Himura Kenshin

Kenshin in his very nature is polite, honest and righteous in all his actions. Although he killed many during the Revolution, he used his tools to do what he thought was right. Only after the death of his first love, Tomoe, did he realize the error of his ways. He fights for the peace of all people, weak and strong, and will wield his sword in order to protect that peace. Kenshin's only condition in fighting is to never kill again; a condition that may seems to get in the way of his goals, but often never interferes with the final result which is always success.

Kenshin's birthname was Shinta. As a child he was an orphan sold to a slave trade when he was young. While on a journey the slave trade group was a victim of an attack by murderous thieves as they killed everyone. Kenshin, helpless to do anything, was nearly killed with them. Fortunately Hiko Seijuro was nearby to save him. Impressed by his preservation of burying everyone on his own, Hiko adopted Kenshin, gave him his current name, and trained him in the ways of  the Hiten Mitsurugi (He-ten Mit-ssu-ru-gi) Style: to protect and preserve life without prejudice. Hiko trained Kenshin until he was a teenager. Because of a disagreement about the Revolution (the Bakumatsu No Doran: a war in Japan deciding the end of the Samurai cast system and the institution of a western style government), and why it should or shouldn't be fought, Kenshin left his master before completing his training to fight in the war. Hiko felt using the Hiten Mitsurugi Style for one side of the war was wrong, and forbid Kenshin to participate in it. During the war, Kenshin sided with the Imperialist and took the role of an assassin. He later became known as the Hitokiri Battousai (sword wielding killer) because of his relentless killing ability. Amidst the bloodshed he killed and carved the way to the new Meiji era, saving the government of the time. As the chaos came to a close Kenshin vowed to never kill again and disappeared, until one day he later resurfaced as a Rurouni (which is Japanese for Wanderer). He replaced his normal sword for a Sakabatou (a reverse blade sword where the sharp side of the blade is on the opposite side) in order to enforce his promise to never kill again. To repent for all the lives he took, he is committed to protecting the people and maintaining the peacefulness of Japan.

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Kamiya Kaoru

Forthright, strong willed and brave Kaoru is probably the type of woman you would think is un-lady like, as Yahiko would tease her about her attitude and looks. But under her tough exterior lies someone who is kind, sweet and caring which you see throughout the later episodes. Kenshin and Kaoru become good friends as their relationship ultimately develops into something special as time goes on.

Kaoru is the assistant master of Kamiya Kasshin Style which is a fighting style designed to protect the weak and improve one's self. Her father was killed in the war and on her own she runs the Kamiya Kasshin dojo in Tokyo.  Unfortunately the school has no students the time she meets Kenshin.

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Myojin Yahiko (Yaii-iko)

A young man with a huge fighting spirit, Yahiko admired and looked up to Kenshin wanting to be just like him. Early in the series, he didn't have room to operate, since he had much to learn. But later in the Enishi Arc, Yahiko shines bright as a brave, strong fighter; fighting battles with much conviction. He barely won a few of these battle, but some of them he won on his own and these are strong opponents were talking about here.

Descendant of a Tokyo Samurai. His dad, who was part of the Shougitai, was killed fighting Imperialists during the Meiji Revolution. Kenshin and Kaoru discovered Yahiko while shopping at the local town, where Yahiko tried to pickpocket Kenshin. Unfortunately Yahiko was being held captive by the Shuei Syndicate forcing him to pickpocket others to return a supposed debt. It turns out Yahiko never owed any debt, and is being wrongly held. With the help of Kaoru and Kenshin, Yahiko was able to slip away from the Shuei leaving him without a place to stay. Fortunately (by the suggestion of Kenshin) Yahiko was allowed to stay and be trained at the Kamiya house in the Kamiya Kasshin Style (as Kenshin has stated repeatedly he has no intention of handing down the Hiten Mitsurugi Style; although he did consider it later). Yahiko became Kaoru's first student.

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Sagara Sanosuke (San-no-ski)

Sanosuke is a free spirited type of person, unchangeable in any sense of the word. While most of his actions may not be the best ones, his heart is always in the right place. Using his brute strength, fearlessness and excessive stamina, Sanosuke can hang with the best of them, although he is considered weak when compared to Saito or Aoshi. But that's OK, because this suits his reckless and undisciplined style. Sanosuke is an excellent fighter who is hard to knockout and that is his biggest attribute.

Sanosuke is a survivor of the Sekihoutai (Se-ki-ho-tai: a group framed for posing as a government army during the Tokugawa regime), who was living under the name Zanza as a fighter for hire. He grew up with the Sekihoutai as a child and looked up to the Captain of the group Sagara Sozo (the Sekihoutai were used by the Imperialists, and ruthlessly cut away. read below for more info). He hated the Imperial government for what they did to his comrades, and had a grudge with anything to do with them (which is also the reason he has the word "wicked" printed on the back of his shirt; representing the state of his group after they were killed).  As a way to forget his painful past, Sanasuke fights recklessly. He was hired to do a hit on Kenshin and learned that he was the former Battousai part of the Imperial Government. This gave Sanasuke more of a reason to fight Kenshin, after all, what better satisfaction than to defeat the strongest Imperialists member of them all. Unfortunately Sanasuke was unable to beat Kenshin, but afterwards he learned Kenshin follows the same ideals as Captain Sagara Sozo giving him a new purpose in life. Sanasuke is the type of character that is brute and straightforward, in which both qualities can work for and against him. In the end Sanasuke became good friends with Kenshin and the group and now is following him everywhere he goes.

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Takani Megumi

Born from the Takani family (a family of doctors spanning many generations) from Aizu. However they got involved in the Aizu War between the Imperial Army and Aizu clan and Mr. Ryusei ended up missing along with both brothers and their mother. Only Megumi (the young daughter of the Takani family) was left alive. She came to Tokyo from Aziu 5 years ago to become an apprentice under a certain doctor. What she didn't know was the doctor was partners with Kanryu, a drug dealer making opium. When the doctor was killed, Megumi was forced to make opium in his place. After Kenshin and Sanasuke took down Kanryu, (by defeating the Oniwanban group protecting him), Megumi stayed Tokyo and studied with Dr. Gensai to become a great doctor.

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