History Manga / RurouniKenshin

* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: A two-fold example. In real life, Captain Sagara was executed by decapitation and his fate is the same in the manga. However, in the anime, he's shown saving Sanosuke's life and is killed by a hail of gunfire.

%%* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: Quite a few times.
* MythologyGag:
** At the very end of the ''Reflection'' OVA, Kenji ends up with a girl named Chizuru. Originally, she appeared in one of Watsuki's ''Rurouni'' pilots as a DamselInDistress that Kenshin saves.
** The ''Rurouni Kenshin'' remake [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXqeIuCdbNg trailer]] by Liden Films showcased Kenshin doing a [[https://youtu.be/WXqeIuCdbNg?t=63 sweeping leg]] move not found in the manga or the original anime, but used in the film series.
*** Furthermore, the fact that Kenshin is now unambiguously voiced by a [[Creator/SomaSaito guy]] [[CrossDressingVoices instead of]] [[Creator/MegumiOgata a]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_Suzukaze girl]] like in the ''[=RuroKen=]'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeru_Satoh film series]] as well.
** The 2023 anime's opening "Hiten" features a few references to the 1996 anime. Kenshin's color palette briefly resembles his color palette from the 1996 anime, most notably his gi being magenta rather than red. One shot has Kenshin sitting down before standing up with the Sakabatou used as a support, just like how the 1996 anime's first opening "Sobakasu" starts. Finally, "Hiten", much like "Sobakasu", ends with Kenshin returning home to the Kamiya Dojo with the cherry blossoms in bloom.
** In episode 2 of the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' reboot, several filler episodes and anime original characters have cameos, like Ayame and Suzume as well as Toramaru the sumo wrestler.
** In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SkpBXx_XAk preview]] for episode 7 of the 2023 anime, the first title mentioned by Kaoru, "Samurai X: Harakiri Revolution", references the various uses of the series' MarketBasedTitle, ''Samurai X'', outside of Japan. The second title, "Legendary Beautiful Swordmaster Appears Named Dosukoi Battousai"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikensha"[[/note]] is a reference to the title of the first episode of the 1996 anime, "The Handsome Swordsman of Legend: A Man who Fights for Love"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikenshi"[[/note]].
** The unnamed doctor in the manga is named Oguni Gensai in the 1996 anime and had an [[AscendedExtra extended role]] there. In episode 13 of the 2023 anime, he's also named Dr. Gensai as an homage to his 1996 anime incarnation.

On Aniplex Online Fest 2022, it was announced that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlgKIkCZ4nQ a new TV series that retells the manga story is in production]] which would be produced by Creator/LidenFilms and be released on July 7, 2023. It's a more direct manga adaptation in the vein of ''[[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]''. Additionally, the voice cast is reshuffled, with Creator/SomaSaito as Kenshin and Creator/RieTakahashi as Kaoru.

** Himura Kenshin has taken [[TechnicalPacifist a vow to never kill again]] and commonly uses his sakabatou (a katana with the edge and blunt side reversed) to break opponents' weapons to defeat them without killing them. Examples include Sagara Sanosuke's zanbatou (a {{BFS}} supposedly meant to kill a rider and his horse), Saitou Hajime's sword (though he was trying to kill Saitou that time since his Superpowered Evil Side had emerged), and several of "Sword Hunter" Cho's swords.

The series is set in year Meiji 11 (1878), a time of peace after the turbulent UsefulNotes/MeijiRestoration and the abortive Satsuma Rebellion. Kaoru Kamiya, the spirited young head of the Kasshin Kamiya Kendo School, is fending off some hooligans who want to seize her dojo when she acquires the last-minute help of a mysterious vagabond.

The series is notable for defying several established {{Shonen}} conventions. It features an older hero (Kenshin is 28, [[HollywoodOld which is ancient by the demographic's protagonist standards]][[note]]Kenshin was supposed to be even older, but Jump's editor didn't allow a Shonen protagonist more than 28 years old.[[/note]] -- [[OlderThanTheyLook 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 this demographic, such as politics, multi-layered romance, and the struggles of adapting to a vastly changing world, pop up as well. This is what contributed to the ''legendary'' MultipleDemographicAppeal of the series, which crossed age, gender and ''national'' boundaries with equal ease.

