List of Rurouni Kenshin villains

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This is a list of major villains in the anime and manga series Rurouni Kenshin.

Contents

[edit] Oniwabanshū

The Oniwabanshū were the protectors of Edo Castle during the Edo period. In Rurouni Kenshin, they are comprised of the following members: Shinomori Aoshi, Han'nya, Shikijo, Hyottoko, Beshimi, Makimachi Misao, Okina, and various former members of the Oniwabanshū.

After Watsuki first discussed the "Megumi arc" with the editor, the editor replied with the opinion that, in Watsuki's words, "having a swordsman of Kenshin's caliber fighting a group of punk-thugs still coming into their first facial hair mi-i-ight not make for the most epic of manga." To solve this, Watsuki modified the Oniwabanshū to make them onmitsu (ninja; Watsuki does not like using the word "ninja" as he feels that using it "like that" is "cheesy" [1]), and added details as publication progressed. Watsuki created various shapes and temperaments for the various Oniwabanshū characters. [2][1] Watsuki describes the addition of the Oniwabanshū as a "last minute" choice. [3]

[edit] Shinomori Aoshi

Main article: Shinomori Aoshi

[edit] Han'nya

Han'nya (般若 Hannya?) is a pupil of Aoshi. The village he was born in was poor, so he was abandoned at birth to reduce the number of people to feed. Han'nya survived, but he could not return to the village so he wandered around like an animal until Aoshi found him and gave him a position in the Oniwabanshū.

Han'nya is the master of disguise within the group, an ability he gained by removing all his prominent facial features (lips, nose, cheekbones, and ears), which is why he wears the demonic mask on his face.

As Aoshi gave him something to live for in the Oniwabanshū and was the only one to look past his gruesome appearance and train him without discrimination, he is very loyal to him, and would die for him, as was proven at the end of the Kanryū arc, giving his life to allow Kenshin enough time to retrieve his sakabatō to defeat Kanryū and save Aoshi.

Han'nya's style of combat evolves primarily from his discipline from Aoshi. However, he adds his own bit to it by having painted his arms in horizontal stripes, giving them the appearance of being shorter than they actually are, thus luring opponents into a false sense of security regarding distance of attacks. Kenshin defeats this tactic by using the sakabatō in a manner to act as a ruler of sorts, allowing him to see through the optical illusion.

Originally Watsuki wished to create Han'nya as an outcast like Joseph Merrick, the "Elephant Man." In the original concept, a person stepped on Han'nya's mother while he was in her womb. His deformities led to other people treating him "like a monster," so Han'nya flees to the mountains. There Aoshi discovers Han'nya living in solitude. Han'nya joins the Oniwabanshū, tells himself "Only in the Oniwabanshū am I able to live as a human being," and finds battles as his "raison d'être." Watsuki and his editor discussed the issue of the interpretation meaning "the shape of one's life is determined by how one is born." They discussed whether the concept is appropriate for a young men's (shōnen) magazine; Watsuki believes that the conversation was "the longest discussion ever" since the beginning of Rurouni Kenshin. In the end Watsuki decided to alter Han'nya's origin; Watsuki believes that developing and using the character was "challenging" since he felt an awareness of the "responsibility" for writing for young people." [4] Watsuki says that Han'nya could not be described as "evil." [5]

Watsuki based Han'nya on Yamazaki Susumu, one of the spies in the Shinsengumi. He used a skeleton as the design model. The difference in shape between the right and left eyes originates from Watsuki's original concept. As the outfit became more "blocky" as Watsuki continued drawing Han'nya, his assistants referred to Han'nya's outfit as "robot," "mobile suit," and "you name it." Many readers believed that a handsome face, a kagemusha for Aoshi, a kunoichi (female ninja), or other "interesting guesses" would be behind Han'nya's mask. Watsuki did not create a kunoichi idea, so the speculation seemed "interesting" to him and considered creating a kunoichi character.[4]

[edit] Hyottoko

Hyottoko (火男?) is one of the Oniwabanshū members that decided to go with Aoshi when he left Okina caring for Misao. His massive belly makes him nearly impervious to direct physical attacks.

Hyottoko mainly breathes fire at his opponents, by means of a large oil bag he keeps stored in his stomach and a nozzle he keeps in his mouth. He lights the flames by using his front teeth, which he replaced with flint.

Watsuki said he used no particular motif while designing Hyottoko. Using his rudimentary kanji knowledge (Hyottoko is formed by "Fire" (火) and "Man" (男)), he created a "fire-breather." As hyottoko is an onmitsu, Watsuki decided to make him "flashy" by giving him the ability to breathe fire. By the publication of Volume 4, Watsuki saw the character as somewhat out of place and not "organic" to his world.

According to the Rurouni Kenshin creator, fans, dōjinshi fanzine creators, and personal friends criticized Watsuki for using the fire breathing and Kenshin's victory over Hyottoko using the sword spinning technique. The critics labeled Hyottoko and Kenshin "circus freaks," leaving the creator with "puzzled sadness." Watsuki jokingly blamed "summer doldrums" for the scenario.

With the oil bag, Watsuki envisioned Hyottoko as fat.

