Kamiya Kaoru is a heroine who works alongside the protagonist Himura Kenshin, who has been physically and mentally weakened by his activities as an assassin since the end of the Edo period, and helps Kenshin grow to the point of defeating his greatest enemies, Shishio Makoto and Yukishiro Enishi. She is overwhelmingly popular in this work, which features many popular female characters, and can be said to be another flagship character after Kenshin in "Rurouni Kenshin". In this article, I would like to explain the most popular female character in the work, the heroine "Kamiya Kaoru".
Swordsmanship
Although Kaoru is the heroine, she is the assistant instructor in charge of a dojo, so she is one of the most skilled in the work. Kaoru is not only a heroine who Kenshin relies on, but also stands up and fights alongside him, and is portrayed supporting Kenshin in many scenes.
Kamiya Kasshin-ryu
Kaoru's dojo style is Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, which Kenshin describes as "Kasshin-ken, which makes the most of people, in contrast to Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, which specializes in killing people." In contrast to Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, which goes for a quick attack to defeat the opponent, you can see techniques such as "Blade Stopper/Blade Length" where the back of the hand is used to block the opponent's sword and counter it.
Yahiko's Master
In the story, Kaoru accepts Yahiko, who makes a living by pickpocketing, as his apprentice, and later trains him to one of the best levels in the story, showing his excellent side as a teacher. Yahiko often calls him "ugly," and there are scenes where they shoot each other out every time. However, since they are in a master-disciple relationship, they seem to be able to trust each other when the time comes.
Defeat the Ten Swords! !
It's not that she's weak, but because the men around her are so monstrous, Kaoru doesn't have many opportunities to shine and tends to be overshadowed, but there's no doubt that she's a very capable person, having actually won a fight against Honjo Kamatari, one of the Ten Swords. In the anime version, she's not only skilled in swordsmanship, but also in judo, which increases her specs.
Personality
Unusually for a woman in the Meiji era, she seems to have a very aggressive personality, such as actively running a dojo (although it seems that Kenshin doesn't work there either). She also skillfully incorporates the tomboyish and tsundere characters that were popular at the time, making her a character that also gives a glimpse into the background of the Rurouni Kenshin work.
Doesn't pry into the past
The main reason Kenshin decided to stay with Kaoru was because she said, "There are one or two things from my past that I don't want to tell anyone about." For Kenshin, who has taken many lives as an assassin, Kaoru's presence, who accepts his past without prying into it, must have been irreplaceable.
One blow from Battousai the Assassin! ?
In the relationship between Kaoru and Kenshin, Kaoru seems to be the superior, and in the comedy-heavy everyday episodes, she often strikes back at Kenshin's jokes with a fistful of blows. Perhaps Kaoru is the one who has landed the most blows on the assassin Battousai.
Devoted to Kenshin from the beginning!?
When she first met Kenshin, Kaoru didn't have much interest in him, but from the very beginning, she is shown to have feelings for him, and her feelings for Kenshin and the conflict between them are one of the charms of Rurouni Kenshin.
Kenshin and Kaoru
As the story of Rurouni Kenshin progresses, the relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru changes. It is this change in the relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru that adds depth to the story of Rurouni Kenshin as a battle story, and can be said to be a key element of Rurouni Kenshin.
Anxiety about Kenshin
In the early Rurouni Kenshin, the relationship between Kaoru and Kenshin is not yet very clear, and there are many scenes in which Kaoru is worried that Kenshin, who has been wandering around as a vagabond until recently, "will he disappear someday?" On the other hand, it is because she always has such anxiety about Kenshin that she is always able to understand Kenshin.
Bold actions
Perhaps because she is worried that Kenshin might go somewhere, she often takes action without regard for the danger when she judges that Kenshin is about to turn back into a hitokiri.
Jealousy too! ?
In addition, in the beginning, she is often extremely jealous of the women who approach Kenshin. In particular, she is at odds with Takani Megumi, who joins the group halfway through, over Kenshin, and they engage in intense love games throughout the story.