There is also an anime OVA series, ''New Kyoto Arc'', remaking the Kyoto arc and a spinoff manga ''Master of Flame'' focusing on the villains from it. Another short manga for the series debuted in 2017 called ''Ruroni Kenshin Ibun: The Criminal Ashitaro'', and introduces the titular boy as an ex-criminal and budding "11th sword" of Shishio who is, by the end of it, trained and mentored by Kenshin along with another ex-criminal named Alan Inoue. The spinoff sets itself up as a prelude to a new "Hokkaido Arc" starring the remaining ''Kenshin'' cast, which started its run in late 2017.

** Shishio's blade never dulls because it has tiny sawblade-like teeth which wear away like shark's teeth.

* AccidentalSuicide: The GrandFinale of the Kyoto Arc shows [[BigBad Makoto Shishio]] getting to his max to finally defeat Kenshin. But before he could give Kenshin the final hit to kill him, [[spoiler:Shishio's body shuts down since he pushed himself to fight Kenshin for 30 minutes, way over his 20 minute limit (he can't fight at his max for over 20 minutes since doing so causes his blood to boil). This leads to his inevitable death by SpontaneousHumanCombustion]].

** Hiko Seijuro, to the point where the mangaka makes a point to keep him out of most battles because he would curb stomp everyone else.

** [[http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww133/jelene07/emi-kaoru.jpg Kaoru was considered in universe to be plain-looking. In the live action movies she is played by Japanese J-Idol beauty Emi Takei]].
** Even though there are already fans who consider the franchise's physical portrayal of him to be handsome (though canceled out by his dark personality and hard rugged features) and the fandom as a whole universally agree Watsuki's design to be far more attractive than his [[HistoricalBeautyUpdate real life counterpart]], the live action films manages to do this to [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/kenshin/images/c/cc/Rsz_saitoova.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120930193546 Saito]] who is played by [[http://asianwiki.com/images/3/39/Rurouni_Kenshin-0015.jpg hunk actor Yosuke Eguchi]].
* AdaptationalBadass: Happens throughout various adaptations but in particular the live action film trilogy where mostly side characters that are barely above BadassNormal such as Misao, Sadojima, and Kaoru are given more various skill sets and even shown to be as capable taking on far weight more than they can carry in the original manga (to the point of being OneManArmies and even going toe-to-toe with the master swordsman and superhuman martial artists of the franchise). Even some of the already badass experts of Swordsmanship and superhuman fighters such as Makoto are portrayed as being even better.
** Should be noted the live TV series does this to Kaoru, Yahiko and Megumi. Yahiko progresses much faster in the TV series to the point of already being capable of taking on multiple trained swordsman before the Kyoto arc. Kaoru is given more screentime in the action scenes, even going as far as helping Kenshin raid Kanryu's mansion and fending off over 20 men along with Yahiko. She is also portrayed as being well-versed in Jujitsu techniques in a filler episode. Megumi was only a backup doctor in the original manga (who never did anything daring once the Oniawaban arc finishes). The TV series has her not only involved directly in incidents she never had any direct contact with in the manga (such as the Raijuta chapters) in a role similar to a combat medic, but she is portrayed physically striking working class men and even enemy mooks (going so far as to KO a few perverts in one blow and knocking down some pawns in a single blow in filler episodes).
** Raijuta is the biggest example as far as villain goes in the franchise. The original manga has hims as a MilesGloriosus who quickly breaksdown after [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Kenshin lectures him on the true lethality of swordsmanship without drawing his blade once]] to the point of permanent trauma. The TV series portrays him being a genuine threat as an ambitious warlord eager to create a sovereign state who is capable of wiping out an entire platoon of [[EliteArmy Meiji classified Imperial Army division]] in a sword swing emitting RazorWind and capable of commanding a small army of MasterSwordsman to execute military tactics including recon and ambushes. The climatic duel of his arc in the TV series forced Kenshin to fight seriously and ended both with Raijuta being knocked out unconscious and Kenshin suffering some serious injuries.
* AdaptationDistillation: The live action film trilogy and to a lesser extent the [= OVAs=] and animated film incarnations get this. In particular Soujirou's backstory always receive this in all adaptations due to the brutal nature of what he did.

