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Oibore aka the Geezer
Oibore aka the Geezer
- Cool Old Guy: A rather kindly old fellow who gives Kenshin advice when he stays in the Wrong Side of the Tracks after Kaoru's apparent death
- The Reveal: He is revealed to be Tomoe and Enishi's father, and Kenshin's father in law. While he did recognize his son-in-law, when he and Enishi met it's not clear whether he also recognized his grown-up son.
The Higashidani family
The Higashidani family (father Kamishimoemon, mother Naname, first son Sanosuke, daughter Uki, second son Outa)
- Action Dad: Kamishimoemon is a rather good fighter, though Sanosuke turns out to be better than him.
- Blush Sticker: Outa, nicknamed "Apple cheeks" for his perpetually red face.
- The Bus Came Back: An older Outa appears in the Hokkaido Arc, having listened to Sano's advice and joined the Kamiya Dojo.
- Like Father, Like Son: Kamishimoeomon and his eldest son Sano are rather similar.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Neither Sanosuke nor Kamishimoemon tell Uki and Outa that Sano is their long-lost brother, though it's implied that Uki realizes it in the end.
- Missing Mom: Naname died of pneumonia few after Outa's birth.
- Parents as People: Kamishimoemon is a good man but he's had quite the hard times between raising his children after his wife's death, the failure of the family business, etc.
- Shrinking Violet: Outa is shy and weak, and needs Uki's protection constantly. Sanosuke teaches him to be stronger and more capable, and some years later he joins the Kamiya dojo.
- Team Mom: After Naname's death, Uki has become the motherly figure in the house.
Hanabi
Hanabi
- Genki Girl: She is a cheerful, kind young woman and quite the contrast with the snarky, bitter and slightly sad Yumi. Of course, the poor girl gets killed off to kickstart Yumi's recruitment into the Juppongatana.
- Hidden Depths: She has quite the knowledge about ships... and accidentally blurts it out in front of Ichigase, who cruelly kills her because she could ruin his plans.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Probably, since she is the companion and best friend to the most expensive and beautiful High-Class Call Girl in the Red Light District of Tokyo.
- Morality Pet: Both she and the twins were this to Yumi, who hesitated to leave Yoshiwara to try protecting them. It horribly fails when poor Hanabi is bloodily murdered by Ichigase.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: She's a very good seamstress and is seen sewing back the buttons of a shirt belonging to Houji Sadoshima, while singing happily. After Hanabi is bloodily murdered, Houji kinda repays the favor by shooting one of the culprits dead exactly on the spot where a chest button should go.
Akari and Kogari
Akari and Kogari
- Always Identical Twins: As the picture shows.
- The Cutie: They're always happy and cute and adore their Cool Big Sis Yumi. So of course they get broken, but at least they live.
- Missing Child(ren): As Yumi is mourning for her dead "sister" Hanabi, she realizes that the twins aka her other "little sisters" aren't anywhere on sight and have been taken away by Ichigase's Wadatsumi troops.
- Made a Slave: After killing Hanabi, Ichigase kidnaps the two little girls and intends to sell them as slaves to foreign crews, who have "taken a fancy to Japanese things", like the two "porcelain dolls". This is foiled by the Juppongatana, as Yumi offers herself to Shishio in exchange for saving the girls and punishing Hanabi's death.
Sameo Ichigase
Sameo Ichigase
- Animal Motifs: The shark.
- Blood Knight: A rather crazy one, even.
- Evil Is Hammy: A thoroughly rotten bastard, but also entertainingly loud and flashy.
- Faux Affably Evil: Seems to be a cheerfully militaristic fellow with rather flowery speech patterns, but then he shows himself as quite the megalomaniacal Blood Knight.
- The Generalissimo: An official of the newly created Imperial Japanese Navy, and prides himself after his work out in seas of Osaka Castle.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: When Yumi refuses to perform for him since she doesn't want to work with anyone affiliated to the Meiji Government, his reply is this:"If I cannot buy your company, I shall buy you. Perhaps you shall less easily refuse the company of a master rather than a customer" note
- Ironic Echo: A villain that would probably get even Kenshin gnawing at his leash: the worst remnants of the Tokugawa Shogunate strained to perfection and mixed with the justifications and motives of the Imperialist and pro-Facism movements of the Western world. Made even more ironic in that he fought under the Isshin Shishi, the side that denounced the samurai caste and essentially the han caste system that all of Japan had followed for the last near 1500 years. He even seems like an upgrade of Ujiki, the bloodthirsty Corrupt Cop of Ruroken's earliest chapters.
