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*LoveAtFirstSight: Kenshin's reaction to Tomoe in the manga is arguably this. He becomes way too irritated, gets lost in Tomoe's perfume, and starts believeing he is going crazy as he cannot be retain his typical seriousness when talking with her. This eventually leads to a confession where Kenshin says he will never kill Tomoe even if she is armed.
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Changed line(s) 10 (click to see context) from:
->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/SomaSaito (JP, 2023 TV series); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action)[[labelnote:Other Languages]] Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)[[/labelnote]]
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->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/SomaSaito (JP, 2023 TV series); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, 1996 TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action)[[labelnote:Other live-action), Creator/HowardWang (EN, 2023 TV series)[[labelnote:Other Languages]] Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)[[/labelnote]]
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Changed line(s) 178 (click to see context) from:
* SecondLove: For Tomoe. [[spoiler:Kenshin ''killed'' her fiancé Akira during the war: Tomoe initially wanted revenge on Kenshin for that, but upon finding out that Kenshin was no monster, she fell for him... and sacrificed her life to save him. Too bad her little brother didn't see it that way at least until the very end.]]
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* SecondLove: For Tomoe. [[spoiler:Kenshin ''killed'' her fiancé Akira during the war: Tomoe initially wanted revenge on Kenshin for that, but upon finding out that Kenshin was no monster, she fell for him... and sacrificed her life to save him. Too bad her little brother didn't see it that way at least until the very end.way.]]
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Not an example if it's understandable. That trope only applies to minor infractions, like making fun of his height. If it can apply to anyone, it's not a Berserk Button.
Deleted line(s) 49 (click to see context) :
* BerserkButton: Admitting that you killed an innocent person ForTheEvulz or threatening to harm an innocent person, will result in a swift beat-down.
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* TheSpeedster: Kenshin's Hiten-Mitsurugi style of swordsmanship emphasizes lightning-fast movements described as "godspeed" combined with [[IaijutsuPractitioner battojutsu]] to overwhelm opponents in an instant.
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* RedIsHeroic: His hair is vibrant red, his IconicOutfit is burgundy, and he's TheHero.
* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni.
* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni.
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* RedIsHeroic: His hair is vibrant red, his IconicOutfit is more of a burgundy red, and he's TheHero.
* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni.
* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni.
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Changed tropes for accurate subtropes
* FormalCharactersUseKeigo: Kenshin refers to himself using ''sessha'', a very archaic pronoun denoting extreme formality and humbleness of the speaker; it's best translated as something like "this unworthy person", which is why Viz's manga uses "this one". Similarly, he ends most of his sentences with ''de gozaru'' (and iterations of it); ''de gozaru'' is the archaic polite form of ''desu'' and is stereotypically used by samurai and honour-bound swordsmen during the Edo period.
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* TheIdealist: He's a deconstruction and reconstruction of the trope ''simultaneously''. He was a brash youth who desired to use his powerful sword style to protect people, save others ForGreatJustice, and make a peaceful land for his people. Unfortunately, he ended up used as a mass-murdering OneManArmy by the leaders of the Meiji Revolution and slaughtered many as a KnightTemplar in pursuit of UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans. Only later did he realize the ends did not justify his actions and all the bloodshed and hardship eventually broke him. He then swore to not kill or end lives and devote his life to protecting life for new ideals of peace without causing bloodshed.
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* TheIdealist: IdealHero: He's a deconstruction and reconstruction of the trope ''simultaneously''. He was a brash youth who desired to use his powerful sword style to protect people, save others ForGreatJustice, and make a peaceful land for his people. Unfortunately, he ended up used as a mass-murdering OneManArmy by the leaders of the Meiji Revolution and slaughtered many as a KnightTemplar in pursuit of UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans. Only later did he realize the ends did not justify his actions and all the bloodshed and hardship eventually broke him. He then swore to not kill or end lives and devote his life to protecting life for new ideals of peace without causing bloodshed.
Deleted line(s) 127 (click to see context) :
* {{Keigo}}: Speaks like this almost constantly, and is also a ThirdPersonPerson.[[note]]Sort of. Kenshin actually refers to himself using ''sessha'', a very archaic pronoun denoting extreme formality and humbleness of the speaker; it's best translated as something like "this unworthy person", which is why Viz's manga uses "this one". Similarly, he ends most of his sentences with ''de gozaru'' (and iterations of it); ''de gozaru'' is the archaic polite form of ''desu'' and is stereotypically used by samurai and honour-bound swordsmen during the Edo period; the Viz manga mentions it in the translator notes but does not adapt it, whereas the North American dub rendered it as Kenshin speaking in a roundabout manner (ex: "I'm just a wandering swordsman, that I am").[[/note]] If he doesn't... '''[[SplitPersonality run]]'''.
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Changed line(s) 192 (click to see context) from:
* ThirdPersonPerson: In English, Kenshin always refers to himself in third person as "this one" (to translate the Japanese verbe "de gozaru", signifying humility). However, when his SuperpoweredEvilSide Hitokiri Battousai takes over, he shifts to first person.
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* ThirdPersonPerson: In English, Viz English translation of the manga, Kenshin always refers to himself in third person as "this one" (to translate the Japanese verbe "de gozaru", signifying humility). However, when his SuperpoweredEvilSide Hitokiri Battousai takes over, he shifts to first person. Averted in the North American dub, where he refers to himself in the first person all the time, but when he’s not being Battousai the Manslayer, he speaks in a roundabout manner.
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Per this discussion
, Foreign VAs are now kept in a labelnote
, Foreign VAs are now kept in a labelnoteChanged line(s) 10 (click to see context) from:
->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/SomaSaito (JP, 2023 TV series); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
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->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/SomaSaito (JP, 2023 TV series); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action); live-action)[[labelnote:Other Languages]] Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)movie)[[/labelnote]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himura_kenshin_2023.png]]
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Changed line(s) 35 (click to see context) from:
* AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength: To avoid killing others in combat, Kenshin uses his reverse-bladed sword. This is also why he is determined to be the last practitioner of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu kenjutusu.
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* AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength: To avoid killing others in combat, Kenshin uses his reverse-bladed sword. This is also why he is determined to be the last practitioner of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu kenjutusu.kenjutsu.
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* WouldHitAGirl: As Battosai, he has no problem threatening Tomoe with his sword in the second episode of ''Trust and Betrayal'' when she tries to touch him. When he sees Tomoe, he shoves her to the ground. He [[spoiler: even kills her along with Tatsumi]]
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Changed line(s) 182 (click to see context) from:
* SignatureMove: While he generally doesn't have a ''singular'' signature move, the entire category of battoujutsu acts as a collective set of signature moves for him. There's a reason why he's known as "Battousai" after all.
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* SignatureMove: While he generally doesn't have a ''singular'' signature move, the entire category of battoujutsu acts as a collective set of signature moves for him.him including his strongest move Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki. There's a reason why he's known as "Battousai" after all.
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* SignatureMove: While he generally doesn't have a ''singular'' signature move, the entire category of battoujutsu acts as a collective set of signature moves for him. There's a reason why he's known as "Battousai" after all.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himurakenshin.png]]
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/himurakenshin.png]]org/pmwiki/pub/images/himura_kenshin_2023.png]]
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%%Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16641202870.00721500
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Changed line(s) 5 (click to see context) from:
->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/SomaSaito (JP, 2023 TV Series); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
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->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/SomaSaito (JP, 2023 TV Series); series); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
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Deleted line(s) 83 (click to see context) :
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: All the versions of the ''Ryū Kan Sen'' (龍巻閃, Dragon Coil Flash) require Kenshin to perform spinning either amongst his enemies (to blow them all off), or perform spinning somersaults towards the enemy to avoid their attacks and land a close hit.
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* SpectacularSpinning: All the versions of the ''Ryū Kan Sen'' (龍巻閃, Dragon Coil Flash) require Kenshin to perform spinning either amongst his enemies (to blow them all off), or perform spinning somersaults towards the enemy to avoid their attacks and land a close hit.
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Changed line(s) 5 (click to see context) from:
->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
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->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/SomaSaito (JP, 2023 TV Series); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
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Up To Eleven is a defunct trope
Changed line(s) 90 (click to see context) from:
* FormerTeenRebel: He was a mild one, being rambunctious and hot-blooded as a kid. He would take this UpToEleven in the revolution, though, as an assassin against the government.
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* FormerTeenRebel: He was a mild one, being rambunctious and hot-blooded as a kid. He would take this UpToEleven in In the revolution, though, as he was an assassin against the government.
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Changed line(s) 1 (click to see context) from:
[[center: [-[[Characters/RurouniKenshin Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMainCharacters Main Characters]] ('''Himura Kenshin''') | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinRivalsAndVillains Rivals and Minor Villains]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheMeijiGovernment The Meiji Government]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinOniwabanshu Oniwabanshu]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheTenSwords The Ten Swords / Juppongatana]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheSixComrades The Six Comrades]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinAnimeOnlyCharacters Anime Only Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMangaOnlyCharacters Manga Only Characters]]]]-]
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[[center: [-[[Characters/RurouniKenshin Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMainCharacters Main Characters]] ('''Himura Kenshin''') | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinRivalsAndVillains Rivals and Minor Villains]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheMeijiGovernment The Meiji Government]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinOniwabanshu Oniwabanshu]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheTenSwords The Ten Swords / Juppongatana]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheSixComrades The Six Comrades]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinAnimeOnlyCharacters Anime Only Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMangaOnlyCharacters Manga Only Characters]]]]-]Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinKenkakuHeiki Kenkaku Heiki]]]]-]
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Bishonen and variants are no longer to be used as tropes
Deleted line(s) 51 (click to see context) :
* {{Bishonen}}: One of the more handsome characters in the series.
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Uncropped
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[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Himura_Kenshin_7028.jpg]]
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Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: A-D]]
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[[folder: A-L]]
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[[folder: A-L]]A-D]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:E-O]]
[[folder:E-O]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:M-Z]]
[[folder:M-Z]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:P-Z]]
[[folder:P-Z]]
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Fixing a stupid mistake I made
Changed line(s) 161 (click to see context) from:
* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': While Kenshin Himura [[BadassPacifist is willing to fight if needs be]], he is considered a coward by his enemies and Saito Hajime because he refuses to use violence as a first course of action as well as not killing. The villains even constantly [[TargetedToHurtTheHero try to kill Kenshin's friends]] in order to [[TheyWereHoldingYouBack give Kenshin "proper motivation" to not hold anything back]].
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* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': PacifismIsCowardice: While Kenshin Himura [[BadassPacifist is willing to fight if needs be]], he is considered a coward by his enemies and Saito Hajime because he refuses to use violence as a first course of action as well as not killing. The villains even constantly [[TargetedToHurtTheHero try to kill Kenshin's friends]] in order to [[TheyWereHoldingYouBack give Kenshin "proper motivation" to not hold anything back]].
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Crosswick
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* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': While Kenshin Himura [[BadassPacifist is willing to fight if needs be]], he is considered a coward by his enemies and Saito Hajime because he refuses to use violence as a first course of action as well as not killing. The villains even constantly [[TargetedToHurtTheHero try to kill Kenshin's friends]] in order to [[TheyWereHoldingYouBack give Kenshin "proper motivation" to not hold anything back]].
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* TheIdealist: He's a deconstruction and reconstruction of the trope ''simultaneously''. He was a brash youth who desired to use his powerful sword style to protect people, save others ForGreatJustice, and make a peaceful land for his people. Unfortunately, he ended up used as a mass-murdering OneManArmy by the leaders of the Meiji Revolution and slaughtered many as a KnightTemplar in pursuit of UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans. Only later did he realize the ends did not justify his actions and all the bloodshed and hardship eventually broke him. He then swore to not kill or end lives and devote his life to protecting life for new ideals of peace without causing bloodshed.