** In the 1996 anime, Tae debuts in episode 2, telling Kenshin and Kaoru about what she knows about Yahiko. She doesn't appear in the chapter that episode was based on. Instead, she debuts several chapters later in Sano's introductory chapter.

* AdaptationExpansion: Some parts of the the TV series:

** In the manga, Raijuta is a buffoon rampaging against select kendo dojos, throwing his weight around with Yutaro's wealth. While still using Yutaro's wealth and betraying him in the end of the arc. In the anime, Raijuta has a QuirkyMinibossSquad and is actually seeking to launch a coup d'etat against the Meiji Government and create their own sovereign state. To go a step further he even intends to re-install the bigoted and inefficient Tokugawa caste system (that was often abused and rife with corruption) as an institution in his would-be nation and his intended form of governing is through SocialDarwinism.
*** Most of all in the original manga Raijuta for all his rant about being a hardened killer had never murdered anyone and even breaks down when Kenshin confronts him about this. In the TV series he is shown killing henchmen as punishment casually for failing their assignments or betraying the cause.
** This also applies to many of the Ten Swords in the live action movies where almost all members had their sympathetic qualities and backstories removed, altered, or downplayed. In particular this is Anji gets hit hardest with this.
* AdaptationalWimp: Aoshi gets hit with this '''''hard''''' in Shin Kyoto Hen, going from one of the biggest badasses in the series, to a mook who gets pimpslapped by a tired and wounded Kenshin in less than a minute, going down with one simple hit from the butt of Kenshin's sword without landing a single blow. For Shame!
** Several of the Ten Swords suffer this in the live action movies but Usui gets hit hardest. Most of his incarnations in the franchise portray him as a OneManArmy assassin capable of wiping out an entire elite squad of policemen within an hour with ease (and thats just with toying around) in a direct confrontation. In addition while its granted that Saito was playing around and sitll won in the end througha CurbstompBattle, Usui was skilled enough to give him leg wounds. In the live action movie Usui only kills two police in a completely unexpected ambush before getting slaughtered by Saito just minutes later.

** The live action movies do this with many characters' backstories and internal angst, even going as far as removing arc-important characters period. In particular Sanosuke, Anji and Raijuta gets hit hardest with this with their pasts that are essential to their personalities removed (with the last not even appearing in the live action movie).

** One chapter has the message that comitting suicide out of guilt is bad and that [[TheAtoner only living on to confront the ramifications of your actions will help to remedy those problems]]. On that occasion, Sanosuke interrupts Megumi's [[DrivenToSuicide suicide attempt]] (upon reaching her in Kanryu Takeda's mansion where she was being held). Kenshin explains that no matter how bad one feels about their past actions, killing oneself will not undo the damage that has been done.
** The chapters following the victory of Team Kenshin over Shishio and the Juppongatana has the message to be humble. Yahiko, after learning the troubled pasts and sympathetic motives from their enemies, openly asks Kenshin if their victory meant that they were objectively in the right. Kenshin is quick to warn that they can't hubristically claim their victory as being any sort of sign that their ideals are inherently superior. Team Kenshin are only as human as anybody else and that claiming such unfounded superiority [[KnightTemplar would make them no better than Shishio]].
* 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.]]

** [[spoiler:Sadojima Houji]]. A lot more honorable than his master, so much that he throws a fight rather than resort to fighting dirty. Kenshin says he feels very sorry for him when he learns about his death.

* AnimeAccentAbsence: 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."

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

* ArtisticLicenseChemistry: The ''sakabatou'' still has a backwards curve like a normal katana. In real life, katanas acquire that curve because of a quirk of forging: due to chronic shortages of high-quality steel, Japanese smiths forged swords from multiple pieces of steel of varying compositions that were forge-welded together. They were forged straight, but naturally bent backwards when cooled due to differing thermal expansion coefficients between the spine and edge sides of the blade. A back-bent reversed-blade sword like Kenshin uses would therefore be difficult to achieve, but one supposes this is why Arai Shakkuu was an UltimateBlacksmith.

* BadassNormal: Sagara Sanosuke. Despite being just a street fighter, he's able to hold his own against foes which give Kenshin a hard time.

