Name:
Kenshin Himura
Name:
Kenshin Himura
Alias(es): Hitokiri Battousai, Battousai the man slayer
Birthday: June 20, 1849
Age: 28 (for the bulk of the anime, 14 in most of the OVA)
Hair: Red
Eyes: Violet
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 106 lbs
Blood Type: AB
Family: orphaned; wife Tomoe (deceased); brother in lay, Enishi
Status: Wandering swordsman (former Imperial assassin)
Quote: Oro...
Anime: Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai X
Voice: (English) Richard Cansino (Hayworth), J. Shanon Weaver (OVA) (Japanese) Mayo Suzukaze, Megumi Ogata
History and Personality: Kenshin was a former Imperialist assassin that went by the name "Hitokiri Battousai" The title implies he has mastered the technique of Battoujutsu (sword drawing technique, studied in modern times as Iaijutsu) and can draw his sword with lightning speed. Hitokiri was the title given to samurai assassins ("man slayers" in the English anime). After the revolution, he picked up a reverse-bladed sword sakabatou, given to him by a master swordsmith named Shakku, and assumed the life of a "rurouni". This word was created by Watsuki as a fusion of the words "Rounin" (masterless samurai) and "wanderer". Kenshin becomes a technical master of the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu swordstyle after completing his previously abandoned training with his master, but declines the official mastership and title of "Seijuro Hiko" (given to each disciple who masters Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu swordsmanship along with a traditional cape that is passed down to each "Seijuro Hiko").
He is quiet, easy tempered, patient, kind, compassionate, hard working (even when it comes to chores that might usually be considered "women's work"), and observant. He get along well with children and women easily, and has gained the respect of most men he meets. When he is pushed too far he becomes cold and calculating, sometimes called a machine, he becomes deadly calm and very intimidating despite his short stature.
Early life - Kenshin was born into a peasant family under the name of "Shinta". At some point during the first 10 years of his life, both his parents die of cholera. At the age of 10, he was taken by slave-traders, with the (very obvious) intent of selling him into slavery. He was cared for by three women who were also destined to be sold as slaves. However, the slave-traders' caravan was attacked by thieves in the mountains, and every person except for Shinta himself was slaughtered before Hiko Seijuro XIII intervened, killing all the thieves easily. Hiko then left Shinta alone in the field of bodies, instructing him to seek shelter in a nearby village. A week later, after learning that Shinta did not go to the village and therefore presuming that he has committed suicide, Hiko returned to the site of the slaughter, to find that Shinta had buried all the corpses by hand - even those of the thieves. Won over by the boy's strength at heart, he adopted Shinta into his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu apprenticeship, renaming him "Kenshin" (Ken=sword, Shin=heart therefore = heart of sword). Kenshin later obtained "Himura" (of the scarlet village), as his family name.
Hiko Seijuro raised and trained Kenshin in the art of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, until, at around the age of fourteen, Kenshin's decision to get involved with the Revolution caused a falling out. Hiko believe in staying neutral, claiming that whoever acquires Kenshin would be granted victory. This conflict caused young Kenshin to abandon his training and his master in order to fight for what he believed - the ideal of protecting people. During this time, his sword skills were noticed by Takasugi Shinsaku, commander of the Kiheitai and a leader of the Choshu Ishin Shishi. He later pointed the boy out to his longtime friend Katsura Kogoro, another leader of the Choshu Ishin Shishi, who immediately wanted the boy to be imported into his ranks. However, in turn, Katsura had to swear an oath to Shinsaku to never draw his sword again, apparently in exchange for taking the boy's "Purity".
Kenshin was assigned the role of an Assassin, and shared the common goal of the Ishin Shishi to deliver "Tenchu" (punishment from the heavens) upon the Shogunate. A year later, during a mission to assassinate Shigekura Jubei, he encountered a Mimawarigumi member on bodyguard duty named Kiyosato. After disposing of Jubei and his other bodyguards, Kenshin attempts to do away with Kiyosato as well. During the battle, Kiyosato's determination to live, namely for his fiancee Yukishiro Tomoe, manages to give him enough strength and will to scar the "battousai" on his left cheek, an act thought impossible by the Ishin Shishi. The manga and OVA differ somewhat on the scar's symbolism. In the manga, the cut simply neglects to heal properly; in the OVA, it opens up again on numerous occasions, usually in correspondence with Kenshin's own feelings of guilt. Some weeks after this incident, Kenshin encountered Tomoe face-to-face for the first time, defending her from the harassment of several drunkards in a tavern. Soon after this, she witnessed his fight with Niwabanshu assassin, in which he literally cuts his assailant in half, leaving the bloodsoaked, mutilated corpse on the street. This was the first time that Kenshin had been the target of another Assassin, and it is implied to be the first time he has killed someone "Off-duty".