Changed line(s) 195 (click to see context) from:
* WideEyedIdealist: Some might consider him IncorruptiblePurePureness, but [[SuperpoweredEvilSide old]] [[DarkMessiah habits]] die hard... Except his intro speech at the end of the first chapter goes, "no, swordsmanship is an art of killing. Kaoru-dono believes a sweet, naive lie. But if this one had a wish... it would be that her sweet lie would become the truth of this world." Kenshin's WalkingTheEarth with ObfuscatingStupidity routine involves some serious ideals, but despite avoiding his battle expression most of the time he's not too wide-eyed. He's got the world-weary thing going, but values Kaoru as a WideEyedIdealist. Some of the stupidity probably isn't fake. The line is impossible to find, as is common with CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass types. His backstory involves a bit of this, despite all his childhood trauma--it caused him to wind up a sworn assassin in a civil war. In other words, he is TheIdealist who is trying to protect those near him with his sword as opposed to "the sweet lie" of swords being inherently protective.
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* WideEyedIdealist: Some might consider him IncorruptiblePurePureness, but [[SuperpoweredEvilSide old]] [[DarkMessiah habits]] die hard... Except his intro speech at the end of the first chapter goes, "no, swordsmanship is an art of killing. Kaoru-dono believes a sweet, naive lie. But if this one had a wish... it would be that her sweet lie would become the truth of this world." Kenshin's WalkingTheEarth with ObfuscatingStupidity routine involves some serious ideals, but despite avoiding his battle expression most of the time he's not too wide-eyed. He's got the world-weary thing going, but values Kaoru as a WideEyedIdealist. Some of the stupidity probably isn't fake. The line is impossible to find, as is common with CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass types. His backstory involves a bit of this, despite all his childhood trauma--it caused him to wind up a sworn assassin in a civil war. In other words, he is TheIdealist ZenSurvivor who is trying to protect those near him with his sword as opposed to "the sweet lie" of swords being inherently protective.
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* ZenSurvivor: He's an ex-mass murderer and assassin who went through hardship out of arrogant youth and brash idealism, mentally broke from it, and rebuilt himself into a wise wanderer who helps others and fights to protect life without bloodshed and share with others the wisdom gained from learning from his own mistakes.
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->Child Kenshin: Creator/MasamiSuzuki (JP); Creator/MonaMarshall (EN, TV series), Katherine Catmull (EN, OVA)
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Changed line(s) 5,7 (click to see context) from:
->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
->Portrayed by: Takeru Satoh (live action)
->Portrayed by: Takeru Satoh (live action)
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->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA); OVA), Creator/MicahSolusod (EN, live-action); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
->Portrayed by: Takeru Satoh(live action)
(live-action)
->Portrayed by: Takeru Satoh
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Kenshin's fighting style is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, now an ancient study. With this dangerous sword style, he uses his ''sakabatou'' (a sword with a reversed edge) to restrain himself from killing anyone ever again, and renounces the title Hitokiri.
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Kenshin's fighting style is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, now an ancient study. With this dangerous sword style, he uses his ''sakabatou'' (a sword with a reversed edge) to restrain himself from killing anyone ever again, again and renounces the title Hitokiri.
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* AdaptationalBadass: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While always a badass, he is practically useless without a sword. The live action films dropped that weakness altogether, showing how good he is in unarmed combat.
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* AdaptationalBadass: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While always a badass, he is practically useless without a sword. The live action live-action films dropped that weakness altogether, showing how good he is in unarmed combat.
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* BadassAdorable: His "Oro" catch phrase makes him so darn cute!
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* BadassAdorable: His "Oro" catch phrase catchphrase makes him so darn cute!
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* ChickMagnet: Kenshin has been noted to be quite handsome by many females; specific examples include [[HeirToTheDojo Kaoru]], [[TheMedic Megumi]], [[TheGwenStacy Tomoe]], and [[TheCaptain Shura]] (anime only).
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* ChickMagnet: Kenshin has been noted to be quite handsome by many females; specific examples include [[HeirToTheDojo Kaoru]], [[TheMedic Megumi]], [[TheGwenStacy Tomoe]], and [[TheCaptain Shura]] (anime only). Averted with Misao, but that's only because of Aoshi.
Changed line(s) 63 (click to see context) from:
* DarkAndTroubledPast: After the death of his parents, Kenshin (a child at the time) is taken by slavers, who are later violently killed in front of him by bandits. After burying the mutilated victims alone, Kenshin is resolute to “create a peaceful world where people could live without fear”. To accomplish his ideal, Kenshin trains with the master of the “Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū” (a fighting style so deadly that, to truly master, it means death to the teacher) and, at 14, became the legendary assassin "Hitokiri Battōsai”. [[spoiler:Kenshin goes into hiding years later and marries a mysterious woman named Tomoe for appearance only, but they later fall in love. After a series of events, Kenshin kills Tomoe unintentionally in battle. As Tomoe died, she gave Kenshin half of the X shaped scar on his cheek. Kenshin later finds out, after reading Tomoe’s diaries that he had killed Tomoe’s fiancé (a man who years earlier, gave Kenshin the other half of the X shaped scar) before he met her and she only married Kenshin out of revenge, but, after living together, fell in love with him.]] Broken and filled with remorse for killing countless people, Kenshin wanders off wielding a sakabatō or reverse blade sword. He is determined to never kill again and to aid those in need, as atonement for the murders he committed.
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* DarkAndTroubledPast: After the death of his parents, Kenshin (a child at the time) is taken by slavers, who are later violently killed in front of him by bandits. After burying the mutilated victims alone, Kenshin is resolute to “create a peaceful world where people could live without fear”. To accomplish his ideal, Kenshin trains with the master of the “Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū” (a fighting style so deadly that, to truly master, it means death to the teacher) and, at 14, became the legendary assassin "Hitokiri Battōsai”. [[spoiler:Kenshin goes into hiding years later and marries a mysterious woman named Tomoe for appearance only, but they later fall in love. After a series of events, Kenshin kills Tomoe unintentionally in battle. As Tomoe died, she gave Kenshin half of the X shaped X-shaped scar on his cheek. Kenshin later finds out, after reading Tomoe’s diaries that he had killed Tomoe’s fiancé (a man who years earlier, gave Kenshin the other half of the X shaped scar) before he met her and she only married Kenshin out of revenge, but, after living together, fell in love with him.]] Broken and filled with remorse for killing countless people, Kenshin wanders off wielding a sakabatō or reverse blade sword. He is determined to never kill again and to aid those in need, as atonement for the murders he committed.
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* DefusingTheTykebomb: He does this to [[spoiler:Soujiro during their battle. It was so effective that Soujiro decided to travel the world and see it in his own eyes instead if of the eyes of Shishio]].
to:
* DefusingTheTykebomb: He does this to [[spoiler:Soujiro during their battle. It was so effective that Soujiro decided to travel the world and see it in his own eyes instead if of in the eyes of Shishio]].
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* DorkKnight: Sweet, kind and cuddly Himura Kenshin. That's not to say he isn't a skilled disciplined Samurai with an unflappable sense of right and wrong, defender of the innocent, etc.
* DragonInChief: Considering his reputation as Japan's strongest swordsman, he naturally functions as this to the Revolutionaries. Although Katsura and Takasugi are ostensibly the leaders of the movement, Kenshin is the biggest physical threat and the one carrying out the major assassinations.
* TheDrifter: At the beginning, he would wander from place to place. It stopped after meeting Kaoru.
* DragonInChief: Considering his reputation as Japan's strongest swordsman, he naturally functions as this to the Revolutionaries. Although Katsura and Takasugi are ostensibly the leaders of the movement, Kenshin is the biggest physical threat and the one carrying out the major assassinations.
* TheDrifter: At the beginning, he would wander from place to place. It stopped after meeting Kaoru.
to:
* DorkKnight: Sweet, kind kind, and cuddly Himura Kenshin. That's not to say he isn't a skilled disciplined Samurai with an unflappable sense of right and wrong, defender of the innocent, etc.
* DragonInChief: Considering his reputation as Japan's strongest swordsman, he naturally functionsas like this to the Revolutionaries. Although Katsura and Takasugi are ostensibly the leaders of the movement, Kenshin is the biggest physical threat and the one carrying out the major assassinations.
* TheDrifter:At In the beginning, he would wander from place to place. It stopped after meeting Kaoru.
* DragonInChief: Considering his reputation as Japan's strongest swordsman, he naturally functions
* TheDrifter:
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[[center: [-[[Characters/RurouniKenshin Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMainCharacters Main Characters]] ('''Himura Kenshin''') | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinRivalsAndVillains Rivals and Minor Villains]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheMeijiGovernment The Meiji Government]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinOniwabanshu Oniwabanshu]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheTenSwords The Ten Swords / Juppongatana]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheSixComrades The Six Comrades]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinAnimeOnlyCharacters Anime Only Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMangaOnlyCharacters Manga Only Characters]]]]-]
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! Himura Kenshin aka Hitokiri Battousai
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Himura_Kenshin_7028.jpg]]
->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
->Portrayed by: Takeru Satoh (live action)
-->''"A sword is a weapon, and swordsmanship is learning how to kill. That is the truth. What Mistress Kaoru says is play-talk that only those that have never stained their hands can say. However, this one prefers Mistress Kaoru's play-talk more than the truth. And this one wishes that in the world to come, her play talk shall become the truth."''
The titular protagonist of the series. He is a wanderer formerly known as [[RedBaron Hitokiri Battousai]], a deadly man-slayer who slaughtered many men in the war before the Meiji Era. [[note]]While "hitokiri" is usually translated as "man-slayer"--or a bit more literally "man-killer" from "hito" being "person" and dictionary-form "kiru" being "to kill/to slice"--the slightly more accurate translation is "assassination". "Assassin" itself has several Japanese variations. So far, the Anime's English Dub used the term "Battousai the Man Slayer" which is as close a moniker as can be to the original.[[/note]]
Kenshin's fighting style is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, now an ancient study. With this dangerous sword style, he uses his ''sakabatou'' (a sword with a reversed edge) to restrain himself from killing anyone ever again, and renounces the title Hitokiri.
His birth name is Shinta, but Hiko changed it to "Kenshin" after adopting him.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: A-L]]
* AccidentalMurder: In his backstory, he accidentally killed [[spoiler: Tomoe when she threw herself between him and his opponent, intending to protect him.]]
* ActionDad: [[spoiler: Becomes one in the Manga's DistantFinale to his and Kaoru's son Kenji. And even though his body will one day not be able to lift a sword, he was able to beat an older and stronger Yahiko]].
** He displays more traits of this in ''Hokkaido arc'', where he personally takes on a pretty much berserk Ashitaro and disarms him painfully.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Kenshin is pretty good looking in the manga/anime (making him a ChickMagnet), but his scar is a good deal smaller in the live-action movies.
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the ''Trust and Betrayal'' OVA, he has none of the more comedic elements shown in the manga portions of that same portion.
* AdaptationalBadass: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While always a badass, he is practically useless without a sword. The live action films dropped that weakness altogether, showing how good he is in unarmed combat.
* AdaptationDyeJob: He has reddish-brown hair in the film adaptations instead of vibrant red hair like his anime and manga counterparts.
* AdaptationalJerkass: His attitude towards Akira being able to scar him varies through the adaptations:
** In the original manga, Kenshin gave a sincere acknowledgment of Akira's determination to live, and prays for the latter to find peace in his next life after killing him.
** In the ''Trust and Betrayal'' OVA, Kenshin reply with annoyance to Iizuka that Akira manage to scar him due to stubborness and left without giving the prayer in the manga.
** In the live-action movie, he just kills Akira off and callously left without a word.
* AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength: To avoid killing others in combat, Kenshin uses his reverse-bladed sword. This is also why he is determined to be the last practitioner of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu kenjutusu.
* AgeGapRomance: There's an 11-year age difference between him (28) and Kaoru (17).
* AllLovingHero: Known for helping others and avoiding massacres.
* AlmightyJanitor: It's noted very early on that due to his power and reputation during the Revolution, Kenshin could've easily gained a government position in the new era. Of course, the premise of the series is that he's a wandering swordsman that is atoning for his actions.
* AnimalBattleAura: Occasionally gets a dragon aura.
* AntiHero: NecessarilyEvil -> GoodIsNotNice. In the series proper, he's a straight-up hero.
