Galaxy Express 999: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

In the distant future, humanity has found a way to live forever by purchasing mechanical bodies, but this way to immortality is extraordinarily expensive. An impoverished boy, Tetsurou Hoshino, desires to purchase a pass on the Galaxy Express 999—a train that travels throughout the universe—because it is said that at the end of the line, those aboard can obtain a mechanical body for free. When Tetsurou's mother is gunned down by the villainous machine-man hybrid Count Mecha, however, all seems lost.

Tetsurou is then saved from certain death by the mysterious Maetel, a tall woman with blonde hair and a striking resemblance to his mother. She gives him a pass to the Galaxy Express under one condition: that they travel together. Thus, Tetsurou begins his journey across the universe to many unique planets and thrilling adventures, in hopes of being able to attain that which he most desires.

Series details

• Title: Galaxy Express 999
• Format: Animation
• Language: Japanese
• Genres: Drama, Action, Anime, Science-Fiction
• Premiere date: 1978-09-14
• Final broadcast date listed: 1981-03-26
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: Fuji TV
• Network country: Japan
• Typical episode runtime: 30 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 19556
• IMDb ID: tt0185066
• TVDB ID: 100171

Cast and credited roles

• Masako Nozawa — Tetsurou Hoshino
• Masako Ikeda — Maetel

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1978-09-14; final listed air date 1981-03-26; episode order: 113.

Source and licence

Adapted from Galaxy Express 999 on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.