Kanaxai, also known as the Hunger of the Deep, is a malevolent demon and the primary antagonist of the What Lies Beneath story arc in Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons. Originating from the Deep, a corrupted part of the Jade Sea, Kanaxai once led a demonic invasion in Guild Wars: Factions and returns in Guild Wars 2 as the source of a spreading corruption beneath Cantha.
A powerful agent of torment and madness, Kanaxai thrives on chaos, fear, and insatiable hunger. Once thought destroyed, he endured within the corrupted void of the Jade Sea and began to influence the mortal realm once again, feeding on jade corruption and manipulating the hearts of mortals.
Biography[]
Origins[]
Kanaxai is a demon from the Realm of Torment, drawn to the mortal world by the promise of fear, chaos, and unchecked power. He first manifested during the events of Guild Wars: Factions, where he took over a section of the Jade Sea known as The Deep, twisting it into a nightmarish realm filled with grotesque abominations and shadowy Oni.
Adventurers in the Canthan Empire once descended into The Deep and struck down Kanaxai, but his destruction was incomplete.
What Lies Beneath[]
Centuries later, in the events of End of Dragons, the Jade Sea begins to exhibit strange corruption and aggressive elemental behavior. The Jade Brotherhood and the Speakers—rival factions seeking control over the region—find themselves facing inexplicable horrors surfacing from the depths.
It is eventually revealed that Kanaxai survived his prior defeat and began regenerating within the void-tainted areas beneath the Jade Sea. Drawing power from the ambient corruption left in the wake of the fallen Elder Dragon Soo-Won, Kanaxai’s influence spreads through whispers, madness, and possession.
The Commander, in alliance with Gorrik, Rama, and Myrun Skialkin, tracks the source of the corruption and confronts Kanaxai in a climactic battle. Though the demon is ultimately destroyed in the Temple of the Dredge deep beneath the sea, the threat he represents—demonic entities feeding on mortal fear—remains a haunting possibility for Tyria.
Personality[]
Kanaxai is not merely destructive—he is insatiable. His very essence is hunger: for power, for suffering, and for chaos. He is a being of few words, but his influence is deeply psychological. He corrupts not just bodies, but minds, warping the desires of mortals and inciting madness and discord.
He lacks empathy, remorse, or allegiance—his only loyalty is to entropy. In this, Kanaxai represents a contrast to the ordered, if dangerous, motives of the Elder Dragons. He is not trying to reshape Tyria—he simply seeks to consume it.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Corruption of Jade: Feeds on magical jade energy and uses it to manifest tendrils of void corruption.
- Mind Control and Madness: Whispers into the minds of the weak, inciting hallucinations, rage, or despair.
- Manifestation of Fear: Creates physical projections of internal fears and torments to attack foes.
- Oni Summoning: Commands legions of corrupted oni and voidspawn to do his bidding.
- Void Adaptation: Gained new power by leeching void magic from the remnants of Soo-Won’s death.
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 Villains
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