That said, because I've read it so many times, I've got more or less a great understanding of every character's different stats, movelists, abilities, and fighting styles. I think it's fair for me to do an actual comparison with these characters, knowing how they function at their prime.
That said, though, as it turns out, Rurouni Kenshin isn't as done as it used to be. I'm not even talking about the reboot or the live action movies either, the Hokkaido arc is a straight up continuation from the epilogue of the original run and, we don't know when it's going to end, we just know that it's two chapters in right now and it's introducing a shit-ton of new characters. That being the case, I'm going to leave a few qualifiers.
First off, swordsmen only. The reason is pretty simple, there's not enough of any other type of fighter to accurately make tiers for them and when you start pitting non-sword fighting styles against sword fighting styles, it can get pretty messy pretty fast. Also, there are enough swordsmen in the series that I think I'm justified in restricting it to just them. So, here are the ones disqualified on that basis:
- Sanosuke Sagara
- Anji Yukyuzan
- Usui the Blind Sword
- Kamatari the Great Scythe
- Henya the Flighted
- Iwanbo/Gein
- Hyogo Kujiranami
- Banjin Inui
- Hyoko Otowa
- Mumyoi Yatsume
- The Su-Shin
Next, I'm disqualifying anyone that can't beat at least one other person on the list, so non-fighters are excluded obviously but so are the clearly weak joke characters like the Hiruma brothers and several other minor antagonists.
Thirdly, I'm using everybody in their prime and while for a majority it will be the events leading up to either their death, the end of their run, or otherwise the end of the Jinchu Arc, some characters we do not see at their full capacity and some, particularly the ones introduced in the Hokkaido arc don't have enough to work with. Needless to say, Jinchu is the cut-off point, so Yahiko is excluded as well due to being a 10 year old that, while very strong, is clearly not as strong or experienced as he is when he's 15, which is a level we never actually see and won't until Hokkaido gets further in.
And finally, just so everybody's clear, Seijuro Hiko is at the top. Even though we don't see him fight a lot, based on what we do see and admission from Nobuhiro Watsuki, it's safe to say that nobody can beat Hiko, 43 year old or not. So I won't be talking too much about him just because he stomps pretty much everybody. So, I'm cutting him off just to save time on analysis but, if he were included, he would be top ranked.
With that out of the way, let's look at our candidates:
- Kenshin Himura
- Udo Jin-e
- Aoshi Shinomori
- Raijuta Isurugi
- Hajime Saitou
- Cho the Sword Hunter
- Fuji
- Sojiro Seta
- Makoto Shishio
- Enishi Yukishiro
Kenshin Himura
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
.5
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Okay, so let's explain these numbers a bit because they're not as one-sided as one would initially expect. While Kenshin does beat all of these opponents with varying degrees of difficulty, the circumstances are not always equal.
Jin-e we can say is a stomp because once Kenshin started using his full power Jin-e couldn't keep track of his speed and, even with his super buff Shadow Skill, Kenshin still broke his arm and beat him with a single signature. All of this before Kenshin acquired many of the moves he'd use on later enemies.
Raijuta is a bit messier, though. While I'm confident Kenshin could beat Raijuta in a fight, we never actually get a fair fight or definitive conclusion between these two. When they fight seriously, Kenshin's right arm was numb due to anesthesia which means he couldn't draw his sword properly. Instead, he used the projectile attack Hiryusen which, in all honesty, I don't think did that much. While it did make Raijuta's forehead bleed, it wasn't until he threatened to kill an unafraid Yahiko only to find out he was unafraid broke his confidence. In reality, we never actually got a real fight out of these two. That said, I imagine Kenshin would get around the Tobi Izuna the same way he got around Cho's Orochi Blade, Ryukansen Tsumuji. So I think this is a victory but not by a huge margin just because we don't see Kenshin actually fight him.
Saitou and Aoshi are both draws because of how close they are in power. Kenshin and Saitou fought to a draw right before the Shishio Arc began and while you could argue that Kenshin gained two new techniques after that point, Saitou never used Gatotsu Zeroshiki, so it's still up in the air.
Likewise, Kenshin and Aoshi were almost completely on par and Kenshin won, barely, but it's worth noting that Aoshi gets quite a bit stronger after that fight, though again, Kenshin never used Ryumeisen on him, which would seem to be almost as effective on Aoshi as it would be on Enishi.
Fuji is also a draw because, while I'm certain Kenshin has the speed advantage, I'm not sure he would deal significant damage or, given the Sakabato, if he could deal damage at all. Every other character in this list will do better against Fuji due to their use of actual blades. Kenshin's lack of a blade against an opponent this large may be his undoing.
