Rurouni Kenshin - Episode Summary
Episode 01: The Legendary Swordsman! The Man Who Fights for Love.
The story begins in the 11th year of the Meiji, as a rurouni (vagabond samurai) Himura Kenshin wanders into Tokyo. Here, we are introduced to the legendary assassin, Hitokiri Battousai, and learn that after the chaos during the Revolution, the Battousai was never seen again. 10 years later in Tokyo, Kenshin, our killer turned wanderer, appears in a village and is accosted on the street by Kamiya Kaoru, a young dojo instructor, who thinks he is a wanted serial killer Hitokiri Battousai. Unbeknownst to her, he is the real Hitokiri Battousai, not the imposter using the name of ‘Hitokiri Battousai of the Kamiya Dojo’. The imposter is Hiruma Gohei, an ex-student of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu kendo dojo under Kaoru’s late father. Gohei is seeking revenge for being removed from the dojo. His actions are ruining the name of Kaoru's dojo, and she is determined to stop him.In pursuit of Gohei, Kaoru is attacked and Kenshin saves her from being cut in half. Kenshin nurses her wounds. Seeing that Kenshin looks poor and in need of shelter, Kaoru invites him to stay at her dojo. She later gets mad at him when he walks in on her while she is in the bath and retaliates by locking him in the storage barn. Kenshin sneaks out and as a result, Kaoru thinks he is gone for good. Later the same morning, Gohei comes calling with his cohorts. Gohei grabs Kaoru by the scruff of her neck, getting ready to throw her to his cohorts. Kenshin ends up rescuing her. During the fight with Gohei, Kenshin reveals that he is the real Hitokiri Battousai. After it's all over, Kenshin starts to leave, but Kaoru tells him the whole situation was his fault and that he has to compensate by staying to help her rebuild her dojo.
Episode 02: The Bratty Samurai! …. Why Don't You Become my Student?
In this episode, Kenshin meets a kid, Yahiko Myouji, a descendent of a long line of samurai warriors. After his parents died, they had a large debt to pay to a local Shueitai (organized crime).Kaoru tells Kenshin he is buying lunch for her, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, and Dr. Genzai. On the way into town Kenshin sees a boy steal a purse from an old man, then put the purse back into the hand of the old man's grandson. Kenshin lets the boy know he not only saw him, but respects him for his change of heart. The boy, "Tokyo Samurai" Myojin Yahiko, gets angry, retaliates and shouts insults at Kenshin and Kaoru. Kenshin just smiles and tells Yahiko to keep his 'pride' always. Yahiko is totally nonplussed and stomps off. Later at the Akabeko restaurant, Kenshin and Kaoru learn that Yahiko is 'owned' by the Shueitai. Kaoru gets angry and goes to rescue him. She makes a good attempt, beats a whole crowd of thugs, but fails. Both she and Yahiko are rescued by Kenshin. Kenshin then turns Yahiko over to Kaoru as her student (much against both Yahiko's and Kaoru's will.)
Episode 03: The Samurai in Sorrow. The Man Past Forgiveness.
Kaoru and Yahiko are learning to get along. Kenshin is cooking, cleaning and babysitting. While Kenshin heads into town to buy tofu, the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu dojo is visited by police trying to locate the Hitokiri Battousai. Kaoru sends Yahiko to warn Kenshin not to come home, because he will be arrested. Kenshin passes a government sword squad on his way back from the market with Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan.The sword squad is on its way into town to terrorize the locals. Yahiko, in his search for Kenshin to warn him of the police at the dojo, gets involved with the local conflict with the sword squad and is about to be executed when Kenshin shows up. There is some tense verbal interplay between the sword squad and Kenshin before the fight begins. When Kaoru and the police learn that Kenshin is in town fighting with the sword squad, Kaoru escapes from them to go warn/help Kenshin. Kenshin defeats the sword squad right before the police from the dojo show up. A Meiji Ishin cabinet member, Yamagata Aritomo, is with the police. He and Kenshin knew each other from the end of the Edo period, and Yamagata-san asks Kenshin to join the Meiji Ishin administration. Kenshin declines, saying that he has given up being the Hitokiri. As Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko walk off, Yamagata-san says that Kenshin has not heard the last of him.
Episode 04: ‘One Word Evil’ … The fighter Sanosuke appears!
