Toren Smith is an American RX-7 Machine Weapon pilot from Amarillo, Texas, assigned to the space naval ship Exelion. He possesses distinctive white and yellow spiked hair, likely dyed, and blue-green eyes. His RX-7 bears the nickname "Eagle Sam." Smith first encounters Noriko Takaya during a mutual dare to explore the Exelion's hangars while the ship is under warp travel; their differing personalities cause immediate friction. After Kazumi Amano dissolves her partnership with Noriko due to safety concerns, Smith becomes Noriko's new co-pilot. Their partnership proves brief, as Smith is killed during the Top Squadron's initial combat sortie in the Leaf 64 star system. Noriko survives the battle, deeply burdened by guilt over her inability to assist him. His background, including family relationships or pre-military history, receives minimal elaboration within the narrative. His character primarily illustrates the lethal immediacy of space combat and serves as a catalyst for Noriko's ensuing trauma and subsequent character development. Smith does not appear in any sequel media, including "Diebuster," which takes place 12,000 years later. The character was named for Toren Smith, a Canadian manga translator who interacted with Gainax during production, resided at their animator dormitory, and provided background voices for the series alongside his wife, Tomoko Saitou.