Characters from Macross Plus.
Isamu Alva Dyson
- Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki (Japanese), Bryan Cranston (English), David Hayter (English, Episode 4 International Version)
Protagonist of the series, he is an expert pilot participating in colonial defense against rogue Zentraedi. However, his numerous counts of insubordination and his habit of taking incredible risks leads to him getting reassigned to New Edwards Test Facility on Eden, where he is given the task of test piloting the YF-19 Excalibur. He is a former friend of both Myung and Guld, but something very bad happened to break them up, and he is constantly butting heads with Guld.
- Ace Pilot: He is a Steamroller to the extreme, unafraid to go eyeball-to-eyeball with his opponents and win the fight with his ridiculous precision. He and Guld are the only two pilots in Macross history to specialize in melee attacks, in a franchise that is better known for missile spams. For this, Isamu is often regarded as one of the best Macross pilots, behind Max Jenius (who is the franchise's indisputable top ace), and at least on par with, if not better than the likes of Roy Fokker and Milia Jenius.
- Supplementary materials in Macross Frontier has him outfighting multiple ace pilots with VF-25 Messiahs, while using his customized VF-19 (a machine that is by that point about 15 years old and a generation behind).
- Affectionate Nickname: He calls the YF-19 'pretty girl' or 'kawaiiko-chan' in Japanese.
- Berserk Button: Guld is very good at pushing it, mainly by calling him a coward who never takes responsibility for anything.
- The Cameo: He's mentioned in some Macross Frontier supplementary materials as outfighting Ozma Lee and Henry Gilliam (who were piloting the newest VF-25 Messiahs against his customized VF-19) during training simulations.
- He later makes an appearance in The Wings of Goodbye movie as a member of the S.M.S. reinforcements, still in his customized VF-19, still the first person into the fray.
- Difficult, but Awesome: The YF-19 is a bleeding-edge performance machine, capable of incredible speeds and maneuverability, but it is also incredibly difficult to control, and just as likely to push its pilot to their physical limits. Six of its test pilots washed out (it's not specified if they crashed, were injured, couldn't handle the beast, or just plain gave up) before Isamu came along.
- The production model of the YF-19, the VF-19 Excalibur, was meant to be the new frontline variable fighter for the UN Spacy, but was produced in very limited quantities because of the high difficulty of its use. The older but more stable VF-17s saw use over a longer period of time, and the Excaliburs were subsequently phased out by the VF-25 Messiahs. Didn't stop Isamu from kicking the Messiahs' asses with the VF-19 in practice runs, though.
- Drives Like Crazy: Both in a plane and on a motorcycle.
- Expy: He's basically Maverick without the emotional baggage, but with a career and a long list of accomplishments to back up his recklessness.
- His Own Worst Enemy: The person who is the most dangerous to Isamu is Isamu. His overconfidence and desire show off how good he is causes him to make a lot of stupid mistakes, but that doesn't mean he can't or won't learn. If and when he survives his mistakes, he tends to quickly learn from them, and come out even stronger and better in the next round.
- Insufferable Genius: Isamu is one of the most skilled and talented pilots in the entire Macross canon, none of that is in dispute. His problem is that his arrogance often pushes him to extents that endanger him and the people around him.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Admit it, he IS kind of a dick, but he's ultimately a heroic person. He never hesitates to save the lives of his comrades and friends, and takes Project Supernova seriously. His constant insubordination is mostly due to other people forcing their restrictions on him, when he knows he's so much better.
- Leeroy Jenkins: His default strategy is to charge into a situation and let his ludicrous skill take care of avoiding danger at close range. Things like 'caution' and 'patience' are not in his vocabulary. This is a guy who is willing to fly upside down, at top speed, inches from the ground, just to one-up Guld.
- Military Maverick: Insubordinate, short-tempered, little impulse control. The only reason he hasn't been court-martialed is his extreme skill at flying... and even then he's toeing the line. A freeze-frame look at his profile indicates a very interesting history of offences.
- No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: Part of the reason why Isamu takes the gig at Project Supernova. Dogfighting renegade Zentradi as part of a peacekeeping mission was getting boring for him (this is when his other team mates were all panicking and screaming for help in the middle of pitched combat).
- Only the Chosen May Ride: Isamu was the YF-19's seventh test pilot, and it's clear that they were made for each other.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Very popular with the ladies.
- Technician vs. Performer: The Performer to Guld's Technician. Where Guld is calm, methodical, and consistent, Isamu treats caution as an annoyance. This allows him to push his machines beyond what most people consider to be limits, but it also exposes him to the stupid mistakes.
- When their test scores are tallied, Isamu's start off with higher peaks and lower valleys, while Guld's are consistent across the board. After a while, Isamu's scores begin to far outstrip Guld's, clearly learning from his mistakes while pushing himself even further.
