“Yamato yo Towa ni Chapter 5” Stage Greeting Report with Yamadera Kooichi, Okamoto Nobuhiko, Horie Shun: “Please Keep the Ending a Secret Until Opening Day”

The Latest Chapter of the Legend Prepares for Launch

The newest chapter in the Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 series, Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199, will begin its theatrical run with “Chapter 5: The White-Hot Galactic War” starting February 20th, 2026. On January 23rd, a completion announcement stage greeting was held at Shinju Piccadilly in Tokyo. The event featured Kouichi Yamadera (as Desler), Nobuhiko Okamoto (as Tasuke Tokugawa), Shun Horie (as Isidore), General Director Harutoshi Fukui, and Director Naomichi Yamato. The proceedings were hosted by Eriko Nakamura, the voice of Kage Kiryu.

Following a screening of the chapter, the stage greeting began, with the audience visibly stunned by the shocking conclusion of Chapter 5. Acting as their voice, host Nakamura-san (Kage Kiryu) addressed the guests on stage, saying, “That ending was far too shocking!” In response, General Director Fukui showed a satisfied expression, stating, “I’ve been looking forward to experiencing this very atmosphere from all of you for about a year now.” He then appealed to the venue, “Please keep this ending a secret until the opening day on February 20th,” calling for no spoilers.

Cast Insights and On-Stage Revelations

Meanwhile, Kouichi Yamadera, who remarked, “Even I never thought I’d be given such an important line,” took the stage wearing a Desler badge on his chest. This is a theater goods item from Chapter 5 that plays a line recorded by Yamadera’s Desler. Yamadera explained, “You’d think it’s just a badge, right? But there’s a button on the back,” and proceeded to press it. The badge then resonated with Desler’s iconic line, “Yamato yo Towa ni (Yamato, be forever),” sending the venue into an uproar.

When Nakamura pointed out that Desler seems to have a softer impression in this series compared to 2205, Yamadera agreed, “Having gone through various experiences, you could say Desler has shed a layer. What I feel particularly is that ‘he’s become better at listening to people.'” The audience deeply nodded in agreement. He added, “Of course, he listens to Ram carefully, and he listens to Sanada-san. He’ll even listen properly to Domon. In the past, he might have said ‘Hmph!’ and swiftly purge someone, but I think going through various experiences and deepening his bonds with Kodai and the others has had an influence.”

For Nobuhiko Okamoto, this was his first opportunity to appear on stage for a greeting in the remake series. “I’m so happy and honored to be standing here, to the point where I wonder if it’s really okay for me to be here,” he reflected emotionally. “I’ve been playing Tasuke Tokugawa since 2199 in 2013. When I think that 13 years have passed and I can stand here now, it feels deeply moving.”

This time, Okamoto also handled additional crowd voices besides Tasuke. “Actually, in the final scene where a large crowd is present, there’s a line like ‘What? What?’ and I participated in that. That recording was a long take, so I got to speak for over a minute. I might have talked more then than I did as Tasuke in this chapter,” he revealed. Yamadera then quipped, “That’s subtly saying ‘Let Tasuke talk more,’ isn’t it?” which made the venue laugh.

Within the Yamato crew, Tasuke plays the role of a mood-maker. When Nakamura pointed out, “Among the characters Okamoto-san has played until now, this is what you’d call the ‘funny man’ or a rather rare position,” Okamoto responded with pride, “I never thought my vocal quality had the attribute of a ‘chubby’ voice. I’m happy. I’m doing it with a feeling like, ‘Ah, I can do chubby too,'” which delighted the crowd.

As for Isidore, played by Shun Horie, Fukui told him during the first recording session, “Isidore is a very interesting role, so I definitely want Horie-kun to perform that aspect.” However, even through Chapter One, Two, and Three, that part wasn’t really visible, and Horie felt, “I wonder when Isidore’s interesting side will come.” That’s why, when he read the Chapter Five script, he revealed he felt, “It’s finally here.”

