Rurouni Kenshin: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''It was to create a world of peace, not to win positions of power, that we raised our swords and killed. If we forget that, then we are no revolutionaries after all.''|'''Himura Kenshin'''}}

 

 

 

To her great surprise, it turns out that her initial assessment of this vagrant ''wasn't'', strictly speaking, mistaken after all - the swordsman turns out to be Himura Kenshin, who used to be known as the Hitokiri Battousai ("the quick-drawing assassin") during the turbulent years of the Meiji Restoration when he acted as an assassin for the revolutionary anti-shogunate forces. Now he [[The Atoner|atones for his past sins]] [[Walking the Earth|wandering around]] and righting wrongs [[Technical Pacifist|without killing anyone]].

One of the most popular series of the late 90's, ''Rurouni Kenshin'' is notable for defying several established [[Shounen]] conventions. It features an older hero (Kenshin is 28 at the start of the series, [[Hollywood Old|which is ancient by shonen protagonist standards]] -- [[Older Than They Look|not that he looks it]]) who is world-weary and tired of fighting, instead of a wide-eyed young lad eager for adventure. Other themes which are rarely seen in the genre, such as politics and serious romance, pop up as well. This is what contributed to the ''legendary'' [[Multiple Demographic Appeal]] of the series, which crossed age, gender and ''national'' boundaries with equal ease.

 

 

 

 

** Also notable, Shishio's blade [[You Fail Physics Forever|never dulls because it has tiny sawblade-like teeth.]]

* [[Achey Scars]]: In the prequel, anyway.

* [[Accent Adaptation]]: The dub for the most part gave people accents.

** To a degree, {{spoiler|Sanosuke's father}} Kamishimoemon. Subverted somewhat since {{spoiler|Sanosuke}} is actually much, MUCH stronger than him.

** Also Hiko Seijuro.

** In the manga, Sagara Sozo and the Sekihotai chose to follow the summons of the Meiji government after the false accusation of them being a "false army" got around, [[You Should Know This Already|which led to their immediate execution]]. In the anime, they were ambushed by a Meiji government military unit sent to exterminate them. {{spoiler|The leader of this unit would also become the villain in the expansion of the story arc involving Sanosuke's Sekihotai comrade Katsu.}}

** In the manga, Raijuta is a buffoon rampaging against select kendo dojos, throwing his weight around with Yutaro's wealth. In the anime, Raijuta has a [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]] and is actually seeking to launch a coup d'etat against the Meiji government, still using Yutaro's wealth.

* [[Adult Fear]]: For a ten year old, Yahiko has a '''ridiculous''' amount of leeway that allows him to wield a sword, go on adventures, overshadow his teacher, and kick a buttload of giant mook ass in near-death battles. But when he goes off in the middle of the night with a bunch of rebels in the motion picture??? Yahiko not only gets slapped by a very distressed and teary-eyed Kaoru, but even pacifist Kenshin, who wouldn't raise a hand to ''anybody'' unless it was [[Technical Pacifist|absolutely necessary]], comes out and says that if Kaoru hadn't done it, he would have slapped Yahiko upside the head himself. You ought to be ashamed of yourself for worrying your surrogate parents like that, young samurai.

* [[All Love Is Unrequited]]: For the most part averted (which is kind of surprising considering that it's a shounen anime.)

* [[Animal Motifs]]: Enishi (Tiger), Kaoru (Racoon dog), Kenshin (Dragon), Megumi (Fox), Misao (Weasel), Sanosuke (Rooster), and Saitou (Wolf).

* [[Anime Accent Absence]]: Partly averted with Enishi: having spent much of his life in China at first he speaks Japanese with a "visible" accent. Later on he loses it (Watsuki probably grew tired of it) but he still roars, groans and laughs in "Chinese."

** Most infamously, though, was that the show kept "1/2" by Makoto Kawamoto as the opening theme for ''ages''; it lasted for three whole plot arcs and the opening animation was altered ''twice'' while keeping the song the same. In an industry where songs can change every ''cour'', this was very, very unusual.

** Shishio's motto which is frequently repeated by Soujiro: "In this world the weak are food for the strong. If you are strong, you live. If you are weak, you die."

** Relatedly: Music Evolution for the anime. The first "season" (roughly the first two cours or 26 episodes) featured a fairly light, jazzy soundtrack. Once the Shishio arc kicked off, however, the show shifted to a much heavier, orchestral soundtrack and feel to match the scope and scale of the story.

* [[The Atoner]]: Kenshin, for his time as Hitokiri Battousai.

** Megumi is also a non-combatant example, and Aoshi definitely has shades of this.

* [[Badass Adorable]]: Kenshin.

* [[Badass Boast]]: Battousai during the Jin'eh duel

* [[Badass Creed]]: Aku Soku Zan. I dare you to deny it. It translates to "Swift Death to Evil". (Or, if you want to be creative about translating, "Slay Evil Immediately".)

* [[Badass Grandpa]]: As mentioned, Sanosuke's father, who somehow manages to be even MORE awesome than Sano himself.

** [[Dirty Old Man|Okina]] also counts. {{spoiler|He took on Aoshi and ''lived to tell'', though it helped that Aoshi was holding back at the time almost without realizing it on a conscious level.}}

* [[Badass Normal]]: Sagara Sanosuke.

* [[Barehanded Blade Block]]:

** Kenshin to Aoshi - this gets a nice [[Ironic Echo]] when Aoshi does the same to an [[Elite Mook]] who was copying his fighting style.

** Yahiko becomes famous for this, as his school excels at defensive abilities, and in a critical battle realizes that form doesn't matter nearly as much as function. (The original ability catches the blade with the ''back'' of the hands so that you can do it while holding onto your own weapon.)

*** Yahiko as an adult got a nickname from his skill at this--[[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Master of a Thousand Blade Catches.]]

* [[Bash Brothers]]: Kenshin and Sanosuke at several points.

