium, he acts independently. I wonder how much Mother Dezarium knows, but I imagine she does. That’s why he fights alone. I feel like he has some similarities with Hoshina. I think of Alphon as a guest hero in 3199.”
The Shock of the “Last Minute”
3199” consists of seven chapters, with the fifth chapter, The Incandescent Galactic War, premiering on February 20th. The main visual for Chapter 5, accompanied by the tagline Everything changes in the last minute, has also been generating buzz.
While he can’t give away any spoilers, Takagi hints, “I think everyone will be shocked by the last minute, but I was even more shocked after that. I was surprised by the ending theme, and the preview for the next chapter really stirred my heart.”
We’re also curious to see what Hoshina does next, and he says, “I’m still struggling with it. There are times when I get discouraged. But please look forward to it!”
We hope you’ll look forward to the shocking fifth chapter and Hoshina’s subsequent exploits.