Watsuki describes Hyottoko as a person who makes a grand entrance and sustains a grand defeat. According to Watsuki Hyottoko has overconfidence and is "a bit of an idiot." He sees the traits as "natural evolution" of the character. [1]

[edit] Shikijō

One of the Oniwabanshū members. Shikijō (式尉?) was a soldier for the Satsuma faction until he was beaten by Aoshi (Aoshi created the scars all over Shikijō's body), who gave him a chance to join up with the Oniwabanshū and gain strength using Oniwabanshū training methods and "medicines." He is mainly a hand to hand fighter but he also swings around a huge ball and chain. He fights Sano at Kanryū's mansion and is defeated. He is the first to die at Kanryū's hand, protecting Aoshi from the Gatling Gun.

Watsuki said that he modeled Shikijō after Sanosuke by giving him the same philosophy, strength, and personality that Sanosuke possessed. By pitting Sanosuke against Shikijō Watsuki hoped to illustrate the differences between the two factions. As of the publication of Volume 4 in Japan, Watsuki commented that the scheme "may or may not have worked." Watsuki commented that even though the story sets Shikijō as a true villain, he sees his "noble" death as making him into "a cool guy." For the physical design Watsuki used no particular model. Watsuki gave Shikijō large muscles as Shikijō is a "power fighter." Since Watsuki believed that Shikijō did not appear to be "strange-enough looking," Watsuki added scars and a "superhero-like exaggerated musculature." [5]

[edit] Beshimi

The smallest of the Oniwabanshū, Beshimi (癋見?) uses his speed to compensate for his lack of strength. His favorite weapons are darts, with which he poisons Yahiko, and later on in the anime jams Kanryū's gatling gun. He was gunned down by Kanryū shortly afterward to help Kenshin defeat him.

Watsuki, describing the character as "created on the spot," believes that there is not much of a motif. Watsuki described the sketched out character sans an already-created personality as being "kind of timid." Not originally intended to be a standalone character, Beshimi became shorter than Kenshin. Watsuki stated that some fans of Rurouni Kenshin adore Beshimi and write "Beshimi KAWAI'I!!" (Beshimi is cute). [2]

[edit] Kenshin's opponents

The opponents Kenshin meets throughout the series.

[edit] Hiruma Kihei and Gohei

45 year-old Hiruma Kihei (比留間喜兵衛 Hiruma Kihee?) and 37 year-old Hiruma Gohei (比留間伍兵衛 Hiruma Gohee?) scheme to take Kaoru's dojo. [6]

Kihei acts as a kind servant after Kaoru takes him in, but it is a ruse to get her property.G ohei becomes a murderer and falsely uses the name "Hitokiri Battōsai." Gohei attempts to kill Kaoru, but Kenshin saves her life. Only Gohei appears in the anime as former student of the Kamiya dojo wanting revenge for being expelled.

The brothers ask Sanosuke to fight Kenshin and promise to pay him. Sanosuke does not know that they plan to kill Kenshin during the course of the battle. Kihei draws a pistol and fires it at Kenshin. The bullet hits the sword instead of Kenshin. Kihei then points the gun at Kaoru, and tells Gohei to ensure that Yahiko and Kaoru do not escape. When Gohei informs Kihei that he has no rope, Kihei asks him to break the legs of the two captives. Sanosuke and Kenshin turn on Kihei and Gohei; Sanosuke hits Gohei with his sword and Kenshin defeats Kihei with the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū Doryūsen ("Earth Dragon Strike") before resuming their fight. [7]

Watsuki described the creation of the brothers as a "direct function of the story." Watsuki wanted "interesting villains to start things off with a bang." He wanted one as "brainy" and one as "wild." He decided that the story involving the two coming together was taking "too many" pages, so he made the duo as brothers instead of being "circumstantially-related." He used a manager and director of Takeshi Obata's Chikarabito Densetsu as a model for Kihei. Watsuki used a character he found in a magazine that he thought "Ooh, impact!" for Gohei. Watsuki states that, unlike the faces of Kenshin and other characters, the faces of Kihei and Gohei are of basic shapes. In Watsuki's view, drawing the Hiruma brothers was "easy" as a result; Watsuki says that he drew the brothers in two minutes. He says that he became fonder of the brothers as his deadlines approached. [8]

[edit] Takeda Kanryū

A cunning money-minded industrialist, Takeda Kanryū (武田観柳?) started the opium dealing business in Tokyo and forces Takani Megumi to make the drug after the death of his previous opium maker. The opium is a stronger, faster-working recipe called 'Spider's Web'.The purpose of his opium business is to generate enough profits to bring in modern Westernized weapons such as the Gatling gun and sell them as an arms dealer. He builds his own private squad in Tokyo, as well as the infamous Oniwabanshū. He thinks he has the Oniwabanshū under his thumb but when Himura Kenshin shows up at his mansion to save Megumi, he finds himself demoted by Shinomori Aoshi. He resorts to using his Gatling gun to kill all his enemies in the mansion including Aoshi. He manages to kill the four Oniwabanshū as they protect Aoshi with a suicide charge. During this last charge, the group thwarts Kanryū's plan to kill Aoshi. In the manga Kanryū uses all of his bullets to kill the four members. In the anime the group jams the feeding ramp of his gun with one of Beshimi's darts after which Kenshin renders him unconscious to be arrested by the police.

