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- "I fight, therefore I am."
— Kanoh, while fighting Kaolan Wongsawat[10]
Kanoh Agito (
Quick Answers
What is the significance of Kanoh Agito's title 'The Fifth Fang of Metsudo'?
Who did Kanoh Agito represent in the Kengan Annihilation Tournament?
Why is Kanoh Agito considered the most powerful fighter in the Kengan Annihilation Tournament?
What is the meaning of Kanoh Agito's quote 'I fight, therefore I am'?
What is the connection between Kanoh Agito and Dainippon Bank?
Appearance
Agito is a tall, highly muscular man with black, slicked-back hair. He lacks eyebrows, instead possessing strong eyebrow ridges, complimented with stern, narrow eyes with dark lines underneath and a chiseled facial structure. Ever since his defeat to Kuroki Gensai, Agito has a small, star-shaped scar on his forehead, as a constant reminder of his first defeat.
Like the Bodyguards that serve Katahara Metsudo, Agito is most commonly seen in a formal black suit with a black tie. When fighting, he wears a black, skin-tight bodysuit. Two years later, Agito has adopted an all-black biker style.[11]
When he was a teenager Agito had short black hair and a constant apathetic expression on his face.
Personality
Agito has two facets of his psyche. One is stoic, haughty, and highly clueless (as evidenced by his confusion over Okubo Naoya's Ultraman references),[12][13] while the other, which only comes out when he uses his Formless style, is ruthless and sadistic. When the latter personality comes out, which is a twisted manifestation of his repressed animal instincts,[14] he grins ear-to-ear, and his pupils seem to disappear. This change in personas is most prominently highlighted whenever he changes the way he refers to himself, switching from singular to plural pronouns.[note]
Agito is also very proud, and always insists on besting his opponents at their own game e.g. if a fighter specializes in blows, he will exclusively use blows. However, in desperate situations in which Agito is driven and cannot fight back at all (highlighted in his fight against Kaolan Wongsawat), he will switch to a more suitable fighting style, damaging his pride. After the fight against Kaolan, he threw away his pride and focused on winning.
As a fighter, Agito values strength above anything else and he will show respect to those he considers strong opponents such as Wakatsuki Takeshi due to being the first whose will to fight wasn't broken and instead became the first who showed his "fangs". He can also be polite, truly thanking Okubo Naoya for their fight because he was capable of evolving as a fighter, as well of accepting Okubo's declaration to fight him again. And while he shows this side to those he sees as strong, he has absolutely no respect to the weak.
Two years after the Annihilation Tournament, Agito has become noticeably more "human", even making jokes and losing much of his stoicism.[15] By merging his human half with his repressed beast half, he all but eliminated the lag between both the Formless stance and Martial Arts, as described by Metsudo. Agito also sees a kindred spirit in Gaoh Ryuki, who reminds him of who he once was.
History
Originally an orphan from mainland China, Agito was found and made a student by The Other Niko Tokita. Twenty-three years prior to the events of Kengan Ashura Agito was sealed by him in a chamber along with the rest of The Other Niko's students as part of a human Gu ritual.[16] Fighting and killing his way to the end, he was dug out and discovered by Katahara Metsudo, who educated and adopted him, becoming one of his Bodyguards.[14]
At some point during the selection process to be the next "Fang of Metsudo", Agito fought Minoru Takayama and tore open his right cheek, giving him a permanent Glasgow smile.[3]
Eight years prior to the events of Kengan Ashura, Agito faced Takeshi Wakatsuki for the first time,[17] going on to defeat him and giving him a lasting injury to his Achilles tendon in the process.
Some time before the Annihilation Tournament, Agito fought against Tokumichi Tokuno'o. Despite Nitoku giving him an extremely difficult fight, Agito eventually defeated Nitoku, forcing him into a six-month rehabilitation due to the wounds sustained in the fight.[18]
Plot
Kengan Ashura
Agito represented Dainippon Bank in the Kengan Annihilation Tournament. He fought Naoya Okubo in the first round and defeated him after initially being an even bout. After his fight with Okubo Naoya, he was challenged to a fight by Ohma Tokita. However before he could properly retaliate, Ohma was subdued by Minoru and Masamichi Omori who warned him not to fight outside of the matches.
He fought Kaolan Wongsawat in the second round in what would become one of the toughest fights of his life. Having been hard pressed and overwhelmed for the majority of the fight due to Kaolan's immense striking prowess and combination of boxing and Muay Thai, Agito narrowly achieved victory by using the same tactics that Ohkubo had used against him in the previous round.
Later, during Hayami Katsumasa's "revolution", he aided in subduing the many Guardians in his area alongside Seishu Akoya.
On the final day, prior to his quarter-final match, he was challenged by the former "Fang of Metsudo", Masamichi, for his position as a representative fighter. In their fight, Masamichi showed him his weakness and what he needed to do to circumvent it. With this in mind, Agito went out and fought Sen Hatsumi. Fighting in a manner that was unlike his usual self, Agito proved his invincibility by countering Hatsumi's techniques and attaining victory.