* TheAtoner: It was either WalkingTheEarth or killing himself through {{seppuku}} after the Bakumatsu, according to his own words.
* AuraVision: It is implied that he can sense the auras of others around him [[spoiler: except in a certain magnetic forest.]]
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: One of the trademark abilities of his sword style, Kenshin is known for quickly deducing the moves of his opponents, though this trait has proved to be his undoing as well.
* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: He and Kaoru have a son named Kenji]] in the Manga's DistantFinale.
* BadassAdorable: His "Oro" catch phrase makes him so darn cute!
* BashBrothers: With Sano -- they usually fight back-to-back and have a brotherly relationship.
* BattleAura: His is immense enough to fill an entire room in the manga.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Though Kenshin at first sees Kaoru as being equally important to any other person, her remarkable assertion that Kenshin's past is unimportant in relation to his present self convinces him in short order that Kaoru is particularly special. This is a main factor of him falling in love with her.
* BerserkButton: Admitting that you killed an innocent person ForTheEvulz or threatening to harm an innocent person, will result in a swift beat-down.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Kenshin is humble and friendly. He's also one of the most skilled swordsmen, and can use his deadly skills if you mess with his friends.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Although more "Nice", the live-action movie uses this as one of the taglines.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Kenshin, who is usually a polite, obvious moron ... and, if you push him too far, the legendary assassin Hitokiri Battousai.
* BigBrotherMentor: One to both Sanosuke and Yahiko.
* BigGood: He goes out of his way to help those around him and many of the characters (especially his TrueCompanions) look to him for wisdom and [[HopeBringer hope.]]
* BiggerIsBetterInBed: In episode 19, Kaoru and Megumi see him naked and Megumi comments on how "well-built" he is.
* {{Bishonen}}: One of the more handsome characters in the series.
* BlindWeaponmaster: Only in the Anime. Eventually, he recovers. Averted in his backstory, when [[spoiler: he couldn't see Tomoe jump in front of him due to being blinded earlier in the fight, and wound up accidentally killing her.]]
* BrokenAce: Despite being known as the "Strongest of the Isshin-Shishi" and helping to push for the revolution, he now questions his actions, and whether the cause was worth spilling blood.
* ButtMonkey: During comedic scenes, you can almost always expect him to be hurt or insulted by another character.
* CallToAgriculture: In the OVA. "For many years I ended the lives of evil men, but I've only realized inner peace by bringing life to this land and sharing its harvest with you." It's more of a cover story than a choice but [[BecomingTheMask he learns to love it.]] Considering how his original parents were peasants themselves, this was unsurprising.
* CaneFu: By the ''Hokkaido arc'', he is using a cane in the shape of a sword after giving Yahiko his sakabatou.
* CastFromHitPoints: His body cannot really handle his fighting style.
* CharacterDevelopment: As time passes, Kenshin learns to trust the people around him with the truth about himself as well as with some of the burden he bears, understanding that his life, too, is a human one and that his friends and allies would suffer greatly if he were to die.
* CharacterExaggeration: The original anime plays up his bumbling moments and downplays his DeadpanSnarker attitude compared to the manga.
* ChickMagnet: Kenshin has been noted to be quite handsome by many females; specific examples include [[HeirToTheDojo Kaoru]], [[TheMedic Megumi]], [[TheGwenStacy Tomoe]], and [[TheCaptain Shura]] (anime only).
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: No matter how torn, beaten, or battered he is, a voice crying for help will ''always'' reach him. [[spoiler:It's what pulls him out of his depression, in the finale.]]
* CripplingOverspecialization: In terms of fighting skills, he really has little other than swordsmanship (unlike Aoshi or Saitou who are fairly skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well), which opponents often take advantage of. Other characters also note that his sword style is very reliant on quick judgment and reading the opponent's sword, which isn't as effective on {{Combat Pragmatist}}s and those who are capable of masking their emotions. This is averted in the [[Film/RurouniKenshin Live Action]] adaptation, where he is able to hold his own against several {{Mooks}} unarmed for a few minutes before grabbing a nearby bokken.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He's a little goofy, but is ''deadly''.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: After the death of his parents, Kenshin (a child at the time) is taken by slavers, who are later violently killed in front of him by bandits. After burying the mutilated victims alone, Kenshin is resolute to “create a peaceful world where people could live without fear”. To accomplish his ideal, Kenshin trains with the master of the “Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū” (a fighting style so deadly that, to truly master, it means death to the teacher) and, at 14, became the legendary assassin "Hitokiri Battōsai”. [[spoiler:Kenshin goes into hiding years later and marries a mysterious woman named Tomoe for appearance only, but they later fall in love. After a series of events, Kenshin kills Tomoe unintentionally in battle. As Tomoe died, she gave Kenshin half of the X shaped scar on his cheek. Kenshin later finds out, after reading Tomoe’s diaries that he had killed Tomoe’s fiancé (a man who years earlier, gave Kenshin the other half of the X shaped scar) before he met her and she only married Kenshin out of revenge, but, after living together, fell in love with him.]] Broken and filled with remorse for killing countless people, Kenshin wanders off wielding a sakabatō or reverse blade sword. He is determined to never kill again and to aid those in need, as atonement for the murders he committed.
* DarkerAndEdgier: His ''Shin Kyoto Hen'' incarnation shapes up to be one. For starters, [[spoiler: he ruthlessly assaults without [[CallingYourAttacks announcing his attacks]], he has no qualms [[EyeScream blinding]] Chō in their battle for the ''meitou sakabatou'', he bluntly tells the true fate of Aoshi's Oniwabanshu henchmen to Misao's face, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and his emotions practically only shift between]] TranquilFury and DullSurprise. He actually has a lot more in common with the ''Tsuiokuhen''-era Battousai]].
* DarkMessiah: In the revolution, he was a KnightTemplar who would fight with all viciousness.
* DeathByAThousandCuts: He delivers these using the two versions of the ''Ryū Sō Sen'' (龍巣閃, Dragon Nest Flash).
* DeathFromAbove: Made possible through the variations of the ''Ryū Tsui Sen'' (龍槌閃, Dragon Hammer Flash), either through a SwordPlant to the head or basically slashing someone in the face. Kenshin does this non-lethally with the blunt edge of his sword.
* DeathGlare: Gets a semi-permanent one when he's in "Battousai" mode. ([[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Sometimes his eyes get stuck that way afterwards.]])
* DeathSeeker: So powerful was his guilt for his past as a ''hitokiri'' that, until late into the plot, he believed his own life to be worthless, providing a weakness through which his ''Battousai'' persona can emerge through; this was the core obstacle in his path to learn ''Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu'''s [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique final secret technique]].
* DeclarationOfProtection: To Kaoru. Also to Tomoe in the past.
* DentedIron: His injuries, combined with the stress of his style, eventually catch up to him.
* DefusingTheTykebomb: He does this to [[spoiler:Soujiro during their battle. It was so effective that Soujiro decided to travel the world and see it in his own eyes instead if of the eyes of Shishio]].
* {{Determinator}}: More in the manga than in the anime, Kenshin Himura defeats enemies seemingly by pure willpower alone, such as his determination not to kill. He survives several seemingly insurmountable fights in quick series, sustaining massive injuries each time and still managing to win every single time.
* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: Becomes one]] in the second OVA as he goes on travels to do more atonement, [[spoiler:even though it means being separated by his wife, Kaoru, and son, Kenji.]]
* DishingOutDirt: Kenshin does a mundane version of this using the ''Do Ryū Sen'' (土龍閃, Earth/Land Dragon Flash)--either allowing the debris to knock out the enemy or use it as a distraction for other attacks.
* DorkKnight: Sweet, kind and cuddly Himura Kenshin. That's not to say he isn't a skilled disciplined Samurai with an unflappable sense of right and wrong, defender of the innocent, etc.
* DragonInChief: Considering his reputation as Japan's strongest swordsman, he naturally functions as this to the Revolutionaries. Although Katsura and Takasugi are ostensibly the leaders of the movement, Kenshin is the biggest physical threat and the one carrying out the major assassinations.
* TheDrifter: At the beginning, he would wander from place to place. It stopped after meeting Kaoru.
* DuelingScar: He got half of his iconic scar in a "duel" to the death (it was really more of a CurbStompBattle, but the man who gave him the scar had such a will to live that he managed to leave his mark).
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Kenshin goes through trauma, death, tragedy and the potential for his own death many times over before he finally finds peace. This is also why WordOfGod rejects the ''Seisoushen'' OVA's ending as not fitting with the theme of the series as a whole.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: All the versions of the ''Ryū Kan Sen'' (龍巻閃, Dragon Coil Flash) require Kenshin to perform spinning either amongst his enemies (to blow them all off), or perform spinning somersaults towards the enemy to avoid their attacks and land a close hit.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: He's a war veteran, has been an accomplished swordsman for over a decade, and is a strong contender for the best swordsman in Japan by the time the series starts.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: The timeskip at the end of the manga shows Kenshin cut his hair to reach to his jaw.
* ExpositoryPronoun: He usually uses "sessha", an archaic term meaning something like "Your humble servant", often translated as "this one" to refer to himself. When he switches to "ore", the aggressive-masculine form of "I", it means he's dropped the politeness facade and is about to lay down a beating.
* EyeColorChange: The title character changes eye colour to correspond to which SplitPersonality is in command in the anime.
* TheFettered: Kenshin is a model of this trope, where DefeatMeansFriendship as well as the occasional HeelFaceTurn when the defeated party realizes Kenshin could have killed them in the first five minutes if he wasn't carefully holding back.
* FieryRedhead: Inverted. Kenshin is best known for his vibrant red hair in a ponytail, but is quite laid-back and cautious. Even in his "Battousai" mode, he's more TranquilFury than murderous.
* FormerTeenRebel: He was a mild one, being rambunctious and hot-blooded as a kid. He would take this UpToEleven in the revolution, though, as an assassin against the government.
* FriendToAllChildren: Kenshin has shown an extreme fondness for children. [[BerserkButton Hurting or threatening the life of one will set him off.]]
* GameplayStorySegregation: Due to the difficult nature of balancing the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki as it appears in the manga and anime (the air vacuum and the more powerful second strike only occur if the initial strike is blocked or misses), Kenshin's ultimate attack has to be adjusted whenever it shows up in video games.
** In ''Rurouni Kenshin: Enjou Kyoto Rinne'', the initial hit is treated as the stronger attack and is given a full animated sequence when it properly connects. Also, because all {{Limit Break}}s are unblockable in that game, the initial strike will go through even if blocked. The air vacuum and second strike will appear if the attack misses, but it lacks a proper animated sequence and is significantly weaker.
** In ''VideoGame/JStarsVictoryVS'', the attack is split into two versions. His Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki special attack has him perform only the initial strike and acts as somewhat of a CounterAttack, activating if anyone steps into his AreaOfEffect and having priority against most moves. His Ultimate Attack, titled Nidan Kamae Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki, has Kenshin perform the initial strike, which must hit to fully complete. If it hits, the air vacuum will appear, which Kenshin follows up with the second strike.
* GlassCannon: Fast and powerful but ultimately his lack of muscles [[spoiler:means his body will deteriorate to the point where he eventually can't even fight any more]]. Most of his fights show him taking a lot of punishment before being able to make a counterattack.
* GoodIsNotDumb: Kenshin is a kind man, but he's not naive to how awful and brutal the world can really be. Just look at his head quote.
* GoodIsNotSoft: He may not kill you when he fights you, but rest assures, you don't know what pain is until you piss him off. Prior to his first major fight against a swarm of {{Mooks}}:
-->'''Kenshin:''' Anyone who is afraid of the doctor, leave now.\\
'''Mooks:''' There will be no wounded, ''but one single dead body!''
* GoodOldWays: His formal and old-fashioned manner of speech is commented on more than once.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: His X-shaped scar on his face.
