Don Kanonji

Don Kanonji

Age: Unknown
Rank: Founder and self-appointed leader of the Karakura Super Heroes, a group consisting of himself and the spiritually gifted children of Karakura-cho: Kurosaki Karin, Hanakari Jinta, and Tsumugiya Ururu. Also the self-appointed master of Kurosaki Ichigo (much to Ichigo’s irritation).
Ability: He is gifted enough to be able to see spirits, his ability to fight hollows is limited. In his first known encounter with a hollow, he used a small spirit blast that completely wiped him out, but had little effect on the hollow itself.

Biography: Don Kanonji’s real name is Kanonji Misao, and his chosen stage name is Misaomaru. It is unknown why he chose his current profession, but he is proving to be very successful. Kanonji is very tall and thin, and is surprisingly narrow-shouldered, though his outrageous costumes hide that fact. He wears round sunglasses and carries a cane that he refers to as his “Super Spirits Stick.”

Don Kanonji is a self-proclaimed spirit medium who, for some reason, has gained enough popularity and credibility to have one of the top rated shows in Japan. According to Ichigo, one in every four people in Japan watch his show, and since most older people don’t watch the show, that means that the majority of the viewers are in his age group. Of the Kurosaki family, Isshin and Yuzu are big fans of the show. Karin is indifferent and skeptical, and Ichigo despises the show, and has severe doubts about Kanonji’s credibility, and tries to tell Yuzu that, but she refuses to hear anything negative about Kanonji.

When Don Kanonji comes to Karakura-cho for a special presentation, Ichigo is dragged along with his family, and he and Rukia notice that there really is a ghost on location. This is the introduction of the idea of a “demi-hollow,” a spirit on its way to becoming a hollow. The chain of fate is still attached, but is slowly peeling away to reveal the hole that marks a hollow. Without agitation, it should take several months for the spirit to become a hollow. When Ichigo and Rukia realize that Kanonji’s exorcism is to tear out the chain of fate, they rush to try and stop him, and are too late. The spirit is vaporized, and moments later reappears as a hollow.

It is at this point that Ichigo becomes a shinigami and realizes that Kanonji can see him, and therefore can see hollows. Ichigo explains to Kanonji that he’s trying to save him, but Kanonji refuses to listen, and assumes that Ichigo is another lost spirit. However, Kanonji eventually realizes what he’s done, and allows Ichigo to perform his duty as a shinigami. He then proceeds to name Ichigo his partner, only to demote him a few days later to his apprentice.

While Ichigo and company are in Soul Society, Kanonji gathers together Karin, who has been seeing more hollows than she had before, Ururu, and Jinta. He forms a team called Karakura Superheroes, with himself as the leader Karakura Gold, both Karin and Jinta as Karakura Red, and Ururu as Karakura Pink. In the anime, the filler episode based on the omake chapter 88.5 adds Yuzu and Kon to the mix, Yuzu as Karakura Yellow, and Kon becomes Karakura King.

Don Kanonji is a good man at heart, if a little eccentric and conceded on the surface. Since discovering that his former methods of exorcism just turned the spirits into hollows, he’s made more of an effort to defeat hollows.