Born in Japan (to a Chinese father and Japanese mother) as Linn Minmei, Minmay moved in with her uncle Shaochin and aunt Feichun on South Ataria Island in hopes of finding the path to fulfill her dream of becoming a star. On the day of the Zentradi invasion, she meets Hikaru and a series of events leads to her being swept off on the SDF-1 Macross along with the rest of the surviving population from that island. While on the space fortress, Minmay wins the Miss Macross beauty pageant and is propelled into celebrity. When the Macross returns to Earth, she is the only civilian allowed off the space fortress. After her trip home in Japan (where her parents remained), Minmay returned to the fortress with her cousin Lynn Kaifunn (and Hikaru's competition for her affection) in tow. Ultimately, Minmay sings the songs that end the first war against the Zentradi.
Minmay's personality is that of any teenage girl, fun-loving, playful, full of dreams and hopes that she may realize some day. After their initial encounter during the start of the Space War I, Hikaru builds a deep infatuation on her that grows on and on throughout the series. But after Minmay wins the Miss Macross contest and becomes a distant pop idol, his feelings for her change, as she becomes too involved not only in the popular culture, but as a symbol of the human struggle against the Zentradi. Minmay also displayed insecurity and doubts about her attraction toward Hikaru and her cousin Lynn Kaifunn.