Kenshin is 28 years old (believe it or not), and once fought as a political assasin for the Ishin fighters around Meiji revolution at the end of the Bakufu period. He was around 15 then, and under the name of hito-kiri, Battousai left a whole lot of corpses and stray body parts in his wake. Nowadays Kenshin is an all-happy wander vagabond, but he has still retained the hito-kiri spirit in him. Whenever he is serious, he looks very scary; and his skill with the nihontou is unmatchable. Kenshin currently has two recorded loves in his life; Tomoe and Kaoru. Tomoe was Battousai's wife until he accidently killed her, but the couple still truly loved each. Her death scarred his heart for the rest of his life, and he had vowed never to kill again. He instead changed from the ruthless Battousai to Kenshin the all-happy person, in order to protect the weak and innocent from harm.

Kenshin being a yasa-otoko gets points in some people's books, but what really shines through is his personality. He's kind-hearted, sweet-tempered, sort of polite, too honest for his own good, and devoted to his "chosen family". And ofcourse, he's invincible. He may get kicked around alot in the fights, but he's got the haemoglobin capacity of 15000 people, so those deep, nasty gashes spurting galleons of blood has never really bothered him (or anybody). Strength, Honour and Compassion. What else do you need in a hero? Domestic capabilities? Kenshin's got that in spades. In other words, he's a dream come true - how many immortal, kick-ass heroes in existence can cook and clean without complaint (while his female sidekick sleeps in and orders him around)?
Voice by Mayo Suzukaze

Bad tempered, stubborn and a terrible cook, Kaoru is the stereotypical post-modern feminist who has walked into the wrong era of history. As the trainer in her Kendo training centre, she isn't very strong or useful and often ends up being a hostage as Kenshin's soft spot. She has a big crush on Kenshin, and rains punches on him when she is flustered by something he has said. Kenshin was particularly taken by Kaoru's attitude to people; she never bothers to find out anyone's past because she believes that everyone has skeletons in their closets and they are entitled to privacy. It was what she said the first time they met that made Kenshin feel a kind of happiness he hadn't felt in a long time.

To be honest, I can't stand the manga Kaoru. She reminds me too much of Akane Tendo (from Ranma 1/2), whom I can't stand either. It's a pity really, because the anime Kaoru is a resourceful and likeable person who can do much more than stand on the sidelines. Maybe that's why I don't like the manga Kaoru - she stands too much on the sidelines. You've got to admit that for a trainer in a kendo centre, she sure doesn't do much except terrorise people with her bad cooking. Why not just let Kenshin cook, and practise her skills more (which she seems to badly need)? After all, her 11 year-old disciple Yahiko can do much more than her, and he had only been learning under her wing for less than half a year. While Yahiko has the ability to threaten and defeat big strong men who throw dynamite and use hidden weapons, Kaoru can't even defeat a transvestite with a big scythe without Misao's help. And she was meant to have been learning Kendo for most of her 17 year-old life. Tell me there is something wrong with the power-distributions in this manga.
Voice by Fujitani Miki

Yahiko is rude, insensitive and a bit of a brat, but Kaoru is entitled to put up with him as he is the first (and only) student of the Kamiya Katsushin Ryuu Kendo dojo. Yahiko is the orphaned descendent of a samurai family who is supposedly in debt with the Yakuza when money was "borrowed" off them to pay his mother's medical bills. To repay the loans, he had to work as a pick-pocket. When it was discovered that the loan business was a lie, Yahiko under the protection of Kenshin was never harrassed by the Yakuza again. 11 year-old Yahiko still has a lot to learn, but he's successfully proved himself to be actually quite useful during battles.

I just said Yahiko is useful. Actually, he's can be too useful at times - if he was a normal 11 year-old he would have been long dead. Yahiko thinks that just because he has a wooden sword and is a student of a kendo school, he can go around threatening strong, nasty antagonists and get away with it. And he does get away with it most of the time, though his bratty exterior would have prompted less tolerant people to knock his block off (if they were allowed). Are you getting vibes I don't like Yahiko? Well, I think he's quite alright, because there is an explanation for why his haemoglobin capacity is the second highest in the manga after Kenshin. Watsuki once said in an interview that he created Yahiko from the confused feelings he had as a teenage boy. From that, I suppose Watsuki was probably short for his age and constantly picked on at school. Yahiko being the embodiment of a super-kid able to kick the asses of big, strong adults is really a fantasy vehicle for him and for all other kids like Watsuki, who longed for physical strength to protect themselves from bullies. This has correlations with Yahiko's background and personality - as a son of a fallen samurai family struggling to regain his honour by becoming "strong". All in all, a fine thing, because this makes Yahiko one of the most dependable and actually, "wise" characters in the series. He may act like a two year-old the next minute, but he knows it when things are serious, and will adjust his behaviour to deal with it accordingly. This is one kid capable of much wisdom beyond his years - maybe Sanosuke should learn from him.
Voice by Tominaga Miina