Watsuki modeled Takeda Kanryū after Takeda Kanryūsai, the captain of the Shinsengumi's Fifth Unit. Since the historical Takeda Kanrūysai was known to be homosexual, Nobuhiro Watsuki planned to make Takeda Kanryū homosexual. Watsuki decided not to use the trait as he saw the trait to be irrelevant to the plot and he thought the trait would "unnecessarily complicate things." The Rurouni Kenshin author wonders how the story would have developed if he created Takeda Kanryū as a homosexual. Watsuki says that there is no model in terms of design; he describes Takeda Kanryū as a "carryover" of Nishiwaki, a character in the second standalone Rurouni Kenshin story. Watsuki colored Takeda Kanryū's outfit white since he believed that Kenshin and Aoshi generated "too much black already." Watsuki believed that, by placing emphasis on Megumi and Oniwabanshū, he failed to make Takeda Kanryū "the character I wanted him to be." [9]

[edit] Isurugi Raijūta

Leader of the 'Knights of Shinkoryu' faction. Raijūta's personality and motives differ in the manga and anime. In the anime he aspires to form a "kingdom" of Japanese swordsmen with a rebel group of Samurai, starting at Tsukuyama Yūtarō's home in the province of Izu by using Yūtarō's admiration of Raijūta to his advantage. In the manga he is dissatisfied with the current state of swordsmanship in Japan and plans to revive the old style of swordsmanship (the killing sword) with his Shinkoryu by traveling around Japan and shutting down shinai dojos by force, gathering the strongest swordsmen he's met along the way. He uses the Tsukuyama family's money to fund his campaign. Although Raijūta appears to be a tough fighter, proficient in the Shinkoryu Izuna style, the Izuna techniques are all show and no true power. Although he severed the nerves in Yūtarō's right arm, he could only scratch Kenshin. Two of Raijūta's Izuna techniques are demonstrated in the series. The first is Matoi Izuna (Wrapping Around Izuna), which is a strike directed along the ground, similar to Kenshin's DoryuSen. The second is Tobi Izuna (Flying Izuna), in which the sword creates a vacuum in the air, and directed towards its target. It's largely ineffective, despite his claim that it's his "ultimate killing technique". In the manga Kenshin figures out that despite all his talk of the killing sword, Raijūta has never killed anyone himself and is in fact a total fraud (this aspect of Raijuta's character was altered in the anime, shown by him cold-bloodedly murdering his accomplices in gaining Yutaro's confidence). In the anime Raijūta is defeated by Kenshin after his men and the police start fighting. In the manga Kenshin defeats him but also destroys his confidence as a swordsman and as a result he is never able to pick up a sword again.

Watsuki explains in his character notes that Raijūta was his first attempt at a "macho intellectual" character, but admits that he didn't turn out the way he wanted him to.

[edit] Udō Jin-e

Kurogasa ("Black Hat"), otherwise known as Udō Jin-e (鵜堂刃衛 Udō Jin'e?) (in Western order, Jinei Udoh) was a manslayer during the Revolution. Unable to leave the path of a killer, he continued killing people well after the end of the Revolution, attacking high-ranking Imperialist officials of the Meiji government. He originally fought for the Tokugawa shogunate during the war as a member of the Shinsengumi, however, due to his blood lust he killed many people that he wasn't supposed to, which displeased the Shinsengumi. When he was about to be executed by his unit, he retaliated, killed his attackers, and escaped, later showing up on the side of the imperialists as a manslayer. He appears as a man dressed in a long scarf, black straw hat (where he got his moniker), and long kimono, and has a unique ability to project his "swordsman's spirit" toward people, hypnotizing them with his eyes (this is known as the Shin no Ippo). It can also be used to strengthen himself. Kurogasa is obsessed with defeating the famous Hitokiri Battōsai (Himura Kenshin) when he meets him during Kurogasa's attempted assassination of Mr. Tani, a government official. Kurogasa says that Kenshin is his new target.

Following the proclamation of Kenshin being his new target, Kurogasa attacks Kenshin, and it becomes clear during the fight that Kurogasa has an advantage over Kenshin. He leaves, stating that if Kenshin cannot fight him to his fullest potential, then he is not worth fighting at all. Kurogasa ends up kidnapping Kamiya Kaoru the next day, in an effort to force Kenshin to once again become a manslayer (in Kenshin's case, this makes him a better swordsman, though one without care for life). Kenshin follows Kurogasa's trail to the forest, where the two duel once again. Kurogasa paralyzes Kaoru so she cannot breathe using his Shin no Ippo, and the two resume the battle, now with Kaoru's life in danger. Kenshin eventually becomes angry enough to turn back into the Hitokiri Battousai, and attacks Kurogasa, fighting him to a standstill. Kurogasa hypnotizes himself to become stronger, but is beaten regardless, his elbow is crushed and his ligaments are severed so he can no longer hold a sword to fight with. Kenshin raises his sword to kill him, as Kurogasa looks on gleefully (he wanted to die by the sword, especially if it were by the sword of someone who managed to beat him), but Kaoru's pleading for him to stop releases Kenshin from his Battōsai spell. Kenshin then frees Kaoru, while Kurogasa picks up his sword with his other hand, and stabs himself in the heart. As he lays dying, he tells Kenshin that "A manslayer is always a manslayer" and promises to watch Kenshin from hell to see how long he can remain a wanderer that doesn't kill. A few moments later as the other two look on, Kurogasa dies. Also, it is revealed in the Kyoto arc that he was working for a secret assassination ring run by a corrupt government secretary who had connections to Saitō Hajime, which is the reason he went after high ranking imperialists after the revolution.

