Who is the best pilot in Macross universe

[Ratchet]

The only reason Roy has more kills (Roy's my favorite character btw) than Max, is because he's been flying for years. Max was still in grade school when Roy painted his first aerial kill in his F-14D (what did UN forces fly back then?).

Max > Roy

[azrael]

Max would be the best overall. He is a Jenius after all (yeah, bad pun). Roy would would be second to Max. Roy is good, but he's not a natural like Max (or Millia). He was second to DD and DD taught Roy. Basara is good but he lacks the experience that Max or Millia had. Considering he can sing and pilot at the same, he's got the skill, but he lacks the experience that the others have.

Isamu is cocky and a risk-taker compared to the previously mentioned. I see Isamu as the Jedi who twirls and does fancy moves with his lightsaber while Max or Roy just go for the straight cut and end the fight.

[mikeszekely]

How can you guys have Isamu ranking higher than Isamu?

Does seem rather impossible now, doesn't it?

[ruskiiVFaussie]

You guys suck, all this talk about Max wants me to have a Max VF-1S

No! Not a J!

Hope we get a revised 1/60 VF-1S Max to buy... i don't want another 1/48 VF-1 (unless it's a VT, VE, or 1D)

Edited October 13, 2007 by ruskiiVFaussie

[Exsedol]

Roy probably was the best till he died. He died right when max really started to shine so who knows hehe. Max and Hikaru both learned from Fokker. Was it in Robotech or Macross or both when Max used the "Fokker Fake" that they learned in flight training? I can't remember at the moment.

[Noyhauser]

Roy probably was the best till he died. He died right when max really started to shine so who knows hehe. Max and Hikaru both learned from Fokker. Was it in Robotech or Macross or both when Max used the "Fokker Fake" that they learned in flight training? I can't remember at the moment.

Fokker? who's Fokker?

Oh you mean Roy Focker.

Yeah all that junk is in Robotech.

And its stated in Animego's Linernotes that Kawamori believed that Max and Millia are in a category of their own, beyond the skill of everybody else.

Edited October 13, 2007 by Noyhauser

[Exsedol]

Kawamori Shoji says the main focus of this episode is naturally, Focker and Claudia. The creators also wanted to show Max and Milia's superiority over all the other pilots and how Minmay is now living in a "somewhat different world from Hikaru."

This is true. But even FOCKER was killed by a lucky shot

[Warmaker]

The other thing with Max was that he was a natural with VF combat. Right when he entered service as a Valk pilot, he showed impressive skill in combat, wowing Hikaru who had already seen a healthy amount of combat.

Every single instant that we see Max fight, it was kicka**. SDFM, DYRL?, etc.

I also recall a little discussion between Millia and Quamzin, where Quamzin goaded Millia into a fight against an enemy pilot that even she can't defeat. She did find the pilot and she of course was defeated... x2 in SDFM!

[Isamu test pilot]

Is the question favorite or best?

Sorry... I was not clear abut the question, the complete question is Who is the Best and Who is your favorite?

[pandaren]

Eh!?! I'm the 1st to vote???

I think Max is best pilot seem he appearance at all series until Macross 7. In most old series he aready so call Talent. Till Macross M3 still awesome, Till macross 7 also "not die" yet

Seem he bit Millia so me might the best aready. I not sure how Komilia cause until now I also no chance to play tat game.

So... the favourite pilot I like... also Max... but I like Komilia from the art of Mikimoto....

[robodragon]

Max.

Max.

[Isamu test pilot]

I think that D.D. Ivanov should be above roy in terms of skill, after all he did shot down roy and the only damage he ever received was loosing his rigth hand during the raid against the U.N fleet. Also he could read roy's moves and always was one step ahead. The only reason he died was because he lost it after watching Nora die in front of him.

You are right I almost forgot DD Ivanov in Macross Zero. Roy never be able to hit Ivanov and Ivanov all the time seems to be toying with Focker until Nora's killed.

How can you guys have Isamu ranking higher than Isamu? I know Isamu can make dynobird clouds with his YF-19, but Guld CAUGHT UP WITH A Ghost fighter with his YF-21 and rammed it ala what the Russians used to do againsts the Germans back in WW2. It's not like Isamu even scored hits with his fighter's bullets/missiles during their aerial encounter.

