Kanto (comics)

Kanto is a supervillain and extraterrestrial assassin published by DC Comics.

Publication history
Kanto first appeared in Mister Miracle #7 (March/April 1972), and was created by Jack Kirby. His appearance is modeled after Renaissance nobleman Cesare Borgia and actor Errol Flynn.

Fictional character biography
A former student of Granny Goodness on Apokolips, Iluthin is accused of stealing weaponry from Darkseid's then-master assassin Kanto 13 and is exiled to Renaissance-era Earth. Subsequently, he trains under Italian teachers and falls in love with a woman named Claudia before Kanto 13 kills her. After Darkseid kills Kanto 13, Iluthin returns to Apokolips and takes on the latter's name and job.

During writer John Byrne's Genesis comic mini-series, Kanto encounters Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, his former student and lover.

During the Death of the New Gods storyline, Kanto is killed by Infinity-Man while spying on Orion, Mister Miracle, and Superman.

During Final Crisis, Kanto appears alive serving Darkseid and Kalibak, with the three possessing humans on Earth and posing as businessmen.

New 52
In The New 52 continuity, Kanto is depicted as a former lover of Leonardo da Vinci and teacher of KGBeast.

Powers and abilities
As a member of the New Gods, Kanto is functionally immortal and possesses superhuman physical abilities. He is additionally resistant to psychic powers and is a trained athlete and a fine hand-to-hand combatant. He is renowned as a master of weapons, being equally adept in Apokoliptian and Earth weaponry. Except Darkseid himself, Kanto is unequaled on Apokolips as a cunning strategist in devising methods of hunting and assassinating victims

Television

 * Kanto appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU).
 * Introduced in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "Tools of the Trade", voiced by Michael York, this version is an associate of Intergang who supplies them with Apokoliptian weaponry. After Intergang's defeat, Kanto retreats back to Apokolips, taking Bruno Mannheim with him.
 * Kanto appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Alive!", voiced by an uncredited Corey Burton. Following Darkseid's death in the preceding DCAU series Justice League, he and Mantis serve as lieutenants for Virman Vundabar in his power struggle with Granny Goodness, which ends after Darkseid's resurrection and return to Apokolips.
 * Kanto appears in Justice League Action, voiced by Troy Baker.

Video games

 * Kanto appears in Superman: Shadow of Apokolips, voiced again by Michael York.
 * Kanto appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
 * Kanto appears as a playable character and boss in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Corey Burton.