** Shishio makes it very clear to that [[AdaptiveAbility any move he sees will never work against him]] and to prove his point, he catches Kenshin and Saito's blades between his thumb and his index and middle fingers when attempting Ryushosen and the Gatotsu respectively, both of which he had seen previously.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Team Kenshin all go their separate ways in the end, but their lives are far from unhappy -- Kenshin and Kaoru are married with a son, Kenji; and Kenshin has finally come to terms with his bloody past. Yahiko has grown up to be a master swordsman and inherits Kenshin's sword after proving himself worthy. Megumi moves to another town, but continues her work as a doctor. And while Sanosuke is alive, he's on the run for attacking a government official, but he mails a letter to his friends that he'll be returning soon.]]

** This is most often invoked by the villains since Kenshi is a peaceful person and is against killing. The villains tend to kill people in very bloody ways to make a point they're horrible murderers. Although quite a few characters [[IncurableCoughOfDeath Cough Up]] [[BloodFromTheMouth Blood]] after sustaining heavy hits causing life threatening organ damage, making the other characters fear if they'll come out alive.
** The Animated film with Kenshi's backstory is also very fear inducing with it's high amount of bloody deaths, and BloodSplatteredInnocents like Tomoe. And as is noted below some of the characters have {{Bloodbath Villain Origin}}s.

** This happens with the filler arc right before the Kyoto arc too, with the pirates. There is a whole long episode explaining how Kenshin got into that kidnapping plot (DudeInDistress) but once everything is over with everyone is back in Tokyo in the next episode like it never happened. Probably because it never did happen in the manga.

** Kenshin [[MeetCute meets]] Kaoru this way. He saves her via bridal-carry against the fake Battousai, and then fakes a hip injury. (Kaoru, thinking that he's insulting her weight, is [[{{Tsundere}} most unamused]]).

* BustContrastDuo: Here we have Kaoru, flat and bad tempered, and Megumi, who doesn't really have huge knockers, though looks older and more feminine but at the same time is sweeter towards Kenshin Himura.

** Kaoru ''starts'' the series unable to catch up to Kenshin, and though [[WordOfGod Watsuki points out]] that that Kaoru is at least a national level ''kendoka'' and thus a very strong woman both emotionally and physically, she's surrounded by [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower absurdly strong fighters]]. Her choosing to stay home and out of many of the big fights in the manga doesn't help the perception of her being a FauxActionGirl either. In the anime, however, she is much more involved, helping with rescuing Yahiko and taking part in the raid on Kanryuu's mansion.

* CapitalismIsBad: An early incident delves into this with the conflict against Kanryu Takeda. Kanryu is an "entrepreneur" who has learned about western capitalism and seeks to spread it about in the setting of Meiji era Japan. The business he runs specializes in opium, which has had a [[WretchedHive detrimental effect on the local area]], but nonetheless Kanryu has profited and thus continues to provide it to meet the demand [[ItsAllAboutMe to make himself wealthier]]. In addition, he treats his employees Megumi Takani (his chief Opium maker) and [[HiredGuns the Oniwaban group]] with no shred of dignity. He even attempts to kill all of the latter with a Gatling gun just so he could kill [[TheHero Himura Kenshin]] [[MoralEventHorizon in the process]].
* 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, while both working in the same system they despise.[[note]]Curiously enough, Hino's role as Saito was announced just two days after the Japanese announcement of the dub cast of ''RRR'', which was at June 16th, 2023.[[/note]]
* CatSmile: Well more like fox face, Megumi does this every once in awhile when teasing Kaoru.

* CharacterExaggeration: Kenshin's ObfuscatingStupidity is played up in the anime version, to the point that in the Kyoto arc some people found it odd that he was acting like his manga self--which is much more of a DeadpanSnarker.

* CombatParkour: Implied to be part of Soujirou's arsenal, though the one time he uses it onscreen he was mostly doing it to show-off; at tip-top speed, he instead moves ''too fast to be seen by the human eye''.

