Kotaro Higashi

is the main protagonist of Ultraman Taro and Ultraman Taro's human host.https://hochi.news/articles/20230201-OHT1T51091.html
==History==
===Ultraman Taro===
Kotaro Higashi, a wandering youth, returned to Japan after a long voyage. He possesses a clever and lively personality, coupled with a strong sense of justice deep within. His dream is to become a boxer, and he tirelessly strives to achieve this dream.
When he first appears, he goes to a park in Tokyo to plant Tigris Flower bulbs. These flowers are considered miracles of the desert, reportedly blooming only once every 100 years. However, at this moment, a monster named Oil Drinker appears near the port, crazily trying to drink oil. ZAT quickly arrives on the scene, preparing to attack the monster. However, Kotaro uses a crane to bind Oil Drinker, halting its actions. Despite ZAT's attempts to take advantage and attack the monster, Oil Drinker ultimately escapes.
Later, when Kotaro returns to the park, he is pleasantly surprised to find that the Tigris Flowers he planted have bloomed. However, on that evening, while ZAT is patrolling the park, they discover the Tigris Flowers and burn them. However, at that moment, Kotaro is camping there. When he discovers the Tigris Flowers being destroyed by fire, it triggers a conflict with ZAT. Just then, Oil Drinker reappears, accompanied by another monster named Astromons, which mutated from the Tigris Flowers.
Astromons utilizing the giant flower on its body, devours Oil Drinker and begins to rampage through the city, filling Kotaro with guilt. He attempts to combat Astromons, but the creature flies into the air and knocks him to the ground. Fortunately, Kotaro lands on the net of a golf practice range, saving his life but rendering him unconscious.
The next morning, a group of elementary school students discovered Kotaro, and quickly received first aid from a Lady in Green. Kotaro sees her as a surrogate for his deceased mother. The woman tells him, "You look a lot like my son," and hands Kotaro a badge as a talisman.
Due to his courage and actions against Oil Drinker and Astromons, Kotaro was accepted by ZAT as a new member of their team. However, Astromons reappeared, even more ferocious than before. Despite ZAT's efforts to attack, the fighter jet Kotaro boarded was shot down, leaving him severely injured. At that moment, the Five Five Ultra Brothers appeared and brought him to the Land of Light. Under the protection of Mother of Ultra, he merged with Ultraman Taro. Taro returned to Earth and engaged in a fierce battle with Astromons. Despite Astromons' use of corrosive fluid and whips for attacks, Taro ultimately defeated it.
After the battle, Kotaro once again saw the Lady in Green, who admonished him, "Do not give up halfway; persevere until the end." Under the setting sun, the rejuvenated Kotaro wore an expression of gratitude and cheerfulness.
Afterward, Kotaro frequently participated as a member of ZAT in missions to combat monsters. Although he showed great enthusiasm, sometimes he still displayed some reckless adventurous behaviors. During his downtime, he usually stayed at the home of his benefactor, Captain Shiratori, and lived with Shiratori's children, Saori and Kenichi. On days off, he often went out with them. With his cheerful and child-loving nature, he built good relationships with other ZAT members and with the children encountered during events.
As time passed by as a member of ZAT, Kotaro gradually grew into a reliable warrior. One day, Kotaro met Mother of Ultra again in his dream, appearing as the Lady in Green attire. Mother of Ultra told Kotaro that there would be a "major life-changing event" happening around him and showed a future scene of a tanker ship, captained by Captain Shiratori, being attacked by a monster. She told him, "Although I cannot help the father of the Shiratori family, there are some things that must be accomplished at the cost of life."
Upon waking up, Kotaro saw Ichiro, Kenichi's friend, visiting the Shiratori family. Ichiro's father is also a captain of a tanker ship, scheduled to return in six months. As Ichiro's father is soon to return home, they prepared for a celebration. However, shortly after, an incident occurred where the tanker ship was attacked by a monster. ZAT rushed to the scene but found no survivors or traces of the monster. Kotaro returned home. At the Shiratori residence, Ichiro expressed sadness over his father's death, venting his anger towards ZAT and Taro, while Kenichi tried to console him. However, shortly after, while ZAT was patrolling at sea, they detected the monster's signal. In front of Kotaro, the tanker ship where Kenichi's father was aboard came under attack by the monster.