Watsuki used Okada Izō as the motif of Udō Jin-e. According to Watsuki, Jin-e looks less like Okada Izō than Kenshin looks like Kawakami Gensai. Watsuki says that he designed Jin-e, a satsujin-ki ("murderous ogre"), to be the "polar opposite of Kenshin." Watsuki describes Jin-e as a "complicated fellow" who is "crazy-crazy" and not merely "crazy-acting." Watsuki struggled with the concepts for ending the Jin-e storyline before committing to the suicide ending. According to Watsuki Jin-e's outfit originates from Serizawa Kamo, the main character of a Shinsengumi manga published around 14-15 years prior to the Japanese publication of Rurouni Kenshin Volume 2. The "Uhu-hu-hu" laugh originates from Ukon, a character in Kenka-ya Ukon (Fight Merchant Ukon) portrayed by Ryōtarō Sugi. Watsuki summarizes Jin-e as, in a sense, the only character to defeat Kenshin even though he did not defeat the Battōsai. [10]

[edit] Saitō Hajime

Main article: Saitō Hajime (Rurouni Kenshin)
Former Captain of the Shinsengumi 3rd Patrol, he now works as Lieutenant Goro Fujita for the Meiji government police. He was initially having a rivalry with the Battousai before they became hesitant allies.

[edit] Shishio Makoto's Faction

From left to right, up to down: Shishio, Hoji, Yumi, Usui, Cho, Fuji, Iwambo, Sojiro, Kamatari, Anji, Henya and Saizuchi
From left to right, up to down: Shishio, Hoji, Yumi, Usui, Cho, Fuji, Iwambo, Sojiro, Kamatari, Anji, Henya and Saizuchi

[edit] Shishio Makoto

Main article: Shishio Makoto

[edit] Komagata Yumi

Komagata Yumi was an oiran, a courtesan (in short the highest rank of prostitute) in Yoshiwara, formerly an akasen. Because of that, she is beautiful, intelligent, dignified, well-cultured, and was brought up in a comfortable life. She was always interested in social issues and occurrences in Japan, and became reviled at the Japanese government's stance regarding prostitutes (according to the government they were no better than cows or horses). She came to love Shishio with an utmost passion, which he returned. Thus, she joined his conspiracy to bring down the Meiji government. She is constantly concerned about Shishio's medical state.

Regardless of how devious Shishio is, Yumi feels justified in her love for him (Cho implies that she only found true happiness when she met Shishio). She also became Sōjirō's close friend and surrogate sister, to whom Sōjirō confides the secret behind Kenshin's techniques. She also has a little rivalry with Kamatari, who's also in love with Shishio and is able to fight for him, though this was more of a running gag than anything.

Yumi dies trying to protect Shishio when his body becomes overheated in his fight with Kenshin. After she hurls herself in between Kenshin and Shishio and convinces the former to spare the latter, Shishio runs her through with his sword, mortally injuring her in the process and wounding Kenshin as well. Knowing that she has finally been of use to Shishio in his most important battle, she dies happy and released of her former frustration for not being able to fight next to him like the other Juppongatana members. With her last breath, she assures Shishio that she shall wait for him in hell.


[edit] Senkaku

Senkaku is a gargantuan man with a spiky head who rules over a village conquered by Shishio. He fights with a pair of "knuckle blades." He boasts of having killed 99 people, and that Kenshin will be his hundredth. Senkaku is also the man responsible for murdering the parents and brother of the village boy Eiji, acts which Kenshin swears to avenge for Eiji's sake. Senkaku is entertaining Shishio at the village mansion when Kenshin arrives, and Shishio has Senkaku battle him to test the Battosai's skills. Senkaku is defeated, however, without Kenshin attacking him once; he simply increases his speed to the point where Senkaku's massive frame cannot support the fast movement, and as a result Senkaku's leg breaks, leaving him helpless. In the anime, Senkaku was shown to have escaped police custody and then summarily executed by Seta Sojiro for his failure, but not before he has expressed his gratitude of Kenshin to Sojiro for sparing his life. This does not occur in the manga.

[edit] The Juppongatana

The Juppongatana (Ten Swords) is an elite group of swordsmen (mostly) that acts as a special attack force. They fight under Shishio Makoto against the Meiji government.

[edit] Seta Sōjirō

Main article: Seta Sōjirō

[edit] Uonuma Usui

Usui, the Blind Sword, used to be a swordsman working for the shogunate government. However, in a fight against Shishio Makoto, he was blinded. He possesses the Shingan (Eye of Heart), which is actually superhuman hearing that lets him hear another's heartbeat thus enabling him to sense people around him and detect the emotions of others. This ability is so advanced that it appears to be similar to the sonar of a dolphin or bat. Usui is at least as aware of his surroundings as a normal person, with the sole exception of being unable to read.

Usui and Shishio made a deal upon Usui joining the Juppongatana: That Usui could try to kill Shishio anytime he gets the chance. Saito guesses (correctly) in a fight that deep down, Usui knows he won't be able to kill Shishio and just boasts about killing him to hide that fact from everyone else. Saito also says that Shishio knows this too and is just playing along to use Usui. Since Usui can't kill Shishio, he kills people weaker than himself to boost his ego. He kills 50 police officers in Kobe before gathering in Kyoto with the rest of the Juppongatana and almost kills Misao during the Great Kyoto Fire, but is stopped by Anji. He is the only member of the Juppongatana to realize that Hoji's claim about it being his own idea to use the Juppongatana as decoys for the voyage of the Rengoku was a lie (it was really Shishio's idea).

