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* DefeatMeansFriendship: The one of two examples in the series
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* DefeatMeansFriendship: The one of two examples in the seriesseries.
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* TheReliableOne: Kenshin considers him as such; may not be the smartest, but is a stalwart ally of Kenshin in terms of strength and loyalty
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* TheReliableOne: Kenshin considers him as such; may not be the smartest, but is a stalwart ally of Kenshin in terms of strength and loyaltyloyalty.
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* PluckyGirl: On a good day. In fact, she manages to break through Jinne's brainwashing (which he says paralyzes her lungs and will eventually make her suffocate) ''by sheer willpower alone.''
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* PluckyGirl: On a good day. In fact, she manages to break through Jinne's Jin-e's brainwashing (which he says paralyzes her lungs and will eventually make her suffocate) ''by sheer willpower alone.''
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* WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter: She beats Katamari and his SinisterScythe with her [[spoiler:'''broken''']] bokken.
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* WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter: She beats Katamari Kamatari and his SinisterScythe with her [[spoiler:'''broken''']] bokken.
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* DarkerAndEdgier: His ''Shin Kyoto Hen'' incarnation is shaping 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]].
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* DarkerAndEdgier: His ''Shin Kyoto Hen'' incarnation is shaping 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]].
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* TheWorfBarrage: When your sword style is considered the strongest and designed to incapacitate opponents in a single blow, it can fall into this. 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 undogeable, opponents are either strong enough to NoSell it, or fast enough to dodge it.
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* TheWorfBarrage: When your sword style is considered the strongest and designed to incapacitate opponents in a single blow, it can fall into this. 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 undogeable, undodgeable, opponents are either strong enough to NoSell it, or fast enough to dodge it.
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* OralFixationFixation: Always seen chewing something (his namesake, Harada Sanosuke of TheShinsengumi, is portrayed the same way in the flashback chapter).
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* OralFixationFixation: OralFixation: Always seen chewing something (his namesake, Harada Sanosuke of TheShinsengumi, is portrayed the same way in the flashback chapter).
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* LoveIsAWeakness: A particularly DangerouslyGenreSavvy 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.]]
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* {{BFS}}: Sano wielded a massive zanbato as his trademark weapon when he made his first appearance. Deconstructed ([[WreckedWeapon literally]]) by Kenshin, who notes that the zanbato's size makes it impossible to wield effectively and limits its' usage to horizontal and overhead swings.
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* {{BFS}}: Sano wielded a massive zanbato as his trademark weapon when he made his first appearance. Deconstructed ([[WreckedWeapon literally]]) by Kenshin, who notes that the zanbato's size makes it impossible to wield effectively and limits its' usage to horizontal and overhead swings.
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* BigBrotherMentor: Becomes this for [[spoiler: Kenji]].
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* BigBrotherMentor: Becomes this for [[spoiler: Kenji.]]
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* FragileSpeedster[=/=]GlassCannon: Fast and powerful but ultimately his lack of muscles [[spoiler:means his body has deteriorated to the point where he eventually can't even fight any more]].
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* LightningBruiser: Most of his fights show him taking a lot of punishment before being able to make a counterattack.
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* LightningBruiser: Fast and powerful but ultimately his lack of muscles [[spoiler:means his body has deteriorated 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.
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* WeakButSkilled: Learning from Kenshin, Yahiko was able to develop into this.
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->'''Voiced by:''' Mayo Suzukaze (JP), MegumiOgata (JP, Drama CD); RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA's)
->'''Portrayed by:''' Takeru Sato (Live Action)
->'''Portrayed by:''' Takeru Sato (Live Action)
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->'''Voiced by:''' Miki Fujitani (JP), TomoSakurai (JP, Drama CD), DorothyEliasFahn (EN, TV series), Katherine Catmull (EN, OVA)
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* VerbalTic: "Oro?", as well as the aforementioned keigo speech
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* VerbalTic: "Oro?", as well as the aforementioned keigo speechspeech.
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* OneManArmy: Took down 200 thugs in a ''single night''
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* OneManArmy: Took down 200 thugs in a ''single night''night''.
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* RedBaron: "Zanza", short for "Sanosuke of the Zanbato"
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* RedBaron: "Zanza", short for "Sanosuke of the Zanbato" Zanbato".
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* IntergenerationalFriendship: With several characters, especially Sanosuke and Yahiko
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* IntergenerationalFriendship: With several characters, especially Sanosuke and YahikoYahiko.
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* [[LastOfHisKind Last Of Her Kind]]
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* [[LastOfHisKind Last Of Her Kind]]LastOfHerKind
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* [[spoiler:FirstGirlWins: First girl introduced in the main narrative but second in the timeline.]]
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* [[spoiler:FirstGirlWins: FirstGirlWins: First girl introduced in the main narrative but second in the timeline.]]
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* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni
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* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue OniOni.
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* LightningBruiser: Most of his fights show him taking a lot of punishment before being able to make a counterattack
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* LightningBruiser: Most of his fights show him taking a lot of punishment before being able to make a counterattackcounterattack.
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* AllLovingHero: Known for helping others and avoiding massacres. A friend of his thinks in one scene that he will save his life even if didn't want his help since there are several people in Japan who need him.
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* AllLovingHero: Known for helping others and avoiding massacres. A friend of his thinks in one scene that he will save his life even if didn't want his help since there are several people in Japan who need him.
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* AllLovingHero: Known for helping others and avoiding massacres. A friend of his thinks in one scene that he will save him life even if didn't want his help since there are several people in Japan who need him.
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* AllLovingHero: Known for helping others and avoiding massacres. A friend of his thinks in one scene that he will save him his life even if didn't want his help since there are several people in Japan who need him.
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** 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]].
* 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]].
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* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple: With Kenshin.]]
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* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple: With Kenshin.]]
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* YamatoNadeshiko: Becomes more and more of this as the story passes, with heavy emphasis in the touch of steel. Specially when [[spoiler: she pulls Kaoru out of her HeroicBSOD.]]
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* YamatoNadeshiko: Becomes more and more of this as the story passes, with heavy emphasis in the touch of steel. Specially when [[spoiler: she pulls Kaoru out of her HeroicBSOD.]]
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Changed line(s) 143 (click to see context) from:
* CantCatchUp: Kaoru would be an impressive fighter if she weren't [[OvershadowedByAwesome outclassed by the overpowered freaks of nature]] that run rampant in this show. Do bear in mind however, she is still ''one'' of the five warriors to hold the honor of having defeat a Juppongata (namely Kamatari the Great-Scythe), one of the ''Ten Greatest Warriors in Meiji Japan'', in personal combat. With a [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden sword]]. [[spoiler:And a '''broken''' wooden sword, at that.]]
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* CantCatchUp: Kaoru would be an impressive fighter if she weren't [[OvershadowedByAwesome outclassed by the overpowered freaks of nature]] that run rampant in this show. Do bear in mind however, she is still ''one'' of the five warriors to hold the honor of having defeat defeated a Juppongata (namely Kamatari the Great-Scythe), one of the ''Ten Greatest Warriors in Meiji Japan'', in personal combat. With a [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden sword]]. [[spoiler:And a '''broken''' wooden sword, at that.]]
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Hmm, stronger emphasis with this order.
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* CantCatchUp: Kaoru would be an impressive fighter if she weren't [[OvershadowedByAwesome outclassed by the overpowered freaks of nature]] that run rampant in this show. Do bear in mind however, she is ''still'' one of '''five''' warriors to hold the honor of having defeat a Juppongata (namely Kamatari the Great-Scythe), one of the ''Ten Greatest Warriors in Meiji Japan'', in personal combat. With a [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden sword]]. [[spoiler:And a '''broken''' wooden sword, at that.]]