This guy is a street fighter with the word "evil" written on his back. Not that he is evil; the word actually stands for his dedication towards cleansing it from whereever he may encounter it. Sanosuke challenged Kenshin to a dual and crawled out barely alive, and soon after the two became good friends. He visits Kaoru's dojo to eat at Kaoru's expense while criticising her cooking. He used to belong to the Sekikoku, and so holds a grudge against the Meiji government for executing his idol, Captain Sagara. Sanosuke used to fight with a giant zambatou until Kenshin rendered it useless - so he now fights with his fists. And a very good fighter he is, possessing unimaginable strength and great stamina (but ofcourse, he is still no match for Kenshin!).

I'm going to say beforehand that this is my opinion of the character, and hardly meant to be taken as fact. The anime Sanosuke was a gangster who acted like a rogue/jerk yet was a true gentleman with a heart of gold underneath. The manga Sanosuke was a gangster who just acted like a rogue/jerk. He's only interested in fighting and getting stronger, though he has never been able to reach Kenshin's level. This is perfectly fine, if he had a personality and a heart to make up for it; which I don't think he does. Why? Because of the way he treated Megumi, how he turned away from Kenshin when he needed him most (when Kaoru dies and Kenshin loses his will to "live", Sanosuke punches him twice and leaves Tokyo without a second glance or any encouragement for Kenshin), and how he "abandoned" his family. He blamed Megumi when his friend died from opium, and refused to save her until Kenshin gave one of his "speeches". This is even though Megumi was forced to make the opium against her will, and didn't even distribute them - and shouldn't Sanosuke's friend take some responsibility for his own death by opium overdose anyway? Instead, Sanosuke blamed his friend's death on Megumi, even though he knew she had a tragic past and hates her job. If that's not misplaced anger or bad judgement, it has to be prejudice.

I had hoped that Sanosuke will straighten out later on and become more like Kenshin (in just about every way), but this seemed to be the only time in which he seemed to exercise any type of moral judgement. After Kaoru's death, he dumps Kenshin to go off to his homeland, where he recounters his family, who don't recognise him. He helps them, luckily, not so much because the local ruffians deserve a beating, but because he's looking for a good fight. He then realises he lives to fight, and then dumps his family and runs back to Tokyo because "that's where the fight is". He then joins the second fight against Enishi, as "Kenshin's friend". How he is still Kenshin's "friend" is quite beyond me; he fights along Kenshin whenever Kenshin needs help, but he'll just walked away when Kenshin gets all the fight squeezed out of him. This guy is on my top-ten list of most hated characters.
Voice by Ueda Yuji

This 22 year-old doctor was kidnapped by Aoshi's former boss, Kanryuu, and worked for him as his doctor's assistant in manufacturing opium. When the doctor was killed, Megumi was forced to take his spot and became Kanryuu's opium machine. Naturally, she was unwilling but had no choice, so she continually tried to escape - and finally succeeded when she ran into Kenshin. Kenshin & co saved her from Aoshi, and as a result she was able to stop selling opium and become an actual doctor's assistant. Megumi likes Kenshin, but she could see she didn't stand a fighting chance against Kaoru and so was satisfied just seeing Kenshin happy. Nevertheless, as Kaoru's rival, Kaoru often calls her a fox, and she calls Kaoru a bandicoot.