* [[Better to Die Than Be Killed]]: Earlier, {{spoiler|Kurogasa/Jin-E stabbed his own heart when Battousai was stopped an inch from killing him by Kaoru; he knows the Meiji authorities will kill him anyway but [[The Only One Allowed to Defeat You|he thought only Battousai was worthy of killing him.]]}} Later, {{spoiler|one of the Juppongatana commits suicide rather than stand trial, when it turns out that the Meiji Government will deny him his chance at making a public statement.}}

* [[Beware the Nice Ones]]: Kenshin is most decidedly Not Nice when in Battousai Mode. This is illustrated most memorably when he plays up his scary face on Takeda Kanryu:

* [[Big Bad]]: Makoto Shishio in the Kyoto Arc, Enishi Yukishiro in the Revenge Arc. The Tokyo Arc is a collection of smaller stories without a single Big Bad, though Saito is the final opponent of the arc. In the Remembrance flashback, Tatsumi arguably serves this role.

* [[BFS]]: Sano's zanbato.

** Subverted because it's actually too big to be used effectively.

*** Double-subverted when it's repaired in the final arc, and Sanosuke uses it to play baseball with a grenade launcher.

* [[Blade Run]]: Kenshin does this to Sano's [[BFS]]; his mentor pulls off an even more awesome version on an even bigger opponent's (even bigger, natch) weapon.

* [[The Blank]]: Shinomori Aoshi's [[Ninja]] [[Elite Mook]] more or less destroyed his own face so that he can be a [[Master of Disguise]]. His unmasked visage is pure horror (which is presumably why the anime didn't show it).

* [[Blood From the Mouth]]: One of the few times the implications of coughing up blood is actually addressed in Shonen anime: Kenshin gets punched in the gut by Gein's giant puppet, and when he coughs up blood, Megumi worriedly notes that this means he's sustained major organ damage.

** Also, any character who has the [[Incurable Cough of Death]] (see below) eventually exhibits at least one instance of this.

* [[Boring Invincible Hero]]: Mostly averted, Kenshin is basically this for the first few episodes, but quickly gets enemies that can go toe to toe with him.

* [[Braids of Action]]: Misao

* [[Breakfast Club]]: Just about any of the various [[Nakama]], but especially the Kenshin-gumi.

* [[Break the Cutie]]: Happens to Kenshin as a result of being an assassin.

* [[Bridal Carry]]:

** When Yumi's being carried by Sano via being slung over his back as they're racing against time to fight their way up Shishio's evil fortress. When Yumi complains, Sano asks her sarcastically whether or not she'd prefer being carried bridal style (with a straw dummy taking her place).

* [[Broken Bird]]: Yumi Komagata, Shura the Pirate, Tomoe Yukishiro, to a degree Sayo Magdaria; Megumi started the series as this, but she gets better.

* [[Calling Your Attacks]]: Interrupted on one occasion when {{spoiler|Enishi punches Kenshin in the face}} before he can finish.

** Watsuki points out that that Kaoru is at least a national level ''kendoka'' (in modern terms), and she shows it when she handily drops two thugs that even the Yakuza won't mess with in the blink of an eye.

*** It's not hanging out with Kenshin and company that makes Kaoru look like a faux action girl. It was how she decides to stay home and prepare the bath when sending her newest student, a ten year old boy who had just started learning swordsmanship under her a few weeks ago at best (and who she is apparently still stronger than in the Epilogue where he has grown into a fine badass of his own) against gun wielding gangsters, or the time she stayed behind doing nothing when he was dueling an assassin who had trained for years to specifically hunt down friggin' Battousai. She stayed in the kitchen much less in the anime, however, and even joined in on the raid on Kanryu's place.

*** This trope is somewhat subverted, as all of Kenshin's allies all have differing abilities to use against the [[Quirky Miniboss Squad|quirky miniboss squads,]] and still get their fair share of fights. Plus, Saito at least is on-par with Kenshin.

**** Well, except Misao, who only gets one big fight (and shares ''that'' with Kaoru).

* [[Cat Smile]]: Well more like fox face, Megumi does this every once in awhile when teasing Kaoru.

* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: When Sanosuke leaves for Kyoto, one of his friends from his revolutionary days gives him several tiny bombs of his own making, "just in case." Those bombs, after not being mentioned for several volumes, are used to {{spoiler|sink Shishio's battleship and completely derail his plan}}.

* [[Christmas Cake]]: Tae is implied to be one, if Kaoru's crack about her age and Tae's reaction are any indication.

* [[Conscription]]: Kaoru's father was conscripted to help suppress the Satsuma Rebellion before the start of the story. He died during the war, leaving Kaoru as the sole master of the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu.

* [[Conservation of Ninjutsu]]: Many fights play out like this, though it is somewhat justified for Kenshin in that the Hiten Mitsurugi style is specifically described as an exceptionally rare and deadly discipline that specializes in combat against multiple opponents.

* [[Crusading Widower]]: {{spoiler|Himura Kenshin whose protect the innocent without killing was inspired by the death of his wife Tomoe}}.

* [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]]: Subverted; a filler arc of the anime begins with a band of Christian revolutionaries and their deranged leader Amakusa Shogo, a would-be messiah likely modeled after both real-world cult leader Asahara Shoko ''and'' Japanese historical figure Amakusa Shiro Tokisada.

* [[Cut the Fuse]]: Kenshin cuts the fuses off of the bombs Katsu throws at him.

* [[Cute Shotaro Boy]]: Yahiko fits this trope excellently, insisting that he is the descendant of a proud samurai lineage and berating anyone who comments on his age.

* [[Dangerous Forbidden Technique]]: The Succession Technique puts tremendous strain on Kenshin's body. Sano broke his hand during the Kyoto arc, subsequent uses of his ultimate technique tended to have bad results for said hand (until he figured out a workaround).

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: The first OVA, which manages to be even darker than the accompanying portion of the manga, which is... impresive.

* [[Dead Because of Me]]: Kenshin, being a [[Technical Pacifist]], is haunted by every person he's ever killed, but especially {{spoiler|Tomoe}}.

* [[Deadly Delivery]]: Saito pulls this stunt when he visits the Kamiya dojo, by posing as a peddler selling medicines and home remedies. Sanosuke almost falls for it, until he notices the calluses on Saito's hands. At which point Saito {{spoiler|drops the facade and attacks Sanosuke, nearly killing him. He notes the attack would have been fatal had it not been for the flimsyness of the sword he was carrying.}}

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Whenever Kenshin's not [[Obfuscating Stupidity]], he's got a wicked sense of humor.