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* CantCatchUp: Kaoru would be an impressive fighter if she weren't [[OvershadowedByAwesome outclassed by the overpowered freaks of nature]] that run rampant in this show. Do bear in mind however, she is ''still'' one still ''one'' of '''five''' the five warriors to hold the honor of having defeat a Juppongata (namely Kamatari the Great-Scythe), one of the ''Ten Greatest Warriors in Meiji Japan'', in personal combat. With a [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden sword]]. [[spoiler:And a '''broken''' wooden sword, at that.]]
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* CantCatchUp: Kaoru would be an impressive fighter if she weren't [[OvershadowedByAwesome outclassed by the overpowered freaks of nature]] that run rampant in this show. Do bear in mind however, she is ''still'' one of the '''few''' warriors in the cast to defeat a Juppongata (namely Kamatari the Great-Scythe), one of the ''Ten Greatest Warriors in Meiji Japan'', in personal combat. With a [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden sword]]. [[spoiler:And a '''broken''' wooden sword, at that.]]
to:
* CantCatchUp: Kaoru would be an impressive fighter if she weren't [[OvershadowedByAwesome outclassed by the overpowered freaks of nature]] that run rampant in this show. Do bear in mind however, she is ''still'' one of the '''few''' '''five''' warriors in to hold the cast to honor of having defeat a Juppongata (namely Kamatari the Great-Scythe), one of the ''Ten Greatest Warriors in Meiji Japan'', in personal combat. With a [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden sword]]. [[spoiler:And a '''broken''' wooden sword, at that.]]
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** Sanosuke would still be a hired thug.
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** Sanosuke would still be a hired thug.fighter-for-hire.
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** 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 hired thug.
** Megumi would've been forced to make opium for Kanryu for the rest of her life.
** Yahiko would still be a pickpocket forced to work for the Yakuza.
** Sanosuke would still be a hired thug.
** Megumi would've been forced to make opium for Kanryu for the rest of her life.
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** 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.
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** 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. 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]].
** 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]].
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* GoodIsNotNice: He may not kill you when he fights you, but rest assures, you don't know what pain is until you piss him off.
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* GoodIsNotNice: 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.
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!!'''Himura Kenshin (Birth Name: Himura Shinta)'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Himura_Kenshin_7028.jpg
->'''Voiced by:''' Mayo Suzukaze (JP), MegumiOgata (JP, Drama CD); RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA's)
->'''Portrayed by:''' Takeru Sato (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, I prefer Mistress Kaoru's play-talk more than the truth. And I wish 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. [[hottip:*: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.]]
Kenshin's fighting style is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, now an ancient study. With this dangerous sword style, he uses his Sakabato (a sword with a reversed edge) to restrain himself from killing anyone ever again, and renounces the title Hitokiri.
-----
* [[spoiler:AccidentalMurder: He accidentally killed Tomoe when she threw herself between him and his opponent, intending to protect him. Blinded with pain, Kenshin was unable to see her until it was too late, and delivered a fatal blow to his opponent and to her with the same slash of his sword.]]
* [[spoiler:ActionDad: In the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* {{Adorkable}}
* AllLovingHero: Known for helping others and avoiding massacres. A friend of his thinks in one scene that he will save him life even if didn't want his help since there are several people in Japan who need him.
* AnimalBattleAura: Occasionally gets a dragon aura.
* AnimalMotifs: The dragon.
* AntiHero: An UnscrupulousHero in the revolution. 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.
** 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]].
* 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.
* [[spoiler:BabiesEverAfter: He and Kaoru have a son named Kenji in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* {{Badass}}:
** BadassAdorable
** CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass
** HeartbrokenBadass: By the Jinchu arc.
* BashBrothers: With Sano.
* BerserkButton: Admitting that you killed an innocent person ForTheEvulz, or threatening to harm an innocent person (or worse, one of his TrueCompanions), will result in a very painful beat-down.
* BewareTheNiceOnes
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Although more "Nice", the live-action movie uses this as one of the taglines.
* BewareTheSillyOnes
* {{Bishonen}}
* [[spoiler:BlindWeaponmaster: Only in the Anime. Eventually, he recovers.]]
** [[spoiler:The backstory also contained a horrifying aversion to this trope. He couldn't see Tomoe jump in front of him thanks to being blinded earlier in the fight, so he wound up accidentally killing her.]]
* BrokenAce: Despite being known as the "Strongest of the Isshin-Shishi" and helped 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.
* CharacterTitle
* 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.
** This is averted in the [[Film/RurouniKenshin Live Action]] adaptation. He is able to hold his own against several {{Mooks}} unarmed for a few minutes before grabbing a nearby bokken.
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DarkerAndEdgier: His ''Shin Kyoto Hen'' incarnation is shaping 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.
* DeclarationOfProtection: To Kaoru. Also to Tomoe in the past.
* DefusingTheTykebomb: He does this to [[spoiler:Soujiro]].
* {{Determinator}}
* [[spoiler:DisappearedDad: In the second OVA.]]
* DorkKnight
* TheDrifter: At the beginning.
* 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'' ending as not fitting with the theme of the series as a whole.
* EyeColorChange: The title character changes eye colour to correspond to which SplitPersonality is in command in the anime.
* TheFettered
* FragileSpeedster[=/=]GlassCannon: Fast and powerful but ultimately his lack of muscles [[spoiler:means his body has deteriorated to the point where he eventually can't even fight any more]].
* GoodIsNotDumb
* GoodIsNotNice: He may not kill you when he fights you, but rest assures, you don't know what pain is until you piss him off.
* GoodOldWays: His formal and old-fashioned manner of speech is commented on more than once.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: His X-shaped scar on his face.
* [[spoiler:HappilyMarried: To Kaoru in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* TheHero
* 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.
* HomelessHero: Until Kaoru gave him one.
* [[spoiler:HotDad: He becomes one in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* HumbleHero
* IaijutsuPractitioner: How he gains the name "Battousai", because ''he's that good at battoujutsu''.
* ILetGwenStacyDie: 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.
* 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.
* InsecureLoveInterest: He usually isn't sure if he deserves someone like Kaoru.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With several characters, especially Sanosuke and Yahiko
* 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.
* JerkassFacade: He tries to assume one of these during the Kyoto Arc. Key word "tries;" he isn't very good at it.
* {{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... '''[[BewareTheNiceOnes run]]'''.
* LastNameBasis: Misao and a few others calls him by his family name.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaAnLjbAY2Q Kimi wa Dare o Mamotte Iru]].
* LightningBruiser: Most of his fights show him taking a lot of punishment before being able to make a counterattack
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* 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, though not without grievous injuries
* 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.
* MartialPacifist
* 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.
* NiceGuy
* OfficialCouple: With Kaoru.
* OlderThanHeLooks
* OneManArmy: [[http://www.mangareader.net/118-5427-19/rurouni-kenshin/chapter-3.html Case in point.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse
* PurpleEyes
* RealMenWearPink: His shirt is actually pink. He's also a better cook than Kaoru ([[LethalChef which isn't saying much]]) and helps keep the dojo neat and tidy.
** Anime only (and it's really more of a magenta). In the manga, his shirt is usually either red or navy blue.
* RedBaron: Hitokiri Battousai, The "Manslayer"
* RedHeadedHero: Despite being Japanese and in a series that has realistic HairColors. According to {{fanon}} and/or some EpilepticTrees, he ''might'' have [[ButNotTooForeign Dutch blood in his veins]] as the Dutch were pretty much the only foreigners allowed to stay in Japanese territory during the isolation years imposed by the Shogunate.
* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni
* SamuraiPonytail: He has the long, well kept variant.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Gained one in the Cinema-ban manga, and actually putting it on when confronting Sano in chapter two.
* SecondLove: For Tomoe.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the sensitive guy to Sanosuke's manly man.