* CripplingTheCompetition: Kenshin encounters a thug posing as Kenshin's old assassin persona and creating a lot of trouble. When he defeats the guy in the anime, Kenshin smashes his fingers with his sword so that the thug will never be able to hold a sword again. Also, early in his days of being a TechnicalPacifist, Kenshin chopped off an opponent's arm instead of killing him. The opponent thought this was a deliberate CruelMercy (as opposed to killing him honorably), and comes back for revenge with an ArmCannon.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Kenshin is angelically good-natured and easy going, to the point of being a bit of a doormat, emphasized by his extremely formal and humble, almost groveling, manner of speech (he uses "this one" instead of "I", for one). He is also the most feared assassin in recent history and, even though he doesn't kill anymore, has no problem demonstrating just how terrifying he can be if push comes to shove.

* CutLexLuthorACheck: [[spoiler:At the end of the Kyoto arc, most of the surviving Juppongatana members are pardoned and given government jobs which make use of their unique skills]].

** 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]].

* DoubleEdgedBuff: Enishi is able to activate his Frenzied Nerves, dramatically increasing his strength, speed, reflexes, and senses, making him incredibly strong and hard-to-hit. But due to his increased sensitivity, the pain he receives from any hits he does take is increased several times over.

* TheDrifter: 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.

* DubNameChange: 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''. '''''No other characters''''' got this treatment. What makes it even ''weirder'' is that it's almost like someone was [[ShownTheirWork 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''.

* EatingTheEyeCandy: In episode 19, the group is [[HotSpringsEpisode visiting a local hot spring]]. While Kenshin is bathing in the men's side he overhears the girls and their hostess talking about the plot and has a EurekaMoment, [[SexySurfacingShot jumping out of the water]] to go to the girls side to tell them about it, completely forgetting he's naked. A shocked Kaoru [[LuminescentBlush blushes]] while Megumi enjoys the view.

* EdutainmentShow: Just might qualify, since the show provides plenty of information on the Meiji Era and the Bakumatsu that took place during the final years of the Edo period. Indeed, it is on record that popular and scholarly interest in formerly-obscure aspects of the Meiji Revolution such as the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sekih%C5%8Dtai Sekihotai]] and the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haibutsu_kishaku anti-Buddhist purges]] were [[TheRedStapler sparked by the series]].

--> '''Yumi''': Himura-san. That should be an one-on-one battle. You shouldn't be giving him a hand.\\

* 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.

* FireIceDuo: Kenshin and the Kyoto arc BigBad Shishio Makoto can be considered rivals (both were highly skilled ''hitokiri'' during the Bakumatsu period (1853-1868), and now they're enemies. In their final battle, Kenshin's revamp and secret attack summons forth a fierce squall, while Makoto's special attack and power up are announced by roaring flames.

* 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)]].
** Interestingly played with Senkaku, one of Shishiou's lower minions. He's a LightningBruiser who is approximately as fast as Kenshin, despite his massive build. However Kenshin fights him in a match of speed, turning Senkaku's own body against him as he (Senkaku) keeps pushing himself until his joints collapse underneath him from the repeated strain.
* FullCircleRevolution: The Meiji Restoration is portrayed as this. The Shogunate was an oppressive and corrupt government. Kenshin joined the Revolution to overthrow it, and ended up creating an equally-oppressive Empire. All of the evil Kenshin committed achieved nothing of value, and this is part of what drove him to become TheAtoner.

** The final arc of the series shifts from a historical fiction with RuleOfCool physics to straight up fantasy.

* 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.

** Some other former ninjas ended up as mercenaries lead by Aoshi, and they were employed as Highly Visible Bodyguards. (When there was a need for stealth, they were properly difficult to detect.)

* HistoricalInJoke: Lots, though one of the most famous is the appearance of Okubo Toshimichi, a man considered one of the founders of modern Japan. In real life, he was murdered by a group of extremists called the Ichiro clan. In Kenshin, he travels to Tokyo to ask for Kenshin's help against [[BigBad Shishio]], and is killed by one of Shishio's men on the way to get Kenshin's answer. The Ichiro clan then ambush the carriage to find Okubo already dead. Sensing an easy way to become feared and respected, they tell everyone ''they'' killed him.
* HonorBeforeReason: The warriors of the Kenshin Gumi and even ''Shishio'' follows this trope to a tee.

* 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]].

