Kenji

Kenji

Kenji is a triads leader and the main antagonist of Rush Hour 3. He is portrayed by Hiroyuki Sanada. He was the Japanese foster brother of Chief Inspector Lee as they grew up in the same Chinese Orphanage. He was also the villian that attempted to asassinate Ambassador Solon Han.

History

Background

Kenji was the japanese foster brother of Lee and they grew up together in the same orphanage in Bejing right before Lee moved to Hong Kong with his family. They were like brothers as Lee called him "Shyong Dih". Years later Kenji grew up to become an assassin in the leadership of a group of Triads. His first act was to asassinate Chinese Ambassador Solon Han. Ambassador Han and Lee were now working on a new case which was to investigate a triad leadership known as Shy-Shen. They decide to discuss the meeting in Los Angeles at the World Criminal Court with help from Han's freind, French Ambassador and Chairman of the World Criminal Court Warden Reynard.

Rush Hour 3

Upon arriving in Los Angeles from Paris, Kenji goes to the building across from the World Criminal Court and sets up a sniper rifle. While Han is making his speach about the importance of fighting the traids he announces that he may have finally located Shy-Shen. When he is asked what Shy Shen is. The Ambassador was about to answer when Kenji who is dressed in black from the top of the building aim's his sniper rifle at Lee but instead he aims at Han and shoots him in the shoulder. Kenji is spotted by Lee who pursues him all the way through the city until he corners him in an alley. Kenji turns around to reveal to Lee that he's the assassin that shot Ambassador Han. Lee orders Kenji to surrender but when he encourages him to shoot him, Lee hesitates. Kenji pulls out his pistol and says to Lee that maybe this will help. Lee orders him to drop the gun or he'll shoot but Kenji tells him that he thinks they both know that's never going to happend. When he tries to escape Lee shouts out to him and fires his gun. Kenji turns around and tells Lee that he knows him to well. When Carter having heard of Han's incident on the police radio shows up drving towards the two. Kenji shoots at the car Carter is driving causing him to nearly hit Lee but Lee jumps over the car and lands on the front thus allowing Kenji to escape.

Kenji then marks Lee and Carter for death along with Han and Han's daughter Soo-Yung sending a group of his assassins to the hospital that Han is recovering in to kill them. Lee and Carter with help from Soo-Yung dispach the asssains and interogate one of them only to find out that the assassin is speaking french. The leads them to go to Paris to investigate.

Kenji soon returns to Paris and learns that Lee and Carter were now on his trail. After Lee is attacked at a gentlemans club by Kenji's assassin Jasmine the dragon lady, Carter interveningly rescues Lee and they are both forced out of the club. Following a harrorwing car chase in which Kenji's men pursue them. They are finally captured and taken to see Kenji who tells Lee that he should've shot him in the alley back in LA but he couldn't do it. Lee tells Kenji that he's not his brother. Kenji says he will spare Lee and Carter if they leave Paris at once. Carter happily agrees to it. But Lee says he will not leave until he figures out who Shy-Shen is. Kenji orders his men to kill Lee and Carter but Lee provides a distraction allowing him and Carter to escape.

Kenji would later send his henchman after Han's informant Genevieve a french perfromer to aquire Shy-Shen from her. Kenji was aware that she had the list imprinted on the back of her head. Kenji's men attempt to kill Genevieve at her show but Lee and Carter rescue her in time. Kenji sends Jasmine again to kill her at Lee and Carter's hotel room. Lee saves Carter and Genevieve by fending off Jasmine with his pistol forcing her to escape but not before Lee accidentally shot Genevieve in the arm.

Upset over not getting to Shy-Shen, Kenji goes back to L.A. to abduct Soo-Yung and takes her to Paris where he holds her hostage telling Lee by phone to bring him Shy-Shen at the Jules Verne Resturant with is situated atop the Effiel Tower. Kenji warns Lee that if he sees Carter or any other cops with Lee he would execute Soo-Yung.

Lee would later follow Kenji's demands by going to the Eiffel Tower with presumably Genevieve. After they arrived at the resturant, Kenji welcomes Lee to his party and demands Shy-Shen but Lee demands for him to tell him where Soo-Yung was. Kenji instead produces two japanese swords which he tells as a past revealing that a hundred cuts to a persons body with the sword would make the victim stay alive until they die of blood loss. He then slits Lee's arm with the sword and says he had just experience his first cut. Lee threatens him if anything happens to Soo-Yung. Kenji tells him that he has nothing. Carter suddenly appears after having been disguised as Genevieve and holds back Kenji's men at gunpoint saying to Kenji that Lee has him "his brotha from anotha motha". Lee again demands to know where Soo-Yung is and Kenji boldly replied that she was "enjoying the view". Soo-Yung is then shown outside connected by a noose to a pulley system from a rotating crank, leaving Lee horrifed. Carter demands that Kenji let Soo-Yung go or he'll shoot him but when one of the henchman outside pulls the rope, Lee orders Carter to drop the gun. Carter does angrily does so. Kenji then tells Lee that tonight he loses a brother. A sword fight between the two then ensues with both men going blow after blow with both their swords. Lee almost wins the fight by knocking Kenji out the window (losing his sword in the process) but Kenji pulls Lee out and takes Lee's sword. He then chases him outside leaving Carter to fight Kenji's remaning triad henchman inside the resturant which he is later victorious with.

Death

Minutes before his death.

During the sword fight outside, Lee knocks down Kenji until both of them fall off the tower and get caught in a safety net. Unfortunately, Kenji holding Lee's sword cuts the safety net open and it collapses, leaving both men hanging on for dear life. Lee then grabs Kenji's arm, intending to save his life. Kenji tells Lee that if he holds on, both of them will die, but Lee is confident that he can still save him. Kenji sadly gives Lee a goodbye then willingly lets go of Lee and falls to his death landing in a small building through a rooftop thus saving Lee's life.

Trivia

• Kenji and Lee grew up together in the same orphanage during childhood, they had always protected each other and were close as brothers. That is why Lee calls him "Shyong Dih".
• During the alley scene Kenji encourages Lee to shoot him with Lee hesitating, the scene references the beginning of the first film where Lee confronts Sang at the harbor.
• Carter was quite in shock after learning that Kenji was Lee's brother. He was also confused about why Lee was taking this very personally since Lee couldn't kill Kenji in L.A.
• Kenji is the first villian to never scream when falling to his death.
• Kenji is the only character to kill himself.