Megumi is much cooler than Kaoru - other than being the doctor who can do everything other than bring back the dead. Megumi is the family doctor - if someone shatters every bone in their right hand, Megumi can fix it, time after time. Therefore, she is very useful, though her inner courage, rather than her abilities, is the quality that stands out. Megumi has had a sucky life, and when she was finally freed from a life of making opium, she embraced her freedom with a fierce determination. She was adamant in wanting to right her wrongs, and to spend the rest of her life saving others - inspiration she took from Kenshin. She even is unwilling to deter from her path of medicine for personal matters - even though she desperately wants to - such as when Kenshin left Tokyo to fight Shishio. She instead, stuck to her studies as a doctor, and slapped some sense into Kaoru's head (who at that time had been doing nothing but crying at home) because she knew that Kenshin needed her by his side to help him. It was symbolic in a way, because when Megumi handed over her family medicine to Kaoru, she is entrusting Kaoru to take her place by Kenshin's side. After all, it is a doctor that Kenshin needed more than anything in his struggle against Shishio. That she was willing to stand back and let Kaoru go to Kenshin is another plus for her. She understands the painful truth - it's Kaoru that Kenshin loved, not her. But it sure doesn't stop her from flirting with Kenshin, just to tease Kaoru. In that sense, I find the way she teases Kaoru more mean that playful, but then it fits with her personality - she's tough and outspoken.
Voice by Doi Mika

She serves as Yahiko's pre-pubescent love interest. She works with Yahiko at the Akabeko, which is a restuarant in which the social life of Kenshin & co revolves around. With a quiet and weepy personality, Yahiko actually went to the trouble of fighting a bunch of adult bullies for her sake. When Akabeko was destroyed by Enishi & co, she came to live at Kamiya Dojo for a little while, but left to avoid the Enishi & co VS Kenshin & co fight. A good thing she did too; Kamiya Dojo was a bad place for anyone to be at that time. After the Akabeko was rebuilt, she resumed her job as a waitress there.

So what about Tsubame? She's quiet, she's weepy, she's pretty useless. She lacks confidence, or maybe it's just the way she is, regardless of whether she had confidence or not. After all, she didn't change much throughout the series, though she did become a bit stronger. I feel that this character is a bit too stereotypical for my likings; though she has her moments. Her moments basically consisted her of not bursting into tears everytime Yahiko shouts at her or something scary happens. She gets a bit better after Kaoru's death - gaining the courage to go to the village Kenshin was staying in alone to plead with him to save Yahiko, who was being trashed at the time. Luckily her pleas worked, and so she spends the rest of her time caring for the heavily injured Yahiko, who like everyone else, recovered just fine. There isn't much else I can say about her. Personally, I prefer the Cannon-Girl (does anyone remember her name?) from the anime to Tsubame, as Yahiko's love-interest. The former certainly had a lot more spunk and confidence than Tsubame, which means Yahiko would have less reason to yell at her.
Voice by Shiratori Yuri

Aoshi became the leader of the Oniwabanshuu at 15 at the end of the Bakufu revolution, but because the Oniwabanshuu was forced to surrender, Aoshi felt he had to regain the honour they had lost. He was certain if they were given a chance to fight, they would have won, which became the incentive for his obsession with power and "being the strongest". In Meiji when ninjas were no longer needed as economic growth and wealth became dominant, many left the Oniwabanshuu yet Aoshi stayed behind as he would not desert his comrades, who were moved to the point of willing to die for him. He thus wandered Japan, and finally lands a job as the body guard of Kanryuu, a drug-trading business man, who kidnapped and forced Takani Megumi to refine opium for him. When he was defeated by Kenshin, he joined Shishio's force in hope that he may once again meet and defeat his former enemy. When he fought with Kenshin and was defeated, he converted and is now happily living in Kyoto with Misao. He misses out on the fight with Enishi, but comes to Tokyo with Misao to help Kenshin fight Enishi for a second time, after Kaoru's death.

Aoshi. People say he's wicked and sexy, though he seems neither to me. It's just a matter of opinion I suppose - I think him to be the strong and silent type. Make that very silent, and very strong. Makes me wonder what Misao sees in him (but that's strictly her business). Aoshi is almost as good as Kenshin in terms of fighting, but I suppose he lacks that extra oomph that makes Kenshin "Kenshin". He also lacks Kenshin's personality - or should I say, he lacks a personality. But then it's not as if he's a robot; Aoshi is a good and respected leader, and cared deeply for those under his wing, even if he had a strange way of showing it (he doesn't show it, until, well, after they're dead). So he's stoic and takes everything seriously - and is also a minimalist. He attempts to finish off his opponents as quickly as possible, and uses as few words as necessary to say something. That means he doesn't get to say much other than what is necessary; in fact, through his fight with Kenshin, Kenshin is the one who tries persistently to talk some sense into Aoshi. Aoshi, meanwhile, says "Is that all you have to say?", accompanied by flashing the words "Beshimi, Hyotoko, Shikijou, Hannya". So he thinks as a minimalist as well, does he? However, he does get to talk at length at times, especially after Kaoru's death. His long speeches then revealed that he has a strictly analytical mind, seemingly devoid of typical sentiments; quite befitting a man of such... "personality".

