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This is a list of characters of the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Names are in Japanese order, with the family name before the given name. The Viz manga uses the Japanese order in Rurouni Kenshin while the English anime uses the Western order.

Contents

[edit] Protagonists

[edit] Himura Kenshin

Main article: Himura Kenshin

[edit] Kamiya Kaoru

Main article: Kamiya Kaoru

[edit] Sagara Sanosuke

Main article: Sagara Sanosuke

[edit] Myōjin Yahiko

Main article: Myōjin Yahiko

[edit] Friends of Himura Kenshin

Other people with whom Kenshin has formed friendships at Tokyo and beyond.

[edit] Tsukayama Yūtarō

A rich son of a samurai, who wants nothing more than to learn swordsmanship. In the anime, he wants to become stronger than his father once was. He learns the basics of Kamiya Kasshin Ryū from Kamiya Kaoru and becomes a rival to Myōjin Yahiko, but then returns to the person he believes to be his true sensei, Raijuta. After Raijūta injures him to the extent where he can't use his right hand, he goes to Germany where they have more advanced medicine.

In the manga, Yūtarō is the son of a wealthy merchant (whom served as a samurai), and wants nothing more than to learn swordsmanship. He first appears in volume 5, chapter 34, as a junior follower of Raijuta. It all ends up with Yūtarō to Germany to try to heal his injury. At the end of the manga, a sign in the Kamiya Kasshin Ryū dojo shows that Yūtarō has returned and is an assistant instructor along with Yahiko. In Yahiko no Sakabato, it is noted that Yutaro is somewhat of a playboy. In the anime, he comes back and the entire black knights arc starts with Yutaro going back to Germany and quiting kenjustu.

[edit] Tsukioka Tsunan

Born Katsuhiro, he was a survivor of the Sekihōtai after it was disbanded by the government. Called Katsu by Sanosuke, Tsunan became a printmaker after the Meiji Restoration. He is an expert at explosive weapons and gunpowder, and intends to use them against the Meiji government. When he and Sano try to embark on a terrorist campaign against the Meiji government later in the series, they are stopped by Kenshin. Since then, Katsu buried his bombs and became a journalist for his own newspaper. Later on in the anime series, he becomes a valuable source of information for Kenshin and Sanosuke. However, he still makes bombs solely as a hobby-he has several to give Sanosuke just before following Kenshin to Kyoto.

[edit] Hiko Seijūrō

Main article: Hiko Seijūrō

[edit] Himura Kenji

Main article: Himura Kenji


[edit] Sekihara Tae

Sekihara Tae (関原 妙?) is the 20-something manager of the beef hot pot (gyūnabe, or sukiyaki) restaurant, the Akabeko. She has a twin sister named Sae managing in a similar restaurant called the Shirōbeko in Kyoto. Sanosuke also owes her a seemingly large sum of money in which interest is accounted for. In the anime, and a bit in the manga, she has also tried to push the relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru since it seemed it to her that it was not working.

[edit] Sanjō Tsubame

A waitress at Tae's restaurant, Sanjō Tsubame (三条 燕?) becomes Yahiko's sweetheart. She was saved by him from the ronin her family worked for as Yahiko stopped them from robbing the Akabeko. She is very shy and soft spoken. When Kenshin enters a living hell after the supposed death of Kamiya Kaoru at the hands of Yukishiro Enishi, Tsubame pleads for Kenshin to help Yahiko fight back against one of Enishi's abandoned allies and brings Kenshin back into the world of the living. Later she and Yahiko have a child.

In Seisōhen/Reflection, the viewer see that Tsubame and Yahiko had become a couple and Watsuki has mentioned in his notes Tsubame and Yahiko's son 'Shinya'; they become a couple in the manga storyline.

[edit] Hajime Saito

Main article: Hajime Saito (Rurouni Kenshin)

[edit] Chief Uramura

A local police chief, Uramura (浦村?) or Chief Uramura (浦村署長 Uramura-shochō?) is a good friend of Kenshin's and often informs him of local disturbances. During the Jinchū arc, Uramura's residence is attacked along with the Maegawa dojo and the Akabeko as part of Yukishiro Enishi's plan to strike at the places in Tokyo most important to Kenshin; fortunately Uramura and his family are saved by Kenshin. As a favour to Kenshin, he deliberately points the police in the wrong direction when they attempt to arrest Sanosuke toward the end of the manga. He was not given a name until the Jinchū arc in the manga; in the anime he was simply called "chief" by Yamagata Aritomo.