Life with Tomoe- Unbeknownst to Kenshin, a drunk Tomoe witnessed his fight with the Oniwabanshu assassin. He only noticed her presence after, having been splattered with the assailant's blood, she exclaimed "You... you made the bloody rain fall." Kenshin pondered killing her due to his protocol to kill any person whom catches him "in the act", but found himself unable to do it as she fainted from shock and intoxication. Instead, he took her back to the inn serving as the Ishin Shishi makeshift headquarters, where she became employed as a servant. During this time, Tomoe and Kenshin developed a loose "relationship", in which Tomoe slowly noticed that the Battosai seemed more like a pure and innocent child than a brutal manslayer. During this time, the Ishin Shishi was virtually split in two when the decision to light Kyoto ablaze caused a famous conflict with the deadly "Wolves of Mibu", the Shinsengumi.
After the crisis suffered by the Choshu campaign in the Ikedaya Jiken, Katsura ordered Kenshin and Tomoe to abandon Kyoto, and flee to a remote village where Kenshin would put on the facade of a pharmacist, and, more importantly, the two would portray themselves as husband and wife. During this time, Kenshin and Tomoe began to slowly form a deeper relationship, to the point that they began to fall in love. Kenshin swore to Tomoe, "I will protect you", seemingly to find a reason to live with her. Tomoe, taken aback by his unconditional kindness, began to struggle with the depth of her feelings for him.
Later, Tomoe's younger brother, Yukishiro Enishi managed to find what was supposed to be their hidden location. It was then revealed Tomoe's true role was to avenge the death of her fiance, Kiyosato Akira. Tomoe, decided that Kenshin had "taken her happiness only to give her another", and that he may, in due time, protect more lives than he had ever taken.
Some time later, Tomoe confessed everything to Kenshin, including what he meant to her. They make love, and the next morning Tomoe snuck out of the house before Kenshin woke up, whispering the words, "Farewell, my second love."
During Tomoe's last meeting with the okashira of the Oniwabanshu - a pro-Shogunate covert network (similar to the Oniwabanshu ninja clan encountered by Kenshin many years later) that had formulated a plan to assassinate Kenshin - she realized that all along they had actually used her to create Kenshin's weakness. Meanwhile, Kenshin ran off, desperate to find her, and was ambushed by several Niwabanshu ninjas, each of whom managed to wound him severely. Kenshin was blinded and deafened by an explosion set off by a dying ninja and numbed by the cold with only his sense of smell remaining. Eventually he came to the hut where the okashira were waiting (with Tomoe). In the end, with a last desperate attempt to defeat the okashira and save Tomoe, Kenshin blindly swung his sword, killing both his assailant, and Tomoe, who had jumped in at the last minute to save Kenshin from a surely fatal attack. During the swing Kenshin noticed the smell of white plums, Tomoe's signature perfume, but was unaware of her intervention until it was too late. In the end, Kenshin held his dying wife in his arms, who uttered the words "I'm sorry, darling" as she took a knife and made yet another slash across his scar, finally forming the "X/cross shaped scar". Tomoe personally slashing the scar is another deviation from the manga by the OVA. The manga instead details that the knife had flown from Tomoe's hands into the air and coincidentally landed so it slashed Kenshin's cheek in a way that created the X/cross shaped scar. (The OVA, given its more realistic nature, probably shied away from depicting something so improbable.) Enishi, who watched the entire event unfold, was utterly shattered. He became a refugee, eventually leaving the country. As time passed, his nerves become so prevalent and active that he is able to develop a technique known as "Frenzied Nerves". He develops an unparalleled grudge and seething hatred for Kenshin, and spends the next ten years plotting his revenge, using the Chinese mafia to acquire his means.
Events of Rurouni Kenshin (present) - Following the death of his beloved wife, Kenshin vows never to kill again once he finishes his work to bring about the revolution, seeking life as a wanderer (or "rurouni"). With his reverse-blade sword, or sakabato, the rurouni travels freely helping strangers here and there. It is during this period of his life that Kenshin meets Kamiya Kaoru, the young master of the Kamiya-Kasshin-ryu dojo, who was seeking a man parading around as the "Battousai". In the end, Kenshin rescues the girl and defeats the faux battousai, at the same time, revealing his true identity. However, instead of allowing Kenshin to continuing his wandering, she offers him a "home". In the end, he concedes and accepts Kaoru's offer to stay in the dojo.
