Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (るろうに剣心明治剣客浪漫譚 ,Rurō ni Kenshin Meiji Kenkaku Romantan) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, formerly known as the "Hitokiri Battōsai" (人斬り抜刀斎, or "Battosai the Manslayer" in the English dub) who becomes a wanderer to protect the people of Japan. Being a fan of the Shinsengumi, Watsuki designed the characters by basing their characteristics to that of the real Shinsengumi members and also used fictional representation of them and other historical characters from the Bakumatsu period of Japan.
Rurouni Kenshin is subtitled "Wandering Samurai" in some English releases, as a rough translation of "Rurō ni" (流浪に ,lit. "Wandering"). The English-language versions of the OVAs as well the film is released as Samurai X, although the original title was included in the DVD releases. Writer Kaoru Shizuka has written an official Rurouni Kenshin novel titled Voyage to the Moon World.
Samurai X Characters Guide
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Himura Kenshin (緋村剣心) is an ex-hitokiri with the title "Hitokiri Battōsai". During the story Kenshin wanders around Japan to help those in need in order to atone for the murders he committed during the Bakumatsu. When he arrives in Tokyo, Kenshin meets a young woman named Kamiya Kaoru who invites him to live in her dojo despite finding out that Kenshin is a hitokiri. Significant instances transpire from that point, and Kenshin establishes lifelong relationships with many people, including ex-enemies.
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Kamiya Kaoru (神谷薫) is the teacher from a kendo school from Tokyo called Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū. The school starts to lose all its students when a thief from the city starts killing a large number of people and claims to be the "Hitokiri Battōsai from the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū". Kaoru encounters him but before being killed by him she is saved by the real Hitokiri Battōsai, now a wanderer, Himura Kenshin, to whom she offers to stay in her dojo.
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Sagara Sanosuke (相楽左之助) is a former member of the Sekihotai who becomes a fighter-for-hire after its destruction. During his introduction he encounters Kenshin, who defeats him easily and makes him note he was just fighting to release his anger. Since that moment, Sanosuke becomes a friend of Kenshin and also his partner.
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Myōjin Yahiko (明神弥彦) is an orphan from a samurai family and was forced to work as a thief to repay the debt that he had supposedly owed due to his parents death before they could pay it back. When he meets Kenshin, he is saved by Kenshin and decides that he would grow up to be just like his savior. But due to Kenshin's strong beliefs in not teaching anyone else the sword style he had obtained, he enlisted Yahiko to be trained by Kaoru at the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū.
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