Akira Yamamoto is a male fighter pilot serving aboard the space battleship Yamato during its conflict with the White Comet Empire, distinguished by a shock of hair covering his eyes. He first appears when his fighter is shot down during a major warp speed test. Nearly left behind, he is waved into the hangar by Susumu Kodai and sustains injuries in a crash-landing.

In the second season, his role expands significantly as he assumes command of the Yamato's second Cosmo Tigers squadron. During this command, his fighter is stolen by the physically towering space marine, Saito. He participates in numerous battles against the White Comet Empire alongside the Yamato crew.

Tragically, he is killed during the final assault on the White Comet Empire's primary city fortress, Gatlantis, when his plane is shot down in a fatal crash. His name shares a name with World War II Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service pilot Akira Yamamoto, though they are distinct individuals.