He and Kenshin were enemies during the Bakufu period civil war, and are still enemies as far as Saitou is concerned. Saitou was the former head of the third ShinSenGumi squad, and consequently the enemies of the Ishin fighters, and of Battousai. He fought Kenshin to a dual in the centre of the civil war (in Kyoto), but I suppose it is because neither won, that he came looking for Kenshin to fight him again, and this time to kill him. Surprisingly, he was just as good as Kenshin in terms of skill, but if Kenshin hadn't been using a reverse-bladed sword Saitou's head would have been rolling on the floor in a matter of minutes. Again, neither of them won, but because Saitou is now working as a policeman patrolling downtown Tokyo, the two became allies against Shishio Makoto. After Shishio's defeat, he helps Kenshin defeat Enishi and his ruffians twice, because he's investigating Enishi's links to an arms smuggling operation. In the end, like all policeman who do their homework, Saitou gets his man as well as a transfer. Before the transfer, Kenshin challenges him to a dual to settle the feud between the two, but Saitou stood him up. It's because he believes that Battousai is his opponent, not Kenshin, and Battousai is dead and buried. And, of all people, Saitou has a wife.

Saitou is the best character in Rurouni Kenshin, in my opinion. He surpasses Kenshin, probably because I don't believe him to be a villain like many people do. I think Saitou just likes his job as a policeman, and does it to the best of his ability. He's not like Shishio or his ruffians, people who like to indulge in occasional cruelty (if you take note, he usually kills in one clean blow, never really toying with his opponents); rather someone who kills people because that's what his job requires and so be it. That he's good at killing - but not necessarily thoroughly enjoying it - means that his "job" is easier to do. His "job", ofcourse, is living by the code of the famous "Aku.Zoku.Zan" - Slay All Evil - what he truly enjoys. Which is great. This guy is always one step ahead, does his research, is highly intelligent and takes no crap from anybody - except his employers, ofcourse, but still they can't rein him in. Saitou lives by his own rules, and isn't overly concerned with things like honour and pride. If he can't get Shishio to ditch his plans to take over Japan by himself, he'll get his former enemy to join forces with him. His thinking is highly practical and often ruthless; he thinks of the big picture rather than the small one. Which makes him cold and heartless at times in reaction to the deaths of his underlings, but hey, he knows it could have been much worse. In this aspect, I think he has the upper hand over Kenshin; he isn't subject to the same idealistic POV as Kenshin is. Hence, he gets the job done faster and with less mess.

Another post-modern feminist wandering up and down the corridors of Japanese history. Misao is a Kunoichi of the Oniwabanshuu. When the Shogun surrendered in Kyoto, the Oniwabanshuu were supposedly disbanded yet the sense of betrayal they felt caused the ninjas to live on. Taught and raised by Aoshi, she was in love with Aoshi and had traipsed all over the country (robbing people for money along the way) looking for him. When she met Kenshin, she became the source of encouragement for him to pursue his love for Kaoru, and accompanied him to Kyoto where she lives with her adopted "grandfather" the Okina, and other ninjas. When Aoshi betrayed the oniwabanshuu to join Shishio, she took up the position as head of the oniwabanshuu and to fight Shishio's ruffians. After Aoshi's conversion and Shishio's elimination, she and Aoshi got back together and is now living in Kyoto. After Kaoru's death, she took Tomoe's diary and came to Tokyo with Aoshi, and joins the second battle against Enishi on the sidelines. She returns to Kyoto with Aoshi afterwards.

Misao reminds me of Yahiko, and the two of them do get along. Never mind that Misao is 5 years older than Yahiko - they may as well be the same age because they have such a rapport with each other. They're both loud and obnoxious, though if Misao was just a loud and obnoxious kid, then she and Aoshi will be the mismatch of the millenium (and they are already pretty mismatched). The greatest thing about Misao is not her abilities (standard stuff for a ninja), or her tendencies to fly into a Kaoru/Akane/Asuka-style rage (too many anime females do this nowadays), but the maturity she suddenly shows when forced into a certain situation. In this aspect, this is what she has in common with Aoshi. Misao may be immature most of the time, but whenever things are serious, she puts whatever sentimentalities she may have about the situation and channels all her energy into righting what's wrong. It's not like she's not upset by the situation - she usually is very much affected, but she's always believed in action first and then mourning, wailing and hair-tearing afterwards. I suppose that's what sets her apart from the wailing kawaii-ko sidekicks that populate other anime - she actually has depth.

