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| Kan Ki | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | Huan Yi | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 桓騎 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Epithet | The Beheader[1]
Fifth Great[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Appearance
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| “ | Rage. That is what drives Kan Ki. Rage that burns so strong it's hot enough to melt even rock. | ” |
Kan Ki was a Great General of the Qin Military and the fifth member of the new generation Six Great Generals of Qin.
He was the leader of Kan Ki Army, one of the most powerful and deadly armies in Qin but he was once a bandit leader infamous for his penchant for decapitation, which earned him the moniker The Beheader before becoming a Vice General in the Mou Gou Army.
After the death of Great General Mou Gou, he went independent and quickly became one of the most important military commanders and infamous in the central plans due to his violent nature.
Appearance[]
Kan Ki had long, jet black hair arranged in a ponytail, with shorter stray hairs around his hairline with a glossy and slick appearance. He had multiple scars on his body with two notable ones appearing on his shoulders and dons a small goatee like most important men in the series. He typically wore a smug expression on his face, rarely being shown to looking truly angry or upset. He wore purple colored armor with dark-colored fur around the neck, a robe with leopard print trim, metal boots with black sun symbols on them, and a general's cape in white, as well as multiple cuff earrings on his left ear. His eyes were slender, and he had thick eyebrows, a sharp nose, and soft looking lips. He was considered to be quite attractive by others, men and women alike, and was noted to be an immensely beautiful child when Shio found him unconscious.
Personality[]
Kan Ki was always seen with an arrogant smirk on his face and talked in a crude manner at times. He showed no respect for his foes as he called Gen Pou "an old fart" and "trash" before killing him. And exhibited a very crude and strange sense of humor and sarcasm as in the case when Ma Ron asked him, why he made an apparently unskilled individual like Ogiko a 1000-Man Commander to which he merely responded lightheartedly with "cause it's funny obviously."
Aside from that, he was extremely brutal as he had no qualms in killing surrendered soldiers or civilians, having ordered his soldiers to slaughter every person in the Region of Koku You. This was first shown in his battle with Kai Shi Bou, in how he sent the corpses of Wei soldiers back to his HQ, who had been severely tortured, along with bags of eyeballs and body parts to decrease morale and incite fear in their commanders.
Kan Ki was also highly sadistic as he toyed with a captured Haku Ki Sai by dangling the idea of survival in front of him while taunting the Wei Great General to beg for his life but would then stab him several times in his momentary second of relief. His brutality would also extend to his allies and even his subordinates, having no qualms sacrificing his own soldiers for the sake of victory. Ou Sen who correctly deduced Kan Ki's unique plan against Ko Chou has even called him insane and mad due to how extreme he is by intentionally sacrificing a large number of soldiers simply to defeat Ko Chou. Ko Chou, despite acknowledging Kan Ki's ingenuity, also expressed his disbelief towards his inhumane methods by calling him "deranged". Ma Ron also claimed that the reason why Kan Ki massacred the one hundred thousand surrender Zhao soldiers was perhaps simply to satisfy his bloodthirsty temperament rather than revenge for Rai Do's death.
Sei also noted Kan Ki's brutal methods will end up backfiring on Qin's ambition and efforts to unite China as Kan Ki's decision to massacre all of Ko Chou Army's surrounded soldiers will only incite immense anger and hatred amongst the people of Zhao by practically repeating Haku Ki's massacre at Chouhei, leading the remaining Zhao soldiers on Ri Boku's superior planning to launch an all-out last stand against Qin's next invasion, rather die fighting than concede to their hated foe.
He had personally stated that he could care less about the concept of loyalty to one's kingdom and wasn't even concerned if Qin were to fall during the Coalition Invasion. In his personal opinion, despite his employment within the Qin Military forces, the concept of kingdoms or states is nothing more than a corrupted system or "cesspool" where a select few of the upper classes can treat commoners and peasants as they please. On the other hand, he is still quite content with being a Great General as it allows him to quench his thirst for the thrill of warfare (no matter how savage) in a sanctioned manner.
| “ | Kan Ki was originally supposed to be the man who would liberate those who were oppressed, but with Shio's death, he lost his light. | ” |
—Shou on Kan Ki's life long emotional turmoil. | ||
Despite his outward reasoning for his actions and methods, some of Kan Ki's closest commanders and subordinates claim that he isn't motivated by the thrills of war but pure rage and anger towards the world. Later remarks from Io and Shou of the Saki Clan revealed that his rage against the world was against the indifference to the elite’s mistreatment of the oppressed by the common folk. As such, he's rage was deemed one against the world itself. On the other hand, he has a sense of concern and charisma that attracts said oppressed to him with his views towards his innermost circle regarding them as equivalent to family. It was due to this that he personally took revenge against the death of his loved ones per his reaction to Shio's and Rai Do's deaths.
