Kenshin Himura

==Summary==
Kenshin Himura, once feared as the Battōsai (抜刀斎, "Master of Battōjutsu"), is the protagonist of the Rurouni Kenshin manga. Born as Shinta (心太), his master renamed him "Kenshin," believing the name "Shinta" was too gentle for a swordsman. Kenshin's transformation into a legendary hitokiri (人斬り, "manslayer") took place during the tumultuous Bakumatsu era. As the war concluded, Kenshin forswore his assassin's life, adopting the role of a wandering samurai. His weapon of choice, the sakabatō, is a testament to his commitment to non-violence—it's a katana with a reversed blade. 
Embarking on a journey of redemption, Kenshin seeks to offer aid and protection to the helpless, an act of contrition for his violent past. His travels bring him to Tokyo, where he encounters Kamiya Kaoru, a young woman who offers him sanctuary in her dojo, even after uncovering the haunting truths of his past. Throughout the series, Kenshin forges deep connections with various individuals, including former adversaries, and faces challenges head-on. He is a master of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, an ancient swordsmanship style that bestows upon him unparalleled skill with the blade.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: 
Name: Kenshin Himura, Hitokiri Battōsai (nickname), Shinta (birth name)
Origin: Rurouni Kenshin
Gender: Male
Age: 28, 33 (at the end)
Classification: Swordsman, Wanderer (former), Assassin (former)
Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Multiple Selves (Type 1; due to years of killing people, a bloodlusted persona, was born), Sword Master, Social Influencing, Acrobatics, Water Walking through sheer speed, Precognition (Hiten Mitsurugi style practitioners have a superior "sixth sense" than most, capable of predicting opponents' actions by sensing their emotions and aura), Resistance to Paralysis Inducement (Can use his chi to break out from Shin no Ippou), Fear-inducing Aura (Send his Chi to stun weak-willed people), Air Manipulation (Can create strong wind by drawing his sword, and vacuum creation with the ultimate technique to briefly immobilize his opponent). Statistics Amplification (During and after his fight against Shishio, Kenshin learned to amplify his performance with his Chi Manipulation to make him stronger without relying on his bloodlusted persona's power)
Attack Potency: City Block level+ (Able to fight and harm Shishio Makoto and Saito Hajime during his respective battles with them, and shouldn't be too significantly below Hiko Seijuro)
Speed: Subsonic+ (Blitzed a bunch of gunmen before they could open fire) with Hypersonic reactions and combat speed (Cut a cannonball in half)
Lifting Strength: Superhuman
Striking Strength: City Block level+
Durability: City Block level+ (Very much capable of taking blows from Saito, Shishio, and Enishi)
Stamina: Superhuman
Range: Extended Human Melee Range, Several Meters with Doryūsen and Hiryūsen
Standard Equipment: Sakabatou Shin'uchi (a first class Japanese reverse-bladed sword)
Intelligence: Gifted. Learned the Kuzuryuusen by just watching once. Due to years of experience fighting sword masters, assassins, and various other opponents, he is quite capable of dealing with a wide variety of fighting methods: Tricks an enemy to destroy himself, disables a large machine by blocking its gear mechanism, counters Enishi's nerves of insanity, and many other feats showed during the story.
Weaknesses:
*Psychiatric problems: Due to his young age and naivety, Kenshin gradually lost his sanity the more he killed people during his time as an assassin. As a result, he suffered from severe PTSD, causing him to mostly hold back a fight and avoid killing except when forced into the Battousai state. In the final arc, Kenshin has a complete emotional breakdown after apparently failing to protect the dearest person for the second time. He's also somewhat short-tempered, can't keep his cool against certain provoking words and behaviors.
*Non-lethal combat: Kenshin's past experiences were resolving him to protect others without the need for bloodshed. Arai Shakkū, a famed swordsmith, gave Kenshin the non-lethal Sakabatou as the answer to Kenshin's dilemmas. However, it's proven to be trickier to use, and if Kenshin used a regular sword, his fights would be over a lot sooner.
*Deteriorating body: Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is only suitable for a tall and wide-framed muscular build like that of his master's. The understanding and mastery of Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, along with the continuous use of other Hiten Mitsurugi techniques, put enormous stress on Kenshin's small and poorly trained figure. His body eventually begins to deteriorate. By the time of Hokkaido Arc (five years after the final battle against Enishi), Kenshin was already past his prime and considerably weakened. Eventually, he will lose his swordsmanship along with the capability to move appropriately in the next few years.
