List of Rurouni Kenshin characters

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File:Kenshinlogo.jpg
Rurouni Kenshin, the English-language manga logo

This page describes the minor/supporting characters of the anime and manga Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X and the enemies Kenshin battles throughout the series.

Names are in Japanese order, with the surname before the given name. The Viz manga uses the Japanese order in Rurouni Kenshin while the English anime uses the Western order.

Main Characters

Friends of Himura Kenshin

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

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.

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 (in the manga Kenshin is the one who buried Katsu's bombs). 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.

Hiko Seijūrō (Niitsu Kakunoshin)

Main article: Hiko Seijūrō

Himura Kenji

Main article: Himura Kenji

Sagara Sōzō

Based on the actual captain, Sagara Sōzō (1839 - 1868) was the leader of the Sekihōtai's First Troop. Sanosuke looked up to him greatly; he was, to Sanosuke, the ideal role model. He was killed when the Meiji government purged the Sekihōtai, leading to Sanosuke's embitterment towards it. His head was placed on a platform and in a cage for all to see, it haunts Sano still to this very day. Sometime after his death, Sano took his name and became Sagara Sanosuke.

Sekihara Tae

The 20-something manager of the beef hot pot 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 wasn't going anywhere.

Tae's hairstyle is actually an initial rejected character design for Kenshin and her personality comes from Megumi's original personality in the first Rurouni one-shot.

Sanjō Tsubame

A waitress at Tae's restaurant, who 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' so it is obvious they become a couple in the manga storyline.

Dr. Oguni Gensai

A venerable old doctor and friend of the Kamiya Dojo, he often offers treatment or advice early in the series. In the television show, he is the grandfather of two impossibly cute little girls (Ayame and Suzume) who also like hanging around the Dojo. After the group meets Takani Megumi, he offers her training and lets her take over his clinic when on vacation or out collecting herbs. He is only seen in a few background shots in the manga.

Ayame

Nonexistent in the manga. Ayame is the older of the two siblings. Like many of the village children, she likes to play with Kenshin.

Suzume

Nonexistent in the manga. The younger granddaughter of Dr. Gensai. She and her sister, along with other village children, like to play with Kenshin. All her dialogue is pretty much repeating what Ayame or someone else just said.

Chief Uramura

A local police chief, he 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. The name "Uramura" comes from Uramura district in (present day) Nagaoka.

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 awhile. 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.

Oniwabanshū

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

Shinomori Aoshi

Main article: Shinomori Aoshi

Makimachi Misao

Main article: Makimachi Misao

Kashiwazaki Nenji (Okina)

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 Seikuu and Hiko Seijūrō. Okina tends to like drinking games... and pretty girls.

Han'nya

Han'nya 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 couldn't 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 was always the one to look after Misao and in the Kyoto arc, his ghost appears in front of Misao during her fight with Kamatari to "check" on her.

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 sakabato in a manner to act as a ruler of sorts, allowing him to see through the optical illusion. Based on Yamazaki Susumu, one of the spies in the Shinsengumi.

The author, Watsuki, wanted to make him a rubber mask, but since it is hard to express the texture of rubber with ink, he gave up and made the demon mask. He also thought about making Han'nya's face inherent, but he also truncated this idea for it darkens the shounen manga.

Hyottoko

Hyottoko 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.

He died at Kanryū's hand, protecting Aoshi from the gatling gun.

His character design is roughly based on Marvel's The Hulk.

Shikijō

One of the Oniwabanshū members. Shikijō was a soldier for the Satsuma faction until he was beaten by Aoshi (the scars all over Shikijō's body were made by Aoshi), 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 was the first to die at Kanryū's hand, protecting Aoshi from the Gatling Gun.

Beshimi

The smallest of the Oniwabanshū, Beshimi 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.

Kenshin's opponents

The opponents Kenshin meets throughout the series.