* ShellShockedVeteran
* 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.
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Part and parcel of his SuperPoweredEvilSide.
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: If he cracks under pressure, the KnightTemplar Battousai comes out...
* TechnicalPacifist: He will never '''ever''' kill you, but you will be in a shitload of pain if you fight him.
* ThouShaltNotKill: [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Most]] of the time.
* ThroughHisStomach: Kenshin likes Kaoru's cooking because she keeps getting better and better at it.
* TigerVersusDragon: He is the dragon, Enishi is the tiger.
* TragicHero
* TwiceShy: With Kaoru.
* VerbalTic: "Oro?", as well as the aforementioned keigo speech
* 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.
* TheWorfBarrage: When your sword style is considered the strongest and designed to incapacitate opponents in a single blow, it can fall into this. 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 undogeable, opponents are either strong enough to NoSell it, or fast enough to dodge it.
* 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.
* XMarksTheHero: The most iconic example, to the point that it's often called a "Kenshin scar".
!!'''Kamiya Kaoru'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kamiya_Kaoru_9092.jpg
->'''Voiced by:''' Miki Fujitani (JP), TomoSakurai (JP, Drama CD), DorothyEliasFahn (EN, TV series), Katherine Catmull (EN, OVA)
->Portrayed by: Emi Takei (Live Action)
A seventeen-year-old dojo instructor. Kaoru is a teacher of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu style, a swords style used to protect people, and not harm others. Since her father was killed in the war, responsibility for running the family dojo fell to young Kaoru. After defending Kaoru from the fake Battōsai and his allies, Kenshin is invited to live at the dojo. Kaoru quickly develops a crush on Kenshin, soon falling in love with him, although she tends to violently deny it.
-----
* ActionGirl[=/=]FauxActionGirl: Depending on your viewpoint and on the story arc. She's more action-geared in the anime.
* AlliterativeName
* AnimalMotifs: The {{tanuki}}.
* [[spoiler:BabiesEverAfter: She and Kenshin have a son named Kenji in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* BadassAdorable
* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler:During the Jinchu arc. Let's just say, she doesn't play NeutralFemale.]]
* BadassTeacher: To Yahiko.
* BathingBeauty: More so in the anime than in the manga, though it's not done for FanService in particular. Nothing pleases Kaoru more than taking a nice bath in the furo after a long day of training at dojos, so Kenshin always makes sure to prepare it for her beforehand.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Betty to Megumi's Veronica.
* CantCatchUp: Kaoru would be an impressive fighter if she weren't [[OvershadowedByAwesome outclassed by the overpowered freaks of nature]] that run rampant in this show. Do bear in mind however, she is ''still'' one of the '''few''' warriors in the cast to defeat a Juppongata (namely Kamatari the Great-Scythe), one of the ''Ten Greatest Warriors in Meiji Japan'', in personal combat. With a [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden sword]]. [[spoiler:And a '''broken''' wooden sword, at that.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Kaoru transforms more over the series than any other character. At the beginning she is a clingy, snappy, naive and immature girl with a childish crush on Kenshin; by the end she is far more emotionally mature, being more even-tempered, holding ideals that are grounded in reality (without being [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids cynical]]) and harboring a sincere love for Kenshin and desire to support him.
* TheChick
* ClingyJealousGirl: PlayedForLaughs, but dropped thanks to CharacterDevelopment.
* [[spoiler:DeathFakedForYou: Enishi kidnaps Kaoru, replaces her with a doll and impales the mannequin to a wall with his sword before he leaves it for Kenshin to find, sending Kenshin into a severe HeroicBSOD.]]
* [[spoiler:FirstGirlWins: First girl introduced in the main narrative but second in the timeline.]]
* [[spoiler:HappilyMarried: To Kenshin in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* HeirToTheDojo
* [[spoiler:HotMom: She becomes one in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* TheLadysFavour: Kaoru gives Kenshin her favorite hair ribbon before he sets off to find Jin'e.
* LethalChef: To the extent that ''Kenshin'' is the one wearing the apron in the family...
* TheObiWan: To Yahiko. Subverted in that [[spoiler: her death is faked.]]
* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple: With Kenshin.]]
* TheOtherDarrin: Was initially voiced by TomoSakurai in the CD dramas, who then was replaced by Miki Fujitani. Mrs. Sakurai would then voice Misao.
* PluckyGirl: On a good day. In fact, she manages to break through Jinne's brainwashing (which he says paralyzes her lungs and will eventually make her suffocate) ''by sheer willpower alone.''
* ReplacementGoldfish: She winds up taking this role to [[spoiler:Enishi]] as a stand-in for [[spoiler:Tomoe]].
* SecondLove: For Kenshin.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only girl in the Kenshin-gumi.
* [[spoiler:StuffedInTheFridge: She is stabbed through the heart by Enishi and has an X-shaped scar carved onto her left cheek just as Kenshin's, and is left nailed to the dojo wall, slumped in a pool of her own blood. The gruesome display was meant to send Kenshin over the edge with grief, knowing that he failed to save his SecondLove. It works really well. She ain't dead after all.]]
* TomboyishPonytail
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak
* {{Tsundere}}: Type B aka more deredere. Even the title of her image song ''It's Not Like I Like You or Anything'' lampshades it.
* TwiceShy: With Kenshin.
* VolleyingInsults: With Sanosuke and Yahiko.
* WideEyedIdealist: Believes quite firmly in the Katsujinken, that is, the sword that gives life. She never loses this ideal, but she does adapt it to be more realistic.
* WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter: She beats Katamari and his SinisterScythe with her [[spoiler:'''broken''']] bokken.
* YamatoNadeshiko: A straight up example in ''Seishouhen''. She has also grown into one after the manga's GrandFinale, but it's more subtle.
!!'''Sagara Sanosuke''' / '''[[spoiler: Higashidani Sanosuke]]'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sagara_Sanosuke_9769.jpg
->Voiced by: YujiUeda (JP - Anime), TomokazuSeki (JP - Drama CD), Creator/LexLang (EN - Anime), Gray G. Haddock (EN - OVA)
->Child Sanosuke: YurikoFuchizaki (JP), BrianneSiddall (EN)
->Portrayed by: Aoki Munetaka (Live Action)
A street fighter who befriends Kenshin early in the series. As a youth, Sanosuke ran away from home to join the Sekiho Army, a group of farmers and merchants who fought for the Ishin Shishi during the Meiji Revolution. When the Sekiho were betrayed and executed by the other revolutionaries, Sanosuke escaped and becomes a fighter-for-hire to vent his anger. He is hired to attack Kenshin, a former Ishin Shishi, but when Sanosuke is defeated he becomes Kenshin's best friend and fighting partner.
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* AboveGoodAndEvil: After the Sekihoutai was branded "evil" by the Meiji Government, Sano gives little regard to such labels. Instead he resolves to protect the weak and reserves his hatred for hypocrites.
* AlliterativeName: [[spoiler:If he's using his adoptive father's surname that is.]]
* AnimalMotifs: The rooster.
* AntiHero: Not the nicest hero, but still a straight forward person with good intentions.
* BadassNormal: Compared to everyone else. While most of the cast received formal training in powerful sword styles, or simply had natural talent, Sanosuke learned from having countless street fights
* BashBrothers: With Kenshin.
* BerserkButton: Most prominently is anything regarding the Isshin-Shishi(as he considers them hypocrites) or the Sekihoutai being insulted. Being considered Kenshin's weakness is also one.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Yahiko. Captain Sagara Souzo was one to him; Sanosuke would take his surname out of respect.
* TheBigGuy: While he's not the Big Guy in a FiveManBand sense, functioning instead as Kenshin's Lancer, he's certainly a Big Guy in all aspects, from being the tallest of the gang, his [[CharlesAtlasSuperPower unnatural strength]] right down to being a BoisterousBruiser. He even wielded a {{BFS}}. It's especially pronounced when Saitou joins the cast, though not enough to diminish his reliability to Kenshin.