* GuiltComplex: Kenshin blames himself for a large number of things, starting from his SurvivorsGuilt as a young child. He became an assassin because he thought it fine to sacrifice his own life, reputation, and even sanity for The Cause, and then TheAtoner because the toll to the latter was too great. He continually blames himself that his past as a killer puts the people he cares about in danger (even if his love ones are willing to put themselves in that very danger), up to the point of a HeroicBSOD when [[spoiler: he believes Kaoru to be dead]]. It's only at the very end of the series that he realizes even someone like him is allowed to have happiness and in the DistantFinale we finally get a glimpse of that happiness.
* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler: To Kaoru]] in the Manga's DistantFinale.
* HeartbrokenBadass: The primary reason for his vow to never kill again and its hinted throughout the series Kenshin is suffering emotional pain. [[spoiler: Revealed in the Jinchuu arc briefly before the climatic battles that he killed his first wife, Tomoe.]] Even prior to that tragic day in his life, [[spoiler: he was already suffering emotional trauma to the point of almost breaking down because of all the assassinations he committed and Tomoe's death made all the more impact because she gave him an "emotional sheathe" to conceal his emotional maelstrom in.]] Happens again in the midst of the Jinchuu arc. [[spoiler: Kaoru was presumed killed]] and Kenshin could no longer handle the loss so he just shut himself into a community of beggars and bums for entire days without even the motivation to eat.
* TheHero: The story focuses on his journey of redemption by saving and protecting lives with his sword instead of taking them as an assassin, as well as thwarting the evil schemes of villains like Shishio.
* HeroicBSOD: Goes into a severe one after [[spoiler: Enishi makes him believe he killed Kaoru]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Sanosuke is the closest he has to this, as one of his most reliable allies and a close friend who he'd trust with his life. Sano for his part, admires Kenshin similarly and will follow him nearly everywhere.
%%* HiddenHeartOfGold: He tries to assume a facade during the Kyoto Arc. Key word "tries;" he isn't very good at it.
* HomelessHero: Until Kaoru gave him one, he would wander from place to place.
* HumbleHero: Never ''once'' uses his infamous title to strike fear in anyone, even his enemies.
* IaijutsuPractitioner: How he gains the name "Battousai", because ''he's that good at battoujutsu''. The stronger attacks of the Hiten Mitsurugi (such as the two versions of ''Sō Ryū Sen'' [双龍閃], ''Hi Ryū Sen'' [飛龍閃] and the succession technique Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki [天翔龍閃]) all fall under here.
* IconicOutfit: His soft red kimono.
* IHatePastMe: To a [[HeartbrokenBadass heartbreaking extent]]. Kenshin is ''deeply'' ashamed of his past life as the "Battousai".
* ILetGwenStacyDie: He feels great guilt over his first wife Tomoe's death. Especially given that [[spoiler:[[AccidentalMurder he killed her himself.]]]]
* InASingleBound: Performing the ''Ryū Shō Sen'' (龍翔閃, Dragon Soar Flash) requires Kenshin to lunge upwards against the enemy with a force similar to this for it to work.
* TheIllegible: It becomes something of a RunningGag that his handwriting is so awful. Makes sense when you consider his personal history and how he probably never focused much on penmanship.
* IncompletelyTrained: He left his training early because he wanted to participate in the Meiji Revolution, and even without completing said training, he became the legendary Hitokiri Battosai. Of course, when Shishio shows up, Kenshin ''needs'' to finish his training to stand a chance against him.
* InsecureLoveInterest: He usually isn't sure if he deserves someone like Kaoru.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With several characters, especially Sanosuke and Yahiko.
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: Effeminate appearance, peaceful nature, and good with "women's work."
* JadeColoredGlasses: Earned his in the Revolution, when he realized that he had essentially been a ''hitokiri'' in a war against oppressors so that the victors might become oppressors instead. He also has no illusions that violence, whether it kills or not, begets anything other than violence.
* {{Keigo}}: Speaks like this almost constantly, and is also a ThirdPersonPerson.[[note]]Sort of. Kenshin actually refers to himself using ''sessha'', a very archaic pronoun denoting extreme formality and humbleness of the speaker; it's best translated as something like "this unworthy person", which is why Viz's manga uses "this one". Similarly, he ends most of his sentences with ''de gozaru'' (and iterations of it); ''de gozaru'' is the archaic polite form of ''desu'' and is stereotypically used by samurai and honour-bound swordsmen during the Edo period; the Viz manga mentions it in the translator notes but does not adapt it, whereas the North American dub rendered it as Kenshin speaking in a roundabout manner (ex: "I'm just a wandering swordsman, that I am").[[/note]] If he doesn't... '''[[SplitPersonality run]]'''.
* KillingIntent: Rurouni or not, this is something that Kenshin possesses in spades after his dark past and is more than willing to whip out to intimidate those who get on his bad side.
* KnightInSourArmor: Incredibly wary of participating in conflicts involving the government especially highly political ones because of the disappointment of the results of the Meiji Restoration. To the point he was hesitant to go to Kyoto to face off against Shishio despite being fully aware of the threat he poses. However in the end he ultimately always enters into conflict to defend the weak in spit of the possible unintended negative political repercussions.
* KnightTemplar: As Battousai, for the Ishin Shishi: a vicious assassin who would kill in cold blood if he thought it would bring about a peaceful era. Thanks to a series of tragic events, he eventually has a HeelRealization and becomes TheAtoner. Unfortunately, due to a combination of [[DeathSeeker self-destructive tendencies]], BerserkButton, and [[ShellShockedVeteran trauma]], Kenshin's former "Battousai"-self now manifests as a [[SupernaturalGoldEyes golden-eyed]] SuperpoweredEvilSide when his ThouShaltNotKill vow begins to waver.
* LastNameBasis: Misao and a few others calls him by his family name.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaAnLjbAY2Q Kimi wa Dare o Mamotte Iru]].
* LivingEmotionalCrutch:
** To Kaoru. When he left for Tokyo and gave his final goodbye, she became so emotional distress that she laid in bed for days. She only got up to go after Kenshin and bring him back.
** To Sanosuke in a lesser degree. It was Kenshin that helped him get over his grief and anger over his mentor's betrayal and death. When Kenshin left for Tokyo, Sanosuke was the first one to go after him.
* LogicalWeakness: {{Downplayed}}. It's never a significant inhibitor, but because of Kenshin's sword being a reverse-blade, the sharp end is the side facing himself. In the live action films Saito and Hiko both use this to their advantage by pressing Kenshin's sword against himself when they get caught in a BladeLock; what should be a dull edge is instead sharp with Kenshin's unique blade and he sustains injuries.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Kenshin has long, red hair and has noted to be quite handsome.
* LoveIsAWeakness: A particularly clever enemy invoked this in the backstory. [[spoiler:He sent Tomoe to act as a HoneyTrap for Kenshin, ostensibly to learn his weaknesses. At the time, Tomoe wanted revenge against Kenshin for killing her fiance, so she agreed. Gradually, she fell in love with Kenshin for real. Then the guy who recruited her kidnapped her to lure Kenshin into an ambush. Tomoe realized at that moment that she hadn't been sent to Kenshin to learn his weakness, she had been sent to Kenshin to ''become'' his weakness.]]
* LoveRedeems: His love for Tomoe was what made Kenshin have second thoughts about his murderous lifestyle. Tomoe's death was the prime motivator for Kenshin to swear his no-killing oath and become a wandering swordsman to atone for his past.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:M-Z]]
* MadeOfIron: He certainly isn't the only character who exhibits this trait, but he can take quite a beating through multiple fights and still come out on top. Notably in the Kyoto Arc, he goes through [[spoiler: three]] fights with extremely skilled swordsman and manages to survive. However... Kenshin is revealed to be a {{Deconstruction}} of this trope-- In the final arc, Megumi makes it painfully clear that all the grievous injuries, on top of the physically-taxing Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, catch up to him. At the last battle, he barely has enough in him for one last fight, and at the very end of it all, his body has been pushed to the point that [[spoiler: in five years, he can't even use the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu style at all.]]
* MagneticHero: Is this in spades.
** [[DefeatMeansFriendship Beat them up]]: Played straight with Sano. Took a while for it to happen with Aoshi.
** [[TastesLikeFriendship Give the kid a candy bar]]: How he got Yahiko, whom he let keep the wallet that he pick-pocketed.
** [[IOweYouMyLife Save their life]]: Kaoru, Megumi, Yahiko, Misao...
** Tell them your quest: Once Kenshin tells you that he's trying [[TheAtoner to atone for his actions]] during the Bakumatsu, there's an 8 out of 10 chance that people will be inspired enough to follow him. Subverted with Saito, who reluctantly joins Kenshin on not one, but THREE quests, though only to apprehend the criminals behind it.
** To get a good idea of how much Kenshin is this, just think about where all the other characters would have been [[ForWantOfANail if they hadn't met him]]:
*** Kaoru would have been forced to give up the dojo or be killed if she didn't.
*** Yahiko would still be a pickpocket forced to work for the Yakuza.
*** Sanosuke would still be a fighter-for-hire.
*** Megumi would've been forced to make opium for Kanryu for the rest of her life.
* MasterSwordsman: He wouldn't be one if he wasn't called "Battousai" and Aoshi wanting a duel to gain the title of "the strongest".
* MeaningfulName: His birth name Shinta means "Kindness".
* MeaningfulRename: When Hiko Seijuro, his teacher and adoptive father, considered Shinta – which means "Kindness" – too meek a name for a swordsman, he renamed the boy "Kenshin" (Sword-Heart) so he may better travel down the road of the warrior. He later refuses to undergo it again and take up the mantle of Hiko Seijuro after mastering his style's ultimate technique, choosing instead to let the style die with him. Hiko isn't happy about it, but accepts it as Kenshin's right as his successor.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Zig-zagged. On the one hand, Kenshin is a very short and scrawny man who is never seen working out, yet is peerless as a swordsman. On the other, his slight frame is ill-suited to the rigors of his extreme sword style, and his master, who is [[HeroicBuild quite buff]], warns Kenshin that he needs to build muscle and train intensively in order to use Hiten Mitsurugi properly and safely. In Megumi's medical opinion, Kenshin can only handle a few more years of the strain that the style puts on his frail body. [[spoiler: In the epilogue, Kenshin has retired from swordsmanship because his body has deteriorated to the point he can no longer fight. As a pacifist with a family, this hardly troubles him.]]
* MythicalMotifs: The dragon -- It's the usual [[AnimalBattleAura aura]] he gets, many of his techniques have dragon in them, and it represents his [[TigerVsDragon rivalry]] with Enishi.
* NiceGuy: Kenshin is humble, friendly, and has sworn off killing anyone. Even enemies.
* NobleMaleRoguishMale: The gentlemanly, polite Noble to Sano's reckless, wild Roguish.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Kenshin tries to pass himself off this way in the first episode, but was eventually found out. He continues to act like an idiot whenever he's not fighting at least for the first half of the series. He usually manages to maintain the masquerade until someone familiar with his past [[TemptingFate tries to force him]] to [[LetsGetDangerous fight properly]].
* OfficialCouple: With Kaoru.
* OlderHeroVersusYoungerVillain: Not an uncommon dynamic for him, as Kenshin was active during the war years back, while most of the others around him were children then. Explicitly, Shishio was the one who took over his old assassin job, and Enishi is his first wife's younger brother.
* OlderThanHeLooks: He looks like he's in his teens, but is actually ''28''.
* OneManArmy: He's head and shoulders above almost every other swordsman in the series, able to ([[ThouShaltNotKill figuratively]]) cut through armies of lesser men in a flash.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Kenshin has a couple versions of this. The most obvious is that his entire demeanor changes, but more subtly he'll drop the use of [[UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns the extremely humble "sessha" and use the aggressive masculine "ore"]][[note]]In the translation, Kenshin refers to himself as "this one", and when he is in "Battousai mode" refers to himself in the first-person, using "I"[[/note]], which is when you know what the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Hitokiri Battousai]] is present. Also, any time Kenshin the ThouShaltNotKill MartialPacifist seems to be seriously out for blood is cause to be very, ''very'' worried.