The majority of the series focuses on Kenshin overcoming his past - whether he is literally fighting a foe who wishes to destroy him for his past deeds, or he is fighting against that part of himself that used to live for killing. Along the way he establishes lifelong relationships with numerous individuals, including Myojin Yahiko, orphaned child of a samurai family and former Yakuza pickpocket; former Sekihotai member and street fighter-for-hire Sagara Sanosuke; foxy doctor Takani Megumi; hyperactive young kunoichi Machimaki Misao and brooding warrior Shinomori Aoshi (both members of the Oniwabanshu ninja clan, Shinomori with the Edo portion, Machimaki with the Kyoto branch); along with uneasy ally, ex-Shinsengumi member, and longtime rival of Battosai, Saito Hajime (who is of course, directly based off the historical Saito Hajime). Likewise, Kenshin makes his share of enemies - most notably Kurogasa Jin-e, a lunatic assassin, and formerly a traitorous member of the Shinsengumi; Shishio Makoto, the brutal once-successor to Kenshin's position as Choshu hitokiri, and mastermind behind a movement seeking to overthrow the Meiji government; and another, more haunting, ghost from his past, Yukishiro Enishi, Tomoe's revenge-obsessed brother. To defeat such foes, Kenshin was forced to resume his training and mend his relationship with Hiko Seijuro, while forging the strongest bonds with his allies and enemies.
In the later seasons the focus shifts to Kenshin's role in the new society, beginning with the government seeking his aid to stop a bloody coup by Makoto Shishio and his group of elite warriors. Kenshin assists reluctantly at first because he fears the manslayer that he knows still lives within him. However, by the end of the second season Kenshin has overcome this part of himself and is able to fight at full power without falling into his old, cold, persona. After this he often assists the young government in stopping threats, though he generally attempts a diplomatic solution before entering into a fight. At this point the series starts to become more about misguided people and how Kenshin enlightens them and causes them to turn their lives around.
Throughout this period, Kamiya Kaoru develops strong romantic feelings for him, which he at first ignores out of withdrawal and fear of intimacy, but gradually begins to reciprocate. Eventually, they marry and have a son by the name of Himura Kenji.
The manga ends on a positive note with Kenshin and Kaoru becoming a happy family their son Kenji. A short "spiritual" sequel to Kenshin, Yahiko no Sakabato, was published in Shonen Jump circa 1999, briefly depicting an incident in the life of Yahiko during sometime around the 16th year of Meiji (1884). There is also a final sequel chapter called Haru ni Sakura (Cherry Blossoms in Spring) which is in the Kenshin Kaden book. In this final story, the main characters gather for a sort of reunion picnic. Kenshin and Kaoru are alive and healthy, with no signs of Kenshin wanting to wander again. Sanosuke is still abroad, but sends a letter saying he shall return soon.
Seisohen/Samurai X: Reflection - In Rurouni Kenshin: Seisohen/Samurai X: Reflection, a controversial OVA which chronicles some events of the series and the aftermath. The ending is of quite a different tone than the one portrayed in the manga. While the animation is heavily similar to the fluid and vivid realism of the other OVA, Trust & Betrayal, it took many liberties with both the anime series and manga, taking out several key elements of both plot and story (namely that of the Jinchu arc), along with changing many characterizations and conceiving an ending that, to say the least, garnered very mixed opinions.
Kenshin eventually becomes ravaged by an unknown disease, thought by some fans to be leprosy. In an attempt to "understand his pain", Kaoru allows Kenshin to give her his disease through sexual contact. During this time, Kenshin leaves to continue his quest (without either a sakabatou or a katana) for peace, leaving many troubles and worries at home (namely with Kenji and Kaoru). Sanosuke, much older and wilder-looking, discovers a dying Kenshin somewhere in continental Asia, deeply upset to see the weakened state that his dear friend of many years has degraded to. Sanosuke arranges Kenshin's return to Tokyo by boat. Upon arriving, a bed ridden Kaoru, almost on instinct, gets up to walk outside the dojo on the cherry blossom path, seeing her husband struggling with each step to meet her.