Udō Jin-e (Kurogasa)

Jin-e was a hitokiri (man slayer) during the end of the Tokugawa shogunate like Kenshin was. He is remarkably bloodthirsty, and serves his victims advance warning of their impending doom. He then kills them exactly on time no matter what preparations they have made in their defense. Jin-e used to be a member of the Shinsengumi but the group tried to have him killed because of his excessive bloodlust. He then killed his would-be assassins and escaped to the Ishin Shishi where he killed as a hitokiri until the end of the Bakumatsu. At the dawn of the Meiji era he took the name Kurogasa (Black Hat of Rushes) and became a serial killer, his main targets being former Ishin Shishi now active in the government. He killed for 10 years until he ran into Kenshin. In the Kyoto arc it is revealed that he was working for an assassination ring run by a Meiji government secretary. Jin-e's sword style is Nikaido Heiho and he possesses a technique unique to it known as Shin no Ippō, in which he uses his ki to immobilize people with a glance of his eyes. He can also use it to perform the Hyoki no Jutsu, in which he hypnotises himself to bring out his full strength. Jin-e longs to fight and kill Kenshin because he wants to enjoy fighting Hitokiri Battosai in an intense deathmatch; he even kidnapped Kaoru to force Kenshin to revert back to his Battosai form. In the battle, Kenshin finally reverts back to Battōsai and vows to kill Jin-e when he paralyzes Kaoru's lungs. Kenshin uses Battōjutsu Soryūsen to defeat Jin-e, breaking his right arm, and is about to kill him until Kaoru breaks the Shin no Ippō and stops him from doing it. Afterwards Jin-e commits suicide to protect the identity of the politician that ordered the assassinations (he also says that life would have been boring with his crushed arm). As Jin-e dies he tells Kenshin that he'll be watching him from hell to see how long he can remain a wanderer who doesn't kill.

Although Jin-e plays a small part during the Tokyo Arc, he is the first enemy in the series that forces Kenshin into his old Battosai self. Later in the Kyoto Arc, Jin'eh is mentioned several times during Kenshin's crucial struggle between his wanderer self and his old Battousai self. For example, in act 57/episode 31, when Kaoru says to Kenshin ... no matter how close you were to Battousai, you were still Kenshin! The time with Saito and the time with Jin’eh were the same! and Kenshin replies ...With Jin’eh, I became Battousai in order to save you, and your voice was able to bring me back. But with Saito, I became Battousai only for the sake of the duel.

His design is based on X-Men's Gambit.

Takeda Kanryū

A cunning money-minded industrialist who 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. However, during this last charge, the group is able to jam the feeding ramp of his gun with one of Beshimi's darts (in the anime; in the manga, killing the Oniwabanshu takes all his ammunition) after which Kenshin renders him unconscious to be arrested by the police. Takeda Kanryū is somewhat based on Takeda Kanryūsai, the captain of the Shinsengumi's Fifth Troop. Since Takeda Kanrūysai was rumored to be a homosexual, Nobuhiro Watsuki commented that he was planning to make Takeda Kanryū homosexual, but abandoned the idea as he thought it didn't add anything to the plot.

Isurugi Raijūta

File:Raijuta.JPG
Raijūta in the anime.

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, revealing him to be a total fraud (this aspect of Raijuta's character was ignored in the anime). 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.

It should be noted that Raijūta was Watsuki's first "macho" character in build aside from Shikijo, and apparently his least favorite.

Saitō Hajime (Fujita Gorō)

File:Saito Hajime Stance.JPG
Saitō Hajime in his first stance, Ishiki.

A former leader of the Third Squad of the Shinsengumi, a special police force in Kyoto during the time of the Bakumatsu fighting against the Ishin Shishi, now a policeman working for the Meiji Government. Extremely strong and vicious, he has a long time rivalry with Kenshin. He was involved in the Ikedaya Affair, and although he and the Shinsengumi managed to prevent the Kyōto Holocaust, ultimately, the pro-shogunate forces could not defeat the Ishin Shishi. He has no compassion or mercy for his enemies. He lives by the Shinsengumi code "Aku Soku Zan" (悪即斬 - literally "Slay Evil Immediately", but more poetically rendered as "Swift Death To Evil"). He believes in peace and order, even in the society created by his enemies; though the shogunate forces lost to the anti-shogunate forces, the philosophy which guides him does not change. Anyone he considers to be a threat to peace is a target for elimination, and in this way is an agent of destruction to corrupt political elements in Japan.

File:Saito and Okita.JPG
Saito Hajime with Shinsengumi 1st Squad Leader, Okita Soshi.