*Poor hand-to-hand skill: Unlike several rivals (Aoshi, Saitou, and Enishi, for example), Kenshin barely has note-worthy abilities in hand-to-hand combat, his only notable expertise is the basic"shirahadori" (bare-handed blade grasp). Without a weapon, he is notably almost defenseless.
* Can't read the unreadable: He is overly reliant on intuition and emotion reading; at least half of Kenshin's battle prowess is suppressed without this ability. Being in a certain location, such as an unusually dense forest with a chaotic magnetic field, can numb his sixth sense. This skill is ineffective against pragmatic opponents who use unconventional tactics other than straight swordsmanship and those who can hide their true emotions like Soujiro. Furthermore, his instinctive reactions barely work against overwhelmingly fast opponents, like Enishi with frenzied nerves.
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
*Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū (飛天御剣流, Flying Sovereign Sword Style) - It's an ancient sword style from the Sengoku era, designed to allow a single swordsman to defeat numerous foes. Practitioners of this style makes the best use of three speeds: the speed of the sword, the speed of one's body movements, both dubbed as Shin Soku (神速, Divine Speed), and the speed of instinctive reactions. The effectiveness of this art also depends heavily on the mental and physical toughness of the user
:* (龍槌閃, Dragon Hammer Flash) – Usually initiated by a powerful leap, this technique places its user above the enemy. The user applies the gravity of his fall to strengthen a two-handed sword swing downward.
::* (龍槌閃・惨, Dragon Hammer Flash: Misery) – Beginning in the same way as Ryūtsuisen, the user positions the sword as to start a descending thrust to the head instead of a downward swing.
:* (龍巻閃, Dragon Coil Flash) – Most effective when surrounded by enemies as this technique has the user spin to attack in all directions. It can also be used as a counterattack against a thrust or charge; one sidesteps a forward-moving opponent and moves past them. In doing so, one spins in a full circle, adding momentum and centrifugal force to the strength of the sword swing, which is then aimed at either the opponent's back or the back of the neck.
::* (龍巻閃・旋, Dragon Coil Flash: Whirl) – One of the variations of Ryūkansen, Ryūkansen Tsumuji, like its other variations, is "most effective" as a counterattack, but can be used as an offensive attack. Unlike the original, Tsumuji involves a forward-Horizontal spin in a drilling motion like a torpedo. The user can strike at the opponent's midsection while in flight.
::*Ryūkansen ● Kogarashi (龍巻閃・凩, Dragon Coil Flash: Wintry Wind) – An alternate version used in Kenshin's 5-hits-combo against Shishio. Includes a single small sidestep coupled with a 90-degree turn inward and a backhanded slash that immediately blasts the opponent away. The Wintry Wind is the quickest of the four variations; however, the weakest. It is the ideal counterattack when dealing with a faster or unreadable attack.
::* (龍巻閃・嵐, Dragon Coil Flash: Storm) – A variation of the normal Ryūkansen, this technique places the user in a full rolling somersault slash while attacking, making it an effective counterattack against downward slash attacks and from above.
:*Ryūshōsen (龍翔閃, Dragon Soar Flash) – The reverse of Ryūtsuisen, Ryūshōsen is a rising attack meant to strike from below. For additional power, one uses one's free arm to apply force to the back of the blade and utilizes a powerful upward jump during the attack.
:*Ryūtsui ● Shōsen (龍槌・翔閃, Dragon Hammer-Soar Flash) – A mixture of Ryūtsuisen and Ryūshōsen, Ryūtsui-Shōsen begins with a mighty leap and supported upswing of Ryūshōsen, giving the jump enough power to pass one's opponent in mid-air, and on the returning fall, Ryūtsuisen is delivered.
:*Ryūsōsen (龍巣閃, Dragon Nest Flash) – A flurry of strikes delivered to the opponent. The sheer speed of the slashes makes this technique difficult to counter or defend. It is considered best to wear down more sturdy and enduring opponents with (Seen during Kenshin's battle against Sagara Sanosuke). There is an alternate version called:
::*Ryūsōsen ● Garami (龍巣閃・咬, Dragon Nest Flash - Gnawing) – A different version of the Ryūsōsen, which the blows are directed at the head and neck.
