Rurouni Kenshii

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Rurouni Kenshii by IncandescentKitsune is basically a Gender Flip treated like a For Want of a Nail scenario, with Kenshin being born female (not exactly the biggest stretch) and dubbed Kenshii. Oddly, s/he isn't the person who the most unlike their canon counterpart, but Enishi, who ends up as being not crazy. And a protagonist. And not crazy. And not a villain. Did we mention not crazy?

Sadly, while the concept is surprisingly intriguing and the first few chapters are quite good, it isn't any longer than that; it's both very short and most likely dead.


Tropes used in Rurouni Kenshii include:


Kenshii: Though personally, I always thought at least some of the rest of the Shinsengumi figured it out, what with the way some of them were always sort of flirting…

  • For Want of a Nail: Despite Kenshin being the one who was gender flipped, Enishi went through the most significant change, going from a crazed, psychotic Big Bad to a protagonist. Had the fic gotten far enough, the last manga arc probably wouldn't have happened. At the same time, smaller changes are scattered about, such as Kenshii's outfit not being the trademark pink and Tomoe being buried in Tokyo instead of Kyoto.
  • Gender Flip: The premise and the nail.
  • In Spite of a Nail: Kenshii still has the trademark scar despite never meeting Tomoe, Enishi still uses wattoujutsu, the same swordstyle as he did in the series, and Tomoe is still dead.
  • I Resemble That Remark:

"Don't call me stick girl!" Kaoru shouted at him.
"Don't pick on Kenshii!" he shouted back. "Just because she's too nice and puts up with your mood swings…"
Kaoru stuck her tongue out at him, before brightening and turning to Kenshii, proving Enishi's point.

Enishi: (After Karou takes over cussing out a police officer) I take it back, I like her.
Kenshii: See! I knew you'd like her given enough time – you're too similar not to like each other…
Enishi: We are not similar!
Kenshii: Of course not, Eni-chan.

  • Shout-Out: The name Kenshii was originally used in “Samurai X”, the Sony/Columbia dub of the show.
  • Sweet Polly Oliver: Kenshii pretended to be male while she was fighting in the revolution, but has gotten too old to pull it off anymore.