He considers Sanosuke an amateur with mild potential, due mostly to Sanosuke's lack of insight. Saitō is an excellent warrior, as he is an able observer and a quick analyst (he in fact works as a spy for the government.) He is also revealed to be married to a woman named Tokio, but she has never been seen.

He is highly recognizable by his narrow eyes, "spider-like" strands of hair in front of his forehead (he's also often said to resemble a wolf), his propensity for smoking and the Japanese sword which hangs from his left side.

Saitō mastered several techniques of the "Shinsengumi-Kenzyutu." Although the Gatotsu technique is similar to descriptions of the sword technique employed by the historical Saitō Hajime, it is, in itself, purely fictional. However the "Hirazuki" (left-handed stab) technique that Saitō's Gatotsu resembles is based off the real fighting style of the Shinsengumi, and at one point in the anime, Saitō credits Hijikata Toshizo, vice captain of the Shinsengumi, with the devising of the strategic principles that gave rise to his style.

  • Gatotsu - the Fang Thrust. The four standard techniques:
    • Ishiki - First Stance
A standard, shoulder-level ground attack. He prepares by dropping into a partial crouch, both knees bent, left arm drawn back and right extended forward; he grasps the kashira (endcap of the tsuka, or hilt) of his sword with his left hand and rests the tips of the fingers of his right hand (usually the thumb) on the blade near its tip. When the attack is initiated, he charges his opponent with sudden and incredible speed (often stunning his target into inaction) and strikes, typically making his mark through the chest, shoulders, neck, or head. Because he supports the kashira of the sword with his palm, rather than holds the tsuka, the range of his thrust extends beyond that of an ordinary sword-thrust. It is also likely that his charging speed lends additional momentum to this already powerful attack.
  • Nishiki - Second Stance
A downward-striking attack. The preparatory position differs from the Ishiki in that Saitō holds his sword over his head; the direction of the Nishiki thrust is narrower, as well. Note that this stance is not necessarily restricted to ground performance. In the battle with Shishio (anime only), Saitō employs it mid-leap as an air-to-ground attack.
  • Sanshiki - Third Stance
An upward-striking attack. Prepared identically to the Ishiki, he uses it to intercept an opponent assaulting him from above, directing his blade into the air instead of immediately forward. Saitō uses this stance in his duels with Kenshin (manga and anime) and Shishio (anime only).
  • Zeroshiki - Zero Stance
Saitō's trump card, which he claims he had saved for his last duel with Kenshin. An attack performed at point-blank range using all his upper body strength. This stance, unlike the first three, requires no prior preparation or footwork. This is an immensely powerful attack, as demonstrated in Saitō's duel against Usui (in the manga, Usui is torn in half by the force of the Zeroshiki; in the anime, he is merely pinned to a wall). Shishio Makoto was the only person known to successfully block this attack.

Saitō's sword techniques are considered quite deadly, as the Gatotsu has only a precious few blind spots to be exploited. Despite the apparent inflexibility of using one attack repeatedly, it has many useful applications. Should his opponent somehow evade the initial Ishiki thrust by side-stepping, Saitō can quickly adapt his position to slash the opponent horizontally. Should they try to duck under the thrust, he uses a kick or a knee to the face as a countermeasure. A jump evade would be met by a Sanshiki. He is also a skilled in-fighter and can instead grapple the opponent, or fall back on hand-to-hand combat. The motion of the Gatotsu can also be used even with his bare hands.

Saitō Hajime (1844-1915) was an actual historic figure of this era, and a number of details presented in the fictional character are based on facts.

Shishio Makoto's Faction

Shishio Makoto

Main article: Shishio Makoto

Komagata Yumi

File:Yumi.JPG
Komagata Yumi in the anime.

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 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.

Yumi is last seen with Shishio in hell, joining him and Hoji in a campaign to overthrow Satan himself.

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.

Seta Sōjirō

Seta Sōjirō.
Seta Sōjirō is Shishio Makoto's right hand man, a teenage assassin trained by Shishio himself. Sōjirō is known for his lack of kenki (offensive aura), or, simply, emotion. He possesses no anger and cites no fear in his enemies, other than with his sword.

Sōjirō's constant smiling face and polite manners stem from his tragic past. An illegitimate child, Sōjirō's father left him in the care of his family, who badly mistreated him. He was assigned chores such as carrying rice to and from the family warehouse and whenever he faltered, he was beaten by his family. Sōjirō built a defense against their lashings; he put on a smiling face, and endured the torture. Then, they would get tired of beating Sōjirō and leave him alone.