Under Captain Yutaro Asahina's arrangement, Kotaro returned to the Shiratori household once again. Kenichi and Saori had already received the news of their father's death through a phone call and were deeply engulfed in grief. At this moment, Samekujira emerged from the sea and began wreaking havoc on the city. Kotaro transformed into Taro and engaged in battle with Samekujira.
Suddenly, Alien Valky, controlling Samekujira, appeared. Despite being outnumbered, Taro fought fiercely, with support from ZAT. When he managed to defeat Samekujira, Alien Valky fled. Kenichi, emotionally unstable due to his father's passing, destroyed his beloved Ultraman toy. He vented his anger at Taro, blaming him for not saving his father. However, Kotaro said to Kenichi, "Without your dad and Taro, how would you go on?" He adopted a stern approach towards Kenichi and decided to reveal his true identity as Ultraman Taro to him.
Kotaro said to him, "forgetting about you father and Taro, and living just on your own will be tough. but i won't let you struggle through that by yourself. I'll live as one human being too." Afterwards, in front of Keiichi, he threw the Ultra Badge towards the direction of the sun, returning Taro's transformation ability to the Mother of Ultra.
Alien Valky witnessed this scene. Appearing in human size in front of the two and then growing giant, he attacked Kotaro, who had lost his transformation ability. Kotaro told Keiichi, "Watch closely, humans possess wisdom and courage." He then lured Alien Valky to the oil refinery area and showered him with a large amount of oil. Finally, he used the ZAT Gun to hit Alien Valky. In the flames, Alien Valky's whole body caught fire and he was ultimately defeated.
After seeing Kotaro, Keiichi finally managed to smile again. Afterwards, Kotaro, who had ended the battle, decided to leave the Shiratori family and ZAT, embarking on a new journey. With that, Kotaro's battles as Ultraman Taro came to an end, and his figure eventually disappeared into the streets of Ginza.
==Transformation==
Ultra Badge: This was presented to Kotaro Higashi by Mother of Ultra, Kotaro takes the Ultra Badge from his shoulder and holds it up above his body before shouting "Taro!" signaling Taro to appear. At the series' end, the Ultra Badge was ultimately returned back to Mother of Ultra at Kotaro's request to not need to rely on Taro's power.
Kotaro's last transformation.png|Kotaro uses the Ultra Badge
Ultraman Taro's rise.png|Ultraman Taro's rise
Kotaro transforms to Ultraman Taro.gif
==Powers and Weapons==
*Training: Like all members of ZAT, Kotaro has recieved combat and pilot training.
*Superhuman Feats: After his merger with Taro, Kotaro's reaction was enhanced greatly. He is also able to endure severe heat for a long period of time.
*Ultra Badge: Kotaro can use this to transform into Ultraman Taro.
==Other Media==
===Princess Comet: Kumiko Ohba===
In the crossover program, Kotaro appears as Ultraman Taro under the premise of being friends with Comet in space, and is considered Comet's first love interest.
After Comet reunited with Ultraman Taro, he frequently visited Kotaro's apartment, who had already become a working adult. However, one day, the alien teenager living with Kotaro was attacked by Earth bacteria, infecting his wound. Despite violating the laws of the universe, Kotaro decided to transform into Taro, even if it meant he couldn't remain on Earth. Nevertheless, he made the decision to transform and left Earth with the young alien.https://magmix.jp/post/136035/2
====Trivia====
*Different from the TV series, the role of Kotaro was portrayed by Makoto Shimotsuka. 
