Movie
Description
Maetel originates from La Metal as the younger daughter of Queen Promethium and Dr. Ban, with Emeraldas as her older sister. Her early life involved familial bonds and rivalry with Emeraldas. This relationship shifted when La Metal faced extinction due to a dying artificial sun. Under Hardgear's influence, Promethium embraced mechanization, converting citizens into machine beings despite Dr. Ban's objections. Resisting mechanization, Maetel and Emeraldas escaped conflict with their mother and Hardgear, fleeing La Metal aboard the Galaxy Express 999 after Promethium herself underwent mechanization, though her consciousness persisted on Planet Promethium.
Maetel possesses the standard Leijiverse female design: tall and willowy, with long blonde hair, brown eyes, and long eyelashes. Her primary attire is a black dress coat, cossack hat, and boots, symbolizing mourning. Alternate outfits appear in other media: white fur in "Maetel Legend," blue fur in "Cosmo Warrior Zero," and crimson in "Space Symphony Maetel." The colors reflect her life stages—white for innocence, red and black for confronting harsh realities, blue for growth through conflict, and black for experienced mourning. The nature of her body remains ambiguous; X-rays show a human skeleton, while other depictions suggest advanced camouflage or cloning. Her "original" body rests buried on Pluto, a site evoking emotional vulnerability.
Her personality blends calm compassion with unwavering resolve against threats to herself or those under her protection. She admires genuine courage and passion, disdaining bravado, arrogance, and selfishness as self-destructive traits. Initially naive, she sought reconciliation with Promethium despite Emeraldas' warnings. Conflicts with Emeraldas, Captain Harlock, and Tochiro Oyama forged her into a resilient yet empathetic figure who values individuals capable of transcending established systems. She guides others toward self-discovery, emphasizing perspective over dogma.
A central conflict involves divided loyalties between her parents. Promethium tasked her with recruiting youths like Tetsuro Hoshino as "living screws" to power the Machine Empire, while Dr. Ban (whose consciousness resides in her pendant) directed her to bring them to destroy mechanization. This duality drives her actions during Tetsuro's journey. She meets Tetsuro after his mother's death, offering him a ticket aboard the Galaxy Express 999 under the pretext of obtaining a machine body. Though initially fulfilling her missions, she develops a maternal bond with him, encouraging him to question mechanization and choose his own path.
Her abilities include enhanced longevity, combat proficiency with weapons like the Gravity Saber rifle and Blitz Whip (capable of shattering walls or functioning as a sword), and high alcohol tolerance. Her brain interfaces with complex machinery like the 999. Her pendant facilitates communication with Dr. Ban, heals injuries, and can disrupt La Metal's systems. Her trunk stores belongings and doubles as a communication device.
Maetel's story spans multiple continuities. In "Maetel Legend," she and Emeraldas rebel against Promethium and Hardgear, destroying Hardgear but failing to prevent La Metal's mechanization. In "Space Symphony Maetel," Promethium tricks her into a mechanization ceremony, triggering a planetary revolt and Promethium's apparent death. Nazca's sacrifice halts Promethium temporarily, though she resurfaces. In the Galaxy Express 999 arc, she guides Tetsuro while wrestling with her missions, culminating in her betrayal of Promethium. Using Dr. Ban's pendant, she triggers La Metal's destruction in the 1979 film and orchestrates Promethium's permanent demise in "Adieu Galaxy Express 999" by leveraging energy fallout and Dr. Ban's capsule.
Later, during the Great Andromeda events, she confronts Promethium's lingering consciousness while Tetsuro battles Faust. After Andromeda's collapse, she witnesses Faust's defeat and departs alone. Her narrative concludes with open-ended travels, reflecting her role as an eternal seeker of hope. Her name derives from the Latin "maeter" (mother), reflecting her relationship with Tetsuro, with additional connotations of "machine" and "metal" tying to her origins.
Maetel possesses the standard Leijiverse female design: tall and willowy, with long blonde hair, brown eyes, and long eyelashes. Her primary attire is a black dress coat, cossack hat, and boots, symbolizing mourning. Alternate outfits appear in other media: white fur in "Maetel Legend," blue fur in "Cosmo Warrior Zero," and crimson in "Space Symphony Maetel." The colors reflect her life stages—white for innocence, red and black for confronting harsh realities, blue for growth through conflict, and black for experienced mourning. The nature of her body remains ambiguous; X-rays show a human skeleton, while other depictions suggest advanced camouflage or cloning. Her "original" body rests buried on Pluto, a site evoking emotional vulnerability.
Her personality blends calm compassion with unwavering resolve against threats to herself or those under her protection. She admires genuine courage and passion, disdaining bravado, arrogance, and selfishness as self-destructive traits. Initially naive, she sought reconciliation with Promethium despite Emeraldas' warnings. Conflicts with Emeraldas, Captain Harlock, and Tochiro Oyama forged her into a resilient yet empathetic figure who values individuals capable of transcending established systems. She guides others toward self-discovery, emphasizing perspective over dogma.
A central conflict involves divided loyalties between her parents. Promethium tasked her with recruiting youths like Tetsuro Hoshino as "living screws" to power the Machine Empire, while Dr. Ban (whose consciousness resides in her pendant) directed her to bring them to destroy mechanization. This duality drives her actions during Tetsuro's journey. She meets Tetsuro after his mother's death, offering him a ticket aboard the Galaxy Express 999 under the pretext of obtaining a machine body. Though initially fulfilling her missions, she develops a maternal bond with him, encouraging him to question mechanization and choose his own path.
Her abilities include enhanced longevity, combat proficiency with weapons like the Gravity Saber rifle and Blitz Whip (capable of shattering walls or functioning as a sword), and high alcohol tolerance. Her brain interfaces with complex machinery like the 999. Her pendant facilitates communication with Dr. Ban, heals injuries, and can disrupt La Metal's systems. Her trunk stores belongings and doubles as a communication device.
Maetel's story spans multiple continuities. In "Maetel Legend," she and Emeraldas rebel against Promethium and Hardgear, destroying Hardgear but failing to prevent La Metal's mechanization. In "Space Symphony Maetel," Promethium tricks her into a mechanization ceremony, triggering a planetary revolt and Promethium's apparent death. Nazca's sacrifice halts Promethium temporarily, though she resurfaces. In the Galaxy Express 999 arc, she guides Tetsuro while wrestling with her missions, culminating in her betrayal of Promethium. Using Dr. Ban's pendant, she triggers La Metal's destruction in the 1979 film and orchestrates Promethium's permanent demise in "Adieu Galaxy Express 999" by leveraging energy fallout and Dr. Ban's capsule.
Later, during the Great Andromeda events, she confronts Promethium's lingering consciousness while Tetsuro battles Faust. After Andromeda's collapse, she witnesses Faust's defeat and departs alone. Her narrative concludes with open-ended travels, reflecting her role as an eternal seeker of hope. Her name derives from the Latin "maeter" (mother), reflecting her relationship with Tetsuro, with additional connotations of "machine" and "metal" tying to her origins.