History Manga / RurouniKenshin

* CastingGag: In the 2023 remake, Creator/SatoshiHino (as Saito Hajime) pulls this twice: Firstly, he voiced [[Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero another character whose name is Saito]], and finally, he voiced Alluri Sitarama Raju, aka "Ram", in the Japanese dub of ''Film/RRR2022'', an [[HeroAntagonist heroic antagonist]] police officer trying to stop the rogue main protagonist.

* CastingGag: In the 2023 remake, Creator/SatoshiHino (as Saito Hajime) pulls this twice: Firstly, he voiced [[Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero another character whose name is Saito]], and finally, he voiced Alluri Sitarama Raju, aka "Ram", in the Japanese dub of ''Film/RRR2022'', an HeroicAntagonist police officer trying to stop the rogue main protagonist.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Kanryu believes this absolutely. As a result, he [[EvilCannotComprehendGood totally fails to comprehend Kenshin's motivations]], even after Aoshi points out that if Kenshin was motivated by personal gain, he'd be a member of the Army General Staff rather than being the odd-job guy for a minor kenjutsu dojo. In the end, Kenshin counters Kanryu's claims that money is all powerful with a truly epic ShutUpHannibal.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Takeda Kanryuu is utterly baffled at why the legendary Battosai has come to rescue Megumi from him, wondering what he could possibly stand to gain, and tries to bribe Kenshin to join him with a ludicrously high salary, even though Hannya warned him that if Kenshin were the sort of person to be swayed by that, he'd be a high-ranking officer in the army by this point. Sure enough, all it accomplishes is making Kenshin even more pissed off.

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

-->Do you know what your money can't buy? That's right. ''Your life!'' [''Smashes all of Takeda's teeth out with his Zampakutou'']

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

* GiantWaistRibbon: Worn by Aoshi and Misao in the Revenge arc, affectionately dubbed "Butt-Bows"

* VillainHasAPoint: Shogo is a dangerous fanatic that believes his people have the right to kill "heretics", but he's not wrong that Christians in Japan were horrifically oppressed by the state and were routinely tortured and killed on the grounds of their faith.

** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Realsaitou-2.jpg Saito Hajime]] gets one of these in every [[Manga/PeacemakerKurogane anime]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaze_Hikaru manga]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Last_Sword_Is_Drawn film]] that features him and [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/kenshin/images/c/cc/Rsz_saitoova.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120930193546 Rurouni Kenshin is no exception]] albeit {{downplayed|Trope}} when compared to other fictional examples which often portray the man as a young slender +retty boy (and also because he is generally considered to be evil-looking or fierce in his appearance by the Kenshin fandom in general with this including those who find him handsome and his snarky GoodIsNotNice personality).

* {{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.

The anime television series, which aired from 1996 to 1998, was followed by two [=OVAs=] -- ''Tsuiokuhen''/''Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal'', a prequel adapting a manga arc, and ''Seisoushen''/''Reflections'', an anime-original sequel. A NonSerialMovie, ''Requiem for the Ishin Patriots'', was also released. The entire Sony or Animax dub of the anime is available to watch on [[http://www.hulu.com/samurai-x Hulu]] under ''Samurai X''. [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/rurouni-kenshin Crunchyroll]] hosts both the subtitled series and the Media Blasters or Creator/BangZoomEntertainment English dub.

The anime television series, which aired from 1996 to 1998, was followed by two [=OVAs=] -- ''Tsuiokuhen''/''Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal'', a prequel adapting a manga arc, and ''Seisoushen''/''Reflections'', an anime-original sequel. A NonSerialMovie, ''Requiem for the Ishin Patriots'', was also released. The entire Sony/Animax dub of the anime is available to watch on [[http://www.hulu.com/samurai-x Hulu]] under ''Samurai X''. [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/rurouni-kenshin Crunchyroll]] hosts both the subtitled series and the Media Blasters/Bang Zoom English dub.

