Nobuhiro Watsuki
He may be one of the "good guys" now (as Misao insists) but, even a month later, Kenshin still is haunted by Kyoto. How can he not be, when it was in Kyoto that, as the feared "Hitokiri Battôsai," he once made the streets flow red...? And yet, before he departs this place of so many memories, there are ghosts which must be put to rest. It's said that, when strong feelings are attached to a particular wound, so long as those feelings persist,
...In the 11th year of Meiji, on the day marked in the Western calendar as May 14th, time once again begins to flow. The shocking midday murder of Department of Internal Affairs Chief ôûkubo a fait accompli, Kenshin leaves for Kyoto, scene of chaos and bloodshed—against the wishes of nearly everyone who knows him as the gentle "rurouni." Awaiting him there is Shishio Makoto, the hitokiri who replaced the cold-eyed assassin Himura Battôsai
...The madness of Shishio Makoto may know no bounds, but what of his body? An eleventh-hour revelation suggests a possible weakness, but will the news come in time to help a critically wounded Kenshin, whose own strength is reaching its limit? In this new era of Meiji, it's getting harder and harder to tell the innocents from the outlaws. Perhaps, as Kenshin says, it should be for history to decide which side was right, and which side was wrong. The
...When the chief of the Police Sword Corps himself comes asking for favors, things must be bad. Hitokiri Udô Jin-e—a black-hatted, crazy-eyed slayer who fells both targets and innocent bystanders alike—is steadily working his way through a list of former Ishin Shishi patriots now ensconced within position of power in the Meiji government. Can Kenshin withstand the hypnotic, paralyzing effect of Jin-e...?
Rated: T+
The Shinsengumi—fearsome and formidable protectors of the Shôgunate. Kenshin knows them well, having done battle with them during the final days of the Meiji Restoration. One man in particular—Saitô Hajime, captain of the third unit—lingers in Kenshin's mind. Now an officer of the law and known as "Fujita Gorô," Saitô arrives on the steps of the Kamiya Dojo, challenging Kenshin to a duel that will force
...The ghosts of Kenshin's past come to wreak havoc on his future as the fight is literally brought to the doorstep of Kamiya Dojo. Three great battles—three great warriors! Myôjin Yahiko, the student of swords not yet a man, takes on a fighter more than twice his age. Sagara Sanosuke, the free-wheeling street fighter, learns a new humility and becomes stronger for it. And Himura Kenshin, the former slayer of men, begins to see a way to
...Spider's Web...like ordinary opium, but better processed. Half the cost to produce, but twice the profits! To the people of Aizu, Takani Megumi was a daughter in a famous family of doctors, in which everyone—women and children alike—studied medicine. But to grasping industrialist Takeda Kanryû, she is the hen who lays the golden egg—the only one who knows the Spider's Web formula! To stay with Kanryû is to send even more to
...His sakabato broken in battle, Kenshin seeks out the man who forged it—Arai Shakkû—only to be turned away. Seikû, son of the legendary swordsmith, had for a time been continuing his father's work (the forging of katana, meant for killing), but has since given up that calling and spends his time making humble cooking knives. Respecting Seikû's wishes, Kenshin leaves without the desired blade...but not before Shishio's spies learn
...Kenshin and his comrades have finally discovered the location of Enishi's island compound, but to free Kaoru from captivity, a good deal of fighting will be necessary. Woo Heishin, Enishi's mysterious second-in-command, meets them on the beach and brings his deadly bodyguards, the Sû-shin or the "Four Stars," to serve as a welcoming committee. Yahiko, Sanosuke, Saitô and Aoshi dive into combat with Woo Heishin's warriors as Kenshin prepares
...Kenshin's battle with Raijûta to decide the fate of Meiji Era swordsmanship is coming to a head. One fact is quickly becoming apparent: Raijûta will stop at nothing to ensure the supremacy of his own school of sword-fighting! Reunited with a member of the former Sekihô Army—that doomed civilian unit—Sanosuke runs into trouble of his own. Old alliances are challenged when a plan to topple the current government by any means necessary