Kenshin's past and Kaoru
One of the things that attracted the main character Kenshin to Kaoru was the way she dealt with Kenshin's past. The fact that she accepted Kenshin, who was active as an assassin during the late Edo period, without prying into his past, is what makes Kaoru the heroine.
Kenshin's ex-wife! !
The most shocking fact about Kenshin's past, which has long been shrouded in mystery, is that he once had a wife. It's surprising in many ways that a work in Shonen Jump would feature a divorced protagonist in a relationship with a teenage heroine.
Confronting Kenshin's past
Although Kaoru was sometimes confused by Kenshin's past, which was revealed one after another, she continued to face it with all her might. Kaoru was shocked when the existence of his ex-wife was revealed, but she continued to fight alongside Kenshin for his sake. It can be said that the reason Kenshin was able to surpass Battousai in the late Edo period was largely due to the presence of Kaoru, who continued to support him with all her might.
Died on the way!?
Kaoru is the heroine of Rurouni Kenshin, but there is a scene in the story where she is actually killed. Many readers were shocked by the sudden death of the heroine, and even today this scene is still talked about as the most traumatic episode.
Killed by her rival, Yukishiro Enishi!?
After winning a deadly battle with Shishio Makoto, Kenshin is confronted by the overwhelming power of Yukishiro Enishi, his ex-wife's younger brother, and Kenshin suffers a shocking defeat when Kaoru is slain.
Kenshin Becomes a Crazy Person
Kenshin was unable to protect Kaoru with his own beliefs and sword, and was so shocked that he became a Crazy Person. This scene in which Kenshin, who had hardly ever known defeat and was invincible, weakens both physically and mentally, shocked many readers. It is truly frightening that Rurouni Kenshin would depict a scene in a shounen manga where the main character becomes a Crazy Person.
He was actually alive! ?
However, in reality, En, whose sister was killed by Kenshin, was traumatized and unable to kill Kaoru. For that reason, he only used an elaborate doll to make it look as if Kaoru had died. Even if she was the heroine, despite the detailed depiction of her death, the punchline that it was actually a doll is often pointed out as "Come on, that can't be true," and it is still a scene that causes considerable controversy among fans.
Yukishiro Enishi and Kaoru
Just as Enishi was unable to kill Kaoru due to the trauma of his sister Yukishiro Tomoe being slashed to death, Kaoru also seems to have an extraordinary interest in Kenshin's ex-wife Tomoe and Enishi, and the interactions between Enishi and Kaoru and their psychological depictions are depicted in great detail. You can enjoy a different kind of interaction that you can't experience in ordinary shonen manga, that of the hero's enemy and the heroine.
What happened next with Kenshin
At one point it seemed as if Kaoru had died, but in the end she was safely united with Kenshin.
Give birth to a son
The son of Kaoru and Kenshin appears in the final chapter of the manga and the recently serialized Hokkaido arc. He is still young and cannot use swordsmanship, but he is the descendant of Kaoru and Kenshin, so he is a character to look forward to in the future.
"Don't underestimate a married woman"
Until now, Kaoru has often been protected by Kenshin, but it seems that she has grown tougher while living with Kenshin, and there is a scene where she punches Sanosuke and tells him, "Don't underestimate a married woman!"
Kenshin's resolve and Kaoru
Kaoru is living a happy married life, but Kenshin has a deep sin from the past and wants to die on the path of the sword. Kaoru herself seems to agree with this, and is determined to accept Kenshin's resolve and walk with him.
Will you not participate in the battle?
Before her marriage, Kaoru would boldly participate in battles with Kenshin, but after her marriage to Kenshin, she became responsible for taking care of her son and rarely participated in battles.
Father is alive!?
In the Hokkaido arc, it was revealed that Kaoru's father, who had long been thought to be dead, was alive. Why does he not appear in front of Kaoru even though he is alive? There are still many mysteries such as this, so please follow the Hokkaido arc.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we introduced the heroine of Rurouni Kenshin, "Kaoru Kamiya". Many readers were encouraged by Kaoru's continued role as a good understanding friend of Kenshin, who has lived a turbulent life. We are also looking forward to her performance as Kenshin's wife in the Hokkaido arc! !