One night, he met Shishio, who was on the run from the police. Sōjirō had seen Shishio kill some police officers and Shishio was about to kill him for it until he noticed Sōjirō smiling and spared him in exchange for food and bandages. Shishio taught Sōjirō that only the strong may live; with that mentality, along with a sword that Shishio gave him, Sōjirō slaughtered his entire family, who had tried to murder him for housing Shishio and then blame it on Shishio himself.

Sōjirō's Shukuchi is so fast that he can appear behind Kenshin in seconds.

Sōjirō's apparent lack of emotion, his simple, insensitive mentality, the strong will live and the weak shall die, and his skills make him a formidable foe for Kenshin. He is the one who destroys Kenshin's first Sakabatou in a brief duel at Shingetsu Village.

As a master swordsman of his own style Tenbu no Sai Niyoru Ken, Sōjirō's abilities have earned him the nickname of Tenken or Heavenly Sword (Ten meaning Heaven and Ken meaning Sword). During his duels with Kenshin, he wields the legendary swords Nagasone Kotetsu and Kikuichi-monji. His Shukuchi utilizes such powerful speed that, to an observer, it appears that the distance between the two fighters has shrunk (hence the name Shukuchi, which means "reduced earth").

During his fight with Kenshin, Sōjirō continually states he's only moving "three steps below Shukuchi" or "two steps below shukuchi." He believed it was unnecessary to use the technique fully on an opponent with such a refusal to kill, as Kenshin has. While moving at the speed his Shukuchi utilizes, the only thing that could be seen was Sōjirō's footsteps ripping through the tatami mat. While performing true Shukuchi, Sōjirō completely disappears and cannot be seen, even by Kenshin. He can dodge the Kuzu Ryu Sen.

Sōjirō is also well versed in the Battōjutsu style like Kenshin, as is evidenced when he decides to use a stance similar to Kenshin's, and also when he destroys Kenshin's first Sakabatō.

Combining the true Shukuchi with the Battōjutsu he has created his only named technique, Shun Ten Satsu (Instant Heaven Kill). It is named this because the speed behind the attack is so swift that the opponent dies instantly. According to Sōjirō: "there isn't an instant even to feel the pain".

After Sōjirō's emotions appeared, Kenshin decided to use the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki against the Shun Ten Satsu. The Shun Ten Satsu's fast battō speed plus super fast Shukuchi combination is a little faster than Kenshin's fast speed movement plus Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki's super fast battō speed combination. Since Kenshin's Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki (Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu ougi) was more powerful than Shun Ten Satsu, Sōjirō lost at the end, but he managed to figure out the technique's so-called truth and told it to Yumi as she tended to his wounds. (In the anime, the speed of their attacks were the same.)

Sōjirō and Anji speak for a last time before Sōjirō becomes a wanderer who wants to find his own truth. Cho tells Kenshin that he believes Sōjirō will never ever be caught by the police.

A variety of characters in the Kenshin series were based on real people. Watsuki has publicly stated that the character design of Sōjirō is loosely based upon Okita Sōji, Captain of the 1st Squad of the Shinsengumi.

Uonuma Usui

File:Usui.JPG
Uonuma Usui in the anime.

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 timbei - as a shield to deflect attacks and block the enemy's vision. He states that the use of the Rochin and the Timbei 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 only stabs him through a wall.

Yūkyūzan Anji

File:Anji.JPG
Yūkyūzan Anji in the anime.

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. He has given up his belief in Buddhism and dedicated himself to total destruction of the current system, 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 a fist, then the knuckles, 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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's gay 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 was defeated by the combined efforts of Kaoru and Misao on the attack against Aoi-ya. 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. He is defeated by Kaoru's Hiza Hishigi (literally knee crush) with the handle of her broken bokken.

After being defeated by Kaoru and Misao, Kamatari plans to kill himself by using a needle, but Misao knocks him out; despite hating him for being one of her enemies and not being able to understand his feelings for Shishio, she was touched by his devotion to Shishio. Kamatari is still suicidal after Shishio's death, Chō stops him. He says that Shishio wanted the survivors to spread the word of their revolution. It is later revealed that Chō made this up to prevent Kamatari's suicide. Kamatari goes on to presumably become a spy posing as a foreign exchange student in exchange for his freedom.

