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General Katana was the Immortal dictator of the planet Zeist, or of Earth in the distant past (Highlander II: The Renegade Version). He was the main villain of Highlander II: The Quickening.
History[]
In the original theatrical version of Highlander II: The Quickening, General Katana ruled the planet Zeist with brute force, instigating an underground rebellion against him led by Connor MacLeod and Ramirez. However, the two were subsequently defeated and captured by his troops.
Afterward, the pair were put on trial by Zeist's priests, who sentenced them to be reborn on Earth (against Katana's desires for the death-penalty), and fight with other Immortals who were likewise exiled from the planet. Katana was very displeased with the verdict (the last remaining Immortal able to return to Zeist with freedom fully restored). The MacLeod and Ramirez were sent to Earth, leaving Katana with the fear that Connor MacLeod would one day come back and overthrow him.
In 1985, MacLeod defeated his last Immortal enemy, The Kurgan, and won the Prize, but chose to stay on Earth, grow old, and die, rather than return to Zeist. This outcome still gave Katana significant unease, regardless.
Arrival in 2024[]
Katana sends his henchman to kill Connor.
By the year 2024, Connor MacLeod had become old and tired, but was still able to return to Zeist, if he so desired (despite seemingly holding no memories of the planet). General Katana, feeling that his reign on Zeist was once again endangered, sent two Immortal henchman, Corda and Reno, to kill him. They attack MacLeod soon after their arrival, but underestimate him -- as a result, Connor easily killed them both and becomes youthful again, due to the Quickenings.
Katana, deciding to kill MacLeod himself, traveled to New York City. Teleported inside a train, Katana killed a man for his long overcoat, after which he used his Immortal powers to sadistically accelerate the train, causing it to smash through a wall, killing or injuring all on board which included a child and an infant baby. The police do not arrest Katana. The relatives of those killed on board are very sad about what happened. Choosing a large, empty building for his first battle with the Highlander, Katana met MacLeod on Holy Ground, at the tomb of his deceased wife Brenda Wyatt. This gave him the opportunity to taunt Connor, who remarked that Katana was still the same jerk as before, and that he never even wanted to go back before Katana tried to kill him.Soon thereafter, the two fought atop the empty building; the battle, however, is broken off when Connor jumped on the top of an elevator that crashed down a shaft, with MacLeod barely escaping alive.
The Destruction of the Shield[]
Katana and Blake
After his failed attempt to kill MacLeod, Katana formed an uneasy alliance with David Blake, chairman of the Shield Corporation. MacLeod, together, with a resurrected Ramirez and terrorist leader Louise Marcus, attempted to free Connor's old friend Dr. Alan Neyman from prison.
Unfortunately, Neyman was discovered to be near death after being brutalized while in custody, but gave them the exact location where they can break through the Shield just moments before passing away. Soon thereafter, Blake activated a deadly trap to kill them -- Ramirez sacrificing himself, while Connor and Louise escaped in a stolen military vehicle. On the way out, Katana jumped in front of the truck, with MacLeod running right over him. However, after Katana successfully boarded the truck's rear end, he Connor fought on the vehicle's roof. MacLeod took a beating from Katana, but still succeeded in throwing him off the truck, witnessing the other Immortal standing in the roadway, laughing maniacally.
Afterward, Katana returned to the Shield Corporation, knowing that MacLeod would come back sooner or later. Blake, angry that MacLeod was still alive and a threat to them, accused Katana of screwing it up. Katana then lost all patience with Blake, brutally murdering him.
Katana's face.
When Connor entered the building, he encounters General Katana waiting for him in the dome where the main planetary shield-generator is located. MacLeod, brandishing Ramirez's Masamune katana, battled his enemy for the last time. After a short fight, General Katana nearly overwhelmed Connor, who, in the last moments, pushed Katana's hand against the energy-field of the generator. Katana was forced back, with Connor at the advantage. In the end, MacLeod forceed Katana onto his knees, and beheaded him. With the combined Quickenings, MacLeod destroyed the Shield.
Personality[]
Katana was a very cruel and sadistic person. He liked to kill people or destroy things for his own personal amusement. He also felt much hatred towards Connor MacLeod, whom he saw as a threat to his position. He would often make snarky, inappropriate remarks about people and situations, such as during the subway train and Holy Ground scenes in the film.
Fighting Style[]
Katana used a special two-handed sword, which could be increased to its full length when a button was pressed. Like The Kurgan, he generally used his strength to overpower his opponents and claim victory in combat.
Alternate Continuity[]
In the 1995 and 2004 Renegade Versions of Highlander II: The Quickening, the continuity of the film was altered so that, instead of being aliens from the distant planet Zeist, General Katana, Connor MacLeod, Ramirez, and indeed all other Immortals were instead exiles from the Earth's own distant past, sent into the future as criminals, and forced to battle each other for The Prize in various historical eras.
Trivia[]
He is the only villain in the films to not be shown taking any Quickenings.