...With Misao's help, Kaoru finally manages to locate Kenshin in Kyoto—at the home of Hiko Seijûrô, his master in the school of Hiten Mitsurugi. Having convinced his master to resume (complete) his training, Kenshin assumes the role of pupil once more, while elsewhere in Kyoto, other forces come together. There is the arrival of Shinomori Aoshi, soon approached by the men of Shishio Makoto to join their cause; there is the arrival also
...Kujiranami, the giant whose right arm Kenshin severed during the Bakumatsu, escapes from prison and goes on the rampage. He is armed with a frightening new weapon, and the police force is helpless against his wrath. One warrior has the courage to stand up to him: Myôjin Yahiko, Kenshin's youthful ward and Kaoru's only student in Kamiya Kasshin-ryû. And while it's true that Yahiko's skill has increased, will he alone be able to stop a deranged
...Though he once killed in the name of the nascent Meiji government, even an infamous manslayer such as "Hitokiri Battôsai" might grow weary and vow never to kill again. As a new age dawns, there are those who yet cling to the ways of bloodshed, and see the days of peace and prosperity Kenshin and others like him fought so hard to bring forth as betrayal. In ten days' time, the enemies of Kenshin will come for him, and all who stand beside
...As the feared assassin of the Bakumatsu, Himura Kenshin killed in the name of the new era. As the rurouni of Meiji, he wielded a sakabatô to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, all along holding true to his vow to never take another life. Now Kenshin's fight with Enishi has entered its final stage, as has his quest for atonement. Will another life be required to complete the circle? The road of redemption has been a long one for
...To build a new age, must one truly be mad enough to turn from the extreme justice that political allegiance requires? Deep in the Japanese countryside, far from the gore-spattered streets of the capital, a man who never knew what happiness was begins a new life as husband to a woman who claims to have nowhere else to go. If a man cannot fight to protect the woman he loves, what will become of the nation? Can one woman alone be enough to hold back
...The Great Kyoto Fire behind them (and casualties relatively slight), Kenshin and the others consider their next move. The Oniwabanshu may indeed be allies this time ("Now there's a weird twist," as Sano says), but their leader, Shinomori Aoshi, is not. Is Kenshin truly, as it is claimed, the only one who can bring peace to the former Okashira or "head" of the Kyoto-based spy group...? Elsewhere, madman Shishio Makoto has made his own plans for
...To defeat an enemy in combat is one thing. To destroy an enemy's spirit by striking at what he holds dearest is another. Kenshin always felt that, so long as he wielded a sakabatô, those within his sight could be protected from harm, yet while he is incapacitated by the gargantuan Kujiranami of the "Six Comrades," Enishi seizes upon the opportunity to cripple Kenshin's resolve, and will to fight, for good. If Kaoru dies, will Kenshin's dream
...It began with a sin, committed by Kenshin, back during his bloody days as hitokiri or a government-sanctioned slayer of men. Although stopping most of the assassins who still come seeking revenge should be easy enough, what of the innocent—Sanosuke and Yahiko (Kenshin's comrades), everyone at Akabeko Inn (Kenshin's friends), Kaoru (Kenshin's...?). For once there was another love in Kenshin's life, one which—given his nature—must
...Is there such a thing as divine will or guidance...? Seta Sôjirô, stopping for a moment in mid-battle with Kenshin, may be beginning to think so. When Sôjirô made the fateful decision to ally with the monomaniacal Shishio Makoto, his family paid the ultimate price. But is the flesh of the weak truly the sustenance of the strong, as Shishio insists? Kenshin, whose Hiten Mitsurugi school places the protection of the helpless
...As Kenshin continues his re-education at the hand of his master in Hiten Mitsurugi, Hiko Seijûrô, he looks back also to the first, early years of that training...including the moment in his life in which he changed his name to "Kenshin." Meanwhile, the remaining members of the Juppongatana , or "Ten Swords," arrive in Kyoto, while the first phase of Shishio Makoto's plan for Japan finally gets underway. While Misao and the Oniwabanshu plan
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