Rick Hunter
Age: 19 to 23
Rank: Sergeant to Captain
Fighter Pilot, once a Stunt Pilot
Rick Hunter is the hero of the First Robotech War, he goes from been a civilian to one of the most decorated pilots of the War.
We first meet Rick as an arrogant stunt pilot who has arrived on Macross Island at the invitation of his 'Big Brother' Roy Fokker. Rick decides to show his stuff to the audience showing up the newly unvieled Veritech Fighter and Roy.
Rick first sees Minmei, the young girl who will capture his heart, trying to keep her cousin away from a soda machine. Soon after that Roy shows him the Veritech fighter, and Rick decides he would like to try it out. Before he can the SDF-1's Main Gun fires, which sends Roy off investigating why, leaving Rick alone in the plane. He falls asleep.
The aliens then attack and every Veritech is called up into the air, including the one Rick is in, even though he has no idea how to operate even half the controls. Nevertheless he manages to join the dogfight high in the sky, however even with advice from Roy he is hit and his plane goes into a dive. It is then, he first discovers the wonders of Robotechnology, with the First Officer of the SDF-1's instruction he changes to Battloid surving a destrucitve touch down in Macross City, totalling many buildings.
Here in Macross City he meets Minmei once more along with her curious cousin who wants to see the battloid up close.
Rick almost crushes Minmei and her cousin trying to move the battloid and eventually Roy comes to his rescue, repairing his battloid and instructing him on how to use it.
The fighting with the aliens continue and Minmei is caught in the middle of it and almost killed, but she is saved by Roy and Rick.
Soon Rick's plane is inoperale so Roy takes the cockpit section along when the three return to the SDF-1 which is in space.
It doesn't take long before Rick has his first confrontation with First Office Lisa Hayes, who he calls an 'old sour puss'.
Rick, who has already developed quite an attraction to Minmei, offers to take her back down to the island in his stunt plane, but they are caught in the space fold. They manage to get back inside the SDF-1, but in a long forgotten section of the ship, and are trapped for two weeks. During that time he falls in love with Minmei, but she refuses to take him seriously after they are rescued.
After the disasterous transformation of the SDF-1 Rick decides he must join the Space Corps, to protect Minmei and Macross' citizens also trapped on the SDF-1 which has folded all the way to Pluto.
Rick runs into Lisa Hayes again, as a recruit, and makes an even worse impression with her, she now thinks along the lines that he is pervert.
Rick's first mission is a dangerous battle among the rings of Saturn, he is the first Human to get in and out of an alien ship alive. On Mars, he courageously rescues Lisa Hayes from certain death and is promoted, and reices the Titanium Medal of Valor and two men. These are Max Sterling and Ben Dixion, who become two great friends. And through out all this there is of course Minmei, although after the Mars battle Rick finds he feels something for Lisa too (rather slightly).
Minmei on the other hand has her sights set on popularity in the Miss Macross Contest. She has just turned 16, an occasion that was disruppted by Khryon's battle, but Rick still gave her his Titanium Medal of Valour as a last second gift. Rick is hesitate in supporting Minmei, as her winning woud mean she'd hardly ever see him. In the end he doesn't even see the contest live called up for duty.
A few months later before Minmei's singing debut Rick is called up again to guard the Cats-Eye Recon Lisa Hayes is using after the distruction of the SDF-1's long range Radar, with his group. They are all captured by the Zentraedi and the interrogated at lenght by Dolza. In the cours of this interrogation Rick and Lisa kiss, and action that frightens the aliens.
With the help of Max Sterling, Rick. Lisa and Ben escape, and Rick and Lisa become much closer. Rick however is still charmed by Minmei.
Rick has real trouble on his hands, when after the SDF-1 lands Minmei, due to her popularity is allowed to visit her family in Yokohama. This is when Lynn Kyle makes his apperance, soon proving that he hates Rick intensely due to him been in the military.
Unfortunately for Rick, Minmei's parents will only allow her to return to thes ship if Kyle comes too. So, Kyle returns to Macross with them and it isn't long before he is starring along side Minmei in her film 'Small White Dragon'.
This is the least of Rick's problems when Khryon attackes the SDF-1 on Earth, during the fight he is accidently shot down by Lisa when the Deadlsus manoveer goes slightly wrong. Rick ends up in hospital, depressed about his situation. That is until Roy had Minmei come to cheer him up shortly before Miriya's attack on the SDF-1. Rick's happiness is short-lived, as the very next day LIsa tells him that Roy has died from wounds that occred during Miriya's attack.
When Rick is well enough to resume duty he is promoted to Skull Leader and assigned Roy's plane. It isn't long before Khryon attackes yet again, this time the battle claims Ben's life, leaving Max as Rick's only friend.
