Kanryuu Takeda is a cunning and greedy businessman who deals drugs and weapons in secret. He was born in Tokyo in September 1848, making him a Virgo with blood type A. Despite acting polite, he is actually cruel and cowardly, with no real strength. Kanryuu gets rich by selling a new type of opium called "Spider's Web" and later becomes an arms dealer. He often betrays or even kills his partners, uses violent means, and commands a private army. Kanryuu faces off against Kenshin Himura and his friends, but is defeated and arrested. Over time, he keeps trying to come back with new evil plans, but usually ends up failing.
- Height: 169 cm
- Weight: 60 kg
- Birthday: September, 1848
- Zodiac: Virgo
- Blood Type: A
Kanryuu is not strong-looking. Even though he tries to act tough, he is actually weak and lacks real muscles.
Kanryuu Takeda is very sneaky, greedy, and mean.
He is good at making money and only cares about himself.
On the outside, he pretends to be polite and always uses formal words with others.
But when he gets angry, he shouts insults and can become violent.
Despite all this, he doesn’t have any real fighting skill or strength.
He doesn't hesitate to get rid of anyone who is no longer useful to him.
He sometimes says funny things, especially when he tries to speak English with foreigners or mixes it with Japanese.
Kanryuu was born into a very poor family, which made him desperate to become rich, no matter the cost.
His childhood struggles made him use any means necessary to reach the top, even if it meant breaking the law and hurting others.
Even though Kanryuu is not strong or skilled in fighting, he is very smart in business and illegal trade.
He is also very skilled at tricking and using people for his own gain.
He likes to use big guns and machines, like the Gatling gun, instead of fighting himself.
Cleaning is his hobby, even though he often uses it as a way to look busy or stay out of trouble.
- Megumi Takani: Kanryuu forces her to make opium for him and kidnaps her.
- Henchmen: He has 60 private guards at his mansion, but does not care about their lives.
- Kenshin Himura and Friends: They are his enemies and stop his evil schemes.
- Shimonji: Gives Kanryuu a weapon called Mantetsutou, which he uses for selling.
The Drug Lord and Opium Dealings
Kanryuu teams up with a corrupt doctor to sell a new type of opium called "Spider’s Web" on the black market.
When he and the doctor argue, Kanryuu kills him.
He kidnaps Megumi Takani, the doctor's assistant, to keep making more opium.
Kanryuu plans to use his drug money to become an arms dealer and get even richer.
Fight at the Mansion
When Kenshin Himura and his friends attack Kanryuu’s mansion, Kanryuu tries to kill them all with a Gatling gun.
The Oniwabanshu use themselves as shields, and Kanryuu runs out of bullets.
Kenshin knocks him out, and the police arrest him.
Kanryuu shouts that Megumi is also guilty, but Kenshin’s glare shuts him up.
Megumi is set free, while Kanryuu is ignored and dragged away.
Life in Prison and Escape
In the Hokkaido arc, Kanryuu sells all his things to avoid the death penalty and is sent to a harsh prison in Kabato.
He does chores like cleaning bathrooms because he has no strength.
He escapes during an attack by Kanki Heiki and gets a weapon called Mantetsutou from Shimonji, paying him a small amount instead of taking it for free.
Later, he sells these weapons in Otaru with the fake name Gatouring, but his plan is discovered by Kenshin.
After his scheme fails, he becomes angry when his crest is used without permission.
He then joins Kenshin’s group and gives his assistant, Alan, new tasks to track their enemies.
Later Battles and New Ambitions
Kanryuu and Alan attack the Otaru base first, but Kanryuu gets scared by Honda Udogu's attacks.
They find a Gatling gun and fight back, finally beating their enemy after Alan reloads the gun.
When the battle is over, Kanryuu says goodbye to his illegal gun.
He dreams of making Gatling guns legal using his money and escaping from Aoshi Shinomori, who is expected to arrive in Hokkaido.
Alternate Anime and Movie Versions
In the second anime series, Kanryuu sometimes tries to talk to foreigners, using a translator or mixing English and Japanese for a funny effect.
He even tries to trick Megumi with a plan to escape together.
He keeps his catchphrase "Gat Gat Gat Gat!" from the Takarazuka play.
In the live-action movie, Kanryuu is even more ruthless.
He uses deadly plans, poisons wells, and forces Kenshin and Sanosuke to kneel while naked as a humiliation.
Despite his tough talk, he loses and is arrested but still brags about bouncing back.
In the "Kinema" version, Kanryuu lures sword-fighting challengers with prize money and then shoots them with his Gatling gun.
He is very jealous of the former samurai class and tries to take over Kamiya Dojo using deadly tricks.
He tries to fight Yahiko Myoujin with a suitcase full of gold but is defeated in the end.
In Ginmaku Soushi Hen, Kanryuu sells weapons to terrorists and the army, then tries to escape to Shanghai, but is likely stopped by Hajime Saitou.
- Originally based on Takeda Kanryuusai, a captain from the Shinsengumi group.
- At first, the creator thought about making Kanryuu interested in men, but this idea was dropped for being too minor and unrelated.
- Kanryuu was left out of the re-drawn cast for Volume 22 because the author simply forgot him.
- In some video games, he is a playable character who uses guns and makes the Gatling gun his special move.
- The live-action actor for Kanryuu is modeled after Teruyuki Kagawa.
- "I'm not a bad guy. I'm a crooked merchant!" (The author thought of this line for Kanryuu in the "Kinema" version.)
- "It's favoritism!" (Shouted when Megumi is released and he isn’t.)
Kanryuu is remembered for being a sneaky, greedy businessman who loves money and uses any trick to get what he wants.
Even though he is weak and easily scared, he keeps coming up with new evil plans, making him a long-running villain in the story.
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