Aslan Jade Callenreese, (アスラン・ジェイド・カーレンリース, Asuran Jeido Kārenrīsu), better known as Ash Lynx, is the protagonist of Banana Fish. Throughout the majority of the series, Ash is the leader of a New York gang and the unwilling heir to the Corsican mafia.
Ash is a tall and slender young man. He has blond hair, green eyes, and pale skin and is extremely beautiful, as remarked on by numerous characters in the series. In the manga, his hair originally had a flatter style before changing to its signature appearance, and he has a more petite build in the anime. His normal attire consists of a loose white T-shirt, blue jeans, a brown belt, and red hi-top sneakers. He is shown wearing glasses when reading, suggesting that he may be far-sighted. He is briefly shown sporting a green jade earring given to him by Dino Golzine to match the color of his eyes and remind him of his ownership over Ash. Later, Ash dismisses the earring as an unimportant "gift" when Eiji asks about it and then trades it for guns and ammo.
In Angel Eyes, Shorter Wong notes that he looks almost like a "boyish girl", saying that his beauty is almost scary and that he cannot stop staring at him. Although Ash is highly aware of his attractiveness and has learned to weaponize it, his beauty often works against him, making him a target of unwanted sexual advances and harassment from older men and women alike. He is also a target of mockery regarding his appearance and is often underestimated because of his beauty, which he uses to his advantage.
When he wears the jade earring Dino forces upon him, the manga shows the earring on his right ear while the anime shows it on his left.
Personality
Ash has the personality, charisma, and skill to gather large groups of individuals together under his influence. Not only is he excellent in combat and an incredible marksman, but he is also highly intelligent, with an IQ of 180-200. His intelligence lends itself well to solving the mystery of 'Banana Fish' and he has also been stated to be quite well-read, knowing his way around the newspaper's daily columns and political novels- unusual for someone who did not finish middle school.
Along with his remarkable intelligence, Ash's good looks and charisma allow him to sway people's will to his benefit in dire situations, and he's well aware of it. Despite his influence over others, however, Ash is mistrustful and holds most people at arms-length except for a few select friends in his inner circle, including his long-time best friend Shorter, and later Eiji Okumura. He is not afraid of death not because of courage, as he calls himself a coward, but because of his disillusionment with his own life.
Ash's character is mostly defined by his constant struggle for freedom against his oppressors, his fight to overcome his trauma over sexual abuse, and, most importantly, to find his real place in the world.
History
Aslan Jade Callenreese was born in the dawning of August 12, 1968 in Cape Cod, a peninsula located in the southern coast of Massachusetts in the northeast of the United States. His teenage mother, a young hippie girl from Boston city with a wanderer lifestyle and drugs addiction, abandoned him shortly after giving birth to him and left him in the care of his father, Jim Callenreese. Ash's mother died shortly after she left him due a drug overdose before she reached the age of maturity.
His father relinquishes Ash's care to Griffin, his older half-brother, who raises him. When Ash was six years old, Griffin was called to serve in the army and was sent to Vietnam (Iraq in the anime) while Ash was cared for by his father. When Ash was seven years old, he was raped by his Little League coach. When his father went to report the sexual assault, the police believed his rapist to be not guilty as he was a 'big shot'. His father told Ash that next time, he should let the assault happen but then ask to be paid. After Ash is abused several more times by the same man, he grabs his father's gun without his knowledge and kills his rapist at the age of eight. The police found bones of children in his basement, and the case caused notoriety. Ash's aggressor becomes known as the Blue Beard of Cape Cod. Ash was found not guilty in the eyes of the law but became the talk of the small town. Ash's father decides to send him away to live with his aunt, but before he is able to, Ash runs away from home.
