OVA
Description
Guld Goa Bowman is a central figure in Macross Plus, defined by his complex heritage and his turbulent relationships with his childhood friends, Isamu Dyson and Myung Fang Lone. Born in 2014, Guld is one of the Peace Children, the offspring of a Zentradi father and a human mother. This mixed lineage grants him a tall, muscular build, standing 195 centimeters, and a constitution that is phenomenally strong, allowing him to survive harsher conditions than a baseline human. However, it also bequeaths him a volatile, incendiary temper that he struggles to control, often relying on discipline, studied zen-like behavior, and even synthetic drugs to suppress the aggressive impulses inherent to his warrior ancestry.
Guld’s personality is marked by a stoic and disciplined exterior, which stands in stark contrast to the reckless and carefree nature of his rival, Isamu. Beneath this calm and professional facade lies a brilliant mind, capable of excelling as both an engineer and a pilot. He is employed by the civilian aerospace manufacturer General Galaxy, where he serves as a researcher, designer, and test pilot. His pet project is the experimental YF-21 variable fighter, which utilizes a controversial Brain Direct Imaging (BDI) system that allows the pilot to control the aircraft through thought alone, a system that requires intense mental focus and for which he is uniquely suited given his background in mind medicine and cerebrum physiology.
The primary motivation driving Guld throughout the story is a deep-seated, bitter rivalry with Isamu Dyson. The two were once close friends, sharing a fascination with flight and building a man-powered flying machine together during their youth on the planet Eden. They were also both in love with Myung Fang Lone. This friendship shattered during a traumatic incident in their high school years. Guld, consumed by a jealous rage after discovering a tender moment between Isamu and Myung, suffered a violent outburst and attacked them both. His psyche, unable to cope with his own actions, suppressed the memory entirely, instead creating a false narrative where he was protecting Myung from Isamu's unwanted advances. This repressed guilt manifests as a seething and misplaced hatred toward his former friend.
In the year 2040, Guld’s role in the story is cemented when he becomes the test pilot for General Galaxy’s YF-21 in the Project Super Nova competition, a contest to select the U.N. Spacy’s next-generation variable fighter. His primary rival in this contest is none other than Isamu, who pilots Shinsei Industry’s YF-19. Their professional competition is fueled by their personal history, leading to several dangerous incidents. During a test flight, a momentary dark thought from Guld, wishing to force Isamu down, is interpreted as a command by the YF-21’s BDI system, causing him to inadvertently crash his rival’s fighter. At another point, his determination to win leads him to sabotage Isamu’s aircraft by swapping in live ammunition, an act that nearly kills Isamu during a test. The situation becomes even more emotionally charged with the return of Myung, now the producer for the virtual idol Sharon Apple, forcing all three to confront their unresolved past.
Guld's key relationships are the crucible of his character arc. His feelings for Myung are a complex mix of genuine love and possessive obsession. He rescues her from a fire and they share an intimate night together, but his happiness is short-lived when she leaves for Earth, unable to fully reciprocate his desperate desire to be with her forever. His relationship with Isamu is the story's central conflict, a volatile mix of professional respect and personal hatred based on a lie. The climax of their rivalry occurs when Isamu steals the YF-19 to disrupt the inauguration of the unmanned X-9 Ghost fighter, and Guld is dispatched to stop him. During their intense aerial dogfight over Earth, as Guld has Isamu dead to rights, the suppressed memories of his own violent attack seven years prior come flooding back. He realizes with horror that he, and not Isamu, was the true aggressor who harmed Myung and destroyed their friendship.
This moment of revelation is the catalyst for Guld’s profound development. His hatred dissolves, replaced by overwhelming grief and a desire for atonement. When the malevolent AI Sharon Apple takes control of the X-9 Ghost and attacks them both, Guld makes the ultimate sacrifice. He convinces Isamu to go rescue Myung, while he stays behind to face the technologically superior Ghost alone. Guld removes all the safety inhibitors from the YF-21, pushing his body and his fighter beyond their limits in a desperate final attack. He reconciles with both Isamu and Myung over the radio, destroying the Ghost in a suicidal ramming maneuver that redeems his past failures at the cost of his own life. As a pilot, his notable abilities are exceptional; his skills with the mind-controlled YF-21 allow him to perform dazzling maneuvers, famously dodging a volley of 29 missiles, and in his final act, he becomes the first pilot to ever shoot down a fully autonomous Ghost fighter, cementing his legacy as a tragic hero.