Cho is also a stomp. Kenshin spent the majority of this fight without a sword and, the moment he got one, he beat him in one shot. This is pretty easy.
Sojiro is a bit more interesting, however. Using him at his best, though we don't see it, we can speculate based on what we do see. First, Sojiro's lack of emotions, or at least his repressing of them, puts Kenshin at an immediate disadvantage because it means he can't reliably read him.
This would be bad enough on its own but, on top of that, Sojiro possesses Shukuchi, a movement technique that is significantly faster than the Hiten Mitsurugi Shinsoku or Godspeed. Bearing in mind, Sojiro was so fast that even without fully utilizing the technique he could dodge Kenshin's second fastest blow while running straight at it.
While Kenshin's ultimate attack is faster by a tiny margin, if Sojiro never regained his emotions, Kenshin would've lost easily. The counter of course is the fact that Kenshin fought Sojiro immediately after Aoshi, which is fair but, between Sojiro breaking the first Sakabato, and the sheer dominion Sojiro showed during the fight prior to the reveal of his past, it's fair to say that this is not much of a factor.
Finally, if Sojiro had combined Shukuchi with Tenken to use the Shuntensatsu without any emotions, Kenshin and, likely anyone else he'd fight, would drop dead right then.
Shishio on the other hand, is also not easy. While Shishio did use some energy on Saitou and Aoshi, it wasn't enough to offset the sheer amount of damage that Kenshin endured prior to and during this fight. Kenshin took a lot of injuries and lost a lot of blood, the fact that Kenshin won at all is a damning piece against Shishio's ability to win. I'll get more into that as we talk about Shishio, however.
Finally, Enishi is also a draw. In stats, they're about even, Kenshin's slightly faster, and Enishi's slightly stronger and while Ryumeisen did allow Kenshin to beat him in the end, also worth noting is that Enishi was not thinking tactically during that particular fight, relying far more on raw physicality than on actual martial skill.
In a battle of actual skill, however, Enishi didn't play fair there either. Kenshin took a number of injuries against Gein prior to fighting Enishi and while Kenshin was able to brute force his way through Enishi once Kaoru's life was endangered, I think this is also a case of rage mode and not actual baseline ability.
So at an average score of 58.89%, Kenshin seems to be middle of the road right now but let's look at everybody else. Next is probably the most underrated member of this cast.
Udo Jin-e
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Okay, Jin-e's number look more lopsided than one would think so let's take this one step at a time. Jin-e is not a weak enemy. In fact, his skillset is probably one of the most unfair in the entire series.
Jin-e mastered the use of his Ki, manifesting it in a technique known as Nikaido Heiho Shin no Ippo. Though he usually used it for paralysis, his Shadow Skill, which is just Shin no Ippo used on himself, describes the technique as an advanced form of instant hypnosis.
Accuracy aside, while Jin-e is the only character in the series with this ability, that doesn't mean nobody can defend against it. Generally, if someone is capable of using their Ki in the form of will power and spiking it above Jin-e's own will, they can break the spell. This is where the two ones come into play.
Raijuta does not have the ability to do this. His confidence was so easily shattered that it was most likely a front. While Raijuta has more devasting skills in a fair fight, Jin-e can simply paralyze him or, even worse, stop his lungs completely.
While Raijuta has very little defense against this, though, Sojiro has pretty much none. The prerequisite for overcoming Shin no Ippo is the ability to use Ki and Sojiro is described as having no Ki at all. While this would work wonders against someone like Kenshin, who needs enemy Ki to get a read on him, against Jin-e, his lack of Ki will get him killed.
Fuji is a bit of a weird one. While we're not certain he could defend against Shin no Ippo, the technique requires eye contact so it may be useless against Fuji. That said, Jin-e still has enough power by himself that he could do some damage, even if not enough to win.
Cho is a stomp. Maybe not completely one-sided (heh heh, puns) but Cho doesn't display the skill necessary to stand up to Jin-e.
Everybody else stomps Jin-e into the ground just because they've confirmed they simultaneously are immune to Shin no Ippo and have the skill and speed to fight on par with the man that beat him easily.
Jin-e receives a 46.67% rating.
Raijuta Isurugi
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Okay, now these numbers are interesting, too. Raijuta gets a .4 against Kenshin because it's safe to say that Kenshin at full power would likely win but it's not entirely definitive. Same goes for Enishi and Shishio.
Aoshi is a definitive loss due to the Flow of the River current. Raijuta may be able to hit him when he's not using it but that is unlikely as long as Aoshi doesn't get cocky, which he usually doesn't.