** Kaoru gets very blushy when Yahiko (jokingly) suggests that she should put Kenshin (who has a habit of [[StealthHiBye disappearing]]) on a leash because she imagines this. This comes back as a BrickJoke: as an attempt to keep Kenshin in Kyoto, Megumi puts a collar and leash on him.

** Misao and Kenshin also get one when the hear that Saitou is married. "She must be some kind of Goddess!" Cue (in the anime) a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/30621_400932544284_533649284_4416546_4570889_n_4234.png visual sting of Saitou]] reclining on the statue of a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva Bodhisattva]].

* 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]].

* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Despite being a notorius former assassin, Kenshin Himura has a slender physique and feminine-looking face with long hair, is one of the most polite and deferential speakers you'll ever find, and is very skilled at housework[[spoiler:, eventually becoming a house-husband]]. His landlord [[spoiler:and eventual wife]], Kaoru Kamiya, is a skilled kendo instuctor who brings in the dojo's income and often wears a masculine training gi (although is also a feminine beauty when dressed in traditional women's clothes), is a short-tempered {{tsundere}}, and her cooking skills are mediocre at best.
* MasterPoisoner: Megumi Takani could arguably be considered this in her DarkAndTroubledPast. She was ''supposed'' to be training in medicine, and though she gained medical knowledge, she ended up being used to produce [[DrugsAreBad opium]]. She knows all about different poisons, but now cures them (among other roles befitting TheMedic).

** The Band of Six are initially introduced as a group of men with a legitimate bone to pick with Kenshin, though we gradually discover that they either had no real grudge against Kenshin, or had a pitiful one that was undermined by their actions. Only Enishi and Kujirinami have any motive that doesn't qualify as EvilIsPetty, and both of them ultimately realize that they were in the wrong anyway. Watsuki himself admits that it was probably a bad idea to include the group at all and it would've been better to send Enishi alone on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge.

** Also, the subtitle, "Meiji Swordsman ''Romantic'' Story", applies in both the classical (as in a a fictitious narrative which turns upon marvellous and uncommon incidents) and common (involving romance) senses.

** This trope is also subverted when he goes looking for the heir of a famous swordmaker: he uses one of the man's kitchen knives to [[MundaneMadeAwesome slice up a daikon in the most awesome way possible]], and then reveals that he was testing the blade.
* MurderersAreRapists: Though the notion of rape is largely averted in the series altogether (since {{mooks}} just get to the killing part [[PunchClockVillain 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. [[RescueRomance But Kenshin's there to save her]].

** In episode 2 of the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' reboot, several filler episode and anime original characters have cameos, like Ayame and Suzume as well as Toramaru the sumo wrestler.

* NoSenseOfDirection: Sanosuke is INFAMOUS for this. He even manages to get himself lost while running around with a compass.

** Kenshin tends to do this with strangers, acting as if he's clumsy fool until he has a reason to get serious.

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

** Hiko saves young Shinta, takes him in and teaches him everything he knows (or at least tries to; Kenshin is too naive and headstrong to listen sometimes).

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

* RazorFloss: In addition to controlling both Iwanbō models from the inside, Gein fights on his own by using near invisible steel strings covered with diamond dust that easily slice through things.

* 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]].

* ReunionVow: 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.

* RunningGag: Sano who keeps breaking his hand from half story until the very end and Megumi hitting him for it.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Kanryu believes this absolutely. As a result, he [[EvilCannotComprehendGood totally fails to comprehend Kenshin's motivations]], even after Hannya 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.

* ShooOutTheClowns: Played with during the ''Kyoto Arc''. The entire arc seems to be moving in this direction with regards to some of Kenshin's friends in Tokyo like Yahiko, Kaoru, and Sanosuke. Saitou even makes it a point to tell Sanosuke that he's an amateur who's nowhere near ready to face Shishio and the dangers that lie ahead in Kyoto. And as Sano and Kenshin's Tokyo crew tend to be used for a lot of comedy in Kenshin's everyday life, the only natural outcome would be for them to be sidelined as CerebusSyndrome hit the series. However, Sanosuke, Kaoru, and Yahiko ultimately avert this as they undergo more training and prove that they can still fight by Kenshin's side against KnightOfCerebus villains like Shishio and his Ten Swords.

