Rurouni Kenshin is a sword fighting manga that is probably one of the most grounded I've ever read. While it does have its fair share of superhuman feats and impractical techniques (looking at you, Saitou), Rurouni Kenshin manages to be one of the most riveting manga in terms of overall action without devolving into overblown power scaling or intangible forces that a series with this setting would never be able to use properly. This is something that even series like Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple and Samurai Champloo struggle with at times. And while there are those series like Cowboy Bebop and The Sword of the Stranger that have better choreography on the whole, there's something inherently satisfying about shouting the name of a technique as it's being used to deal a hard blow, something that the OVA's Trust & Betrayal and Reflections completely missed out on.
Today, I would like to discuss these techniques in detail as well as the martial arts that they comprise, as it is one of the most interesting aspects of this manga as a whole.
So, the first two styles that I think should be given the most focus as they are the first two introduced are Hiten Mitsurugi and Kamiya Kasshin.
Kamiya Kasshin is a sword style created by the father of our deuteragonist, Kaoru Kamiya, consisting of the Katsujinken philosophy of defeating an opponent without ending any lives. While Kamiya Kasshin practitioners are not the only ones who favor saving lives over ending them, not even among sword wielders, this is the only fighting style designed with this philosophy in mind, so much so that even the masters of this style wield Bokken and not any actual steel sword, even a sword like Kenshin's Sakabato. The style was designed with the hilt as the center of attack and defense rather than the blade or shaft in this particular case.
Though very few actual techniques in this sword style are shown, we do see a little bit of what the practitioners are capable of. The secret technique of the style consists of a blade grab using the backs of your hands rather than the palms so that the hilt can be used to counter attack rather than a stalemate caused by a traditional blade grab, which would require the user to drop the sword entirely. We also see during Kaoru's fight with Kamatari that a wielder of this style can fight even with a broken weapon due to the use of the hilt and not the blade. Though, admittedly, this would be less of a benefit if the users chose to use a metal sword, which Yahiko gets to eventually, the fact that it's an option at all allows the style some versatility.
Next we have probably the most important fighting style in the entire manga, Hiten Mitsurugi. Though the only two users of this style are also two of the strongest in the series, the style does have its limits. The style itself has a large focus on speed and reaction time. Though Seijuro Hiko does prove that power and body mass can be a huge asset to this style, Kenshin's smaller frame seems to be a perfect fit for this kind of style, at least if we're talking about evasive quality.
This fighting style has many techniques, and very few of those techniques have less than two variants. I'll go over them all really quick so I can give a brief overview of these techniques after the list:
- Ryutsuisen - Downdward Aerial Strike, first move seen in the series and also noted to be one of Kenshin's favorites.
- Zan - This variant of the move is a sword plant or diving stab, used for an easy kill at the cost of high damage.
- Ryusousen - a barrage of rapid strikes intended to wittle an opponent down with large amounts of chip damage. Despite the implications this type of move would have, Hiko describes this move as non-lethal.
- Garami - this variant of the move is aimed at the head, neck, and chest, with the intent to gain an actual kill while also seemingly used to disguise the victim's face. Seems to be primarily an assassination technique.
- Douryusen - A strike used to up heave stone from the ground and use that stone as projectiles. Much like the Ryusousen, this technique is also non-lethal, however painful it may be. This seems to be a technique intended for crowd control far more than one-on-one fights, as this technique is never used in any actual battle.
- Souryusen - A double strike battojutsu consisting of the blade first and then the sheath striking after it as a surprise attack in the event the initial strike is dodged, this is one of Kenshin's faster techniques due to its battojutsu properties.
- Ikazuchi - this variant of the technique has the wielder striking with the sheath first in order to distract an opponent with a block so that the actual sword strike can be used to deal a lethal, if somewhat slower blow. This technique seems to be used to bypass guards as opposed to outlasting dodges. This is also the only Hiten Mitsurugi technique that Kenshin never uses in the manga despite the fact that he most likely knows it. This variant's use was from Seijuro Hiko during his retraining of Kenshin during the Shishio arc.