It is interesting to note that when Chō informed Kenshin of Kamatari's fate after the demise of Shishio Makoto, he used "she" and "her" despite the fact that it was known by that point that Kamatari is a male.

Kariwa Henya

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.

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.

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.

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

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 and want revenge on Kenshin for the wrongs he did to them through their Jinchū (Man's Justice) campaign.

Yukishiro Enishi

Main article: Yukishiro Enishi

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 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 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.

On an interesting note, 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.

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.

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.

Inui Banjin

Inui is 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 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.

His techniques include:

Gofubaku: Inui flexes his biceps and smashes the opponent's neck with it.

Raijinguruma: Inui spins around like a wheel until he hits something.

Ashura Sai: Inui grabs the opponent's neck, pinches the veins, and throws the opponent.

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.

His weapons include:

Baika Chuzen: A bow with six arrows that Otowa wears on his left wrist. He uses a character on his left hand which emits a strange sound as a distraction while he pulls the activation string on his right hand. A simular version of this weapon was used by Nakajo in the memory arc and he says that it was given to him by Otowa.

Kasui Busuen: Little cubes that emit a poisionous smoke that temporarily paralyzes the opponent.

Bishamonken (Bishamon's Sword) & Bishamonpun (Bishamon's Powder): The upgraded weapons Otowa got from Enishi. A magnetic sword that is used in conjunction with the iron powder to home in on the opponent and attack with great speed. Otowa boasts that this weapon can turn any unskilled swordsman into an expert.

Rikudoku: The six pronged accessory that Otowa wears. With the pull of a switch the six prongs lunge forward and stab their target. Otowa says that this is his best weapon. Based on Mr. Sinister's cape.

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.

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.

Characters from the Shimabara Arc

Characters from the anime only Shimabara Arc.

Amakusa Shōgo

A young Japanese medic and swordsman, he claimed to be the Son of God in order to gain the following of the people of Shimabara. He is one of the few people that knows the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū other than Kenshin and Hiko Seijūrō XIII. His true name is Shogo Mutou, but he uses the surname Amakusa to pay homage to Shiro Amakusa, a Christian samurai who fought against the government centuries ago.

When young, Shogo's uncle Hyoue learned the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū from Hiko Seijūrō XII but failed to learn the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki against his master's Kuzu Ryu Sen, which resulted in him being knocked into a waterfall. Hyoue survived the fall and reunited with his sister and her family, who were members of a hidden Christian cult. Years later he rescued his sister's children, Shogo and Sayo, after their parents were killed, and later taught the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū to Shōgo.

Shogo is an extremely powerful swordsman, easily defeating Kenshin in a duel. He was the only person to add on a move to the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū; the Rai Ryu Sen, which is a technique that manipulates light reflected on his sword in order to blind his opponent. Both Kenshin (though temporarily) and Hyoue (permanently) were blinded by this attack.

Shougo and Sayo's parents were murdered for being hidden Christians; some time before their deaths, they told Shōgo to be strong like God and to protect people of Shimabara. He and his sister moved to Europe with Hyoue; it was there that he learned astrology and medicine and later used that knowledge in Shimabara to predict major events and cure diseases. Because of that knowledge, people believed that he was performing "miracles" which led to further "evidence" for him being the Son of God. His plans were to make Japan into the land of God where the people could live peacefully without fear of being persecuted.

After a second duel with Kenshin, Shogo was defeated and imprisoned, but was saved from death penalty by the Netherlands ambassador Elsten. He's then exiled along with his followers.

Amakusa Sayo

Shōgo's beautiful younger sister a.k.a. Magdalia (her Christian name, coming from Jesus' female disciple Mary Magdalene). Her real name 'Sayo' is not revealed until later in Shogo's flashback and when she tells it to Sanosuke.

Sayo is a deeply religious Christian who cares and teaches children about the Christian faith, but isn't above of using some degree of violence if it's strictly necessary for defense. In fact, she possesses and small gun for self-defense and was planning to shoot Sanosuke, fearing he would pose a threat to her brother, but after reading a letter from him where he declared that he had a debt of honor to her for tending to his wounds, she decided against it.

