In the Star Blazers localization, he is known as Derek Wildstar, also known as Jason Kodai in the English dub of the first Yamato movie.
According to Leiji Matsumoto's notes in the paperback edition of "Space Battleship Yamato," Kodai was originally supposed to resemble Nobotta Ooyama of "Otoko Oidon," or Futoshi Adachi of "Ganso dai Yojohan o Monogatari."
His name comes from the hero of Matsumoto's earlier work, "Kousoku Esper," Susumu Kodai.
He accidentally deflected a bomb into the path of an orbiting space station where his parents lived, which resulted in their deaths.
He re-enlists in the military after hearing the call for volunteers for a mission to Iscandar to retrieve the terraforming device.