Kano is a central antagonist who serves as the enigmatic and powerful leader of the Class, the privileged and reclusive ruling elite living on the Hill overlooking the underground city of Lux. He is portrayed as a young man, the product of an incestuous lineage within the Class, a heritage that has left him with disfigured and useless natural legs, forcing him to rely on a wheelchair for mobility. This physical condition has profoundly shaped his worldview, leading him to despise the perceived weakness and decadence of his own class and the broader human condition.

Kano is characterized by a cold, solipsistic, and detached personality, appearing almost bored with the stagnant society around him. He is driven by a singular, radical ideology: that texhnolyzation, the process of replacing organic flesh with advanced prosthetics, is not merely a tool but the necessary next stage in human evolution. He believes the human body is a restrictive and flawed vessel, and that true progress lies in transcending it. To this end, his primary motivation is to forcibly usher in this new era, transforming humanity into what he considers a superior post-human form, regardless of the cost.

In the story, Kano initially remains a distant, almost mythical figure, representing the unseen authority controlling Lux from above. Frustrated by the slow, methodical research of the scientist Doc, who seeks to perfect texhnolyzation, he decides to take a more direct and extreme approach. As chaos engulfs Lux due to the machinations of the surface dweller Yoshii, Kano seizes the opportunity to implement his vision. He turns against Doc, destroys her work, and begins amassing an army of Shapes, which are humans reduced to only their heads and internal organs, encased in powerful, root-like mechanical bodies. He then unleashes this army to invade and systematically annihilate the populace of Lux, converting many into more Shapes.

Kano has few key relationships, as his interactions are largely transactional or antagonistic. He is considered a heretic by the other elders of the Class, who view his radical ideas as madness. His relationship with the scientist Doc is one of rejection, as he deems her approach to texhnolyzation too timid and incomplete. His most significant connection is arguably to the city of Lux itself; he seeks to become one with it, achieving a state he describes as having intercourse with the city to free himself from the constraints of genetics. He also has a connection to the seer Ran, whom he eventually captures and transforms into a Shape, using her power for his own ends before she mentally shuts down.

Throughout the series, Kano undergoes a development from a passive, observing ruler to an active, destructive force of nature. His actions are a direct response to the stagnation he sees both in the Class and in the surface world, which he knows is dying. He ultimately achieves his goal of seizing control of Lux and initiating his plan for forced evolution. However, his development ends in failure; after his Shapes conquer the city, they become rooted to the ground and immobilized. In the final confrontation, he is confronted by the protagonist Ichise. Viewing himself as the last sane man in a world gone mad, he tries to reason with Ichise, only to have his head punched off by the enraged fighter.

Kano possesses notable abilities stemming from his position and philosophy. As the leader of the Class, he has immense authority and the resources to conduct large-scale, horrific experiments in texhnolyzation. He demonstrates the ability to command and control his army of Shapes. Furthermore, his intimate connection to Lux's central power source, the Obelisk, gives him the ability to control the city's texhnolyzed systems, including deactivating the limbs of other cyborgs, showcasing his mastery over the technology he champions.