Himura Kenshin

Lore & Background

During the Bakumatsu, Kenshin served as the assassin Hitokiri Battōsai. He was a member of the Sekihō Army but did not fight in the Boshin War as a combatant; he was present but did not participate in combat due to his vow not to kill, and the Sekihō Army was defeated before the Boshin War proper began. After the Meiji Restoration, he wanders the countryside offering protection and aid to those in need as atonement for his past murders. Upon arriving in Tokyo, he meets Kamiya Kaoru, who is fighting a murderer claiming to be the Hitokiri Battōsai. After Kenshin defeats the fake Battōsai, Kaoru discovers he is the true Hitokiri Battōsai but offers him a place to stay at her dojo, noting he is peace-loving and not cold-hearted as his reputation implied. Kenshin accepts and forms lifelong relationships with Sagara Sanosuke, a former member of the Sekihō Army; Myōjin Yahiko, an orphan from a samurai family; and doctor Takani Megumi. He also deals with old and new enemies, including Shinomori Aoshi, former leader of the Oniwabanshū. Later, Kenshin faces Saitō Hajime, a rival from Bakumatsu now a police officer, and then his successor Shishio Makoto, who plans to conquer Japan by destroying the Meiji Government. Kenshin meets Shishio alone to defeat him, but his friends, including Makimachi Misao, help him. Kenshin returns to his kenjutsu teacher Hiko Seijūrō to learn the school's final technique, then defeats Shishio, who dies after exceeding the limits of his abnormal body condition. Later, Kenshin faces Yukishiro Enishi, who seeks revenge for his sister Tomoe. During the Bakumatsu, Kenshin was to be married to Tomoe, who sought to avenge her first fiancé's death but fell in love with Kenshin; in a final fight, Kenshin accidentally killed Tomoe. Enishi kidnaps Kaoru, and Kenshin defeats him. Four years later, Kenshin has married Kaoru and has a son named Himura Kenji. At peace with himself, he gives his reverse-blade sword to Yahiko as a ceremonial gift.

In Their Own Story

The series takes place in 1878, eleven years after the beginning of the Meiji era. After participating in the Boshin War as the assassin Hitokiri Battōsai, Himura Kenshin wanders the countryside of Japan, offering protection and aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed. Having vowed to never kill again, he now wields a reverse-bladed katana. Upon arriving in Tokyo, he meets a young woman named Kamiya Kaoru, who is fighting a murderer who claims to be the Hitokiri Battōsai and is tarnishing the name of the swordsmanship school that she teaches. Kenshin decides to help her and defeats the fake Battōsai. After discovering that Kenshin is the true Hitokiri Battōsai, Kaoru offers him a place to stay at her dojo, noting that he is peace-loving and not cold-hearted, as his reputation had implied. Kenshin accepts and begins to form lifelong relationships with others, including Sagara Sanosuke, a former member of the Sekihō Army; Myōjin Yahiko, an orphan from a samurai family who also lives with Kaoru as her student; and doctor Takani Megumi, who has become involved in the opium trade. However, he also deals with old and new enemies, including the former leader of the Oniwabanshū, Shinomori Aoshi. After several months living in the dojo, Kenshin faces Saitō Hajime, a rival from Bakumatsu who is now a police officer. This challenge turns out to be a test to face his successor, Shishio Makoto, who plans to conquer Japan by destroying the Meiji Government, starting with Kyoto. Feeling that Shishio's faction may attack his friends, Kenshin meets Shishio alone to defeat him. However, many of his friends, including a young Oniwabanshū named Makimachi Misao, whom he meets during his travels, decide to help him in his fight. After his first meeting with him, Kenshin realizes that he must become stronger to defeat Shishio without becoming the cold assassin he was in the past and returns to the man who taught him kenjutsu, Hiko Seijūrō, to learn the school's final technique. Finally accepting the help of his friends, he defeats Shishio, who dies after exceeding the limits of his abnormal body condition, after which a reformed Shinomori stays in Kyoto with the surviving Oniwabanshū. When Kenshin and his friends return to Tokyo, he finds Yukishiro Enishi, who plans to take revenge. At this point, it is revealed that, during the Bakumatsu, Kenshin was to be married to Yukishiro Tomoe, who sought to avenge the death of her first fiancé, whom he had assassinated, but instead they fell in love and he proposed to her. Because she was related to the Edo guards who sought to kill Kenshin, they realized her deception and captured her to use as bait. In the final fight against the group's leader, Kenshin accidentally killed Tomoe after she took a blow meant for him. Seeking revenge for the death of his sister, Enishi kidnaps Kaoru and Kenshin and his friends set out to rescue her. A final battle between Kenshin and Enishi ensues, with Kenshin emerging victorious. Misao brings Tomoe's diary to Enishi, who keeps it in a village to hide along with his missing father. Four years later, Kenshin has married Kaoru and has a son named Himura Kenji. Now at peace with himself, Kenshin gives his reverse-blade sword to Yahiko as a ceremonial gift.

Reader's Guide

While historically this era marked a shift from feudalism to industrialization, the narrative focuses on the lingering shadows of the Bakumatsu civil wars. Kenshin represents the cost of progress, carrying guilt for lives taken in service of a new nation that now demands peace. Creator Nobuhiro Watsuki wrote the series based on his desire to make a shōnen manga series different from others published at the time, with Kenshin being a former assassin and the story taking a more serious tone as it progressed. Watsuki designed Kenshin to appear feminine, seeking to create a character opposite to the tall, armored man from his debut work. He stated he used 'no real motif' for Kenshin and added the cross-shaped scar without specific intent. Like several characters, Kenshin was influenced by the Shinsengumi, incorporating elements from Okita Sōji and Saitō Hajime to convey an air of mystery. From his initial storyboards, Watsuki noted that Kenshin's appearance resembled Kurama from Yoshihiro Togashi's YuYu Hakusho. Watsuki felt Rurouni Kenshin competed more with the dramatic focus of YuYu Hakusho than action-oriented series like Dragon Ball. To distinguish his series, he crafted Kenshin as an adult with a dark past rooted in the Edo period. Kenshin's adult status was a departure from typical young shōnen protagonists, aside from series like City Hunter, and Watsuki was mindful of character aging. Watsuki's childhood kendo practice influenced the series. For the ending, Watsuki believed a mass murderer like Kenshin should face death, citing Ashita no Joe as a precedent for a hero's demise. When serialization began, Watsuki had modest expectations and planned to conclude the story in about 30 chapters with Kenshin departing Tokyo, similar to volume 7.

Did You Know?

• Kenshin's cross-shaped scar was intentionally designed by creator Nobuhiro Watsuki to symbolize Kenshin's past and his vow.
• Watsuki designed Kenshin to appear feminine, opposite to the tall, armored man from his debut work.
• From initial storyboards, Watsuki noted Kenshin's appearance resembled Kurama from Yoshihiro Togashi's YuYu Hakusho.
• Kenshin was influenced by the Shinsengumi, incorporating elements from Okita Sōji and Saitō Hajime.
• Watsuki believed a mass murderer like Kenshin should face death, citing Ashita no Joe as a precedent for a hero's demise.