[edit] Oibore

Referred to as "Geezer" in the Viz translation. A kindly and friendly old man who wanders from place to place and resides within the fallen villages when he chooses to stay in one place for a while. When Kenshin falls into a deep depression after failing to protect Kamiya Kaoru from being killed, Oibore gently persuades Kenshin (partly through the use of hakubaiko perfume) to find his purpose to stand again rather than listen to his friends telling him to avenge Kaoru, who mean well but lack the insight to realize what Kenshin's inner conflict is.

He is later revealed to be the father of Yukishiro Tomoe and Enishi. He is aware that Tomoe has died and also of Kenshin's relationship to her. He is last seen with the broken Enishi in the fallen village in Tokyo; father and son remark that their company seems familiar, though Enishi fails recognize the identity of the old man while Oibore's knowledge of the young man's relation to him is left more ambiguous.

[edit] Takani Megumi

Main article: Takani Megumi

[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] Makimachi Misao

Main article: Makimachi Misao

[edit] Okina

Kashiwazaki Nenji (柏崎念至?), also known as Okina, is a strong fighter and a talented strategist. He is said to be the only one who can equal the former Oniwabanshū leader in a fight. Okina was to become the next leader but refused the position, saying that it was the time for the young, not the old and recommended Aoshi to be the next leader. He was then made an agent in Kyoto for gathering information. Upon retiring, he gave up his fighting ways (although he was seen fighting Aoshi) and now lives peacefully in Kyoto at the Aoiya (House of Malva), the headquarters of the Oniwabanshū (which is now a hotel), where he raised Misao. Although old, Okina still possesses a quick mind and knows all of the outer and inner workings of Kyoto since the old intelligence network of the Oniwabanshu is still active. He uses this network to help Kenshin find Arai Seikū and Hiko Seijūrō. Okina tends to like drinking games and pretty girls.

[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]

[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 an "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]

Gohei becomes a murderer and falsely uses the name "Hitokiri Battōsai." Gohei attempts to kill Kaoru, but Kenshin saves her life.

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. 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. In the story 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.

[edit] Udo Jin-e

Kurogasa, otherwise known as Udō Jin-e (鵜堂刃衛 Udō Jin'e?) (in Western order, Jinei Udoh), is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Rurouni Kenshin (appearing in episodes 6 and 7). (JA)

Kurogasa's Japanese voice actor is Akio Ohtsuka, and his English voice actor is Dave Mallow.

Watsuki used Okada Izō Jennifer Chang is Watsuki Oda. 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]

Kurogasa was a manslayer during the Revolution, and there is evidence he continued killing people well after the end of the Revolution. He attacked high-ranking Imperialist officials of the Meiji government (leading some to believe he fought for the Tokugawa shogunate during the war, since he did state that he was a member of the Shinsengumi), killing anyone who stood in his way. He appears as a man dressed in a long scarf, straw hat, 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." A few moments later as the other two look on, Kurogasa dies. Kenshin later remembers his words during a later arc of the series, and he is also seen speaking to Kenshin multiple times in the Kyoto arc from beyond the grave.


[edit] Shishio Makoto's Faction

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] Shishio Makoto

Main article: Shishio Makoto

[edit] Komagata Yumi

  • Japanese Seiyuu: Kanako Irie
  • English Voice Actress: Wendee Lee

Komagata Yumi is an oiran, a courtesan 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 Makoto Shishio with an utmost passion, which he returned. Thus, she joined Shishio's 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. Her last words are "Shishio-sama... please win this fight... and if you're fated to go to Hell... Yumi will go first to wait for your arrival."

As Yumi lays dying in Shishio's arms, a horrified Kenshin accuses Shishio of not caring for Yumi at all and using her to win the battle, but Shishio merely tells him to not judge any of them since they understand each other like nobody else, and he stays by Yumi's side until she dies.

[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 actually is 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 points out 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 points out 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 Kyoto Grand 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 is 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 warrior fallen-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. That is the power of the Futae no Kiwami.

Anji is defeated in a duel with Sanosuke, when Sanosuke upgrades the power of the Double Layer Limit into a Triple Layer Limit (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 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 now. I go to follow my master to 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.


[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. 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.

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 blade) 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 Aoiya, the Kyoto secret headquarters of the Oniwabanshū, with four other Juppongatana members. His battle technique is called Hiku Happa, 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 Hennya 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 Hennya by using a shoji door blown up by Henya's dynamite and then attempting to use the Ryu Tsui Sen from above that he has often seen Kenshin use. Later on, he is used as a government spy 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. He later works for the Diplomacy Department in the government for sticky situations after Shishio's death.

[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] 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.

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 Karou 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.

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. Inui joins Enishi's Jinchū campaign 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 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 tekkō 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 tekkō with the Futae No Kiwami. He later gets a pair of upgraded Tekkō 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 Tekkō 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 the tekkō 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, he vows revenge and returns in the Jinchū arc under Enishi to extract vengeance.

Yatsume stays 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 is easily defeated. 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.