** When it comes to his morals. Saitou Hajime is a straight example as well, not mincing any words and possessing a tongue that's sharper than his sword and says it with a straight face. For solid proof, watch his fights against Usui and Mumyoui Yatsume.

* [[Death Faked for You]]: {{spoiler|Kaoru.}} Enishi wanted to leave behind {{spoiler|her}} actual corpse, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

* [[Decapitation Presentation]]: After {{spoiler|Souzou Sagara}} was executed, his head was put on display for betraying the government.

** Also, {{spoiler|Anji Yukyuzen}} is a deconstruction of [[Papa Wolf]] since {{spoiler|his adoptive childrens' death drive him to madness and a [[Face Heel Turn]], and Sanosuke has to beat the shit out of him both physically ''and'' mentally to make him reason.}}

** Shougo Amakusa from the anime deconstructs [[Religious Bruiser]] and [[Love Freak]], since {{spoiler|everyone told him that he was a "Son of God" since he was a kid and his family died horribly... but that makes him grow into an arrogant [[Jerkass]] with a God Complex who almost gets himself and all of his followers killed, and doesn't stop until both his sister and [[Morality Pet]] dies and Kenshin defeats him.}}

* [[Defeat Means Friendship]]: Happens to Sano (after one battle, though it was the power of Kenshin's [[Warrior Therapist]] tendencies that really did the job), Aoshi (it takes a second, more thorough ass-kicking), and to some extent even Saitou (by the end of the series).

* [[Defensive Feint Trap]]: Kenshin defeats a large opponent by baiting him into a running match, until the point that the opponent's knee gives out.

* [[The Determinator]]: Kenshin himself sometimes seems to fight on nothing more than sheer willpower.

** Sanosuke displays this trait just as much as Kenshin does. It helps that he's [[Made of Iron]].

** Yahiko, this is even more evident on the Jinchuu Arc.

* [[Disney Death]]: {{spoiler|Kaoru}}

** The author even apologized for the anticlimax (although in retrospect the setup for this was ''really'' obvious). He's also somewhat torn on how it turned out - on the one hand, it's an ''awful'' anticlimax, but on the other hand, {{spoiler|he believes steadfastly that Kenshin deserves a happy ending and life, and there was ''no way'' that could be accomplished if Kaoru was really dead}}. So he doesn't regret it.

* [[Dissonant Serenity]]: Soujiro is the embodiment of this {{spoiler|until he snaps in a [[Villainous Breakdown]]}}; Enishi also starts like this, but soon he's given to very wild mood swings.

* [[Distant Finale]]: Two, the one in the manga and the OVA.

** [[Yaoi Fangirl|Fans]] of the anime for a time used "Succession Technique" as an [[Unusual Euphemism]] for gay sex, making the dialogue between Aoshi and Kenshin rife with [[Foe Yay]].

* [[Doomed Protagonist]]: {{spoiler|Kenshin}} and {{spoiler|Kaoru}} in the OVA [[Downer Ending|stated below.]]

* [[The Dragon]]: Soujiro to Shishio, Gein to Enishi.

* [[The Drifter]]: Kenshin's way of life after the Restoration to repent for his killings and to protect people plagued by evil, until he settles down at the dojo. Kaoru also often worries about him reverting to his old habits and leaving her alone.

* [[Dub Name Change]]: Bizzarely, a few of the main cast get this in the Sony/Columbia dub which saw lots of play in markets other than the U.S., and it's a Japanese ... to ''Japanese'' name change. Kenshin is often pronounced without the "n", Kaoru became Kao''ri'', and most bizzarely Yahiko was changed to ''Yoshi''. Making this even ''weirder'' is that '''''nobody else''''' got this treatment; it's like the dub was originally being handled [[Macekre|much more "loosely"]] before someone else took the reins and decided to dub it far more straight with no changes. To this ''day'' nobody is really certain why these changes were made.

** What makes it even ''weirder'' is that it's almost like someone was [[Shown Their Work|doing their homework]] on the changes, since Kaoru (薫) and Kaori (香) have essentially the same meaning in Japanese (but the latter sounds a bit more "feminine" to Western ears due to ending on a high vowel), and "Yoshi" could be either 義 (righteous), 吉 ("good luck", for irony points) or 良 (good, as in "decently good", referencing his okay-but-not-great swordwork), all of which fit Mr. Myoujin well. These would almost fall under the [[Woolseyism]] banner ... ''if anyone could figure out why in the world the changes were even deemed necessary in the first place''.

* [[Dude Looks Like a Lady]]: Kenshin {{spoiler|and Kamatari.}}

* [[Dull Eyes of Unhappiness]]: When Kenshin believes {{spoiler|Enishi murdered Kaoru}}, he displays this trope. His recovery from the depression is marked by a return of his normal eyes.

* [[Eccentric Mentor]]: Oibore. He's even got a [[Wizard Beard]], [[Robe and Wizard Hat]]! (Well, okay, the robes are natty rags and the hat is made of bamboo, but his look still evokes the archetype.)

* [[Emotionless Girl]]: Yukishiro Tomoe; the author admitted that he based her on Ayanami Rei from ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''.

* [[Enfante Terrible]]: Sojiro, Enishi.

* [[Epiphany Therapy]]: Subverted. After his experience with Tomoe, Kenshin decides to become a [[Technical Pacifist]] but he still carries his hitokiri-related baggage until the end of the series.

* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: Seijiro Hiko, full stop. Also, Kenshin (to an extent).

* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Shishio is this for Kenshin, as Shishio was Kenshin's replacement as hitokiri and both symbolize the cultural conflict in Japan at the time between the ruthless inhumanity of modern politics and technology and the idealistic hope for future social equality and peace. Also Soujiro and Shishio are specifically drawn as [[Evil Counterpart|evil counterparts]] to Kenshin and Hiko Seijurou to show how the differing philosophies of their respective mentors had vastly different effects on their lives.

* [[Expressive Hair]]: Misao's braid; the other characters just get a few strands of misplaced hair while flustered. Chou claims that his hair stands straight up while angry, but Kenshin brutally shoots him down by saying that his hair is like that all the time anyway.

