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Kage was born in the year A.D. 701 in Metz, Austria. In 749, Kage was executed for raping and murdering a noble’s wife. He revived after his death, and became Immortal. He was taught the ways of the Immortals by Clovis.
At some point, he would face his first Immortal, Marcus Constantine’s mentor Flavius Sulla and took Sulla's head and Quickening. He also took his sword, which he regarded as a trophy. Throughout 1,200 years, Kage spread a legacy of murder, rape, betrayal, and thievery across three continents.
Spanish Civil War
In 1937, Kage was in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, posing as a journalist -- however, he was a spy for Franco and his Fascists.
Kage in 1937.
It was during the Del Marino Bridge operation that he met Duncan MacLeod, who was working as a newspaper reporter. Kage, however, betrayed him, and the Communists were killed. The reason for the betrayal was simply money.
Cambodia
Kage would later meet MacLeod again in 1975 while he was a Major in Cambodia during the Vietnam conflict. At that time, Kage was also operating as a heroin-smuggler. Duncan tried to convince Kage to evacuate a group of orphans and a nun who were fleeing the Khmer Rouge. Kage, being completely uncaring, refused to offload his helicopter of its heroin cargo.
In the end, the entire group was viciously slaughtered. Duncan at this point swore revenge against Kage. Later, Kage himself returned and witnessed firsthand the carnage that followed, and with this event, actually felt remorse for the first time.
Kage encounters Duncan in Cambodia
He later went to confession and decided to change his ways. He then proceeded to follow a life of religion in Cambodia and Burma. Later in 1989, he changed his name to "John Kirin," and became a man of God, traveling to many places to preach.
Blind Faith
In the 1990s, he settled in America, where he became a traveling preacher. In 1994, Kage led a small, downtown ashram for the poor. One evening, he and some of his followers were distributing food to homeless people. Matthew, was nearly hit by a car, but Kage pushed him away and took the hit himself. He was brought to the hospital and seemingly died. Dr. Anne Lindsey told his followers the bad news, but suddenly Kage appeared behind her, alive and well. His followers saw this as a sign of God. After this apparent miracle, a reporter, Todd Milchan, started to investigate Kage, he found out that he was not "John Kirin," who had died in Indonesia four years previously, and tried to confront Kage. He, however, was thrown out by Matthew.
Later Duncan MacLeod and Richie visited his ashram. Duncan recognized Kage, and refused to believe that he had changed. Kage and MacLeod had a conversation in which he ensured MacLeod that his intentions were good, and that he had not planned to revive in front of his followers. Duncan let the matter rest, and left. After the reported was found dead in MacLeod's dojo, MacLeod confronted Kage, who was ready to die, unarmed. In the last moment, Duncan decided to not take Kage's head. When he walked away, he said to Duncan that MacLeod had always been the better person. Their conversation, however, was heard by Matthew, who had followed Kage.
Kage suspected Matthew of the murder of the reporter, and headed to the dojo. Matthew was already there, and threatened Kage and Duncan with his gun. Kage tried to talk Matthew around, but was shot. Some minutes later, the police arrived, and Matthew was killed. Kage recognized that he had failed, and decided to leave Seacouver. Outside the town, he and Duncan said farewell -- Kage hoped that they would encounter one another as friends the next time they meet. Kage would go on in preaching the word of God. Later, in the year 1995, he traveled to Creston, Iowa.
Personality
Kage was an very evil man who loved money, and didn't care about other people. After 1975, however, he experienced a conversion when he saw what the Khmer Rouge had done to mere schoolchildren. He suddenly became aware of the feelings and pain of other people, and his own mistakes. He tried to do good and became a traveling preacher, who cared about the homeless and poor.
Fighting Style
Kage was never seen fighting. But it can be assumed that he could handle a sword well, as he was able to defeat Flavius Sulla in combat. He used a Roman sword, which he had taken from Sulla after beheading him. When he became a preacher, he apparently never used it again.
Miscellaneous Information
- The actor who portrayed Kage, Richard Lynch, set himself on fire after taking LSD in 1967. This caused permanent damage to his skin.
- An alternate ending was shot for the third-season episode "Blind Faith," in which Duncan MacLeod beheads John Kirin/Kage. However, the producers (including Bill Panzer) felt that the "redemption/forgiveness"-ending was the stronger one, and decided to leave Kage alive at episode's end.