After achieving victory, he later faced Gensai Kuroki in the semi-finals. Despite evolving to the highest level he had ever reached, he still ended up losing to the experienced assassin. After the fight, he apologized to Metsudo for his loss but was left shocked when Metsudo revealed that he had personally invited Kuroki to participate in the tournament. With this in mind, Agito then told Metsudo that he would resign from his position as "Fang of Metsudo".
During the final match between Ohma and Kuroki, he notices Ohma's "Niko Style" is very different than the one he was taught,
Sometime after the tournament, Takayama saw Agito off, giving him the keys to his motorcycle.
Kengan Omega
Agito spent two years off the grid until Ryo Himuro discovered him in a biker bar in America, going under the nickname "AG". Himuro wished to recruit him to fight on the Kengan Association's side for the Kengan Association VS Purgatory Tournament. Agito was initially reluctant, believing that his debt to Metsudo had been paid after his retirement from the position of chairman. However, upon Himuro's news that the position of Fang had gone through many changes since his departure, with Hikaru Yumigahama, the Sixth Fang, defecting to Purgatory, an enraged Agito declared his intent to fight in the tournament for the Kengan Association so he could seek revenge.
Agito was one of the fighters who found out, via phone call, that Ohma was still alive. He and the other representatives left for the tournament when the day arrived. He discussed over having Misasa as the next Fang of Metsudo at Retsudo's recommendation, believing Retsudo himself was more fit for such a title. Agito watched the fights alongside the other representatives. As Misasa entered the stage in the fourth match, Agito observed him to witness the power of the new Fang.
When Lu Tian entered the stage in the sixth match, the former pulled out a ring that immediately provoked Agito into fighting next. Knowing the facade that Lu Tian had put on, Agito demanded him to unleash his Formless stance, revealing Tian as not only a member of the Worm, but also a student of The Other Niko. The two engaged with their Formless stance, but in the end, Lu Tian's perfected Formless stance proved superior, forcing Agito to switch to Martial Arts.
With even Martial Arts proving to be ineffective, Agito soon changed tactics and used both at once, the now imperceptible delay in the switch between the two style preventing Lu Tian from properly anticipating the next strike. In a sudden turn, Lu Tian unleashed his latent power with the Wu Clan's Guihun, taught to him by The Other Niko. While initially pressured by Lu Tian's enhanced strength, Agito found an opening to unleash the Dragon Shot to Lu Tian's jaw. The resulting blow sent Lu Tian flying and rendered unconcious, with Agito winning his match. Afterwards, Agito asked Koga about the whereabouts of Ryuki Gaoh.
After the meeting between the two teams, Agito asked Kazuo what they wanted before his exhaustion finally caught up to him. He was aided back up by Misasa and Koga, though it was mistaken as all three of them kneeling before Kazuo by Jurota Arashiyama and Rolon Donaire.
Power & Abilities
Agito is able to produce knockout blows from any range
Agito Kanoh is an incredibly powerful all-round fighter who is known as the Emperor of the Kengan matches. He possesses immense physical stats on top of nearly unmatched fighting capabilities and a keen tactical mind. His attacks are notably powerful, his kicks particular; Naoya Okubo imagined Agito's kicks like a meat cleaver[12] and Sen Hatsumi likened his kicks to a naginata.[19]
His durability is also quite impressive, managing to reach the semi-finals without taking much lasting damage despite taking numerous heavy hits from opponents as strong as Ohkubo Naoya and Kaolan Wongsawat. His power was praised by the likes of Kure Erioh, the first Fang, who considers him his worthy successor.
As of current stage, he is noted by Ohma to the equal to both of Arashiyama Jurota and Rolon Donaire, two of the highest-level fighters among the Kengan Association and Purgatory, either of whom could be the "top" of each underground promotion. Shortly after encountering Shen Wulong, he managed to "reach an even higher height", demonstrating during his fight with Julius Reinhold. Agitated after his training, he perfected his formless style, managing to easily dodge Julius Reinhold's attacks, in addition to developing new techniques that were capable of causing a lot of damage to Julius, who had also become stronger, and knocking him out. In addition to his victory over Julius, Agito would then go on to defeat aforementioned legend Rolon, and then finally, in what is possibly his greatest triumph to date, fellow Kengan mainstay Kaolan Wongsawat in a much more decisive manner than the first time they fought in the Kengan Annihilation Tournament. With this current resume of victories, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Agito is the strongest, active fighter in the Asian underground martial arts sphere. While it's too early to confirm, it's quite possible that the only fighters who could match or even best Agito would be individuals such as Kuroki Gensai, Raian Kure, and Shen Wulong himself.
