Kotaro Higashi

"Don't be ridiculous! We, humans will protect the Earth!"

- Kotaro Higashi to Alien Valkie after he seperated from Ultraman Taro

Kotaro Higashi (東光太郎, Higashi Kōtarō) is the first and currently the only one human who was chosen as Ultraman Taro's human host. He is portrayed by Saburo Shinoda.

Ultraman Taro
Kotaro Higashi wanted to be a championship boxer. However, destiny had other plans as he fell thousands of feet from the Earth after Astromons, a new creature in the third age of monsters, shook him off. The Five Ultra Brothers brought Kotaro's body to their homeworld of Nebula M78 many years into the past. It was there that Mother of Ultra merged Kotaro with Ultraman Taro, who would now form the Six Ultra Brothers. Before merging with Kotaro, Taro spent many years to hone his skills similar to the original five Ultra Brothers by mimicking their attacks through battles from both the past and future. After the merge was complete, Kotaro was taken back to present day Earth being the human host of Taro and as Astromons was ravaging a city Kotaro turned into Ultraman Taro. Not long after Astromons's defeat Kotaro joined ZAT and fought in a new era of kaiju and fought many other monsters.

In the final episode, Kotaro gave the Ultra Badge back to the Lady In Green, separating from Ultraman Taro. However, not long after he gave the Ultra Badge back, Alien Valkie attacked Tokyo by surprise to get his revenge on Ultraman Taro, without knowing Kotaro had been separated from him. Kotaro fought him with his own human abilities and managed to defeat him by blowing up a nearby gas tank. After that he left ZAT to pursue his dream of becoming a professional boxer. He was never seen again afterward.

Trivia

 * He is the first male Human Host to separate from his Ultra willingly.
 * Unlike all of the other Showa Ultraman human hosts, he does not appear in Ultraman Mebius.
 * Kotaro was the only one of the Ultra Brothers's human hosts to have only appeared in one series (Ultraman Taro) and he was never seen again.
 * During the time of Ultraman Taro, Saburo Shinoda (Kotaro's actor and Ultraman Taro's first voice actor) states that even he himself is shocked of learning of Kotaro's decision to leave his Ultraman and continue his life as a normal human. Unfortunately, this is the writer's decision.
 * Kotaro Higashi was meant to return in Ultraman Mebius to assist Ultraman Mebius, but he couldn't make it because Saburo Shinoda - his actor was attending someone's funeral at the time. Saburo Shinoda also was supposed to voice act for Taro but this decision was scrapped due to the funeral he was attending.