* ParentalSubstitute: In ''Hokkaido arc'' not only he's a biological father, but he and Kaoru take three troubled youngsters (Alan, Asahi and Ashitaro) under their wings. He's specially concerned about Ashitaro because [[spoiler: he was a ChildSoldier from the Juppongatana and is in serious, ''serious'' danger of becoming the next Shishio.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Kenshin is usually towered over by most of his friends but routinely takes down people twice his size. He's based on a real life assassin named Kawakami Gensai, who was regularly mistaken for a woman, but who was known as the most fearsome assassin of the Meiji Era and was noted for assassinating a man in broad daylight. Kenshin is also a subversion of sorts - because his school of swordsmanship was designed for far more muscular men (like Hiko, his CynicalMentor) [[spoiler:he ends up unable to fight as well as he once could at the end of the series.]]
* PrimaryColorChampion: His IconicOutfit is a red kimono and white pants.
* ProtagonistTitle: "Rurouni '''Kenshin'''".
* RedBaron: Hitokiri Battousai, The "Manslayer".
* RedemptionEqualsAffliction: While on an assassination mission, Kenshin, received a cut to his face from his target's bodyguard (whom he immediately dispatched as well). Because the cut refused to heal it was theorized by Kenshin's peers that he had been struck by an innocent man and his wound was penance. The wound only finally stopped bleeding some months later when the famous cross-shaped-scar was completed [[spoiler: by his dying wife, who he had accidentally struck during a battle (and who had been the fiancee of the man he murdered before)]]. Kenshin holds the belief that the cross-shaped-scar will vanish when he has fully atoned for his sins. He also doesn't believe that is possible [[spoiler:though by the end of the manga it has indeed begun to heal]].
* RedIsHeroic: His hair is vibrant red, his IconicOutfit is more of a burgundy red, and he's TheHero.
* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni.
* SamuraiPonytail: He has the long, well kept variant.
* SanitySlippage: It's strongly implied that he was gradually losing his sanity the more he killed people during his time as a Hitokiri. He credits meeting Tomoe as [[SanityStrengthening what saved him from going over the edge]].
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The Savvy Guy (mellow, ObfuscatingStupidity samurai) to Kaoru's Energetic Girl (a {{Tsundere}} kendo teacher).
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Gained one in the Cinema-ban manga, and actually putting it on when confronting Sano in chapter two.
* SecondLove: For Tomoe. [[spoiler:Kenshin ''killed'' her fiancé Akira during the war: Tomoe initially wanted revenge on Kenshin for that, but upon finding out that Kenshin was no monster, she fell for him... and sacrificed her life to save him. Too bad her little brother didn't see it that way at least until the very end.]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the Sensitive Guy (soft-spoken, prefers nonviolence, and is InTouchWithHisFeminineSide) to Sanosuke's Manly Man (brash, a BloodKnight, and quite uncouth).
* ShellShockedVeteran: His time as an assassin has left him guilty.
* SimultaneousBladeSpam: One of the strongest attacks of the Hiten Mitsurugi, ''Ku Zu Ryū Sen'' (九頭龍閃, Nine-Head Dragon Flash), is designed to work this way--hitting all nine major bodily points at such insurmountable, near-impossible to evade speed. Hiko Seijuro notes, however, that the effectivity of this is dependent on the swings of the sword-user (which Kenshin is less-equipped to use due to his lithe physique).
* SkilledButNaive: Kenshin's master emphasizes that because of his naivete, he ended up getting manipulated by the Isshin-Shishi as a political tool, becoming merely a ruthless assassin rather than a freedom fighter. And as [[BrutalHonesty bluntly]] as Hiko puts it, [[JerkassHasAPoint he's right]].
* StepfordSmiler: His cheerful demeanor hides ''enormous'' amounts of guilt and grief.
* StockShonenHero: Zigzagged. Kenshin is ProtagonistTitle-guy of a Shonen manga/anime series, but is the opposite of many of the typical cliches. Instead of being a young teenage newbie at whatever subject the manga revolves around (in this case, swordsmanship) Kenshin is already a MasterSwordsman and is 28 years old, much older than the typical shonen hero. He's not UnskilledButStrong, but WeakButSkilled. In general, Kenshin is quite mellow and cheerful who is quite analytical and ''not'' a HotBlooded IdiotHero. At some point, he became aware of his feelings for Kaoru and had a prior relationship with Tomoe, while most Shonen protagonists are ObliviousToLove. The only things he does encompass from a typical Shonen hero are as followed: AllLovingHero, received TrainingFromHell, main colors include [[PrimaryColorChampion red and white]], and a ChickMagnet
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Part and parcel of his SuperPoweredEvilSide.
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: If he cracks under pressure, the KnightTemplar Battousai comes out, which lacks all of Kenshin's inhibitions.
* TeamDad: Has taken in this role in ''Hokkaido arc'', mentoring not only Yahiko but the main trio formed by Ashitaro, Alan and Asahi.
* TechnicalPacifist: He will never '''ever''' kill you, but you will be in pain for sure if you fight him.
* ThirdPersonPerson: In English, Kenshin always refers to himself in third person as "this one" (to translate the Japanese verbe "de gozaru", signifying humility). However, when his SuperpoweredEvilSide Hitokiri Battousai takes over, he shifts to first person.
* ThouShaltNotKill: As the narrator says "in retribution for his deeds, he has taken an oath to protect the innocent and '''never''' kill again." [[SuperpoweredEvilSide The Battousai thinks otherwise.]]
* ThroughHisStomach: Kenshin likes Kaoru's cooking because she keeps getting better and better at it.
* TigerVersusDragon: He is the dragon, Enishi is the tiger.
* TookALevelInBadass: Kenshin learning ''his'' ultimate technique and taking his first steps towards coming to terms with himself.
* TrainingFromHell: What Kenshin underwent when training in the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu under Hiko Seijuro, which was nothing more than being whacked repeatedly by ''every'' signature technique of the style. Kenshin himself finds it a wonder how he even survived the abuse by Seijuro.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: As a child, he buried all the bodies of his guardians and the men who killed them, instead of, say, trying to find help. At this point he'd already seen one set of parents die of illness and then watched his {{Parental Substitute}}s (Akane, Sakura and Kasumi) die trying to protect him. Hiko is visibly disturbed by this and decides to take in the boy since it's clear he'll never live a normal life after this.
* TwiceShy: With Kaoru -- He feels he doesn't deserve and she's too shy.
* VerbalTic: "Oro?", as well as the aforementioned ''keigo'' speech. For the former, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGrOxc8cOuA here is an entire video]] of Kenshin saying it. However in the English Dub, the "Oro" is substituted for a random sound he makes depending on the situation he's in. He also occasionally incorporates variations of phrases such as "That I am" or "I'll have you know!".
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: {{Gender Inverted|Trope}}. One way to piss Kenshin off? Threaten [[LoveInterest Kaoru]]-- be stupid enough to do that and Kenshin won't hesitate to give you ''[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown a beatdown with his bare fists]]'' to get it through to your head that '''you don't lay a finger on Kaoru.''' And this form of punishment came ''after'' he got over his [[SuperPoweredEvilSide apathetic assassin persona.]]
* WarriorTherapist: [[MeaningfulName Much like his namesake would indicate,]] he's able to tell quite a bit about someone by fighting them.
* WeakButSkilled: He is short and scrawny but his skills are top notch.
* WideEyedIdealist: Some might consider him IncorruptiblePurePureness, but [[SuperpoweredEvilSide old]] [[DarkMessiah habits]] die hard... Except his intro speech at the end of the first chapter goes, "no, swordsmanship is an art of killing. Kaoru-dono believes a sweet, naive lie. But if this one had a wish... it would be that her sweet lie would become the truth of this world." Kenshin's WalkingTheEarth with ObfuscatingStupidity routine involves some serious ideals, but despite avoiding his battle expression most of the time he's not too wide-eyed. He's got the world-weary thing going, but values Kaoru as a WideEyedIdealist. Some of the stupidity probably isn't fake. The line is impossible to find, as is common with CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass types. His backstory involves a bit of this, despite all his childhood trauma--it caused him to wind up a sworn assassin in a civil war. In other words, he is TheIdealist who is trying to protect those near him with his sword as opposed to "the sweet lie" of swords being inherently protective.
* WillfullyWeak: If Kenshin fought to kill, his fights would be over a lot sooner. Refusing to kill and using a reverse-blade sword is a double-handicap.
* WingdingEyes: Is the most subject to this when his eyes go all swirly in the more lighthearted and comedic moments. Usually is followed up with an "Oro" in Japanese version or a funny sound in the English version.
* TheWorfBarrage: When your sword style is considered the strongest and is designed to incapacitate opponents in a single blow, it can fall into this; Sanosuke was considered the first notable opponent since he was able to take one of Kenshin's attacks without being instantly defeated. In terms of specific attacks, Ku Zu Ryu Sen falls into this. Despite being one of Kenshin's two ultimate techniques, as well as being unblockable and undodgeable, opponents are either strong enough to [[NoSell ignore it]], or fast enough to dodge it. In fact, Ku Zu Ryu Sen has only worked ''once'' in the entire manga against Shishio. It just wasn't enough to put him down.
* TheWorfEffect: He technically doesn't lose many fights, but in the beginning of the series antagonists like Jin-E and Saitou established their threat level by easily defeating Kenshin the wanderer, leading to him succumbing to his Battousai personality.
* WorfHadTheFlu:
** This comes into play when he finally fights Shishio. Kenshin had gone through fights with both [[TheRival Aoshi]] and [[TheDragon Soujirou]], two challenging opponents who were close to his level if not better. Due to his injuries, [[spoiler: he loses in the first part of their fight]].
** Kaoru theorizes that his initial defeat at the hands of Enishi was caused by his inner turmoil preventing him from fighting at his best: [[spoiler: Caused by his guilt over killing Tomoe and lacking an answer for how he could atone for it]]. By the time they fight again, Kenshin has resolved these issues and defeats Enishi.
* WorldsBestWarrior: Even at the start of the series he's considered Japan's best swordsman, with Aoshi desiring to defeat him to gain his title.
* XMarksTheHero: The most iconic example, to the point that it's often called a "Kenshin scar".
* YellowEyesOfSneakiness: As Battousai, his eyes are amber.
[[/folder]]
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! Himura Kenshin aka Hitokiri Battousai
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Himura_Kenshin_7028.jpg]]
->Voiced by: Mayo Suzukaze (JP, TV series), Creator/MegumiOgata (JP, drama CD); Creator/RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA); Nacho de Porrata (SP, first dub of the TV series, ''Reflections'' OVA), Carlos Lladó (SP, second dub of the TV series, ''Trust & Betrayal'' OVA, movie), Alexander Páez (LA, TV series), Óscar Flores (LA, OVA), Alejandro Graue (LA, movie)
->Portrayed by: Takeru Satoh (live action)
-->''"A sword is a weapon, and swordsmanship is learning how to kill. That is the truth. What Mistress Kaoru says is play-talk that only those that have never stained their hands can say. However, this one prefers Mistress Kaoru's play-talk more than the truth. And this one wishes that in the world to come, her play talk shall become the truth."''
The titular protagonist of the series. He is a wanderer formerly known as [[RedBaron Hitokiri Battousai]], a deadly man-slayer who slaughtered many men in the war before the Meiji Era. [[note]]While "hitokiri" is usually translated as "man-slayer"--or a bit more literally "man-killer" from "hito" being "person" and dictionary-form "kiru" being "to kill/to slice"--the slightly more accurate translation is "assassination". "Assassin" itself has several Japanese variations. So far, the Anime's English Dub used the term "Battousai the Man Slayer" which is as close a moniker as can be to the original.[[/note]]
Kenshin's fighting style is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, now an ancient study. With this dangerous sword style, he uses his ''sakabatou'' (a sword with a reversed edge) to restrain himself from killing anyone ever again, and renounces the title Hitokiri.
His birth name is Shinta, but Hiko changed it to "Kenshin" after adopting him.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder: A-L]]
* AccidentalMurder: In his backstory, he accidentally killed [[spoiler: Tomoe when she threw herself between him and his opponent, intending to protect him.]]