Shishio was also a Ishin fighter and a political assasin, and succeeded Battousai when he vanished near the end of the revolution. Shishio was much more ambitious, and knowing that he had a good chance of gaining power in this new era, he had wanted to use the Meiji restoration as his goal. He knew a lot of dirty business within the Meiji government, and fearful of threats, the Meiji politicians secretly sent people to murder him in the midst of battle chaos and throw his body into a furnace. Makoto crawled out of it in a sorry state, but he survived in the form of a mummy (Egyptian style) who set about preying on a chance to overthrow the Meiji government with his blood-thirsty ruffians. Shishio had plans to totally annihilate Kenshin & co when they arrived in Kyoto, but after a long battle he was finally defeated by Kenshin. And this time he won't come back from the dead because this time, he himself combusted into a spectacular pillar of flame.

The arch-villain of the Kyoto arc, Shishio is a memoriable villain, but I don't think he's as diabolic as Watsuki could've made him. It's not because of his fashion sense. He's cruel, cunning and ambitious - standard stuff for an arch-villain, but I think his downfall was the result of "the hero having to win because there would be no story otherwise." For someone who could come back to life after being shot and burned, create plans to take over the country, and amass a huge army, he was pretty sloppy when doing some of his jobs. Shishio is stronger than Kenshin; his only weakness being not able to fight for longer than 15 minutes on end (a fitting end for him - self-cremation). However, he didn't take as much precaution against Kenshin as he could have, even though Kenshin was considered to be his greatest obstacle. He didn't kill Kenshin when he first met him at a hot-springs village, even though the then Kenshin didn't stand a chance against him. He didn't manage to "take care of" Kenshin's aides, even though he practically ran Kyoto and could easily overrun them by sheer numbers anytime he wanted to. But then none of this is Shishio's fault - if Watsuki had let Shishio "win" he easily would have, but sadly, he was a villain, and all villains had to die. After all, if this was real history, Shishio would've taken over Japan. Probably not because he is super-intelligent and super-powerful; more like the current government is in massive disarray and couldn't do much to stop him.

I have to mention that Shishio is beloved by many fans who prefer him to Kenshin, and this is understandable. Shishio, while an arch-villain, has good reasons for wanting to take over the country. He simply feels that the current country is too weak, and he wants to make a new, strong Japan that is capable of withstanding the foreign powers that are hounding it. A good, sound reason for being the way he is, but I don't think it renders him a remotely "good" leader. Shishio indulges in occasional cruelty, treats his lower underlings (not the JupponGatana) like dirt, and turns a blind eye to members of the JupponGatana who like to use his lower underlings as cannon fodder (as a villain, that's what he should be doing). Which makes me glad he didn't take over Japan; his reasons for wanting to usurp power is noble, but I believe he'll do a lousy job if he ever got the chance. He'll rule with an iron fist, and his reign will most certainly be a oppressive, anarchical and bloody one. Not to mention he thinks treating people like dogs so they will fight back brutally is "how to make a nation strong". Forget the economy, forget law and order, forget that revolutions are byproducts of oppressive treatment of the masses... but what am I saying? I'm taking this character way too seriously.

Another yasa-otoko. This time, this youthful good-looker is the trusted right-hand man of Shishio Makoto, and was actually the first person the heavily bandaged man met when he crawled out of the furnace. The orphaned Soujirou had been sorely abused by his relatives, and Makoto had since taught him that only the strong survive in this world; the weak are trampled and eaten, and with this in mind, Soujirou killed his relatives. For years after the incident, Soujirou uses a smiling face as a mask to hide his true feelings. He is a superb fighter, his nickname "Ten Ken" suggesting that his talent came from heaven rather than from constant practice; he was the one who murdered Ookubo Toshimichi.

