Background#1 - Himura Kenshin ~ Rurouni Kenshin
Background
*Tsuioku Hen Spoilers* Himura Kenshin was born with the name of 'Shinta'. When he was young, both of his parents died of cholera, leaving him in the care of slave traders. One fateful night, the group is attacked by bandits. As they easily slaughter the others in the group, young Shinta takes up a sword, prepared to defend the women of the group. Before he can do anything, the girls shield him with their bodies, begging the men to spare his life. Shinta can do nothing but watch as the men cut them down. However, before they can lay a finger on him, a few of them are felled by a mysterious swordsman. The man quickly kills the rest of the bandits, saving young Shinta. Later, when he returns to the scene of the battle, the man sees that the boy has buried all of the bodies...those of the people with him, and the bandits. At this time, the man introduces himself as Hiko Seijuro and offers to take the boy as his apprentice. He gives him the name Kenshin, saying that the name 'Shinta' is too weak to be a swordsman's name. Hiko then takes young Kenshin back to his home, where he teaches him the techniques of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Years later, as he heard of the death and destruction of the Bakumatsu, he begged his master to let him leave to help. He wanted to rescue the weak and suffering with his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Hiko was adamant; he said that Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu was never meant to get involved with such disputes, as it would certainly determine the winner, and would be corrupted by those in power. He bluntly told Kenshin that if he left, his use of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu would make him into a mass murderer. However, Kenshin was determined, and in the end, he left the home of his master. He ended up with the Kihei-tai, where Katsura Kogoro discovered him. Taking him to Kyoto, Katsura used Kenshin as his Hitokiri (assassin). Some time later, Kenshin meets and falls in love with a young woman named Yukishiro Tomoe. A short time later, a series of events lead Kenshin to accidentally cause her death. Heartbroken, Kenshin vows to keep living, so that he can find a way to atone for the sins he committed as a Hitokiri. He vows that, once the Bakumatsu is over, he will never take another human life, ever again. At the end of the Bakumatsu, Kenshin takes up a sakaba-tou (reverse-blade sword) and becomes a rurouni (wanderer). He wanders Japan for the following 10 years, until he ends up in Tokyo, where he meets a girl named Kamiya Kaoru...
Mentally...
I love Kenshin for what he is...an honest man who wants nothing more than to live a better life, one free of death and strife. He has such a gentle personality; he takes such pleasure from the simplest things in life. He cares greatly for those around him, and is more than willing to lay down his life to protect them. He has such a strong desire to help the weak and defenseless...that's the only thing he's ever fought for. Also, I truly admire his strength and courage, which allowed him to go on living despite his grief and guilt, so he could repent for the sins he committed as Hitokiri Battousai. I've always been a sucker for characters with tragic pasts, and of all my bishounen, Ken-chan has the most tragic story. Though he did the deeds, Ken-chan never had the heart of a hitokiri (manslayer). After the Bakumatsu, all he wanted was to repent for his sins....because of this, he took up a sakaba-tou (reverse bladed sword) and swore that he would never take another human life...EVER. Despite his desires for a peaceful life, enemies from his past keep popping back into his life...No matter how hard he tries to escape his past, he is never quite able to free himself from its hold...It's heart-wrenching to watch him struggle so, and be unable to escape from the shadow of Hitokiri Battousai. The reason that Kenshin is my Number One is fairly simple. It's because the gentle, friendly, caring personality of Kenshin is what I hope to find in a real man, someday.
Physically...
Where to start? ^_^ I love his eyes. Soft lavender in color, his eyes hold an endearing gentleness when in his usual rurouni persona. Or, deep gold in color, his eyes hold a calm look of strength and sometimes a slight ferocity when in his Battousai persona...*sigh* One look from those eyes, whether gentle rurouni or fierce Battousai, and I totally melt. Next, of course, is his gorgeous mop of red hair...I love his hair...And his friendly smile, which masks the sadness and pain that forever lurk behind it...Also, his slight, muscular frame is just my type ^_^ Combine that with the pure animalistic physical attraction of his killing grace when he springs into action in his Battousai persona...*melts*
Vocally...
I really love his Japanese voice. He has such a soft,
easy-to-listen-to voice...which lends itself nicely his two modes of speech...gentle and
unassuming in his rurouni persona, and calm, strong, and confident in his Battousai
persona...I've always loved to listen to him talk ^_^ Besides his voice, I like the
way he's adapted his syntax, in his rurouni persona. His use of 'sessha', 'de gozaru', and
'oro' which are unique to him...And of course, who can forget his wonderful dialogue
^_^ Not just the way he words things, but what he actually has to say. Though
he acts very humble, he is actually rather wise.
Quotes
"A sword is a weapon. Swordsmanship is learning how to kill. That is the truth. What Kaoru-dono says is play-talk that only those who have never stained their hands can say. However, I prefer Kaoru-dono's play-talk more than the truth, I do. I wish, that in the world to come, her play-talk shall become the truth." -- Kenshin to Hiruma Gohei (Japanese)
"We once fought with our swords. Not for power or glory, but for a world where people could live in happiness. And if you forget that, you're just an usurper." -- Kenshin to Yamagata Aritomo (Japanese)
"You can use all the skills you like. However. Now that I've said I will kill...your death is inevitable." -- Battousai to Udoh Jinei (Japanese)