The anime television series, which aired from 1996 to 1998, was followed by two [=OVAs=] -- ''Tsuiokuhen''/''Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal'', a prequel adapting a manga arc, and ''Seisoushen''/''Reflections'', an anime-original sequel. A NonSerialMovie, ''Requiem for the Ishin Patriots'', was also released. The entire Sony dub of the anime is available to watch on [[http://www.hulu.com/samurai-x Hulu]] under ''Samurai X''. [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/rurouni-kenshin Crunchyroll]] hosts both the subtitled series and the non-Sony/Animax English dub.

** Fuji is the God Warior from ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind''. His design was also influenced by [=EVAs=] 01 and 02 from ''Evangelion'', with [=EVAs=] themselves also based on God Wariors.

** Fuji is the God Warior from ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind''. His design was also influenced by [=EVAs=] 01 and 02 from ''Evangelion'', whith [=EVAs=] themselves also based on God Wariors.

On Aniplex Online Fest 2022, it's announced that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlgKIkCZ4nQ a new TV series that retells the manga story is in production]] which will be produced by Creator/LidenFilms and will be released on 2023. It's a more direct manga adaptation in the vein of ''[[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood]]''. Additionally, the voice cast is reshuffled, with Creator/SomaSaito as Kenshin and Creator/RieTakahashi as Kaoru.

* ShoutOut: Han'nya has WolverineClaws.
** Until the Jinchuu Arc, Aoshi has Gambit's [[BadassLongCoat trenchcoat]].
** Jumping over to Creator/ImageComics, Hiko got Spawn's cape.
** 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.
** [[KidSamurai Yahiko]] and [[ShrinkingViolet Tsubame]] are named after rail lines on the Tokyo subway.
** Sanosuke wants a rematch with Saitou to show how much he's grown (in strength, obviously) since their first fight. Saitou refuses, both because there's more important things to do (he has Chou under custody and he's the police's best lead on Shishio at that point) and to piss Sano off. Sano gets indeed pissed off, loudly insisting to fight while entering WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck's old fighting stance.
** 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 JidaiGeki television series.
** Kaoru has rained (harmless, of course) blows on Kenshin to the sound effects of [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar ATATATATATA]] and [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure ORAORAORAORA]].
** Gein once left a bomb decorated with the [[Manga/OnePiece Straw Hat Logo]]. (''Manga/OnePiece'' creator Creator/EiichiroOda served as Watsuki's assistant before breaking out on his own).
** In one of the filler episodes, Kaoru gives Sano and Yahiko a MegatonPunch. 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 ''[[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters King of Fighters]]'' [[LimitBreak Desperation Move]]. Her arm also becomes rather more muscular and gains an anchor-shaped tattoo like a certain [[Franchise/{{Popeye}} spinach-eating sailor]].
** Episode 45 of the anime was entitled "As If in Flight" (翔ぶが如く, Tobu ga Gotoku), which was also the title of the 1990 NHK Taiga Drama detailing the life of Saigo Takamori (an Ishin Shishi leader from Satsuma who was among the proponents of the Meiji Restoration, later to be dismissed and rebelling in the fatal 1877 Satsuma Rebellion). The long-running series theme of the agents of the Restoration being dismissed/eliminated by the Meiji government ([[IronicEcho and how Shishio is going to rub in the government's face all their crimes and actions against the Shogunate]]) was [[InvokedTrope discussed in detail]].

* CrusadingWidower: [[spoiler:Kenshin's principle of "protect the innocent without killing" was inspired by the death of his wife Tomoe]].

''Rurouni Kenshin'' (るろうに剣心, Kenshin the Wanderer), also known as ''Samurai X'' after Creator/ColumbiaPictures renamed it for their anime releases (which was later co-opted by Creator/ADVFilms for ''their'' release of the movie and [=OVAs=])[[note]]Watsuki, being a major fan of the ''ComicBook/XMen'' comics (the characters from which he based a lot of the cast's designs on), [[ApprovalOfGod heartily endorsed this title translation]].[[/note]], is a {{shonen|Demographic}} manga by Creator/NobuhiroWatsuki, which was serialized in ''[[Magazine/ShonenJump Weekly Shonen Jump]]'' from 1994 to 1999.