Jin-e would stomp him with Shin no Ippo, rendering him unable to use his treasured Izuna techniques. And Sojiro's Shukuchi would allow him to kill Raijuta before he could even draw his sword. I don't see him beating these two in any scenario. At least, not any scenario that allows them to use those techniques.
Cho is an advantage because they're equal at a distance but Raijuta is better at close range. Fuji is also an advantage because his Izuna techniques would allow him to decimate Fuji's body, essentially turning it into a giant target.
And Raijuta has a small advantage over Saitou because, while Saitou has the accolades and the reputation, as far as we've seen of his skill and technique, he doesn't really have an answer for the Tobi Izuna.
This brings Raijuta's overall score to 38.89%.
Hajime Saitou
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Saitou is a very powerful opponent. However, his issue as a swordsman is that he relied far too much on a single technique. Even if that technique had four variants and even if he's the last of the Shinsengumi alive during the manga, he doesn't bode well here with this roster.
Kenshin and Saitou are even, as we've seen that neither has used their entire moveset against each other. That said, though, Kenshin did show in the manga that Ryukansen makes a joke out of Saitou's only attack, which means that this may not be entirely even.
Jin-e isn't effective because Shin no Ippo won't work on him and Saitou has enough skill and strength to cover the rest of the gap.
Raijuta has an advantage due to the Tobi Izuna and Saitou's general lack of an answer for it.
Aoshi is even because I'm not certain how these two would clash if they ever do so. Their movesets are so drastically different it's hard to know how to compare them. Goko Juji can be intercepted by Gatotsu nishiki, Onmyo Hasshi can be intercepted by standard Gatotsu, and Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren can be matched by Gatotsu Zeroshiki. So I don't know who wins that.
Saitou also doesn't have much of an answer for Fuji. Fuji's great size is detrimental for cutting techniques but it's more resistant to piercing injuries, which is Saitou's bread and butter.
Cho is a stomp for obvious reasons.
Sojiro has a distinct advantage over Saitou.
Shishio is also inconclusive due to Saitou's injuries at the beginning of their fight.
And Enishi takes an edge due to superior mobility.
48.89% is Saitou's score.
Aoshi Shinomori
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Kenshin and Aoshi are largely evenly matched, with a slight advantage to Kenshin due to Ryumeisen.
Jin-e is easy. So is Raijuta. Neither have an answer for Aoshi's Flow of the River Current.
Saitou is inconclusive. Now for the remaining.
Fuji has a distinct advantage over Aoshi, not so much due to ability or stats as much as Aoshi's weapons. Each Kodachi has a very short blade, which makes them good for defense and short range fighting but against an enemy like Fuji I see them being less effective. I can maybe see Aoshi dealing significant damage with Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren but, he needs to be point blank in order to do it, and because it requires a spin, his max height is around Fuji's leg, which would give Fuij enough room to slash down on his head. Both would suffer but Aoshi would be worse off.
Cho doesn't have what's needed. Sojiro is far too fast. Shishio is fairly uncertain but likely takes the edge. And Enishi may have a slight advantage due to a lack of answer for Kyokeimyaku.
48.89% is Aoshi's score.
Fuji
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Fuji's greatest asset is his size. While that may seem reductive to this kind of list, the fact is that Fuji is so much larger than everyone else that they require a very specific combination of speed and damage in order to beat him. This is why so many of these opponents can't win.
Kenshin has enough speed to dodge forever but even with the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, it's doubtful he could do enough damage to break a complete stalemate. Jin-e has a slightly greater advantage due to a lack of mobility without Shin no Ippo. Saitou and Aoshi also lack damage in very specific ways, though Aoshi certainly has evasion on his side.
Sojiro is too fast for Fuji to keep track of and he has a sharp enough blade that he can whittle down Fuji over time. Shishio doesn't have enough damage and could be beaten in a single strike. And Enishi lacks options as well.
Besides Sojiro, the only ones who have a shot at beating Fuji are Cho the Sword Hunter and Raijuta due to immense range. Between the Orochi blade and Tobi Izuna respectively, they could deal immense damage and, Tobi Izuna in particular, could beat Fuji in one strike as long as it's well placed, it would cut clean through him independent of size.
54.44% is his score.
Cho the Sword Hunter
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Outside of the Orochi blade, Cho doesn't have much going for him. Though it would offer him an edge against Fuji, due to size and range, every other opponent proves to be far too quick to get from a safe distance.
Cho receives a 17.78% score.
Sojiro Seta
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Battles with Sojiro are very binary in the sense that either his opponents go down easily or they outright beat him.