Kenshin and company are eating at the Akabeko when an argument breaks out at a table across the way. Three intoxicated customers are arguing the merits of the Meiji government. Yahiko and Kenshin laugh at the three men's inebriated state, then one of them aims a bowl at Kenshin's head. Yahiko gets mad, has heated words with the three men, and it looks like a fight might erupt. Tae-san, the owner of the restaurant, steps in to calm everyone down, and one of inebriated men backhands her and sends her smack into the arm of one very big cool dude named Sagara Sanosuke. Sano talks the men into taking their argument outside where he easily defeats the ringleader. Sano recognizes a fighter in Kenshin and challenges him. Kenshin pleasantly declines. Sano wanders off, but tells Kenshin that if he, Kenshin, ever changes his mind, he will be around.Bad man Hiruma Gohei was hiding in the shadows outside the Akabeko, watching the entire incident. Gohei had heard of Sano and approaches him with a proposition to kill Kenshin. Sanosuke originally only plans to accept the proposition because he wants a challenge, but when he hears Kenshin fought for the Ishin Shishi as the Hitokiri Battousai, it becomes a personal vendetta, since he hates the Ishin Shishi. Sano goes out to the dojo, and challenges Kenshin, but Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan appear, and Sano leaves, saying he is uncomfortable fighting 'all out' in front of women and children.
Episode 05: Sakaba versus Zanba! Fight the Desperate Fight.
Reverse-Edge Sword vs. Zanbatou!!Yahiko and Kaoru are worried about Sano coming to challenge Kenshin. Sano and Kenshin go to the river to fight uninterrupted, but Kaoru and Yahiko show up anyway. Sano is strong and fights with a sword called the zanba, which was designed for used to cut down horses from under their riders. The zanba is slow, however, giving Kenshin an edge to determine Sano’s moves. Sano attacks Kenshin with the massive zanba. Kenshin dodges easily, and slams Sanosuke in the back. He gets knocked down.Zanza has a flashback during one of his recuperating pauses (he is flat on his back on the ground) and we learn why he hates the Ishin Shishi. Zanza (Sanosuke) belonged to the Sekihoutai, a group which fought loyally for the Ishin Shishi. The leader of the Sekihoutai was Sagara Souzou. Sagara fought for and dreamed of a new era of peace and prosperity, but the Sekihoutai were used as scapegoats by the government and unjustly accused of lying to the people. The government then murdered them. Sanosuke escaped thanks to Sagara Souzou (Sano took Souzou's family name of Sagara as his own). Kenshin knew the true story of the Sekihoutai, not the lie spread by the government. “The Sekihou Tai army is crowded around a man, who seems to be a higher-ranking official. He tells them that they will be punished for lying to the people about taxes being lowered, but the captain tells the man that they were just taking orders from the imperial army. The man ignores this, and reveals a large army hidden in the brush, ready to execute the Sekihou Tai. It's a massacre, and young Sanosuke runs off with the captain on his shoulders. The man tells Sanosuke to leave him, that the imperial army is greedy and lying, and pushes him off a small cliff into the water, as the Sekihou Tai is destroyed forever”.Sanosuke jumps back up, declaring that he will never lose to an imperialist 'scum'. They fight some more, and Sanosuke is once again knocked down. At this time, however, Gohei, who is hiding in a bush, pulls a gun on Kenshin. He shoots, and Kenshin blocks it with his sword, cracking the hilt. Gohei quickly runs and grabs Kaoru and Yahiko, threatening Kenshin. Suddenly, Sanosuke moves, swinging his Zanbatou and smashing Gohei in the ankles, knocking him over. Kaoru and Yahiko run, and Gohei tries one last attempt to shoot Kenshin. Kenshin quickly slams the ground with his sword, sending a shockwave along and knocking Gohei presumably unconscious. Sanosuke is not ready to quit the fight yet, although he is thoroughly battered and bruised. He rushes Kenshin, and suddenly, Kenshin flips the Reverse-Blade Sword around. In one swift movement, he slices the Zanbatou in half, and elbows Sanosuke in the back in one final crushing blow. Sanosuke refuses to go down, still vowing to beat the strongest of the Imperialists. At this point, Kaoru yells out that Sanosuke is the bad one, who was part of a lying army. Yahiko concurs with her. Sanosuke gets angrier, but Kenshin jumps in. He tells Kaoru and Yahiko that people are not what they seem, and explains that the Imperials originally had planned to have a tax reduction plan when the new regime was in session. However, due to the revolution, they were in deep debt, and cut the tax reduction. Kenshin explains that the Sekihou Tai were used as a scapegoat as to not tarnish the people's view of the Meiji. Kenshin goes on to explain that the revolution is not over, that the government is still not complete, and people are still stuck in their old ways. That is why he decided to become a wanderer as well, because his only way to atone for his sins during the Revolution is to protect people with his sword. Sanosuke watches Kenshin, realizing he sounds just like his old Captain Sagara. He realizes what Kenshin truly means, and falls down, defeated. About a week later, Kaoru tells Kenshin that Gensai treated Sanosuke's wounds and sent him to a hospital, where he was supposed to stay for three weeks. They see him, however, pushing some drunks out of the Akabeko. He turns to Kenshin, smiling, and after some friendly chat, he says he'd like to tag along with Kenshin, because he too has given up his revolutionary ways, and wants to learn from him. Kenshin happily complies, and the Kamiya Dojo acquires their third new tenant.
