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Six Comrades
Dreams Arc
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memory Arc
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Other people with whom Kenshin has formed friendships at Tokyo and beyond.
A rich son of a samurai, who wants nothing more than to learn swordsmanship. In the anime, he wants to become stronger than his father once was. He learns the basics of Kamiya Kasshin Ryū from Kamiya Kaoru and becomes a rival to Myōjin Yahiko, but then returns to the person he believes to be his true sensei, Raijuta. After Raijūta injures him to the extent where he can't use his right hand, he goes to Germany where they have more advanced medicine.
In the manga, Yūtarō is the son of a wealthy merchant (whom served as a samurai), and wants nothing more than to learn swordsmanship. He first appears in volume 5, chapter 34, as a junior follower of Raijuta. It all ends up with Yūtarō to Germany to try to heal his injury. At the end of the manga, a sign in the Kamiya Kasshin Ryū dojo shows that Yūtarō has returned and is an assistant instructor along with Yahiko. In Yahiko no Sakabato, it is noted that Yutaro is somewhat of a playboy. In the anime, he comes back and the entire black knights arc starts with Yutaro going back to Germany and quiting kenjustu.
Born Katsuhiro, he was a survivor of the Sekihōtai after it was disbanded by the government. Called Katsu by Sanosuke, Tsunan became a printmaker after the Meiji Restoration. He is an expert at explosive weapons and gunpowder, and intends to use them against the Meiji government. When he and Sano try to embark on a terrorist campaign against the Meiji government later in the series, they are stopped by Kenshin. Since then, Katsu buried his bombs and became a journalist for his own newspaper (in the manga Kenshin is the one who buried Katsu's bombs). Later on in the anime series, he becomes a valuable source of information for Kenshin and Sanosuke. However, he still makes bombs solely as a hobby-he has several to give Sanosuke just before following Kenshin to Kyoto.
Based on the actual captain, Sagara Sōzō (相楽総三, Sagara Sōzō? 1839 - 1868) was the leader of the Sekihō Army's (Sekihō-tai) First Troop. Sanosuke looked up to him greatly; he was, to Sanosuke, the ideal role model. He was killed when the Meiji government purged the Sekihō Army, leading to Sanosuke's embitterment towards it. His head was placed on a platform and in a cage for all to see, it haunts Sano to this very day. Sometime after his death, Sano took Sagara Sōzō's family name his name and became Sagara Sanosuke.
Watsuki said that since Sagara Sōzō is an actual historical figure, "talking about his "motif" as a character seems beside the point." The author's mental image of Sagara Sōzō became important in the character development. According to Watsuki, the framework of Sanosuke's memories glorifies Sagara Sōzō in the story. Since, according to Watsuki, Sagara Sōzō genuinely wanted equality for Japan's people, Watsuki wonders about the fate of Japan if Sagara Sōzō survived. Watsuki debated whether to include the Sekihō Army Incident due to its obscurity. Since he believed that the movement exposed the truths and lies of the Meiji Restoration, he decided to include the movement. One of Watsuki's friends told the Rurouni Kenshin author that another one of his friends feared that Watsuki may be "getting in too deep." In addition, as Watsuki wrote the storyline, the popularity of the series fell to the lowest point since the debut of the series. Watsuki reasoned that he wished to explore the "true story of the Meiji Revolution" and therefore could not leave out the story of the Sekihō Army. Watsuki did not base the appearance of Sagara Sōzō on actual historic photographs; he wondered about the appearance of the real Sagara Sōzō. Watsuki instead formed his version of the character based on his mental image of the real person. He says that the character is popular "in the eyes (and hearts) of female readers." [1]
Sekihara Tae (関原 妙, Sekihara Tae?) is the 20-something manager of the beef hot pot (gyūnabe, or sukiyaki) restaurant, the Akabeko. She has a twin sister named Sae managing in a similar restaurant called the Shirōbeko in Kyoto. Sanosuke also owes her a seemingly large sum of money in which interest is accounted for. In the anime, and a bit in the manga, she has also tried to push the relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru since it seemed it to her that it was not working.
A waitress at Tae's restaurant, Sanjō Tsubame (三条 燕, Sanjō Tsubame?) becomes Yahiko's sweetheart. She was saved by him from the ronin her family worked for as Yahiko stopped them from robbing the Akabeko. She is very shy and soft spoken. When Kenshin enters a living hell after the supposed death of Kamiya Kaoru at the hands of Yukishiro Enishi, Tsubame pleads for Kenshin to help Yahiko fight back against one of Enishi's abandoned allies and brings Kenshin back into the world of the living. Later she and Yahiko have a child.
In Seisōhen/Reflection, the viewer see that Tsubame and Yahiko had become a couple and Watsuki has mentioned in his notes Tsubame and Yahiko's son 'Shinya'; they become a couple in the manga storyline.
Oguni Gensai (小国玄斎, Oguni Gensai?) is a venerable old doctor and friend of the Kamiya Dojo, he often offers treatment or advice early in the series. In the television show, he is the grandfather of two impossibly cute little girls (Ayame and Suzume) who also like hanging around the Dojo. After the group meets Takani Megumi, he offers her training and lets her take over his clinic when on vacation or out collecting herbs. He is seen in a few background shots in the manga.
Nonexistent in the manga, Ayame (あやめ, Ayame?) is the older of the two siblings. Like many of the village children, she likes to play with Kenshin.
Nonexistent in the manga, Suzume (すずめ, Suzume?) is the younger granddaughter of Dr. Gensai. She and her sister, along with other village children, like to play with Kenshin. All her dialog consists of repeating what Ayame or someone else just said.
A local police chief, Uramura (浦村, Uramura?) or Chief Uramura (浦村署長, Uramura-shochō?) is a good friend of Kenshin's and often informs him of local disturbances. During the Jinchū arc, Uramura's residence is attacked along with the Maegawa dojo and the Akabeko as part of Yukishiro Enishi's plan to strike at the places in Tokyo most important to Kenshin; fortunately Uramura and his family are saved by Kenshin. As a favour to Kenshin, he deliberately points the police in the wrong direction when they attempt to arrest Sanosuke toward the end of the manga. He was not given a name until the Jinchū arc in the manga; in the anime he was simply called "chief" by Yamagata Aritomo.
Referred to as "Geezer" in the Viz translation. A kindly and friendly old man who wanders from place to place and resides within the fallen villages when he chooses to stay in one place for a while. When Kenshin falls into a deep depression after failing to protect Kamiya Kaoru from being killed, Oibore gently persuades Kenshin (partly through the use of hakubaiko perfume) to find his purpose to stand again rather than listen to his friends telling him to avenge Kaoru, who mean well but lack the insight to realize what Kenshin's inner conflict is.
He is later revealed to be the father of Yukishiro Tomoe and Enishi. He is aware that Tomoe has died and also of Kenshin's relationship to her. He is last seen with the broken Enishi in the fallen village in Tokyo; father and son remark that their company seems familiar, though Enishi fails recognize the identity of the old man while Oibore's knowledge of the young man's relation to him is left more ambiguous.
