Death Shadow

The name Death Shadow or Deathshadow refers to several vessels of similar design. Regardless of incarnation, it is best known as being the first starship of Captain Harlock and Tochiro Oyama.

Appearance
Due to numerous inconsistencies, the vessel has had a different design in virtually every piece of media it appeared in.

In most depictions, the Death Shadow is a space battleship with an elongated hull and strong armour, often shown with a solid green or grey colour. The bulbous bow ends in a sharp point and the top of the prow features two long "corners" that jut out and extend over the centre, creating a gate-like appearance. The tips of these appendages are sometimes shown with lights or beacons. At the stern is a hexagon-shaped afterburner that encompasses the whole of the hull's rear end, with a square-shaped nozzle at the centre. On the aft are two small wings. The superstructure and command centre features plenty of instruments and radar extending out the sides. The bridge is small. Three triple-barrel turret batteries adorn the top deck of the vessel, two in front of the superstructure and one behind it. The hull in its entirety is rather rectangular prism-like and not very detailed. While the Death Shadow is normally featureless, the one owned by Harlock and Tochiro featured a skull-and-crossbones on both sides of the ship, usually on a yellow hexagon-shaped blazon.

In Arcadia of My Youth, Death Shadow is one of a series of Admiral-class space battleships originally owned by the Sol Alliance. It is depicted as being comparable to Arcadia in size and mass, despite the given numbers suggesting the ship should be around half the size.

In Cosmo Warrior Zero, Death Shadow is the name given to what is essentially Arcadia's 1978 design but reskinned green instead of its blue colour and given the tech and specifications expected of Arcadia, rather than a Death Shadow.

In Der Ring des Nibelungen, Death Shadow is given a design that would best fit the description of a "prototype Arcadia", as the elongated hull remarkably resembles that of the green 1980 design.

In the 2013 CGI film adaptation, the Death Shadow are four enormous battleships created by Tochiro Oyama using prototype dark matter technology acquired from Miime. They carry a vaguely shark- or whale-like appearance, with the lower draught area of the bow resembling a lower jaw. The midsections of the hulls resemble large turbines, with four pincer-like braces stretched across them. They were the most powerful vessels known to date, and with these ships, Harlock commanded an invincible platoon that was practically undefeated. After the Homecoming Wars, the fourth ship became involved in an accident, later transforming into Arcadia.

Weapons, Equipment, and Operation
In Arcadia of My Youth, the Death Shadow was designed as the premier battleship of the Sol Alliance, being equipped with the most advanced and practical equipment a government issue body can provide. Its armour, while generic, is able to endure through most environments and conventional weaponry.

The Death Shadow's main weapons are the interchangeable energy beam guns that are able to switch between ammunition and functions as well as an arrangement of missiles. However, its main flaw is the amount of time it takes to charge its beam weapons, with modifications in the right areas and sequencing allowing for a shorter reduction time.

Some vessels are equipped with an on-board artificial intelligence, allowing the ship to become automated. The computers on board possesses algorithms and a personality, giving the ability to communicate with the captain and crew. The computer can also copy the personality and memories of an individual as well as transmit data to other vessels. To protect the central computer, there are several detectors in place to keep out intruders including guns and explosives. However if a breach is imminent, the Death Shadow will automatically self-destruct.

Other features vary by appearance including stealth features that allow them to avoid cosmic radar.

History
While the backstory varies, the Death Shadow was among the most advanced space battleships created by the Sol Alliance. Their use was primarily well known during the Earth-Illumidas War with the last three ships either being captured, destroyed, or used by Harlock and Tochiro as space pirates. Tochiro would end up using parts and equipment from their Death Shadow in the creation of the Arcadia.

Another Death Shadow would be used by Mamoru Kodai in his Captain Harlock guise in Cosmoship Yamato.

Trivia

 * In French dubs, most incarnations of this ship are known as L'Ombre de la Mort, literally "Shadow of Death".