Oh, look at the fans go. Soujirou is good-looking alright, and powerful; his number one technique being his unmatchable speed. Soujirou proves to be more than a match for Kenshin; Kenshin can't catch up with him, and only managed to defeat Soujirou with a bit of psychological warfare. And this is the biggest strength and weakness of Soujirou - his psyche. Soujirou is a void - he has no emotions other than the one of happiness, as nothing fazes him and he's always seen smiling. Actually, one can't even be sure that he feels the emotion of happiness (despite what his face tells you), because one has to feel some degree of unhappiness before they know that they are feeling happy. And at Soujirou's core, he isn't really happy, though he's totally convinced himself that he is. Just because he's by Shishio's side, whom he idolises in a way, he thinks that he should be happy, because of all the things Shishio has given him. And Shishio has given him status and strength, though Soujirou does not enjoy killing in the least. Soujirou despised hurting others, even if the others were out to kill him, but Shishio just twisted his mind around so he believes otherwise. Which makes me think that the day Soujirou leaves Shishio will come anyway, Kenshin or no Kenshin, because they are fundamentally so different. Soujirou himself realises this to an extent, and sooner or later he will end up running into someone who will make him realise why (as long as Shishio doesn't keep him chained up so much). That the day comes so early is a good thing for Soujirou, because he now has plenty of time to search for a meaning in life for himself.
Voice by Hidaka Noriko

Shishio's "wife" or "girlfriend" isn't really appropriate here, but I suppose you get Yumi's relationship with Shishio from what I just said. Yumi has been with Shishio for a long time and loves him, and I suppose he loves her in return. Yumi is trusted as his personal adviser, and is respected as an "older sister" by (most) of Shishio's JupponGatana. When Shishio started to lose to Kenshin in their duel because of his physical condition, Yumi begged Kenshin not to kill Shishio. Shishio on the other hand, took the opportunity to stab Kenshin through Yumi. However, Yumi dies happily, because she believes she finally has been of use to her lover in a battle, and pledges for them to be reunited in hell.

I find Yumi one of the more interesting female characters in Rurouni Kenshin; maybe it's because of her taste in men. Or maybe it's because for a kimono, her clothes seem to be on the verge of falling off all the time. It's nice to see an arch-villain who treats his "woman" as a human being, rather as some sort of tool or decoration. And Shishio and Yumi truly love each other - which is what gives this character such poignancy. Yumi is truly devoted to Shishio, though she isn't of much use to him; her first appearance (in the woods behind the Kamiya Dojo) makes one think that she is some sort of decorative ornament that men in power carry around with them as an "image" thing. She proves herself to be much more - she's not a ditz, and she gets lines! She's also a member of the JupponGatana, amazing isn't it? It's hard to understand exactly what it is that attracts Yumi to Shishio in such a way - probably his power and his ambition? Yumi has quite a grudge against the Meiji government for ruining her job as a popular Kyoto Geisha. But still, these become inconsequentials since her nifty death scene tells us that she loves Shishio because she just does. She believes, and has always believed, that if she can be of use to Shishio in his great plans, she'll happily die for him. And Shishio knows this when he stabbed her; the gesture was a symbol of deep, mutual understanding between them, not a betrayal as Kenshin believed it to be. Shishio and Yumi share a deep bond that is revealed to be as deep as it was upon her death.

Hiko is Kenshin's master, and current teacher of the Hitenmi Tsurugi Ryuu. The Hitenmi Tsurugi Ryuu allows it's students the freedom of doing whatever they think right, but it is supposed to be for the good. He and Kenshin were separated when Kenshin joined the revolutionaries, and when Kenshin drifted back for more training, he accuses his student of indirectly causing the whole Shishio business. However, when he finds out that Kenshin's current goal in life is to protect the helpless, he risks his life to teach him a new technique and later rescues Kaoru & co from one of Shishio's giant ruffians. The first impression he made on his student was by hacking up civilians infront of the then-a-child Kenshin, whose name was Shinta back then.

Hiko always looks so serious, but he's quite a crack-up. Very obnoxious for the master of a killer school of kendo, and very powerful. He's easily the strongest character in Rurouni Kenshin; I'm sure that if he ever wanted to go up against Shishio, he'll probably be able to defeat him. But he leaves that type of thing to his student Kenshin, because that's just the way he is. Hiko hates the outside world, and shuns contact with people. He lives alone in a shack in the mountain making pottery, though I think this character would be much better off touring the country killing bandits. But then if he was doing that, Kenshin wouldn't be able to find him when he needed more training. And more training Hiko gave Kenshin, giving us a glimpse into the life and quirky mannerisms of this rather idiosyncratic person. But then Hiko proves himself to have a strong sense of right and wrong, and does care about Kenshin more than he lets on.