As a destitute child, Ash is captured by men who traffic children for prostitution. Ash is sent to work at Club Cod, a child sex trafficking establishment operating under the guise of a restaurant owned by Mafia Don Dino Golzine. At Club Cod, he learned how to entice customers using his charisma. Eventually, he would catch the personal eye of Marvin Crosby who "sold" him to Dino, who opted to keep Ash as a personal "pet" or sex slave. Under Golzine, he is "cultured" and trained as a member of the upper class, made to taste various kinds of wine, learn proper table manners, and receive an outstanding education. This education includes hand and fire combat instruction from the world's most recognized teachers, one of which was Blanca.
At fourteen, Ash falls in love with a girl, but she is killed before anything develops when she is thought to be his girlfriend. At age fifteen, Ash is sent to juvenile detention for killing three people. This is where he meets Shorter Wong, who becomes his close friend and helps him unify the gang territories of lower Manhattan.
Around the age of fifteen or sixteen, Ash finds his brother, Griffin Callenreese, in a run-down hospital for veterans from Vietnam and decides to take care of him. At age seventeen, Ash has grown to unite many gangs under his command and becomes both a feared and admired leader in Manhattan, compelling fierce loyalty but showing little to no mercy towards those who betray him.
For a teenager of his age, Ash is a true force to be reckoned with. Not only is he a capable brawler who can fend off multiple assailants at once with little effort even when unarmed, but he is also an expert in close-quarter combat and an even more deadly marksman. His shooting ability is so precise that he can perfectly shoot nearly any target he wishes, even when visually impaired, and can do so with frightening speed that can result in the death of multiple hostiles before they can even react or realize what is happening, or even take the adequate defensive measures.
Being taught personally by Blanca, he is an expert in the art of assassination and claims to know multiple forms of torture that will not kill its victim. His skill is more than demonstrated during the museum battle, where he displayed a great ability in moving in the dark, swiftly killing several assassins, all of them equipped with firearms, and doing so while only carrying a knife in his mouth despite not being at the peak of his physical condition. Ash's battle experience and knowledge give him extraordinary situation assessment abilities, allowing him to react quickly and effectively to events that may prove heavily disadvantageous.
Ash's abilities and personality have put him in a constant state of alertness, making ambushes nearly impossible to succeed in. This has, in fact, prevented many attempts on his life. His awareness of surroundings, along with his incredible sense of direction and memory, allows him to easily discern where he is geographically positioned despite being kidnapped while blindfolded.
He is also an experienced and hardened gang leader who can guide and order his men effectively, with none of them ever questioning him, for his orders are precise, his plans thoroughly thought out, and his determination strong. His education in several fields, including biochemistry, politics, and literature, amongst other areas, has proven useful when having to put a plan in action or otherwise determine key elements like Banana Fish's purpose or Golzine's main plot.
Having repeatedly experienced sexual abuse during his life, Ash is well aware of his attractive looks and has weaponized them several times to gain an advantage. He knows exactly the buttons to press to make his victims fall, making him a skilled manipulator and a devious tactician.
Because of these traits, Ash is often likened to a wild beast, who grows vicious when angered or cornered. When Ash is under a severe rage fit, his deadliness skyrockets.
Relationships
Allies
Eiji Okumura: A nineteen-year-old Japanese college student who was Ibe's assistant for an article he was writing about gangs. Like he had with many others, Ash did not think much of Eiji at first but was impressed when Eiji appeared brave enough to ask to hold his gun. During the rescue attempt to save Skip, Ash was further impressed by Eiji when he helped care for a wound on Ash's arm and when he pole vaulted over a wall to seek help; Ash later admitting to Eiji that people do not often help him unless they want something from him. Over the course of events, Ash can visibly be seen changing his opinion of Eiji as well as his feelings toward him. He quickly came to see Eiji's naturally good and caring nature were not an act and found himself forming a genuine bond with Eiji. Due to his own feelings, and that Eiji was not a fighter, Ash became protective of him and often did what he could to keep Eiji out of harms way. He at first had attempted to send Eiji back to Japan but ultimately gave up on this as Eiji insisted he stay to help and Ash soon admitting his need to wanting Eiji with him. As they continued to discover and expose the truth behind the Banana Fish drug, Ash can be seen in a more relaxed and playful manner when around Eiji as his feelings toward him continued to develop and strengthen to the point that he was willing to die for Eiji. Realizing how much Eiji means to him, Ash would become fearful about anything happening to him and usually left him with members of his gang to keep him safe and would keep certain events secret from him so as not to worry him. They have several intimate moments and share a deep and unique connection, which is often interpreted as romantic. In the short story of Garden of Light in Vol. 19, Sing Soo-Ling stated that their relationship may not have been sexual but that they truly loved each other and were soul mates.