Isamu and Guld are tied skill wise.

Basara??????????? *lol*

I would not take that character into battle. He would be too busy with his stupid guitar rather than focusing on the task in hand and I don't care how good of a pilot he is. Hikaru, Max, Millia, Roy, Guld, and Isamu are the kind of pilots you want on your team. ROY WOULD BE THE FLIGHT LEADER OF COURSE.

Basara should have been cast in a Macross type Greenpeace organization than actually pilot a military plane.

That remembers me the first OVA of Macross Plus, when Isamu is fighting against some zentrans in the VF-11b, he looked pretty bored during the battle because it was too easy for him alas when he made the dynobird the first time he pilots the YF-19 he really enjoy fly as I remember of all pilots of Macross Universe he seems to enjoy more than the other characters.

The other thing with Max was that he was a natural with VF combat. Right when he entered service as a Valk pilot, he showed impressive skill in combat, wowing Hikaru who had already seen a healthy amount of combat.

Every single instant that we see Max fight, it was kicka**. SDFM, DYRL?, etc.

I also recall a little discussion between Millia and Quamzin, where Quamzin goaded Millia into a fight against an enemy pilot that even she can't defeat. She did find the pilot and she of course was defeated... x2 in SDFM!

You are right but I remember in the little discussion between Quamzin & Milia; Quamzin was refered to his battle with Hikaru, am I right?

Edited October 13, 2007 by Isamu test pilot

[JB0]

I give the nod to Max only because he defeats her repeatedly in a VF-1 vs. a Q-rau. To me, a non-FP VF-1 against a Q-rau should be toast, assuming equal piloting skills. Too bad we never see them match up in the same mech and in the same state of mind.

EDIT - all his 1-on-1 victories that I remember were in atmospheric fights... maybe the story would have been different in space?

Quite likely things WOULD be different in space. A VF-1 without FAST packs is probably better suited to atmospheric combat than a QRau, despite the QRau being infinitely more awesome(M&M QRAU VERSUS BATTLE! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE! I KNOW IT WOULDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL, BUT IT'D BE SO FRICKIN' AWESOME!).

They also establish early on that the zentradi cannon fodder are better in space. There's an implication that they don't do a lot of terrestrial combat in general, so it stands to reason that Millia would be fairly inexperienced in an atmosphere(not that she let it slow her down).

The wins I recall were

1st SDF: Aerial and urban combat. Aside from the aerial combat experience, Max also had the advantage of knowing the streets of Macross City. Millia had to figure it out or bash through buildings, either of which would slow her down. On the upside, Millia is at her best, mentally speaking, for most of the fight.

DYRL: Aerial combat and close-quarters combat in the meltrandi ship. Millia shoulda sniped Max from the horizon instead of Kakizaki. But she didn't. So ooops for her.

Also equal footing, mentally. She doesn't get psyched out when Max shows he has some teeth. She DOES back off, but sets a trap for when he follows her in. Also worth noting that Max is making DAMN good use of every feature the VF-1 has. Pity we don't get to see the end(stupid Max shooting out the stupid lights... stupid meltrandi not using stupid bulletproof light panels... stupid animators running out of stupid time...).

IMO, this is the definitive M&M battle, even if it's short.

2nd SDF: Arcade sim. We don't really know what sort of physics were in operation. The fact that it's got battroid mode in it implies it was developed on-ship(the VF-1's transformation was classified when the Macross left Earth), and that means it should be weighted towards space combat(since aerial combat means the zentradi are in the ship, which is a Very Bad Thing for the target audience). If it was being used as a recruitment aid, the physics were probably weighted towards the "realistic" side of things. If it wasn't, it was probably like nothing anyone would ever ACTUALLY fly in.

3rd SDF: The knife fight. Has nothing to do with piloting, but it certainly proves Max can adapt fast(he doesn't even slow down when he finds out his homicidal date is an alien with a grudge). And I hate AnimeFriend.

Did I miss any?

You are right but I remember in the little discussion between Quamzin & Milia; Quamzin was refered to his battle with Hikaru, am I right?

