Kou Yaten

Character Information

Name:	Kou Yaten
Name (kanji/kana):	夜天光
Alignment:	Kinmoku
Species:	Kinmoku humanoid
Gender:	Female (manga, musicals, Crystal), male (anime)
Lives:	Kinmoku; briefly Tokyo
Occupation:	Sailor Senshi, idol
Family:	Unknown
Associates:	Kou Seiya, Kou Taiki, Princess Kakyuu
Aliases:	Sailor Star Healer
First Anime Appearance:	A Goodbye and an Encounter! The Destiny of Flowing Stars
First Manga Appearance:	Act 50 Stars 1
First PGSM Appearance:	N/A
English Name:	Yaten Lights (TokyoPop manga), Kô Yaten (Kodansha manga)
Actors:	Chika Sakamoto (anime), Sarah Williams (Viz dub), Ayane Sakura (Crystal)

Kou Yaten was one of the three members composing the idol group called the Three Lights, and the civilian form of Sailor Star Healer.

Along with Kou Seiya and Kou Taiki, Sailor Star Fighter and Sailor Star Maker respectively, Yaten came to Earth from the planet Kinmoku in search of their princess. They took on male forms because they felt it would be easier for popular men to attract the attention of women. (In the anime Yaten physically transformed to become male in civilian form, but in the manga, musicals, and Crystal she only dressed like a man.)

Personality

Kou Yaten in the anime

According to Naoko Takeuchi's notes in the Materials Collection, Yaten was like a fashion model - a delicate, egotistical, grudge-holding type who "never carried anything heavier than chopsticks."

Musicals

In the musicals, Kou Yaten was played by Momoko Okuyama, Mikako Tabe, and Saki Matsuda.

In the first run of the musicals, her personality was much lighter and more upbeat than her manga or anime counterparts. She was at times a very silly character, similar to the anime version of Minako Aino.

Trivia

• Yaten's full name literally means "the light of the night sky."

• According to Shinto beliefs, the "san hikari" (三光; three lights) are the sun, moon, and stars, each with its own associated color and properties. Yaten's name was associated with the stars, and accordingly she was often seen with a yellow rose.

Images

Kou Yaten in Crystal