Enishi is Kenshin/Battousai's younger brother; not by birth but by marriage. Enishi is Tomoe's younger brother, and has had a grudge against Kenshin since Kenshin married Tomoe (first for killing Tomoe's fiancee, then for marrying Tomoe, and then for killing Tomoe). Enishi returned from Shanghai to make life hell for Kenshin, whom he still hates and still believes to be Battousai. With abnormal amounts of affection towards his sister, Enishi thinks he should punish the whole of Japan just because his sister isn't there. Enishi had gathered a bunch of ruffians all with a grudge against Battousai, and started to make life hell for Kenshin by attacking the people all around Kenshin. Enishi and his ruffians crashed Kamiya Dojo and levelled it completely, and defeated Kenshin decisively. He then killed Kaoru by nailing her to the wall of the Kamiya Dojo, before evading capture by the police. Enishi gets his revenge when Kenshin, his spirit broken, left Kamiya Dojo to rot away in a village of outcasts. However, when Kenshin recovers, he fights Enishi a second time - and wins.

Enishi is a freak - there is something very, very wrong with this guy. He's a marginal psychopath who is way beyond being obsessed with his dead sister. Which upsets me a bit, because he's not as "cool" a villain as Shishio was. Not because Shishio was the epitome of "cool", but because Enishi had a rather warped reason for taking things as far as he did. Sure, his sister was taken away by Battousai and accidently killed by him, but then that's really no reason to spend the rest of his life cooking up elaborate plans to make Kenshin waste away. But then Enishi was never really a normal child, even though he seemed to have had a rather normal upbringing. His mother died and so his sister took care of him - standard stuff back in those days, not to mention they come from a reasonably well-off family (compared to say, Kenshin). So the assumption would have to be that Enishi had weird brain wiring from the beginning, rendering him without the slightest sense of moral judgement, or the ability to think about anything that didn't involve his sister. A very, very, sad situation. What's he going to do for the rest of his life after he has avenged his sister?

Enishi's older sister and Battousai's wife, Tomoe is the exact opposite of what Kaoru is. Tomoe is calm, cool and spooky - almost ghost-like. Nevertheless, like Kaoru she was able to suppress the killer in Battousai, which is probably the reason why Battousai fell in love with her. Tomoe married Kenshin for revenge, by killing her fiancee he had destroyed all she had in her life. Working with Bakufu spies the Yaminobu, she was supposed to find Battousai's weak spot and report it. However, when she finds the Kenshin behind Battousai's mask, she falls in love with him and learns how to smile again. Soon after, she was captured (bashed unconscious, actually) by the Yaminobu and used as bait for Kenshin. Kenshin arrives at the Yaminobu's HQ in a rage, and in a fight with one of the Yaminobu Kenshin accidentally kills Tomoe when she tries to help him. Tomoe died smiling in Kenshin's arms (he was crying meanwhile); he later buried her in Kyoto in an unmarked grave.

Tomoe is very beautiful (I think), so therefore I forgive her for getting in the way of a fight and getting herself killed. I really don't understand why Tomoe didn't knife the guy from behind - she's not a samurai, why would she give a damn about honour? - surely she wasn't thinking of killing herself by Kenshin's hand. She had wished for Kenshin to be happy, and she would have known that killing herself by jumping in the way of his sword isn't the way to go about it. If Tomoe had decided to commit suicide, then her death is most certainly her fault. But like all good heroes, Kenshin had to blame himself for it, telling people that he killed his wife when all he did was swing his sword while Tomoe unknowingly jumped in front of it. Sadly, there isn't an awful lot I can say about Tomoe other than the significance of her death. Personality wise, she's a Rei Ayanami (from Evangelion) - seemingly emotionless; she hated smiling (she said so). But at least Rei had a good reason for being the way she is; Tomoe had none. I had always thought that the death of her fiancee Kiyosato triggered this personality problem, but apparently she had always been that way. Which is strange, considering she had grown up in a second-class samurai family, which is well-off compared to the others around her time. She had a reasonably normal childhood, a cute younger brother (Enishi cute? But she said so herself) and a sweetheart to boot, whom she liked alot and was scheduled to marry. So why did she act like she has nothing, and never had anything, to be happy about, when she obviously has?