- Hiryusen - a flying strike intended to send the sword flying out of the sheath, causing the bottom of the hilt to hit the target. This technique seems to only be effective as a last resort when unable to get into the opponent's zone. This is also Kenshin's only long range technique.
- Ryukansen - a spinning sword strike that is usually used to hit an opponent's back or neck with the full force of the blade. As Saitou notes in the Enishi arc, this particular technique is best used as a counterattack, seen both during his initial fight with Saitou in the Kamiya Dojo and against Cho the sword hunter as an attempt at disarming the opponent of weapons so he can no longer fight back. With an actual bladed sword, it is likely that this would be among the deadliest of Kenshin's techniques.
- Tsumuji - This variant is a battojutsu that is intended to evade and deal direct damage at the same time. This is the only variant technique that is not of the same nature as the original.
- Kogarashi - This technique I'm not entirely sure of as it's not properly represented in the manga. However, part of me believes this may be similar to Dante's Prop Shredder in Devil May Cry 3 and 4.
- Arashi - This is a buzzsaw spinning slash intended to deal direct damage without being a battojutsu. This technique seems to be some amalgamation of Ryukansen and Ryutsuisen.
- Ryushousen - A rising strike intended to push the blade up into an opponent's jaw, neck, or stomach as the user is jumping. If Kenshin used a blade, this technique would also be quite deadly.
- Kuzuryusen - A lunging sword pierce technique using the full speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi aimed at all nine blocking areas of every sword style in Japan, making the technique unblockable, in theory, and as a lunge on top of nine simultaneous strikes, it is also impossible to dodge in theory. However, Seijuro Hiko states that this technique was never intended for fighting and, for as devastating as it can be, two opponents in particular prove this, Sojiro Seta, who dodges it without using his full speed, and Enishi Yukishiro who not only blocks every strike but also intercepts it before Kenshin can use it. This technique was designed as a test for any user of the style to accept the mantle of master.
- Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki - the ultimate Battojutsu of the Hiten Mitsurugi style, this technique is one that any aspiring master of the style needs to use to overcome their master's Kuzuryusen to achieve mastery. As fast as Kuzuryusen is, this technique needs to be faster still, to take out the master before they have the chance to get off even a single strike. This technique is the last battojutsu technique introduced and is also a double-strike battojutsu. The first strike is powerful, yes but, should it be evaded, it knocks air out of a small space between the two fighters, pulling the opponent in and knocking them off balance so that they cannot dodge the second, and more powerful, strike intended to truly take an opponent down. However, for as powerful as this technique is, getting low to the ground as the strike is missing will allow the user to evade the second strike more easily as the lower center of gravity reduces the effectiveness of the newly created vacuum.
- Ryumeisen - The last technique introduced in the series, it is the reverse of a battojutsu. It is a high speed notojutsu, or sheathing technique, used to generate sound waves near an opponent's ear to disrupt their balance and reduce their fighting effectiveness for the duration of the battle. This technique comes at the cost of all direct offense and defense techniques, making its use rather risky.
While Hiten Mitsurugi is certainly powerful, it does have its limitations, even among high end users like Seijuro Hiko. The first is that while Hiten Mitsurugi is one of the fastest sword styles within Rurouni Kenshin, there are still many that are faster, which we'll get into more as we talk about Sojirou. This style also tends to suffer a bit against fist fighters like Aoshi Shinomori who seems to bypass the blade entirely even as Kenshin blocks.
That said, in spite of how fast it is, probably one of Hiten's biggest strengths is its versatility. It is one of the only sword styles that has at least one technique for every situation and at least one technique that can counter any other technique shown in the series. Hiryusen is outside the range of the Matoi Izuna, Ryushousen is great for tall enemies or enemies that are above the user, Ryukansen seems to be the only technique that makes a joke out of the Gatotsu, Souryusen can hit an opponent even when the opponent is expecting and capable of dodging a full speed strike and, as shown in the remake, can even overwhelm the futae no kiwami, Ryumeisen is great against opponents who have heightened senses or in situations where your back's against the wall, and Kuzuryusen is capable of bringing down opponents that would normally be impervious to single-strike techniques.