Kan Ki also had a frighteningly cool demeanor, almost never showing or displaying any signs of panic or fright no matter how dire the situation is. He also has no problems when his own life is endangered or at risk as he is still capable of making snap decisions despite being in immense danger. He viciously showed this when he was taken hostage by Kyou Kai with her holding her sword to his throat as he showed no hesitation in ordering his men to decapitate Den Yuu in response of his own death. Kan Ki has shown immense willpower, being completely fearless when he and his men were surrounded, after all his subordinates died, he strove to keep fighting to the very end, despite being pierced by multiple spears, he did not stop killing Zhao soldiers, shocking the witnesses.
Despite his savagery and ruthlessness, Kan Ki did exhibit a sense of loyalty exclusive to Mou Gou by holding the position of Vice General in the Great General's army. Saluting the Hakou Rou as he and Ou Sen welcomed him to the battlefield and came when summoned as demonstrated when Chou Tou used Mou Gou's name, as he knew that Kan Ki would simply ignore a personal request for a conversation with him. His loyalty extended to such degree, that he "offered" a "bonfire" of incinerated Wei soldiers who had surrendered in honor of his now-deceased former benefactor, calling him by his moniker Hakou Rou for one last time.
Relationships[]
Saki Clan[]
The first people to accept him into their lives after having found him near death, Kan Ki loved the misfit group. He valued them enough to protect them, and even going so far as to enact revenge on the behalf of a few specific members. He molded them into brutal killers and fierce bandits so they could better protect themselves and survive in the harsh environment around them. According to Shou, Kan Ki regarded them as his "home/sanctuary", a place to return to for him and those without roots.
Shio[]
His most beloved person in his life. Kan Ki held genuine devotion to her and had a soft spot as well. He was fascinated by her strength to endure cruelty and was intrigued with her leadership of the Saki Clan and their way of life. He refused to allow her to be raped by bandits, brutally killing five of them just to spare her the humiliation but was passionate about telling her that she didn't have to accept every injustice and the harsh reality that happens around her. She was also one of the few people he actually listened to, albeit only to a certain extent. Whenever he thought back about her Kan Ki felt sorrow or regret whenever he remembered her, specifically embracing and comforting her while talking about staying together and having a future together. After her gruesome death at the hands of the Lord of Kiha, his life descended further into depravity in the form of merciless brutality and rage.
Io[]
Kan Ki had known Io for far longer than any other member of his echelon in his army since their childhood. After Shio's passing and years of separation, Kan Ki welcomed her and the Saki Clan into his army after he joined the military as he trusted Io like any of his commanders. Kan Ki would also rebuff her romantic feelings for him out respect for Shio and still seeing her as his friend and family.
Mou Gou[]
One of the few people in the series that Kan Ki legitimately respected, Kan Ki seemed to be genuinely fond of the Hakou Rou having burned captured soldiers alive as a tribute to his former benefactor's passing. From their interactions, Mou Gou didn't treat Kan Ki any differently than his other commanders in his fold despite his background as a bandit and violent personality. He would praise Kan Ki while seeing his value as a military prodigy and his talents in warfare. Mou Gou never commented on Kan Ki's nature or his savage methods as he could tell that Kan Ki held a fierce rage within him.
Ou Sen[]
Kan Ki complimenting Ou Sen on his "locusts".
While the full extent of their history isn't fully known, Kan Ki had served with Ou Sen as a fellow deputy/vice general in the Mou Gou Army for years since the previous era of the War God. Kan Ki, in rare moments, acknowledged Ou Sen's abilities as a military commander fully knowing that he never started a fight or battle that he couldn't win. He also respected Ou Sen's authority as a Commander-in-Chief which was shown when he held back his army's brutality in dealing with the Zhao citizens during the opening stages of the Gyou Campaign, albeit with the promise of keeping the riches of the captured cities. And had no qualms in sieging Gyou for days while surrounded by multiple Zhao armies. Ou Sen would even tell Kan Ki about his hidden agents within the city, a secret that he told no one else, not even his personal commanders.
Chou Tou[]
| “ | Tch. What an indecisive old man, Good Grief. | ” |
—Kan Ki on Chou Tou as he stops his body from falling. | ||
Mocking him for being a loyal patriot for Qin, Kan Ki saw the old veteran as just another boring military commander. He showed open disdain for Chou Tou's arrogant confidence and laughed at his beliefs being disproven. But while he expressed his honest on what a kingdom is, Kan Ki showed an uncharacteristic moment of honor as he stopped Chou Tou's body from falling to ground after he passed.