Episode 06: Visitor From the Darkness.. The Kurogasa Appears
The chief of police comes to the Kamiya dojo to ask Kenshin for assistance. It seems there is a serial killer called Kurogasa that is killing government officials, and the police are unable to stop him. Kenshin agrees to assist. Sano tags along. The killer uses a technique called Nikaidou Keiho Shin no Ippou, which paralyzes the victim with fear. Kenshin is not affected, of course, and leaps out at Kurogasa right before Kurogasa can cut Sano's arm off.Seems Kenshin and Kurogasa know each other: Kurogasa is the Hitokiri Jin-eh, a rogue Shinsen Gumi outcast who killed friend and foe alike for the fun of it. Jin-eh is very excited to encounter the Hitokiri Battousai, but after fighting a few minutes, Jin-eh realizes he is fighting Himura Kenshin, not Battousai. Jin-eh leaves, telling Kenshin he will give him one day to revert to the Hitokiri, or he, Jin-eh, will kill Kenshin.Kenshin sends Sano back to the dojo to tell Kaoru and Yahiko that he will not return until he fights Jin-eh, because he cannot concentrate if he has to worry about their safety. Kaoru rejects this line of reasoning, fearing that if Kenshin reverts to the Hitokiri, he will never come back to her dojo. She heads down to the river to find Kenshin. When she does, she gives him her favorite blue ribbon, and insists that after his fight, he return it to her personally. Kenshin understands and agrees. As Kaoru turns to go back to the dojo, a boat appears along the river bank. From the boat, Jin-eh suddenly grabs Kaoru and carries her off down the river...
The story begins in the 11th year of the Meiji, as a rurouni (vagabond samurai) Himura Kenshin wanders into Tokyo. Here, we are introduced to the legendary assassin, Hitokiri Battousai, and learn that after the chaos during the Revolution, the Battousai was never seen again. 10 years later in Tokyo, Kenshin, our killer turned wanderer, appears in a village and is accosted on the street by Kamiya Kaoru, a young dojo instructor, who thinks he is a wanted serial killer Hitokiri Battousai. Unbeknownst to her, he is the real Hitokiri Battousai, not the imposter using the name of ‘Hitokiri Battousai of the Kamiya Dojo’. The imposter is Hiruma Gohei, an ex-student of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu kendo dojo under Kaoru’s late father. Gohei is seeking revenge for being removed from the dojo. His actions are ruining the name of Kaoru's dojo, and she is determined to stop him.In pursuit of Gohei, Kaoru is attacked and Kenshin saves her from being cut in half. Kenshin nurses her wounds. Seeing that Kenshin looks poor and in need of shelter, Kaoru invites him to stay at her dojo. She later gets mad at him when he walks in on her while she is in the bath and retaliates by locking him in the storage barn. Kenshin sneaks out and as a result, Kaoru thinks he is gone for good. Later the same morning, Gohei comes calling with his cohorts. Gohei grabs Kaoru by the scruff of her neck, getting ready to throw her to his cohorts. Kenshin ends up rescuing her. During the fight with Gohei, Kenshin reveals that he is the real Hitokiri Battousai. After it's all over, Kenshin starts to leave, but Kaoru tells him the whole situation was his fault and that he has to compensate by staying to help her rebuild her dojo.
Episode 02: The Bratty Samurai! …. Why Don't You Become my Student?
