This time, I would like to introduce Himura Kenshin, the overwhelmingly popular protagonist of Rurouni Kenshin. He is a swordsman who survived the end of the Edo period, but his androgynous face also makes him an extremely popular character among women. Although he achieved remarkable success as "Battousai the Assassin" during the end of the Edo period, his past is not explained in detail at the beginning of the story, and he is portrayed as a mysterious character with a dark past. Above all, the highlight of the work is Kenshin's coming to terms with his past and his growth, which is revealed as he interacts with many of his comrades throughout the story. So, in this article, I would like to provide a detailed explanation of Himura Kenshin, the protagonist of Rurouni Kenshin. I hope that both those who have never seen Rurouni Kenshin and those who are planning to watch it will read this.
Swordsmanship
Himura Kenshin is a rare type of protagonist who has the highest specs of combat power from the beginning. He has defeated many swordsmen using the Hiten Mitsurugi style, which has been used since the Sengoku period. Although his skills are slightly weaker than in his prime in the story, he still has overwhelming power.
Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu
This is the old style of swordsmanship used by Kenshin. It is a style designed for practical use in one-on-many situations, and it is an incredibly excellent swordsmanship style in which a Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu practitioner can even mow down several enemies with a single swing of the sword. There are many techniques that launch preemptive attacks on the opponent with overwhelming speed, and there are many scenes where the enemy is defeated without any gaps for counterattack.
Master, Hiko Seijuro
Kenshin's master and the 13th head of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu. As Kenshin's master, he is the strongest character in the series, as he wins over any opponent, including Kenshin, without losing his composure. He is a person who has had a great influence on Kenshin not only in terms of his sword but also on his mental health, as he sees through Kenshin's weaknesses and scolds him.
Tensho Ryusen
This is the secret technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu style, and can be said to be Kenshin's best technique. It is a technique of unsheathing the sword while it is still in its sheath, and with its overwhelming speed of unsheathing, even if the first blow misses, the vacuum created by the first blow draws in the air as it tries to return to its original position, stopping the enemy's movement and allowing for a powerful second blow. In the story, Kenshin defeats many strong enemies with this technique.
Reverse-edged sword
He sometimes uses the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu style of swords, which have overwhelming lethal power, and Kenshin usually uses a "reverse-edged sword" with the blade facing the opposite direction so as not to kill his opponents.
Personality
Kenshin's personality is very different between the end of the Edo period and the middle of the story. Himura Kenshin is a man with two personalities in conflict: the "Battousai the Assassin" of the past and the "Himura Kenshin" of the present.
"Oro?"
In the middle of the story, he has a very gentle personality, making it hard to believe that he was once an assassin, and he often shows his natural side. Even if something unexpected happens or his friends point it out to him, he responds gently with "Oro?", and he is often mistaken for a weak wanderer.
No killing
He feels an extraordinary sense of guilt for the brutal murder of his wife, Yukishiro Tomoe, and for taking the lives of many people in the past, and in the middle of the story, he is thorough about not killing anyone, no matter what happens.
Past and Present
There are many scenes in which Kenshin wavers between his past as an assassin and his present self, and the general storyline of Rurouni Kenshin is that Kenshin faces his past self while being influenced by his many companions.
Late Edo Period
So, what kind of person was Himura Battousai in the late Edo period?
Reformation Patriots of the Choshu Clan
Himura Battousai was an assassin who worked under Katsura Kotaro, who held real power in the Choshu Clan. He possessed the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu style of swordsmanship and assassinated many powerful people, and in the story it is described that he had become a demon.
Fighting many fierce opponents
At this time, due to the war, many strong opponents stood in the way of Himura Battousai. Many members were killed, but Saito Hajime survived, and the battle with the Shinsengumi continued even after the end of the Edo period.
Death of his wife
Battousai lived such a rough time during the end of the Edo period, but he gradually regained his humanity as he lived a married life with his beloved wife, Yukishiro Tomoe. However, this happiness was short-lived, as he accidentally murdered Tomoe, a member of the shogunate's assassin group, Yaminobu, during a battle. Many readers were probably surprised by the outrageous setting that the protagonist of a shounen manga was ex-married, and even though it was a mistake, he killed her with his sword.