* {{BFS}}: Sano wielded a massive zanbato as his trademark weapon when he made his first appearance. Deconstructed ([[WreckedWeapon literally]]) by Kenshin, who notes that the zanbato's size makes it impossible to wield effectively and limits its' usage to horizontal and overhead swings.
* BloodKnight
* BoisterousBruiser
* ButtMonkey: While mostly from Saitou, characters are either not particularly fond of him or have some disparaging comment about his intelligence
* CharlesAtlasSuperPower: Even before learning Futae No Kiwami, his monstrous strength and endurance were notable; capable of knocking someone out with two fingers or sending people flying with punches.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Was always rather HotBlooded, but originally could be fairly mature and knowledgeable(had the planning to research Kenshin before their first fight, and tended to offer battle commentary). Once characters like Saitou and [[spoiler: Aoshi]] join Kenshin, he comes off as much more meat-headed and reckless in comparison.
* ChekhovsGun: Sano's zanbato is broken in his debut battle with Kenshin and is never seen again... [[spoiler:until the Jinchuu arc comes around and Sano breaks it out again to knock one of Kujiranami's cannon shells right back at him.]]
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Mastery of the Two Layers becomes this after overusing it causes Sano to break his hand, and every subsequent usage re-breaks it. Subverted in that Sano eventually devises an alternate version that uses both hands to reduce the attack's backlash.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His experiences in the Sekihoutai have hardened him qutie a bit, at least compared to Yahiko or Kaoru.
* DeadpanSnarker: Particularly in the manga. Usually when Saito isn't around.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: The one of two examples in the series
* {{Determinator}}
* DudeWheresMyRespect: In his interactions with Saito.
* GenerationXerox: Just look [[TheAce at his dad]]... [[spoiler: The biological one, Higashidane Kamishimoemon. Not the adoptive one, Sagara Souzou from the Sekihoutai.]]
* GlacierWaif: He's not as large or muscular as some of the other bruisers in the series, but his strength and endurance are still undeniable
* GoodOldFisticuffs: Sano's choice of fighting technique after the zanbato breaks. Somewhat subverted in that certain really skilled characters can crush him without much problem, but if they aren't at Kenshin's or Saito's level, no amount of martial arts mastery or pressure point knowledge will do anything to put him down.
* {{Hachimaki}}
* HotBlooded
* IdiotHero: Well... Idiot {{Lancer}}. Most of the time his priorites lay in fighting or eating, and not much else. However, he occasionally shows fairly sharp insight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* KnightInSourArmor: He explicitly states in a few instances that he's "not as trusting or nice" as Kenshin and is quite cynical about the Meiji Government, but at heart he's a friend of the weak.
* TheLancer: He's Kenshin's main fighting partner and best friend, contrasts him by using his fists instead of swords, and generally has a more hot-blooded disposition to Kenshin.
* LargeHam
* MadeOfIron: The first character in the series to take one of Kenshin's attacks and stand up again; this was practically his trademark ability for the entire series. Also a source of several [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments Of Awesome]], usually when a VillainOfTheWeek hits him with their strongest attack only for Sano to nonchalantly brush it off; if they were particularly powerful Villains Of The Week, they might give him a bruise or two before Sano demolished them with GoodOldFisticuffs.
--> '''Sano:''' What's this? You thought you could kill things with ''this''?
* ManInWhite
* MegatonPunch: Mastery of the Two Layers is a rare serious use of this trope, as well as Sano's only named technique and his ''other'' trademark ability after he learned it from Anji.
* MrFanservice
* NewMediaAreEvil: In the anime. He's terrified and superstitious of photography, believing the camera steals people's souls. To be fair, [[TruthInTelevision it is documented that some Japanese during the late Tokugawa and early Meiji period held these superstitions]], even when Japanese photographers are already being trained in the craft.
* NoSenseOfDirection: Gets lost even when he has ''a map and compass'' handy.
* OneManArmy: Took down 200 thugs in a ''single night''
* OralFixationFixation: Always seen chewing something (his namesake, Harada Sanosuke of TheShinsengumi, is portrayed the same way in the flashback chapter).
* PoisonousFriend: Despite his loyalty and admiration of Kenshin's beliefs, he doesn't necessarily shy away from killing. When Kenshin [[spoiler: fights Aoshi again]] he notes that with the current state of mind his opponent is in, it's either "kill or be killed". Against Shishio, he resolved to take him down himself if Kenshin failed or died.
* RedBaron: "Zanza", short for "Sanosuke of the Zanbato"
* TheReliableOne: Kenshin considers him as such; may not be the smartest, but is a stalwart ally of Kenshin in terms of strength and loyalty
* RightMakesMight: While an explicit philosophy of most of the heroes, Sanosuke uses this trope quite well in his fight against Anji by proving why his way of salvation was wrong. Kenshin even notes that while Anji outclasses Sano in power, Sano's determination made him the winner.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the manly man to Kenshin's sensitive guy.
* SpannerInTheWorks: During the Kyoto arc, Shishio watches Kenshin, Saitou, and Sano [[spoiler: from the deck of his ironclad battleship, the Rengoku (that he had sunk fully 3/5ths of his finances into acquiring)]] and dismisses Sano as a mere tagalong. Sano then does him the favour of throwing a few bombs that his friend Katsu had given him right before leaving Kyoto [[spoiler: at the Rengoku, which sinks pretty shortly afterwards.]]
* TallDarkAndSnarky: He have his moments.
* UnskilledButStrong: He's a tough and persistent fighter, but lacks the skill and experience of Kenshin or Saitou.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Due to his abrasive nature, he tends to have this relationship with most characters, espeically Saitou.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Speced up with a {{sarashi}}.
* WalkingTheEarth: At the end of the series.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: His fighting skills ultimately boil down to tanking hits, and hitting hard. Later, Futae no Kiwami enables him to hit even harder.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: ''Terrified'' of trains and photographs in the anime. The scene where these fears are revealed and Kaoru fails to dispel them is a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
** TruthInTelevision in that a lot of Japanese were still a bit creeped out of said Western implements after the Bakumatsu, even with Japanese-trained photographers in regards to cameras.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler: While he's not defeated often, his utter loss to Saitou TWICE prompts him to train himself. Plus in the anime, Aoshi takes him out in a single blow as does Shishio in the manga and anime]].
** WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler: His loss to Shishio, while inevitable given [[{{BigBad}} who he was,]] makes a lot of sense considering the condition he was in. Nobody's ready to fight a master swordsman after trading hits with someone like Monk Anji.]]
*** A fact that was actually pointed out by Shishio himself--[[spoiler: he kept Monk Anji as the first line specifically because, in his words, nobody could walk away from him unscathed. And given the way Monk Anji fought, it's very likely he would have crippled Kenshin or Saito, who are more skilled than Sanosuke but can't just stand there and tank hits.]]
* [[spoiler: YouCantGoHomeAgain]]: [[spoiler: Sanosuke left home after his mother's death, and much later he came back to its surroundings. (His dad was the only one who recognized him, as his siblings were too young back then.) But after dealing a brutal beating to criminals ruling the region where they lived, he decided to leave again forever [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies so they wouldn't be targeted]].]]
!!'''Myojin Yahiko'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Myojin_Yahiko_3761.jpg
->Voiced by: MinaTominaga (JP - Anime), MinamiTakayama (JP - Drama CD), WendeeLee (EN)
->Portrayed by: Taketo Tanaka (Live Action)
A young boy at ten years old and the son of a samurai. When he was younger, both of his parents died, and he was taken in by the Yakuza, who forced him to live as a pickpocket. Once he meets up with Kenshin and Kaoru, he decides to stand up to the Yakuza, and escapes with Kenshin's help. He joins Kaoru's dojo to become a stronger swordsman, becoming the first graduate of Kamiya Kasshin-ryū. Over the course of the series, he becomes a strong warrior.
