Uchuu Senkan Yamato

She must return in 363 days from the journey of 296,000 light years. The mission was grave for Space Cruiser Yamato...

The above quote is taken from the legendary series Space Cruiser Yamato, which ran from 1974 until 1981 and is made up of three story arcs which form the 77 episode series. It was created by Leiji Matsumoto, one of the most well-known manga writers and artists of all time, who also created Captain Harlock. The story involves a group of Earthlings lead by Susumu Kodai seeking the legendary Iscandar aboard a spaceship made from a World War II era battleship, the Yamato. During their adventures they fight against the evil Dessler. It met with much success in America in the late 1970s where it was known as "Star Blazers".

Relevance to Urusei Yatsura

Quite a few Yamato references pop up, including Kurama's sex-change gun, which is a knock off of the Yamato's particle wave cannon. The opening narration to episode 62 "Space Cold Panic!" is also a parody of the opening narration of Yamato.

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