Usui fights using a short spear with a weighted end - the rochin - to attack, and a tortoise shell - the tinbei - as a shield to deflect attacks and block the enemy's vision. He states that the use of the Rochin and the Tinbei is a royal martial art of his homeland of Ryūkyū. One of the techniques he applies in his duel against Saito is Bōken Bōgyoku Hyakka Ryōran (Treasure Sword, Treasure Sphere, Hundred Flower, Silver Chaos) - which is a series of rapid thrusts with the spear's point and ball. He was killed by Saitō's "Gatotsu Zeroshiki" which in the manga literally rips him in half, and in the anime stabs him through a wall.

[edit] Yūkyūzan Anji

Anji is a fallen warrior-monk who fights along Shishio to destroy the Meiji government who did nothing to stop the anti-Buddhist purge which resulted in the destruction of his home and the deaths of the five orphaned children he cared for in his temple, who came from families who opposed the Meiji restoration and were wiped away during the war. Though he is a "fallen" monk he still maintains many of the Buddhist beliefs and now wishes to cleanse the world of those who are evil,driven by the goal of slavation, and is willing to side with evil to achieve this. Anji's title, "The Bright King" comes from Acala, one of the Five Wisdom Kings, who shatters delusion and is a protector of the faith; Anji believes this to be his purpose.

Anji is the most merciful of the Juppongatana and has made an agreement with Shishio that Anji shall decide whether someone lives or dies. He does not use a blade directly in combat, instead utilizing Futae no Kiwami (Double Layer Limit or "Mastery of Two Layers") to strike the blade into the ground to attack from a distance, or more usually directly with his fists. He is enormously strong and has trained his entire body into a killing weapon.

Upon meeting Sagara Sanosuke in a forest, he teaches him his secret technique, without realizing Sanosuke is allied with Kenshin. Normally when a person punches an object resistance is made caused by the object. To make sure that this leftover power isn't wasted, the person will hit with the knuckles then a second hit with the rest of the fist is made within 1/75th of a second causing the object to shatter.

Anji is defeated in a duel with Sanosuke, when Sanosuke upgrades the power of the Futae no Kiwami into three strikes. (Sanjū no Kiwami), striking with his knuckles, then his fist, then the tips of the fingers. After hitting Anji with the Sanju no Kiwami, Sano convinces him that the life he's been living isn't the one that the deceased children want for him like he believed. As he falls defeated, Anji sees the spirits of kids he used to take care of. After Shishio's death, he ends up serving 25 years in prison in Hokkaidō, finally at peace with himself.

He is based on Shimada Kai, one of the spies in the Shinsengumi.

[edit] Sadojima Hōji

Hōji is Shishio's minion, and, aside from Yumi and Sōjirō, he is closest to him. He used to be an official in the Meiji government but lost faith in it when he saw no one in the government worthy of controlling the country. He abandoned his position in the government and eventually met Shishio. Hōji, too, envisions Japan as a mighty power led by Shishio, ruling with the principles of basic animal survival. Hōji is indeed unique; although he is not proficient in any fighting style, he is a cunning organizer and possesses frightening leadership qualities. His skills as a staff officer figure are quite amazing; he even manages to purchase Rengoku--the gigantic ship, which gets destroyed by Sanosuke, Kenshin, and Saito--on the black market. Hōji was 'baptized' by Shishio's intense body heat to kindle in him a belief in hell.

Hōji strongly believes in Shishio's strength as he throws away a gun he had hidden after learning of Shishio's fifteen minute limit. He is in utter disbelief when Shishio is finally defeated by Kenshin and then attempts to destroy the complex the fight took place in so that if Kenshin died, there would be no victor; thus Shishio would never have been beaten. As the complex collapses, Hōji was saved by Anji and Sōjirō. Anji convinces Hōji to surrender himself to the police, and Hōji agreed with the intent of using the criminal courts to project Shishio's ideals and plans. At the end of the Shishio arc, it was revealed that Hōji committed suicide in prison after government officials decided that his voice was too dangerous and refused to grant him a trial. After slitting his throat, he wrote a message on the wall with his own blood: "This world is dead to me. I go to serve my lord in hell". The message was directed at the Meiji government to convey Hōji's disgust with the regime and his loyalty to Shishio. He is last shown in Hell with Shishio and Yumi, vowing to follow Shishio when he declares that he will conquer Hell.

  • His name and character were inspired after X-Men's Forge.

[edit] Sawagejō Chō

Also known as 'The Sword Hunter', Chō possesses quite a collection of rare and unusual swords, including a long flexible sword he keeps hidden around his waist, and double bladed sword known as a Renbatō (Repeater). He is only a mediocre opponent when not using this exotic weapon. He has a very calm and cool exterior, and normally keeps one eye closed when talking, and only opens both eyes when excited in the heat of battle. He speaks with a Kansai-ben accent in the original and a more Southern Western accent in the dub.

His fighting style is determined by the sword he uses, but he mainly uses the style Garyuorochi. The first is Orochi (Eight-Headed Hydra), in which Chō bounces his sword, Hakujin no Tachi (The thin one) on the ground in waves. He uses Sakasa Kuchu Nōtō (Mid-air Sheathing) on Seiku's son Iori to locate the final sword of Shakku which was placed in a temple as a godsword. It was at that time that Kenshin defeated him with that sword. Ultimately he turned out to be a far cry from a match for a well-armed Kenshin, however he told his opponents that all Juppongatana members are stronger than him.

After Shishio's death, Chō pays Kenshin and his friends a visit to inform them of what happened to members of the Juppongatana after Shishio's demise, then he goes on to work under Saitō as a spy/informant.

