Character Profile: Kaoru Koganei

Kaoru Koganei is a young boy who likes puzzles. He is exceptionally talented in "transfomer" types of puzzles. Seeing this talent, Mori Kouran's adopted son, Kurei, takes him into his group and gives him the elemental weapon called "Kougon Anki".

The Kougon Anki has five basic "forms". In it's default form, it is a halberd. The other forms include a boomerang, a chain sickle, huge scissor-type blades, and it's "true" form, a bow with a metal arrow. A normal human with proper training can "transform" the Kougon Anki into any of its 5 forms in about 40 seconds. Kaoru however, can do it almost instantaneously.

Kaoru at the beginning worked with Kurei and helped him in the kidnapping of Yanagi. He later develops a liking to Yanagi. But later, he felt betrayed by Kurei because the latter promised him that Yanagi not be harmed during the but testing but reneged on the promise.

He then breaks away with Kurei's group, saying "he can't go along" with them anymore. During the Killer's Tournament, when Recca's Team Hokage was short one member, Kaoru offered to join the team in order to help protect Yanagi.

In the manga, Kaoru is only 12 years old, not 13.