* ActionDad: [[spoiler: Becomes one in the Manga's DistantFinale to his and Kaoru's son Kenji. And even though his body will one day not be able to lift a sword, he was able to beat an older and stronger Yahiko]].
** He displays more traits of this in ''Hokkaido arc'', where he personally takes on a pretty much berserk Ashitaro and disarms him painfully.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Kenshin is pretty good looking in the manga/anime (making him a ChickMagnet), but his scar is a good deal smaller in the live-action movies.
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the ''Trust and Betrayal'' OVA, he has none of the more comedic elements shown in the manga portions of that same portion.
* AdaptationalBadass: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While always a badass, he is practically useless without a sword. The live action films dropped that weakness altogether, showing how good he is in unarmed combat.
* AdaptationDyeJob: He has reddish-brown hair in the film adaptations instead of vibrant red hair like his anime and manga counterparts.
* AdaptationalJerkass: His attitude towards Akira being able to scar him varies through the adaptations:
** In the original manga, Kenshin gave a sincere acknowledgment of Akira's determination to live, and prays for the latter to find peace in his next life after killing him.
** In the ''Trust and Betrayal'' OVA, Kenshin reply with annoyance to Iizuka that Akira manage to scar him due to stubborness and left without giving the prayer in the manga.
** In the live-action movie, he just kills Akira off and callously left without a word.
* AfraidOfTheirOwnStrength: To avoid killing others in combat, Kenshin uses his reverse-bladed sword. This is also why he is determined to be the last practitioner of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu kenjutusu.
* AgeGapRomance: There's an 11-year age difference between him (28) and Kaoru (17).
* AllLovingHero: Known for helping others and avoiding massacres.
* AlmightyJanitor: It's noted very early on that due to his power and reputation during the Revolution, Kenshin could've easily gained a government position in the new era. Of course, the premise of the series is that he's a wandering swordsman that is atoning for his actions.
* AnimalBattleAura: Occasionally gets a dragon aura.
* AntiHero: NecessarilyEvil -> GoodIsNotNice. In the series proper, he's a straight-up hero.
* TheAtoner: It was either WalkingTheEarth or killing himself through {{seppuku}} after the Bakumatsu, according to his own words.
* AuraVision: It is implied that he can sense the auras of others around him [[spoiler: except in a certain magnetic forest.]]
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: One of the trademark abilities of his sword style, Kenshin is known for quickly deducing the moves of his opponents, though this trait has proved to be his undoing as well.
* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: He and Kaoru have a son named Kenji]] in the Manga's DistantFinale.
* BadassAdorable: His "Oro" catch phrase makes him so darn cute!
* BashBrothers: With Sano -- they usually fight back-to-back and have a brotherly relationship.
* BattleAura: His is immense enough to fill an entire room in the manga.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Though Kenshin at first sees Kaoru as being equally important to any other person, her remarkable assertion that Kenshin's past is unimportant in relation to his present self convinces him in short order that Kaoru is particularly special. This is a main factor of him falling in love with her.
* BerserkButton: Admitting that you killed an innocent person ForTheEvulz or threatening to harm an innocent person, will result in a swift beat-down.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Kenshin is humble and friendly. He's also one of the most skilled swordsmen, and can use his deadly skills if you mess with his friends.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Although more "Nice", the live-action movie uses this as one of the taglines.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Kenshin, who is usually a polite, obvious moron ... and, if you push him too far, the legendary assassin Hitokiri Battousai.
* BigBrotherMentor: One to both Sanosuke and Yahiko.
* BigGood: He goes out of his way to help those around him and many of the characters (especially his TrueCompanions) look to him for wisdom and [[HopeBringer hope.]]
* BiggerIsBetterInBed: In episode 19, Kaoru and Megumi see him naked and Megumi comments on how "well-built" he is.
* {{Bishonen}}: One of the more handsome characters in the series.
* BlindWeaponmaster: Only in the Anime. Eventually, he recovers. Averted in his backstory, when [[spoiler: he couldn't see Tomoe jump in front of him due to being blinded earlier in the fight, and wound up accidentally killing her.]]
* BrokenAce: Despite being known as the "Strongest of the Isshin-Shishi" and helping to push for the revolution, he now questions his actions, and whether the cause was worth spilling blood.
* ButtMonkey: During comedic scenes, you can almost always expect him to be hurt or insulted by another character.
* CallToAgriculture: In the OVA. "For many years I ended the lives of evil men, but I've only realized inner peace by bringing life to this land and sharing its harvest with you." It's more of a cover story than a choice but [[BecomingTheMask he learns to love it.]] Considering how his original parents were peasants themselves, this was unsurprising.
* CaneFu: By the ''Hokkaido arc'', he is using a cane in the shape of a sword after giving Yahiko his sakabatou.
* CastFromHitPoints: His body cannot really handle his fighting style.
* CharacterDevelopment: As time passes, Kenshin learns to trust the people around him with the truth about himself as well as with some of the burden he bears, understanding that his life, too, is a human one and that his friends and allies would suffer greatly if he were to die.
* CharacterExaggeration: The original anime plays up his bumbling moments and downplays his DeadpanSnarker attitude compared to the manga.
* ChickMagnet: Kenshin has been noted to be quite handsome by many females; specific examples include [[HeirToTheDojo Kaoru]], [[TheMedic Megumi]], [[TheGwenStacy Tomoe]], and [[TheCaptain Shura]] (anime only).
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: No matter how torn, beaten, or battered he is, a voice crying for help will ''always'' reach him. [[spoiler:It's what pulls him out of his depression, in the finale.]]
* CripplingOverspecialization: In terms of fighting skills, he really has little other than swordsmanship (unlike Aoshi or Saitou who are fairly skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well), which opponents often take advantage of. Other characters also note that his sword style is very reliant on quick judgment and reading the opponent's sword, which isn't as effective on {{Combat Pragmatist}}s and those who are capable of masking their emotions. This is averted in the [[Film/RurouniKenshin Live Action]] adaptation, where he is able to hold his own against several {{Mooks}} unarmed for a few minutes before grabbing a nearby bokken.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He's a little goofy, but is ''deadly''.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: After the death of his parents, Kenshin (a child at the time) is taken by slavers, who are later violently killed in front of him by bandits. After burying the mutilated victims alone, Kenshin is resolute to “create a peaceful world where people could live without fear”. To accomplish his ideal, Kenshin trains with the master of the “Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū” (a fighting style so deadly that, to truly master, it means death to the teacher) and, at 14, became the legendary assassin "Hitokiri Battōsai”. [[spoiler:Kenshin goes into hiding years later and marries a mysterious woman named Tomoe for appearance only, but they later fall in love. After a series of events, Kenshin kills Tomoe unintentionally in battle. As Tomoe died, she gave Kenshin half of the X shaped scar on his cheek. Kenshin later finds out, after reading Tomoe’s diaries that he had killed Tomoe’s fiancé (a man who years earlier, gave Kenshin the other half of the X shaped scar) before he met her and she only married Kenshin out of revenge, but, after living together, fell in love with him.]] Broken and filled with remorse for killing countless people, Kenshin wanders off wielding a sakabatō or reverse blade sword. He is determined to never kill again and to aid those in need, as atonement for the murders he committed.
* DarkerAndEdgier: His ''Shin Kyoto Hen'' incarnation shapes up to be one. For starters, [[spoiler: he ruthlessly assaults without [[CallingYourAttacks announcing his attacks]], he has no qualms [[EyeScream blinding]] Chō in their battle for the ''meitou sakabatou'', he bluntly tells the true fate of Aoshi's Oniwabanshu henchmen to Misao's face, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and his emotions practically only shift between]] TranquilFury and DullSurprise. He actually has a lot more in common with the ''Tsuiokuhen''-era Battousai]].
* DarkMessiah: In the revolution, he was a KnightTemplar who would fight with all viciousness.
* DeathByAThousandCuts: He delivers these using the two versions of the ''Ryū Sō Sen'' (龍巣閃, Dragon Nest Flash).
* DeathFromAbove: Made possible through the variations of the ''Ryū Tsui Sen'' (龍槌閃, Dragon Hammer Flash), either through a SwordPlant to the head or basically slashing someone in the face. Kenshin does this non-lethally with the blunt edge of his sword.
* DeathGlare: Gets a semi-permanent one when he's in "Battousai" mode. ([[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments Sometimes his eyes get stuck that way afterwards.]])
* DeathSeeker: So powerful was his guilt for his past as a ''hitokiri'' that, until late into the plot, he believed his own life to be worthless, providing a weakness through which his ''Battousai'' persona can emerge through; this was the core obstacle in his path to learn ''Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu'''s [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique final secret technique]].
* DeclarationOfProtection: To Kaoru. Also to Tomoe in the past.
* DentedIron: His injuries, combined with the stress of his style, eventually catch up to him.
* DefusingTheTykebomb: He does this to [[spoiler:Soujiro during their battle. It was so effective that Soujiro decided to travel the world and see it in his own eyes instead if of the eyes of Shishio]].
* {{Determinator}}: More in the manga than in the anime, Kenshin Himura defeats enemies seemingly by pure willpower alone, such as his determination not to kill. He survives several seemingly insurmountable fights in quick series, sustaining massive injuries each time and still managing to win every single time.
* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: Becomes one]] in the second OVA as he goes on travels to do more atonement, [[spoiler:even though it means being separated by his wife, Kaoru, and son, Kenji.]]
* DishingOutDirt: Kenshin does a mundane version of this using the ''Do Ryū Sen'' (土龍閃, Earth/Land Dragon Flash)--either allowing the debris to knock out the enemy or use it as a distraction for other attacks.
* DorkKnight: Sweet, kind and cuddly Himura Kenshin. That's not to say he isn't a skilled disciplined Samurai with an unflappable sense of right and wrong, defender of the innocent, etc.
* DragonInChief: Considering his reputation as Japan's strongest swordsman, he naturally functions as this to the Revolutionaries. Although Katsura and Takasugi are ostensibly the leaders of the movement, Kenshin is the biggest physical threat and the one carrying out the major assassinations.
* TheDrifter: At the beginning, he would wander from place to place. It stopped after meeting Kaoru.
* DuelingScar: He got half of his iconic scar in a "duel" to the death (it was really more of a CurbStompBattle, but the man who gave him the scar had such a will to live that he managed to leave his mark).
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Kenshin goes through trauma, death, tragedy and the potential for his own death many times over before he finally finds peace. This is also why WordOfGod rejects the ''Seisoushen'' OVA's ending as not fitting with the theme of the series as a whole.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: All the versions of the ''Ryū Kan Sen'' (龍巻閃, Dragon Coil Flash) require Kenshin to perform spinning either amongst his enemies (to blow them all off), or perform spinning somersaults towards the enemy to avoid their attacks and land a close hit.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: He's a war veteran, has been an accomplished swordsman for over a decade, and is a strong contender for the best swordsman in Japan by the time the series starts.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: The timeskip at the end of the manga shows Kenshin cut his hair to reach to his jaw.
* ExpositoryPronoun: He usually uses "sessha", an archaic term meaning something like "Your humble servant", often translated as "this one" to refer to himself. When he switches to "ore", the aggressive-masculine form of "I", it means he's dropped the politeness facade and is about to lay down a beating.
* EyeColorChange: The title character changes eye colour to correspond to which SplitPersonality is in command in the anime.
* TheFettered: Kenshin is a model of this trope, where DefeatMeansFriendship as well as the occasional HeelFaceTurn when the defeated party realizes Kenshin could have killed them in the first five minutes if he wasn't carefully holding back.
* FieryRedhead: Inverted. Kenshin is best known for his vibrant red hair in a ponytail, but is quite laid-back and cautious. Even in his "Battousai" mode, he's more TranquilFury than murderous.
* FormerTeenRebel: He was a mild one, being rambunctious and hot-blooded as a kid. He would take this UpToEleven in the revolution, though, as an assassin against the government.
* FriendToAllChildren: Kenshin has shown an extreme fondness for children. [[BerserkButton Hurting or threatening the life of one will set him off.]]