Chō later appears in the anime when he tries to attack Amakusa Shōgo but is soundly defeated. In the manga, he later appears in the Jinchū Arc to help uncover information about Enishi.

[edit] Honjō Kamatari

A crossdresser, Kamatari is so good at looking like a woman that he throws Makimachi Misao off completely when Kamatari reveals that he is biologically a man. He is homosexual and loves Shishio Makoto deeply, but knows that he will never be loved like Komagata Yumi nor will he ever become as talented as Seta Sōjirō, who serves as Shishio's right hand man.

Kamatari uses a very heavy scythe-like weapon, a reaper, with a chain ball on the butt of the weapon; this is called Ogama. He practices Honjō-ryu, his own style of martial arts with his scythe, and three of his special techniques are seen in the series, two of which are named after Benten, the only female of the Buddhist Seven Lucky Gods: Midare Benten (Disheveled Benten) is when the scythe is whipped over his head, and the chain forms a sphere, therefore creating both an offensive and defensive attack. Benten Mawashi (Unwrapping Benten) makes use of his broken scythe by twirling the blade and chain rapidly like the blade of a helicopter.

[edit] Kariwa Henya

  • Japanese Seiyuu: Hideshi Takemoto
  • English Voice Actor: Jake Martin

Known as Henya the Flighted, he aided the attack on Aoi-ya, the Kyoto secret headquarters of the Oniwabanshū, with four other Juppongatana members. His battle technique is called Hiku Happa, or "fire flight," in which he uses dynamite to lift himself into flight and attack with from above. He can descend to attack the opponent with a blade on his arm and then blow himself back into the air. The power of flight is harnessed because he starves himself and is very emaciated; he is so light that the constant uplift from the explosions can easily keep him in the air, and a cape allows him to control his movement. Yahiko defeated Henya by using a shoji door blown up by Henya's dynamite and then using the Ryutsuisen from above. Later on, he is used as a government scout because of his aviation abilities.

[edit] Iwanbō

Iwanbō is one of Shishio's Juppongatana. He is a fat oaf who uses his immense size, his strength, and his ability to entrap weapons in his flab. He is very stupid, and, apart from taking part in the battle of Aoiya against Kaoru, Yahiko, Misao, Okina and the Oniwabanshu as well as grinning like an utter idiot, he doesn't say anything, and he doesn't do anything. He was last seen on a cliff outside of Kyoto.

As revealed in the Jinchū, or "Revenge" arc of the manga, Iwanbō is in reality a mechanical puppet, a primitive mech, if you will, controlled by Gein, the puppetmaster. Gein reappears in this arc as one of the six comrades in a more dangerous form of Iwanbo and plays a major role in Enishi's revenge.

[edit] Saizuchi

A cunning small old man who manipulates Fuji and lays out the battle plans for him. He believes that his old age makes him the one who is right since he's lived so long. Saizuchi's talents lie not in battle-abilities, but his proficient use of words: during the Juppongatana attack of Aoi-Ya, Saizuchi attempted to destroy the morale of the Oniwabanshu by giving a speech as to why it is impossible for them to defeat Fuji and himself. Saizuchi was knocked unconscious when Fuji's left arm fell on him, after Fuji was defeated by Hiko Seijūrō. After Shishio's death, he is conscripted into government service, using his gifts of persuasion to negotiate for the foreign ministry.

[edit] Fuji

A giant. Considered a freak by everyone around him. One day he was attacked and almost killed, but the old man Saizuchi found him and took him in. The gentle, depressed Fuji was in an ideal state for Saizuchi to manipulate his emotions and turn him into an unbelievable fighter. Saizuchi keeps telling Fuji that he owes him for saving his life and uses that to control him. He was defeated by Hiko Seijūrō, who unlocked his true martial artist's soul and was the first to look at Fuji as someone other than a monster. Upon capture, the Meiji government assigned him to northern Hokkaidō to develop land and act as a defending fighter during times of war.

His design basis, though commonly mistaken to be EVA#2 from Neon Genesis Evangelion, is actually the God Soldier from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

[edit] Yaminobu

The Yaminobu are a group of ninja whom Kenshin battled during the Bakumatsu (Revolution) during his days as a manslayer. They wield an assortment of weapons: One (Murakami) wields a chain and two swords, one (Sumita) an axe, one (Nakajo) a small wrist weapon which fires darts, and one (Tatsumi) fights with his fists. Mumyoi (see below) is also a member of the Yaminobu. They attempt to learn Kenshin's weakness through his wife Tomoe, though she eventually falls in love with him. The Yaminobu reveal to her however, that their plan all along was to have the two fall in love in order to make Tomoe Kenshin's weakness. They then hold her captive to lure Kenshin into a trap in the so-called blinding forest, where Kenshin gradually loses his sense of sound, touch, and sight. Kenshin nonetheless successfully defeats and kills all of the group, although he accidentally kills Tomoe in the process. Only Mumyoi escapes, and he is later seen as a member of the Six Comrades.

[edit] The Six Comrades

From the manga only Jinchū arc. A group made up of six people formed by Yukishiro Enishi. Most of them have connections to Kenshin's past as Hitokiri Battōsai; however, only 3 of them truly want revenge on Kenshin for the wrongs he did to them through their Jinchū (Man's Justice) campaign. The other three are only participating for fighting, enjoyment, or to test out their skills.