So far, in the entire series, Enishi Yukishiro was the only opponent Kenshin ever faced that was capable of coming close to completely overwhelming the style in its entirety. Enishi has so far shown that he can overcome all of Kenshin's strongest moves and Ryumeisen only worked as well as it did because of how hypersensitive Enishi's nervous system was.
Prior to Enishi, the only real problem Kenshin had was against Sojiro Seta, as his repression of his emotions rendered him temporarily unreadable, putting Kenshin at a further disadvantage on top of the Shukuchi. Every other fight Kenshin proved to be on top: Sano was a problem because of his massive pain tolerance and not because of any inherent skill or strength. Jin-E was more willing to deal a killing blow but Kenshin was clearly the better fighter. Raijuta had two very powerful techniques but Kenshin was impaired by a numb drawing arm, disadvantaging him more than necessary. Saitou is the strongest one so far but it's telling that the technique that Kenshin didn't use prior to this fight is also the one that renders the Gatotsu worthless. Cho the Sword Hunter was a problem because Kenshin didn't have a weapon to actually fight with, as proven by the fact that the moment he did have a weapon to fight with, he won in a single strike. Aoshi is the only opponent who proved to be Kenshin's equal in both fights, though it's worth noting that, in the first fight, Kenshin didn't actually use any Hiten techniques.
Hell, even Shishio, for as intimidating as he was, defeated Kenshin as easily as he did because Kenshin took injuries from two different fights that both took place back-to-back and immediately before this one.
Seemingly, the only opponents that are able to overwhelm Hiten users to any notable degree are the ones that are able to counter its versatility rather than being better styles or better fighters in general.
The next fighting style I think needs focus is the Futae no Kiwami. Though one would initially describe this as a singular punching technique, there's more to it than that. First of all, the futae no kiwami is not a singular strike or technique as much as it is a principle. Namely, use conservation of mass to maximize force and bypass durability, enabling the destruction of any substance. Sanosuke initially thought it was a singular technique when he learned how to use it with his right hand. However, Anji Yukyuzan, the creator of the style, proves that there's more to it. First of all, a true master of the style can use the principle of the double layers with any strike, even a sword strike channeled through the ground as a shockwave. Not only that but, should the principle be used against the user, they can channel the force through their own body as a method of disrupting the principle and rendering the technique useless.
And finally, if someone is critically injured, a user can distribute the force between multiple sources to deal the same damage but with less strain on the user's body, making it usable in a fight where it would otherwise be a doubled-edged sword.
The next two techniques are seemingly formless, by which I mean don't seem to be bound by any particular school of swordsmanship, the Matoi Izuna and the Tobi Izuna, two techniques which have ultimate cutting power, the former intended for close range and the latter intended for long range, these are two of the most powerful sword fighting techniques in the entire series, so much so that one could argue they were limited by their wielder rather than their actual practicality. That said, the Izuna is similar to the Futae no Kiwami in the way of, ultimate devastation if allowed to hit. However, because these techniques are so reliant on dealing direct damage, parries and dodges can easily negate these techniques, making an overconfident or inexperienced user vulnerable to punishment after an overstep.
Next is Oniwaban style fighting. Though, before I get into that, Oniwaban style techniques seem to be a culmination of a wide variety of different fighting styles rather than a single style dedicated to one particular weapon. Just as an example, Oniwaban techniques include hand-to-hand fighting, dual kodachi, tonfa, and throwing knives just to name a few, most of which are usable by Aoshi Shinomori, current head of the Oniwaban group.
For the sake of this, however, I'm only going to be talking about the Kodachi techniques, as those get the most focus and seem to be the most powerful anyway. There are around 5 or so total Kodachi techniques, with one being an altered more advanced variant of another.
- Onmyo Kosa - A dual kodachi strike with one blade on top of the other to amplify cutting power.
- Onmyo Hasshi - A projectile technique where the user throws both kodachi with one immediately behind the other. The benefit to this technique is that it can hit even when initially blocked, as the block will only deflect the first kodachi and will leave no room for defense against the second. The achilles heel in this technique is that a sidestep can easily bypass the effectiveness of this technique and render a normal opponent defenseless, that is if you don't know how to fight barehanded like Aoshi does.