Shorter Wong: Ash's best friend and fellow gang leader. The two first met when they became cellmates in juvie and Shorter was tasked with looking out for Ash. Ash hadn't thought much of Shorter at first and constantly mocked his lack of hair but grew to respect him after Shorter helped him to learn not to hurt others in certain ways as it would have made him exactly like those who had hurt him. In the main storyline, they are leaders of separate gangs but often work together to benefit each other and their gangs. While knowing Shorter is a capable fighter and reliable person, Ash tries to spare him from any involvement with Banana Fish when possible. Having known Shorter for so long, Ash knows when he can or cannot talk Shorter into/out of something but finds himself grateful for his support. Because of this, Ash felt heavily responsible for Shorter's death and did what he could to prevent anyone else from tampering with his body.
Griffin Callenreese: Ash's older half-brother. Griffin raised Ash after he was born until he had to leave to fight in the war. Their father, Jim Callenreese, relinquished Ash's care to Griff after Ash's mother left him. During flashbacks the two are shown to be quite close and Ash is very fond of his brother to the point that he became upset when Griffin had to leave to fight in the war. After Griffin had been affected by Banana Fish and was placed in a veteran hospital, Ash removed his brother from this location to take care of him and try to figure out how he came to be the way he was.
Skip: Young informant (thought to be about 12) and member of Ash's gang. During his time in the series, Ash trusted Skip to be the one to look after Griffin when he was not able to. Knowing how young Skip is, Ash tries to keep him away from the gang violence as much as possible and looks out for his safety.
Shunichi Ibe: A Japanese reporter Ash agreed to have an interview with. Ash initially remained relatively distant from Ibe as he picked up on the fact that Ibe did not approve of Eiji getting mixed into Ash's world. However, their shared concern and care for Eiji allowed them to develop a good friendship with one another and allowed Ash to trust Ibe more, although he sometimes was annoyed at Ibe for treating them both like children.
Max Lobo: Ash and Max Lobo first meet in jail, where Ash discovers that Max is Griffin's friend. After finding out that he was responsible for shooting Griffin, Ash vows to kill Max. But as the series progresses, Ash sees how troubled Max feels about what he did to Griffin and sees how genuine he is in wanting to help Ash solve the mystery of Banana Fish. The two develop a deep respect for each other to the point they begin to see one another as a father/son duo.
Sing Soo-Ling: At first, Ash seemed to see Sing as a nuisance more than anything else but eventually regarded him as a trustworthy ally. He repeatedly asks him to protect his friends and believes in him to follow through.
Blanca: While Ash respects and cares for him, he's absolutely terrified when he finds out that Blanca is in the picture. He is the one who trained him in numerous areas and considers Blanca one of his superiors and potentially someone he cannot beat. Despite this, when Blanca allied himself with Ash, the teen appeared to trust him fully and could express some of his feelings toward Eiji to Blanca, possibly as they seemed to share the path of not getting to be with the one they loved.
Alex: Ash’s second in command of the gang is tasked with defending Eiji. When leaving to finalize the deal with Yut and Golzine, he leaves everything in Alex's hands.
Cain Blood: The leader of the Harlem gang, Ash, is aware of Cain's influence and abilities and manages to ally with him.
