History Film / RurouniKenshinTheBeginning

--->'''Tomoe:''' [[ReluctantWarrior Is there really such a thing as... fighting for peace]]? If it's for us all, do ideals mean... that [[CollateralDamage little things... must fall victim]]? And [[ArmorPiercingQuestion aren't you... a victim too]]?\\

The Bakumatsu has taken its toll on Himura Kenshin (Takeru Satoh), who has now made a name for himself as the Hitokiri Battōsai. Neverending days of killing important Shogunate figures have transformed this once hopeful boy into a stoic, unforgiving murderer. However, when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman named Yukishiro Tomoe (Kasumi Arimura), Kenshin starts to grow attached to Tomoe's more hopeful worldview, even considering the possibility of spending the rest of his life with her. But what Kenshin doesn't know is that this chance interaction will triggers a series of heartbreaking events that will define him forever.

** The swordsmith Arai Shakku features in a {{cameo}} during a conversation between Katsura, Katagai and Iizuka--suggesting that in this version, he is not just a swordsmith selling swords to all involved in the wars, he is in fact directly retained by Choshu. He also quite manically hands over a prized sword to Katsura--the katana Kenshin will be using as Battosai for most of his kills. This makes it a poetic CallForward in that while Shakku has enabled Battosai's murders, he will also eventually be tied directly to Kenshin's later pacifist vow.

The Bakumatsu has taken its toll on Himura Kenshin (Takeru Satoh), who has now made a name for himself as the Hitokiri Battōsai. Neverending days of killing important Shogunate figures have transformed this once hopeful boy into a stoic, unforgiving murderer. However, when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman named Yukishiro Tomoe (Kasumi Arimura), Kenshin starts to grow attached to her more hopeful worldview. But what Kenshin doesn't know is that this chance interaction will triggers a series of heartbreaking events that will define him for the rest of his life.

The Bakumatsu has taken its toll on Himura Kenshin (Takeru Satoh), who has now made a name for himself as the Hitokiri Battōsai. Neverending days of killing important Shogunate figures have transformed this once hopeful boy into a stoic, unforgiving murderer. However, when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman named Yukishiro Tomoe (Kasumi Arimura), it triggers a series of events that will define him for the rest of his life.

** Hiko Seijuro's rescue and training of Shinta was [[AdaptedOut no longer touched upon]], having been featured already in ''[[Film/RurouniKenshinTheLegendEnds The Legend Ends]]''. This therefore puts the equal weight of the film's emotional arc not just on Kenshin's actions as a young man, but to Tomoe's quest for justice and ultimate tragedy.

** An original scene involves Tomoe bringing Kenshin out to observe the festivities of the Gion Matsuri--and their conversation turns into a more introspective discussion on Kenshin's motivations. Tomoe directly suggests, not without reason, that Kenshin's actions [[ArmorPiercingQuestion are causing too much collateral emotional damage for the loved ones of those he kills]] (a near-transparent {{Foreshadowing}} of Tomoe's own issues). Furthermore, she implies he is not necessarily just [[WellIntentionedExtremist doing what he thinks needs to be done]], but also that he is TrappedInVillainy because of his particular circumstances (i.e. a boy whose earliest years were steeped in bloodshed before being trained as a swordsman without his choosing). Kenshin, despite poetically insisting on [[IDidWhatIHadToDo the necessity of his work]], is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone clearly disturbed by this]].
--->'''Tomoe:''' [[ReluctantWarrior Is there really such a thing as... fighting for peace]]? If it's for us all, do ideals mean... that [[CollateralDamage little things... must fall victim]]? And [[ArmorPiercingQuestion aren't you... a victim too]]?\\
'''Kenshin:''' With a sword, that boy cuts the rope, dividing this world from the next. Only then can the parade begin. For times to change, someone must use a sword. That just happened to be me.

* AdaptedOut: Seijuro and Shishio do not appear despite being part of Kenshin's origin story (very briefly, in Shishio's case). Most of the other main cast of the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' series apart from Kenshin and Saito don't appear due to the fact that it's a prequel film. During the Meiji Restoration, Aoshi was on garrison duty in a different city, Sano was a young boy fighting in a different revolutionary cadre, Kaoru was a toddler, and Yahiko hadn't even been born yet.

* HoneyTrap: Once again, the core role Tomoe unwittingly played in the Yaminobu plot. While Tomoe's mission is supposedly to find out Kenshin's weaknesses, the Yaminobu leader Tatsumi matter-of-factly reveals to her that her purpose, in fact, is to eventually ''[[MoralityChain become]] [[LoveIsAWeakness his weakness]]''--relying on the fact that ThePowerOfHate will keep Tomoe on board. Nevertheless, when he sees that Tomoe did eventually fall InLoveWithTheMark, he admits that there was a likelihood of this happening, but still chews Tomoe out for [[AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder emotionally and physically moving on]] from her dead fiance Kiyosato (the man [[VengefulWidow she was doing this mission for]]) to the very man responsible.

*** The film portrays Furutaka being tortured in the [[BodyHorror particularly gruesome way]] it's been alleged[[note]]To quote Wiki/TheOtherWiki: ''"The method of interrogation, carried out by Shinsengumi vice-commander Hijikata Toshizō was alleged to be particularly brutal, although it appears to be largely without verification. With the prisoner unresponsive, Hijikata was said to have suspended the man by his ankles, restraining his wrists, and driven five-inch spikes into the heels of the man's feet. Placing lit candles upon the holes, hot wax dripped deep into his calves."''[[/note]]. However, instead of Hijikata or Saito overseeing the torture (as was the case in history books or novels), it seems to be Kondo himself.

The Bakumatsu has taken its toll on Himura Kenshin (Takeru Satoh), who has now made a name for himself as the Hitokiri Battōsai. Neverending days of killing important Shogunate figures have transformed this once hopeful boy into a stoic, unforgiving man. However, when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman, Yukishiro Tomoe (Kasumi Arimura), it triggers a series of events that will define him for the rest of his life.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:While temporally blinded, and facing the Yaminobu's leader, Tatsumi, Kenshin accidentally murders his own lover, Tomoe. Guilt-stricken from this act, Kenshin goes back to his ways of killing on the frontlines of the Bakumatsu, [[LetThePastBurn after cremating Tomoe's corpse in their former house]]. [[Film/RurouniKenshinTheFinal Even worse, this death means that Enishi is now alone, which will undoubtedly drive him to pursue revenge later on]]. Despite these negatives, Kenshin did win against the Yaminobu, and he also reaffirms his decision to never kill again; [[Film/RurouniKenshin a vow that does come true after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi]]]].