[edit] Yukishiro Enishi

Main article: Yukishiro Enishi

[edit] Gein

Dressed in black with a skull mask, Gein is the last remaining descendant of a small group of people who mastered the art of mechanics in the Middle Ages. He creates puppet like suits out of the corpses of dead people, most notably the Iwanbō series (version one which was a member of the Juppongatana, version two which looks exactly like one and was used to house a bomb, and a revamped battle suit called version 3 savage mode). He is actually an old man yet he is very strong due to controlling his heavy puppets for so long. The diamond edged steel wires he uses (Zankousen) to control his puppets can also be used as a weapon as they are sharp enough to cut flesh and break bone. He also uses wires soaked in oil which he lays out in the form of a spider web to trap and burn his opponent to death.

Gein first joined Shishio's Juppongatana disguised as Iwanbō and later, Enishi's Six Comrades. Once Shishio was dealt with, Enishi met with Gein and had him organize the first meeting between the Six Comrades and acquire a mansion for them to stay at. Gein later reveals that he has no personal grudge against Kenshin like the other five, he just wants to test out his creations and needs to be around men of battle to do it since according to him, the forefront of technology is always in battle. This is also the reason why Gein joined Shishio and the Juppongatana. For Enishi's Jinchū he creates a corpse doll of Kaoru to fool Kenshin into thinking she had been killed by Enishi, he considers this his masterpiece.

During the attack on Kamiya dojo, Gein fights Kenshin using Iwanbō version three and is defeated by Kenshin's Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. After Enishi defeats Kenshin, Gein produces a heavy smoke needed for Enishi to carry out Jinchū. After Jinchū is completed, he flees with Enishi to his island hideout. After meeting Wu Heishin Gein goes back to Tokyo on a boat. On the way he kills a bunch of men who were ordered by Heishin to kill him and figures out it's because Enishi doesn't need him anymore.

When Gein gets to Tokyo he goes to the graveyard to get his Kaoru doll where he runs into a trap set by Aoshi, who had figured out that the corpse was a fake. Gein demands to know where Aoshi hid the doll and engages him in combat. Later Gein offers to reveal where Kaoru is in exchange for the location of his corpse doll. Though it's part of a trap on his part, Gein reveals the location of Enishi's hideout where Kaoru is and Aoshi in return tells Gein that he burned the corpse doll. In the end Aoshi outsmarts and kills Gein by pulling him into his own fire.

In Gein's Character Notes Nobuhiro Watsuki said that he based Gein from the notorious murderer Edward Gein. According to the Rurouni Kenshin Kanzenban Volume 16, the original concept of his real face was intended to be that of a young handsome man, but eventually he was made into an old man as evidenced when Aoshi sliced off his skull mask during their battle. [11]

The bomb hidden in Iwanbo version two had the insignia of the Straw Hat Pirates from the series One Piece. This series is made by Eiichiro Oda, another artist who was an assistant to Nobuhiro Watsuki.

[edit] Kujiranami Hyōgo

A huge one-armed man. Sano points out that he's bigger than Anji. While shown to be a relatively selfless and understanding person when first introduced, his nature is later distorted until he reaches the point of insanity. His height also gradually expands, going from a large-but-still-believable height when first seen, to a towering behemoth with a hand the size of normal people on his rampage.

During the battle of Toba Fushimi in the Bakumatsu, Kujiranami fought Kenshin, who cut off his right arm. Kujiranami requested that Kenshin kill him since he didn't want to live to see an era where wars are fought with guns instead of the swords, absent of skill and soul. However, Kenshin refused to kill Kujiranami, saying that he didn't want to kill anymore than he needed to and that Kujiranami should live in the new era. Already feeling that he had been robbed of a warrior's pride and era, being robbed of a warrior's death was the last straw for Kujiranami. Since then he vowed to kill Kenshin for dishonoring him and joined Enishi's Jinchu to get his revenge. Interestingly he starts to scream "BATTŌSAI" whenever he's enraged.

Enishi gives Kujiranami an Armstrong canon to replace his missing arm which Kujiranami uses to blow up the Akabeko and the police chief's home. He was the first to engage in combat when the Six Comrades attack Kamiya dojo and the first to be defeated. Later in the battle he regains his strength and incapacitates Kenshin, giving Enishi enough time to complete his Jinchu. He is then taken down by Saito, arrested, and put in jail, but later goes berserk in his cell and escapes. He gets his upgraded weapon from Enishi, a grenade launcher and goes on a rampage in Tokyo searching for Kenshin.

Yahiko is the only one around to fight Kujiranami at the time and manages to hold him off until Kenshin arrives and cuts off his grenade launcher, which returns his sanity. Afterwards Yahiko manages to convince Kujiranami that his hatred for a fellow samurai is wrong and has done nothing for him except lead him down the wrong path. Moved to tears by Yahiko's words, Kujiranami accepts that he was wrong, apologizes to Kenshin for his crimes and turns himself back into the police. As Kujiranami leaves, Kenshin once again tells him to live in the new era and Kujiranami in return thanks Kenshin for his kindness.

[edit] Inui Banjin

Inui is a camaflouge wearing hand-to-hand fighter who mirrors Sanosuke in intelligence. He is the student of Tatsumi, the leader of the ninja group that tried to kill Hitokiri Battōsai. Because of Tatsumi's death at the hands of Battōsai, Inui joins Enishi's Jinchū campaign. However, he reveals to Sano that he's just using his master's death as an excuse to fight and prove how powerful he is.