“When I read the script, I thought, ‘So this is the part Fukui-san was talking about!’ and I performed it while really swinging my shoulders into it,” Horie looked back. He mentioned that Isidore had always interacted with Yuki Mori (voiced by Houko Kuwashima) in a somewhat “mother-in-law” like way, and Kuwashima-san had once told him, “Isidore really fits Horieru (Horie) perfectly.” “At the time, I was troubled whether I should be simply happy about that or not, but that one comment really became a source of confidence. It connected to this scene in Chapter Five precisely because I’ve been playing him all this time, so I feel I’ve been given a very rewarding role,” he said, showing a proud expression.

Incidentally, Horie’s Isidore (and the character Setsuden-kun who appears in his place in some episodes) and Okamoto’s Tasuke are the famous duo who appear in the YouTube program “Kyou no Kagaku Beginners (Today’s Science for Beginners),” which explains the Uchuu Senkan Yamato scientific settings in an easy-to-understand way for newcomers. Laughing, Horie said, “Even though the two of us have never had a dialogue exchange in the main story, we’ve done a ton of exchanges. I wonder why?” Okamoto also explained, “We do skits as a duo on YouTube.”

Hearing this, Yamadera said enviously, “I wish they’d have me on too!” General Director Fukui revealed, “Actually, we were recording a new episode until just a while ago, and we’ve created a guest slot starting this time.” Okamoto also sent a love call, “Unexpectedly, that esteemed person came as a guest… If that serious person can do it, then maybe Supreme Leader Desler could too… We’ll definitely be waiting for you,” hinting at potential new developments.

Director’s Vision and Final Messages

When asked to share his thoughts now that Chapter Five was complete, Director Naomichi Yamato stated, “As you may have noticed after watching the main story, we’ve included various homages to the original work. I wanted to create something that would satisfy all of you who have been involved with Yamato for decades, who have been watching over it all this time. We pursued that while also incorporating new expressions here and there. So that even after the screenings begin, everyone can enjoy it many times over. I ask for your continued support,” reaffirming his commitment.

Near the end of the event, asked to give the final comment on behalf of the cast, Kouichi Yamadera said, “Today, listening to everyone’s greetings on stage… I felt anew that this is truly a work overflowing with love—Yamato love, love for humanity, love for Earth, love for the universe. I think the more you watch it, the more you can confirm the charm that lies within, over and over again. If you liked what you saw at this completion announcement, I hope you will truly watch it many times during its run and feel it in your heart. If, as a result, this work becomes some kind of strength for living tomorrow or connects to richness of heart, that would be wonderful. And it seems this Desler badge will also be on sale during the February screenings.” Pressing the button on the badge on his chest, he made Desler’s line “Yamato yo Towa ni” resonate through the venue and declared to the crowd, “Please have Desler by your side!”

Finally, General Director Harutoshi Fukui left a powerful comment: “Thanks to you all, we’ve reached Chapter Five. Having done various works until now, around this point, the eyes of the fans usually start to look a bit anxious, like, ‘Is this really going to end?’ This time, it will properly end, so I hope you’ll stay with us until the very end.” Warm applause filled the venue in response to his words.

Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199, the latest work in the Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 series, will begin its theatrical run with “Chapter 5: The White-Hot Galactic War” starting February 20th, 2026.

Event & Production Details

『Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199 Chapter 5: The White-Hot Galactic War』 Completion Announcement Stage Greeting

• Date/Time: January 23rd (Fri) 20:45–21:20 *Post-screening stage greeting
• Venue: Shinjuku Piccadilly Theater 1 (3-15-15 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
• Attendees: Kouichi Yamadera (as Desler), Nobuhiko Okamoto (as Tasuke Tokugawa), Shun Horie (as Isidore), Harutoshi Fukui (General Director), Naomichi Yamato (Director)
• Host: Eriko Nakamura (as Kage Kiryu)

◆ Work Title
Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199 (pronounced: Yamato yo Towa ni Rebel San-ichi-kyuu-kyuu)

◆ Screening Information
Yamato yo Towa ni REBEL3199 Chapter 5: The White-Hot Galactic War
Theatrical run begins: February 20th, 2026 (Friday)

◆ Production Year
2026

(C) Yoshinobu Nishizaki / Uchuu Senkan Yamato 3199 Production Committee

By Koutarou Nakase

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