Jim Callenreese: Ash's biological father. Ash was born due to Jim's relationship with a young girl, a underage hippie girl with drugs adicction whom he met when she came to Cape Cod for summer vacation. Ash appears aware that his father allowed Griffin to care for him before heading to the war. While Jim cared for his son afterward and was highly upset about Ash being attacked by his little league coach, Ash was instructed by his father to ask for money when the assaults happened. Their relationship has been strained since Ash ran away from home, but they still care for each other greatly.
Jennifer: Ash's stepmother. While they are not shown interacting much, they appear to have a loving relationship and show great concern for each other's safety.
Nadia Wong: Through knowing Shorter, Ash came to have a sibling-like relationship with Nadia, viewing her as an older sister and one of the few women who genuinely cared for him.
Enemies
Yut-Lung: Ash initially seems unsure whether Yut-Lung is a friend or foe, but after Eiji tells Ash of his intentions to be his formal enemy, he distrusts and strongly dislikes Yut-Lung for all of his actions, especially for putting Eiji in danger.
Frederick Arthur: Ash's enemy. Previously, Downtown's gang leader in Manhattan and a cruel ex-member of Ash's gang. Ash and Arthur are well known to be hated rivals of one another and fight quite often, though Arthur is usually the one starting the fights. Despite knowing Arthur's more underhanded methods and ruthless taunting nature, Ash is well aware of the kind of damage that Arthur is capable of.
Dino Golzine: Dino is the man who made Ash to be a cold-blooded killer, raped Ash as a child, and kept him as his own personal "pet". Ash is known to dislike Dino for this and much more extensively and hopes to one day put an end to Dino's terror. About midway through the series, Dino announces that he has legally adopted Ash.
Eduardo L. Fox: One of the most difficult enemies Ash is confronted with. Ash is shown to develop a great hatred toward Fox that only grew after the man raped Ash.
Etymology
Ash's real name, Aslan, means "day-break" in Hebrew, as he was born at dawn and translates to "lion" in Turkish. His middle name is "Jade" named after the gemstone.<ref>[Origin]
(To Charlie) "How are you going to indict Dino? Even if I did know something, what good would it do? he’s got a team of bigshot lawyers on his side. that’s his "right" according to you guys. Even If you bust him, he’ll bail himself out in half an hour. Even a stupid street punk like me knows that!"
(To Eiji) "I envy you... being able to jump like that..."
(About solitary) "What could be more relaxing than three days away from these guys?"
(To Max) "I wish I could hate you. I need someone to hate. My brother raised me. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve starved to death. But when I found him in that filthy loony bin... he couldn’t even go to the bathroom by himself..."
(To Jim) "Griffin is dead. Not that you’d give a damn one way or the other."
(To Ibe, about Eiji) "You pamper him too much. I don’t know what the problem is... but treating him like you’re giving the pope a bath isn’t going to help. That’s why he can’t even look after himself at his age."
(To Max) "Aren’t there any decent parents in this world? It’s not like kids get to choose them at birth, you know. And they can’t exchange them if they turn out to be losers."
(About Shorter) "That guy always regarded me as a human being with a real heart, not some sort of tool."
(To Yut Lung) "This little act of charity, you’re going to regret this, man... because I will kill you."
"I tried to forget. Tough guy, boy prostitute, stone killer look at what I’ve done..."
(To Eiji) "Stay with me... I won’t ask "forever." Just for now, Eiji."
(To Dino) "Well, I already know you’re a sick man. Hope the plane doesn’t crash... with you on board, it’ll go straight to hell. Not fair to the other passengers."
"Ready to lose your life over a pizza? Don’t be such a greedy bastard Max, how about exercising a little caution?"
(To Ibe) "Those pictures you said you took of Eiji— wish I could’ve seen them."
"My name... has become the signal for a massacre. What on earth... Have I become?"
"What do you think I am...? I’m a murderer... okay? I’m not the student body president or a summer camp counselor. I told you before. I kill people. This... is my life! Those guys sold out their friends to save themselves. Anyone who does that once will do it again, and again, and again— they paid the price for their decisions— that’s all."