** 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, [[LateArrivalSpoiler 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.]]

** A scene [[http://heckyeahkenkao.tumblr.com/post/142487425901/rurouni-kenshin-unaired-last-scene from the last episode of the anime]] included [[spoiler: Kenshin and Kaoru's son, Kenji Himura]], but it wasn't aired. The character didn't show up ''at all'' in the TV series [[spoiler: and didn't make an animated apparition until the polemic ''Seisouhen'' OAV's, where he becomes an AscendedExtra]].

* AgeGapRomance: With Kenshin being 28, and Kaoru being 17 it's almost jail-bait for Kenshin in a modern sense. However since this based in the late 1870s when older men married younger women more commonly it's a normal relationship for that time period. Also, [[spoiler: they don't get married until she's at least 18 and wait for her to be about 19 or 20 before she has their son.]]

* AttackItsWeakPoint: Kenshin wins the battle against Gein by [[spoiler: jamming up the gears of his puppet with a tiny rock]], and then proceeds to HannibalLecture Gein about the importance of being able to feel pain.

* TheBeCarefulSpeech: Before Kenshin's final fight with Enishi [[spoiler: turns out it's far from it]], Kaoru wishes Kenshin well and personally gives him his sakabato.

* BreakingTheFellowship: First, when Kenshin sets out for Kyoto alone (necessitating everyone else to chase after him), and then when Kenshin has a HeroicBSOD over [[spoiler: Kaoru's apparent death]].

* CallingYourAttacks: Interrupted on one occasion when [[spoiler: Enishi punches Kenshin in the face]] before he can finish.

* CaughtTheHeartOnHisSleeve: Kaoru does this to Kenshin several times most notably [[spoiler: before his first fight with Saito]].

* DeadBecauseOfMe: Kenshin, being a TechnicalPacifist, is haunted by every person he's ever killed, but especially [[spoiler: Tomoe]].
* DeadlyDelivery: 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 flimsiness of the sword he was carrying]].
* [[DeadGuyOnDisplay Dead Guys On Display]]: Sanosuke's mentor, Sagara Sozo, was a [[TruthInTelevision historically-accurate]] [[TearJerker victim of this]]. This is also the unfortunate fate of [[spoiler: Eiji's parents in Shingetsu Village]].

* DeathByChildbirth: [[spoiler: Enishi and Tomoe's mother. Tomoe thus became more of a mother figure to him, which explains his obsession with big sis]].
* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler: Kaoru]]. Enishi wanted to leave behind [[spoiler: her]] actual corpse, but couldn't bring himself to do it.
* DecapitationPresentation: After [[spoiler: Souzou Sagara]] was executed, his head was put on display for betraying the government.

** Also, [[spoiler: Anji Yukyuzen]] is a deconstruction of PapaWolf since [[spoiler: his adoptive childrens' death drive him to madness and a FaceHeelTurn, and Sanosuke has to beat the shit out of him both physically ''and'' mentally to make him see reason]].
** Shougo Amakusa from the anime deconstructs ReligiousBruiser and LoveFreak, 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 MoralityPet dies and Kenshin defeats him]].

* {{Denouement}}: After Kenshin [[spoiler: defeats Enishi once and for all]], the rest of Volume 28 focuses on wrapping up everything in the story.

* DragonWithAnAgenda: Gein is this to both Shishio and Enishi; as Shishio's minion, he was actually [[spoiler: acting as Enishi's informant]], and as Enishi's, [[spoiler: he only cares about using Enishi to further his own ends]].

* TheFellowshipHasEnded: At the end of the series, most of the characters leave Tokyo to go on with their lives. Misao and Aoshi return to Kyoto. Sanosuke [[spoiler: is forced to flee from Japan and becomes TheDrifter]]. Megumi leaves to search for her family and only characters remaining are Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko.

* FinalBattle: 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.