For the happiness of the people
Kenshin has always had a strong sense of justice since the end of the Edo period, and even in his conversation with Kotaro Katsura, he reveals that he swings his sword for the sake of "the happiness of the people," which could be said to be Kenshin's principle of action.
Friends
During the end of the Edo period, Kenshin had been struggling with his own way of life, due to the brutal murder of his wife Tomoe, but his way of thinking gradually changes under the influence of the many friends he meets in the story. Here, I would like to summarize the key people who had a particularly great influence on Kenshin.
Kamiya Kaoru
She is the first person to become Himura Kenshin's companion in the story. She runs the "Kamiya Kasshin-ryu" dojo that she inherited from her late father (confirmed to be alive in the Hokkaido arc), and by chance, Kenshin ends up staying at the dojo. Through their interactions in the story, she eventually becomes united with Kenshin and has a son.
Sanosuke Sagara
He is a survivor of the Sekihoutai, a group active during the late Edo period that was later destroyed as a false government army. Although he wears clothes with the character for evil on the back, he is also a more passionate and passionate person than anyone else. In the story, he becomes friendly with Kenshin after a bout with him, and the latter calls him his "only friend."
Myojin Yahiko
A student of the "Kamiya Kasshin-ryu" school. In the story, he appears as a pickpocket who gets involved with Kenshin, but later he joins the "Kamiya Kasshin-ryu" school because he wants to be as strong as Kenshin. At first, he doesn't have much skill, but he quickly improves after watching Kenshin fight many strong opponents.
Takani Megumi
A doctor from Aizu. He comes from a family that has produced doctors for generations and has high medical skills himself. He is the only healer among Kenshin's companions, who are all about fighting, and is a character who plays an important role in the story. He also has a bad relationship with Kaoru over Kenshin.
The Greatest Enemy: Shishio Makoto
There are many rivals to Kenshin in the story, but the greatest of them all is Shishio Makoto. During the late Edo period, he was active as the successor to Hisamura Battousai, but later, to silence him, he was doused in oil and set on fire, nearly assassinating him. As a result of that incident, he now wears bandages all over his body and has lost the ability to sweat.
A fierce battle of secret techniques
Shishio was thought to be dead, but he is actually alive and is secretly operating in the Meiji era to seize control of Japan. Kenshin, who knows Shishio's purpose, challenges him to a duel to crush his ambitions, but their strength is almost equal, and they decide the winner by exchanging secret techniques.
Victory with allies
Although it took time for him to regain his strength from his prime, he eventually won the battle of secret techniques against Shishio. Kenshin's victory was largely due to the presence of his allies, who he did not have during the late Edo period.
Hokkaido Arc
After winning the deadly battle with Shishio, Kenshin defeated Yukishiro Enishi, who could be called the mastermind, and was able to safely face his own past, but in recent years, the Hokkaido Arc of Rurouni Kenshin has begun serialization, and a new story that has never been seen before has begun.
Son appears
In the Hokkaido arc, the story takes place five years later, and the characters have aged. Furthermore, a son is born between the protagonist Kenshin and the heroine Kaoru.
The body is at its limit...
The warning from doctor Megumi that "You can still use Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, but you'll only be able to use it for a few more years" becomes a reality. In the story, it seems that Kenshin can still wield the sword, but there are many depictions of Kenshin's body approaching its limit, and the timing when Kenshin will no longer be able to wield the sword is an important element of the Hokkaido arc.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we explained about the main character of Rurouni Kenshin, "Himura Kenshin". Himura Kenshin is one of the most popular characters in Jump, with a well-drawn contrast between his androgynous appearance and his past as a warrior. Recently, Demon Slayer and Gintama have also been popular, but as a senior swordsman character in Jump, I think he will continue to be popular in the future. If you are interested, please take a look at the other article about Kenshin.
