Clare Barbland is a 14-year-old American girl from Earth. As the oldest female among thirteen stranded children aboard the spaceship Janus, she takes on the primary caretaker role for the younger members, specifically the two four-year-olds, Marlo Bonner Jr. and Routinie Pressette. This includes managing domestic duties and acting as a surrogate "housewife" for the group, though she initially shows limited skill in these tasks, reflecting her age and ordinary background before the evacuation from the colony planet Clayad. Throughout their journey following the destruction of the Belwick colony and the loss of adult guardians, Clare participates in the group's survival efforts, learning to operate mecha alongside the others while adapting to her caregiving responsibilities amid conflict with the hostile alien forces known as Astrogaters or Kuktonians. Clare appears in all main installments of the series: the original 46-episode television series and the OVAs "News from Katue," "The Gathered 13," "The Disappeared Twelve," and "Memories of Kate: Tearful Retrieval Mission." Her role within the ensemble remains consistent, focused on reaching Earth and rescuing their captured parents from the alien homeworld Kukto.