Rai Do[]
| “ | Hehehe. You were always ugly, but...They just had to make you look even worse, huh, Rai Do? I told you not to push it and just run if things looked dicey. Did you even hear me, asshole? You...Stupid Idiot. | ” |
—Kan Ki as he holds Rai Do's remains. | ||
Deeply fond of Rai Do, Kan Ki saw him as one of his closest friends and family. When he was alive, Rai Do passionately supported his boss, and was always willing to do anything to show the might of the Kan Ki Army. Upon his death, Kan Ki had over 100,000 surrendered Zhao soldiers beheaded in a twisted way to grieve the loss of his friend.
Ma Ron[]
One of his oldest and closest friends having each other since their teens. He served as his advisor and adjutant and is frequently entrusted with formulating strategies and managing their army. Ma Ron was regularly the subject of teasing by Kan Ki. Although, in the past, Ma Ron tried to usurp Kan Ki's leadership and that Kan Ki deeply regretted sparing Ma Ron for his treachery. Still, Kan Ki was deeply fond of Ma Ron, as seen by his attempt to slay Ri Boku while allowing Ri Shin, Mou Ten, Ma Ron, Ogiko, and the Saki Clan a chance to escape. He also saw him as a responsible figure entrusting him with the task of preventing the remnants of his army from reverting back to banditry.
Ogiko[]
Finding him to be highly amusing, Kan Ki treated him as an important member of his army simply because he saw him as hilarious but did assign Ogiko important duties as a personal messenger and his masseur. He enjoyed Ogiko's simple nature as he often played word games, which were incredibly gross and crude, with him and trusted him with highly important tasks, such as delivering a message to Rai Do in the midst of battle. Kan Ki was also never truly cruel or showed outright meanness to Ogiko.
Zenou[]
While the overall extent of their relationship is unknown, Kan Ki assigns important tasks to him and his clan. He seems to have incredible trust in his strength and brutality. Zenou seems to view the same of him.
Ri Shin[]
| “ | Hahahahaha!! Know what? You win. You're actually number one. Of all the Twisted bastards I've met in my life, you are the biggest villain of them all, Shin. | ” |
—Kan Ki acknowledging Shin as a "hero". | ||
Two very different men with different outlooks.
Becoming aware of him during his attendance in the award ceremonies for his achievements during the Coalition Invasion and Battle of Sai, thinking that he was present during the previous one as well.
Kan Ki wouldn't formally meet him till two years later as the Hi Shin Unit was assigned to his army to take the region of Kokuyou from the Zhao. While he personally greeted them, he could tell that Shin didn't like him but simply brushed it off with a smile. Saying that there's no need for him to be so tense and even called him a "kindred spirit" as they both come from backgrounds that others considered "lowborn" with him being a former bandit leader and Shin being a former servant.
However, he would also proceed to warn Shin that if they fight together then all bets are off. Saying that he will do anything to achieve an "absolute victory" as he formally welcomes them. He often publicly referred to Shin as "the ex-slave", "former servant", "Trash Bastard", and "stupid" in a taunting manner. Despite being well aware of Shin's contempt of him, Kan Ki did not seem to harbor the same disdain or pay it any real heed. While being from different natures and principles, Kan Ki saw Shin as a man worthy of his trust, which was shown when he entrusted Ma Ron, Ogiko and the Saki Clan's safety to his care and to escape with them after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Hika. Likewise, Shin, despite hating Kan Ki, always made it his duty to protect him from his enemies. He also entrusted Shin to return his Necklace of the Six Great Generals of Qin to Ei Sei. According to Shou, Kan Ki did genuinely like Shin.
Ei Sei[]
| “ | Truly a bloody king. I'm a cute puppy compared to you. | ” |
—Kan Ki to Ei Sei during their meeting. | ||
Despite Ei Sei being the king of Qin, and the one who gives orders to his army, Kan Ki didn't have any real respect for him. When the Qin King rode out to meet him, he put his feet on the table in front of him. Even faced with execution, he chastised Sei and repeatedly told him that he was more ruthless than himself, and that he would be hypocritical to punish him when Qin itself is responsible for a lot more bloodshed. He only got a pardon from Sei because he was an essential part of the military. Kan Ki was warned however that next time he was to do something against orders, he would be beheaded without notice.
History[]
A 13 year old Kan Ki.
Kan Ki was left half-dead and abandoned on a mountain road when he was around 13 years old, the full extent of his early life being a complete mystery.[3] He was be found by the Saki Clan, a group of vagabond children and teens.[4] He was adopted into the clan and slowly began changing it.[5] Under his influence the clan of weaklings turned into a group of brutal torturers and bandits but upon the death of his lover Shio at the hands of the Lord of Kiha, he left them and went on to create his own clan.
