Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning

Himura Kenshin, also known as Hitokiri Battosai, is a feared political assassin during the Bakumatsu. He aligns with the Chōshū clan and works under Katsura Kogorō and the agent I'izuka as they push to overthrow the shogunate. This period establishes his deadly reputation and sets the political stakes that frame his actions.

During one assassination, a member of the Kyoto Watch wounds Kenshin in his final moments, leaving him puzzled about why the wound was inflicted. The injury unsettles him and foreshadows a personal conflict between his former life of killing and a possible new path. The encounter intensifies the tension between his violent past and the future he might choose.

That evening, Kenshin intervenes with revolutionaries who demand heroic status from a woman named Tomoe. He defeats an unknown assassin and then takes Tomoe back to the inn where Chōshū revolutionaries hide, sparking an uneasy bond. Tomoe's presence begins to challenge Kenshin's philosophy on who deserves to be killed.

Next morning, Tomoe decides to stay and work at the inn, and Kenshin is surprised by her blunt questions about his killing. She starts to see beyond Battosai's mask and questions the cycle of violence. The two begin to learn each other's motives and form a fragile companionship.

Katsura informs Kenshin that Tomoe's influence worries him, foreshadowing complications in their alliance. The concern highlights the political stakes of Kenshin's relationships and the risk of betrayal. Kenshin's loyalty is tested as the couple's bond deepens and their pasts collide.

During the Ikedaya incident, the Shinsengumi raid the Ikedaya Inn to strike at the Ishin Shishi, overwhelming the Chōshū. Kenshin rushes to protect Katsura and the revolutionary faction but is delayed by Okita Sōji. The raid forces the group to withdraw and marks a turning point in Kenshin's resolve.

After Ikedaya, Katsura arranges for Kenshin and Tomoe to hide in the village of Otsu, outside Kyoto, with Tomoe posing as a wife to shield him from suspicion. The shelter gives them a chance to regroup away from the capital's attention. Kenshin begins to glimpse a life beyond constant killing and the power of peace.

In Otsu, Kenshin learns to farm and discovers a sense of peace and happiness he had never known. He starts to understand what a future without killing might look like. Tomoe supports his transformation as they grow closer as husband and wife.

Tomoe's brother Enishi arrives, revealing the siblings are spies for the Yaminobu and have been intending to entrap Battosai. Tomoe refuses to continue the collaboration and asks Enishi to return home to Edo, angering him. The tension between loyalty to the mission and love for Tomoe deepens the danger surrounding Kenshin.

Tomoe reveals that she was once engaged and that her fiancé was killed before the wedding. Kenshin consoles her and vows that once the new era arrives, he will never kill again and will protect her happiness. Their bond deepens as they dream of a gentler future.

The Yaminobu use Tomoe as a pawn to weaken Kenshin, prompting him to rescue her. He fights despite being emotionally unsettled, and is temporarily blinded by exploding sulfur, unable to see or hear clearly. Tomoe intervenes to restrain Tatsumi, and Kenshin lands a death blow, fatally wounding Tomoe in the process.

Tomoe dies after the confrontation, carving a cross-shaped scar on Kenshin's cheek with her dagger and apologizing for the pain she caused. Kenshin is left to bear the weight of her death and the vow he has made. Her last act seals his transformation and the personal cost of his pledge to stop killing.

Katsura visits Kenshin back at the village house to inform him that Iizuka was also a spy, reinforcing Kenshin's obligation to participate in the coming battles. Kenshin resolves to live without killing once the new age arrives, continuing his personal vow. He also finishes reading Tomoe's diary, which records her evolution from avenger to lover to ally who helped shape his fate.

At the Battle of Toba–Fushimi in 1868, the Chōshū forces prevail over their rivals, signaling the end of the Bakumatsu. Kenshin faces a final sword challenge from Saito Hajime but walks away from bloodshed, laying down his blade as Japan enters the Meiji era. The story closes with Battosai vanishing for ten years, leaving the next chapter of his life unresolved in a changing country.