Adieu Galaxy Express 999

Synopsis

Continues the story of Galaxy Express 999

After the murder of his mother by the villainous robot Count Mecha, young Tetsuro has sunk into a life of street delinquency, his mind occupied solely by thoughts of vengeance. He dwells in a far-off future where humans may journey to another planet to trade their flesh for eternal mechanical bodies. His one ambition is to gather enough stolen funds to ride the Galaxy Express 999, a train that traverses space and carries passengers to the planet of robots. One day, while fleeing from the authorities, he encounters the gorgeous Maetel, whose face bears a striking resemblance to his late mother. She proposes to take him aboard the Galaxy Express 999, granting him a robotic form and a chance to face Count Mecha. As the voyage unfolds, the pair meets an array of colorful individuals, including Captain Harlock and Queen Emeraldas, and Tetsuro gradually discovers what it really means to be human.

In this installment

Even after the destruction of Andromeda, their mechanized homeworld, the machine empire continues expanding its influence, turning Earth into a war zone. Tetsurou Hoshino, who once journeyed on the Galaxy Express 999, now joins other humans resisting the mechanical takeover. When the 999 returns to Earth, Tetsurou gets a mysterious message from Maetel, his former travel companion, telling him to get back on the train. Fighting through enemy forces to reach Megalopolis station, he barely boards the departing train. But this trip brings fresh obstacles: Maetel is missing, a threatening "Ghost Train" appears, and the 999's final stop remains unknown. Along the way, Tetsurou confronts the enigmatic black knight Faust and learns the machine empire's most hidden truths.

Background

The movie won the 1981 Animage's Anime Grand Prix Award.