“ | I have many dogs outside the prison. Loyal dogs who obey my every command. You'd better watch how you treat me, if you don't want you or your family to become dog food. | „ |
~ Bodhidharma Kanis threatening Fifi Laguarde. |
Bodhidharma Kanis (Japanese: Ryouken Houinbou) is a major antagonist of Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. He is a prisoner in Fifi Laguarde's jail and the assassin of the President Di-Jun Wang. While he appears in two cases, he is not the culprit in either of them, despite being responsible for the actions that happen.
Background[]
Bodhidharma Kanis was a ruthless assassin who killed countless people despite being blind. With the help of his guide dog and his bells, he could hunt down and murder anyone he was told to. While he was on a walk, his dog noticed two young boys locked in a car. Not without empathy, Kanis broke the two boys out and put them in an orphanage. The boys were Bronco Knight and Simeon Saint, the latter of whom would grow up to be the game's main antagonist.
Kanis was hired by Excelsius Winner, Fifi Laguarde and the president's body double to kill Di-Jun Wang when he was visiting an orphanage. He did so but was spotted by Simeon Saint. As a token of gratitude for saving his life, Saint helped Kanis to escape from the three conspirators after they decided to kill Kanis. Kanis took Saint under his wing, with the two forming an almost familial bond with one another. At some point in time later though, Kanis would be incriminated for his occupation as an assassin by Miles Edgeworth.
Prison was little more than an early retirement for Kanis. He immediately made himself at home, spending time with his dog and carving chess pieces and weapons, threatening Fifi Laguarde into compliance. Kanis held a special amount of contempt for her, as she had tried to kill Saint when he was an orphan. Kanis used her fear of him to set up a smuggling ring, with him having eyes and ears all over the prison, effectively being the leader of it under Laguarde. Despite being in an isolated cell for the safety of others, he still enjoyed social interaction with his dog Helmut, whom he loved dearly.
In the present day, Kanis and Knight were playing correspondence chess after Knight's arrest. After Laguarde murdered Knight, Kanis was a prime suspect along with Simeon Saint, as it was believed that Kanis had asked Saint to kill Knight. While Simeon was indeed guilty for setting up Knight to be killed, Kanis was only responsible for shaping Simeon into the killer he had become, though this was not found out until much later. Miles Edgeworth interacted with Kanis, with the two trying to intellectually dominate one another, though these interactions turned out to be red herrings.
“ | His is the first life I have ever saved... I will not allow it to be taken away so easily. | „ |
~ Bodhidharma Kanis. |
In Turnabout for the Ages, Kanis was able to break out of jail during Laguarde's trial, as security had been moved to implicate the former warden in her crimes. He did not cross paths with Miles Edgeworth until the end of the chapter, where he intervened in stopping Shelly de Killer from killing Simeon Saint, once Saint had been exposed as the mastermind. The two assassins fought to a stalemate, with De Killer respecting Kanis' wishes to spare Saint. Kanis turned himself in and guided Simeon to his cell, where the two companions were to stay for the remainder of their lives.
Personality[]
Kanis is a ruthless and cunning man, though not one without kindness. He is feared by almost everyone due to how dangerous he is, with even the warden of the prison he's incarcerated being terrified of him. He enjoys toying with people, trying to intimidate them into submission with his odd and eerie mannerisms.
He was also extremely intelligent, being a skilled chess player and sculptor. Despite being blind, he knew how to create impressive chess pieces and play games without being able to see where they were on the board. He also loved his dog closely, even if he had turned him into a killing machine, an act that was still inhumane.
Kanis had a soft spot for children, especially orphans. He had no advantage to gain from rescuing Knight and Saint other than kindness, and kept in contact with them over a decade later while even helping them along the way. It's noteworthy that Saint (a pure sociopath) had genuine respect for Kanis, seeing him almost as a father. This may be why he loathed Fifi Laguarde so much, as she was a child abuser.