The two finally meet after what seems like an eternity, as Kenshin finally collapses in her lap. She reflects on their love, holding his head in her lap. With the silence growing stronger, Kaoru realizes that Kenshin is finally dead. Upon brushing his hair off his left cheek, Kaoru notices Kenshin's scar has finally faded away, signifying an end to his life of pain and bloodshed and commencement to a life of peace. In the final scene before the credits, she holds his head in her arms and weeps.
After the credits, an older Kenji and his sweetheart, Raikuji Chizuru (a homage to Watsuki Nobuhiro's original manga "Rurouni", which inspired Rurouni Kenshin), are seen walking down the same cherry-blossom path where Kenshin had died. Chizuru (who appears very energetic and upbeat, not entirely unlike Kaoru in her younger days) talks to Kenji about their future together, and Kenji stops to gaze at the tree that his parents had sat by in their last moments together. The final message seems overall to be bittersweet, with Kenshin's life over, but a new generation growing up in a peaceful world free of bloodshed - exactly the vision he had fought for - and killed for - so many years ago.
Relationships: Kenshin respects most people and tends to form friendships rather quickly, so there jsut isn't space to write about all of his relationships. However, I will highlight a few I believe are important.
Techniques: Kenshin uses the Hiten Mitsurugi style of swordsmanship which utilizes godlike speed and precision. It is a style to "protect" and allows one man to fight many. Kenshin is especially good at battoujutsu (sword drawing) moves which require him to draw his sword with amazing speed.
Ka Ryu Sen: a gust of wind caused by Kenshin's sakabatou, he uses this to stun or impede opponents at a distance.
Kenshin Ryu Spinning Circular Attack: in Samurai X: The Motion Picture (Requiem for the Ishin Patriots), Kenshin faces against an old enemy who witnessed his best friend's death at Kenshin's hands. He therefore learned all of Kenshin's moves and countered them with his sword and sheath attack style. As his last resort, Kenshin jumped up and fooled his opponent into believing that he was going to use the Ryu Tsui Zen. Kenshin then spun around and delivered an airborne, spinning attack that was very similar to the Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki. Sagara Sanosuke named this attack.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Doryusen (Earth Dragon Strike): A quick blow against the ground, causing massive airwaves/rocks to strike enemies. Generally a weak technique.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryutsuisen (Dragon Hammer Strike): An overhead, double-handed swing, delivered after a jump. This is perhaps Kenshin's most common technique.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryutsuisen~ Zan (Dragon Hammer Strike~ Tragedy): A downward striking stab, delivered after a jump. This was only seen once in the series
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryushosen (Soaring Dragon Flight): An upward, double-handed slash, often delivered with a jump. The main target is the opponent's neck.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryutsuishosen (Dragon Hammer Flight Strike): Rapid combination of Ryutsuisen and Ryushousen.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryukansen (Dragon Spiral Strike): A swing that takes advantage of the entire body's turning motion to dodge an enemy's attack or to bypass an enemy's defense, striking immediately after. This is best used at a counter-attack.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryukansen Tsumuji (Dragon Flash Spiral): Differs from the normal Ryukansen in that the swordsman is in motion (and in one particular case in midair) while spinning.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryukansen Kogarashi (Dragon Spiral Strike~ Wintry Wind): Differs from the normal Ryukansen in that the target is the opponent's head.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryukansen Arashi (Dragon Spiral Strike Storm): Differs from the normal Ryukansen in that the swordsman is in a full somersault while attacking.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryusosen (Dragon's Nest Strike): Using the Godlike speed, this is simply a super-fast succession of swordstrikes aimed at random locations.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryusosen ~Garami (Dragon's Nest Strike~ Strangle): Again using Godlike speed, a super-fast succession of swordstrikes is made, this time aimed at specifically one point (i.e. The head).
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Ryumeisen (Dragon Howl Flash): A reverse-battou of sorts, slamming the sword back into its sheath at superfast speeds and causing a miniature sonic boom to disrupt an opponent's balance. Kenshin used this during his fight with Enishi.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Kuzu Ryusen (Nine Headed Dragon): In all forms of kendo, there are nine vital target points: right shoulder, left shoulder, right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, between the legs, head, and chest. All forms of attack and defense thus focus on these points. Using the Godlike speed of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu, the swordsman strikes all nine target points at once, making any normal defense impossible (though this was later contradicted when Yukishiro Enishi blocked each of the nine strikes without fail). Since it is a charging attack, it is also impossible to dodge (The only exception being Seta Sojiro, whose speed is greater than even Kenshin's). This can be considered a step up from the Ryusousen, which uses the Godlike speed to make successive attacks. The mark of the Kuzuryusen is the simultaneous nature of the nine strikes. Learning this technique is the first step to understanding the nature of the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. This technique appears to be a favourite of Kenshin's master.
