Hiko Seijūrō
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Hiko Seijuro XIII ( 比古清十郎 十三代?) is Himura Kenshin's master in the anime/manga series Rurouni Kenshin. His artist's name is Niitsu Kakunoshiin. His Japanese seiyū is Shuichi Ikeda, and his English voice actor is Richard Epcar.
[edit] Role
The thirteenth successor to the sword art of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū, Hiko Seijūrō saved young Shinta from marauding bandits who killed his companions. Hiko then took care of Shinta, and renamed him Kenshin ("Heart of Sword") after claiming that Shinta was not a good name for a swordsman. He became angry and disappointed with Kenshin, because he ran away to join the rebellion against the Tokugawa regime. He shut himself away from the rest of the world; he lives as a potter close to the forest near Kyoto. In SeisōHen/Reflection, he also realizes that the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū no longer seems relevant in the changing world, as he remarks to Yahiko: "The only thing that doesn't seem to change is the moon."
Hiko is perhaps the strongest swordsman around; he is superior even to Kenshin. Although the two are comparable in speed, Hiko possesses a superior sense of judgement in combat and the superhuman strength (hidden, and even suppressed, underneath his heavy cloak) to wield Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū to its maximum. After fifteen years, master and student meet once more. It is then that Kenshin will complete his training, if Kenshin can survive Hiko's ego.
The cloak is not only distinctive for all Hiten Mitsurugi masters, but it also serves to strengthen them in peacetime. Even when conflict is not at the door, Hiko remains in training just by wearing it, as it is composed of several heavy materials that weigh him down and force him to work out because of counter-springs with pressure of around 37.5 kilograms. Watsuki mentions in the manga that he based the billowy capes' image on Spawn of Image Comics by Todd McFarlane (the size of the collar pieces was reduced in the anime).
The name Hiko Seijūrō is in fact a title granted to each succeeding master of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū. Since Hiko Seijūrō II, each new master has discarded his own name in favor of the name of the creator of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū. As Kenshin declines to take the name "Hiko Seijūrō XIV", his master is the last man ever to be known as Hiko Seijūrō.
[edit] Personality
Hiko is shown to be very sarcastic, egotistical and a punishing taskmaster, often referring to Kenshin as "My stupid/idiot apprentice," and bringing up Kenshin's past to provoke him into training harder. Kenshin describes his personality as "twisted, brusque, misanthropic, and so bad mannered he brings up embarrassing things about people that even the person concerned has forgotten." Despite this rough exterior, he has a deep sense of responsibility to Kenshin and those he protects, in the rare cases when he does get involved in a situation (usually at his own will). He loves sake, himself, and enjoys teasing Kenshin, although this is a testament to his excellent skill and powerful body. Master and student frequently have bouts of slapstick conflict between them. He is also very unsociable and takes up the life of a pottery artist to avoid people.
[edit] Trivia
- Hiko is 190 cm.
- Moriya Minakata of The Last Blade video game series is visually based off of Hiko, sharing the same cloak and physical build.
- Watsuki mentions in his volume 12 character notes that the reason for not using Hiko too much in the manga was due to his being stronger than Kenshin, and was too powerful to find a good use for. The editor described him as "the joker in the card deck". Hiko's appearance at Aoi-Ya is indeed something of a Deus Ex Machina.
- A character named Hiko first appeared in a one-shot story by Watsuki. This story is included in the English language Rurouni Kenshin manga volume six.