Kenshin was able to beat Sojiro in the manga but, had Sojiro not suffered from his emotions toward the end of the fight, Sojiro would've won hand over fist. Jin-e, on the other hand, would utterly destroy Sojiro due to his lack of ki leaving no defense for Shin no Ippo, something every other character has. However, Jin-e is a very poor match for Sojiro because, in a contest of raw skill, Sojiro has him beat by miles but without Ki, Jin-e could kill him as easily as a group of cops, no I'm not making that up.
Everybody else is definitive victories because Shukuchi is such an overpowered skill that nobody can stand up to it. It could easily dodge Saitou's Gatotsu, it could bypass Aoshi's Flow of the River Current by catching him off guard, it could whittle down Fuji relatively quickly, and Shishio has no defense for an attack that fast.
The only exception is Enishi who, while not in possession of something like Shukuchi, does possess Kyokeimyaku or Frenzied Nerves which allow him to move and react faster than ordinary people can. He doesn't need emotional output like Kenshin, and Enishi proved he's faster than Kenshin in that state. It may not be as fast as Shukuchi but it's probably the only thing that can reliably stand up to it.
Sojiro receives a 70% advantage.
Makoto Shishio
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Shishio is one opponent who has a number of accolades but whose actual skill is somewhat debatable the more I think about it. Yes he commanded the Juppongatana, yes Enishi avoided fighting him in the bartering for Rengoku, and yes he battled and almost defeated no less than 4 opponents in a row prior to his death. However, the circumstances surrounding all of these events is questionable.
The Juppongatana pledged loyalty to Shishio but the only one we know definitively that Shishio can beat is Usui, who probably isn't all that good in the first place. Of the remaining Juppongatana on this list, Fuji and Sojiro would prove to be difficult.
On the other hand, Enishi stated he didn't want to die during the proceedings involving Rengoku, however, the smile on his face suggests that he probably just didn't want to waste time on an unnecessary fight and not necessarily that he thought Shishio could beat him.
And of the four Shishio did beat, Kenshin, Saitou, Aoshi, and Sanosuke, all of them were heavily injured when he did so. Kenshin weary from 2 intense battles, Saitou who had deep wounds in both his legs, Sanosuke who was so beaten he could barely stand on his own due to Anji, and Aoshi, who only fought in the first place out of sheer will power.
Do not mistake my words, though, Shishio is a powerful opponent, one that many would not be able to handle. However, his rank among these men is questionable due to circumstances surrounding the fights muddying the actual feats.
The only one here that Shishio may definitively be even with is Enishi, due to his superior speed and nervous system which could potentially prove detrimental against Shishio's fire-based attacks. Though pain is out of the question, what is not is searing the nerves shut to prevent responses out of them.
Shishio receives a 54.44% score.
Enishi Yukishiro
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
In terms of raw ability, Enishi is like an amalgamation of other characters here. He has higher speed than Kenshin, more versatility than Aoshi, more lethality than Saitou, more variety than Sojiro, and more techniques than Shishio.
That said, Enishi is strong against basically everybody except Fuji because he has an answer for almost anything they can all throw at him. Shukuchi doesn't make as much of a gap as it does with other characters, Hiten Mitsurugi was completely overpowered, Izuna can easily be dodged, Aoshi can be reacted to, Saitou can be evaded or intercepted, and Shishio can be endured.
Enishi's rating is 61.11%
Final Tally
Opponent
|
Advantage
|
Kenshin Himura
|
|
Udo Jin-e
|
|
Raijuta
|
|
Hajime Saitou
|
|
Aoshi Shinomori
|
|
Fuji
|
|
Cho the Sword Hunter
|
|
Sojiro Seta
|
|
Makoto Shishio
|
|
Enishi Yukishiro
|
Ranks in Numerical Order
- Sojiro Seta
- Enishi Yukishiro
- Kenshin Himura
- Fuji
- Makoto Shishio
- Hajime Saitou
- Aoshi Shinomori
- Udo Jin-e
- Raijuta Isurugi
- Cho the Sword Hunter
Overall Sojiro would be completely unbeatable had his emotions not resurfaced. Although his lack of ki would've made him easy for Jin-e, the resurfacing of his emotions didn't seem to give him the ability to overcome this and it ultimately made him easier to counter by other more experienced fighters.
Enishi is certainly powerful to the point that had Kenshin not had Ryumeisen under his belt he may not have ever defeated him. That said, save for those two counters, Kenshin is solidly in the top 3.
Fuji right below him for being damn near impossible to deal damage to for ordinary fighters. Shishio is beneath him in 5, a comfortable place all things considered. And everybody else seems to be right where they should be.
That's all for tonight. Have a wonderful day.
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