This is what was in most wikis for the two when I wrote this:
During writer John Byrne's Genesis comic mini-series, Kanto encounters Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, the one-time Wonder Woman, and it is revealed that Kanto had been not only her teacher but a lover as well. As Artemis was trapped in a demon dimension alongside her Amazonian sisters from age fourteen to twenty-four and was not shown with Kanto until the Genesis storyline, speculation about this alleged affair suggests time travel. While mutually amorous, the tryst was apparently unconsummated since Artemis, during Mike Deodato's Requiem mini-series, claimed to be a virgin.
Here's what occurred:
They shared two panels together in Genesis #3 after Artemis remarks about the lack of skill of Darkseids' forces. Kanto the assassin corrects her by saying that's not entirely true while hitting her from behind. He refers to her as "my pretty one." Artemis is dazed by the hit but still conscious as she is able to hold herself up.
Wonder Woman #126 takes place during Genesis and either happens earlier (meaning Kanto knocks her down twice) or is a different take on the same scene. Artemis is doing well in the battle when the two meet.
Narration box [She is a soldier, a fighter, a true warrior of the Amazon race. Which is to say she is also a woman...]
Kanto: (Reclining on some rubble) Well, done, my pretty ! I could count on the my fingers of one hand those who have fared so well against the forces of Darkseids.
Artemis: (Looking extremely shocked) Kanto !
Narration Box: [In the heart of battle there can come moments of almost preternatural calm. One such moment seems to surround these two, as they face each other not for the first time !]
Kanto: The same. I'm flattered to be remembered after so many years.
Artemis: Does it seem so long to you, godling? A lifetime for me, to be sure, but no more than the blink of an eye to one whose days add up to centuries.
Kanto: (Causally putting on his hat) Perhaps it is that our parting was not as I might have wished it, Artemis. I'm sure you know you touched my assassin's heart as no one before or since.
Artemis: (Never moving out of an attack position) I was a child, Kanto. And to you no more than a plaything. (Attacking) And I have waited years to avenge myself for what you did to me !
Kanto: (Dodging) A superb move, my dear ! I had barely a fraction of a second's warning from your body language !
Artemis: (Still attacking) Spare me your patronizing, Kanto. You taught me much...but I have learned more than you can know !Kanto: (Causally standing out of harms way): Doubtful. (He's behind her and puts a knife to her throat) Your greatest failing was always the inability to measure your own weaknesses against your opponent's strengths. And Kanto did not become Darkseid's master assassin without knowing all there is to know about the killing arts !
Artemis: UNH !! Kill me then, Kanto ! If I must die, at least let it be at the hand of one who has no better !
Kanto: (Hitting her neck with the knife handle) Oh, you will die, my pretty. That is the line drawn between you and me. You have never fully understood me, Artemis. You did not know the pain I felt at our parting...and you seem still not to know the difference between a soldier and an assassin is the choice of moment. And today Kanto chooses to spare his former pupil...and his former love.
Okay time to dissect this and see if it makes sense.
Artemis Timeline pre-Flashpoint until this point: When we first meet Artemis it's after her people, the Amazons of Bana-Mighdall were imprisoned in a demon releam for ten years while hardly any time passed on Earth. Another member mentions how Artemis spoke out against her people battling other Amazons when she was fourteen bringing her age to 24. That part of the wiki is right although the bit about time travel doesn't make sense to me. Maybe Byrne had other ideas but the text doesn't seem to indicate time travel. Yeah fan speculation but I feel like that idea is overly complicated for this meeting.
I have no idea why all the vague mentions I've seen of this make it look like it was "mutually amorous" as Artemis wants revenge on him for what he did to her. It doesn't sound like they had a bad break up. Kanto seems to "love" her in his own way implying she was the one that left. Artemis states it happened a lifetime ago for her, that she was a child and a plaything to him. This does not sound like a mutual romance it sounds extremely dubious.
There wasn't enough time for them to be together once she was an adult. Artemis was on Themyscira, became Wonder Woman, died and recently came back around Genesis. Which unfortunately makes this more uncomfortable as her statements above suggests she was younger. Given the way she was raised it seems very unlikely Kanto or any man would be allowed into Bana-Mighdall freely. They didn't even meet the men they did business with in their city. In Trinity Artemis is featured outside her city as a teen but the timing doesn't work either. At least not to tie in from a writing standpoint since it wasn't out when this story was printed.
WW #126 was written in 1997 and the Trinity mini series featuring a fourteen year old Artemis traveling was done in 2003. I don't recall Artemis being a virgin in Requiem just her thinking she couldn't let her guard down. I'll need to reread it and will edit this once I do. Artemis' words in #126 imply Kanto mistreated her, that something was done to her that she's furious about.
The "relationship" doesn't make sense without unfortunate implications, at least with what we were given. Whether sexual or not it seems obvious that he did abuse her in some fashion. And even if it happened when she was a teen why would it seem that long ago to him if it was only a couple years in Earth time? How did he even meet her and why would he train her instead of Granny Goodness?
I wouldn't call it romance and I'm not sure why so many people did. There's a huge difference from her desire for Sureshot in Artemis Requiem and her reaction to Kanto. He expresses regret at the loss of whatever they had while she shows no affection for him. There doesn't seem to be any remorse for his behavior towards her just at their parting/the fact she's not with him.
I think it would be too much of a stretch to fit into canon especially since his wording seems off. While he could be lying I think we're supposed to believe his feelings for her are genuine. He claims he never cared for anyone as much as her. But it's hard to believe it when you read his bio about his bride being killed and him still wearing the period clothes for such a long time. I think that implies his time on Earth still means a great deal to him. Maybe some liked the banter between them but it's hard for me to overlook what Artemis says.
To me this feels like what would have been a retcon to Artemis' history and not an attempt to pair these two up when she was a kid. At least I hope it wasn't. It's too uncomfortable to really be seen as a legitimate relationship.
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