* GameplayStorySegregation: Due to the difficult nature of balancing the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki as it appears in the manga and anime (the air vacuum and the more powerful second strike only occur if the initial strike is blocked or misses), Kenshin's ultimate attack has to be adjusted whenever it shows up in video games.
** In ''Rurouni Kenshin: Enjou Kyoto Rinne'', the initial hit is treated as the stronger attack and is given a full animated sequence when it properly connects. Also, because all {{Limit Break}}s are unblockable in that game, the initial strike will go through even if blocked. The air vacuum and second strike will appear if the attack misses, but it lacks a proper animated sequence and is significantly weaker.
** In ''VideoGame/JStarsVictoryVS'', the attack is split into two versions. His Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki special attack has him perform only the initial strike and acts as somewhat of a CounterAttack, activating if anyone steps into his AreaOfEffect and having priority against most moves. His Ultimate Attack, titled Nidan Kamae Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki, has Kenshin perform the initial strike, which must hit to fully complete. If it hits, the air vacuum will appear, which Kenshin follows up with the second strike.
* GlassCannon: Fast and powerful but ultimately his lack of muscles [[spoiler:means his body will deteriorate to the point where he eventually can't even fight any more]]. Most of his fights show him taking a lot of punishment before being able to make a counterattack.
* GoodIsNotDumb: Kenshin is a kind man, but he's not naive to how awful and brutal the world can really be. Just look at his head quote.
* GoodIsNotSoft: He may not kill you when he fights you, but rest assures, you don't know what pain is until you piss him off. Prior to his first major fight against a swarm of {{Mooks}}:
-->'''Kenshin:''' Anyone who is afraid of the doctor, leave now.\\
'''Mooks:''' There will be no wounded, ''but one single dead body!''
* GoodOldWays: His formal and old-fashioned manner of speech is commented on more than once.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: His X-shaped scar on his face.
* GuiltComplex: Kenshin blames himself for a large number of things, starting from his SurvivorsGuilt as a young child. He became an assassin because he thought it fine to sacrifice his own life, reputation, and even sanity for The Cause, and then TheAtoner because the toll to the latter was too great. He continually blames himself that his past as a killer puts the people he cares about in danger (even if his love ones are willing to put themselves in that very danger), up to the point of a HeroicBSOD when [[spoiler: he believes Kaoru to be dead]]. It's only at the very end of the series that he realizes even someone like him is allowed to have happiness and in the DistantFinale we finally get a glimpse of that happiness.
* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler: To Kaoru]] in the Manga's DistantFinale.
* HeartbrokenBadass: The primary reason for his vow to never kill again and its hinted throughout the series Kenshin is suffering emotional pain. [[spoiler: Revealed in the Jinchuu arc briefly before the climatic battles that he killed his first wife, Tomoe.]] Even prior to that tragic day in his life, [[spoiler: he was already suffering emotional trauma to the point of almost breaking down because of all the assassinations he committed and Tomoe's death made all the more impact because she gave him an "emotional sheathe" to conceal his emotional maelstrom in.]] Happens again in the midst of the Jinchuu arc. [[spoiler: Kaoru was presumed killed]] and Kenshin could no longer handle the loss so he just shut himself into a community of beggars and bums for entire days without even the motivation to eat.
* TheHero: The story focuses on his journey of redemption by saving and protecting lives with his sword instead of taking them as an assassin, as well as thwarting the evil schemes of villains like Shishio.
* HeroicBSOD: Goes into a severe one after [[spoiler: Enishi makes him believe he killed Kaoru]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Sanosuke is the closest he has to this, as one of his most reliable allies and a close friend who he'd trust with his life. Sano for his part, admires Kenshin similarly and will follow him nearly everywhere.
%%* HiddenHeartOfGold: He tries to assume a facade during the Kyoto Arc. Key word "tries;" he isn't very good at it.
* HomelessHero: Until Kaoru gave him one, he would wander from place to place.
* HumbleHero: Never ''once'' uses his infamous title to strike fear in anyone, even his enemies.
* IaijutsuPractitioner: How he gains the name "Battousai", because ''he's that good at battoujutsu''. The stronger attacks of the Hiten Mitsurugi (such as the two versions of ''Sō Ryū Sen'' [双龍閃], ''Hi Ryū Sen'' [飛龍閃] and the succession technique Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki [天翔龍閃]) all fall under here.
* IconicOutfit: His soft red kimono.
* IHatePastMe: To a [[HeartbrokenBadass heartbreaking extent]]. Kenshin is ''deeply'' ashamed of his past life as the "Battousai".
* ILetGwenStacyDie: He feels great guilt over his first wife Tomoe's death. Especially given that [[spoiler:[[AccidentalMurder he killed her himself.]]]]
* InASingleBound: Performing the ''Ryū Shō Sen'' (龍翔閃, Dragon Soar Flash) requires Kenshin to lunge upwards against the enemy with a force similar to this for it to work.
* TheIllegible: It becomes something of a RunningGag that his handwriting is so awful. Makes sense when you consider his personal history and how he probably never focused much on penmanship.
* IncompletelyTrained: He left his training early because he wanted to participate in the Meiji Revolution, and even without completing said training, he became the legendary Hitokiri Battosai. Of course, when Shishio shows up, Kenshin ''needs'' to finish his training to stand a chance against him.
* InsecureLoveInterest: He usually isn't sure if he deserves someone like Kaoru.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With several characters, especially Sanosuke and Yahiko.
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: Effeminate appearance, peaceful nature, and good with "women's work."
* JadeColoredGlasses: Earned his in the Revolution, when he realized that he had essentially been a ''hitokiri'' in a war against oppressors so that the victors might become oppressors instead. He also has no illusions that violence, whether it kills or not, begets anything other than violence.
* {{Keigo}}: Speaks like this almost constantly, and is also a ThirdPersonPerson.[[note]]Sort of. Kenshin actually refers to himself using ''sessha'', a very archaic pronoun denoting extreme formality and humbleness of the speaker; it's best translated as something like "this unworthy person", which is why Viz's manga uses "this one". Similarly, he ends most of his sentences with ''de gozaru'' (and iterations of it); ''de gozaru'' is the archaic polite form of ''desu'' and is stereotypically used by samurai and honour-bound swordsmen during the Edo period; the Viz manga mentions it in the translator notes but does not adapt it, whereas the North American dub rendered it as Kenshin speaking in a roundabout manner (ex: "I'm just a wandering swordsman, that I am").[[/note]] If he doesn't... '''[[SplitPersonality run]]'''.
* KillingIntent: Rurouni or not, this is something that Kenshin possesses in spades after his dark past and is more than willing to whip out to intimidate those who get on his bad side.
* KnightInSourArmor: Incredibly wary of participating in conflicts involving the government especially highly political ones because of the disappointment of the results of the Meiji Restoration. To the point he was hesitant to go to Kyoto to face off against Shishio despite being fully aware of the threat he poses. However in the end he ultimately always enters into conflict to defend the weak in spit of the possible unintended negative political repercussions.
* KnightTemplar: As Battousai, for the Ishin Shishi: a vicious assassin who would kill in cold blood if he thought it would bring about a peaceful era. Thanks to a series of tragic events, he eventually has a HeelRealization and becomes TheAtoner. Unfortunately, due to a combination of [[DeathSeeker self-destructive tendencies]], BerserkButton, and [[ShellShockedVeteran trauma]], Kenshin's former "Battousai"-self now manifests as a [[SupernaturalGoldEyes golden-eyed]] SuperpoweredEvilSide when his ThouShaltNotKill vow begins to waver.
* LastNameBasis: Misao and a few others calls him by his family name.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaAnLjbAY2Q Kimi wa Dare o Mamotte Iru]].
* LivingEmotionalCrutch:
** To Kaoru. When he left for Tokyo and gave his final goodbye, she became so emotional distress that she laid in bed for days. She only got up to go after Kenshin and bring him back.
** To Sanosuke in a lesser degree. It was Kenshin that helped him get over his grief and anger over his mentor's betrayal and death. When Kenshin left for Tokyo, Sanosuke was the first one to go after him.
* LogicalWeakness: {{Downplayed}}. It's never a significant inhibitor, but because of Kenshin's sword being a reverse-blade, the sharp end is the side facing himself. In the live action films Saito and Hiko both use this to their advantage by pressing Kenshin's sword against himself when they get caught in a BladeLock; what should be a dull edge is instead sharp with Kenshin's unique blade and he sustains injuries.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Kenshin has long, red hair and has noted to be quite handsome.
* LoveIsAWeakness: A particularly clever enemy invoked this in the backstory. [[spoiler:He sent Tomoe to act as a HoneyTrap for Kenshin, ostensibly to learn his weaknesses. At the time, Tomoe wanted revenge against Kenshin for killing her fiance, so she agreed. Gradually, she fell in love with Kenshin for real. Then the guy who recruited her kidnapped her to lure Kenshin into an ambush. Tomoe realized at that moment that she hadn't been sent to Kenshin to learn his weakness, she had been sent to Kenshin to ''become'' his weakness.]]
* LoveRedeems: His love for Tomoe was what made Kenshin have second thoughts about his murderous lifestyle. Tomoe's death was the prime motivator for Kenshin to swear his no-killing oath and become a wandering swordsman to atone for his past.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:M-Z]]
* MadeOfIron: He certainly isn't the only character who exhibits this trait, but he can take quite a beating through multiple fights and still come out on top. Notably in the Kyoto Arc, he goes through [[spoiler: three]] fights with extremely skilled swordsman and manages to survive. However... Kenshin is revealed to be a {{Deconstruction}} of this trope-- In the final arc, Megumi makes it painfully clear that all the grievous injuries, on top of the physically-taxing Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, catch up to him. At the last battle, he barely has enough in him for one last fight, and at the very end of it all, his body has been pushed to the point that [[spoiler: in five years, he can't even use the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu style at all.]]
* MagneticHero: Is this in spades.
** [[DefeatMeansFriendship Beat them up]]: Played straight with Sano. Took a while for it to happen with Aoshi.
** [[TastesLikeFriendship Give the kid a candy bar]]: How he got Yahiko, whom he let keep the wallet that he pick-pocketed.
** [[IOweYouMyLife Save their life]]: Kaoru, Megumi, Yahiko, Misao...
** Tell them your quest: Once Kenshin tells you that he's trying [[TheAtoner to atone for his actions]] during the Bakumatsu, there's an 8 out of 10 chance that people will be inspired enough to follow him. Subverted with Saito, who reluctantly joins Kenshin on not one, but THREE quests, though only to apprehend the criminals behind it.
** To get a good idea of how much Kenshin is this, just think about where all the other characters would have been [[ForWantOfANail if they hadn't met him]]:
*** Kaoru would have been forced to give up the dojo or be killed if she didn't.
*** Yahiko would still be a pickpocket forced to work for the Yakuza.
*** Sanosuke would still be a fighter-for-hire.
*** Megumi would've been forced to make opium for Kanryu for the rest of her life.
* MasterSwordsman: He wouldn't be one if he wasn't called "Battousai" and Aoshi wanting a duel to gain the title of "the strongest".
* MeaningfulName: His birth name Shinta means "Kindness".
* MeaningfulRename: When Hiko Seijuro, his teacher and adoptive father, considered Shinta – which means "Kindness" – too meek a name for a swordsman, he renamed the boy "Kenshin" (Sword-Heart) so he may better travel down the road of the warrior. He later refuses to undergo it again and take up the mantle of Hiko Seijuro after mastering his style's ultimate technique, choosing instead to let the style die with him. Hiko isn't happy about it, but accepts it as Kenshin's right as his successor.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Zig-zagged. On the one hand, Kenshin is a very short and scrawny man who is never seen working out, yet is peerless as a swordsman. On the other, his slight frame is ill-suited to the rigors of his extreme sword style, and his master, who is [[HeroicBuild quite buff]], warns Kenshin that he needs to build muscle and train intensively in order to use Hiten Mitsurugi properly and safely. In Megumi's medical opinion, Kenshin can only handle a few more years of the strain that the style puts on his frail body. [[spoiler: In the epilogue, Kenshin has retired from swordsmanship because his body has deteriorated to the point he can no longer fight. As a pacifist with a family, this hardly troubles him.]]
