character_profiles

Name: Himura Kenshin           Age: 28
Birthday: June 20, 1851           Blood type: AB
Height: 158cm?                     Weight 48kg?

Quick Info: Main character of series. Kenshin has red hair, blue eyes, and is rather short. He refuses to kill, only protect those who need it. Carries a reversed blade katana to prevent from hurting anyone. As a rurouni, "wondering Samurai," he has journeyed 10 years around Japan, running/hiding from his past. He worked as an assassin for the now ruling Meiji Ishin Government during the Revolution against the Edo Government and gained the name "Hitokiri Battousai."

More in depth info: As a child, young Himura Shinta lost his parents to disease. Being an orphan, he was sold to slave traders. However, the slave caravan was attacked by bandits and everyone was killed right in front of Shinta. As the thieves were about to kill Shinta, Hiko Seijuro saved him and killed all of the bandits. Hiko found that the young Shinta had a great warrior's spirit, since he had tried to defend the others in the caravan even though he was much smaller and younger. Hiko offered to teach him his Budo: Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, and tells Shinta he needs a tougher name: Kenshin.
   Kenshin grows up learning this power budo (fighting disipline) and eventually defies master Hiko by joining in the war for a new government. He believes that he can help change the way things are run and in the long run, by helping the new rising government of the Ishin Group, he can help protect the lives of the innocent. Kenshin ends up becoming the Meiji Ishin Group's most powerful assassin. He finds that he was basically used not for protecting but for eliminating those who were against the Ishin. After so much killing, including the killing of his "wife" Tomoe (watch the OAV's-- it's violent, graphic, and serious, but worth it) he vows never to kill again and wonders off at the age of 18 with the new X scars on his left check. As he is leaving, the man who made him his sword throws him another one telling him that sword will help him to protect others, not kill them. Kenshin finds that it is a sakaba sword, which has a reversed blade. Kenshin wonders for 10 years around Japan until one day...
    Kenshin enters Tokyo and is attacked by a woman calling him the "battousai", confused by this, Kenshin stops and asks her to explain. Thus the first episode of the series... Now, he cooks, cleans and babysits, and of course fights to protect the ones he cares about and for his beliefs. His foes search him out for various reasons throughout the series and he once again has to fight for the country.

Name: Kamiya Kaoru       Age: 17
Birthday: June 1862         Blood Type: O
Height 155cm?                Weight: 41kg?

Quick Info: She runs her own dojo (school for martial arts) and is the master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. She is having finical difficulties since she lost all of her students because of a rumor (episode 1). She takes in Kenshin since he has offered to help her. She eventually takes in Yahiko and Sano. Dr. Genzia and his two granddaughters come over to visit frequently since they are friends of the family and since Kaoru's parents passed away and there is no one else to look after the dojo, Dr. Genzia is her second family and she runs the dojo by herself.

More in depth Info: Kaoru's father founded a budo specifically for protecting people. He had a very successful school and unfortunately had one bad student who tried to turn all of his students against him. When Kaoru was very young, 6 years old, Kaoru's father taught this traitor, the bad student, Hiruma Gohei, a lesson and broke his right thumb so that he could never fight again. However, he learned to fight with his left hand and vowed revenge and to take over the dojo. Several years later, after the death of Master Kamiya, claiming to be the "Hitokiri Batousai," the student tries to ruins the Kamiya dojo. Kaoru wants to track him down and stop the rumors. Enter Kenshin.
     The series starts with her being very demanding and angry, trying to re-establish her dojo. However, with Kenshin around she becomes better but she always has her temper, which most of the time adds in some comic relief. As the friendship between Kaoru and Kenshin grows...well I don't want to say too much....you just have to watch the series.

Name: Sagara Sanosuke               Age: 19
Birthday: February 1860               Blood type: B
Height: 179cm?                           Weight: 71kg?

Quick Info: Sanosuke, Sano for short, basically wondered around Tokyo looking for fights. He's also known as the gangster Zanza, since he carries around a huge sword for knocking horses and their riders over called a Zamba or Zanbatou sword. He has the symbol for "bad" painted on the back of his shirt. Sano also is one of the last two surviving members of the Sekihoutai (Red Report Group) who were betrayed by the government, framed for spreading "false pledges to the public", and massacred leaving only two young boys. He is hired to kill an old member of the Ishin group, Himura Kenshin. After Sano fights Kenshin, he soon finds that they actually carry the same beliefs and become friends.

More in depth Info: Sanosuke was basically an orphan taken in by a man named Sagara Souzou, who happened to be a leader of the Sekihoutai. Souzou taught him about honor and protecting people and to fight for what you believe in. Sano admired Souzou so much that one day he asked him he could take his last name Sagara, basically asking to be his son. The Sekihoutai always wore red ribbons tied around their foreheads. After the massacre, Sano takes his name in his honor and fights anyone who, well anyone who annoys him or challenges him. He has this drive to be the best and the strongest so that he can always overcome those who stand in his way.
    His strength is incredible. He carries the zamba sword around like it's nothing. He also has incredible stamina. Since he wields such a huge sword which takes more time to swing, his punches and kicks are remarkably fast. Even Kenshin is impressed with his speed, strength, and stamina. After fighting Kenshin, they become friends and Sano ends up staying at the Kayima dojo also, basically as a freeloader. But he does prove useful to help protect and fight.

Name: Myojin Yahiko             Age: 10
Birthday: January 1869           Blood type: B
Height: 128cm?                      Weight: 23kg?

Quick Info: Yahiko was orphaned and was taken in by a gang, the Shuei group, to repay the debt of his father. He grows up as a pickpocket but hates every minute of it since he is from a prestigious Samuari family within the Tokyo Shizoku. Kenshin sees the good in Yahiko's heart as he returns what he stole, and Kaoru and Kenshin end up saving him from the gang. He then stays at the Kayima dojo to learn how "to fight and be strong like Kenshin."

More in depth info: During the war, Yahiko's mother got very ill and his father took out a loan from the Shuei group to pay for all of the medical bills. However, they both ended up dying leaving young Yahiko all by himself. To pay of this loan, the gang took in Yahiko and taught him how to steal in order to pay of the loan. Yahiko was rather good at it and paid off the loan quickly but was never told this. The gang used him to bring them more money and abused him.
    One day he stole the wallet from a grandfather about to buy his grandson a toy, Yahiko hears this and returns the wallet quietly. Kenshin sees this, standing in the middle of the street on the way to take Kaoru, Dr. Genzai and his two granddaughters out for lunch. Yahiko is stopped by Kenshin, and is told that he doesn't need to steal; he's a good kid. Yahiko chases down Kenshin, steals his wallet, and gets tackled by Kaoru who from then one fits with Yahiko.
    Yahiko returns back to the gang with nothing and is beaten. Kaoru, hearing about Yahiko's past in the restaurant, feels bad for being so mean and goes to rescue him. She does a pretty good job by herself but needs a tad bit more help when it comes to the boss of the gang. Kenshin steps in and saves the day, making a huge impression on Yahiko. From then on, Yahiko wants to be like Kenshin. He already had the pride and spirit of a samurai, wanting to be strong and not depend on anyone. Kenshin helps show him that he can do this by learning from Kaoru and training at the Kayima Dojo, and learn to protect people instead of fight people.
     Kaoru and Yahiko always seem to be fighting but they really are like brother and sister. Kaoru proves to be a good teacher and Yahiko proves to be good student. He quickly takes matters into his own hands and begins defending people where he can.