Rick is furhter disheartened by Minmei's movie 'Small White Dragon' which has her and Kyle kissing on screen, after this scene he leaves the movie, running into Lisa Hayes. He and Lisa are trapped together after a sudden transformation, and during this time, the two realise they could be friends. Rick begins to see Lisa a little mor than just a friend when the Zentraedi breech te SDF-1 spreading mayhem during a Minmei concert. Rick, set on rescuing Minmei hurries to the theatre only to see Minmei and Klye kissing. What Rick didn't know was that Minmei didn't WANT Kyle to kiss her.
Rick sticks up for the Zentraedi defectors, Rico, Konda and Bron when they seek assylum seeing it as the first step towards peace. He plans to ask Lisa out only to discover that she has left for Earth to talk to the UEG about Peace talks once more. Rick though must save her in the new Super Veritech when Khryon attacks. He succeeds and tells Lisa through morse code that he likes her and hopes she returns soon.
With Lisa gone and Minmei out of the picture it is up to Max to cheer him up, and he does taking Rick to the arcade. Things get a little crazy when Max meets the girl of his dreams there, and gets her to go on a date. The next day Rick is horrifed to hear not only is Max getting married after only one date, but to a Zentraedi! That is until he meets her, then he agrees with Max 100% (only because she's beautiful it seems, pretty shallow!).
After the Wedding during the reception the Zentraedi confused by the recent defection and Max's marriage, attack. During this battle an attack method is made on how to disable the pods without killing the pilot. The Zentraedi retreat and send an emissary Exedore along. Rick is among those who are at the joint Human-Zentraedi meeting, and learns that the assumptions he and Lisa made about the number of vessels that are in the Zentraedi fleet was right.
Kyle and Minmei are called to the meeting by Exedore's request before the ships of the Imperial Fleet defold Minmei sings for them. When the time finally comes to prepare the attack Rick tells Minmei that since he'll may never see her again he loves her. Minmei realising her feelings for Rick goes after him. Rick though is sure he willl die so tries to brush her off, it s then the Zentraedi fire and distroy Earth. Minmei is nearly overcome by grief, but Rick realising they must go on has an idea for an attack stragegy, using Minmei's voice. By putting her singing on every frequency the Zentraedi are sure to hear and be confused, the plan will also include a kiss between Minmei and Kyle. This paln is a complete success, though during the battle Rick is shot down and falls back to Earth, where he picks up transmissions from Alaska Base. Lisa is still alive despite the Grand Cannon explosion, Rick quickly comes to her rescue before the entire base goes down. After this they are certian they are the only ones left, but then the SDF-1 falls from the sky, landing not far from them. The Zentraedi have been defeated.
Two years pass in which Rick and Lisa become closer, but Lisa seems to be the one doing all the work, cleaning Rick's place for him. It is here she finds his album of Minmei pictures and begins to steer clear of him. She later gives him picture of herm, which he puts in his album, although Rick still looks for Minmei. Shirking duty to see her concert and witnessing and arguement between Minmei and Kyle before been called to and uprising in Portland. Not long after this there is an uprising in Macross that Rick manages to keep control of.
Then there is the mission to capture the Factory Satilltie where he must once again kiss Lisa.
Soon after this, when they return to Earth from Breetai's ship, Khryon resurfaces and captures a Protoculture Chamber (which will macronise the Zentraedi) from Detroit. It was left unguarded because Kyle started a protest to keep the military from taking it. Things go from bad to worse when Minmei is captured. Rick is picked to rescue her, and does so desperate to prove to her how much he cares. Upon his return to base Lisa, jealous and upset by Rick's behaviour towards Minmie orders him out on a mission to pursue Khyron. Minmei is gone when he returns, and Rick chews Lisa out, and tries to prove his independence and tries to get Vannessa to go out with him. Vanessa deals him a shocker or so he thinks at the time, Lisa's in love with him. It doesn't take Rick long to realise this is ture, after first denying it. He asks Lisa on a date, but a call from Minmei has him standing her up, then Monument City is attacked by Malcontents which also keeps Rick from getting to his date. When he finally gets there, Lisa is upset but forgiving, until she smells the perfume on the scarf Minmei gave him. She leaves telling him not to call her.
On Christmas Day Minmei, wo was presumed missing shows up on Ricks' door, he takes her in. Minmei however is terried that if Rick continues fighting he will die, she asks him to quit the service. When Khryon attacks one final time, Rick hurries to get to his plane, Minmei trying to stop him. they run into Lisa who confesses her love for him and tells him she is leaving on the SDF-2 for Tirol. The attack has her running for her duty post leaving Rick to decide one final time who he really loves.
