A massive one-armed man, Sano notes that he is even larger than Anji. Initially portrayed as a relatively selfless and understanding individual, his character becomes increasingly distorted until he reaches the brink of insanity. His height also progressively increases, starting from a large but still believable stature when first introduced, to an enormous figure with a hand the size of an average person during his rampage.
During the Battle of Toba Fushimi in the Bakumatsu, Kujiranami fought Kenshin, who severed his right arm. Feeling robbed of his warrior's pride and era, Kujiranami asked Kenshin to kill him, as he did not want to live in an age where wars were fought with guns instead of swords, devoid of skill and soul. However, Kenshin refused, stating that he no longer wanted to kill unnecessarily and that Kujiranami should live on in the new era. This denial of a warrior's death was the final blow for Kujiranami, leading him to swear vengeance on Kenshin for dishonoring him. He subsequently joined Enishi's Jinchu to exact his revenge.
Enishi provided Kujiranami with an Armstrong cannon to replace his missing arm, which he used to destroy the Akabeko and the police chief's home. He was eventually subdued by Saito, arrested, and imprisoned. Later, he went berserk in his cell and escaped, receiving an upgraded weapon from Enishi—a grenade launcher—which he used to wreak havoc in Tokyo while searching for Kenshin.
Yahiko was the only one present to confront Kujiranami at the time and managed to hold him off until Kenshin arrived and cut off his grenade launcher, restoring his sanity. Yahiko then convinced Kujiranami that his hatred towards a fellow samurai was misguided and had only led him down the wrong path. Moved to tears by Yahiko's words, Kujiranami accepted his mistakes, apologized to Kenshin for his crimes, and turned himself back into the police. His design is inspired by X-Men's Apocalypse.
