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Meet the Good Guys: The Kenshin Gumi
.:Himura Kenshin:.
Obviously, Kenshin is the main character of the show. He first appears in the first episode where he befriends a feisty young lady by the name of Kaoru. It is revealed in the first episode that Kenshin is, in fact, the Hitokiri Battousai that fought so well in the Bakumatsu (war that led to the Meiji era). Despite this, in the first 20-30 episodes of the series, not much is known about Kenshin. Other than the fact that he is an extremely powerful fighter that uses a reverse-bladed sword (known as a Sakaba) to subdue his opponents rather than kill them. This is a direct result of his oath to protect lives instead of take them. Kenshin is a very passionate fighter who will protect his loved ones at all costs. During the portion of the series leading up to the Kyoto Arc, Kenshin participates in a few battles that put the lives of said loved ones in danger's path. As a result, Kenshin reverts to his Bakumatsu self, unleashing an even more powerful fighter that is bottled up within. During this state, Kenshin is almost unstoppable. His speed doubles, as do his reflexes, strength, and stamina. Kenshin's power comes mainly from his ability to read his opponent's mind through their emotions. This proves to be both a strength and a flaw for Kenshin in the series as he is soundly beaten by opponents who are faster than he is (although their are very few of them). Kenshin is trained in the deadly art known as Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. It is considered to be the ultimate fighting style of assassins. Combining speed, strength, and precision, Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is capable of cutting down oppenents before they see the attack coming. The technique, passed down from generation to generation, was taught to Kenshin by Hiko Seijuro XVII. Kenshin was chosen because Hiko was able to see the hardship that Kenshin had endured, and he knew that Kenshin had the desire to be strong.
Aside from fighting, Kenshin cooks, cleans, does the laundry, takes care of children... Well, Kenshin does everything! It is in his character to take care of the people around him, and doing these things is just one way that Kenshin accomplishes this goal. Other than his kenjutsu, Kenshin is also famous for his fiery red hair, and the cross shaped scar on his left cheek. The scar actually forms an "X" on his cheek, hence the title "Samurai X" in the Sony dub.
.:Kamiya Kaoru:.
Kaoru is the feisty young lady who first discovers Kenshin. In the first episode, it is her telling the tale of the Battousai, and his mysterious disappearance. The writers of the show/manga treat the audience to some comic relief before they show us how truly courageous she is. It is just her luck that while searching for a man that claims to be the Battousai, she finds the real one. Of course, she didn't know it at the time. Anyway, I'm giving too much away. You should watch the series. Kaoru runs a dojo that trains students in the fighting style known as Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Well, she wants to. She has no students for a while, because the man that was running around claiming to be the Battousai ruined the name of her father's once proud dojo. When her father died, Kaoru took over the dojo, but students left and all she was left with was some red-haired skinny boy. But, being the lonely woman that she was, Kaoru invited Kenshin to stay with her for as long as he wanted. Course, Kenshin accepted and the rest is history. For a woman of the time period, Kaoru is a pretty good fighter. She often gives Kenshin some pretty good wallops, but she only fights with a bamboo sword. So, she is pretty much relegated to comic relief and plot development in the series. That and the whole damsel in distress deal.
Meet the rest of the Kenshin Gumi
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