Inui wears gauntlets on his wrists called tekkō, or "Invulnerable Gauntlets" that according to him can deflect any attack. He wears them to compensate for the fact that he can't take damage well. Inui is skilled in Jutsushiki Muteki-Ryu, which is an amalgamation of various styles of martial arts. He likes to boast about being invincible and undefeated but Sano figures out that he's just full of himself from wearing the gauntlets and that he only fights people weaker than him.

Inui attacks Maekawa dojo as part of the Jinchū campaign where he fights Sano for the first time. During the battle, Sano ends up wrecking one of his gauntlets with the Futae No Kiwami. He later gets a pair of upgraded gauntlets, dubbed the Neo-Invulnerable Gauntlets, from Enishi and fights Sano again in the attack on Kamiya dojo. In the end Inui provokes Sano into attacking him with the Futae No Kiwami again and is defeated as a result with both of his gauntlets destroyed. After being taken down, Inui vows to kill Sano next time and Sano welcomes him to try but warns him that he won't win as long as he wears armor to cover his weakness. He is arrested by the police afterwards.

[edit] Otowa Hyōko

Otowa is a drag queen looking user of assassin's weapons that he has hidden all over his body. He claims to have 13 in all though we only see him use a couple. Otowa's battle tactic is to outwit the opponent and catch them off guard with his hidden weapons as opposed to simply overpowering them.

Otowa is a sadistic individual as he loves to kill people and is not above killing women and children. He is also somewhat of a coward as he plans to retreat from the Kamiya dojo attack after seeing Kenshin glare at him. Otowa was the friend of the shadow ninja Nakajo, who he had nightly competitive killing sprees with. Because of Nakajō's death fighting Hitokiri Battōsai he joins Enishi's Jinchu campaign but we later see that he really joined the fight just for pleasure.

Otowa attacks the police chief's home as part of the Jinchū campaign where he meets Kenshin and retreats after Kenshin figures out how one of his weapons work. Otowa later fights Yahiko in the attack on Kamiya dojo. He comes close to killing Yahiko with a few more of his weapons but Yahiko eventually defeats him. As Otowa goes down he has a crazed smile on his face as he couldn't believe his defeat at the hands of someone not even half his age. He was arrested by the police afterwards.

[edit] Yatsume Mumyōi

A member of an old gold mining clan. Family tradition led them to enlongate the limbs of the family members using gold rings (much like the tribal rings around the necks of some African tribes) to help them mine better. As a result, Yatsume's limbs are about 1.5 times as long as normal, with the notable exception of his left arm, which is twice as long and equipped with metal claws. His teeth have also been sharpened into fangs from a young age. He was born with his unusual tongue.

Yatsume took up fighting and joined the Yaminobu Shadow Warriors that tried to kill Kenshin in order to support his clan, who had fallen under hard times. The Yatsume family's personal law is that no one may see them and live, so when Kenshin sees and defeats him (shortly before killing Tomoe), he vows revenge and returns in the Jinchū arc under Enishi to extract vengeance. His family law isn't the only thing that drives him as he blames Kenshin and the Ishin Shishi for the dire predicament his clan is currently in.

Yatsume stayed hidden from his other five comrades until the attack on Kamiya dojo when he finally appeared once Kujiranami, Gein, Inui, and Otowa were defeated. However, before he can fight Kenshin, he ends up fighting Saitō instead, and has his arm impaled by Saitō's Gatotsu Zeroshiki (only after first injuring Saitō). After Yatsume is defeated by Saitō, Kenshin offers to let Yatsume fight him if he still wants to but suggests that he go up north and use his abilities to help his clan. He is arrested by the police afterwards. Of all those involved in the Jinchū, he appears to show the most respect to his fellow comrades, formally greeting them (albeit from above the ceiling). He also accepts Kenshin's generosity to go on with his life. He is also one of only three of the "6 Comrades" who was actually obsessed with taking revenge on Kenshin.

In addition to the claw weapon on his left hand Yatsume has the Dosha no Bōheki, in which he sticks his claw into the ground and throws up a bunch of dirt and rubble which acts as a barrier, and Bandan Jiraihō which he got from Enishi. They are ceramic shells filled with gunpowder that can be used as landmines and are activated when they are pulled or stepped on.

Yatsume's appearance is very similar to Venom, the Spider-Man villain. Nobuhiro Watsuki admits in Yatsume's character notes that his design was partially based on Venom.[citation needed]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (9) Oniwabanshū * Hyottoko," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 3. VIZ Media. 46.
  2. ^ a b Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (8) Oniwabanshū * Beshimi," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 3. VIZ Media. 26.
  3. ^ "The Secret Life of Characters (13) Okashira * Shinomori Aoshi," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 4. VIZ Media. 184.
  4. ^ a b Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (10) Oniwabanshū * Han'nya," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 4. VIZ Media. 66.
  5. ^ a b Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (11) Oniwabanshū * Shikijō," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 4. VIZ Media. 86.
  6. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "Act 6 Face Off: Sagara Sanosuke," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 1. VIZ Media.
  7. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "Act 7: Mark of Evil," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 2. VIZ Media.
  8. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (4) Hiruma Kihei & Gohei," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 1. VIZ Media. 144.
  9. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (12) Takeda Kanryū," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 4. VIZ Media. 142.
  10. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (7) Udō Jin-e," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 2. VIZ Media. 168.
  11. ^ Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "Act 216 The Two Dressed in Black - Part One," Rurouni Kenshin Volume 24. VIZ Media. 185.
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