Lord Hazanko

"I finally have it, Power! POWER!"

- Lord Hazanko

Lord Hazanko is the main antagonist of the interstellar sci-fi/fantasy anime series "Outlaw Star".

Overview
"He's a dangerous man."

- Suzuka about Lord Hazanko.

Lord Hazanko is the leader of the 108 Stars, the most brutal branch of the Chinese Kei Pirate Guild which itself is the largest and most powerful of all the four pirate guilds in the Toward Star galaxy. Although he is not the leader of the Kei Pirates as a whole, Hazanko is one of the guild's highest ranking members. Because of the extent of his organization, the measure of his power and the methods he and his followers use to achieve their goals, Hazanko is considered by many to surpass even his fellow Kei leaders. However, he is not known merely for his status, wealth and influence :Hazanko is also an immensely powerful master of Tao Magic (the ancient Chinese magic used by the Kei Pirates), his skill and power surpassed only by the Tendo King (The leader of the Kei Pirates) and the Tempa Emperor. Thus, Hazanko is greatly respected by many, and feared by many more, inside his guild. His past and personal life is shrouded in mystery but with his position in the Kei Pirates and his mastery of Tao magic, Hazanko is one of the most powerful and feared individuals in the galaxy.

History
"Not just the Tendo King, the power of the Galactic Leyline surpasses that of the Tempa Emperor, No!, It's magnificent power is EVEN GREATER THAN THAT!!!"

- Lord Hazanko describing the Galactic Leyline.

Little is known about Hazanko's past. From what little information there is of him, it can be assumed that Hazanko was a very successful pirate, having climbed to one of the highest levels of power in the Kei Guild. Despite all the wealth and power he had gained over his long life, Hazanko's ambition was endless and his desire for power insatiable, he desired to overthrow his master, the Tendo King and even the Tempa Emperor, the only two individuals in the universe whose power and influence surpassed his own. At some unknown point, Hazanko and the Kei Pirates learned of the Galactic Leyline which is said to hold the greatest power in the universe. Hazanko was tasked by the Tendo King to find the Leyline for him, little did the Tendo King suspect that Hazanko's real intention was to find and take the Leyline for himself.

The Kei Pirates learned of ancient ruins connected to the Leyline called the "Grave of the Dragon", they interfered with the survey team already exploring the ruins and took it's secrets for themselves. Eventually the Kei Pirates were able to find the Leyline but it's natural defences were beyond anything they could ever have imagined and were unable to enter it. Because there were still secrets to be revealed, Hazanko lauched the "Leyline Project". Hazanko financially supported the research project of Proffessor Gwen Kahn, a brilliant scientist who decoded genetic engineering data uncover from the ruins which Hazanko provided him.

At the same time, the Kei Pirates also began to construct an advanced ship which would be used to enter the Galactic Leyline. Knowing they could not develop such a ship on their own, the pirates used their vast wealth and connections to get a space forces group to sign on to the project. Both branches of the Leyline Project proved successful, producing the XGP-15A2, the fastest and most advanced grappler ship ever built, and the bio android, Melfina, who would serve as both the navigation system of the ship into the Leyline and also the maiden who would open the gates of the Leyline and gain access to it's power.

However, Hazanko faced a major setback, because of an "ambarassing deception" both Melfina and the XGP were stolen by an outlaw named Hilda. Hazanko and the Kei Pirates were intent on retrieving them and thus began to relentlessly hunt down Hilda. Hazanko dispatched a group of his forces led by Soi Len to eliminate Hilda and recover Melfina and the XGP.

During the Series
"And so I entrust you with this very task, in the name of the Anten, you must seal Gene Starwind's fate."

- Lord Hazanko giving the Anten Seven their new target.

Soi Len's group, consisting of a Cyborg General, an Elderly Tao Master who acted Soi Len's second in command, The Sunjutsu master Kyokan, and Yase, a pirate ninja, chased Hilda across much of the Galaxy and had several encounters with her and her allies resulting in much bloodshed on both sides. The Pirates pursued Hilda all the way to the remote world of Sentinal III in the territory of the Ban Pirate Guild. The tables were soon turned when Hilda recruited a young up-and-coming outlaw named Gene Starwind.