It's not entirely clear who he's talking about.

He's been bested by Hikaru recently.

But as a commander he should have more overall knowledge than just who he was personally shooting at, and he's casual enough with his crew that he certainly should've heard the ship's gossip. So he ought to know if some micron in a blue jet was laying waste to battlepods by the gigaton and acquiring a reputation as the reaper.

And he might not admit it in public, but he knows Millia's FAR better than he is. So fighting Hikaru to a standstill shouldn't make him think the boy can take on Millia.

On the OTHER hand.... Kamjin's completely coocoo for Cocoa Puffs.

Edited October 13, 2007 by JB0

[striderhiryu]

By the way one other point i forgot about ivanov is that so far he has the deadliest aim with guns. On ep. 2 he shot on purpose at the cockpit of the VF-0a with a pretty gorish result. also since he is flying a sukhoi he rarely wastes ammo since that plane does not carry more than perhaps 150 bullets.

another good pilot is guld. He keepm very good control of his YF-21 when he was chasing the ghost and keep on target without fainting despite several internal organs had implosed on the first seconds of his last run.

[eugimon]

I think a question that should be considered is whether you would want pilot ____ to fly with you in battle. I wouldn't want:

basara: he doesn't care about you as a person, a battle is an oppertunity for him to be an evangelist for pacificim

guld: emotional and might accidentally kill you

isamu: emotional and might accidentally kill you.

Max would probably just kill everyone himself. Hopfully he doesn't forget about the mission in the process.

hikaru and roy seem to have the most concern for their wingmen as well as having the most situational awareness.

[Nexx2]

Max is the best pilot.

I also vote for him for my favorit, but I like Roy too...

Edited October 13, 2007 by Nexx2

[ruskiiVFaussie]

Kakizaki would be the funnest to have flying with you, that is, if you weren't too busy trying to save his arse!

lol @ Guld and Isamu accidentlists masacrists.

Man whats with all the miss spelling of names. *kidding*

[MilSpex]

I voted for Roy just because like others have said he was a leader and a veteran who inspired people under his command.

[Warmaker]

That's avoiding the question MilSpex! Who is the better pilot, not leader?

[MilSpex]

That's avoiding the question MilSpex! Who is the better pilot, not leader?

A great pilot is a good leader.

Do you think Max could have won SWI by himself? Humanity barely won with hundreds of pilots and a singer using psychological warfare. Most of the other pilots probably didnt like Max much but Roy made sure more of those CF pilots came home alive so they could coordinate to defeat the enemy in the final battle.

On top of that Roy was a combat ace with more experience and likely more career kills than Max.

Edited October 13, 2007 by MilSpex

[ruskiiVFaussie]

The way Roy took on DD (all the times) was just .. unbelievable, but he did get his Valk shot up plenty of times.

Twice he had to abandon? One exploded lol. I still find his death in DYRL? pathetic.

And the TV series, well.. that was the best death. Flying back home, wounded, landed, said goodbye tohis babe, and

Sad!!! *cries*

Max.. what, once in DYRL? his Valk got busted up.

Yeah, Max is the best... I voted Max for all round best, and faviourite, GULD. just coz.

Mind you this is based on DYRL? and TV series only, i still have to see Max in his prime M7 style. I have heard he rules.

Edited October 13, 2007 by ruskiiVFaussie

[MilSpex]

The way Roy took on DD (all the times) was just .. unbelievable, bu he did get his Valk shot up plenty of times.

Twice he had to abandon? One exploded lol. Max.. what, once in DYRL? his Valk got busted up.

Yeah, Max is the best... I voted Max for all round best, and faviourite, GULD. just coz.

Who kept Hikaru alive at the beginning? It took a team player like Roy to do that. Max just seemed to do his own thing.

Max also let the Cat`s Eye get captured while he was chasing more kills and engaged in a pitched battle INSIDE the SDF1 city complex, endangering and probably killing many civilians.

Wouldn`t a great pilot show better judgement?

Edited October 13, 2007 by MilSpex

[eugimon]

Who kept Hikaru alive at the beginning? It took a team player like Roy to do that. Max just seemed to do his own thing.