* ForcedToWatch: 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 [[HeroicBSOD to stare at]], [[TheReveal but Aoshi figured it out]]]].
* ForeignExchangeStudent: According to Cho, the "sword hunter", this what Kamatari becomes after the Juppongatana disbands. [[spoiler: Though truthfully it was because Cho lied to Kamatari, by saying Shishio had wanted the remaining Juppongatana to spread word of his deeds in case his plans failed. In reality, it was Cho's way of keeping Kamatari from killing him/herself. It's also implied that he/she was aware of it]].

** Played with. On the one hand, Kenshin's Determinater qualities allow him to tank massive amounts of damage despite his slim build and his sword style's emphasis on speed and two-strike moves. Unfortunately played devastatingly straight at the end of the series where [[spoiler: learning the Succession Technique effectively destroys his body through the accumulation of muscle damage in conjunction with the natural strain of someone with Kenshin's build using Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu style. This forces him to abandon the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu style (though his son is supposed to be even better than he is once he grows up, being a natural prodigy and all)]].

* GatlingGood: Kanryu shows off his shiny new toy, a prototype gatling gun. [[spoiler: He still loses, but it takes the HeroicSacrifice of all of Aoshi's {{Elite Mook}}s]].

* GentleGiant: Fuji of the Juppongatana; Anji is not nearly as humongous, but he fits the trope as well [[spoiler: until his horrible FreakOut. He gets better after being defeated by Sano, though]].

** 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 HeroicBSOD, 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]].
** Sano's motivation to fight [[spoiler: Anji]] is this.
** The time Kenshin punched himself ''in the face'' to get out of Battousai mode after a duel [[spoiler: with Saitou]] also counts.
* GetOutOfJailFreeCard: Justified when the Meiji Government offers [[spoiler: the surviving members of the Juppongatana jobs in exchange for their freedom. All but two accept: [[TheAtoner Anji]] chooses to stay in jail, and Houji commits suicide, as he saw the deal as a betrayal of Shishio's ideals]].

* HaveWeMet: At the end of the Jinchuu arc, Enishi and Oibore ([[spoiler: his father]]) run into each other in a hobo camp near Tokyo. 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.

* HellHasNewManagement: [[spoiler: After dying]], Shishio Makoto declared his intent to overthrow the King of Hell. Depending on how you interpret it, Shishio may or may not have succeeded in this endeavor when he visits the catatonic Kenshin in the latter's living hell during the Jinchuu arc.

* HeroicBSOD: Kaoru falls apart after Kenshin leaves Tokyo to fight Shishio; later, [[spoiler: Kenshin]] has an absolutely ''epic'' one after Enishi's attack on the dojo.

** Villainous example: [[spoiler: Shishio]] burns himself out, literally, at the end of the Kyoto arc.
** Hiten Mitsurugi wasn't meant to be practiced by wielders of Kenshin's body type, so it was plenty stressful on Kenshin's 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 style]].

* HotBlooded: Yahiko, Sanosuke, his father [[spoiler: Kamishimoemon Higashidane]] and Shishio [[spoiler: who ''dies'' of literal Hot Blood]]

* IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: Subverted. [[spoiler: Saitou uses it this to bring out Kenshin's ''SuperpoweredEvilSide'', Kaoru tries to play it straight to bring Kenshin back and fails]]. However its played straight when [[spoiler: Kaoru brings back Kenshin's gentler side when he's about to kill Jin-e, Kenshin indirectly stops Aoshi from fighting to the death by mentioning how Misao cried when he (Kenshin) promised to bring Aoshi back and how he (Aoshi) was turning his four fallen comrades into demons by obsessively fighting like this]].

** Subverted in one important case: [[spoiler: Kanryu Takeda uses a Gatling gun to mow down all of the Oniwabanshuu but Aoshi]]. This scene is probably the most important instance in the series.

%%* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Okita, Takasugi, Magdaria, and [[spoiler: Kenshin and Kaoru]] in the [=OVAs=].