Sayo and Sanosuke develop somewhat of a close relationship during their time together, helping each other out several times. It is later revealed that she, like her deceased mother before her, is dying from tuberculosis (she's been sick for several years already, and not even Shougo had found an effective cure for her), and Sanosuke raced with all his strength in hope to get her to a doctor; however, she is shot while trying to protect Sir Elsten and dies in Sanosuke's arms.

Kaiō

This weird, bald, caped old man, had to raise himself in China after his mother, a Japanese refugée, escaped from the prosecution many decades ago. He meets up with Shougo there and becomes his right hand man and priest. He is a treacherous, manipulative guy who uses Shōgo to push his secret plan of annexing Japan to the Netherlands; by staging his death and using him as a martyr, he'll reuinite an army and attack Japan to overthrow the Meiji government. He is killed by Shōzo Lorenz (Rorenzo) when the latter threw some bombs (made by Tsukioka Tsunan, given to him by Sanosuke) into his boat as he tried to escape.

Shōzo Lorenzo

A young man who was the personal guard of Amakusa Sayo. During his childhood, he was saved by her and her brother Shōgo from bullies who beat him up. He was a user of a martial arts technique named Karyu, in which his blows were executed so fast that small vacuum waves cut the opponent even if the attacks themselves missed (this attack was later used against him in his second fight against Sagara Sanosuke).

He was almost killed by Kaiō, but used a couple of bombs borrowed from Sanosuke to exact his revenge. Later he talks with Sano at Sayo's grave and reveals his desire to become a monk.

Ambassador Elsten

A good friend of Kenshin (Kenshin had rescued him a number of years earlier), he is the Ambassador of Holland (and a medical doctor.) He tried to stop the attack against the Christians. Later on, he led Shogo Amakusa and the Christians to go to Holland.

Characters from the Voyage to the Moon World/Dreams of Youth arc

Characters from the novel Voyage to the Moon World which was later incorporated into the anime (collected on the DVD Rurouni Kenshin: Dreams of Youth).
Katsu Kaishū (勝海舟) (Kōsei Yagi)

Ōkuma Daigorō (大熊大五郎) (Nobuyuki Hiyama)

Daydreaming student of Katsu Kaishu. Fan of Jules Verne and always carries a copy of From the Earth to the Moon.

Katsu Ikuko (勝逸子) (Junko Iwao)

Kaishū's daughter.

Ōkubo Tetsuma (大久保鉄馬) (Yasunori Matsumoto)

Former student of Kaishū. Studied in England where he learned fencing. He became a corrupt government official and is secretly agitating the Beniaoi in attempt to gain the hidden Tokugawa treasure.

Shibata (柴田) (Mugihito)

Leader of the Beniaoi.

Tokugawa Yoshinobu (徳川慶喜) (Kazuhiro Ōguro)

Japan's last Shogun. After being ousted, he was imprisoned. The Beniaoi group seeks to reinstate him as the ruler of Japan.

Characters from the Samurai X OVA/Memory Arc

People that haunt Kenshin's memories of the Bakumatsu.

Yukishiro Tomoe

Main article: Yukishiro Tomoe

Yukishiro Enishi

Main article: Yukishiro Enishi

Katsura Kogorō

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.

Okita Sōshi

File:Okita3.JPG
Okita as he appears in the anime.

A master swordsman of the Shinsengumi. Okita was the captain of Shinsengumi's First Troop. In the OVA, he often fought together with Saitō and was involved in the Ikedaya Affair in 1864. On one of his night encounters with Kenshin, he eagerly draws his sword and comments that Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū gets better every time he sees it. However, when Saitō recommends Okita to stand down, Okita calmly says not to be concerned as he is suppose to be the leader of the first squad of the Shinsengumi. Saitō quickly points out that Okita is ill as he coughs violently beforehand, much to Okitas' surprise, and Saitō takes over the duel with Kenshin. He succumbed to tuberculosis and died shortly after the fall of the Tokugawa regime in 1868. Seta Sōjirō is based on the Okita from novel Shinsengumi Keppuroku and therefore, darker and more like a villain than the real Okita. Although his given name is sometimes pronounced as "Soushi" in the fictional world, it was actually pronounced "Sōji."

Iizuka

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).