* [[Expy]]: All over the place, as evidenced by [[Word of God|Watsuki's notes]]:

** [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]: Tomoe (Ayanami Rei), Kamatari (Ikari Yui)

** Marvel Comics (Watsuki is a self-admitted [[Otaku]] of [[Stan Lee]]): Jin-E (Gambit), Kujiranami Hyōgo (Apocalypse), and Yatsume Mumyōi (Venom)

*** Unlike the above examples, which are mainly just visual expies, Arundo Akamatsu IS Omega Red. He has the same facial markings and method of attack.

*** Han'nya has Wolverine's claws. {{spoiler|They get broken, though, after only one fight.}}

*** Until the Jinchuu Arc, Aoshi has Gambit's [[Badass Longcoat|trenchcoat]].

** Misao is a partial Expy of Kaoru as Watsuki felt he needed a [[Genki Girl]] to lighten the [[Darker and Edgier]] Kyoto Arc.

** In the past before he got burned, Shishio was an Expy of Genjuro Kibagami from ''[[Samurai Shodown]]''. You could tell was quite handsome and even had a dressing style similar to him.

*** Watsuki is a big ''[[Samurai Shodown]]'' fan, frequently writing about it in his manga notes. Kenshin himself even resembles Shizumaru from the same series as well. SNK returned the favor by creating many Expies of *his* characters in [[Last Blade]]. Moriya is a mix of Kenshin and Hiko, Washizuka is basically Shinsengumi-era Saito complete with all three variations of his Gatotsu attack, Mukuro resembles Shishio, Kagami USES several of Shishio's attacks, and Amano resembles a one-shot Yakuza villain from early in the series. (The guy with the pompadour Kenshin smashed through the roof with the hilt of his sword.) On top of this, Watsuki actually [[Promoted Fanboy|helped]] SNK design character Tokugawa Yoshitora for [[Samurai Shodown]] V, who wields both an outlandish number of swords and an equally outlandish hairstyle, just like Chou only far more heroic.

** Enishi is an expy of Natsu from Kamijou Atsushi's ''[[SEX]]'', plus glasses (though Natsu is actually blond).

** Kenshin and Sano also pull off a pretty damn awesome variant in the Revenge Arc, with Kenshin executing a flying leap from Sano's fist to land the first blow.

** Watsuki is an [[X-Men]] fan, so these are probably intentional evocations.

* [[Fatal Family Photo]]: No photo involved, but Kiyosato Akira (Tomoe's fiance) talks about his engagement right before Battousai shows up to assassinate his party.

* [[Filler]]: Sadly, the overuse of filler episodes in the later seasons led to its eventual cancellation.

* [[Final Battle]]: The Kenshin Gumi along with Aoshi, Misao and Saitou go to Enishi's island to {{spoiler|rescue Kaoru}}. Once there, it's Aoshi, Yahiko, Sanosuke and Saitou vs. Enishi's four henchmen and, of course, Kenshin vs. Enishi.

* [[Fingore]]: Houji has one fingernail torn out and tears out six more himself. Also, Sanosuke's hand is seen with the fingers... not quite... sticking out correctly after using the [[Megaton Punch|Futae no Kiwami]] too much.

* [[Forced to Watch]]: Averted in the Jinchuu Arc since {{spoiler|Enishi was unable to kill any young woman who resembled his sister in age and appearance, so he couldn't kill Kaoru in front of Kenshin as he originally planned. So instead he left the dummy doll for Kenshin [[Heroic BSOD|to stare at]], [[The Reveal|but Aoshi figured it out]].}}

* [[Foreshadowing]]: In one early story, Yahiko explains that he's started work at the Akabeko because he wants to buy a reverse blade sword like Kenshin has. {{spoiler|After the [[Time Skip]] at the end of the series, Kenshin gives Yahiko his own sword.}}

* [[Funbag Airbag]]: Variant: Yahiko once walked face-first into Sano's... [[Unusual Euphemism|waist]].

* [[Gainaxing]]: After being entirely absent for the first couple seasons of the anime, there's an ''incredibly'' blatant example from Misanagi during the "Black Knights" filler arc.

* [[Gecko Ending]]: The anime series.

* [[Genius Bruiser]]: The Gohei brothers once they were merged in the anime.

* [[Genre Shift]]: From Shonen to Seinen... particularly in the OVAs, which were free of both the slapstick comic relief and the more unrealistic [[Rule of Cool]] elements of the original.

** The final arc of the series shifts from a historical fiction with [[Rule of Cool]] physics to straight up fantasy.

** Sano talks Megumi out of killing herself by grabbing her knife just as she was about to use it (ouch!) and reminding her that 1) the rest of the cast had almost died trying to rescue her and 2) her dead family would want her to keep on living.

** Megumi delivers both a physical and verbal Bright Slap to Kaoru to talk her out of her deep blue funk.

** It's more of a "how dare you leave me behind" punch, but Kenshin gets one from Sano in the Kyoto arc after they meet up again.

** Sano tries again after Kenshin's [[Heroic BSOD]], but this time, it doesn't work. {{spoiler|Tsubame is more successful, by reminding Kenshin that people still needed saving, like Yahiko. Oibore is the one who makes one last push.}}

** Doesn't the time Kenshin punched himself ''in the face'' to get out of Battousai mode after a duel {{spoiler|with Saitou}} count?

* [[Giant Waist Ribbon]]: worn by Aoshi and Misao in the Revenge arc, affectionately dubbed "Butt-Bows"

* [[Goldfish Poop Gang]]: [[Those Two Bad Guys]], a pair of brothers Kenshin defeats in his debut chapter, brought back as recurring minor minions in the anime; the manga also lets them show up again during Sano's side-story where he meets up with his family and dealt with offscreen just as quickly.

* [[Guilt Complex]]: Kenshin, Kenshin, Kenshin. Tomoe's death, Enishi's insanity and everything he does as a result of that, his psycho enemies putting his [[Nakama]] in danger, [[Survivors Guilt]] after the attack when he was a little kid... these are just a few of the things he blames himself for.

* [[Hannibal Lecture]]: Shishio explains his plans to Kenshin in great detail and can't help but make derogatory remarks about Kenshin's pacifism. Kenshin refuses to cave.

** It's implied that they both realize who the other is, but neither seem to want to discuss it, so it's purposefully left ambiguous.

* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Kaoru falls apart after {{spoiler|Kenshin leaves Tokyo to fight Shishio}}; later, {{spoiler|Kenshin}} has an absolutely ''epic'' one {{spoiler|when he thinks Kaoru died at the hands of Enishi}}

* [[Heroic RROD]]: Sano breaks all of the bones in his hand executing his ultimate technique.

** Don't forget the main hero. Since Hiten Mitsurugi wasn't meant to be practiced by wielders of Kenshin's body type, it was already strenuous enough on his body. Then when he mastered the final technique, the clock just began ticking right then and there until it was revealed in the last volume {{spoiler|that Kenshin would no longer be able to use Hiten Mitsurugi.}}

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Aoshi's men sacrifice themselves against Kanryuu's machine gun to keep Kanryuu from firing on Aoshi, after which Kanryuu runs out of ammunition. (In the anime, the gun jams due to a projectile from the hidden weapons specialist.)

* [[Hidden Elf Village]]: Shingetsu Village. Not so much hidden as it was ''erased'' from official maps due to it being taken over by Shishio.

* [[Historical Domain Character]]: Saitō Hajime (1844-1915) was the captain of the Shinsengumi's third unit and later a police officer in Tokyo where he adopted the alias Fujita Gorō (a name he uses frequently in the series) and married one Takagi Tokio.

** Also Okita Souji and other Shinsengumi members, Oukubo Toshimichi, etc.

* [[Honor Before Reason]]: The warriors of the Kenshin-Gumi and even ''Shishio'' of all people follow this trope to a tee.

* [[Horse Jump]]: Happens in a [[Filler]] episode when Kenshin catches up to a train being taken over by robbers by riding a horse over several docked boats and then making a spectacular leap onto the train. The horse earned the [[Fan Nickname]] "Super Horse".

* [[Iaijutsu Practitioner]]: Kenshin. Although an all-around Master Swordsman, he earned the nickname "Battousai" by being just that damn good at battoujutsu. Not only does he go out of his way to resheath his weapon against (nearly) all of his substantial adversaries, the ultimate technique of his swordsfighting style is a battoujutsu which is so powerful that, if blocked, it creates a small vacuum in the air.

* [[Ill Girl]]: In the anime, both Sayo aka Magdaria and her mother have consumption, which translates into [[Incurable Cough of Death]] and, in Magdaria's case, [[Blood From the Mouth]]. {{spoiler|Neither of them dies of illness: Mrs. Mutou sacrifices herself so her kids and her brother can escape and is shot by soldiers, Sayo takes a bullet for a friend of Kenshin who can save Shougo and their group and dies in Sano's arms.}}

* [[Imagine Spot]]:

** Kaoru gets very blushy when Megumi (jokingly) suggests that she should put Kenshin (who has a habit of [[Stealth Hi Bye|disappearing]]) on a leash because she imagines this.

** Saitou, master of mental associations, makes the "if Kaoru -> Tanuki and Megumi -> Fox, then Misao -> Weasel" connection in one; later, when Chou and Sanosuke are arguing, he imagines a broom shooing away an angry rooster.

** When Hiko finishes teaching Kenshin the Succession Technique, he declares Kenshin worthy of the Hiko name and cape. Both of them then imagine how Kenshin might look in it, and Kenshin decides that he'd rather not accept the passing of the torch after all.

** A [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|surprisingly naughty]] one happens in the anime when Kaoru imagines Kenshin proposing to her and then, um, well... the two of them are suddenly hidden by the bushes and then a flower falls off a nearby branch, complete with Kaoru crying out Kenshin's name passionately. (Cut to Kaoru who has passed out on the street from the sheer hotness of the mental image.)

* [[Ironic Echo]]: "A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu the art of murder." Kenshin says this at the beginning of the series, but then immediately rejects it in favor of Kaoru's more [[Technical Pacifist|idealistic vision]]; it's revealed that this is his mentor's philosophy, and he quotes it back to Kenshin to remind him that real life is a [[Crapsack World]].

** Later, Saitou remarks to himself: "A Shinsegumi is a Shinsengumi. A wolf is a wolf. A hitokiri is a hitokiri. Isn't that right... Battousai?" but revises this statement at the end of the series when he realizes that Kenshin is serious about that whole [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] thing (to the point of stopping ''Saitou'', and then Enishi, from killing a downed opponent).

* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: {{spoiler|Tomoe}} and Megumi for Kenshin.

* [[Jidai Geki]]: A [[Deconstruction]] that asks: "So what happens to all those [[Badass]] swordsmen after they've been outmoded by technology and a shift in societal mores?"<ref>The surprisingly accurate answer, of course, is that "a lot of them were ''bored as hell'' and this was not a particularly safe period to live in." It never got ''quite'' this epic in real life, but it was still pretty brutal at times.</ref>

* [[Kid Samurai]]: Yahiko

* [[Lethal Chef]]: Kaoru, by her own admission. Though [[Hypocrite|she still doesn't like]] when someone else points it out.

* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: Kenshin always wears a faded red (almost pink) kimono and a white hakama, Kaoru only dresses in kendo uniform or one of two or three kimonos (the yellow one, the blue one, and a red one), Megumi is always dressed up in her doctor attire, Misao has only two outfits, and so on.

*** Which becomes a [[Funny Aneurysm Moment]] when you find out {{spoiler|she's dead.}}

* [[The Load]]: Kaoru and Yahiko at times, especially in the early episodes, however, both are good fighters and hold their own far more often than they get kidnapped. It doesn't help that Kenshin's godlike swordsmanship makes them look weaker. Interestingly, Yahiko's character development in the later arcs of the manga center around his ''own'' perception of this applying to ''himself'', and he pushes himself to almost dangerous extremes to prove he really can hold his own... against people ''twice'' his age or greater.

* [[Locked Into Strangeness]]: {{spoiler|12-years-old Enishi's black hair turned white after Tomoe's death}}.

* [[Love Epiphany]]: The others are aware that Kaoru has more than platonic feelings for Kenshin by the Jin-E arc, but it doesn't hit Kaoru herself big time until the beginning of the Kyoto Arc. This, combined with {{spoiler|Kenshin leaving for Kyoto without a backwards glance}} is enough to give her a [[Heroic BSOD]].

* [[Love Redeems]]: Tomoe's influence changes Kenshin drastically, and leads him to renounce killing after the war.

