| Characters | Oniwabanshuu | Juppongatana | Other Villains |
Kenshin Himura
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Name: Kenshin Himura Gender: Male Age: 28 Birthday: February 6 Height: 5 ft 2 in Eyes: Violet Blue Hair: Red |
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After Kenshin's parents died, he and his new owner were attacked by bandits. A man named Hiko Soujiro took Kenshin in as a student under the Hiten Mitsurugi style, and changed his name from Shinta to Kenshin. Fourteen-year-old Kenshin left and fought during the Revolution as the Hitokiri Battousai. After the start of Meiji, he vowed to never kill again to compensate for the people he killed and became a rurouni (a wandering samurai). He wields a reverse-edge blade. In the first episode, he meets Kaoru Kamiya, and saves her from a fake Battousai. Kenshin accepts her offer to live with her at the Kamiya dojo, even after she knows that he is in fact the Battousai. Basically Kenshin is a two-sided character. The one that his friends know and love is the kind pacifist known as Kenshin Himura, with his kind words, incredibly long but noble speeches, and agreeable personality. The one that everyone wants to kill is Battousai the Manslayer. Whenever he gets pushed over the edge during a fight, his eyes change from a gentle twinkling violet to a cold yellow. His state of mind is completely different; cold, emotionless, brutal, and dead-set on destroying those who stand in his way. Oro. |
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Name: Kaoru Kamiya Gender: Female Age: 17 Birthday: June Height: 5 ft Eyes: Blue Hair: Dark Blue-Black |
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The first person we see Kenshin meet, the head of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo. She took it over after her father was killed in the war, but she loses all of her students. She is very kind-hearted, strong-willed, loud-mouthed, and courageous. But sometimes she tries to act demure and maidenly. Tch. Right. (Rolls eyes.) She's the typical anime heroine, but at least she can sort-of kick butt, unlike countless others... Anyway, she is in love with Kenshin, yet she never really admits it to herself, at least not for a long while (surprise?). Kenshin obviously has feelings for her in return. Often, she is the only one that keeps Kenshin going. She and the rest of the Kenshingumi are the reasons Kenshin strives to live on and defeat the countless enemies who confront him. And to top it all off, she is very, VERY bad at cooking. Sometimes she can be kind and lady-like, but most of the time, she's rather tempermental and immature. |
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Name: Sanosuke Sagara Gender: Male Age: 18 Birthday: February Height: 5 ft 8 in Eyes: Brown Hair: Dark Brown |
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He was a member of the Sekihoutai, an army of volunteers who wanted freedom. Their leader was Souzou Sagara (Captain Sagara) and that is where Sanosuke got his last name. He was the youngest of the group, and he idolized Captain Sagara. In the end, all the Sekihoutai were destroyed by the Imperialists (bombarded with rifle-fire and beheaded, to be exact), except for Sanosuke and his bomb-making artist friend Tsunan Tsukioka. He went on with his life and became a gangster, earning the nickname of Zanza, the fighter for hire. Sanosuke was told about Kenshin, the Hitokiri Battousai, the strongest of the Imperialists. He was hired to kill him, by an ex-swordsman whose hand had been crushed by Kenshin, but he lost. Then he learned that Kenshin protected people, like Captain Sagara tried to do. Sano admitted defeat and instead became a good friend of Kenshin. So, he's a main character, constantly picked on by any and everyone, with a short temper and a strong will to fight. Unfortunately, he doesn't win so often...still, he's a hilarious, hotheaded, sometimes intelligent, well-liked character. |
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Name: Yahiko Myoujin Gender: Male Age: 9 Birthday: ?? Height: 4 ft 3 in Eyes: Red-Brown Hair: Black |
| Yahiko's a supplier of comedy relief in this story, alongside Sanosuke. He's sensitive about being called a kid or being treated like an inferior. Yahiko's actually pretty tough for the nine-year-old kid that he is (heh). His goal in life is to become stronger, so he doesn't have to receive help from others. Yahiko is incredibly arrogant and proud, especially when he manages to pull through for everyone else. His head swells like a balloon and he starts insulting Kaoru, his swordsmanship teacher. Without him, Rurouni Kenshin would be very, very serious. (I've seen pictures of him when he's older; and, frankly, he's a lot cuter when he's a kid. I assume he gets together with Tsubame, what with all the pictures all over the Internet, but I've never seen this part of the series.) |
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Name: Megumi Takani Gender: Female Age: 22 Birthday: December Height: 5 ft 5 in Eyes: Black Hair: Blue-Black |
