A Brief Introduction

Rurouni Kenshin : Meiji Kenkaku Romantan, is one of the best anime/manga ever created. By Nobuhiro Watsuki, this anime is set in the mid-late 1800s, during the Bakumafu period, when the struggle for supremacy between the Shinsengumi & the Ishinshishi was at its highest and most bloodiest.

At that time, the Black Ship Incident occured, in which a Naval captain from America arrived at Japan in large black ships (hence the name of the incident), asking for friendly ties between the 2 countries.The government at that time did not want to have anything to do with the outside world and hence rejected Perry.

Thus the end of the Edo period began...states wanting to attack the ships in hope of chasing them away, joined together to form the Meiji Ishin. The Edo government,sensing its downfall is upcoming, hired swordsmen & assasins and formed the Shinsengumi to kill all those supporting the Meiji Ishin & its cause.

In order to protect its leaders & politicians, the Meiji Ishin hired its own assasins & samurais to protect its members.

Many bloody battles ensued, with both parties suffering losses. Meiji Ishin suffered its most heaviest loss in the Ikeda Inn Incident, where a leak of information to the Shinsengumi lead to the deaths of many high-ranking officials of the Meiji Ishin.

Even with the heavy loss, the Meiji Ishin prevailed in the end and a new period begins : the Meiji....

The main lead,Himura Kenshin, was a samurai/assasin hired by the Meiji Ishin during the turbulent period to protect its politicians, while assinating those who were against Ishin, the Shinsengumi. It was Kenshin's legendary fighting technique,Hiten Mitsurugiryuuwhich helped paved the way for the Meiji, and in his career he killed so many that he was given the title Saikyou (the strongest) and the Name : Hitokiri Batthousai.

However, with the establishment of the Meiji and the new government, Batthousai dissappeared....why he dissappeared was a mystery, but with his dissappearamce he left many tales of the great deeds.