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* AdorablyPrecociousChild: He fits this trope excellently, insisting that he is the descendant of a proud samurai lineage and berating anyone who comments on his age.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Yahiko notes that even [[spoiler: five years after retiring from swordsmanship]] and his own skills increasing exponentially, he barely manages to tie with Kenshin. [[spoiler: Nevertheless, this earns him Kenshin's respect and his sakabatou.]]
* AuthorAvatar: Apparently based on Watsuki's own bratty boyhood self in the Junior High Kendo Team. Watsuki considers himself most like Yahiko in his admiration of kenshin.
* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler:His combat againts Kujiranami durig the Jinchu arc. Yahiko ends up biting waaaaaaay more than he can chew ([[TheDeterminator not that that stops him from trying even at the face of certain death]]) and ends up being saved by Kenshin.]]
* BareHandedBladeBlock: His specialty. At the end of the manga, he becomes known as "The Man Who Caught A Thousand Blades".
** Bare handed nothing, he does it with his ''knuckles''!
* TheBerserker
* TheBigGuy: He may be [[TagAlongKid tiny]], but he can take one ''hell'' of a beating.
* BrattyHalfPint: At first.
* BigBrotherMentor: Becomes this for [[spoiler: Kenji.]]
* CantCatchUp: Experiences this in the last arc of the manga, as he becomes more frustrated at his inability to keep up with Kenshin or Sanosuke.
* {{Determinator}}
* HotBlooded
* KidSamurai
* TheMario: He can't match up to Kenshin, Sanosuke, Saito, or Kaoru [[spoiler: as a child,]] but he learns from all four and has a pretty well-rounded fighting style. [[spoiler: Evolves to TheAce as an adult, utilizing Kenshin's attitude, taking Kaoru's sword style to a new level, and keeping just a hint of Sanosuke in his personality.]]
* ParentalAbandonment
* PercussivePickpocket: Tries to do this to Kenshin.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Kaoru smugly notes in the series epilogue that he only has eyes for Tsubame.
* SonOfAWhore: His MissingMom was an IllGirl and a prostitute, widowed in the war. It should be noted that, unlike many examples of the trope, Yahiko actually cherishes his mom's memory and even takes pride on her doing what she could to raise him, [[ShutUpHannibal using that to his favor]] when a bad guy tries giving him a BreakingSpeech.
* StreetUrchin
* TookALevelInBadass: Throughout the Kyoto and Jinchu arcs, and ''especially'' at the end of the manga.
* WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter: He beats several rivals armed with real katanas and even ''explosives'' just with his shinai.
!!'''Takani Megumi'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Takani_Megumi_1934.jpg
->Voiced by: MikaDoi (JP - Anime), Mari Devon (EN - Anime), Rebeca Robinson (EN - OVA)
->Portrayed by: Yu Aoi (Live Action)
A woman from Aizu, daughter of a famous doctor who died in the war. She was left all alone and started working in Tokyo, but her boss was killed by an industrialist; Megumi was then kidnapped and forced to make opium for him. With Kenshin and Sanosuke's support and encouragement, she becomes a doctor to atone for her past misdeeds.
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* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Imposing, dark-haired with pale skin. In her initial appearances, she is very distant.
* AnimalMotifs: The [[{{kitsune}} fox]].
* TheAtoner: Is haunted by her past as Kanryuu Takeda's assistant.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Veronica to Kaoru's Betty, though Kenshin never really expresses any genuine interest in Megumi and she eventually concedes that Kaoru and Kenshin are a more suitable couple.
* BrokenBird: She gets better.
* HelloNurse
* HospitalHottie
* DrivenToSuicide: Twice, one time implied and the other [[InterruptedSuicide interrupted]]. The first one happened in past: she has the typical wrist-cutting vertical scars and mentions having tried to kill herself. (Likely a BathSuicide) The second attempt comes in when Megumi's re-captured by Kanryuu and believes that Kenshin and his friends have died fighting Aoshi and his group; she tries to [[{{Seppuku}} cut her own throat]], but Sanosuke arrives in time to stop her.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: To Kenshin eventually.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: In her first appearances.
* [[LastOfHisKind Last Of Her Kind]]
* MasterPoisoner: In her DarkAndTroubledPast.
* TheMedic
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone
* NoblewomansLaugh
* RavenHairIvorySkin
* TeamMom
* YamatoNadeshiko: Becomes more and more of this as the story passes, with heavy emphasis in the touch of steel. Specially when [[spoiler: she pulls Kaoru out of her HeroicBSOD.]]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Himura_Kenshin_7028.jpg
->'''Voiced by:''' Mayo Suzukaze (JP), MegumiOgata (JP, Drama CD); RichardCansino (EN, TV series), J. Shanon Weaver (EN, OVA's)
->'''Portrayed by:''' Takeru Sato (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, I prefer Mistress Kaoru's play-talk more than the truth. And I wish 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. [[hottip:*: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.]]
Kenshin's fighting style is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, now an ancient study. With this dangerous sword style, he uses his Sakabato (a sword with a reversed edge) to restrain himself from killing anyone ever again, and renounces the title Hitokiri.
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* [[spoiler:AccidentalMurder: He accidentally killed Tomoe when she threw herself between him and his opponent, intending to protect him. Blinded with pain, Kenshin was unable to see her until it was too late, and delivered a fatal blow to his opponent and to her with the same slash of his sword.]]
* [[spoiler:ActionDad: In the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* {{Adorkable}}
* AllLovingHero: Known for helping others and avoiding massacres. A friend of his thinks in one scene that he will save him life even if didn't want his help since there are several people in Japan who need him.
* AnimalBattleAura: Occasionally gets a dragon aura.
* AnimalMotifs: The dragon.
* AntiHero: An UnscrupulousHero in the revolution. 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.
** 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]].
* 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.
* [[spoiler:BabiesEverAfter: He and Kaoru have a son named Kenji in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* {{Badass}}:
** BadassAdorable
** CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass
** HeartbrokenBadass: By the Jinchu arc.
* BashBrothers: With Sano.
* BerserkButton: Admitting that you killed an innocent person ForTheEvulz, or threatening to harm an innocent person (or worse, one of his TrueCompanions), will result in a very painful beat-down.
* BewareTheNiceOnes
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Although more "Nice", the live-action movie uses this as one of the taglines.
* BewareTheSillyOnes
* {{Bishonen}}
* [[spoiler:BlindWeaponmaster: Only in the Anime. Eventually, he recovers.]]
** [[spoiler:The backstory also contained a horrifying aversion to this trope. He couldn't see Tomoe jump in front of him thanks to being blinded earlier in the fight, so he wound up accidentally killing her.]]
* BrokenAce: Despite being known as the "Strongest of the Isshin-Shishi" and helped 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.
* CharacterTitle
* 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.
** This is averted in the [[Film/RurouniKenshin Live Action]] adaptation. He is able to hold his own against several {{Mooks}} unarmed for a few minutes before grabbing a nearby bokken.
* DarkAndTroubledPast
* DarkerAndEdgier: His ''Shin Kyoto Hen'' incarnation is shaping 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.
* DeclarationOfProtection: To Kaoru. Also to Tomoe in the past.
* DefusingTheTykebomb: He does this to [[spoiler:Soujiro]].
* {{Determinator}}
* [[spoiler:DisappearedDad: In the second OVA.]]
* DorkKnight
* TheDrifter: At the beginning.
* 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'' ending as not fitting with the theme of the series as a whole.
* EyeColorChange: The title character changes eye colour to correspond to which SplitPersonality is in command in the anime.