- Gokko Juji - A scissor style cut intended to behead a target. Due to the length of the blades, it has a limited range but, with high speed, this technique can be borderline unavoidable at times.
- Kaiten Kenbu - A single-kodachi technique where the user spins three times to deal three high speed, high damage, short range strikes. The downside to this technique is that it can be negated if you block the first strike. The upside is that it's the only kodachi technique Aoshi has that does not require two kodachi.
- Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren - A dual-kodachi version of Kaiten Kenbu, where the user deals three strikes with one blade then the other. The benefit to this technique is that it lends itself to mix-ups, as the opponent won't be able to tell which side the strikes will hit from first before the attack is actually initiated.
While Kenshin's style is a lot more versatile than Aoshi's, Aoshi's style lends itself better to single combat and overcoming battles with an equal.
The last fighting style any of the heroes have we'll be discussing is barely a style at all, as while it does have around 4 techniques, almost all of them are rehashes of the same technique: Gatotsu. Gatotsu is the left handed thrusting technique used by the captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi Hajime Saitou.
The use of this technique reflects Saitou's philosophy on fighting as a whole: namely, that if you're only ever going to fight an opponent once, then a technique that will guarantee a kill is the only technique you need. Or, to put it in his words, "It's very rare that two swordsmen meet each other on the battlefield more than once. So if one of them has a technique that will guarantee victory, there is no need for lesser moves."
The Gatotsu comes in two stages: the first is the initial thrust, which goes straight for the kill, and the redirect, which is intended to get an opponent in the event they dodge the initial strike. This pretty much describes the essence of Gatotsu Isshiki, Nishiki, and Sanshiki. The outlier is Saitou's ultimate attack, or desperate measure, depending on your perspective.
Gatotsu Zeroshiki, is a technique in which the user uses the Gatotsu in place using the entirety of their upper body. It is intended for short ranges where there's no space for a proper lunging thrust which is the other set of Gatotsu techniques, or as a sneak attack in the event an opponent is deliberately aiming to reduce Saitou's effectiveness by reducing available range.
On the one hand, the technique seems to be devastating, capable of blowing Usui's body in half, and splitting apart Mumyoi Yatsume's spear arm despite having literally no room to move. However, if you think about it, this may simply be due to Saitou's inhuman strength in the first place rather than the effectiveness of the technique. And here's where Saitou's weakness comes in.
Against opponents he'll only ever fight once, sure, Gatotsu is the only technique he'll need to win, assuming he has any chance in the first place. However, Kenshin has proven that Ryukansen negates any ability for the Gatotsu to function properly, and Shishio parries all of Saitou's techniques with no problem, suggesting that Saitou's style is far too limited for any actual use against opponents that already know about it.
So that's it for the good guys, what about the bad guys? Well, bearing in mind I already covered one style that's shared by a good guy and an antagonist (Sanosuke and Anji) and I shared two techniques that aren't even part of a style to begin with, the only styles left are Sojiro's Tenken, Shishio's 3 Secret Swords, and Enishi's Watojutsu.
Now, unlike other characters in the series, whose techniques seem to have been taught or learned over the course of a lifetime, Sojiro's Tenken is a unique style comprised of some techniques that are common and some techniques and traits that are unique to him. While the Tenken itself is quite powerful, what made Sojiro so hard to deal with was his repressed emotions.
Ordinarily, in a fight, a swordsman will get good at hiding their emotions so that they're harder to read but, whether through mirror neurons or simply due to this ki thing Kenshin brings up sometimes, even well hidden emotions can still be read. Sojiro, however, for a long time, seemed like he didn't have emotions. Reading emotions is a big part of swordsmanship and fighting in general in this series.
By reading your opponent's emotions, you can tell their thought process, confidence, and determination, which in turn give you an idea of what they're going to do next, how strong or experienced they are in general, and how far you have to go in order to end the fight.
