Ginzou Kaneboshi is a notorious loan shark whose death serves one purpose: proving to Kyosuke Higuchi that Misa Amane really is the Second Kira. Misa picks him as a test target and secretly has Rem carry out the actual killing — a demonstration convincing enough that Higuchi trusts her and reveals himself as the Yotsuba Kira in return.
An overweight, balding, middle-aged man with a broad, round face, prominent jowls, and thick eyebrows, usually shown in a garish checked or plaid suit jacket.
Vile, predatory, and driven entirely by greed, with no empathy for the people he squeezes for money.
After her release from confinement, Misa meets with Kyosuke Higuchi and claims to be the Second Kira. Skeptical, Higuchi demands proof — that she kill someone of his choosing on the spot. Misa searches the news for a suitable target and picks Kaneboshi for his reputation as a violent, well-known loan shark. She pretends to write his name herself to sell the act, but secretly has Rem perform the actual killing. Kaneboshi dies of a heart attack almost immediately; Higuchi confirms it with a phone call to one of Kaneboshi’s own bodyguards, and the successful “judgment” is enough to earn Misa his trust — and, with it, access to the Yotsuba Group.
Minor: Ch. 48 (image shown on screen).
Mentioned only: Ch. 48.
Misa Amane
His nominal executioner — she views him as a disposable “bad person” useful for winning Higuchi’s trust.
Rem
His actual executioner, who kills him to protect Misa’s cover.
Kyosuke Higuchi
Already familiar with his criminal reputation, and the one who chooses him as Misa’s test.
- A textbook example of the “mid-tier” criminal Kira usually targeted to keep public support strong — obviously immoral, but not a public or political figure.
- One of the few Kira killings confirmed on the page by a direct phone call to the scene rather than a news broadcast.