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Kenshin was a former manslayer of the Ishin Shishi who fought at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. He went by the name Hitokiri Battōsai. The title implies he has mastered the technique of Battōjutsu and Hitokiri was the title given to samurai assassins ("man slayers" in the English anime).
After the Revolution, he picked up a reverse-blade sword, sakabato, and assumed the life of a "rurouni" or "wanderer". Kenshin becomes a technical master of the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū swordstyle after completing his previously abandoned training with his master, but declines the official mastership and title of Hiko Seijūrō.
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Kaoru Kamiya
The primary instructor of the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū fighting style developed by her late father, Kamiya Koshijirou, Kaoru inherited the small dojo from her father after he was killed during the Seinan War and operates it by herself.
She is independent, possessive, compassionate, courageous, feisty, strong-willed, and a great fighter. According to the manga, she has enough skill to be considered a national-level champ in kendo. Despite her skill, she usually stays on the sidelines in the manga.
Kaoru is incredibly selfless. She took in 10 year old Yahiko who made a living as a pickpocket, 19 year old Sanosuke who was a street fighter for hire, and a wandering samurai who used to kill for a living.
Kamiya Kaoru adheres to her father's ideal of "Katsujin-ken" or "Swords that give life," which teaches that swordsmanship should be used not to kill, but to protect.
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Sanosuke Sagara
Sanosuke left home at an early age to join the Sekihoutai.
The Sekihoutai fought for the imperial alliance at the end of the Tokugawa regime and Sanosuke admired his captain, Sagara Sōzō and took the surname Sagara from him. The Sekihoutai were on assignment to spread word of the halving of taxes proclaimed by the revolution. However, when the revolutionary government encountered financial problems, they labeled the Sekihoutai as frauds to bury their promises. This setup was engineered by Shindō Tatewaki, a former officer in the imperial alliance. The Sekihoutai were designated scapegoats and to be executed; Sanosuke and his friend Tsukioka Katsuhiro were the only survivors.
Full of anger and bitterness, Sanosuke made a living as a fighter-for-hire who bore the nickname "Zanza" derived from his weapon, the zanbatō. Eventually, he was hired to kill Himura Kenshin, but after being defeated by the former assassin and learning of Kenshin's no-kill approach, Sanosuke becomes a valuable ally. He later adopts a boxing-like fighting skill, known for the strength of his right fist.
Yahiko Myojina
A hotheaded child, Yahiko is arrogant, cheeky, a user of profanity, and bad-mannered; and he already bestowed upon himself the title 'Tokyo Samurai'. As the years go by, Yahiko learns the principles of Kasshin Kamiya-Ryū, which coincides with Kenshin's ideals.
In time Yahiko becomes a master swordsman, whose skills are nearly equal to Kenshin's. He also becomes an assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu dojo, which has become prosperous again. On the day of his fifteenth birthday after battling Kenshin in a one-strike match, Kenshin gives him the Sakabato. By this time, he has grown into a level-headed, contemplative, and caring young man.
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Megumi Takani
Megumi is a strong-willed woman and a doctor.
Megumi became an assistant to a prominent physician with the intention of training to become a full-fledged doctor herself. However, it turned out that the man she worked for was not the best of men. He was in turn working for a man named Takeda Kanryū who ran an opium syndicate in Tokyo.
Takeda commissioned the doctor to produce a new kind of opium which they then called "Spider's Web." The formula for the Spider's Web was a little different in that it uses half the normal dose of poppy juice but is twice as effective as the regular drug. While working for the doctor, Megumi learned the secrets of the formula and later, when Takeda killed the doctor, he forced her to use the formula to make more opium.
When she refused and ran away, the Oniwaban was sent to capture her. She is saved by Kenshin and his allies and protected. However, later in the series, she is taken back to Takeda and the group rescues her once more. After her rescue and seeing the love shared between each of them as well as Kenshin's devotion to redeeming his past, she stays at the dojo for a time as well.Top
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Juppongatana
The Juppongatana is a group of swordsman that work under Shishio. Comprised of ten people, they work to take over the new government. Their plan is to burn down Kyoto and to overthrow the Meiji officials.
The group members include:
Seta Soujirou
Uonuma Usui
Yuukyuuzan Anji
Sadojima Hoji
Sawagejou Chou
Honjou Kamatari
Kariwa Henya
Iwanbo
Saizuchi
Fuji
The one in control of the Juppongatana is Shishio Makoto. He was a manslayer like Kenshin and actually took Kenshin's place. His partner, and love, Komagata Yumi is so in love with him that she will sacrifice anything for his goals.
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Oniwaban
The Oniwaban were an elite group of fighters that used their talents to protect the Edo Castle during the Edo period. Tokugawa moved the capital of Japan from Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo) during the Tokugawa Era. When he moved, he took his elite force of ninja with him and thus they became known as the Oniwaban.
In Rurouni Kenshin, the only members portrayed are:
Shinomori Aoshi
Han'nya
Shikijo
Hyottoko
Beshimi
Makimachi Misao
Okina
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*There are a few other members that are shown in later episodes, but their importance is minimal. For instance, in the battle against the Juppongatana, a few of the members join forces with the "Kenshin-gumi" to defend Kyoto.
Shinsengumi
The Shinsengumie were an elite force of swordsman dedicated to the Tokugawa Shogunate and fought against the Imperialists during the Meiji Revolution. During the revolution, they were known in Kyoto as "The Wolves of Mibo" and attacked mercilessly to all that opposed them. Hajime Saito was one of the more powerful members of this group and one of the most deadliest assassins next to the Hitokiri Battousai.
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