* MythicalMotifs: The dragon -- It's the usual [[AnimalBattleAura aura]] he gets, many of his techniques have dragon in them, and it represents his [[TigerVsDragon rivalry]] with Enishi.
* NiceGuy: Kenshin is humble, friendly, and has sworn off killing anyone. Even enemies.
* NobleMaleRoguishMale: The gentlemanly, polite Noble to Sano's reckless, wild Roguish.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Kenshin tries to pass himself off this way in the first episode, but was eventually found out. He continues to act like an idiot whenever he's not fighting at least for the first half of the series. He usually manages to maintain the masquerade until someone familiar with his past [[TemptingFate tries to force him]] to [[LetsGetDangerous fight properly]].
* OfficialCouple: With Kaoru.
* OlderHeroVersusYoungerVillain: Not an uncommon dynamic for him, as Kenshin was active during the war years back, while most of the others around him were children then. Explicitly, Shishio was the one who took over his old assassin job, and Enishi is his first wife's younger brother.
* OlderThanHeLooks: He looks like he's in his teens, but is actually ''28''.
* OneManArmy: He's head and shoulders above almost every other swordsman in the series, able to ([[ThouShaltNotKill figuratively]]) cut through armies of lesser men in a flash.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Kenshin has a couple versions of this. The most obvious is that his entire demeanor changes, but more subtly he'll drop the use of [[UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns the extremely humble "sessha" and use the aggressive masculine "ore"]][[note]]In the translation, Kenshin refers to himself as "this one", and when he is in "Battousai mode" refers to himself in the first-person, using "I"[[/note]], which is when you know what the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Hitokiri Battousai]] is present. Also, any time Kenshin the ThouShaltNotKill MartialPacifist seems to be seriously out for blood is cause to be very, ''very'' worried.
* ParentalSubstitute: In ''Hokkaido arc'' not only he's a biological father, but he and Kaoru take three troubled youngsters (Alan, Asahi and Ashitaro) under their wings. He's specially concerned about Ashitaro because [[spoiler: he was a ChildSoldier from the Juppongatana and is in serious, ''serious'' danger of becoming the next Shishio.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Kenshin is usually towered over by most of his friends but routinely takes down people twice his size. He's based on a real life assassin named Kawakami Gensai, who was regularly mistaken for a woman, but who was known as the most fearsome assassin of the Meiji Era and was noted for assassinating a man in broad daylight. Kenshin is also a subversion of sorts - because his school of swordsmanship was designed for far more muscular men (like Hiko, his CynicalMentor) [[spoiler:he ends up unable to fight as well as he once could at the end of the series.]]
* PrimaryColorChampion: His IconicOutfit is a red kimono and white pants.
* ProtagonistTitle: "Rurouni '''Kenshin'''".
* RedBaron: Hitokiri Battousai, The "Manslayer".
* RedemptionEqualsAffliction: While on an assassination mission, Kenshin, received a cut to his face from his target's bodyguard (whom he immediately dispatched as well). Because the cut refused to heal it was theorized by Kenshin's peers that he had been struck by an innocent man and his wound was penance. The wound only finally stopped bleeding some months later when the famous cross-shaped-scar was completed [[spoiler: by his dying wife, who he had accidentally struck during a battle (and who had been the fiancee of the man he murdered before)]]. Kenshin holds the belief that the cross-shaped-scar will vanish when he has fully atoned for his sins. He also doesn't believe that is possible [[spoiler:though by the end of the manga it has indeed begun to heal]].
* RedIsHeroic: His hair is vibrant red, his IconicOutfit is more of a burgundy red, and he's TheHero.
* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni.
* SamuraiPonytail: He has the long, well kept variant.
* SanitySlippage: It's strongly implied that he was gradually losing his sanity the more he killed people during his time as a Hitokiri. He credits meeting Tomoe as [[SanityStrengthening what saved him from going over the edge]].
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The Savvy Guy (mellow, ObfuscatingStupidity samurai) to Kaoru's Energetic Girl (a {{Tsundere}} kendo teacher).
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Gained one in the Cinema-ban manga, and actually putting it on when confronting Sano in chapter two.
* SecondLove: For Tomoe. [[spoiler:Kenshin ''killed'' her fiancé Akira during the war: Tomoe initially wanted revenge on Kenshin for that, but upon finding out that Kenshin was no monster, she fell for him... and sacrificed her life to save him. Too bad her little brother didn't see it that way at least until the very end.]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the Sensitive Guy (soft-spoken, prefers nonviolence, and is InTouchWithHisFeminineSide) to Sanosuke's Manly Man (brash, a BloodKnight, and quite uncouth).
* ShellShockedVeteran: His time as an assassin has left him guilty.
* SimultaneousBladeSpam: One of the strongest attacks of the Hiten Mitsurugi, ''Ku Zu Ryū Sen'' (九頭龍閃, Nine-Head Dragon Flash), is designed to work this way--hitting all nine major bodily points at such insurmountable, near-impossible to evade speed. Hiko Seijuro notes, however, that the effectivity of this is dependent on the swings of the sword-user (which Kenshin is less-equipped to use due to his lithe physique).
* SkilledButNaive: Kenshin's master emphasizes that because of his naivete, he ended up getting manipulated by the Isshin-Shishi as a political tool, becoming merely a ruthless assassin rather than a freedom fighter. And as [[BrutalHonesty bluntly]] as Hiko puts it, [[JerkassHasAPoint he's right]].
* StepfordSmiler: His cheerful demeanor hides ''enormous'' amounts of guilt and grief.
* StockShonenHero: Zigzagged. Kenshin is ProtagonistTitle-guy of a Shonen manga/anime series, but is the opposite of many of the typical cliches. Instead of being a young teenage newbie at whatever subject the manga revolves around (in this case, swordsmanship) Kenshin is already a MasterSwordsman and is 28 years old, much older than the typical shonen hero. He's not UnskilledButStrong, but WeakButSkilled. In general, Kenshin is quite mellow and cheerful who is quite analytical and ''not'' a HotBlooded IdiotHero. At some point, he became aware of his feelings for Kaoru and had a prior relationship with Tomoe, while most Shonen protagonists are ObliviousToLove. The only things he does encompass from a typical Shonen hero are as followed: AllLovingHero, received TrainingFromHell, main colors include [[PrimaryColorChampion red and white]], and a ChickMagnet
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Part and parcel of his SuperPoweredEvilSide.
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: If he cracks under pressure, the KnightTemplar Battousai comes out, which lacks all of Kenshin's inhibitions.
* TeamDad: Has taken in this role in ''Hokkaido arc'', mentoring not only Yahiko but the main trio formed by Ashitaro, Alan and Asahi.
* TechnicalPacifist: He will never '''ever''' kill you, but you will be in pain for sure if you fight him.
* ThirdPersonPerson: In English, Kenshin always refers to himself in third person as "this one" (to translate the Japanese verbe "de gozaru", signifying humility). However, when his SuperpoweredEvilSide Hitokiri Battousai takes over, he shifts to first person.
* ThouShaltNotKill: As the narrator says "in retribution for his deeds, he has taken an oath to protect the innocent and '''never''' kill again." [[SuperpoweredEvilSide The Battousai thinks otherwise.]]
* ThroughHisStomach: Kenshin likes Kaoru's cooking because she keeps getting better and better at it.
* TigerVersusDragon: He is the dragon, Enishi is the tiger.
* TookALevelInBadass: Kenshin learning ''his'' ultimate technique and taking his first steps towards coming to terms with himself.
* TrainingFromHell: What Kenshin underwent when training in the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu under Hiko Seijuro, which was nothing more than being whacked repeatedly by ''every'' signature technique of the style. Kenshin himself finds it a wonder how he even survived the abuse by Seijuro.
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: As a child, he buried all the bodies of his guardians and the men who killed them, instead of, say, trying to find help. At this point he'd already seen one set of parents die of illness and then watched his {{Parental Substitute}}s (Akane, Sakura and Kasumi) die trying to protect him. Hiko is visibly disturbed by this and decides to take in the boy since it's clear he'll never live a normal life after this.
* TwiceShy: With Kaoru -- He feels he doesn't deserve and she's too shy.
* VerbalTic: "Oro?", as well as the aforementioned ''keigo'' speech. For the former, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGrOxc8cOuA here is an entire video]] of Kenshin saying it. However in the English Dub, the "Oro" is substituted for a random sound he makes depending on the situation he's in. He also occasionally incorporates variations of phrases such as "That I am" or "I'll have you know!".
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: {{Gender Inverted|Trope}}. One way to piss Kenshin off? Threaten [[LoveInterest Kaoru]]-- be stupid enough to do that and Kenshin won't hesitate to give you ''[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown a beatdown with his bare fists]]'' to get it through to your head that '''you don't lay a finger on Kaoru.''' And this form of punishment came ''after'' he got over his [[SuperPoweredEvilSide apathetic assassin persona.]]
* WarriorTherapist: [[MeaningfulName Much like his namesake would indicate,]] he's able to tell quite a bit about someone by fighting them.
* WeakButSkilled: He is short and scrawny but his skills are top notch.
* WideEyedIdealist: Some might consider him IncorruptiblePurePureness, but [[SuperpoweredEvilSide old]] [[DarkMessiah habits]] die hard... Except his intro speech at the end of the first chapter goes, "no, swordsmanship is an art of killing. Kaoru-dono believes a sweet, naive lie. But if this one had a wish... it would be that her sweet lie would become the truth of this world." Kenshin's WalkingTheEarth with ObfuscatingStupidity routine involves some serious ideals, but despite avoiding his battle expression most of the time he's not too wide-eyed. He's got the world-weary thing going, but values Kaoru as a WideEyedIdealist. Some of the stupidity probably isn't fake. The line is impossible to find, as is common with CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass types. His backstory involves a bit of this, despite all his childhood trauma--it caused him to wind up a sworn assassin in a civil war. In other words, he is TheIdealist who is trying to protect those near him with his sword as opposed to "the sweet lie" of swords being inherently protective.
* WillfullyWeak: If Kenshin fought to kill, his fights would be over a lot sooner. Refusing to kill and using a reverse-blade sword is a double-handicap.
* WingdingEyes: Is the most subject to this when his eyes go all swirly in the more lighthearted and comedic moments. Usually is followed up with an "Oro" in Japanese version or a funny sound in the English version.
* TheWorfBarrage: When your sword style is considered the strongest and is designed to incapacitate opponents in a single blow, it can fall into this; Sanosuke was considered the first notable opponent since he was able to take one of Kenshin's attacks without being instantly defeated. In terms of specific attacks, Ku Zu Ryu Sen falls into this. Despite being one of Kenshin's two ultimate techniques, as well as being unblockable and undodgeable, opponents are either strong enough to [[NoSell ignore it]], or fast enough to dodge it. In fact, Ku Zu Ryu Sen has only worked ''once'' in the entire manga against Shishio. It just wasn't enough to put him down.
* TheWorfEffect: He technically doesn't lose many fights, but in the beginning of the series antagonists like Jin-E and Saitou established their threat level by easily defeating Kenshin the wanderer, leading to him succumbing to his Battousai personality.
* WorfHadTheFlu:
** This comes into play when he finally fights Shishio. Kenshin had gone through fights with both [[TheRival Aoshi]] and [[TheDragon Soujirou]], two challenging opponents who were close to his level if not better. Due to his injuries, [[spoiler: he loses in the first part of their fight]].
** Kaoru theorizes that his initial defeat at the hands of Enishi was caused by his inner turmoil preventing him from fighting at his best: [[spoiler: Caused by his guilt over killing Tomoe and lacking an answer for how he could atone for it]]. By the time they fight again, Kenshin has resolved these issues and defeats Enishi.
* WorldsBestWarrior: Even at the start of the series he's considered Japan's best swordsman, with Aoshi desiring to defeat him to gain his title.
* XMarksTheHero: The most iconic example, to the point that it's often called a "Kenshin scar".
* YellowEyesOfSneakiness: As Battousai, his eyes are amber.
[[/folder]]
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