Art of Drawing the Blade: Stance with right foot placed in front of left, pressing the blade of the sheathed sword against the curve of the sheath, which increases draw speed. The drawing of the blade is the same motion used for the attack. It is an all-or-nothing attack where missing the target results in the user being completely vulnerable. Kenshin's hitokiri name, "battousai", means "one who has mastered the battou-jutsu". In full, Himura Kenshin was referred to as being the Legendary Hitokiri Battousai - The man slayer who has mastered the battō-jutsu. In the English version of the anime, they use the name Battousai, the man slayer for short. All battou-jutsu in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu are comprised of two steps to avoid failure.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Battojutsu Soryusen (Twin Dragon Spark): As above, but with a follow-up attack utilizing the sheath as its secondary strike. This second swing "covers" the period of vulnerability left after a normal battoujutsu.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Battojutsu Soryusen Ikazuchi (Twin Dragon Thunder): An alternate version of the above two-strike attack. The first attack is with the sheath, pushing the opponent's parrying weapon out of position for the second, drawn weapon attack.
Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu: Battojutsu Hiryusen (Flying Dragon Flash): Beginning with the sword still sheathed, the swordsman thrusts his arm outward, flicking the tsuba of the sword with his thumb at the same time. The sword is flung out of the sheath at high speed to strike the opponent. A technique with power on the same order of the Douryusen.
Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki (Heavens Bridging Dragon Spark, translated as "Dragon Flight of Heaven" in Viz manga): This is Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu's Ugi (secret technique, the one technique that distills the teachings of the school to a single, signature move). This attack is a modification of a normal battoujutsu. Normally when using a Battoujutsu, the right leg is in front of the left leg so as not to cut one's leg off when drawing from the left. The only way to defeat the Kuzuryusen is by surpassing the Godlike speed of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu, being faster than the fastest of attacks. In Rurouni Kenshin, where microseconds make the difference between success and failure, the way to do so is to quickly step forward with the left leg an instant after drawing the sword. The last step adds force and acceleration to the swing, making Kenshin's Shinsoku, or God-Speed, into the even faster Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki.
There is another secret to this technique. If the initial strike is blocked, the unusually fast slashing motion generates a vacuum in it's wake from the clashing of the two blades. This vacuum actually sucks in the user's opponent, leaving them completely open for the second strike of the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki that follows the first, which is the true secret technique of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu. This second slash concentrates the power of the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki and makes it far more powerful than the first strike.
"Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki" is so fast that its implementation can be successful even when the enemy's strike has actually reached the user's body, as in Rurouni Kenshin manga volume 14. As depicted, Shinomori Aoshi's signature Kaiten-kenbu Rokuren attack has actually begun to cut into Kenshin's neck when Kenshin released the attack, and blows Aoshi back before he can even finish.
"Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki" is the pinnacle of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. Part of its strength is its user's dominating will to live. "To live! that is the heart of existence," admonishes Kenshin's shisho. The only time this move ever failed was during Kenshin's first fight with Enishi in which the vacuum benefited Enishi.
Zantetsu: The most skilled swordsmen were purportedly able to use their swords to cut through steel. Kenshin states he can use it anywhere except underwater.
Shiraha Dori: A defensive technique where the enemy's sword is stopped by a clapping motion of both hands. This was the move used to defeat Shinomori Aoshi in the Tokyo Arc.
Modoshi Giri (Reversing Cut): The most skilled swordsmen using the best of blades were supposedly able to slice an object in two and rejoin the halves together, as if it were never cut at all.
Trivia: Kenshin has a peculiar style of speech in which he uses "gozaru," an obsolete form of the verb "to be." He also uses the "samurai" pronoun "sessha," which is supposed to be polite.
When he is not fighting Kenshin is most often seen doing the laundry, or shopping. He also does most of the cooking at the dojo as Kaoru is evidently a terrible cook.
Why we love him: He's adorable! Gentle and strong. And, though he knows he is skilled, he doesn't seem to realize just how wonderful he is. Humble and responsible, he's always looking out for everyone else. Plus he can go into that kick-butt, steely-gaze, mode that is so powerful and frighteningly attractive... why are we attracted to the men we should be afraid of? And, of course, you all know my weakness for red hair. (Like you didn't know that was coming...)
Links: Kenshin's corner
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