In this episode, Kenshin meets a kid, Yahiko Myouji, a descendent of a long line of samurai warriors. After his parents died, they had a large debt to pay to a local Shueitai (organized crime).Kaoru tells Kenshin he is buying lunch for her, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan, and Dr. Genzai. On the way into town Kenshin sees a boy steal a purse from an old man, then put the purse back into the hand of the old man's grandson. Kenshin lets the boy know he not only saw him, but respects him for his change of heart. The boy, "Tokyo Samurai" Myojin Yahiko, gets angry, retaliates and shouts insults at Kenshin and Kaoru. Kenshin just smiles and tells Yahiko to keep his 'pride' always. Yahiko is totally nonplussed and stomps off. Later at the Akabeko restaurant, Kenshin and Kaoru learn that Yahiko is 'owned' by the Shueitai. Kaoru gets angry and goes to rescue him. She makes a good attempt, beats a whole crowd of thugs, but fails. Both she and Yahiko are rescued by Kenshin. Kenshin then turns Yahiko over to Kaoru as her student (much against both Yahiko's and Kaoru's will.)
Episode 03: The Samurai in Sorrow. The Man Past Forgiveness.
Kaoru and Yahiko are learning to get along. Kenshin is cooking, cleaning and babysitting. While Kenshin heads into town to buy tofu, the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu dojo is visited by police trying to locate the Hitokiri Battousai. Kaoru sends Yahiko to warn Kenshin not to come home, because he will be arrested. Kenshin passes a government sword squad on his way back from the market with Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan.The sword squad is on its way into town to terrorize the locals. Yahiko, in his search for Kenshin to warn him of the police at the dojo, gets involved with the local conflict with the sword squad and is about to be executed when Kenshin shows up. There is some tense verbal interplay between the sword squad and Kenshin before the fight begins. When Kaoru and the police learn that Kenshin is in town fighting with the sword squad, Kaoru escapes from them to go warn/help Kenshin. Kenshin defeats the sword squad right before the police from the dojo show up. A Meiji Ishin cabinet member, Yamagata Aritomo, is with the police. He and Kenshin knew each other from the end of the Edo period, and Yamagata-san asks Kenshin to join the Meiji Ishin administration. Kenshin declines, saying that he has given up being the Hitokiri. As Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko walk off, Yamagata-san says that Kenshin has not heard the last of him.
Episode 04: ‘One Word Evil’ … The fighter Sanosuke appears!
Kenshin and company are eating at the Akabeko when an argument breaks out at a table across the way. Three intoxicated customers are arguing the merits of the Meiji government. Yahiko and Kenshin laugh at the three men's inebriated state, then one of them aims a bowl at Kenshin's head. Yahiko gets mad, has heated words with the three men, and it looks like a fight might erupt. Tae-san, the owner of the restaurant, steps in to calm everyone down, and one of inebriated men backhands her and sends her smack into the arm of one very big cool dude named Sagara Sanosuke. Sano talks the men into taking their argument outside where he easily defeats the ringleader. Sano recognizes a fighter in Kenshin and challenges him. Kenshin pleasantly declines. Sano wanders off, but tells Kenshin that if he, Kenshin, ever changes his mind, he will be around.Bad man Hiruma Gohei was hiding in the shadows outside the Akabeko, watching the entire incident. Gohei had heard of Sano and approaches him with a proposition to kill Kenshin. Sanosuke originally only plans to accept the proposition because he wants a challenge, but when he hears Kenshin fought for the Ishin Shishi as the Hitokiri Battousai, it becomes a personal vendetta, since he hates the Ishin Shishi. Sano goes out to the dojo, and challenges Kenshin, but Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan appear, and Sano leaves, saying he is uncomfortable fighting 'all out' in front of women and children.
Episode 05: Sakaba versus Zanba! Fight the Desperate Fight.
