Captain Harlock

Captain Harlock's History

Harlock's backstory is best described as complicated as there is loose continuity in the works of Leiji Matsumoto. In all stories, Harlock originally came from Earth and befriended Tochiro. Both of them expressed their passion for going out into the stars. Harlock had even joined an imperial navy for a while, gaining a high position and commanding a ship. Harlock however saw the degrading side of Earth's politics and government figures as they grew ever lazy and at worst corrupt. Soon the pair stole the ship the Death Shadow, setting out for the cosmos. On their journey, they encountered the war with the Machine Empire as well as the sisters fighting against them Emeraldas and Maetel, themselves former supporters until leaving their homeworld behind. Harlock and Tochiro did their parts in ending the Machine Empire's quest for conquest. Some series portray Harlock as having come from a long time lineage in the Harlock Family with his title inherited from his father, Great Harlock and being married to his childhood sweetheart Maya who died in an intergalactic war against the Illumidas.

Several years later, Harlock would captain a new vessel, the Arcadia, a ship engineered by Tochiro sometime before Tochiro's death. At one point, he also lost his right eye. Deciding to continue his travels in memory of Tochiro, Harlock gathers a motley crew of 40 including his first mate Yattaran, a psychic alien woman he encountered on Jura named Miime, as well as Kei Yuki. By the time an enemy began to make their move, Harlock recruits Tadashi Daiba after his father is killed.