* [[Malevolent Masked Man]]: Hannya (though he's not so much malevolent as fiercly loyal to Aoshi) and Gein.

* [[Marionette Master]]: Gein, who uses his puppets like a [[Steampunk]] [[Humongous Mecha]].

* [[Martial Pacifist]]: Kenshin.

* [[Martyr Without a Cause]]: Kenshin will always run off to save the day even if it means he will most likely get killed no matter what sacrifice he is forced to make or forces others to make (i.e. their relationship with him). Getting over this (partially) is a major plot point midway through the series.

* [[Master Poisoner]]: Megumi Takani could arguably be considered this in her [[Dark and Troubled Past]]. She was ''supposed'' to be training in medicine, and though she gained medical knowledge, she ended up being used to produce [[Drugs Are Bad|opium]]. She knows all about different poisons, but now cures them (among other roles befitting [[The Medic]]).

* [[Mauve Shirt]]: Cho initially appears to be a throwaway villain, but ends up becoming a supporting character for the remainder of the series.

*** In the former case, some time ''does'' pass before things get really serious between the two, although the mondo age gap does remain.

* [[Meet the New Boss]]: The reason Kenshin joind the Meiji rebellion in the first place was that he thought the world would be genuinely changed for the better by the loss of the Tokugawa Shogunate. But once the war was won, the ultimate result was the trading of one sort of oppression for another and nothing was ultimately changed, as Hiko warned would be the case. It's one of the major reasons Kenshin embraces his idealism so fiercely.

* [[Multiple Demographic Appeal]]: While it is, ''strictly'' speaking, a shonen adventure series, the hugely varied cast, fascinating villains, interesting politics and backstories (many of which were at least historically based and many of which were ''startlingly'' accurate), and beautiful guys AND girls gave it appeal across nearly every single age and gender group in Japan, making it far and away one of the banner manga/anime series of the 90's. It was even exported to ''dozens'' of other countries with great success, particularly in Asia, Oceania, and America (for example, Australia & New Zealand ran the full Sony dub several times over, nearly every Asian country ran the show in various forms at least once, and the series gained considerable success on [[Toonami]] in America).

* [[Mundane Utility]] - in an anime filler episode, the protagonist at one point finds himself attending a fancy dinner party, so he picks up a knife and performs the Hiten Mitsurugui Rui (Steak style) to cut up a steak.

* [[Murderers Are Rapists]]: Though the notion of rape is largely averted in the series altogether (since [[Mooks]] just get to the killing part [[Punch Clock Villain|that their bosses order]]), only one threat of rape is made in the anime, when Gohei makes implications that he and his men would rape Kaoru before killing her. [[Rescue Romance|But Kenshin's there to save her.]]

* [[Muscles Are Meaningless]]: While Kenshin's enemies tend to be bigger and bulkier than him (to their detriment), his mentor Hiko dramatically removes his (hideously heavy) cape to reveal a set of well-built chest and abdominal muscles; Kenshin himself feels intimidated, as he begins to realize for the first time this is the kind of physique it takes to master the school of swordsmanship Hiko teaches. {{spoiler|Fully subverted in the final chapters of the manga, where it's revealed that the repeated use of the Hiten techniques put so much strain on Kenshin's small and lithe body that in a few years he would be too weak to his sword style.}}

* [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya]]: Quite a few times.

* [[My Name Is Not Durwood]]: Yahiko ''hates'' being called "[[Honorifics|Yahiko-chan]]".

* [[Neutral Female]]: Several of the women in the series just stand around and [[Combat Commentator|talk about the fight]].

* [[Ninja]]: The Oniwabanshuu, especially Hanya, Shinomori Aoshi, and Makimachi Misao.

* [[No Sense of Direction]]: Sanosuke is INFAMOUS for this. He even manages to get himself lost while running around with a compass.

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Kenshin and {{spoiler|Oibore}}.

* [[Odd Couple]]: Sanosuke teaming up with either Megumi and/or Saitou; Kenshin also remarks how unlikely it was that he, a former Imperialist, and Sano, an warrior for the Shogunate, can be trusted teammates.

* [[Older Than They Look]]: Kenshin is 28 years old, while his master Hiko is a whopping (by manga standards) 43 - but you'd never guess it. [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] by Yahiko and Misao, who wonder if the Hiten Mitsurugi style is the fountain of youth.

** Also pointed out in the End-of-Volume specials in volumes 1 and 4 of the manga, where characters thinking on Kenshin after he left come to the conclusion that if he really was a hero of the Meiji Restoration, he'd have to be at least 30...

** Misao is a minor example; most characters assume she's around 12, but she's 16.

* [[Overtook the Manga]]: A ''really'' grating example, as it meant that ratings declined post-Shishio and the show didn't remain on the air long enough to ever get to the Jinchuu/Enishi arc, which drives a lot of fans mad since that's the real culmination of Kenshin's entire plot arc. The only material ever animated from this part has been the flashback to Kenshin's time with Tomoe, and that was in an OVA produced years after the show was canceled.

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Kenshin, Anji.

** Kenshin and Karou all but adopt Yahiko. This is best emphasized by their reaction, when {{spoiler|Yahiko runs away to join the rebels. In the Distant Final he inherits Kaoru's fighting style and Kenshin's reserve blade.}}

** Tae pretty much adopts Tsubame after she's free from her abusive caretaker.

* [[Personal Effects Reveal]]: {{spoiler|After Tomoe's death}} Kenshin goes through her diary and figures out that {{spoiler|the man he killed months earlier was Tomoe's fiance.}} Bummer.

* [[Pirate Girl]]: The [[Filler]] character Shura.

* [[Promotion to Parent]]: Tomoe.

** Also, as refered to above, Anji to the orphans he looked after.

* [[Psycho for Hire]]: Gein, who only wants to perfect his techniques.

* [[Punny Name]]: Kamatari, the Great Scythe (''O-Kama'') of the Ten Swords, who also happens to be a homosexual transvestite (''okama''). (Although technically, his weapon is more of a ''dai-kusarigama''.)

* [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]]: The Juppongatana, Aoshi's Oniwabanshuu.

* [[Razor Wind]]: Raijuuta's specialty attack; Hiko also is capable of doing this {{spoiler|with his incredibly heavy cape removed}}.