* TheFettered
* FragileSpeedster[=/=]GlassCannon: Fast and powerful but ultimately his lack of muscles [[spoiler:means his body has deteriorated to the point where he eventually can't even fight any more]].
* GoodIsNotDumb
* GoodIsNotNice: He may not kill you when he fights you, but rest assures, you don't know what pain is until you piss him off.
* GoodOldWays: His formal and old-fashioned manner of speech is commented on more than once.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: His X-shaped scar on his face.
* [[spoiler:HappilyMarried: To Kaoru in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* TheHero
* 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.
* HomelessHero: Until Kaoru gave him one.
* [[spoiler:HotDad: He becomes one in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* HumbleHero
* IaijutsuPractitioner: How he gains the name "Battousai", because ''he's that good at battoujutsu''.
* ILetGwenStacyDie: 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.
* 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.
* InsecureLoveInterest: He usually isn't sure if he deserves someone like Kaoru.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With several characters, especially Sanosuke and Yahiko
* 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.
* JerkassFacade: He tries to assume one of these during the Kyoto Arc. Key word "tries;" he isn't very good at it.
* {{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... '''[[BewareTheNiceOnes run]]'''.
* LastNameBasis: Misao and a few others calls him by his family name.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaAnLjbAY2Q Kimi wa Dare o Mamotte Iru]].
* LightningBruiser: Most of his fights show him taking a lot of punishment before being able to make a counterattack
* LongHairedPrettyBoy
* 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, though not without grievous injuries
* 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.
* MartialPacifist
* 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.
* NiceGuy
* OfficialCouple: With Kaoru.
* OlderThanHeLooks
* OneManArmy: [[http://www.mangareader.net/118-5427-19/rurouni-kenshin/chapter-3.html Case in point.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse
* PurpleEyes
* RealMenWearPink: His shirt is actually pink. He's also a better cook than Kaoru ([[LethalChef which isn't saying much]]) and helps keep the dojo neat and tidy.
** Anime only (and it's really more of a magenta). In the manga, his shirt is usually either red or navy blue.
* RedBaron: Hitokiri Battousai, The "Manslayer"
* RedHeadedHero: Despite being Japanese and in a series that has realistic HairColors. According to {{fanon}} and/or some EpilepticTrees, he ''might'' have [[ButNotTooForeign Dutch blood in his veins]] as the Dutch were pretty much the only foreigners allowed to stay in Japanese territory during the isolation years imposed by the Shogunate.
* RedOniBlueOni: Except when in Battosai mode, he's the Red Oni to Saito's Blue Oni
* SamuraiPonytail: He has the long, well kept variant.
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Gained one in the Cinema-ban manga, and actually putting it on when confronting Sano in chapter two.
* SecondLove: For Tomoe.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the sensitive guy to Sanosuke's manly man.
* ShellShockedVeteran
* 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.
* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Part and parcel of his SuperPoweredEvilSide.
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: If he cracks under pressure, the KnightTemplar Battousai comes out...
* TechnicalPacifist: He will never '''ever''' kill you, but you will be in a shitload of pain if you fight him.
* ThouShaltNotKill: [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Most]] of the time.
* ThroughHisStomach: Kenshin likes Kaoru's cooking because she keeps getting better and better at it.
* TigerVersusDragon: He is the dragon, Enishi is the tiger.
* TragicHero
* TwiceShy: With Kaoru.
* VerbalTic: "Oro?", as well as the aforementioned keigo speech
* 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.
* TheWorfBarrage: When your sword style is considered the strongest and designed to incapacitate opponents in a single blow, it can fall into this. 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 undogeable, opponents are either strong enough to NoSell it, or fast enough to dodge it.
* 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.
* XMarksTheHero: The most iconic example, to the point that it's often called a "Kenshin scar".
!!'''Kamiya Kaoru'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kamiya_Kaoru_9092.jpg
->'''Voiced by:''' Miki Fujitani (JP), TomoSakurai (JP, Drama CD), DorothyEliasFahn (EN, TV series), Katherine Catmull (EN, OVA)
->Portrayed by: Emi Takei (Live Action)
A seventeen-year-old dojo instructor. Kaoru is a teacher of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu style, a swords style used to protect people, and not harm others. Since her father was killed in the war, responsibility for running the family dojo fell to young Kaoru. After defending Kaoru from the fake Battōsai and his allies, Kenshin is invited to live at the dojo. Kaoru quickly develops a crush on Kenshin, soon falling in love with him, although she tends to violently deny it.
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* ActionGirl[=/=]FauxActionGirl: Depending on your viewpoint and on the story arc. She's more action-geared in the anime.
* AlliterativeName
* AnimalMotifs: The {{tanuki}}.
* [[spoiler:BabiesEverAfter: She and Kenshin have a son named Kenji in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* BadassAdorable
* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler:During the Jinchu arc. Let's just say, she doesn't play NeutralFemale.]]
* BadassTeacher: To Yahiko.
* BathingBeauty: More so in the anime than in the manga, though it's not done for FanService in particular. Nothing pleases Kaoru more than taking a nice bath in the furo after a long day of training at dojos, so Kenshin always makes sure to prepare it for her beforehand.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Betty to Megumi's Veronica.
* CantCatchUp: Kaoru would be an impressive fighter if she weren't [[OvershadowedByAwesome outclassed by the overpowered freaks of nature]] that run rampant in this show. Do bear in mind however, she is ''still'' one of the '''few''' warriors in the cast to defeat a Juppongata (namely Kamatari the Great-Scythe), one of the ''Ten Greatest Warriors in Meiji Japan'', in personal combat. With a [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden sword]]. [[spoiler:And a '''broken''' wooden sword, at that.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Kaoru transforms more over the series than any other character. At the beginning she is a clingy, snappy, naive and immature girl with a childish crush on Kenshin; by the end she is far more emotionally mature, being more even-tempered, holding ideals that are grounded in reality (without being [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids cynical]]) and harboring a sincere love for Kenshin and desire to support him.
* TheChick
* ClingyJealousGirl: PlayedForLaughs, but dropped thanks to CharacterDevelopment.
* [[spoiler:DeathFakedForYou: Enishi kidnaps Kaoru, replaces her with a doll and impales the mannequin to a wall with his sword before he leaves it for Kenshin to find, sending Kenshin into a severe HeroicBSOD.]]
* [[spoiler:FirstGirlWins: First girl introduced in the main narrative but second in the timeline.]]
* [[spoiler:HappilyMarried: To Kenshin in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* HeirToTheDojo
* [[spoiler:HotMom: She becomes one in the Manga's DistantFinale.]]
* TheLadysFavour: Kaoru gives Kenshin her favorite hair ribbon before he sets off to find Jin'e.
* LethalChef: To the extent that ''Kenshin'' is the one wearing the apron in the family...
* TheObiWan: To Yahiko. Subverted in that [[spoiler: her death is faked.]]
* [[spoiler: OfficialCouple: With Kenshin.]]
* TheOtherDarrin: Was initially voiced by TomoSakurai in the CD dramas, who then was replaced by Miki Fujitani. Mrs. Sakurai would then voice Misao.
* PluckyGirl: On a good day. In fact, she manages to break through Jinne's brainwashing (which he says paralyzes her lungs and will eventually make her suffocate) ''by sheer willpower alone.''
* ReplacementGoldfish: She winds up taking this role to [[spoiler:Enishi]] as a stand-in for [[spoiler:Tomoe]].
* SecondLove: For Kenshin.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: The only girl in the Kenshin-gumi.
* [[spoiler:StuffedInTheFridge: She is stabbed through the heart by Enishi and has an X-shaped scar carved onto her left cheek just as Kenshin's, and is left nailed to the dojo wall, slumped in a pool of her own blood. The gruesome display was meant to send Kenshin over the edge with grief, knowing that he failed to save his SecondLove. It works really well. She ain't dead after all.]]
