The Rurouni Kenshin anime reboot received a new trailer on December 17th showcasing more of its amazing animation. The anime series is a highly anticipated project, especially for fans who felt the original animation was outdated and difficult to watch.
There is no known release date for the new series yet, however, it’s assumed that it will air in 2023. This series will see the return of Himura Kenshin and the rest of the amazing main characters of the anime series that fans have grown to love.
Makimachi Misao
Misao is a kunoichi who is first introduced while Sanosuke is traveling. She joins him and is on a journey to find Aoshi, whom she fell in love with long ago. She is one of the least likable members of the main characters and somewhat feels like an odd addition to the cast sometimes.
She has, however, proven herself in combat numerous times and has some great character development that makes her a more compelling character than how she was initially introduced as a whiny annoying child.
Takani Megumi
Megumi is originally introduced as a physician in the series that works under Takeda Kanryū, an opium dealer. She doesn’t work for him willingly and is finally able to free herself of him after Kenshin saves her.
She becomes a doctor and swears to only aid others from thereon out and becomes a valuable asset to the other main characters in the series. She is a caring and passionate woman that’s impossible to dislike.
Yukishiro Tomoe
Tomoe is a backstory character and one of the main characters in the adaptation of Kenshin’s backstory, Trust X Betrayal. She marries Kenshin in the initial hopes to assassinate him for killing her previous fiancé.
However, she eventually truly falls in love with Kenshin and makes him swear to never kill anyone again as she dies. Her character is pivotal to the plot and the character of Himura Kenshin as well as the set-up of the final antagonist in the series, Enishi, Tomoe’s little brother.
Hiko Seijūrō
Seijūrō is one of the best and most likable teachers in anime and was a fantastic addition to the cast and is the former sword master of Kenshin. However, despite this, he was not an admirer of the path that Kenshin went down as the Hitokiri Battosai who ruthlessly slaughtered so many men.
Seijūrō continues to help Kenshin in his path in the series and helps him perfect his sword skills. What’s so great about Seijūrō is that he isn’t simply just a sword instructor, but he also has deep and thought-provoking questions with Kenshin.
Myōjin Yahiko
Yahiko may have been far from everyone’s favorite at the beginning of the series as he always gets himself into trouble. However, throughout the series, he develops into an interesting character and a great swordsman.
So much so that Kenshin even relies on him and his skills against Enishi’s men toward the end of the series despite Yahiko only wielding a kendo-training sword. There is a sequel manga to Rurouni Kenshin that also depicts an older Yahiko that is more experienced and who adopts Kenshin’s legacy.
Kamiya Kaoru
Kaoru is the main female protagonist in one of the best Samurai anime of all time, Rurouni Kenshin, and is the love interest of Kenshin who later becomes her husband. She is the head of the kendo school that Yahiko attends and is the primary headquarters for the main cast in the series.
Kaoru herself is handy with a blade and is the main reason behind many of Kenshin’s actions in the series due to their strong bond. While she isn’t as action-oriented as other characters, she is an interesting character with plenty of amazing dialogue.
Sagara Sanosuke
Sanosuke is one of the most popular characters from Rurouni Kenshin and is initially an opponent of Kenshin’s. He’s first seen carrying around a massive sword called a zanbatō which Kenshin can shatter.
He joins Kenshin after his defeat and from there on out Sanosuke joins the group and primarily focuses on physical strength. He’s one of the strongest characters in the series and one of Kenshin’s most dependable allies. As a result, his easy-going slacker nature mixed with his deep-seated loyalty and determination make him one of the more likable characters of the series.
Shinomori Aoshi
Aoshi is a calm and collected individual who was one of the toughest enemies that Kenshin faces in the series, and they have two major fights in the series. Aoshi is far from an evil man and most of his battles with Kenshin are through specific circumstances.
In the end, the two of them can become allies and Aoshi helps Kenshin out more in the future as a valuable asset. Aoshi bears many similarities to other popular rival anime characters who became friends with the main protagonist. However, his loyalty is what really makes him stand out, trying to honor his fallen friends and making a life for himself. While it takes him awhile to get there, Aoshi’s story, despite his stoic nature, definitely leaves an impact on viewers.
Saitō Hajime
Hajime is a member of the Shinsengumi, a historical police force that also appears in one of the best action-comedy anime, Gintama. Hajime initially tries to arrest Kenshin, knowing that he is the former Battosai. An incredibly skilled swordsman, known for his Isshiki stance, Hajime is one of the most powerful characters in the series.
However, after witnessing what kind of man Kenshin truly he is, he puts aside their differences and works alongside him on more than one occasion. He is one of the best characters in the series with a good balance of an unflappable demeanor and a vitriolic best bud relationship with Sano. Due to his popularity with fans, he has more character focus than Kenshin’s other rivals in the series.
Himura Kenshin
Kenshin is the main protagonist of Rurouni Kenshin and is by far the most likable character in the series. His story is incredible, a former assassin trying to live in a time of peace. Due to the horrors he saw and perpetrated during the Bakumatsu, he is one of the best characters with a no-kill rule.
The background and backstory of his character are built up well, and his motivations are perfectly understood by the reader or watcher. His transformation of a character is well-written and his struggle with the blade is one of the most compelling in all anime and manga. As a result, this gentle-natured and loving character using his skills to protect those he loves remains a story that touches millions of fans worldwide.