In the next few years, Kan Ki met three local rival mountain bandit leaders - Ma Ron, Rai Do, and Koku'Ou. While they initially refused, with the exception of Koku'Ou, to fellow him with Ma Ron trying to usurp his leadership and Rai Do trying to kill him in his sleep they would both fail immediately. He "recruited" them into his fold and expanded his own bandit gang, the Kan Ki Clan. The gang continued to expend their forces with the addition of more local bandit groups. Na Ki and Rin Gyoku, a countryside bandit leader, would join Kan Ki's clan and the group of the young leaders eventually became close with each other with Kan Ki starting to view them as a makeshift family.[6]
Kan Ki relaxing in a hot spring with his bandit family in Ma Ron's memories.
The Kan Ki Clan became famous due to Kan Ki's brilliance in trickery and the gang's fierceness with their names spreading across Southern Qin. Years later and now in his 20s, Kan Ki returned with his clan as they were as strong as an army and conquered Kiha Castle. He personally beheaded every single person within the city and became known as The Beheader for his revenge for the city lord's brutal torture and execution of Shio and the ignorance of the citizens.
Kan Ki eventually became the leader of the largest pack of outlaws and bandits in the region as he became more infamous for his unusual ways of guerilla tactics and brutal personality and countless victories against any Qin armies sent to kill him.
It's unknown when but Kan Ki did recruit the Saki Clan into his clan at one point and met Mou Gou, a Great General of the Qin Military, who was assigned to the region in order to captured or kill Kan Ki and his gang as punishment for repeated losses on the battlefield during this period.[7]
Instead, Kan Ki immediately beat him in battle and captured the old general. While he wasn't in the mood to kill him, Mou Gou would comment on Kan Ki's personality and praise him for his talent in warfare, but Mou Gou could tell that there was more to Kan Ki's potential and his genius as he needed "power". So, the Hakurou asked Kan Ki to join him and fight by his side which shocked everyone present. Kan Ki, the ever strange and outlandish man that he was, accepted Mou Gou's offer.[8]
With that done, Kan Ki joined the Qin Military and the entire Kan Ki Clan followed him onto the battlefield. This period of time is a mystery, but Kan Ki would meet Ou Sen, his other "monstrous" peer and rise through the ranks of the military with him eventually attainting the rank of a General while rampaging their way across the Warring States all while living underneath the shadows of the Six Generals of Qin during the waning days of King Sho's era of warfare.
About a decade later, Kan Ki would be a major player in the Sanyou Campaign of the State of Wei while serving as a vice general to the Qin Army led Mou Gou Army, having conquered five cities before arriving at the place where the conclusion of the campaign would take place.
Story[]
Sanyou Campaign Arc[]
Kan Ki is first seen in the Qin/Wei conflict of the Sanyou War when Rin Ko is scouting out targets to assassinate before the upcoming battle. The strange setup of HQ checks the Wei general as it appears to be full of openings, yet they could all be traps. Kan Ki arrives on Mount Ryuu to set up his camp, giving him a good terrain advantage before the main battle. He sees a smoke signal from the HQ saying that they'll be praying for their victory and Kan Ki calls it "rare" for Mou Gou to do such a thing.
After the vanguard from both sides had faced off, Kan Ki and 30,000 of his soldiers faced off against General Kai Shi Bou in the hill region. His effective use of guerilla warfare combined with his ruthless and cruel psychological warfare tactics that made the Wei troops succumb to fear for the Qin General gave Kai Shi Bou quite a challenge. He finishes with a "human forest" before finding out that the enemy's main army is heading for his headquarters. He turns this threat in an opportunity as he and his men disguise themselves as Wei messengers who are able to infiltrate Kai Shi Bou's HQ in order to get close to the Heavenly King Gen Pou. Upon being found out, Kan Ki and his men proceed to kill the Wei guards present and he comes face to face with the old man who tries to recruit Kan Ki as his student. His request is the last thing he says before he is beheaded by the Qin general who calls him trash. He later attacked and captured the Wei headquarters and cruelly killed Haku Ki Sai the Wei commander-in-chief. His crew then beheaded the other captured officers as well.
During the reward ceremony following the Sanyou Campaign, Kan Ki's nobility rosed in two ranks and was given the lands of Sei Hi, Sei Rin, and Dai Ka. While kneeling before the king, Kan Ki was curious to see the face of the person who had his power stolen by Ryo Fui. He is surprised by the fierce light emitted from the young king's eyes, which he found strange for a person "raised as a doll in a palace of luxury."
Coalition Invasion Arc[]
He along with other noteworthy Great General class Generals and Great Generals was summoned at Kanyou to discuss the plan to defeat the Coalition Army with High Command.
In the Battle of Kankoku Pass, he and his soldiers use oil barrels stolen from Kanyou’s warehouses to throw it on the Go Hou Mei siege tower. Kan Ki then shoots a fire arrow that burns the tower and hundreds of Wei troops while laughing.
