A young pilot of the 10th Mars Division, Lt. Lance Belmont (aka. "Lancer") is shot down during the Robotech Expedition's first ill-fated attempt to reclaim the Earth in 2038. Lancer falls for a young woman, Carla, who saves him from his crashed plane and nurses him back to health. The Invid are hunting down the survivors of this attack, and to avoid capture, Lancer masquerades as a woman. After two years together, Lancer leaves her at the last minute on a train to take her away from the conflict, so that he can continue his fight unfettered.
By the time he meets Scott Bernard in 2042, Lancer is already a seasoned veteran. Lancer has been working undercover as a popular female singing star, Yellow Dancer; a role he originally created to avoid capture by the Invid. Lancer quits his solo career to join Scott and the others in their fight against the Invid. However, he not only continues to use his alternate identity to spy on the Invid and their supporters, but as a morale-building entertainer in the style of Lynn Minmei. The handsome youth is quick to make light of his peculiar situation. He's a good friend to have in times of trouble, a thoughtful advisor and a courageous, talented fighter. It's his ability to see beyond the obvious that helps bring about the tentative peace between the Invid and the humans at the end of the Third Robotech war. He falls for the invid princess, Sera, and helps her buy the Regess enough time to evacuate her people in the final assault.