- Just Following Orders: A major example of his militaristic Day of the Jackboot philosophy. Anyone who is considered an extreme liability to his own progress- and by that, his self inflated idea that he is the government by extension -even by accident is so much as subject to his self righteous command of a death penalty. This so much as includes innocent civilians and even children who so much as accidentally nudge him in his way of progress.
- Meaningful Name: His name, as written, literally means "Shark Man".
- Social Darwinist: Just like Shishio, Sameo believes in a society where the strong survive and the weak are their slaves or die. Much unlike Shishio however, where his world would be anarchy where anyone can be strong if they will and impose themselves to be, Sameo prides his philosophy of how the government, especially the military, should have precedence and even sovereignty over civilians. Unfortunately for him, he's not the strongest. Shishio is.
- Smug Snake: While an excellent fighter, he's also very prone to killing people for mere details (like Hanabi), very fond of using others for his plans ( like Akari and Kogari) and, in the end, has an overinflated sense of his own might. And when he tries to go the Evil Versus Evil way with Shishio is after Yumi's Please, I Will Do Anything! gives them the chance to fight, Shishio is more than happy to cut him down.
- Victorious Loser: Even if this guy is a future embellishment for Ruler of Flame, Sameo's ideals can be considered more in line with the Empire of Japan on a tangible level.
Alan Inoue
Alan Inoue
- Butt-Monkey: Often finds himself at the receiving end of Amusing Injuries.
- The Charmer: He has the better social skills of the new trio and tries to be this.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: As a half-blood, Alan longed to find his actual place in the world and that's implied to be why he followed the "Occidentalization" social movements that came out when Japan stopped being isolated.
- Fire-Forged Friends: He and Ashitaro are comple opposites, but at the end of Ashitarō zenka ari they've reached this.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Not only does he have a foreign first name and light hair, but his teacher Kaoru explicitly says that Alan's father wasn't Japanese. In fact, up until the end of Ashitarō zenka ari he dyed his hair black to avoid being abused for his heritage.
- Recruited from the Gutter: As shown in RK Ibun: Ashitarō zenka ari, Alan was a thief until he got caught trying to smuggle into a boat to the USA, jailed for a while (and he met Ashitaro in jail) and ultimately was taken into the Kamiya dojo, where he and Ashitaro are live-in students.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Unlike Ashitaro and Asahi, Alan wears Western clothes.
- Son of a Whore: The Big Bad from Ashitarō zenka ari speculates that Alan's mother was one of the prostitutes who made a living out of "pleasing" Westerners in the harbors.
Ashitaro Hasegawa
Ashitaro Hasegawa
- Berserk Button: Wasting food, oh yes. In Ashitarō zenka ari, one of his opponents throws some riceballs that Asahi had tried to use as bribe and Ashitaro gets VERY ANGRY.
- Big Eater: As a consequence of his past, one of his biggest traits is how he's always hungry. If not for his unquenchable hunger, he wouldn't have been taken into the Juppongatana.
- Black Swords Are Better: Shishio's Mugenjin, which he now posseses, now has a blackened, charred appearance, since the last time we saw it was in Shishio's hands when he and his headquarters burned to the ground.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Ashitaro was first an orphan, then a lowly thief, then a low-ranked Child Soldier and errand boy of the Juppongatana, then was jailed for five years after the Juppongatana was disbanded and, before being taken into the dojo, had to cut a deal with the police to stay there. Heck, the guy has Shishio's sword the Mugenjin and he's seen using one of Shishio's techniques, forcing Kenshin to use the Sakabato to stop him. Kenshin himself is seriously worried that, due to his hardships and Shishio's influence, he might become the second Shishio.
- Extreme Omnivore: Due to his terrible past, he's capable of eating almost anything. In Ashitarō zenka ari he's seen trying to eat something he pulled from the trash before a squicked-out Alan stops him, and later he also attempts to eat thrown riceballs until Alan stops him again - but now, for the sake of Ashitaro's self-worth.
- Flaming Sword: Current wielder of Shishio's Mugenjin, THE flaming sword of the series, which he ended up grabbing as he was escaping from their burning Mt. Hiei base.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
- In Ashitarō zenka ari he refuses to let go of the Mugenjin because he wants to sell it for a good price, then get nice food... and give the rest of the money to Alan so he can fill his dream and go to the USA. Alan is driven to tears when he hears it.
- He got into the HUGE brawl featured in the Hokkaido arc beginning because he tried to help Asahi against her abusive owner and her Bad Boss.
