Issei Sagawa, also infamously known as Pang or The Kobe Cannibal, is a figure whose crimes in the early 1980s shocked and disturbed the world. His acts not only raised questions about the depths of human depravity but also highlighted issues regarding legal and mental health systems in different countries.

Born in 1949 in Kobe, Japan, Sagawa came from a wealthy family and showed signs of troubled behavior from a young age. Despite this, he managed to travel to France for higher education, which is where his most notorious crime took place.

In 1981, while studying in Paris, Sagawa invited his classmate Renée Hartevelt to his apartment under the pretense of working on a literary project. It was there that he murdered her. What followed was a series of gruesome acts that included mutilation, cannibalism, and necrophilia. Sagawa's actions over the ensuing days were a chilling testament to his psychopathic tendencies.

The case took a surprising turn when Sagawa was arrested. Despite the heinous nature of his crime, he was found legally insane and unfit to stand trial in France. He was deported to Japan, where differences in legal systems and a lack of crucial documents from the French court meant that he could not be detained or tried in Japan. As a result, Sagawa walked free, a situation that caused international outrage and disbelief.