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.

[edit] Characters from the Samurai X OVA

People that haunt Kenshin's memories of the Bakumatsu.

[edit] Yukishiro Tomoe

Main article: Yukishiro Tomoe

[edit] Yukishiro Enishi

Main article: Yukishiro Enishi

[edit] Katsura Kogorō

  • Japanese Seiyuu: Tomokazu Seki
  • English Voice Actor: Corey M. Gagne

Katsura Kogorō was the leader of the Chōshu clan. He worked hard to bring down the Shogunate. Katsura was an intelligent, wise and calculating man. He pitied Kenshin's emotional struggle between the old Shinta and the unrepentant Battōsai. So, he saved his life by asking Tomoe to become his 'sheath'. Upon the accession of the Meiji government, Katsura became one of the three Ishin Sanketsu. He died close to the same time of Saigō's demise, in 1877.


[edit] Iizuka

  • Japanese Seiyuu: Ryūsei Nakao
  • English Voice Actor: Lowell Bartholomee

Iizuka was the field examiner for the Chōshu clan. He was responsible recording the group's kills. Laid back, a joker, and easy going, Iizuka was in fact a greedy double agent, working for the Tokugawa shogunate. He was a contributing factor in plotting the downfall of Hitokiri Battosai - Himura Kenshin. Iizuka attempted to skip country as soon as the trap was in place, but was murdered by Shishio Makoto in an alleyway (in the manga it's a mountain side).

[edit] Kiyosato Akira

Tomoe's dead fiance, Kiyosato Akira (清里 明?) was a member of the Mimawarigumi. A kind and caring man, he and Tomoe were childhood sweethearts, and they planned to get married. He was on bodyguard duty for the Kyoto administrator, Shigekura Jūbei on the day of his death. He was slaughtered by Kenshin in a Kyoto street along with the official he was guarding. It was all due to the tragedy of human folly; Akira only joined the Mimawarigumi so that Tomoe could look at him as a hero, as he believed that she was unhappy with the prospect being married to the mere second son of a samurai. Instead, she ended up seeing him killed.

[edit] Tatsumi

  • Japanese Seiyū: Minoru Uchida

A hulk of a man, Tatsumi is the leader of the ninja clan Kenshin fights when looking for Tomoe. In the OVA, he is represented as a physically-fit old man with a ninja outfit who gives Kenshin the beating of his life before Kenshin kills him. His character cares a lot about the Tokugawa values. It should also be noted that in the OVA, he talks a lot, while all other members of his gang are never shown speaking. In the manga, he is depicted (much like many of Kenshin's other enemies) as someone (literally) twice his size. His outfit is more like a judo outfit than (similar to Inui Banjin) a ninja outfit and he lacks pupils. He was the master of Inui Banjin and his death at the hands of Kenshin is used as an excuse by his student to join Enishi's Jinchu campaign. His portrayal in the manga is more brutal (he says they'll kill Tomoe after Kenshin's defeat).

[edit] Leaders

People Kenshin knows in high places.

[edit] Yamagata Aritomo

General Yamagata Aritomo (山縣 有朋 1838 - 1922?), a former Chōshū clansleader, is the commander-in-chief of the Japanese imperial army and the minister of war. Yamagata was a real person, and an important Meiji statesman; he was also the first Prime Minister under the Meiji constitution of 1889. With his modern army, he defeated the samurai uprising led by Saigō Takamori. He died in 1922. The general appears a few times in the series; the first was in episode three, when he sought Kenshin's skills in the new army. They also meet in the Samurai X movie during Takimi Shigure's uprising, and for the last time in Seihousen, in 1893 before the Nisshin (The first Sino-Japanese War) took place.

Watsuki stated that he could not draw his version of Yamagata Aritomo to look like the real person seen in surviving photographs. [11]

[edit] Ōkubo Toshimichi

  • Japanese Seiyuu: Yoshisada Sakaguchi
  • English Voice Actor: Doug Stone

In history, Ōkubo Toshimichi (大久保 利通?) (1830-1878) was one of the five Ishin Shishi - Men of Spirit and the last of the three to have the highest honors in the government. He outlived Katsura and Saigō Takamori. He was a leader of the Satsuma clan, who supported the restoration of imperial power. He was responsible for the suppression of the Satsuma rebellion in 1877, led by Ōkubo's college friend, Saigō Takamori. In Rurouni Kenshin, Ōkubo appears to Kenshin for help in the Shishio crisis. In real life, Ōkubo was murdered by six discontented clansmen on his way to Tokyo on May 14, 1878. In the Kenshin series, Seta Sōjirō murders him and the clansmen take responsibility.

[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. ^ 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. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SecretLife5Sagara_S.C5.8Dz.C5.8D