Evolution
Evolution (
Formless
The Formless stance is a key technique of Agito's arsenal. Agito does not have one singular fighting style, but rather a wide repertoire of moves that he can draw from at any time. Insisting on besting his opponents at their own games, Agito will often fight them using their own methods. If his opponents fight with blows, then he will as well. However, if pushed, he will switch to a more advantageous style such as grappling against attacking, such as in his fight with Kaolan. However, despite "Formless" allowing Agito to adapt to any opponent, it has one notable drawback: an overabundance of choices means Agito's reaction time is compromised when trying to make the optimal choice. Specialists in a single style of fighting is going to have a significantly faster reaction time than Agito when he uses the Formless stance.[23] Agito's Formless is also incomplete; against a perfected version of the stance, Agito's form can only hold up against someone like Lu Tian for five minutes before he starts breaking down.
Martial Arts
Martial Arts (
Two years after the tournament, Agito underwent training that improved the time it took to switch between the Formless stance and Martial Arts to a near imperceptible level, enabling him to switch styles without the possibility of getting countered. Despite failing to match Lu Tian in either style individually, when using both Agito was able to overwhelm him. Gensai remarked that with this improvement, there would be no guarantee he could still defeat Agito in combat.
Dragon Shot
A variation of the one-inch punch. Using the principles of fa jin (
Twin Dragon Shot - a second Dragon Shot from his other fist in case the first shot is block.Agito use this against Lolong during the Finals of Real Championship.
Dragon Vein
Dragon Vein (
Dragon Rising
Dragon Rising (
Niko Style
Agito also knows some techniques of Niko Style, Indestructible being one of his best known techniques from the Style. While it's known that Agito's master was The Other Niko, the extent of Agito's mastery of the Niko Style is unknown.[22]
Etymology
- Kanoh means "add, increase" (加) (ka) and "settlement, obtain, reap, pay/payment, supply, store" (納) (noh).
Notes & Trivia
- He was given the name Agito, an archaic way of pronouncing jaw (
顎 , Agito), to coincide with his epithet, "Fang of Metsudo". However, Sandrovich spelled it with katakana due to Kamen Rider Agito.[2] - Though Agito's actual birth date is unknown due to the circumstances of his birth, they celebrate it every year with Katahara Metsudo on December 2nd.[2]
- In the original text, Agito would change the personal pronoun he used to refer to himself from "watashi" (私), in his normal human half, to "ore" (俺), when he unleashes the beast within. Because both watashi and ore mean "I" when translated to English, this change in personal pronouns was thus translated as him saying "I" when he's controlling himself and "we" when using the Formless stance.
- Agito's favourite food is katsudon.[2]
- Agito's original fighting style was going to be pankration (with his fight against Naoya being a battle of old vs new).[2]
- The eye-catching bodysuit that Agito fights in is modelled after the LZR Racer competitive swimsuit (in Sandrovich's opinion, the beetle-like bumpiness and luster further accentuate the impression that he is a strong character).[2]
- Of the thirty-two Kengan matches that there is footage of, eight have ended where he could've landed a finishing blow, plus the fight against Naoya. Of those nine, he delivered a finishing blow in six of those matches. Of the six opponents, four died and the other two retired as fighters.[27]
- He likes his baths on the hot side (with him mentioning that anything under 45°C is basically an ice bath).[28]
- Agito cannot handle carbonated drinks (like beer) and much prefers liquor; a favourite of his is Kahlúa with milk (with cassis and orange being another).[29]
- He once mistook a movie poster for a warning about a monster.[30]
- Agito's theme in the anime is The Emperor by ZiNG feat. rapbit, Kento Hama.
References
- ↑ Chapter 24 (Omega)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Agito Kanoh's profile
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chapter 111
- ↑ Chapter 89 (Omega)
- ↑ Chapter 224 (Omega)
- ↑ 157 wins prior to the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, including Wakatsuki Takeshi, Hong Xiao-Hu and Tokuno'o Tokumichi(Ch111)(Ep20)
3 wins during the tournament against Ohkubo Naoya(Ch115)(Ep20),Kaolan Wongsawat(Ch169) and Hatsumi Sen(Ch206) - ↑ 1 win against Lu Tian during the Kengan Association VS Purgatory Tournament(ΩCh93)
- ↑ 1 loss to Kuroki Gensai during the Kengan Annihilation Tournament(Ch226)
- ↑ 1 loss to Arashiyama Jurota (ΩCh227)
- ↑ Chapter 165
- ↑ Chapter 227
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Chapter 112
- ↑ 4-koma: Afterwards
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chapter 224
- ↑ Chapter 26 (Omega)
- ↑ Chapter 90 (Omega)
- ↑ Chapter 110
- ↑ Chapter 22 (Omega)
- ↑ Chapter 203
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Chapter 167
- ↑ Chapter 168
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Chapter 169
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Chapter 206
- ↑ Chapter 208
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Chapter 225
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Chapter 205
- ↑ Chapter 170
- ↑ 4-koma: A Common Mistake
- ↑ 4-koma: Beer
- ↑ 4koma: (Running Gag)
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