After several close calls with the pirates, Soi Len's group was destroyed;The Cyborg was killed by Gene during their first scruffle, the Old Man was killed in a grappler fight when the pirate tried to recapture the XGP and Melfina at Farfallas, and Soi Len herself was killed during that same battle along with Hilda when she sacrificed herself to allow Gene and his friends to escape. With Hilda gone, the Kei Pirates soon enough turned their attention to Gene Starwind. The remainder of Sol Len's group, namely Yase and Kyokan, whom Soi Len had left on Sentinal III as lookouts, soon attacked them and tried to complete the mission but were both killed by Twilight Suzuka, an assassin with her own past with Kei Pirates. The Guild sent several grappler ships to assist but they were all destroyed by Gene and the XGP, now named the Outlaw Star.

Hazanko became quite intrigued with this young outlaw and spent many months tracking Gene and his friends, keeping tabs on their location and activities. Eventually, Hazanko decided to send his own personal force to kill Gene and collect his property, this group was known as the "Anten Seven", an elite group of the strongest assassins in the Kei Pirate Guild, each and every member with their own particular field of expertise and all completely loyal to Hazanko. He adviced them that while Gene Starwind was strong, his power should be nothing compared to their's. However, he also  warned them that if Gene's potential were left to grow unchecked then Hazanko believed he would one day cast a dark shadow on the pirates' position of power.

The first assassin sent out was Shimi(who's real name was Leilong), a warrior whose fighting skill and strength were such there's no one in the pirate guild who had never heard of him, and thus he was second only to Hazanko himself. Leilong could very well have easily killed Gene and his friends and successfully retrieved both Melfina and the XGP had he not decided to "die" in battle against Gene, thus to remove himself from the Kei Pirates and escape any punishment Hazanko would no doubt give him for failing. Hazanko was enraged that Shimi had failed but the remaining Antens assured him that they would take care of Gene, despite the failure, Hazanko was now even more intrigued with Gene and pondered the thought of meeting him.

The second assassin sent out was Lady Iraga, a werewolf with miraculous strength. Although she still fully intended to carry out her mission, Iraga chose to defy Hazanko and take some time to enter into an intergalactic fighting tournament which decides the strongest woman in the universe. This turned out to be her undoing as in the final match, she was defeated by Aisha Clan Clan, a Ctarl Ctarl who had also recently joined Gene's crew.

The Third assassin Hazanko sent out was Hanmyo, a child-prodigy and the youngest member of the Anten Seven. A master of grappler combat with her super intelligent cats, Kemi and Mata, who act her co-pilots and guardians. Although she fared well against the Outlaw Star and it's crew, she and her cats were tragically killed when the crew finally managed to destroy her ship the second time she attacked them.

Although patient at first, Hazanko began to get increasingly frustrated by his subordinates' constant failures to recover the Melfina and the XGP. After the fourth assassin, the master of disguise and killing tools, Tobigera failed to kill Gene while he and his crew stopped at the resort world of Tenrei, Hazanko had finally had enough, although for some reason, he chose not to punish Tobigera for his failure.

The Galactic Leyline
"I had to drop everything I was working on to come here."

- Lord Hazanko as he reached the Galactic Leyline at last.

Lord Hazanko, out of boiling impatients,(and possibly on orders from the Tendo King due to the same reasons), finally decided to use other means to enter the Galactic Leyline. He soon discovered a new way to breach the Leyline's defenses. He had two powerful Tao masters in his staff develop a highly advanced, yet excruciatingly draining, ritual which combined Tao magic with advanced technology to force the dangerous gas clouds of the Leyline apart thus providing a window for a ship enter.

During the ritual, Hazanko was paid a visit by the Tendo King's overseer on board his personal grappler ship, the Geomancer. The overseer questioned Hazanko's actions saying he was not following the King's orders but Hazanko brushed him off saying he was doing just as ordered and has found a way into the Leyline. However, when the overseer demanded to know why, if this was the case, he had not reported his progress to the Tendo King and was simply opening the Leyline on his own, Hazanko had decided that he no longer needed to play the part and revealed his real intentions and ambition as the overseer had already suspected.

The overseer and his squad tried to eliminate Hazanko though he and the remaining members of the Anten Seven easily dispatched them, they also destroyed his ship and though Hazanko knew the Tendo King would grow suspicious when the overseer didn't return, by the time he did, Hazanko would already have in his possession everything the Leyline had to offer.