* TomboyishPonytail
* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak
* {{Tsundere}}: Type B aka more deredere. Even the title of her image song ''It's Not Like I Like You or Anything'' lampshades it.
* TwiceShy: With Kenshin.
* VolleyingInsults: With Sanosuke and Yahiko.
* WideEyedIdealist: Believes quite firmly in the Katsujinken, that is, the sword that gives life. She never loses this ideal, but she does adapt it to be more realistic.
* WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter: She beats Katamari and his SinisterScythe with her [[spoiler:'''broken''']] bokken.
* YamatoNadeshiko: A straight up example in ''Seishouhen''. She has also grown into one after the manga's GrandFinale, but it's more subtle.
!!'''Sagara Sanosuke''' / '''[[spoiler: Higashidani Sanosuke]]'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sagara_Sanosuke_9769.jpg
->Voiced by: YujiUeda (JP - Anime), TomokazuSeki (JP - Drama CD), Creator/LexLang (EN - Anime), Gray G. Haddock (EN - OVA)
->Child Sanosuke: YurikoFuchizaki (JP), BrianneSiddall (EN)
->Portrayed by: Aoki Munetaka (Live Action)
A street fighter who befriends Kenshin early in the series. As a youth, Sanosuke ran away from home to join the Sekiho Army, a group of farmers and merchants who fought for the Ishin Shishi during the Meiji Revolution. When the Sekiho were betrayed and executed by the other revolutionaries, Sanosuke escaped and becomes a fighter-for-hire to vent his anger. He is hired to attack Kenshin, a former Ishin Shishi, but when Sanosuke is defeated he becomes Kenshin's best friend and fighting partner.
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* AboveGoodAndEvil: After the Sekihoutai was branded "evil" by the Meiji Government, Sano gives little regard to such labels. Instead he resolves to protect the weak and reserves his hatred for hypocrites.
* AlliterativeName: [[spoiler:If he's using his adoptive father's surname that is.]]
* AnimalMotifs: The rooster.
* AntiHero: Not the nicest hero, but still a straight forward person with good intentions.
* BadassNormal: Compared to everyone else. While most of the cast received formal training in powerful sword styles, or simply had natural talent, Sanosuke learned from having countless street fights
* BashBrothers: With Kenshin.
* BerserkButton: Most prominently is anything regarding the Isshin-Shishi(as he considers them hypocrites) or the Sekihoutai being insulted. Being considered Kenshin's weakness is also one.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Yahiko. Captain Sagara Souzo was one to him; Sanosuke would take his surname out of respect.
* TheBigGuy: While he's not the Big Guy in a FiveManBand sense, functioning instead as Kenshin's Lancer, he's certainly a Big Guy in all aspects, from being the tallest of the gang, his [[CharlesAtlasSuperPower unnatural strength]] right down to being a BoisterousBruiser. He even wielded a {{BFS}}. It's especially pronounced when Saitou joins the cast, though not enough to diminish his reliability to Kenshin.
* {{BFS}}: Sano wielded a massive zanbato as his trademark weapon when he made his first appearance. Deconstructed ([[WreckedWeapon literally]]) by Kenshin, who notes that the zanbato's size makes it impossible to wield effectively and limits its' usage to horizontal and overhead swings.
* BloodKnight
* BoisterousBruiser
* ButtMonkey: While mostly from Saitou, characters are either not particularly fond of him or have some disparaging comment about his intelligence
* CharlesAtlasSuperPower: Even before learning Futae No Kiwami, his monstrous strength and endurance were notable; capable of knocking someone out with two fingers or sending people flying with punches.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Was always rather HotBlooded, but originally could be fairly mature and knowledgeable(had the planning to research Kenshin before their first fight, and tended to offer battle commentary). Once characters like Saitou and [[spoiler: Aoshi]] join Kenshin, he comes off as much more meat-headed and reckless in comparison.
* ChekhovsGun: Sano's zanbato is broken in his debut battle with Kenshin and is never seen again... [[spoiler:until the Jinchuu arc comes around and Sano breaks it out again to knock one of Kujiranami's cannon shells right back at him.]]
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Mastery of the Two Layers becomes this after overusing it causes Sano to break his hand, and every subsequent usage re-breaks it. Subverted in that Sano eventually devises an alternate version that uses both hands to reduce the attack's backlash.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His experiences in the Sekihoutai have hardened him qutie a bit, at least compared to Yahiko or Kaoru.
* DeadpanSnarker: Particularly in the manga. Usually when Saito isn't around.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: The one of two examples in the series
* {{Determinator}}
* DudeWheresMyRespect: In his interactions with Saito.
* GenerationXerox: Just look [[TheAce at his dad]]... [[spoiler: The biological one, Higashidane Kamishimoemon. Not the adoptive one, Sagara Souzou from the Sekihoutai.]]
* GlacierWaif: He's not as large or muscular as some of the other bruisers in the series, but his strength and endurance are still undeniable
* GoodOldFisticuffs: Sano's choice of fighting technique after the zanbato breaks. Somewhat subverted in that certain really skilled characters can crush him without much problem, but if they aren't at Kenshin's or Saito's level, no amount of martial arts mastery or pressure point knowledge will do anything to put him down.
* {{Hachimaki}}
* HotBlooded
* IdiotHero: Well... Idiot {{Lancer}}. Most of the time his priorites lay in fighting or eating, and not much else. However, he occasionally shows fairly sharp insight.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* KnightInSourArmor: He explicitly states in a few instances that he's "not as trusting or nice" as Kenshin and is quite cynical about the Meiji Government, but at heart he's a friend of the weak.
* TheLancer: He's Kenshin's main fighting partner and best friend, contrasts him by using his fists instead of swords, and generally has a more hot-blooded disposition to Kenshin.
* LargeHam
* MadeOfIron: The first character in the series to take one of Kenshin's attacks and stand up again; this was practically his trademark ability for the entire series. Also a source of several [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments Of Awesome]], usually when a VillainOfTheWeek hits him with their strongest attack only for Sano to nonchalantly brush it off; if they were particularly powerful Villains Of The Week, they might give him a bruise or two before Sano demolished them with GoodOldFisticuffs.
--> '''Sano:''' What's this? You thought you could kill things with ''this''?
* ManInWhite
* MegatonPunch: Mastery of the Two Layers is a rare serious use of this trope, as well as Sano's only named technique and his ''other'' trademark ability after he learned it from Anji.
* MrFanservice
* NewMediaAreEvil: In the anime. He's terrified and superstitious of photography, believing the camera steals people's souls. To be fair, [[TruthInTelevision it is documented that some Japanese during the late Tokugawa and early Meiji period held these superstitions]], even when Japanese photographers are already being trained in the craft.
* NoSenseOfDirection: Gets lost even when he has ''a map and compass'' handy.
* OneManArmy: Took down 200 thugs in a ''single night''
* OralFixationFixation: Always seen chewing something (his namesake, Harada Sanosuke of TheShinsengumi, is portrayed the same way in the flashback chapter).
* PoisonousFriend: Despite his loyalty and admiration of Kenshin's beliefs, he doesn't necessarily shy away from killing. When Kenshin [[spoiler: fights Aoshi again]] he notes that with the current state of mind his opponent is in, it's either "kill or be killed". Against Shishio, he resolved to take him down himself if Kenshin failed or died.
* RedBaron: "Zanza", short for "Sanosuke of the Zanbato"
* TheReliableOne: Kenshin considers him as such; may not be the smartest, but is a stalwart ally of Kenshin in terms of strength and loyalty
* RightMakesMight: While an explicit philosophy of most of the heroes, Sanosuke uses this trope quite well in his fight against Anji by proving why his way of salvation was wrong. Kenshin even notes that while Anji outclasses Sano in power, Sano's determination made him the winner.