Murakami

Nicknamed "Rensato", Murakami was the first Yaminobu (western-based ninja like the Oniwabanshū) Kenshin encountered. He ambushed Kenshin from the rooftops as he made his way back to the Chōshu headquarters. Murakami possessed quick reflexes and was skilled with his chain swords, but ultimately, Kenshin made a rain of blood when he sliced the ninja in half as he sailed over the assassin's head.

Kiyosato Akira

Tomoe's dead fiance, 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.

Nakajō

One of the Shogun ninja clan warriors who in the manga is revealed to be the best friend of Otowa Hyōko, who he had nightly killing sprees with (he got his bow and arrow weapon from Otowa). Nakajō is the first one to engage Kenshin in the forest. In the manga he gets his hands cut off by Kenshin and ends up triggering an explosion that kills him and temporarily distorts Kenshin's hearing. In the OVA he is simpily impaled by Kenshin's sword and as he dies, triggers the explosion.

Sumita

Sumita was another Shogun ninja out for Kenshin during the plot to kill him in the forest. Kenshin had already lost his hearing, and was forced to fight Sumita and Mumyōi. Although Sumita fought well with his axe, he dies after the fight. There are two endings to his death. in the OVA he was run through the chest, while in the manga his legs were sliced off. He stumbled away, pulled another mine, and died in the explosion. Kenshin temporarily loses his eyesight due to the flash.

Yatsume Mumyōi

(See Six Comrades entry)

Tatsumi

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).

Characters from the Samurai X: The Motion Picture

Characters Kenshin and his friends visit Yokohama in the movie.

Takatsuki Toki

Toki was Gentatsu's younger sister whom Shigure took in after her brother's death. She grew up as a school teacher and fell in love with Shigure.

Takatsuki Gentatsu

Gentatsu was Shigure's close friend and comrade, and possessed a keen sense of insight. During the revolution at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Shigure and Gentatsu lead opposing forces to Himura Kenshin. After a disagreement involving an attack location, Gentatsu and Shigure split their team in two. Gentatsu was killed by Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi during the raid, just as Shigure arrived. Gentatsu was also called a Hitokiri, like Kenshin.

Takimi Shigure

Shigure led a rebel army made up of disgruntled samurai who were involved in the Boshin wars (one way or the other). Shigure was from Aizu, and fought during the Bakumatsu, as the Shinsengumi did, for the shogunate. In the Meiji era, Shigure went around to the homes of the victims of the civil war and gave them financial support. Shigure wanted to overthrow the Meiji government. He believed that the government was corrupt and did not distribute enough wealth among the population. In Tokyo, his band's first objective was to kill the British Guest of State during a parade to the embassy. Shigure was an idealistic and kind man, and a good orator as well as fighter. He is a master of the style Saiki Kanuma, a discipline most effective indoors, and in the dark.

Tamono Eibin

A captain in the Japanese army, Tamono aspires to replace General Yamagata as the Lord of the Imperial army. He is a ruthless man who is not afraid to shed a lot of blood. Tamono believes that nobility in battle is unsuited to modern times. The captain collaborates with Kajiki to destroy Takimi's rebellion and disgrace Yamagata so he can gain the position of army commander. However, thanks to Kenshin Himura, he was arrested.

Musashino Yasuharu

Musashino is a young skilled swordsman who is part of Takimi's rebel group. He becomes friends with Yahiko after learning that both their fathers died in the Battle of Ueno (at the Keneiji Temple) during the Boshin War. Musashino teaches Yahiko some of his budo before he was killed at the battle at the British Embassy in Tokyo.

Kajiki Sadashiro

Leaders

People Kenshin knows in high places.

Yamagata Aritomo

General Aritomo Yamagata(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.

Ōkubo Toshimichi

In history, Ōkubo Toshimichi (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, it was Seta Sōjirō who murdered him; the clansmen merely took responsibility.

Kawaji Toshiyoshi

Based on the historical figure, Police Superintendent Kawaji Toshiyoshi (1834-1879) was a member of the Satsuma clan. He played an active part in the cause of the Satsuma clan during the Revolution and fought against the Satsuma Rebellion led by one of his former leaders, Saigō Takamori. Since Kawaji made an effort to modernize the police system after the Meiji era began, he earned the title of the "Father of the Japanese police."

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