After Chou Tou got poisoned by Han's poison arrow troops, he gathered some troops and stole a Wei flag and started going towards his HQ. Chou Tou followed along with his army. They broke through the armies without fighting because, in the middle of the siege of Kankoku Pass, every single soldier was focused on destroying the wall. After they defeated the Han Defense HQ, Chou Tou slew the Han commander in chief Sei Kai and shortly afterward died himself from the poison. Kan Ki afterward stayed on the Kankoku Pass walls for the rest of the Coalition Army war, but because the Coalition Army was focused on fighting at other battlefields, there was no action on Kankoku Pass.
Conspiracy in the Court Arc[]
Months after the Coalition War's end, Kan Ki is ordered to attack the gigantic Wei stronghold of Kyuu. He easily took the city and burned the Wei commanders alive as a tribute to his late benefactor, Hakurou.
State of Ai Arc[]
Leading his army, Kan Ki destroyed the remaining the Ai Army's forces as they fled from the capital while also capturing Rou Ai in the process. He initially wanted to torture and kill the Ai King by gouging out his eyes but was stopped by Ma Ron and Koku'Ou after they received orders from High Command to bring Rou Ai back alive and needed to be left intake. Which he simply clicked his teeth in disappointment.
Kokuyou Campaign Arc[]
Kan Ki is selected as the Commander-in-Chief of his own personal army, the Hi Shin Unit, and the Kyou Kai Unit. He is assigned to lead their combined forces in taking the Kokuyou region from the state of Zhao's hands. In this campaign that Kan Ki meets Shin and the famous Hi Shin Unit. Kan Ki uses his own tactics against Kei Sha and his vice general, Ki Sui, massacring nearby villagers and made a bridge made of corpses, that unnerved Shin and Kyou Kai who tried to attack him, thus negating their victory over Ryuu Tou and Kei Sha.
Western Zhao Invasion Arc[]
Kan Ki was placed as the general of the first army of the western Zhao attack army. Along with the mountain king Yo Tan Wa who leads the second army and general Ou Sen who acts as the commander of the third army as well as the supreme commander. He was later tasked to be in charge of besieging Gyou.
Battle of Eikyuu Arc[]
Kan Ki is recalled to Kanyou and is promoted to become the fifth member of the newly reborn Six Great Generals when Ei Sei revived the system in the new year. He returned to the frontlines and began a new brutal offensive on Heiyou that resulted in many losses albeit mostly those that don't belong to Kan Ki's main army. He made a deal with Ou Sen that he'll let Mou Ten be under Ou Sen's wing in exchange for Ou Hon who would replace and take command of Kan Ki's left-wing army that would see heavy losses and nearly wiped out in the process of taking Eikyuu hill. Eventually, he caught Zhao Great General Ko Chou's attention who moved his main army to reinforce the garrison that was facing Kan Ki's army. For eight days it was a hopeless battle as the combine army of Ko Chou's and Zhao's defenders made up a total of 240,000 Zhao solders outnumbered against Kan Ki's army who has less than 100,000 soldiers, together with the terrain advantage under Zhao's favor on Eikyuu. Including, when Kan Ki's soldiers were being pushed to the brink of being wiped out, many turned and fled from the battlefield. Pushing further to Zhao's seemingly complete victory. Unknown to Ko Chou's and Kan Ki's army. Kan Ki had set up a scheme that would play out in Sun Bin's strategy fashion that would turn the table to Qin's victory.
The Hi Shin Unit, who was situated between Ou Sen and Kan Ki forces. Finally, been called by Kan Ki to take action and join the fray on claiming Eikyuu Hill where Ou Hon army took charge in. Having Succeeded claiming Eikyuu hill, Kan Ki's army were pushed further back and having lost the will to fight, many more fled the battlefield, Kan Ki, who was thought to be at his Headquarters vanished without trace. When Ko Chou sends his main army and left-wing army to push further to crush Kan Ki's soldiers and had the reserve army of 5000 soldiers to guard against Shin who defeated the ring wing army and now holds Eikyuu's cliff top. Kan Ki would appear at Ko Chou's Headquarters with his detach unit that sneaked pasts the Zhao's main relentless onslaught. Ko Chou who realized too late of Kan Ki's scheme, committed suicide and was slain on his final charge against the Qin Great General.
Unknown to Kan Ki, before Ko Chou decided to take his own life the Zhao Great General mentioned he'll have a drink with Rai Do in the afterlife. With Ko Chou's death and decapitated head as proof, the Zhao's army at the Headquarters fled, he would quickly turn the tides of war to his favor when, the last 8 days of battle, he had Ma Ron to handle spreading false information to cause confusion and panic among Zhao's forces should Kan Ki succeeds in slaying Ko Chou. With the death of Ko Chou and confusions sowed among Zhao's army, furthermore with the return of the soldiers who fled. The Zhao's army loses their morale and quickly surrendered to Kan Ki's army numbering 100,000 soldiers as prisoners.
