Saito is a better role model than Kenshin.

Many greetings to my opponent. Lets begin swiftly. ============================= RE: 1) SAITO HAS NO PROBLEMS WITH KILLING HIS ENEMIES ============================= My opponent would have you believe that because Saito is willing to kill his adversaries (a trait which Kenshin does not possess), that this would be him the superior role model. 1) An interesting phrase he uses is "what needs to be done." However, I'd have to disagree with my opponent as killing is most certainly not what "needs to be done." We must keep in mind that the act of killing is an attempt to resolve conflict. In Rurouni Kenshin, it was often employed in attempt to prevent killing However, any resolution from killing is merely going to exist on a short term basis. This is because violence begets violence. Through promoting the message that killing is the way to resolve a dispute, there is simply going to exist more killing in the future. And that's not good especially if it's killing which you wish to prevent or even avenge when you're killing. Indeed, an endless cycle of hatred (and I'm more than willing to clarify on this in the next round if needed). Kenshin figured this out, thus part of the reason that lead him to atone for his past crimes in the way which he did. The ideals which Kenshin uphold are better for the world than Saito's as they are they don't continue or promote the cycle of hatred which is promoted through Saito's ideals. Rather, they are the ingredients for a more peaceful future. 2) It is because of this so-called flaw that Kenshin is actually stronger (mentally) than Saito. Whereas Saito doesn't have mental fortitude to prevent himself from killing even the evilest of opponents, Kenshin in fact does. Saito is simply taking the easy way out every time he kills. BOTTOM LINE: In essence, this point demonstrates Kenshin to be a better role model on the basis that his ideals are what can lead to true peace and that they have in fact made him a stronger character than Saito. Peace is the ultimate way of dealing with these life/death situations as it goes about preventing them. :D ============================= RE:2) KENSHIN FEARS COMMITMENT. ============================= On the contrary: At the very end of the Rurouni Kenshin manga, Kenshin is shown married to Kaoru and with a six year old son named Kenji. The reason they did not marry each other any sooner is because they hadn't known one another for very long. In other words, like most successful relationships between individuals, theirs took time to develop. All of this can be seen in the following chapter of Rurouni Kenshin: http://www.onemanga.com... BOTTOM LINE: Neither characters fears commitment, thus this point doesn't favor either my opponent's case or my own. However, I would like to point out the fact that Kenshin has a son whereas Saito does not. Thus, based on that, one could say that Kenshin is more committed than Saito. ============================= 3) SAITO IS THE SUPERIOR TACTICIAN: ============================= I'd have to disagree with my opponent here and question his source as I don't ever recall Saito's intentions being to get Sanosuke to prepare himself. What my opponent doesn't mention is the fact that the only reason Sano's skills had developed was because he had been trained by the Juppanganta member known as Anji. There is absolutely no way Saito could have anticipated that the two would meet each other, much less train together. In addition, Saito is simply a cynical character and seems to have a fascination with speaking ill of Sano. Even during Sano's fight with Anji, all we do see is constant criticisms from Saito. http://www.onemanga.com... In fact, Saito didn't even believe Sano would win initially (contrary to what Kenshin believed). This would suggest that Saito is not as analytical as my opponent would have you believe. If anything, this scene proves that he is less analytical than Kenshin. As for obtaining Kenshin's support to defeat Shishio, this was not Saito's doing. Saito was ordered to do this by his superiors. We can In other words, not Saito's plan, thus not something which he can receive credit for. We have to keep in mind as to who it was who bested Shishio in battle (after having already fought two different opponents). Kenshin was the one to defeat Shishio. Ladies and gentleman, we have to remember that the battles in Rurouni Kenshin are won by real time tactics and heavy battlefield analyzation. Kenshin being able to best foes which Saito can't only suggest that Kenshin is the superior tactician. Finally, when comparing the two warriors battle styles, it is clearly Kenshin who is above Saito granted that Saito's techniques are one dimensional and easy to anticipate (since he only relies on the Gatotsu and its variations). We can see this in the vid which my opponent posted as well as the one I posted above. http://www.youtube.com... BOTTOM LINE: Everything points to Kenshin being a better tactician than Saito, not to mention that my opponent's reason for claiming the contrary is based on false premises. ============================= 4) KENSHIN IS FOREVER PONDERING PERSONAL CONSIDERATIONS THAT SHOULD BE SUBORDINATE IN A LIFE-OR-DEATH CRISIS. ============================= This is actually a reason to favor Kenshin over Saito. Let us note 2:43 -3:02 is the first video I submitted. After that please watch 5:30 - 6:00. The importance of both of these segments is that they demonstrate what both characters believe to be important. For instance, Saito values Ak Soku Zan (in english, slay evil immediately). He even tells Shishio that it doesn't matter if he dies after his battle; killing Shishio is all that is important. Now considering the fact that Saito has a wife at home whom my opponent claims he is committed to, it is most peculiar that'd he say that. On the other hand, Kenshin is shown not only to believe that defeating Shishio is important, but makes it clear that survival and being with his loved ones is important as well (incidentally, this should be taken as evidence that Kenshin is more committed than Saito). BOTTOMLINE: Granted, I will concede that Kenshin is less "rational" than Saito, but this is by no means a flaw. On the contrary; it is a strength as it is the act of taking others (particularly the ones whom Kenshin means something to) into consideration. Whereas Saito was willing to have his wife (and perhaps anyone else who was attached to him) go through the pain of losing him for perhaps the rest of her days, Kenshin was not willing to do this. He aimed for a result that not only took into consideration what my opponent would deem as important, but also everything else that matters as well. Not to mention that valuing these subordinate matters is what gave Kenshin the motivation to continue battling Shishio even in his poor condition. http://www.youtube.com... ===========>MY CASE Since most of my arguments in favor of Kenshin spawned from my opponent's own arguments in favor of Saito, the additional arguments which I shall simply present one additional argument. ============================= SAITO IS SHOW COMPARABLE TO SHISHIO ============================= During the Kyoto arc, the main villain twice compares himself or finds favor in Saito's mindset in comparison to Kenshin's. The first is when Shishio notes Saito's behavior at Shingetsu village . The second is in the first video I presented after Saito is shown talking about what he considers to be important (Shishio favors his mindset over Kenshin's). If anything, this speaks for itself. Surely a character who is shown being closely compared to a villain (the main one at that, not to mention someone who personally considers himself evil) is not a worthy role model. And that'll do it for now.