(To Eiji) "Give me a goddamned break! What the hell are you anyway?! My goddamn mother?! You can cram that lecture, okay?! What do you want me to do— let those double-crossers go and get myself killed?! No way! Logics got nothing to do with it! Strength is all that counts!! That’s how it works on the street! What the hell do you know?!"
"Let's say I am...‘exceptional,’ right... the problem is, I never, ever, my whole life wanted to be!"
"That’s right, death. You said I am not like ordinary people. If there was just one thing, I’d say that was true about. It is—I’m not afraid of death. People are funny because of course, they don’t know anything about death. They never experienced it and knew it was something to fear, but they fear it instinctively. There’ve been countless times in my life when I thought I’d be better off dead. That nothing could be worse than what was happening to me right then. At times like that...death looks sweet and peaceful, and unbearably enticing."
"‘Kilimanjaro is a snow-covered mountain 19,710 feet high and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. I’s western summit is called by the Masai ‘Ngaje Ngai’, the ‘House of God’. Close to the western summit there is the dried and frozen carcass of a leopard. No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude.’ That is from Hemingway’s The snows of Kilimanjaro. When I think of my own death—I try to picture that leopard’s carcass. Why did he come to those heights—for what? Did he lose his way chasing some prey, and wander into some spot he couldn’t escape from? Or was he looking for something else, climbing higher and higher until he used up all his strength and collapsed? I think about which way the carcass was facing... was he trying to get back down—or trying to climb higher? Either way, that leopard knew... that he would never be going back."
(To Cain) "Stick around for another drink, Cain. It’s almost curtain call. And I dropped that heap of crap excuse for a rolls dino tried to pawn off on me. Want a ride in my new Phantom V?”
“War is always good business for those in power."
(To Max) "Sorry to destroy your youthful innocence but I have intimate knowledge of what kind of sick perverts are running this country. Those senators and congressmen you see kissing babies at election time... some of them are regulars at Golzine’s fleshpot restaurant— like that Kippard, for instance. You have any idea what those guys made us do? we were young enough to be their sons and grandsons. If I went into detail, you’d get it into your head what kind of "fathers" they are. Not the founding kind, that’s for sure.”
"If you ask me, the white house can go screw itself."
(To Max) "Water-gate is history, Max. Don’t tell me you still believe the pen is mightier than the sword."
"I wonder if I’m dying somewhere. I remember everything, but it’s peaceful. I see it again, but there isn’t any pain... Leave the weight of joy and sorrow alike down in that bed. That’s how death lifts away, doesn’t it?"
"I wasn’t expecting the law to protect me. I’ve ignored it all my life... I sure as hell don’t plan on hiding behind it now."
"What is this place— a massage parlor?! I’m tellin’ you, these nurses are all over me! I’m sick and tired of being fondled, okay? just keep them away from me— please!"
“This town’s my backyard, remember?"
"Look, sun’s setting. Sunrise and sunset are about the only times this junkyard of a city looks good."
(To Eiji) "Even if I said no, you wouldn’t go back anyway. Plus, I guess it’s better for me that way too. If you went home, I’d probably worry if something happened to you. So, it’s better you’re right here, where I can keep an eye on you."
(To Kippard) "Some people never change. Still getting champagne and caviar delivered to your door. In the same apartment you rent as "James Abbot." Still getting your kicks every Wednesday night... what was it you always said? "No such thing as a smart blond, they’re all dumb"? and then your wife and son turned out to be blonds, that was pretty funny. what’s the hurry? The Dom Perignon's nicely chilled. I think I’ll have a glass. You always got started right away, never let me have so much as a sip of this stuff. And the moment you were done you’d pack me off without even letting me take a shower. Well, I sure would’ve liked to have been offered some of this bubbly. I’d always think, man, not only is this guy a fat bastard, he’s a cheap bastard."
(To Yut Lung) "Vulture got together with the viper. You make a great pair...!"
(About Blanca) "Why now after all this time— does it have to be you, of all people...? goddammit... I don’t stand a chance. I’m dust against him."