Kan Ki would later learn the fate of Rai Do's gruesome death and order his soldiers to execute all prisoners which would be recorded in the history as one of many tragedies of war. After the massacre, king Ei Sei visited Kan Ki to judge him for his reckless actions. Ei Sei tries to ask him why he killed the prisoners, but Kan Ki avoids giving a direct answer. Sei loses his patience and almost orders Hyou Shiga to kill him. Ma Ron however is able to stop the bloodshed. He says that the massacre was that there was still a risk of revolt once the Zhao soldiers would realize they outnumbered Qin greatly. If that happened there was a risk of Qin suffering a great loss. Ei Sei says that for this there was no need to kill every lost soldier and all they needed to do was to match the strength of the prisoners to stop them, and this was unnecessary bloodshed. After hearing this Kan Ki bursts into laughter and says that Ei Sei is the one responsible for killing the most people in this world. A dispute breaks out between the two of them and Kan Ki even accuses him of being a bloody king. He says that humanity will never allow for peace to be possible, and that Ei Sei expects too much of humans. Sei, however, doesn't think there's anything wrong with that, since he's the king that wants to find the shortest path towards peace. At first, he thinks that Kan Ki turned towards hopelessness, however he stops mid-sentence and gets quiet for a moment. Kan Ki asks Ei Sei what his verdict regarding his fate is. Ei Sei decides to not execute him, since Ma Ron's explanation was enough, and Kan Ki also secured an important victory for Qin. Despite this he warns Kan Ki that if he does something reckless again his head will roll. Later that same night Kan Ki is seen with a mysterious woman from the Saki Clan in his bed.
Zhao's Retaliation Arc[]
Kan Ki Army alongside Ou Sen Army are sent by Shou Hei Kun to conquer a key city of Gian in the north. During their first siege in Atsuyo, Ou Sen loses significant number of soldiers and is forced to stay behind in order to replenish his forces. Kan Ki however decides to attack without him.
Abilities[]
| “ | K-Kan Ki...W-what a man...Are you telling me a former brigand like him actually possesses a tactical mind on the same level as Ri Boku-sama!!? | ” |
| STATS | |
|---|---|
| Strength | 93 |
| Leadership | 95 |
| Intelligence | 96 |
| Experience | A |
| Rage: 100 | |
| STATS | |
|---|---|
| Strength | 93 |
| Leadership | 94 |
| Intelligence | 95 |
| Experience | A |
| Demonic Eyes: 99 | |
| STATS | |
|---|---|
| Strength | 93 |
| Leadership | 92 |
| Intelligence | 95 |
| Experience | B |
| Cruelty: 99 Eyeballs | |
| STATS | |
|---|---|
| Strength | 93 |
| Leadership | 92 |
| Intelligence | 95 |
| Cruelty: 99 Eyeballs | |
Kan Ki was noted to possess a talent for warfare on par with Six Great Generals of Qin.[9] This was evident even before he joined second generation of the reinstated system as its fifth member. A prodigy at warfare with a natural born genius, Kan Ki had never formally studied strategy, yet almost never lost a battle because of his unorthodox tactics. [10] Because of that, he was considered by Mou Gou to be Qin's number one general at turning the tables of a battlefield or war.[11] Ri Boku also acknowledged Kan Ki as the most famed and strongest of the Six Great Generals at the time of Gian Campaign.[12]
Physical Abilities[]
Master Swordsman: While not often seen fighting actively, Kan Ki was shown to be an incredibly powerful swordsman. He honed his ability in his time as a bandit as he was able to kill an adult man with a blunted and old sword.[13] While self-taught, Kan Ki could easily overwhelm trained military solders with ease. [14] And could kill dangerous opponents as he once cut down members of the Zenou Clan, who are noted combat experts, in single strike, [15] deflected a strike from an enraged Ka Man of the Ko Chou Army while expeditiously bisected the old commander in half, [16] and even exchanged blows with Ri Boku himself as he broke the Zhao Great General's sword and heavily wounded him. [17]
Kan Ki demonstrating his stealthily approach on Zenou.
Stealth Mastery: Kan Ki was a master in the art of stealth, having honed his ability from his days with the Saki Clan and later as a Bandit leader. His mastery is evident as far back during the Sanyou Campaign as he sneaks into Haku Ki Sai's HQ and on multiple individuals throughout the series without them noticing him till he announced himself.