** Saito delivers a particularly incisive and crushing one of these to Usui during their fight.

* [[Rebus Bubble]]: Courtesy of Saito and his [[Animal Motifs|nicknaming]] [[Imagine Spot|deductions]].

** If '''Megumi = fox''' and '''Kaoru = racoon dog''', then '''Misao = weasel'''

* [[Recognition Failure]]: As a [[Running Gag]], whenever a politician (often a [[Historical Domain Character]]) appears, Yahiko has no idea who they are.

* [[Recruiting the Criminal]]: Most of Shishio's surviving minions are offered jobs with the Japanese government in exchange for clemency.

* [[Redemption Earns Life]]: One of the most prominent themes of the series. Thus....

** [[Redemption Equals Death]]: Subverted again and again and ''again''.

* [[Reliable Traitor]]: Gein.

* [[Samurai]]: Myojin Yahiko, apparently a Tokyo samurai, and Saitou Hajime.

* [[Samus Is a Girl]]: {{spoiler|Shura}} the leader of the pirates in episode 25

* [[Scars Are Forever]]: Kenshin's scar, which only starts fading in the post-series epilogue.

* [[Second Love]]: {{spoiler|Kenshin ending up with Kaoru}}, and then Kenshin himself being {{spoiler|Tomoe}}'s second love.

* [[Senseless Sacrifice]]: {{spoiler|Yumi's death}} doesn't actually help Shishio at all, since he {{spoiler|starts burning up}} almost immediately after that.

* [[Sensitive Guy and Manly Man]]: Kenshin and Sano

* [[Sexy Mentor]]: Hiko Seijuro. Forty-three, my ass...

* [[The Shinsengumi]]: All of them make cameo appearances, and Saitou Hajime is further raised to [[Memetic Badass]] levels.

** Watsuki is an unabashed fan of [[Marvel Comics]] and he includes references in the form of characters resembling famous Marvelites (see above).

** When Misao is trying to make Aoshi smile, she hot-bloodedly declares she will use the work of Japanese comedy troupe Yoshimoto Kogyo as a guide. This naturally confuses Okina, as Yoshimoto Kogyo didn't come into existence until the 20th century.

** [[Kid Samurai|Yahiko]] and [[Shrinking Violet|Tsubame]] are named after rail lines on the Tokyo subway.

** When Sano, Saitou, and Kenshin race to the docks to prevent Shishio's plot to destroy the government, Sano shouts the title of an old [[Jidai Geki]] television series.

** Gein once left a bomb decorated with the [[One Piece|Straw Hat Logo]]. ([[One Piece]] creator Eiichirō Oda served as Watsuki's assistant before breaking out on his own.)

** In one of the filler episodes, Kaoru gives Sano and Yahiko a [[Megaton Punch]]. As they're flailing through the air, the input for a fighting game move appears in the corner. Specifically, it looks like the input of a [[King of Fighters]] [[Limit Break|Desperation Move]].

* [[Shown Their Work]]: Watsuki was ''very'' meticulous about historical accuracy in this series at any point where [[Rule of Cool|outright insanity wasn't just cooler]]. Many characters are based on historical figures, including Kenshin himself, and there are even plenty of references to actual events. Perhaps this is why some of his [[Buso Renkin|later work]] more or less runs on the aforementioned outright insanity.

** Hiko meets Kenshin after rescuing him from bandits to find that Kenshin has buried not only the bandits, but the slavers who were traveling with him, and especially raised three memorial stones for a trio of women who died trying to protect him.

* [[Shrinking Violet]]: Tsubame (even with a purple kimono!). She grows out of it a little by the end of the series.

* [[Shrouded in Myth]]: Battousai's identity is so secret, it became easy for hoodlums to pretend they were he.

* [[Sign of the Apocalypse]]: Karou... ''cooking''.

* [[Sink or Swim Mentor]]: Kenshin's old master Hiko Seijuuro, whose training techniques seem to center around "beat Kenshin silly with the Technique of the Day, then have Kenshin attempt the same".

* [[Sliding Scale of Gender Inequality]]: Level 4. Most of the girls in the series are [[Faux Action Girl|supposedly competent action girls,]] but its been shown that the guys take the limelight while the girls fall in action.

* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]: The series itself is on the Idealistic side, but most of Kenshin's opponents (and Kenshin himself to some extent) are on the Cynical side.

* [[Snow Means Death]]: In the fourth OVA, {{spoiler|Tomoe}} dies in the snow.

** Variant in Seishouhen: {{spoiler|Kenshin}} dies among a shower of snowflake-like cherry blossoms.

* [[Social Darwinist]]: Shishio and Soujiro.

* [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]]

* [[Split-Second Blade Spam]]: The ''Kuzuryusen'' technique, which utilizes ''Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu'''s signature [[Super Speed|God-Speed]] to launch 8 slashes and one stab with such speed that they all ''appear'' to be simultaneous for the human eye, making the attack unblockable ''and'' undodgeable unless you counter it with the same technique, ''and'' you possess equal or greater muscular strength and body weight than your opponent (the strength of each strike depends on both factors). {{spoiler|The sole exception is being a [[Flash Step|Shukuchi]]-user, like Seta Soujirou (see below under the ''Juppongatana'').}}

* [[Street Urchin]]: Yahiko starts out as this.

* [[Stuffed Into the Fridge]]: {{spoiler|[[Subversion|Almost]]}} Played straight and everything. The "note" that is left behind by Enishi is the scent of plum blossoms that his sister loved so much, that would lead Kenshin to {{spoiler|the brutally murdered corpse of Kaoru that is pinned to the wall in a pool of her own blood, with an x-shaped scar carved into her cheek.}} The thing is, of course, {{spoiler|she's not ''actually'' dead and that's just an ''incredibly'' elaborate doll. Kaoru is still effectively treated like this in a meta way, though, since she barely impacts the plot at all after this.}}

* [[The Sweat Drop]]

* [[Sword Lines]]

* [[Take That Me]]: Just like Watsuki, Kenshin has terrible handwriting. Yahiko even [[Painting the Fourth Wall|points this out]].

