Live action TV
Description
Endo Kanna is a central figure in the latter part of 20th Century Boys, introduced first as an infant and eventually growing into a young woman who takes on a leadership role in the fight against the antagonist known as Friend. She is the daughter of Kiriko Endo, who left her in the care of her younger brother, Kenji Endo, when Kanna was a baby. Her father is eventually revealed to be Friend himself, a truth that profoundly affects her.
Throughout her early childhood, Kanna was raised largely by her uncle Kenji, whom she deeply admired and grew to love. She was a perceptive and expressive child, demonstrating uncanny abilities from a very young age, such as correctly guessing which hand held a hidden candy or sensing when something bad was about to happen to Kenji. These incidents hinted at the psychic potential she would carry with her into adulthood.
Following Kenji's disappearance during the Bloody New Year's Eve incident in the year 2000, Kanna was taken in by Yukiji Setoguchi, a close friend of her uncle. As she grew older, the memory of Kenji became a defining force in her life. She treasured a cassette tape of his songs and, as a teenager, became fiercely independent and strong-willed, even resorting to violent acts like breaking school windows to defend her uncle's innocence. Her uncle's philosophy and the few words of advice he left her became the foundation of her moral code and her determined mindset.
By the age of seventeen in the year 2014, Kanna had become a bold and charismatic young woman, working at a Chinese restaurant and unafraid to involve herself in dangerous situations, such as breaking up conflicts between rival mafia groups. She is characterized by her immense courage, her ability to remain calm under pressure, and a profound sense of justice that drives her to stand up against the oppressive regime of Friend. Her personality is the inverse of her uncle in many ways; while Kenji was a dreamer who lacked willpower, Kanna possesses tremendous willpower and resolve, though her focus is often narrowed to seeking revenge for the loss of her uncle rather than pursuing grand dreams. Beneath her fearless exterior, however, she carries a deep sadness stemming from the loss of Kenji and the prolonged absence of her mother.
Kanna's role in the story becomes pivotal as she emerges as a leader of the resistance against Friend in a dystopian future. Her natural charisma allows her to unite disparate and unlikely allies, including Thai and Chinese mafias, to work together against a common enemy. Under the alias of the Ice Queen, she leads a rebel faction from a hidden ramen shop within a walled-off Tokyo. Her primary motivation is to avenge Kenji and dismantle the world that Friend has built, viewing this fight as the sole purpose for her existence.
Key relationships shape her development significantly. Her bond with Kenji is the most important of her life, and she idolizes him to the point of rejecting any false hope that he might still be alive, as she fears that such hope would weaken her resolve for revenge. She has a complex dynamic with Otcho, a former ally of Kenji, who confronts her about her reckless plans, convincing her to call off a suicidal raid that would have led to the death of all her followers. This moment marks a turning point in her development, as she learns to temper her desire for vengeance with the responsibility of leadership. The revelation that Friend is her father also causes her a great deal of psychological turmoil, nearly breaking her spirit.
Kanna possesses notable extrasensory abilities, the origins of which are hinted to be the result of a secret medicine given to her mother. These powers include precognition, allowing her to foresee immediate future events and win at guessing games, and limited telekinesis, which she describes as being only strong enough to bend a spoon. While initially feeling her powers are useless, her latent telepathic abilities ultimately prove crucial in the final confrontation, as she uses them to send a message to Kenji in the past to prevent the last bomb from detonating. In the epilogue set in Africa, where she reunites with her mother, it is mentioned that she may have lost her psychic powers, though her final action hints at a lingering intuition.
Throughout her early childhood, Kanna was raised largely by her uncle Kenji, whom she deeply admired and grew to love. She was a perceptive and expressive child, demonstrating uncanny abilities from a very young age, such as correctly guessing which hand held a hidden candy or sensing when something bad was about to happen to Kenji. These incidents hinted at the psychic potential she would carry with her into adulthood.
Following Kenji's disappearance during the Bloody New Year's Eve incident in the year 2000, Kanna was taken in by Yukiji Setoguchi, a close friend of her uncle. As she grew older, the memory of Kenji became a defining force in her life. She treasured a cassette tape of his songs and, as a teenager, became fiercely independent and strong-willed, even resorting to violent acts like breaking school windows to defend her uncle's innocence. Her uncle's philosophy and the few words of advice he left her became the foundation of her moral code and her determined mindset.
By the age of seventeen in the year 2014, Kanna had become a bold and charismatic young woman, working at a Chinese restaurant and unafraid to involve herself in dangerous situations, such as breaking up conflicts between rival mafia groups. She is characterized by her immense courage, her ability to remain calm under pressure, and a profound sense of justice that drives her to stand up against the oppressive regime of Friend. Her personality is the inverse of her uncle in many ways; while Kenji was a dreamer who lacked willpower, Kanna possesses tremendous willpower and resolve, though her focus is often narrowed to seeking revenge for the loss of her uncle rather than pursuing grand dreams. Beneath her fearless exterior, however, she carries a deep sadness stemming from the loss of Kenji and the prolonged absence of her mother.
Kanna's role in the story becomes pivotal as she emerges as a leader of the resistance against Friend in a dystopian future. Her natural charisma allows her to unite disparate and unlikely allies, including Thai and Chinese mafias, to work together against a common enemy. Under the alias of the Ice Queen, she leads a rebel faction from a hidden ramen shop within a walled-off Tokyo. Her primary motivation is to avenge Kenji and dismantle the world that Friend has built, viewing this fight as the sole purpose for her existence.
Key relationships shape her development significantly. Her bond with Kenji is the most important of her life, and she idolizes him to the point of rejecting any false hope that he might still be alive, as she fears that such hope would weaken her resolve for revenge. She has a complex dynamic with Otcho, a former ally of Kenji, who confronts her about her reckless plans, convincing her to call off a suicidal raid that would have led to the death of all her followers. This moment marks a turning point in her development, as she learns to temper her desire for vengeance with the responsibility of leadership. The revelation that Friend is her father also causes her a great deal of psychological turmoil, nearly breaking her spirit.
Kanna possesses notable extrasensory abilities, the origins of which are hinted to be the result of a secret medicine given to her mother. These powers include precognition, allowing her to foresee immediate future events and win at guessing games, and limited telekinesis, which she describes as being only strong enough to bend a spoon. While initially feeling her powers are useless, her latent telepathic abilities ultimately prove crucial in the final confrontation, as she uses them to send a message to Kenji in the past to prevent the last bomb from detonating. In the epilogue set in Africa, where she reunites with her mother, it is mentioned that she may have lost her psychic powers, though her final action hints at a lingering intuition.