===Ultraman Taro Manga===
In the Ultraman Taro Manga, by Getter Robo creator Ken Ishikawa, Kotaro appears as Kotaro Azuma. Kotaro starts the manga as a wanderer and boxer, helping some children being bullied. He moves in with the family of one of the children, becoming a big brother figure to him. Much later, when one of the other bullied children's dog turns out to be a Kaiju in disguise. While on a rampage, attempting to kill it former owner, Kotaro tried to fend it off, only to be crushed beneath a collapsing construction.
In his near death state, he is contacted by a being who takes the form of a bright burning sun, a being who presented herself as the Mother of Ultra. This being warned him of a time of monsters approaching and granted Kotaro the power to transform into Ultraman Taro. Taro then went on to defeat the dog like kaiju, which warned him in its dying breath that its master would send other creatures to assault the Earth and its people.
====Trivia====
*Unlike in the TV series, Kotaro and Taro are not separate beings merged together, but instead Kotaro has been given the power to transform into an Ultra.
*In the manga, Kotaro transforms by saying "Ultra Henshin."
==Gallery==
===Ultraman Taro===
Kotaro Higashi HD 011.png
Kotaro Higashi HD 012.png
Kotaro Higashi HD 017.png
Vlcsnap-2015-11-27-17h00m40s652.png
Kotaro transforms the first time.png|Kotaro transforms for the first time
Kotaro Higashi komono.png
Kotaro Higashi Ultra Badge.png
Kotaro Higashi Taro.png
Kotaro hungry and think a phone is a chicken.png
Kotaro Higashi 1973 66.png
Kotaro Higashi 1973 67.png
Kotaro transforms.png
Kotaro Higashi HD 018.png
Kotaro eats a shish kebab.png|Kotaro eats a shish kebab
Kotaro receives a report from ZAT.png|Kotaro receives a report from ZAT while eating with his brothers
Kotaro henshin.png
Kotaro uses Ultra Badge.png
Kotaro's last transformation.png|Kotaro's last transformation
Kotaro reveals himself.png
Kotaro reveal himself as Ultraman Taro.png|Kotaro reveals his true identity as Ultraman Taro with Kenichi
Kotaro Higashi HD 018.png
Kotaro gives the Ultra Badge back.png|Kotaro gives Ultra Badge back
Kotaro Higashi HD 020.png|Mother of Ultra said goodbye to Kotaro
Kotaro finishes Alien Valkie.png
Kotaro's final battle.png
Kotaro said goodbye to ZAT.png|Kotaro said goodbye to ZAT
Kotaro in Ultraman Taro's final episode.png|Kotaro in Ultraman Taro's final episode
Kotaro in final episode.png
Kotaro's last apperance.png|Kotaro's last apperance in the Ultraman Series
3810.jpg
Dfa L-8VQAAZlVN.jpg
===Miscellaneous===
ZAT 1.png
ZATMemebers.png
ZAT 1973 0001.webp
Kotaro_Higashi.png
Kotaro Higashi 1973 0001.jpeg
Kotaro Higashi 1973 0002.jpeg
Kotaro Higashi 1973 4.png
Kotaro Higashi I.jpg
Kotaro Higashi III.jpg
==Trivia==
*In the initial project proposal for the series, Kotaro's surname was pronounced as "."Ultra Special Effects Perfect Book Vol.11 Ultraman Taro pg 4–5
*In the preparation draft of the first episode, originally, it was planned to reveal through Captain Shiratori's narration the circumstances of Kotaro's parents being killed by monsters and his living in Europe for 5 years. However, these mentions were deleted in the final draft."The youth of Ultraman Taro", pg 90, ISBN- 978-4575318227
*The relation between Kotaro and Ultraman Taro is somewhat confusing, as the series itself has several references that he became Taro's human form, and addresses the Lady in Green/Mother of Ultra as his own mother, and the Ultra Brothers' human alter-egos as if they were really brothers. Though in the last episode, it can be confirmed that he is a human host instead.
