"Heavens Gliding Dragon Flash"; Viz translation - "Dragon Flight of Heaven"), a Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū battōjutsu that surpasses the speed of the Kuzu-ryūsen. Anime Reviews website criticized Kenshin's super deformed appearance in comedy scenes claiming it does not suit the context of the character or the series. Watsuki also added a Habaki to Kenshin's sword to make it easier to draw by simplifying its structure, while also emphasizing strength.

[112][113] Schley once again praised Satoh's role in the finale alongside other actors. [109], Besides the printed series and its animated adaptations, there have been comments regarding Kenshin's role in the live-action trilogy where he is played by Takeru Satoh. [83] In 2014, IGN ranked him as the fifth greatest anime character of all time, saying that: "Although Kenshin's momentary lapses make him a complete badass and set the stage for some of the most epic sword battles ever animated, Kenshin always goes back to his sweet persona once the danger is gone. Stance with right foot placed in front of left, pressing the blade of the sheathed sword against the curve of the sheath, which increases draw speed.
So with the Kuzu-ryūsen, attacking all nine all at once, guarding and dodging becomes virtually pointless. [10] Watsuki also planned to make Kenshin more 30 years old; his editor commented that it was strange that the main character of a manga for teenagers to be of such an age, so he instead made him 28 years old. He was also based on the hitokiri Kawakami Gensai. After the war's end, Sanosuke discovers a gravely injured Kenshin on the shore, and arranges for Kenshin's return to Tokyo and Kaoru. God-speed) to the fullest extent; dealing nine strikes to the most fundamental targets of swordsmanship (Kara Take, Kesa Giri, Saka Gesa, Hidari Nagi, Migi Nagi, Hidari Kiriage, Migi Kiriage, Saka Kaze, and Tsuki), all at the same time. "The Secret Life of Characters (9) Oniwabanshū ● Hyottoko,", Watsuki, Nobuhiro. At the end of the Bakumatsu, he becomes a wandering swordsman, now wielding a sakabatō (逆刃刀, literally "reverse-blade sword")—a katana that has the cutting edge on the inwardly curved side of the sword, thus being nearly incapable of killing. "[84] Kenshin was also fifth in IGN's Top 25 Anime Characters of All Time with writer Chris Mackenzie describing him as: "A classic example of a classic anime type, the peace-loving killing machine. Goals After the war's end, Sanosuke discovers a gravely injured Kenshin on the shore, who has lost his memory and cannot return to Japan. [91] Similarly, his first fight against Saito in the anime adaptation earned high praise by Anime News Network writer Mark A. Grey considering one of the best ones from the series. If the initiate can overcome their master's nine dragons, then they would be ready to acquire the secret. However, he eventually begins relying on his friends, allowing them to fight alongside him. [87] In a Japanese TV special from August 2017, Kenshin was voted as the 16th "strongest hero" from the Showa Era as well as the 15th one from the Heisei Era. "[9] Watsuki enjoys drawing Kenshin due to how he tends to sacrifice himself for others.

[40] Saitō's arrival is a test ex-Ishin Shishi Ōkubo Toshimichi made in order see Kenshin's power to see if he can defeat Shishio Makoto. When creating Kenshi… For the final version of the first Romantic Story, Watsuki adjusted the dialogue; in his view, he made Kenshin sound "more as I prefer him now". Critics of the series praised his personality, though some complained about his development during the original video animation (OVA) series, which differs from the manga. Kenshin's hair is thick and abundant, with all of the shorter frontal hairs falling across his face as bangs rather than being in the ponytail at the nape of his neck.

He succeeds and leaves behind a professionally-made decoy of Kaoru with a sword in her heart, making everyone believe that she had been murdered. He is the main protagonist for the series and has developed into a media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime, original video animations (OVAs), movies, soundtracks, video games, and other collectibles.

After the war's end, Sagara Sanosuke discovers a gravely injured Kenshin on the shore, who lost his memories and thus cannot come back to Japan. [48] He has also been featured various times in the Animage's Anime Grand Prix polls, ranking as one of the most popular male anime characters.[49][50][51]. Origin

In producing the English dub version of the series, Media Blasters considered following suit, with Mona Marshall considered as a finalist for voicing Kenshin. [61] Kenshin is a playable character in all of the Rurouni Kenshin video games,[62][63][63] as well as the crossovers Jump Super Stars[64] and Jump Ultimate Stars. While maintaining his cool, he is rather adept at philosophical arguments, swiftly seeing the cracks in any opponent's logic without missing a beat in conversation. Formerly known as "the strongest hitokiri," Kenshin is the main target of many old enemies or people coveting his title as "the strongest", thus he avoids letting others get too close to him personally for their own protection. Watsuki decided to redesign the sword to make it look as the first one Kenshin had in the series, though it is more difficult to draw.During the development of Rurouni, Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, Watsuki and his editor argued over Kenshin's speech patterns; they settled for a "slangy" pattern. Kaoru is a beautiful and slender young woman of average height with sleek, black hair (usually accented with a bluish or purple shine) ponytail so as to accommodate her kenjutsu practice and large blue eyes. "Rurouni: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (1)". Additionally, once he was cast as Kenshin, Satoh started intense swordsmanship training. However, he decides to assist in the First Sino-Japanese War as he had promised the Meiji Government. [52] Afterwards, Kenshin learns that since the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū is only suitable for a wide-framed muscular build like that of Seijūrō's, his body will eventually begin to deteriorate and he will soon be unable to use it again. During the making of this film, both Watsuki and his wife found Satoh as an ideal actor him. Kenshin is sent to Kyoto and assigned the role of an assassin, sharing the common goal of the Ishin Shishi upon the Tokugawa shogunate.

However, he decides to assist in the First Sino-Japanese War as he had promised the Meiji Government. Kenshin first appears in two chapters of Rurouni, Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story in which he arrives in Tokyo and defeats several groups of villains attacking families. [47] At this point, it is revealed that Kenshin was married to Tomoe in the Bakumatsu, but accidentally killed her while trying to rescue her from a group of assassins. Set in a fictional version of Japan, during the pre-Meiji period, Kenshin is a former legendary assassin known as "Hitokiri Battōsai" (人斬り抜刀斎, "Hitokiri Battōsai"? Kenshin eventually becomes ravaged by an unknown disease.

[29][45] Two polls by the official Rurouni Kenshin anime featured Kenshin as one the series' most popular characters.

A variety of collectibles based around Kenshin have been created, including figurines, key chains, plushies, and replicas of his sakabatō sword.

He often tried to maintain a certain image among his colleagues in the Ishin Shishi, being quick to anger when dealing with taunts about his relationship with Tomoe during their time before going into hiding, such as when he silently threatened Izuka with his sword for making remarks about him and Tomoe. Protect Kaoru and all his friends.Defeat Makoto Shishio.Protect the peace in Japan.

Having lived his own life carrying heavy regrets, Kenshin is reluctant to judge others for their personal actions, beliefs or mistakes and always offers hopeful encouragement so that those who have stumbled onto the wrong path might redeem themselves in the future. [3] After watching the last OVA, Nobuhiro Watsuki was quite unhappy with how the story ended, saying that "Kenshin went through so much crap and deserved a happy ending.

Kenshin's eyes, too, are unusual, being a deep violet. [38] Formerly known as "the strongest hitokiri," Kenshin is the main target of many old enemies and people who want to gain his title. ),, known as Kenshin Himura in the English-language dub, is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin universe created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. [43][44] Even if the technique is defeated, it can generate a vacuum in its wake and sucking the opponent in; as this happens, the body is spun around for a second stronger strike.