In 2023, after the first war between aliens and Earth, our story focuses on young Noriko 岡田紗佳 (takayanoriko), the daughter of a famous 岡田紗佳 in the space fleet. Her father was killed during one of the battles, and her own abilities as a pilot are questionable--she enters a training school on 岡田紗佳, where she is greatly influenced by her instructor, Koichiro Ota ("Coach Ota"), who served with her father 岡田紗佳. Come watch 岡田紗佳, you’ll like 岡田紗佳.

Despite her father's background, Noriko is very clumsy, and her first few attempts at flying an RX-7 result in disastrous crashes and a bad reputation among her peers. When she is paired with Kazumi Amano, a very beautiful and talented pilot, she is determined to overcome her problems and become the best fighter she can be.

When she is assigned to an upcoming mission, she becomes anxious, and she is relieved when Amano agrees to go on the trip with her. As they fly, however, she begins to break down. She fears that every second they travel will take longer for them to reach their destination, and she begins to miss her Coach.

Her confidence in herself and her ability as a pilot starts to crumble. Then, one night while Noriko is on duty, a second-best RX-7 pilot publicly challenges her to a one-on-one fight. She is shocked by the challenge, but her opponent's actions, and the fact that she has not been taught a move that she believes will put her ahead of her classmates, causes her to lose her temper.

While she does not win the fight, Noriko's innate sense of humor puts her in an excellent position to beat her opponent. While her opponent is preparing to use an advanced maneuver she has not been taught, she calls out "Ota, I'm going to beat you!" As her opponent goes to hit her with the throttle, she hears Noriko call out, "I'm going to win!"

The two women meet again on the mission, and when Amano is about to give up, she asks for a final chance. Ota agrees, and the pair head to Earth in their Gunbuster unit. As they are heading home, however, Earth is notified that a fleet of space monsters has been detected, and the mission will have to continue.

During the flight, Noriko and her team are attacked by another ship. Her pilot, Ota, and the other members of her team attempt to defend herself, but they are too late.

She is severely injured, but he remains in the cockpit to watch over her. As she recovers, she tries to make sense of the experience. As she tries to remember the lessons she has learned, she recalls her father's words to her.

In her memory, she says, "I'll never be the same again. I'll never be able to fly an RX-7 like I did when I was a child."

After the battle, she returns to her school in Japan and begins to re-learn her skills as a fighter. She also works to improve her relationships with her friends and family. She hopes to one day overcome her difficulties and join the space fleet.