MAIN     STORY     CHARACTERS

LINKS     MESSAGE BOARD

10 years after the end of the Tokugawa Era, a mysterious wanderer, a "rurouni," appears in Tokyo. With distinctive scars on his cheek and unruly red hair, he was once known as the "Hitokiri Battousai," an extremely dangerous and ruthless assassin who helped usher in the Meiji era with his blood-stained sword. Now he is known as Kenshin Himura, a peaceful traveller who carries a Sakaba sword, a sword whose blade has been reversed, a sword that has been sworn to protect rather than harm. He meets Kaoru Kamiya, the lone inheritor and a master of the struggling Kamiya Kasshin Ryu school. Kaoru initially blames him for the hardships her Dojo has gone through, but she quickly realizes her error. After helping her when a former student returns for revenge, Kenshin stays and becomes a welcome member of her household. When he isn't battling the occasional local gangters and corrupt police, he washes the laundry and cooks dinner for his newfound family. He alternates from being a lethal swordsmaster to playing ball with his neighbor's granddaughters, and finally finds a measure of contentment in the Kamiya household. Soon, two more members of their group arrive in the form of Yahiko Myojin and Sanosuke Sagara . Yahiko is an orphan who was reduced to picking pockets to pay off his father's medical debts to the local yakuza. Sanosuke once was a member of a group that was assassinated by the Meiji government, and he seeks revenge from Kenshin for that injustice. Both young men are drawn into the Kamiya household by Kaoru's compassion and Kenshin's wisdom and idealistic pacifism. However, their peace is soon broken by an unending string of enemies and shadows from the past. Jin-e, another former assassin during the Bakumatsu, resurfaces and forces Kenshin to fight by threatening Kaoru's life. The next opponents, Aoshi Shinomori and the Oniwabanshu were among the forefront in the Tokugawa faction in the civil war that resulted in the new Meiji era. Aoshi, the leader of the underground ninja group known as the Oniwabanshu, is determined to have his group remembered as the strongest. He believes that in order to accomplish this, he must first defeat Kenshin, the former Battousai. As Kenshin is pushed again and again to strip away his peaceful nature and reveal his former self, he also becomes stronger. Yet another threat to the nation's fragile peace appears in the form of ?, who leads a band of killers, criminals, and political dissidents with the goal of ruling Japan. However, these rivals pale in comparison to the arrival of Makoto Shishio. Kenshin and his group are tested to their limits against this truly evil swordsman, and they travel to Kyoto to protect their nation. There, they meet the remaining members of the Oniwabanshu and cooperate to battle against their common enemy. Shishio was once a Hitokiri like Kenshin, but after he was betrayed by the Meiji government and left for dead, he stops at nothing to to claim vengeance. His ultimate goal is "Kuni-Tori," or domination over the entire country, and he has gathered a group of his finest and most deadly fighters to help him. They are known as the Juppongatana, and although the gang seethes with self-interest, intrigue, and betrayal, its members are united with Shishio in their goal of Kuni-Tori. Before fighting Shishio, Kenshin must complete his training in the legendary "Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu" sword school and must come to a certain realization that is the foundation of his school and his own self. Never has he been so conflicted between his ideals of pacifism and his use of a sword - a weapon created for bloodshed - to instead protect. For not only must Kenshin battle the present threat to the country, but he also must confront the demons that haunt his bloody past in the scarred streets of Kyoto. Here, the manga and the anime separate. In the anime, a rash of assassinations draw the attention of Kenshin's group. Amakusa Shougo acts as the "Son of God," preaching to his following of persecuted Christians and promising divine vengeance and salvation. This charismatic leader is also a master of Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu, and intends to make himself a god once he defeats Kenshin. Kenshin must take up his challenge while acting as intermediary between the government and the converted. Then new trouble awaits internal problems with the government begin to escalate and Kenshin must intervene. No sooner than this issue is resolved that another problem arises - this time from Europe. An underground foreign political party searches for a medicinal herb found only in Japan, a plant of almost miraculous abilities. They plot to use it to their advantage during wars brewing on the horizon. In order to prevent such a scheme, Kenshin and gang embark on a journey that seems almost mystical in its setting and nature. Although they manage to overcome one obstacle after another and protect their country, Kenshin's group is not prepared when evil arisess from his past once more. In the continuing manga series, Kenshin's mysterious past is finally revealed - including the story behind his scars - in all its tragedy and pain. Only after the former assassin completely reconciles his past actions and atones for his crimes can he look to the future with hope and put his memories to rest.