- Meaningful Name: His name literally means "Bad Taro" and was given to him by the villagers who's food he used to steal. Later, when joining the Kamiya Dojo, the chararacter for "Ashi" in his name is now changed so that it means "Tomorrow".
- Only the Chosen May Wield: Indicated that he was chosen by the Mugenjin, seeing as he was the only one able to draw it out in Ashitarō zenka ari. Kenshin contemplates on whether this was the case and the sword chose him, or if it was he who chose the sword.
- Never Learned to Read: Being a former street kid and a Juppongatana really didn't help him get a decent education.
- Recruited from the Gutter: RK Ibun: Ashitarō zenka ari finishes with Kenshin and Kaoru doing this for him and Alan.
- It turns out that he became a member of the Juppongatana after being caught stealing Shishio's food and staying defiant after he was captured and beaten, so Shishio sorta did this to him as well.
- Wrong Side of the Tracks: He spent some time in a slum before being jailed, and came back with a not-exactly-thrilled Alan when released to retrieve the Mugenjin, which he had buried there.
Asahi Kubota
Asahi Kubota
- Chekhov's Gun: She carries a mysterious envelope... It contains a photo taken in Hokkaido, and the guy featured on it turns out to be... Kaoru's Disappeared Dad Koshijirou Kamiya, who was believed to have died in the Satsuma War.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Asahi once was a low-ranked errand girl of the Juppongatana. In fact, the reason she was there was because she was Made a Slave by some shady people who lent her out to Shishio's group before eventually being adopted by Kenshin and Kaoru. Turns out it's even worse, as she was an orphan raised by the remnants of the Yaminobu from the Jinchuu arc. She assumes Kenshin will kill her for the Yaminobu's involvement in Tomoe's death..
- Expository Hairstyle Change: In Ashitarō zenka ari she has very long hair, but in Hokkaido arc she reappears with a fluffy bob.
- The Fashionista: In Hokkaido arc she's seen wearing a very cute hakama and taking pride on how she styled it personally.
- Honey Trap: In Ashitarō zenka ari she's forced to try befriending Ashitaro solely to try getting from him a "treasure" that he had found between the Juppongatana's dissolution and being thrown in jail: Shishio's sword Mugenjin.
- Made a Slave: Like Tsubame, she was a vassal to rather shady people.
- Master, I Don't Want to Fight: Doesn't want to get involved in any more violence and would rather "shine in this new era", which is problematic as the people who took her in as a war orphan are mercernaries who want to sell her services as one. That said, she does know how to fight when she wants to. Ashitaro learns this the hard way when she is able to floor him with ease.
- Never Learned to Read: Vital, in her case: she thought that gathering a certain quantity of money would be enough to purchase her freedom, but the real price was much higher and her abusive owner not only didn't disuade her, but wanted to sell her off to a far worse guy. If not for Ashitaro's intervention, who knows what would've happened to her. When she joins the Kamiya dojo, Ashitaro asks Alan to teach her to write/read and Alan happily accepts, on the condition that Ashitaro joins their study sessions.
- Offhand Backhand: Asahi's final blow on Ashitaro when he tries to get her to return to the Himura family is an elbow to the gut followed by a backhand to the face.
- Recruited from the Gutter: Hokkaido arc has Asahi being rescued from her new "masters" and, like Alan and Ashitaro, being taken in by Kaoru and Kenshin.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In Ashitarō zenka ari she manages to escape from the criminal and ex-Juppongatana group she's stuck with.
Sugimura Yoshie
- Blade Lock: Weaponized with his "San Rendousa" in his battle with Soujirou. He locks blades with his opponent's sword in such a way that the opponent is unable to move due their center of gravity being supressed.
- Character Name Alias: Sugimura Yoshie is his Meiji alias. His true identity is Nagakura Shinpachi, former Second Division Captain of the Shinsengumi.
- Cool Old Guy: He is the oldest member of the team gathered to fight off the Kenkaku Heiki and he is the most laid-back. He is also the Second Division Captain of the Shinsengumi and as his fight against the much younger and nimble Soujirou shows, age has not slowed him down in the slightest.
- Martial Pacifist: States that he is no longer a wolf who follows 'Aku Soku Zan' but instead a dog who doesn't kill.
- My Greatest Failure: Nagakura regrets the split between the Shinsengumi and the Goro-eiji, which eventually led to the downfall of the Shinsengumi. The death of Todo Heisuke, in particular, still haunts him.
- The Leader: Of the the reinforcements Saitou called for, which include Anji and Soujirou.
