Hatoya Kohane

(The following contains spoilers.)

Kohane Hatoya (鳩谷 こはね) is the lead character of the Anima Yell! series.

Official Description
Kohane is a high-school student who loves to help others. Although slightly dim-witted, she currently leads the Cheer Club as its president.

Appearance
When Kohane is not performing, she is normally seen having long-flowing pink hair, almost always complemented by a cowlick. Like most cheerleaders, Kohane's hair would be tied to a ponytail during a performance, which gives her hair a messy, increasingly "bird-like" appearance.

She is perhaps the most animated girl in terms of facial expressions, especially given her spontaneous personality. In manic fashion, Kohane's bright, happy smile can swiftly fade to an expression of gloom and despair, and vice versa.

Background
Kohane is a bubbly high-school girl with a big heart for helping others. Although she tends to be clumsy, reckless, and not at all bright, Kohane holds with her an optimistic view of life that often includes putting others before herself.

She developed a love for cheerleading after witnessing Hizume perform prior to their high school entrance ceremony. Realizing that she could help people by raising their spirits through cheer and dance, Kohane would begin high school by trying to start her own cheerleading club. With the help of Hizume, and her best friend Uki, Kohane would eventually form the Cheer Association.

Kohane aspires to become a great cheerleader like Hizume and is under her experienced guidance. Although not physically strong or flexible, Kohane is nonetheless very dedicated to cheer, often sleeping with pom-poms next to her during the night. She relies on having "cheer power", which is psychic energy that Kohane is convinced gives her increased motivation and willpower. Because of Kohane's size, Hizume eventually assigns her the position of cheer flyer, which is someone who performs stunts for the team.

But despite her important role as a flyer, Kohane actually suffers from a fear of heights, which was the result of childhood trauma. In elementary school, Kohane jumped off a swing set in an attempt to fly like a bird, and ended up in the hospital. Although oblivious to the severity of her actions at first, she began to notice her parents and friends crying around her hospital bed. Kohane would then develop a fear of heights only by remembering the pain she had caused her loved ones that day. Having a very strong "cheer power" will occasionally rid Kohane's fear, but only temporarily.

Later in the series, Kohane was nominated by Hizume to become the president of the Cheer Club, giving her the responsibility to lead the group and balance the budget.

Kirara Fantasia
Kohane was added as a playable character in Hobunsha's Kirara Fantasia mobile game on November 21, 2018.

Commentary
"'I was so happy to voice my first Kirara anime character! I tried to capture Kohane's innocence and her radiant cheerfulness in my performance. Anima Yell! is full of laughs and cheerleader cuteness, so please cheer for the anime!' -Yuka Ozaki, the voice of Kohane."

Trivia

 * Kohane's full name contains the meaning of both pigeon and feather; pigeon feather (鳩の羽根).