(To Eiji) "Modeling isn’t as easy as it looks. It’s not like posing for kiddie porn mags."
(To Eiji) "Over my dead body. If anybody hurts you... It’ll be over my dead body— I don’t care who it is. I am not letting anybody hurt you, Eiji."
(To Blanca) "Don't give me your stupid advice...! Just leave me alone... I’m happy, goddammit! I know there’s at least one person in this world who cares about me. Who doesn’t want anything from me. Do you have any idea what that’s like? I never did... not once in my entire life—until now. And that’s worth more to me than anything else."
Trivia
Astrological sign: Leo
According to a police file in Vol 6 Ch 2, Ash stands at five feet nine inches and weighs 135 pounds.
Ash is afraid of pumpkins, a phobia that developed when he accidentally scared himself on Halloween when he was young.
It takes Ash 0.03 seconds to pull the trigger of a gun after he has the target spotted.
According to Eiji, his favorite food is shrimp and avocado salad. It is also mentioned by Eiji that he dislikes hamburgers.
He is seen wearing glasses when reading, implying that he is far sighted.
The NY public library is his favorite place.
According to Eiji, when he’s lying, he becomes quiet and stops joking around.
Ash shares his birthday with the author of Banana Fish, Akimi Yoshida.
He identifies as bisexual. In fact, Yoshida stated in an interview that Ash had sex with both men and women.
American actor River Phoenix inspired Ash Lynx's character design.
In another interview, she referred to Ash as "onee", implying he prefers to be on the receiving end of sex.
He appears in the Angel Eyes illustration book in sexually suggestive poses alongside Eiji and, less frequently, Blanca.
He wakes up cranky due to his low blood pressure.
Throughout the main storyline, he is stated to have an IQ of 180 (or higher). In Garden of Light, Sing claims his IQ was 200.
Despite never making it through elementary school due to his circumstances, his intelligence allowed him to pick up higher mathematics through books.
In Private Opinion, Blanca points out that he has a faint Irish accent because he is third-generation Irish.
Ash appears in the audio drama of Angel Eyes alongside Shorter.
Ash and Eiji appear in one of Akimi Yoshida's other works, Lovers' Kiss.
Ash was referenced in episode 10 of Gaikoysu Shotenin Honda-san.
Ash's correlation chart with Eiji after episode 24 on the official site changed from 親友 (Shin'yū), meaning "best friend," to having no correlation status with a thick black line, implying that their relationship is so close that it can't be described only with words.
In the manga, Ash was confirmed to be deceased through the Garden of Light side story, but in the anime, Ash's status is still unknown, whereas whether he is still alive or dead makes it an open ending. This is stated to have been done intentionally so that fans could decide whether to believe he was dead or alive.
Ash's chart has been changed step by step from deceased (greyscale) to be colorful again although his name tag still grey, then changed again to be white, even finally Lao's arrow line toward Ash being removed, means they decided to have episode 24 to be open ending, whereas Ash is still alive or not left to the audience to decide.
After Ash Lynx's death at age eighteen in the winter of 1987, according to the epilogue of the novels "Max Lobo's Notes" (1998), he was buried alongside his mother's grave in a cemetery located in a Boston suburb. Ash's mother was a hippie teen girl from Boston city who passed away due to a drug overdose before she reached the age of maturity.
In Private Opinion, Ash is revealed to have been sold to Golzine by Marvin.
Because of his attractive appearance, Ash is often called a peacock.
The term describing that his beautiful appearance lures people in before attacking.
According to Ibe, Ash was quite possibly Eiji's first kiss.
According to Sing in Garden of Light, it took several hours before Ash succumbed to his wounds since Lao's knife missed all of his vital organs.
In the manga, Ash is regularly shown to fire his gun with his left hand. In the anime, he is shown using his right hand. It is unknown if this was a style change, error, or if Ash is ambidextrous.
In the manga, the car Dino gave him when he was sixteen was a Rolls Royce.
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