Archery: Kan Ki displayed some proficiency with the bow, being able to aim and fire a flame arrow at Go Hou Mei's second Siege Tower from the top of Kankoku Pass.[18]
Leadership[]
Kan Ki possessed an immense and eerie charisma, as well as strong leadership skills as he was able to unite many independent bandit clans and groups into a large military army under his rule. Many of his commanders are even willing to follow him into extremely unfavorable battles. Some, like Rai Do were willing to withstand intense torture and interrogation in order to protect his secrets which is a further indication of the loyalty that he is able to inspire. As a former bandit leader, Kan Ki understands his own soldiers well enough to use their cowardice and dishonor as ex-outlaws to his advantage to create a massive diversion by having them flee a losing battle against the Ko Chou Army, one of the most powerful forces amongst the best of the Zhao Military, who were vastly superior to them in terms of numbers and military skills while commanding his strongest soldiers of Zenou Clan and Shu Ma Clan to hide themselves long enough to evade the majority of the Ko Chou Army until they could ambush their Commander-in-Chief Ko Chou at the right timing. Upon tricking the Zhao soldiers into surrendering, the deserted Kan Ki soldiers quickly returned to the battlefield to feign innocence to help revitalize the situation to control the surrendered Zhao soldiers. His only real miscalculation was the loss of Rai Do, due to the latter's brash and reckless nature despite specially having Ogiko informing him beforehand his plan to defeat Ko Chou.
Tactical Abilities[]
Kan Ki was one of the most aggressive great generals in the central plains and master tactician who specializes in guerrilla warfare, psychological warfare, and misdirection with unpredictable approaches. Instead of being called a "meticulous strategist" or "hot blood warrior", he was a military commander who relied on his uncanny, instinctual decision making. Not doing anything that was pointless when it came to the battlefield.[19] He could devise the most ingenious of plans seemingly from his imagination and on the fly without any sort of military training and knowledge, even outright telling his vassals that he never needed "reasons" or tactics, simply the most effective method that will lead them to an "absolute victory". He even devised his own variation of Sun Bin's famous strategy from the Battle of Banryou over a century ago. Because of his unorthodox tactics, his victories were unbelievable, as seen from the Sanyou Campaign, Battle of Kankoku Pass,Battle of Koku You Hill and the Battle of Eikyuu. Ka Ryo Ten once commented that even the greatest of Strategists would be hard-pressed to replicate similar results like his.[20] Even Ou Sen, the most intelligent of the Six Great Generals, stated that Kan Ki's way of thinking eluded even him.[21] Kan Ki proved himself to be extremely resourceful, making excellent use of any surrounding resources to use against his opponents. As in the instance when he took down Go Hou Mei's Siege Tower with the use of oil (which was "secretly borrowed" from Kanyou's storehouses) and a flame arrow.
Kan Ki beheading Gen Pou.
His most unique and seemingly lethal trait was his uncanny ability to infiltrate/attack an enemy's headquarters and kill their general and commanding officers. [22] This tactic was the downfall of many prominent Generals and Great Generals like Gen Pou, Haku Ki Sai, Sei Kai and Ko Chou. And nearly killed Ri Boku even though the Great Heaven was already aware of his tactics.
But despite his brilliance in warfare, Kan Ki's methods were noted to be incredibly gruesome and inhumane stemming from his brutal mindset. As he was willing to kill not only enemies and civilians, but he was also very willing in using and sacrificing his own soldiers for his plans.
His tactics often utilizing brutality as he typically tasked the Saki Clan to "extract" information from captured soldiers with heavy use of torture and used the mutilated bodies of dead enemy soldiers to demoralize his opponents while planting the seeds of fear of him and his army in their minds [23] and expertly used psychological manipulation to trick, intimidate, and use his opponent's mindset to his benefit.
This was brilliantly used when he ordered the massacre of Kokuyou's citizens simply to intimidate Ki Sui after learning about his history and love for his people as he threatened to do the same to the city of Rigan. This allowed the Kan Ki Army to seize a complete and overwhelming victory in the Kokuyou Campaign with minimal casualties from the projected calculations from high command.
Manipulation of Information: Kan Ki was adept at manipulating the flow of information. During the Battle of Eikyuu, he used a strategy based around fooling Ko Chou and his commanders into having a false sense of security by making them misjudge the number of his soldiers. He then used the newly created opening to strike at their HQ to take Ko Chou's head. After that he ordered Ma Ron to instruct their soldiers to spread misinformation to weaken the Ko Chou Army soldiers' morale. As a result, he was able to capture over tens of thousands of soldiers that surrendered.
Kan Ki's self-made Cross Bluff Formation.