* SlidingScaleOfGenderInequality: Level 4. Most of the girls in the series are [[FauxActionGirl supposedly competent action girls]], but its been shown that the guys take the limelight while the girls fall in action.

* SuperweaponSurprise: When Sanosuke throws Tsukioka's homemade grenades at Shishio's battleship, Hōji ensures the worried crew that the bombs aren't strong enough to do any serious damage to the vessel. The exact opposite happens, to the astonishment of villains and heroes alike - including Sanosuke himself, since Tsukioka had told him the grenades were only for self-defense.

* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Enishi is leader of a massive Chinese crime syndicate.
* 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]].

* WithThisRing: One episode of the anime featured a man who bought a ring to propose to his loved one but then he saw her with another man, misunderstood and threw it away. When he learned the other man was just an old friend, he tried to kill himself and that's when Sanosuke saw him. Fortunately, Sasuke recognized the ring as the one Kenshin found inside a fish he caught. Unfortunately, Megumi saw Kenshin with the ring and thought he intended to propose to Kaoru and then pushed him into giving it to her (it was the proper Japanese Holiday for this kind of thing). Until being told the story, Kenshin thought Kaoru took it as a birthday gift. When he learned the truth, he was [[OhCrap too scared]] to resemble the legendary man slayer.
* TheWorfEffect: Sanosuke often suffers from this in anime filler to show how tough the bad guys are. He lost to Saitou and Shishio in the manga to build them up as bigger threats to Kenshin, but is otherwise a valuable ally who wins most of his of fights via brute strength and sheer determination.

* WorthyOpponent: Saitou Hajime, Shinomori Aoshi, and even Shishio fits this trope to some extent.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: In the live action movie, Sano busts out a dropkick and a couple of German Suplexes.
* WrittenByTheWinners: A major theme deals with what it's like to be on the wrong side of history. Saitou fought on the losing side of the revolution and has been forced to watch his country be taken over by the people who killed his comrades. Kenshin fought on the winning side but now questions if he did the right thing.
* 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]].

** 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]].

** Saito's clash with Shishio is a major example as far as individual duels go. After his ambush fails, he attempts a point-blank Gatotsu against Shishio which fails in the manga. The extends the battle almost 3X in length with Saito trying to score blows on Shishio with variations of the Gatotsu technique before landing the futile point-blank range version.

* AdaptationDistillation: The live action film trilogy and to a lesser extent the OVAs and animated film incarnations get this. In particular Soujirou's backstory always receive this in all adaptations due to the brutal nature of what he did.
** Even the 1996 TV series, known to add in generally decent filler and to expand upon canon scenes, is not free from this. Some of the events building up to the climatic battle of major arcs are altered as are the involvement of several minor characters and backstory elements. In particular the Oniwaban's various members' backstories (particularly Shikijo and Hanya) key-defining moments as well as essential actions they did in the arc removed

* ArtisticLicenseChemistry: The ''sakabatou'' still has a backwards curve like a normal katana. In real life, katanas acquire that curve because of a quirk of forging: due to chronic shortages of high-quality steel, Japanese smiths forged swords from multiple pieces of steel of varying compositions that were forge-welded together. They were forged straight, but naturally bent backwards when cooled due to differing thermal expansion coefficients between the spine and edge sides of the blade. A back-bent reversed-blade sword like Kenshin uses would therefore be difficult to acheive, but one supposes this is why Arai Shakkuu was an UltimateBlacksmith.

* The ''Rurouni Kenshin'' remake [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXqeIuCdbNg trailer]] by Liden Films showcased Kenshin doing a [[https://youtu.be/WXqeIuCdbNg?t=63 sweeping leg]] move not found in the manga or the original anime, but used in the film series.
** Furthermore, the fact that Kenshin is now unambiguously voiced by a [[Creator/SomaSaito guy]] [[CrossDressingVoices instead of]] [[Creator/MegumiOgata a]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_Suzukaze girl]] like in the ''[=RuroKen=]'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeru_Satoh film series]] as well.