As a strange twist of irony, Hazanko suddenly found himself in the ideal position as the XGP would soon appear in the area with Gene Starwind and his crew, who themselves had been able to find the Leyline's location. Suddenly with both of his possesions right in front of him, Hazanko and his fleet launched hundreds of fighters, ordering them to capture the XGP and take Melfina. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Outlaw Star held it's own and successfully entered the Leyline. During the battle, a Ctarl Ctarl warship also arrived and destroyed much of the pirate fleet, they intended to claim the Leyline for the Empire but Hazanko was unconcerned, fully knowing they would not be able to force their way into the Leyline.

He became more concerned when the MacDougall Brother showed up in their own ship and was shocked to find that his old employee, Professor Gwen Kahn, was with them. Soon after, the Tao ritual was complete and the method created a tunnel in the Leyline's clouds to allow the Geomancer to enter. During the time, Hazanko briefly tried, and almost succeeded in capturing the XGP had it not been for Harry MacDougall's actions. Although he still desired to capture them, Hazanko was forced to proceed on to the Leyline. Upon landing in it's cylinderal core, Hazanko left Tobigera to protect the Geomancer while Jukai, Hamushi and Hitoriga were to accompany him into the Leyline. Once inside, Hazanko finally came face to face with Gene and demanded that he return Melfina to him. Fortunately, before he could make good on his threats, the Leyline soon teleported Melfina to the gate and everyone else to random locations.

Tired of playing games, Hazanko had his strongest Tao Master and right-hand-man, Jukai, use a powerful spell to tranport him directly to the gates of the inner Leyline, unconcerned about the whereabouts of the others. Upon reaching the gate, Hazanko was overjoyed to have Melfina back in his grasp to fullfill the purpose of her creation. Although Harry MacDougall valiantly tried to protect Melfina with his new android body,(even managing to blow a hole in Hazanko's mask), he was no match for the mighty Tao Master's power and was easily and fatally deteated. Hazanko then suspended Melfina's consciousness and used her to enter the inner Leyline.

Once  reaching the Leyline's core and presenting Melfina to it, Hazanko's worthiness was recognized and the Leyline asked him what his desire was and he made his wish; "Power!, immensense power so absolute, that even the Tendo King what have to bow before me and allow me to crush even the Emperor!". At that point it seemed as though Hazanko had won but his victory was cut short with the arrival of Gene who wasted no time in firing a rare and powerful No.4 caster shell to suck him into a minature black hole. Unfortunately, even this was not enough to destroy Hazanko who's proficiency in Tao magic was such that he was uneffected by even the strongest of caster shells and managed to emerge mere minutes later from the apparent nonexistence.

During the confrontation, Hazanko revealed everything about Melfina and her purpose to Gene and ruthlessly taunted and fed into her incorrect theory that Gene merely used her to reach the Leyline as he himself had. Now driven to rage, Gene fired his last caster shell at the same time as Hazanko unleashed a powerful Tao spell intent on finishing Gene for good. The caster shell and Hazanko Tao magic both reacted and cancelled each other out causing a chain reaction that killed everyone in the process.

Though everyone died, the will of the Leyline kept them alive and restored everyone, during the time, Hazanko's wish was granted and thus finally giving him all the power he had ever wanted and making him even more insane than ever before. Hazanko then began his journey out the Leyline, intent to use his newly granted power to conquer and rule not just the galaxy but the entire universe as well.

The Final Battle
"I don't know why I'm waisting time like this when I could absorb you directly into myself."

- Lord Hazanko during his fight with Gene Starwind.

Hazanko flew insanely out of the Leyline's core and merged with the Geomancer, absorbing it's crew, and Tobigera in the process, growing into a giant titanical monstrosity. Before he could leave and cause chaos throughout the universe, Hazanko was once again confronted by Gene and the Outlaw Star, which themselves had been granted the Leyline's power thanks to Melfina.

Although Hazanko managed to gain the upperhand at first, even intending to absorb Gene and his crew directly into his body, Gene was able to combine his power plus that of Melfina and the crew and worked together to turn the tides,(also killing Tobigera in the process). After an intense battle, Gene Starwind and his crew used everything they had to deliver the final blow, destroying Hazanko once and for all, thus ending his threat, not only to themselves, but the entire cosmos as well.

In the end, Hazanko's evil and all the power he had lusted for simply wasn't enough to defeat the crew of the Outlaw Star and the powerful bond they all shared.

Just as Lord Hazanko had feared, by destroying one of the most powerful and feared individuals in the galaxy such as himself, Gene Starwind had indeed casted a dark shadow upon the Kei Pirates' position of power.