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Megumi is a pretty, mischievous, young doctor, and she likes Kenshin. However, she does know that he's taken, by Kaoru of course, and she respects this developing relationship...most of the time. She is not a fighter, but a healer. When she was first introduced, she was selfish and cold, doting on Kenshin. But later on she was warmer and kinder, though still a bit...well, not nice to Kaoru. During her first appearance, she was being forced to create a strong opium that immediately addicted people, created at a small price, but sold for much more. She hated that, and knew she was killing people, not helping them. Kenshin and the gang came to the rescue, as usual, and she ended up becoming a doctor, like she always wanted to. She's not really an important character, but her medical care is top-rate. Who knows, maybe both Sanosuke and Yahiko would have died if not for her? Then again, Beshimi wouldn't have shot that poison dart at all if Megumi hadn't been there. |
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Name: Aoshi Shinomori Gender: Male Age: 26 Birthday: January Height: 6 ft 2 in Eyes: Dark Blue Hair: Dark Blue |
| To gain the respect of the Oniwabanshu, he hid his emotions to the point where they seemed non-existent. He can appear cold, indifferent, and merciless. The only times he looked otherwise was when he was with Misao Makimachi (the former Okashira's granddaughter). He helped to raise and train her. He battled Kenshin for the title of the strongest warrior (for the honor of the Oniwabanshu), but lost. Even so, Aoshi is one kick-ass character. His employer, a rabbit-toothed, opium-dealing madman, tried to kill him using a Gatling gun. The Oniwabanshu gave their lives to save him, and with their help Kenshin defeated the madman. Aoshi took their bodies and made graves for them in the forest. He went into hiding, until he got involved with Shishio. He almost killed Misao's grandfather, the Okashira, and confronted Misao for the first time since he left with the other Oniwabanshu. He told her that he never wanted to see her again (he didn't want to hurt her or let her see what he had become). |
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Name: Misao Makimachi Gender: Female Age: 16 Birthday: November Height: 4 ft 8 in Eyes: Blue Hair: Blue-Black |
| Misao's family died when she was very young, and she was left in the care of the Oniwabanshu (since she was the grandaughter of the former Okashira). She was trained and raised by Aoshi, whom she grew to love. One night, the Oniwabanshu and Aoshi left. She was heartbroken, and she went to look for them all over Japan. In one of those travels she met Kenshin. Knowing he knew something about Aoshi, she followed him to Kyoto. There he encountered Aoshi, as he almost killed Misao's grandfather. Kenshin promised to bring Aoshi back to Misao. She promised in return that she would make Aoshi smile again (once is hard enough). Kenshin kept up his half of the deal and Aoshi returned to the Oniwabanshu. Now Misao goes around all day trying to make him smile or laugh. |
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Name: Tomoe Yukishiro Gender: Female Age: 18 Birthday: September Height: 5 ft 3 in Eyes: Black Hair: Purple-Black |
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Kenshin killed Tomoe's husband. Tomoe then went to Kyoto, on a mission to destroy Kenshin. (She joined up with a ninja gang called the Yaminobu to avenge the death of her husband.) She sat at a bar, most likely pondering the events of late, when two thugs insisted that she have a drink with them. She refused, but Kenshin showed up before they did much harm. The thugs followed him to get revenge, but then they are murdered by a ninja, who was after Kenshin. Tomoe searched for the man who saved her, and she found him killing the ninja. She thanked him and fainted. Soon she fell in love with him. Kenshin actually loved her back, and they get married. She wanted to end her relations with the Yaminobu. The leader wanted to know the Battousai's weakness, and she said she didn't know. The leader concluded that the Battousai's love for her was his weakness. Kenshin came after receiving the blackmail from from the ninjas, and demanded that they return Tomoe. The leader refused, and a bloody battle began. Tomoe doesn't want to lose the one she loves again. Both Kenshin and the ninja are about to deliver the final blows, but Tomoe leaps in the middle, grabs the ninja's hand, and takes the ninja's blow. At the same time Kenshin slashes the both of them, killing him instantly, while Tomoe falls to the ground. The dagger slips from her grasp, giving Kenshin the second scar. Kenshin holds her in his arms as he cries for her, and she closes her eyes for the last time. |
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Name: Hiko Seijuro Gender: Male Age: 43 Birthday: October Height: ?? Eyes: Black Hair: Blue-Gray |
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Hiko rescued a young 'Shinta' when he was around eight-years-old. He began training him under the Hiten Mitsurugi style, and changed the girly name of 'Shinta' to 'Kenshin'. So, for six more years, they trained together. During the early years of the Revolution, 14-year-old Kenshin hated that so many people were being murdered, and couldn't stand that his master wouldn't let him go. In the end, he ran off and became Battousai the Manslayer. They didn't see each other again for about fourteen more years. Hiko was 13th master of the Hiten Mitsurugi school. Each generation earned the right to that name, after they killed their own master, with the school's secret succession technique. Hiko's usually quiet, and does not show much care for others on the surface, but he truly does, deep down. He is incredibly arrogant and cocky, but wise at the same time. Kenshin almost killed him once, but held back at the last second and took care of him instead. Hiko is generally stronger and much more focused then Kenshin. He trained young Kenshin through discipline and reprimanding. |