** The 2023 anime's Opening "Hiten" features a few references to the 1996 anime. Kenshin's color palette briefly resembles his color palette from the 1996 anime, most notably his gi being magenta rather than red. One shot has Kenshin sitting down before standing up with the Sakabatou used as a support, just like how the 1996 anime's first opening "Sobakasu" starts. Finally, "Hiten", much like "Sobakasu", ends with Kenshin returning home to the Kamiya Dojo with the cherry blossoms in bloom.

** In the preview for episode 7 of the 2023 anime, the first title mentioned by Kaoru, "Samurai X: Harakiri Revolution", references the various uses of the series' MarketBasedTitle, ''Samurai X'', outside of Japan. The second title, "Legendary Beautiful Swordmaster Appears Named Dosukoi Battousai"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikensha"[[/note]] is a reference to the title of the first episode of the 1996 anime, "The Handsome Swordsman of Legend: A Man who Fights for Love"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikenshi"[[/note]].

* AccidentalMisnaming: Yahiko ''hates'' being called "[[{{Honorifics}} Yahiko-chan]]."

* DeadBecauseOfMe: Kenshin, being a TechnicalPacifist, is haunted by every person he's ever killed, but especially [[spoiler:Tomoe]].

* NowWhichOneWasThatVoice: The English actors are credited, but the roles they play aren't given with them.

** In the preview for episode 7 of the 2023 anime, the first title mentioned by Kaoru, "Samurai X: Harakiri Revolution", references the various uses of the series' MarketBasedTitle, ''Samurai X'', outside of Japan. The second title, "Legendary Beautiful Swordmaster Appears Named Dosukoi Battousai"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikenshi"[[/note]] is a reference to the title of the first episode of the 1996 anime, "The Handsome Swordsman of Legend: A Man who Fights for Love"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikensha"[[/note]].

** In the preview for episode 7 of the 2023 anime, the first title mentioned by Kaoru, "Samurai X: Harikiri Revolution", references the various uses of the series' MarketBasedTitle, ''Samurai X'', outside of Japan. The second title, "Legendary Beautiful Swordmaster Appears Named Dosukoi Battousai"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikenshi"[[/note]] is a reference to the title of the first episode of the 1996 anime, "The Handsome Swordsman of Legend: A Man who Fights for Love"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikensha"[[/note]].

** In the preview for episode 7 of the 2023 anime, the first title mentioned by Kaoru, "Samurai X: Harikiri Revolution", references the various uses of the MarketBasedTitle, ''Samurai X'', outside of Japan. The second title, "Legendary Beautiful Swordmaster Appears Named Dosukoi Battousai"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikenshi"[[/note]] is a reference to the title of the first episode of the 1996 anime, "The Handsome Swordsman of Legend: A Man who Fights for Love"[[note]]"Densetsu no Bikensha"[[/note]].

On Aniplex Online Fest 2022, it was announced that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlgKIkCZ4nQ a new TV series that retells the manga story is in production]] which would be produced by Creator/LidenFilms and was be released on July 7, 2023. It's a more direct manga adaptation in the vein of ''[[Manga/FullMetalAlchemist Fullmetal 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]] 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 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]''. Additionally, the voice cast is reshuffled, with Creator/SomaSaito as Kenshin and Creator/RieTakahashi as Kaoru.

** The 2023 anime's Opening "Hiten" features a few references to the 1996 anime. Kenshin's color palette briefly resembles his color palette from 1996, most notably his gi being magenta rather than red. One shot has Kenshin sitting down before standing up with the Sakabatou used as a support, just like how the 1996 anime's first opening "Sobakasu" starts. Finally, "Hiten", much like "Sobakasu", ends with Kenshin returning home to the Kamiya Dojo with the cherry blossoms in bloom.

** The 2023 anime, has several characters and plot points referenced significantly earlier. Episode 1 begins with Okita and Saito encountering Battousai, which didn't happen until the beginning of the Kyoto arc in both the manga and first anime. Additionally, the episode shows a brief glimpse of Kenshin [[spoiler:killing Kiyosata and Tomoe]], which wouldn't happen until the Jinchuu arc.

* MythologyGag: At the very end of the ''Reflection'' OVA, Kenji ends up with a girl named Chizuru. Originally, she appeared in one of Watsuki's ''Rurouni'' pilots as a DamselInDistress that Kenshin saves.