Reverse-Edge Sword vs. Zanbatou!!Yahiko and Kaoru are worried about Sano coming to challenge Kenshin. Sano and Kenshin go to the river to fight uninterrupted, but Kaoru and Yahiko show up anyway. Sano is strong and fights with a sword called the zanba, which was designed for used to cut down horses from under their riders. The zanba is slow, however, giving Kenshin an edge to determine Sano’s moves. Sano attacks Kenshin with the massive zanba. Kenshin dodges easily, and slams Sanosuke in the back. He gets knocked down.Zanza has a flashback during one of his recuperating pauses (he is flat on his back on the ground) and we learn why he hates the Ishin Shishi. Zanza (Sanosuke) belonged to the Sekihoutai, a group which fought loyally for the Ishin Shishi. The leader of the Sekihoutai was Sagara Souzou. Sagara fought for and dreamed of a new era of peace and prosperity, but the Sekihoutai were used as scapegoats by the government and unjustly accused of lying to the people. The government then murdered them. Sanosuke escaped thanks to Sagara Souzou (Sano took Souzou's family name of Sagara as his own). Kenshin knew the true story of the Sekihoutai, not the lie spread by the government. “The Sekihou Tai army is crowded around a man, who seems to be a higher-ranking official. He tells them that they will be punished for lying to the people about taxes being lowered, but the captain tells the man that they were just taking orders from the imperial army. The man ignores this, and reveals a large army hidden in the brush, ready to execute the Sekihou Tai. It's a massacre, and young Sanosuke runs off with the captain on his shoulders. The man tells Sanosuke to leave him, that the imperial army is greedy and lying, and pushes him off a small cliff into the water, as the Sekihou Tai is destroyed forever”.Sanosuke jumps back up, declaring that he will never lose to an imperialist 'scum'. They fight some more, and Sanosuke is once again knocked down. At this time, however, Gohei, who is hiding in a bush, pulls a gun on Kenshin. He shoots, and Kenshin blocks it with his sword, cracking the hilt. Gohei quickly runs and grabs Kaoru and Yahiko, threatening Kenshin. Suddenly, Sanosuke moves, swinging his Zanbatou and smashing Gohei in the ankles, knocking him over. Kaoru and Yahiko run, and Gohei tries one last attempt to shoot Kenshin. Kenshin quickly slams the ground with his sword, sending a shockwave along and knocking Gohei presumably unconscious. Sanosuke is not ready to quit the fight yet, although he is thoroughly battered and bruised. He rushes Kenshin, and suddenly, Kenshin flips the Reverse-Blade Sword around. In one swift movement, he slices the Zanbatou in half, and elbows Sanosuke in the back in one final crushing blow. Sanosuke refuses to go down, still vowing to beat the strongest of the Imperialists. At this point, Kaoru yells out that Sanosuke is the bad one, who was part of a lying army. Yahiko concurs with her. Sanosuke gets angrier, but Kenshin jumps in. He tells Kaoru and Yahiko that people are not what they seem, and explains that the Imperials originally had planned to have a tax reduction plan when the new regime was in session. However, due to the revolution, they were in deep debt, and cut the tax reduction. Kenshin explains that the Sekihou Tai were used as a scapegoat as to not tarnish the people's view of the Meiji. Kenshin goes on to explain that the revolution is not over, that the government is still not complete, and people are still stuck in their old ways. That is why he decided to become a wanderer as well, because his only way to atone for his sins during the Revolution is to protect people with his sword. Sanosuke watches Kenshin, realizing he sounds just like his old Captain Sagara. He realizes what Kenshin truly means, and falls down, defeated. About a week later, Kaoru tells Kenshin that Gensai treated Sanosuke's wounds and sent him to a hospital, where he was supposed to stay for three weeks. They see him, however, pushing some drunks out of the Akabeko. He turns to Kenshin, smiling, and after some friendly chat, he says he'd like to tag along with Kenshin, because he too has given up his revolutionary ways, and wants to learn from him. Kenshin happily complies, and the Kamiya Dojo acquires their third new tenant.
Episode 06: Visitor From the Darkness.. The Kurogasa Appears
The chief of police comes to the Kamiya dojo to ask Kenshin for assistance. It seems there is a serial killer called Kurogasa that is killing government officials, and the police are unable to stop him. Kenshin agrees to assist. Sano tags along. The killer uses a technique called Nikaidou Keiho Shin no Ippou, which paralyzes the victim with fear. Kenshin is not affected, of course, and leaps out at Kurogasa right before Kurogasa can cut Sano's arm off.Seems Kenshin and Kurogasa know each other: Kurogasa is the Hitokiri Jin-eh, a rogue Shinsen Gumi outcast who killed friend and foe alike for the fun of it. Jin-eh is very excited to encounter the Hitokiri Battousai, but after fighting a few minutes, Jin-eh realizes he is fighting Himura Kenshin, not Battousai. Jin-eh leaves, telling Kenshin he will give him one day to revert to the Hitokiri, or he, Jin-eh, will kill Kenshin.Kenshin sends Sano back to the dojo to tell Kaoru and Yahiko that he will not return until he fights Jin-eh, because he cannot concentrate if he has to worry about their safety. Kaoru rejects this line of reasoning, fearing that if Kenshin reverts to the Hitokiri, he will never come back to her dojo. She heads down to the river to find Kenshin. When she does, she gives him her favorite blue ribbon, and insists that after his fight, he return it to her personally. Kenshin understands and agrees. As Kaoru turns to go back to the dojo, a boat appears along the river bank. From the boat, Jin-eh suddenly grabs Kaoru and carries her off down the river...
posted by phenom at 1:00 AM