* InspectorJavert: Inverted with Saitou. He doesn't doubt that Kenshin has changed... he is simply appalled by how "weak" the famous Battousai has become and wants him to revert to his old self. By the end of the series, [[spoiler: he acknowledges that Kenshin's gone down a different path, and calls off the blood feud between them]].

* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: This is the reason [[spoiler: Kenshin sets off alone]] at the beginning of the Kyoto Arc.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler: Tomoe]] and Megumi for Kenshin.

* LoadBearingBoss: InvokedTrope. Houji triggers a SelfDestructMechanism after [[spoiler: Shishio self-immolates]].
* LockedIntoStrangeness: [[spoiler: 12-year-old Enishi's black hair turned white after Tomoe's death]].

* LoveEpiphany: 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 HeroicBSOD.

* MadArtist: Gein. He considers [[spoiler:Kaoru's "corpse"]] to be a work of art, and is [[spoiler: killed in the process of attempting to retrieve it]].

* MentorOccupationalHazard: The training in Kenshin and Hiko's sword-style ends with [[spoiler: the apprentice killing the master in order to learn [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique the final technique]]. This trope is actually an ''intentional'' part of the job. Oddly, [[SubvertedTrope Hiko manages to survive anyway]], though his own master wasn't so lucky]].
* MirrorMatch: Aoshi runs into a guy who can observe and instantly copy moves. He proves that [[spoiler: the original is superior via a standing kick to the Mook's face]].

* TheMole: [[spoiler: Iwanbou]] in the manga, who turns out to be [[spoiler: Gein]], spying on Kenshin for [[spoiler:Enishi]].
** [[spoiler: In the Remembrance arc, Iizuka turns out to the be the traitor for the Choshu clan]].

%%** [[spoiler: Oibore]].

* ParentalSubstitute: Kenshin and Kaoru all but adopt Yahiko. This is best emphasized by their reaction, when [[spoiler: Yahiko runs away to join the rebels. In the DistantFinale he inherits Kaoru's fighting style and Kenshin's reverse blade]].

* PersonalEffectsReveal: [[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.
** Even worse in the anime OVA, when Kenshin is first told that [[spoiler: Tomoe]] is the traitor and then is prompted to [[spoiler: look in her diary, where he finds out that he killed her fiance. On his way to find her, that's the only thing he can think about]].

* PuppyLove: InUniverse, Yahiko and Tsubame--until the series epilogue, when they [[spoiler: are all grown up and officially dating]].

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

* RedemptionEqualsAffliction: While on an assassination mission, Kenshin received a cut to his face from his target's bodyguard (whom he immediately dispatched as well). Because the cut refused to heal it was theorized by Kenshin's peers that he had been struck by an innocent man and his wound was penance. The wound only finally stopped bleeding some months later when the famous cross-shaped-scar was completed [[spoiler: by his dying wife, who he had accidentally struck during a battle (and who turned had been the fiancee of the man he murdered before)]]. Kenshin holds the belief that the cross-shaped-scar will vanish when he has fully atoned for his sins. He also doesn't believe that is possible [[spoiler:though by the end of the manga it has indeed begun to heal]].

* RevengeByProxy: Yukishiro, again. Subverted when [[spoiler: he can't bring himself to kill Kaoru, because she reminds him of his dead older sister]].

* SecondLove: [[spoiler: Kenshin ending up with Kaoru]], and then Kenshin himself being [[spoiler: Tomoe]]'s second love.

* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler: Soujirou killed his abusive stepsiblings in self-defense. Enishi killed his adoptive family because he hated their happiness]].
* SenselessSacrifice: [[spoiler: Yumi's death]] doesn't actually help Shishio at all, since he [[spoiler: starts burning up]] almost immediately after that.

* SlipknotPonytail: Kenshin in the pilot chapter and during the fight with [[spoiler: Saitou; Yumi, during her death scene]].