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: He's the manly man to Kenshin's sensitive guy.
* SpannerInTheWorks: During the Kyoto arc, Shishio watches Kenshin, Saitou, and Sano [[spoiler: from the deck of his ironclad battleship, the Rengoku (that he had sunk fully 3/5ths of his finances into acquiring)]] and dismisses Sano as a mere tagalong. Sano then does him the favour of throwing a few bombs that his friend Katsu had given him right before leaving Kyoto [[spoiler: at the Rengoku, which sinks pretty shortly afterwards.]]
* TallDarkAndSnarky: He have his moments.
* UnskilledButStrong: He's a tough and persistent fighter, but lacks the skill and experience of Kenshin or Saitou.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Due to his abrasive nature, he tends to have this relationship with most characters, espeically Saitou.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Speced up with a {{sarashi}}.
* WalkingTheEarth: At the end of the series.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: His fighting skills ultimately boil down to tanking hits, and hitting hard. Later, Futae no Kiwami enables him to hit even harder.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: ''Terrified'' of trains and photographs in the anime. The scene where these fears are revealed and Kaoru fails to dispel them is a CrowningMomentOfFunny.
** TruthInTelevision in that a lot of Japanese were still a bit creeped out of said Western implements after the Bakumatsu, even with Japanese-trained photographers in regards to cameras.
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler: While he's not defeated often, his utter loss to Saitou TWICE prompts him to train himself. Plus in the anime, Aoshi takes him out in a single blow as does Shishio in the manga and anime]].
** WorfHadTheFlu: [[spoiler: His loss to Shishio, while inevitable given [[{{BigBad}} who he was,]] makes a lot of sense considering the condition he was in. Nobody's ready to fight a master swordsman after trading hits with someone like Monk Anji.]]
*** A fact that was actually pointed out by Shishio himself--[[spoiler: he kept Monk Anji as the first line specifically because, in his words, nobody could walk away from him unscathed. And given the way Monk Anji fought, it's very likely he would have crippled Kenshin or Saito, who are more skilled than Sanosuke but can't just stand there and tank hits.]]
* [[spoiler: YouCantGoHomeAgain]]: [[spoiler: Sanosuke left home after his mother's death, and much later he came back to its surroundings. (His dad was the only one who recognized him, as his siblings were too young back then.) But after dealing a brutal beating to criminals ruling the region where they lived, he decided to leave again forever [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies so they wouldn't be targeted]].]]
!!'''Myojin Yahiko'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Myojin_Yahiko_3761.jpg
->Voiced by: MinaTominaga (JP - Anime), MinamiTakayama (JP - Drama CD), WendeeLee (EN)
->Portrayed by: Taketo Tanaka (Live Action)
A young boy at ten years old and the son of a samurai. When he was younger, both of his parents died, and he was taken in by the Yakuza, who forced him to live as a pickpocket. Once he meets up with Kenshin and Kaoru, he decides to stand up to the Yakuza, and escapes with Kenshin's help. He joins Kaoru's dojo to become a stronger swordsman, becoming the first graduate of Kamiya Kasshin-ryū. Over the course of the series, he becomes a strong warrior.
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* AdorablyPrecociousChild: He fits this trope excellently, insisting that he is the descendant of a proud samurai lineage and berating anyone who comments on his age.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Yahiko notes that even [[spoiler: five years after retiring from swordsmanship]] and his own skills increasing exponentially, he barely manages to tie with Kenshin. [[spoiler: Nevertheless, this earns him Kenshin's respect and his sakabatou.]]
* AuthorAvatar: Apparently based on Watsuki's own bratty boyhood self in the Junior High Kendo Team. Watsuki considers himself most like Yahiko in his admiration of kenshin.
* BadassInDistress: [[spoiler:His combat againts Kujiranami durig the Jinchu arc. Yahiko ends up biting waaaaaaay more than he can chew ([[TheDeterminator not that that stops him from trying even at the face of certain death]]) and ends up being saved by Kenshin.]]
* BareHandedBladeBlock: His specialty. At the end of the manga, he becomes known as "The Man Who Caught A Thousand Blades".
** Bare handed nothing, he does it with his ''knuckles''!
* TheBerserker
* TheBigGuy: He may be [[TagAlongKid tiny]], but he can take one ''hell'' of a beating.
* BrattyHalfPint: At first.
* BigBrotherMentor: Becomes this for [[spoiler: Kenji.]]
* CantCatchUp: Experiences this in the last arc of the manga, as he becomes more frustrated at his inability to keep up with Kenshin or Sanosuke.
* {{Determinator}}
* HotBlooded
* KidSamurai
* TheMario: He can't match up to Kenshin, Sanosuke, Saito, or Kaoru [[spoiler: as a child,]] but he learns from all four and has a pretty well-rounded fighting style. [[spoiler: Evolves to TheAce as an adult, utilizing Kenshin's attitude, taking Kaoru's sword style to a new level, and keeping just a hint of Sanosuke in his personality.]]
* ParentalAbandonment
* PercussivePickpocket: Tries to do this to Kenshin.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Kaoru smugly notes in the series epilogue that he only has eyes for Tsubame.
* SonOfAWhore: His MissingMom was an IllGirl and a prostitute, widowed in the war. It should be noted that, unlike many examples of the trope, Yahiko actually cherishes his mom's memory and even takes pride on her doing what she could to raise him, [[ShutUpHannibal using that to his favor]] when a bad guy tries giving him a BreakingSpeech.
* StreetUrchin
* TookALevelInBadass: Throughout the Kyoto and Jinchu arcs, and ''especially'' at the end of the manga.
* WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter: He beats several rivals armed with real katanas and even ''explosives'' just with his shinai.
!!'''Takani Megumi'''
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Takani_Megumi_1934.jpg
->Voiced by: MikaDoi (JP - Anime), Mari Devon (EN - Anime), Rebeca Robinson (EN - OVA)
->Portrayed by: Yu Aoi (Live Action)
A woman from Aizu, daughter of a famous doctor who died in the war. She was left all alone and started working in Tokyo, but her boss was killed by an industrialist; Megumi was then kidnapped and forced to make opium for him. With Kenshin and Sanosuke's support and encouragement, she becomes a doctor to atone for her past misdeeds.
-----
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Imposing, dark-haired with pale skin. In her initial appearances, she is very distant.
* AnimalMotifs: The [[{{kitsune}} fox]].
* TheAtoner: Is haunted by her past as Kanryuu Takeda's assistant.
* BettyAndVeronica: The Veronica to Kaoru's Betty, though Kenshin never really expresses any genuine interest in Megumi and she eventually concedes that Kaoru and Kenshin are a more suitable couple.
* BrokenBird: She gets better.
* HelloNurse
* HospitalHottie
* DrivenToSuicide: Twice, one time implied and the other [[InterruptedSuicide interrupted]]. The first one happened in past: she has the typical wrist-cutting vertical scars and mentions having tried to kill herself. (Likely a BathSuicide) The second attempt comes in when Megumi's re-captured by Kanryuu and believes that Kenshin and his friends have died fighting Aoshi and his group; she tries to [[{{Seppuku}} cut her own throat]], but Sanosuke arrives in time to stop her.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: To Kenshin eventually.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: In her first appearances.
* [[LastOfHisKind Last Of Her Kind]]
* MasterPoisoner: In her DarkAndTroubledPast.
* TheMedic
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone
* NoblewomansLaugh
* RavenHairIvorySkin
* TeamMom
* YamatoNadeshiko: Becomes more and more of this as the story passes, with heavy emphasis in the touch of steel. Specially when [[spoiler: she pulls Kaoru out of her HeroicBSOD.]]