Max also let the Cat`s Eye get captured while he was chasing more kills and engaged in a pitched battle INSIDE the SDF1 city complex, endangering and probably killing many civilians.

Wouldn`t a great pilot show better judgement?

also, don't foget that it was hikaru and not max that realized the first battle in DYRL was just a feint. And Max, as squad leader, freaking LEFT his wingman and went off to chase after an enemy ace instead of doing his job.

[ruskiiVFaussie]

Max has his negatives, and so does Roy, overall Max gets the thumbs up i m o. I need to see M7, wasn't he much more wiser and moer in command in the series? Bah i need to watch it.

[MilSpex]

also, don't foget that it was hikaru and not max that realized the first battle in DYRL was just a feint. And Max, as squad leader, freaking LEFT his wingman and went off to chase after an enemy ace instead of doing his job.

Yeah I think as others have said already that Max was top in terms of pure skill but as an overall combat pilot Roy was the best. Who would you rather fly with? Roy for me.

[RDClip]

I was gonna make a poll like this a long time ago, but i predicted the results shown here: The best pilot in the Macross series as a generally accepted (dare i say) fact is Max. (dunno why people think basara is so great...but to each their own)

The way i define the 'best pilot' is just based purely on their technical approach and execution of their piloting. In that regard Max was and is the best. In the first series obviously Max was still naive and green in a battlefield, but by M7 he seemed to grow into a mature and able leader in and out of the cockpit. (in a related note, anyone think Max was such a great pilot because he was an arcade geek before joining the service?)

As for my favourites, i picked Max and Isamu. Max for his obvious bada$$ piloting skills. I like Isamu's cocky and showboating attitude, kinda makes me think Roy was like him as a younger man (with more booze, though )

[ruskiiVFaussie]

Remember we are talking bout who is the best 'pilot'.. an not leader.

Everyone served their purpose, even poor little Hayao.

:edit:

We all know Roy would win hands down if this was a poll to determine who was the best leader.

Edited October 13, 2007 by ruskiiVFaussie

[NSJ23]

My favorite and best pilot IMO is Max.

Follow by Millia, Roy, and Isamu

[valkyrie13]

You are right but I remember in the little discussion between Quamzin & Milia; Quamzin was refered to his battle with Hikaru, am I right?

I believe he was referring to Roy. This was after Quamzin and Roy went after each other. Both Roy and Quamzin are the kind of pilots who anticipate the enemy's move. Each of them managed to outsmart the other's anticipation. Quamzin then met with Hikaru thinking he was Roy and Hikaru nearly got his wind knocked out of him (lost a battroid arm or something) and managed to save his a$$ because Quamzin was ordered to retreat.

[Valkyrie addict]

Best Pilot: Max

Favorite Pilot: Roy

Roy's as iconic to Macross as the VF-1... we all love the Skull squadron lead by him

My later picks would be in this order: Hikaru, Milia, Isamu, Kynriu, Gamlin, Mylene... for now

Basara sucks, all his skill was thanks to his indestructible VF-19 that never exploded despite being shot at all the time, and I think Mylene is a far better pilot than Basara, she's 14 and she too sang, dodged and attacked along Basara in that shitty ugly ass VF-11 MAXL... I mean... VF-19>VF-11.... so Mylene>Basara

[Roy Focker]

Problem with poll is that people always leave out some options.

What about Chloe? Kinyu? Ghost? Lap Lamtiz? Mylene?

[Isamu test pilot]

You are right Roy Focker, but please feel free to post about any other Macross character I missed, please.

Thank you for remember me all of them.

[ruskiiVFaussie]

Problem with poll is that people always leave out some options.

What about Chloe? Kinyu? Ghost? Lap Lamtiz? Mylene?

Sylvie (no, lets leave out the improbability of Sylvie's light footedness when she could have just jetted

away from those power-armoured Zentran), Nexx, FEFF! ... lol and hibiki...

Edited October 13, 2007 by ruskiiVFaussie

[s001]

DEFINITELY #1: MAX!!!

But I think Roy is my favorite. He's the more bada%s of all, plus his valk is my favorite valk ever!

[dizman]

Max was hands down the best pilot but Roy will always be my favorite.