** Variant in Seishouhen: [[spoiler: Kenshin]] dies among a shower of snowflake-like cherry blossoms.

* SuperpoweredEvilSide: At certain points in the series, Kenshin's murderous "Battousai" side, which he tries very hard to suppress, comes to the surface--usually when a villain does [[KickTheDog something]] [[ThisIsUnforgivable unforgivable]], resulting in Kenshin getting SupernaturalGoldEyes and [[UnstoppableRage going completely berserk]]. Less frequent as the series progresses, and completely gone after Kenshin [[spoiler: learns his ultimate technique]].

* TeamMom: Megumi cooks, works as a doctor, keeps the peace and calm among Kenshin's group, and even [[spoiler: deals more than one GetAHoldOfYourselfMan]].

** Sano took an in-series level during the Kyoto arc; [[spoiler: Anji]], who trained him, notes this to himself when watching Sano leave.
* TragicHero: Kenshin's backstory involving his [[spoiler: first wife Tomoe]].

* TrueCompanions: As early as Megumi's introduction, she was already noticing the family dynamic among Kenshin and his friends; Yahiko gives the group their InUniverse nickname: "The Kenshin-gumi." Later in the series [[spoiler: Aoshi and Misao join the group]].

* VillainousBreakdown: [[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 Ryuu no Hirameki and going over his time limt of 15 minutes in battle. Also [[spoiler: Enishi in the Jinchuu arc, in his second fight against Kenshin. When the image of his dead sister 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]].

* VillainousRROD: Kyoto Arc BigBad SocialDarwinist Shishio Makoto can only exert himself for so long before the massive burns he suffered threaten to kill him. He over-exerts himself in the battle against Kenshin and [[spoiler: spontaneously combusts]], sparing Kenshin the difficult decision of whether or not to break his ThouShaltNotKill vow.

** At the end of the series, [[spoiler: Sanosuke]] leaves Japan after attacking an Ishin Shishi who [[spoiler: attacked his family]].

* WhamEpisode: Enishi [[spoiler: gets to defeat Kenshin and (apparently) brutally murders Kaoru]].

* XMarksTheHero: Kenshin's the [[TropeCodifier poster child]] of this trope (and the page image for it, to boot). 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, [[OlderThanTheyThink even if they predate him by years]]. Unlike many examples, though, Kenshin's scar is [[spoiler: from two separate incidents]].
* YamatoNadeshiko: Tsubame will likely be one when she grows up; she's still a flower bud in the main narrative. Tomoe is described as 'elegant and educated' and at the time was arranging flowers. [[spoiler: Adult Kaoru in both the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue and the second OVA]] could also count.
** Tomoe is a deconstruction, since her reserved and soft spoken behavior caused her a huge problem: [[spoiler: Not being able to show her love for her boyfriend Kiyosato, who then went off to Tokyo to make a name for himself and make her happier once he was famous. As we know, he ended up dead under Kenshin's blade]].

On Aniplex Online Fest 2022, it's announced that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlgKIkCZ4nQ a new TV series that retells the manga story is in production]] which will be produced by Creator/LidenFilms and will be released on 2023. It's a more direct manga adaptation in the same vein of ''[[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood]]''. Additionally, the voice cast is reshuffled, with Creator/SomaSaito as Kenshin and Creator/RieTakahashi as Kaoru.

On Aniplex Online Fest 2022, it's announced that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlgKIkCZ4nQ a new TV series that retells the manga story is in production.]] It's a more direct manga adaptation in the same vein of ''[[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood]]''. Additionally, the voice cast is reshuffled, with Creator/SomaSaito as Kenshin and Creator/RieTakahashi as Kaoru.

* HoldOnToMyHat: Kaoru lends Kenshin her hair ribbon so that he will come back. At the end of the arc, he gives it back, and she flips out, because he bled on it after getting stabbed in a duel while rescuing her.

On Aniplex Online Fest 2022, it's announced that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlgKIkCZ4nQ a new TV Series that retells the manga story is in production.]] It's a more direct manga adaptation in the same vein of ''[[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood]]''. Additionally, the voice cast is reshuffled, with Creator/SomaSaito as Kenshin and Creator/RieTakahashi as Kaoru.