:* (土龍閃, Earth Dragon Flash) – A ranged attack, Doryūsen strikes an opponent outside of the user's range by hitting the ground and sending earthen debris to the opponent.
:*Sōryūsen (双龍閃, Twin Dragon Flash) - A variation of Battōjutsu, Sōryūsen is the first of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū's two-step Battōjutsu moves. After the first strike with the unsheathing sword, the user wields the empty sheath along the same path as a blunt weapon. The sheath strike acts as a fail-safe, preventing an opponent's counterattack and delivering an additional blow when it's least expected.
:*Ryūmeisen (龍鳴閃, Dragon Howl Flash) The performer uses the divine speed to sheathe the sword rather than to draw it, it is known as "Nōtōjutsu" (納刀術, Art of Sheathing Blade). The ultrasonic produced when the tsuba hits the sheath blasts into opponent's ears, temporarily deafening those with sensitive hearing by affecting their vestibulocochlear nerves. Kenshin used this move once against Yukishiro Enishi. While this attack would usually only barely jeopardize the target's hearing for a while, due to Enishi's hypersensitive nervous system, Ryūmeisen managed to affect his stability as well.
:*Kuzuryūsen (九頭龍閃, Nine-Headed Dragon Flash) – A dashing attack that fully utilizes divine speed to near-simultaneously strike all nine vital spots on the foe's body. It is nearly unavoidable and unblockable. Kuzuryūsen is taught as a prerequisite for the ultimate technique.
::*Nijūnanazuryūsen (二十七頭龍閃, Twenty-Seven-Headed Dragon Flash) – A three consecutive Nine-Headed Dragon Flashes, which finally brought Itekura down to his knees.
:*Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki (天翔龍閃, Flash of the Soaring Dragon) The Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū's apex technique, reserved for practitioners possessing an unyielding will to live. This refined battōjutsu involves an initial momentum-gaining step with the right foot, followed by a concentrated surge of both physical and mental energy into a subsequent left-foot step. This amplifies the user's speed and power, transcending the divine speed (Shin Soku) to achieve what can be termed as super divine speed (Chou Shin Soku). The initial slash clears the surrounding air, resulting in a vacuum within the combat zone. Should an opponent successfully parry this first strike, they are then confronted with the challenge of the rushing air filling the vacuum. This sudden influx of wind impedes their mobility unless expertly anticipated. The resulting delay grants the user an opportunity to execute further footwork and complete rotational slashes. Coupled with a speed enhancement from the incoming wind, primes the user for an even mightier second strike.
*Personal Skills
:*Ken Ki (剣氣, Swordmanship Spirit) - Kenshin's mastery of Chi makes him able to sense one's intent, fighting spirit and emotions, granting him a sixth sense to let him predict his opponent's actions and change the situation in his favor. It also boosts the strength and speed of the users. Kenshin refines this skill further during his fight against Shishio to amplify his performance to surpass the strength of his murderous persona.
:*Hitokiri Battōsai (人斬り抜刀斎) - Whenever Kenshin's strength as a pacifist wanderer is inadequate to defend himself and his friends against a particularly menacing foe, Kenshin's self-control falters. His personality reverts to that of his days as an assassin. Kenshin's battle prowess and capabilities improve significantly as his moral concerns fade, and he becomes more pragmatic, ruthless, and suicidal.
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim (verse)) Scott's Profile (Both were 8-B, Speed was Equalized, and Battle took place in the Japanese countryside)
Losses:
Kamen Rider Ixa (Kamen Rider) Kamen Rider Ixa's Profile (Ixa starts off in Save Mode and Speed was equalized)
Inconclusive:
Category:Characters
Category:Rurouni Kenshin
Category:Male Characters
Category:Manga Characters
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Category:Humans
Category:Samurai
Category:Sword Users
Category:Chi Users
Category:Protagonists
Category:Primary Protagonists
Category:Heroes
Category:Good Characters
Category:Honorable Characters
Category:Social Influencers
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Category:Statistics Amplification Users
Category:Extrasensory Perception Users
Category:Acrobats
Category:Assassins
Category:Paralysis Users
Category:Precognition Users
Category:Free Movement Users
Category:Multiple Selves Users
Category:Katana Users