- Uncatty Resemblance: While the YF-19 is not an animal, it is an astonishingly appropriate representation of Isamu's personality. It has an unconventional design, dances like a wild but precise animal, has tremendous potential but is nigh impossible to control, and looks like a machine built less for warfare than for speed and thrills.
- Veteran Instructor: If the supplementary materials are anything to go by, he managed to kicked the asses of Ozma and Gilliam (at least) in practice duels, all while in his trusty customized VF-19.
Guld Goa Bowman
- Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka (Japanese, 1994-2016), Akio Ōtsuka (Uta Macross onwards), Richard Epcar (English), Michael Gregory (English, Episode 4 International Version)
Another test pilot at New Edwards, Guld is test piloting the YF-21 Sturmvogel, which uses an experimental new mentally controlled interface, requiring intense self-discipline. He used to know Myung and Isamu, but the instant he lays eyes on Isamu he starts insulting him and not-so-subtly trying to undermine him at every opportunity. He blames Isamu for some incident in the past, but never elaborates on exactly what that is...
- Believing Their Own Lies: He's so blinded by jealousy and trauma that in the aftermath of his Attempted Rape of Myung, he blames it on Isamu, eventually believing Isamu was the one who committed the assault. He only realizes the truth again when he nearly shoots Isamu down.
- Berserk Button: Isamu. Guld's self-discipline is seriously tested every time he so much as sees the guy.
- Difficult, but Awesome: The brainwave control system of the YF-21 allows for its pilot to control the ship by reflex alone, and affords unprecedented visibility. However, the slightest trigger or trauma can destabilize the pilot and cause the ship to lose control. There is also the problem of the pilot having less-than-healthy thoughts being unintentionally executed by the plane. The production model of the YF-21 replaced this control scheme for a more conventional one.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Guld seems to have serious anger management issues, believed in-story to be inherited from his Zentran parent. He's taught himself intense self-discipline to counter this, and in general is very much in control of himself, but it isn't perfect.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Half-Zentran. It's implied that he developed such incredible mental discipline due to needing to suppress latent Zentraedi war instincts.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He disables the limiters on the YF-21 in order to catch up to and destroy the Ghost, and is killed by the extreme g-forces.
- Lightning Bruiser: The YF-21 is an incredibly fast, agile, and powerful machine. It can casually outrun a VF-11 mounted with two booster rockets, and dodge dozens of missiles just by flying too fast for them to lock onto.
- Love Makes You Crazy: One way to interpret his Attempted Rape of Myung.
- Near-Rape Experience: Subverted in that he blocked it out of his mind and blamed Isamu for it.
- Never My Fault: Whatever the source of Guld's problems, it isn't his Zentradi blood. Throughout the rest of the Macross series it is never shown that anger-management issues are any more common among Zentradi than they are humans. Even uncultured Zentradi are soldiers, not berserkers. Blaming his heritage is just another way in which he denies his own responsibility for his past actions.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: He can't recall that he assaulted Myung, not Isamu. And when he realizes it, he's horrified.
Myung Fan Lone
- Voiced by: Rika Fukami (Japanese, speaking), Akino Arai (Japanese, singing), Riva Spier (credited as Anne Sherman) (English)
Producer for Sharon Apple, although she is secretly supplying Sharon's emotions, that being one aspect of the human mind the AI team has been unable to emulate. She formerly had dreams of becoming a singer herself, but apparently gave them up long ago, to the confusion of her friends. She had a past friendship with both Isamu and Guld, but now the tension between them is obvious whenever they meet.
- Action Survivor: She gets thrown into a few nasty situations near the end, and handles herself fairly well.
- Broken Bird: Her life went totally down the gutter after Guld snapped on her and Isamu.
- Sex for Solace: She and Guld.
- Shorttank : The childhood flashback shows her wearing a tank-top, a shirt wrapped around her waist and a baseball cap. However, she also loved singing to the point Isamu once says she'd sing all the time, even in her sleep. Overall, her previous personality may be described as something close to a Tomboy with a Girly Streak - the anime just doesn't focus on it.
- Spell My Name With An S: Her surname can also be seen spelled "Long".
Sharon Apple
- Voiced by: Mako Hyoudou (Japanese), Melora Harte (English)
The most popular singer of the era, Sharon is unique in that she is entirely computer generated. Holograms are projected during her performances, which show her as a sexy, usually dark-haired singer with a very pale complexion. Because Myung is supplying Sharon's emotions, she inherits Myung's lingering affection for Isamu, and one military-produced illegal AI chip upgrade later, she begins to get ideas...