Sojiro, without any emotions, did not have any of these indicators, which made his moves impossible to predict, his skill impossible to discern, and his drive impossible to fathom. This gave him an additional benefit, however. Because he had no emotions and, by extension, no hang-ups about killing people, he could attack at full force without worrying about the weight of someone's death, making his strikes that much more powerful.
In this way, he's the opposite to Kenshin. Kenshin, for most of the series, is so afraid of taking another life that he's constantly holding back, even against opponents that don't warrant it, which leads to him training his ability to control his strikes, allowing him to fight with his full capacity without fear of killing anyone again. Sojiro, meanwhile, repressed his emotions and empathy which gave him full reign to do what he pleased but the moment that his emotions cracked the surface, the moment all those advantages left and he realized that he lacked the necessary experience to make up for it.
That said, there are two notable techniques Sojiro has beyond this: Shukuchi and Shuntensatsu. Both are relatively easy to understand but devastating in practice. Shukuchi is a technique using powerful foot work to bring yourself to full speed instantly and overwhelm an opponent so completely that they don't even realize you're moving before they're dead. This is a technique that's faster than Hiten's Shinsoku and yet for some reason Hiten Mitsurugi doesn't teach it or have a counter for it. For this reason, Sojiro was a complete counter to Hiten in and of himself.
Shuntensatsu, is the only technique Sojiro named and is also his ultimate. Essentially, it is a battojutsu utilizing the full speed of the shukuchi, making it the only technique in the series comparable to the Hiten Mitsurugi ultimate attack.
Next is Shishio's Secret Swords, which are comprised of three total techniques: Homuradama, Guren Kaina, and Kaguzuchi. Homuradama is a sword strike with fire on the tip. Though initially troublesome due to the combined use of cutting and burning injuries, sheer pain tolerance can render this a non-issue. The second, Guren Kaina, is intended to use the Homuradama to ignite the gunpowder in his glove, creating an explosion that, while powerful, doesn't seem to be lethal. It seems to be a shock rather than a killer. The only real killing technique is the Kaguzuchi which, while we don't see in his fight against Kenshin, we do see in a prequel chapter written after the end of the series, which is a strike intended to consume an opponent in flames, burning them so hotly that they cannot survive. Not really much to say beyond that.
Finally, we have Watojutsu, the style used by Enishi Yukishiro during the Enishi arc. This fighting style is the only one that did not originate in Japan. This fighting style was actually created in China, used to balance the power and skill of Chinese martial arts with the speed and precision of Japanese blades.
Though Enishi is self-taught, most of what he learned came from a manual he gained from a family he killed for their wealth and because he's psychotic, which means that the techniques themselves are likely authentic.
Though Enishi has a number of moves under this style, easily the most powerful ones are Shikku Tosei, Senran Tosei, and Kofuku Zettosei. These techniques are powerful for two reasons: the first is that these are intended to directly counter Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi. Shikku Tosei overwhelms Ryutsuisen and Ryushosen with its aerial mobility. Senran Tosei matches Ryukansen. And Kofuku Zettosei bypasses a lot of the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki.
However, the problem with Enishi's style as a whole, if more from a writing standpoint than from an in-universe one, is that it is so focused on countering Hiten Mitsurugi that it fails to be a powerful fighting style on its own. This style would leave him vulnerable to most of the techniques I already listed, particularly Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren, Gatotsu Isshiki, both Izuna techniques, and Sojiro's Tenken. This doesn't work against him too much in the manga because Kenshin is the only one he actually fights but, if this were a fighting game, this would put Enishi far lower on the tier list than one would think because, while he counters Kenshin so hard it's not even fair, every other character of a similar level to Kenshin would have a decent shot at overwhelming him even if we account for Kyokeimyaku.
I would like to talk more about this because this is one of my favorite manga. However, most of the other fighting styles in the series either don't get fleshed out enough to be properly discussed, like the fighting styles of Hyoko Otowa and Banjin Inui, or the fighting styles are beaten so easily that the point in discussing them may not even be justified, like Kamatari's or Usui's.
So I think I'm done for now. Have a wonderful night.
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