**In the description of the first episode, it was stated that Ultraman Taro was born because Mother of Ultra bestowed the mission of Ultraman upon Kotaro. However, from the planning stage, Kotaro was set as a character who gains the power of Ultraman. When the scripts were written by Shigemitsu Taguchi, who served as the series' writer, the birth of Ultraman Taro was described ambiguously."All That Ultraman Taro" pg 88-89 ISBN 978-4-7770-1925-0
*During the selection phase, Ken Matsudaira auditioned for the role of Kotaro but was ultimately not chosen.https://tempari.exblog.jp/2081024/Another Actor Kiyotaka Mitsugi, who played Jiro Nishida in the same series, was also among the candidates auditioning for the role of Kotaro.
*Kotaro Higashi is the first male Human Host to separate from his Ultra willingly. He also was one of the few Ultra human hosts to sever his relation with an Ultra Warrior.
*Kotaro was the first and only Ultra human host/form to have fought his last battle by himself without any help nor transforming into an Ultraman. Kotaro was also the first Ultra's human hosts/forms to have only appeared in one series (Ultraman Taro) and he was never seen again afterward.
**In 2023, Taguchi described the arrangement of the final episode in his book "The Youth of Ultraman Taro," referring to it as a reversal of the first episode. He stated that the decision for Kotaro Higashi to return to being human in the final episode was predetermined from the beginning. "Kotaro returns from his journey and sets out on another one. When he becomes Taro, he is not truly himself, so in the final episode, Mother of Ultra appears again. And at this point, Ultraman Taro has also developed a fondness for humans."https://riversidehope.blogspot.com/2024/04/1.html?m=1
**In the book "Ultraman Taro Chronicle" released in the same year, Taguchi further elaborated on his thoughts, believing that while protagonists of previous series ultimately leave Earth, Kotaro Higashi reintegrates into society as a human. He metaphorically described that when Kotaro jumped off the ship in the first episode, he began to embark on a dream. In this alternate world, he lived for a year as Taro, and waking up from this dream marked the final episode. From Taguchi's perspective, Kotaro played the role of a traveler in the story, and the entire series was a tale about the magnificent dream of Kotaro Higashi.https://twitter.com/mebius78mirai/status/1741710856709452187"Ultraman Taro Chronicle" pg 132-136
*Kotaro was meant to return in Ultraman Mebius to assist Mebius like other Ultra Brothers' human forms/forms but he couldn't make it because Saburo Shinoda, his actor was attending someone's funeral at the time. Saburo Shinoda was also supposed to voice for Taro but this decision was also scrapped due to the funeral he was attending. Susumu Kurobe (Shin Hayata/Ultraman) and Kohji Moritsugu (Dan Moroboshi/Ultraseven) admitted that Saburo's inability to return was a huge regret.
*Saburo Shinoda, Kotaro Higashi's actor, was also the first voice actor for Ultraman Taro (but he only voiced for Taro in the Ultraman Taro series only). Despite that, his grunts still kept and reused for Taro's many later appearances.
*Saburo Shinoda did not continue to play the role of Kotaro after "Taro" ended, but he still occasionally accepts interviews related to the series. He mentioned that, out of his personal preference, he wanted to keep the character "Kotaro Higashi" as a fond memory of his youth. He also expressed that he did not anticipate the developments in the final episode of "Taro." He believes that, even after the story, Kotaro continues to strive for peace, but the reason he stopped appearing in the series was not out of respect for its ending.
*Before casting as Kotaro Higashi in Ultraman Taro, his actor Saburo Shinoda made an appearance in Ultraman Ace episode 20 as a minor character named Ichiro Shinoda.
*Kotaro Higashi has been mentioned in New Ultraman Retsuden episode 8 by an Alien Valky of that series, who also claimed himself to be the same individual that Kotaro attacked.
**This is also the only time Kotaro has been mentioned after the end of Ultraman Taro.
==References==
id:Kotaro Higashi
Category:Ultraman Taro
Category:Ultraman Taro Characters
Category:Human Hosts
Category:Revived Characters
Category:ZAT Members
Category:Male Characters
Category:Human Characters
Category:Protagonists
Category:Heroes