- Alas, Poor Villain: In the movie version, when her destroyed AI is short-circuiting in what's equivalent to her last breath, sorrowfully asking what did she do wrong since she loved Isamu and simply wanted to fulfill his wish. And then there's Myung holding Sharon's AI carcass and whispering to her, first sadly explaining what did go wrong...and following it with just as sadly explaining that she had been doing the same herself.
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: In fact, the UN Government places extremely harsh restrictions on AI development and research after her little episode in Macross City. It's the major reason the Ghost drones were relegated to curiosities instead of the UN Spacy's frontline fighters.
- Big Bad: She is a rogue AI and the one truly villainous character of Macross Plus.
- Idol Singer: A completely virtual one, a first for the Macross universe.
- Love Makes You Crazy/Love Makes You Evil: Her goal is to give Isamu "the ultimate thrill", which only comes when he is on the border of life and death.
- Madness Mantra: ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU ISAMU...
- Mind-Control Music: She can hypnotize people with her music, at least once fully unleashed. Exactly how is never really explained.
- Ms. Fanservice: And one that can potentially change her looks and wardrobe to fit her potential "love interest"'s tastes!
- Token Evil Teammate: In a meta sense, since she's so far the only main idol of a Macross series with an entirely antagonistic role.
- Virtual Celebrity: She is, more or less, a Vocaloid.
A full decade before such things existed in Real Life. - Yandere: She certainly gets possessive of Isamu near the end.
Margue Gueldoa
- Voiced by: Show Hayami (Japanese), Steve Blum (English)
Head scientist behind the creation of Sharon Apple. His goal is simply to see her become fully independent and self-aware, and show her off to the human race. Unfortunately, the lengths he goes to to achieve that goal spell trouble down the line...
- For Science!: He doesn't care one way or the other about music, he just wants to be the first to make an AI.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul
- Gender-Blender Name: Pronounced "Marge", despite being a man.
- Mad Scientist: His only goal is Sharon's completion. He has no qualms about breaking the law to achieve it.
- Never Found the Body: While he did jump from the Macross in Macross City, it's not known if he did kill himself permanently.
Lucy McMillan
- Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese), Bambi Darro (English)
A technician at New Edwards working on the YF-19 team, she and Isamu hit it off soon after meeting and strike up a relationship.
- Bridge Bunny: The closest the series has to one.
- Come Back to Bed, Honey: Too bad it was awfully timed, though to be fair Lucy had no way to know Myung was in trouble. Or more exactly, that Sharon was the one at the other side of the phone, setting up a rather complicated gambit involving Isamu, Myung, and Guld.
- Friends with Benefits: With Isamu
- Ms. Fanservice: She doesn't tend to wear very much while off-duty.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out Myung when Isamu and Guld get into a fistfight and the depth of Isamu's feelings for Myung are revealed."It... it always was you. Deep down, he only loves you!"
- Youthful Freckles: To accentuate her cuteness.
Millard Johnson
- Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi (Japanese), Beau Billingslea (English)
The commander of New Edwards, and the overseer of the contest between the YF-19 and YF-21. He is a very no-nonsense sort of man and is surprisingly intuitive. He almost always knows what's going on, but chooses to manipulate the problems between people rather than confront them directly.
- Bald of Authority: Almost — his head is very, very closely shaved, and he ticks the other boxes.
- Da Chief: Acts that way in regards to Isamu's loose canon antics.
- Former Teen Rebel: He says that he was actually pretty similar to Isamu in his youth.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Especially when compared to the UN's top brass.
Yang Neumann
- Voiced by: Tomohiro Nishimura (Japanese), Dan Woren (English), Derek Stephen Prince (English, Episode 4 International Version)
The designer of the YF-19, and a hacker in his spare time. He and Isamu frequently argue, usually because he's worried that Isamu's going to crash his beloved prototype, but they get along well and are often doing things together off-duty.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Thanks to Sharon.
- Playful Hacker: Leading him to try to hack Sharon Apple.
- Teen Genius: His exact age isn't clear, but he's certainly much younger than one would expect the designer of a cutting edge military prototype to be.
- Spell My Name With An S: Yang, or Jan?
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: when he tries to hack Sharon's A.I. during her concert in OVA 2, not only he breaks through Myung's own concentration (she's the one managing the A.I.), but it causes Sharon to see Isamu for the first time...
Kate Masseau
- Voiced by: Urara Takano (Japanese), (English actress unlisted)
An old classmate of Myung's, Isamu's, and Guld's. She gets together with Myung for some fun times on the town, but is ignorant of the events surrounding the trio's breakup. She tries several times to get them back together, which almost always ends in disaster.
- Expy: Can be seen as one for Claudia LaSalle.
- Sassy Black Woman: Her personality in a nutshell.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She means well, but the problems surrounding Myung and her former friends cannot simply be cleared up with a fun reunion.