Military Formations: Kan Ki was capable of performing and creating military formations to suit his needs despite not being formally trained or educated in conventional warfare. He demonstrated this when he created his own unique and bizarre formation in the shape of a cross on the spot with its purpose being to stall for time until nightfall while the cautious Ri Boku Army attacked the tips of the cross to try to slowly wear it down. In addition, Kan Ki moved several of his units back and forth from the center in order to probe for which of the armies' side would react the slowest, which later allowed him to find the easiest place for escape from the encirclement.[24] His HQ and camp were also noted to utilize a unique formation which is seemingly full of openings but in actuality, acts as trap that is designed to lure and wipe out any potential attackers.[25]
Weaknesses[]
It was pointed out by Ri Boku that Kan Ki's weakness was in his inability to perform orthodox warfare which limited his options in some battlefield situations and prevented him from using certain opportunities that are available for regular strategists. In all of his battles, he relied purely on psychological warfare and trick strategies in order to defeat his opponents and never used "by the book" methods.[26]
His cruelty could also raise the morale of the enemy soldiers as seen when after the Eikyuu massacre many Zhao soldiers went berserk in order to avenge their fallen comrades and families which created problems for the overall Qin invasions that last even after his death.
Quotes[]
| “ | Hahahahah! What a lame old fart. He got his ass kicked in the blink of an eye! Damn Geezer's all talk!! | ” |
| “ | Hahahahaha!! Know what? You win. You're actually number one. Of all the Twisted bastards I've met in my life, you are the biggest villain of them all, Shin. | ” |
—To Shin | ||
| “ | The unification of China. Going by your eyes...Are you telling me that if you manage to pull that off, that all war will finish, and peace will descend upon the world? Yep, you're one evil bastard. | ” |
—To Ei Sei | ||
| “ | The whole idea of unifying China involves butchering an enemy state's people through overwhelming military power until they no longer have the strength to fight back. Then, you just swoop in and claim everything they own for yourself: The land, The people, the resources, all of it. It's the slaughter and pillaging on a whole new scale. And the only ones who will be happy for the peace this brings...Are the people of Qin. | ” |
—To Shin | ||
| “ | Kan Ki...What a Man...! To sneak into an enemy army disguised as their own like this isn't too rare in itself. Occasionally you would infiltrate them as a small unit of soldiers like this too. And naturally, the bigger the enemy army and the more confused they are, the higher the chances of success. All of this makes perfect sense. However,...To have personally decided to undertake this against the combined Wei and Han Army of 150,000 men...What nerves and an eye for strategy. Impossible. Are you telling me this sort of scoundrel really possesses a strength on the same level as the Six Great General!?2 | ” |
—Chou Tou on Kan Ki's abilities during the Battle of Kankoku Pass. | ||
| “ | We will continue burning down villages and slaughtering the people of Koku You. | ” |
—To Shin | ||
| “ | You expect too much of humans. O'King of Qin. | ” |
—To Ei Sei | ||
| “ | Reasons...Strategy...Who gives a shit 'bout any of that. | ” |
| “ | Every one of my actions... are to lead us an absolute victory. | ” |
Etymology[]
- Kan or Huan means "variety of tree" (桓)
- Ki or Qi means "ride horseback, mount, cavalry" (騎)
Trivia[]
- Kan Ki came in 6th place in the popularity vote poll.
Kentaro Ito, the Japanese voice of Kan Ki, has provided the voices of Renji Abarai, a former enemy turned central character in the Shonen manga series BLEACH, Yoshitake Shiraishi, a main character in the Golden Kamuy series, and Chouji Akimichi, a core character in the Naruto series.
Kan Ki didn't like wearing soldier armor due to the fact that it "rubs him the wrong way".[27]
He is noted by Bi Hei to have smelled very nice.
While he explicitly condoned rape, it was unknown if Kan Ki ever participated in such barbaric acts himself, as he was frequently pictured with various willing women and prostitutes.
- Kan Ki is currently the first Great General and military commander to have nearly kill Ri Boku in a melee.
- Koku'Ou and Kan Ki typically slept with each other whenever they were incredibly drunk.
[]
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References[]
- ↑ Chapter 203, page 6
- ↑ Chapter 671, page 18
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.67 Chapter 729
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.67 Chapter 732
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.67 Chapter 729, Chapter 734, Chapter 735
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.69 Chapter 749
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.69 Chapter 755
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.69 Chapter 755
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.28 Chapter 301, page 10
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.19 Chapter 198, page 15 and Chapter 203
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.27 Chapter 291, page 15
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.68 Chapter 738, page 18 and Vol.69 Chapter 753, page 7
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.67 Chapter 734
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.28 Chapter 293
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.41 Chapter 447, page 191 and Season 5 Episode 131
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.64 Chapter 693
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.68 Chapter 745
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.26 Chapter 277
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.62 Chapter 677, page 16
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.45 Chapter 483, page 15
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.62 Chapter 676, page 9
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.20 Chapter 212, Vol.22 Chapter 239, Vol.28 Chapter 303, Vol.64 Chapter 691
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.20 Chapter 212
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.67 Chapter 726, page 13
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.19 Chapter 198, page 14
- ↑ Kingdom Manga: Vol.67 Chapter 724
- ↑ Chapter 239