According to the fictional "Macross" continuity, Misa Hayase is of Japanese ethnicity. She was born into a Japanese family with a hundred-year military lineage and was the only daughter of Admiral Takashi Hayase. Misa also had aspired to enter the military since childhood. This dream was bolstered by a desire to join her boyfriend and first love, Riber Fruhling, in the UN Spacy. However, this dream ended when Riber died during the destruction of the returning U.N. Spacy fleet from the "Salla" Mars Base (where he was stationed) by hostile Anti-U.N. terrorist forces (with a stolen U.N. Spacy space cruiser).