* [[Take Our Word for It]]: Since nobody knew what Kenshin's succession technique actually looked like until the battle against Kyoto Arc [[Big Bad]] Shishio, previous uses of it in the anime were dealt with via a [[Discretion Shot]] of an iris-out combined with a lens flare.

** During Saitou's fight with Usui, they jump and meet each other in midair. Saitou tries to use a stab, but Usui deflects it with his shield. In between deflection and counterattack, ''while still in midair'', Usui gets off a couple lines about how round his shield is.

* [[Technical Pacifist]]: Kenshin, because he has made a [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|vow]] as part of his self-induced atonement.

* [[That's What I Would Do]]: Shishio wonders out loud if this is the reason Kenshin figured out his nefarious plot so quickly.

* [[The Three Faces of Eve]]: Kaoru is The Mother/The Wife, both Misao and Tsubame are The Child, Megumi is both The Mother ''and'' the Seductress.

* [[This Is Something He's Got to Do Himself]]: All the time, for different characters/opponents

* [[Tiger Versus Dragon]]: Kenshin and his master are repeatedly given dragon motifs. Most of their fighting style's moves have the word Dragon in the name. Later on, the final [[Big Bad]] Enishi shows up... and is given tiger motifs.

* [[Time to Unlock More True Potential]]: It's a Shonen series, of course it's going to happen once per arc.

** Sano took an in-series level during the Kyoto arc; {{spoiler|Anji}}, who trained him, notes this to himself when watching Sano leave.

* [[Toonami]]: The anime was long a staple of the programming block, and helped introduce an entire generation of American children to anime.

* [[Tragic Hero]]: Kenshin's backstory involving his {{spoiler|first wife Tomoe}}

** Yahiko's training is less hellish, but still fairly brutal (thousands of repetitions of the moves necessary for the succession technique so that he could operate purely on muscle memory).

** Sano, on the other hand, used up all the rocks in the area he was training to learn the Futae no Kawami, ''and'' <s> Anji threatened to kill him if he hasn't figured it out by the end of the week.</s> Sano suggested that to Anji, because he wanted to show him that he was serious about the learning the technique.

* [[Tsundere]]: Kaoru, who is largely ''tsun'' around Kenshin and Yahiko especially, but fairly sweet otherwise. Lampshaded in her [[Image Song]] called "It's not that I like you!".

* [[Verbal Tic]]: Kenshin speaks using very archaic humble verbiage, referring to himself as "sessha" (This Lowly One), more or less, using the exclamation "oro" to express surprise, and ending his sentences with "de gozaru".

* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: {{spoiler|Soujirou during the Kyoto arc, when Kenshin's words start to get to him and clash with what Shishio Makoto taught him as well as reliving the horrible events from his past.}} Shishio after being hit with the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki and go over his time limt of 15 minutes in battle. Also {{spoiler|Enshi in the Revenge arc, in his second fight against Kenshin. When the image of his dead sis doesn't smile for him anymore, he all but loses the will to fight and can only resort to pounding the ground and screaming at Kenshin.}}

* [[Villainous Crossdresser]]: Honjo Kamatari, Otowa Hyako.

* [[Warrior Therapist]]: Kenshin and many others.

* [[Weak but Skilled]]: Kenshin.

* [[What Could Have Been]]: Rurouni Kenshin had two spiritual predecessors in which Watsuki tested the waters: a short story called "Sengoku no Mikazuki" (the New Moon over the Warring States) about a swordmaster named Hiko Seijurou (presumably the first) who meets a young deserter named Isshinta and regains the will to fight; and a true pilot chapter in which Megumi (a rather weak-willed [[Yamato Nadeshiko]] barely holding the family together), Kaoru (a tomboy [[Tsundere]] serving as the acting dojo-master), and Yahiko (a brat of a kid who feels like he has to be the man of the family since his father died) are siblings. There's also a third proto-story of Kenshin meeting [[Damsel in Distress]] Chizuru, who gifts him a ribbon to tie his hair back up when he loses his original ponytail tie in a fight.

** Chizuru lives on in cameo form at the end of the controversial second OVA, {{spoiler|as the girlfriend of Kenshin and Kaoru's son Kenji}}.

** Watsuki mentioned in his notes his concept for a fourth arc of the story - {{spoiler|which would revolve around Kenji competing against Yahiko and Tsubame's son to inherit the reverse blade. Interestingly, Kenji Himura would most likely been the antagonist of the arc, from what Watsuki had stated about his concept. That, plus the fact that the story would have been set in the beginning of Japan's move towards nationalism and militarization makes one wonder what the story would have looked like...}}

* [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic]]: Kenshin's scar is a very blatant, and very literal, reference to the English idiom of "his cross to bear", complete with religious symbolism. Also, {{spoiler|Shishio insists he is "chosen by the age" to lead, and is only defeated by time itself, when he insists on fighting Kenshin too long, and his damaged body, unable to sweat, ''literally catches on fire''.}}

** Alternately, what if Okubo Toshimichi's assassination was actually the responsibility of an anarchist conspiracy group, and the band of disgruntled ex-samurai merely took credit for it?

* [[The Worf Effect]]: Sanosuke

* [[World of Badass]]

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: Saitou Hajime, Shinomori Aoshi, and even Shishio fits this trope to some extent.

* [[X Marks the Hero]]: Kenshin's basically the poster child of this. The cross-shaped scar is associated with him so utterly that other characters with this scar are regularly accused to ripping the idea from him, [[Older Than They Think|even if they predate him by years]]. Unlike many examples, though, Kenshin's scar is {{spoiler|from two separate incidents}}.

* [[You Fail Physics Forever]]: Given the amount of realism that went into the historical setting, the series's highly [[Egregious]] case of [[Anime Physics]] can be quite jarring. Then again, being a [[Shonen Jump]] series, it ''does'' operate on [[Rule of Cool]].

* [[You Make Me Sic]]: No matter how serious the time is, Kenshin's friends always take note of his poor handwriting skills before actually reading whatever important message they receive from him.

* [[You Taste Delicious]]: Shishio bites a chunk of flesh out of Kenshin to demonstrate that he's dead serious about his philosophy: The weak are food for the strong. He claims that Kenshin tastes terrible, though.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:The Nineties]]

[[Category:Shonen Demographic]]

[[Category:Manga]]

[[Category:Toonami]]