Guld’s personality is marked by a stoic and disciplined exterior, which stands in stark contrast to the reckless and carefree nature of his rival, Isamu. Beneath this calm and professional facade lies a brilliant mind, capable of excelling as both an engineer and a pilot. He is employed by the civilian aerospace manufacturer General Galaxy, where he serves as a researcher, designer, and test pilot. His pet project is the experimental YF-21 variable fighter, which utilizes a controversial Brain Direct Imaging (BDI) system that allows the pilot to control the aircraft through thought alone, a system that requires intense mental focus and for which he is uniquely suited given his background in mind medicine and cerebrum physiology.
The primary motivation driving Guld throughout the story is a deep-seated, bitter rivalry with Isamu Dyson. The two were once close friends, sharing a fascination with flight and building a man-powered flying machine together during their youth on the planet Eden. They were also both in love with Myung Fang Lone. This friendship shattered during a traumatic incident in their high school years. Guld, consumed by a jealous rage after discovering a tender moment between Isamu and Myung, suffered a violent outburst and attacked them both. His psyche, unable to cope with his own actions, suppressed the memory entirely, instead creating a false narrative where he was protecting Myung from Isamu's unwanted advances. This repressed guilt manifests as a seething and misplaced hatred toward his former friend.
In the year 2040, Guld’s role in the story is cemented when he becomes the test pilot for General Galaxy’s YF-21 in the Project Super Nova competition, a contest to select the U.N. Spacy’s next-generation variable fighter. His primary rival in this contest is none other than Isamu, who pilots Shinsei Industry’s YF-19. Their professional competition is fueled by their personal history, leading to several dangerous incidents. During a test flight, a momentary dark thought from Guld, wishing to force Isamu down, is interpreted as a command by the YF-21’s BDI system, causing him to inadvertently crash his rival’s fighter. At another point, his determination to win leads him to sabotage Isamu’s aircraft by swapping in live ammunition, an act that nearly kills Isamu during a test. The situation becomes even more emotionally charged with the return of Myung, now the producer for the virtual idol Sharon Apple, forcing all three to confront their unresolved past.
Guld's key relationships are the crucible of his character arc. His feelings for Myung are a complex mix of genuine love and possessive obsession. He rescues her from a fire and they share an intimate night together, but his happiness is short-lived when she leaves for Earth, unable to fully reciprocate his desperate desire to be with her forever. His relationship with Isamu is the story's central conflict, a volatile mix of professional respect and personal hatred based on a lie. The climax of their rivalry occurs when Isamu steals the YF-19 to disrupt the inauguration of the unmanned X-9 Ghost fighter, and Guld is dispatched to stop him. During their intense aerial dogfight over Earth, as Guld has Isamu dead to rights, the suppressed memories of his own violent attack seven years prior come flooding back. He realizes with horror that he, and not Isamu, was the true aggressor who harmed Myung and destroyed their friendship.
This moment of revelation is the catalyst for Guld’s profound development. His hatred dissolves, replaced by overwhelming grief and a desire for atonement. When the malevolent AI Sharon Apple takes control of the X-9 Ghost and attacks them both, Guld makes the ultimate sacrifice. He convinces Isamu to go rescue Myung, while he stays behind to face the technologically superior Ghost alone. Guld removes all the safety inhibitors from the YF-21, pushing his body and his fighter beyond their limits in a desperate final attack. He reconciles with both Isamu and Myung over the radio, destroying the Ghost in a suicidal ramming maneuver that redeems his past failures at the cost of his own life. As a pilot, his notable abilities are exceptional; his skills with the mind-controlled YF-21 allow him to perform dazzling maneuvers, famously dodging a volley of 29 missiles, and in his final act, he becomes the first pilot to ever shoot down a fully autonomous Ghost fighter, cementing his legacy as a tragic hero.