Saitō Hajime
Saitō Hajime, known as the , is the former captain of the third squad of the Shinsengumi, a loyalist force of the Tokugawa shogunate. A powerful and ruthless swordsman, Saitō lives by the code , and frequently fights using the "Gatotsu", a special left-handed stab variant of the "Hirazuki" technique of the Shinsengumi, and its different stances. During his time in the Shinsengumi, he was a close associate of fellow Shinsengumi member and first squad captain Okita Sōji, and also developed a rivalry with the pro-Imperialist Himura Kenshin. Kenshin said that he and Saito, and Okita, and Shinpachi, had fought with each other 3 times, but none had never finished At the end of the Bakumatsu, the pro-shogunate forces were ultimately defeated and Saitō was forced to go into hiding. He later changed his name to and started working for the Meiji Government as a spy agent. Saitō is also married to a woman named , who does not appear in the story.