After 5 Years, An Iconic 50-Year Old Sci-Fi Masterpiece Is Returning With Its Final Chapter

Published Sep 26, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT

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The sci-fi scene has been a little quiet when it comes to massive space operas lately, but one of the genre's oldest names is about to make a very loud comeback. Space Battleship Yamato has been around since 1974, and more than 50 years later, its modern remake is finally reaching the end of its REBEL 3199 storyline.

The modern remake has spent the last five years building toward REBEL 3199, a massive 26-episode story told through theatrical releases. Now, set to release on October 30 in Japan, Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 Chapter 7: Rainbow-Colored Reincarnation, also known as Rainbow Samsara, is ready to bring the whole thing crashing toward its finale. And judging by where the previous chapter left the crew, “finale” might be putting it lightly. The series has packed its run with huge fleets, brutal battles, political drama, and enough military sci-fi to make Star Trek look pretty relaxed.

The Yamato is heading straight into the heart of the Dezarium home planet, while the terrifying Grand Reverse nucleon bomb threatens to reset humanity itself. Meanwhile, the series still has some seriously strange questions hanging over its characters, from Sasha's fractured memories to Major Alphonse's fate and the real identity of Mother Dezarium. After five years of buildup, the final chapter isn't just another trip through space. It's where Yamato finally has to answer what all this madness was building toward.

Be Forever Yamato Turns A Standard Space Invasion Into A Desperate Fight For Human Consciousness

Adapting the final four episodes of the story, Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 Chapter 7: Rainbow-Colored Reincarnation takes the series way beyond another human-versus-alien showdown. Earth is being held hostage by the Grand Reverse, a massive heavy-nucleon weapon designed to wipe out humanity's minds and let the Dezarium take over their bodies. It's the kind of plan that makes a normal space invasion look almost reasonable.

That puts Captain Susumu Kodai in one hell of a situation. Yuki Mori, who has been beside him throughout the story, is no longer on the Yamato's bridge. She's stuck on occupied Earth, where she ends up dealing with Alphonse, a rogue Dezarium intelligence officer. Meanwhile, Kodai is taking the Yamato straight toward the enemy's home planet on what basically looks like a suicide mission. The only thing keeping him going is the promise he made to Yuki that he would come back alive.

Even the Rainbow Samsara subtitle fits the story's obsession with death, rebirth, rewritten history, and memories being messed with. The Dezarium's command medals can overwrite memories, while the larger story keeps playing with timelines and the idea of history repeating itself.

And that's where the final chapter gets really interesting. The big question isn't simply whether the Yamato can destroy another weapon with its Wave Motion Gun. It's what the Dezarium actually wants, what Mother Dezarium has been planning, what Sasha's fractured existence really means, and whether the mysterious invaders could actually be humanity's own descendants from a doomed future. After five years of buildup, those are some pretty massive questions to leave unanswered.

Rewritten History And Stolen Memories Give Be Forever Yamato A Brilliant Psychological Edge

REBEL 3199 has taken the basic idea of the original 1980 Be Forever Yamato and pushed it into much stranger territory. The Dezarium aren't just another enemy fleet waiting to get blown apart by the Wave Motion Gun. They can mess with memories and history itself, which gives the final chapter a much darker question to play with: if someone's memories can be changed, how can they even know which parts of their life were real? And if an entire civilization has been built around a history that was deliberately rewritten, what happens when the truth finally comes out?

That's where the Rainbow Samsara title fits so well with the story's obsession with death, rebirth, and history repeating itself. The Dezarium conspiracy isn't just about taking over Earth. It goes right down to people's identities and the memories that make them who they are.

But despite all the heavy stuff, this is still Space Battleship Yamato. The franchise didn't become one of the best sci-fi franchises by sitting around and talking about the meaning of existence. There are still massive fleets, desperate last stands, and a battleship with one of the iconic superweapons in anime history. After five years of buildup, Be Forever Yamato: REBEL 3199 Chapter 7: Rainbow-Colored Reincarnation has a lot of answers to deliver, but there is one thing that can be counted on: before Yamato calls it a day, that Wave Motion Gun is going to get one hell of a final shot.

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  Gordon Ramsey

  Juzo Okita

• Z. Charles Bolton

  Susumu Kodai