 Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the character first appeared in "Uncanny X-Men" #118 (Feb 1979).Mariko was the daughter of Shingen Yashida, the half-sister of Kenuichio Harada, and cousin of Sunfire and Sunpyre and the aunt of Shingen "Shin" Harada.She first met the X-Men when they returned from a sojourn in the Savage Land and were asked to help Japan, which was being blackmailed by the terrorist Moses Magnum.