Rurouni Kenshin (US)

The brief period of peace of the group is interrupted by the presence of former Shinsengumi captain Hajime Saito, who is now using the name of Goro Fujita and working for the Tokyo police, stirs up some of the bloodiest memories of Kenshin Himura of the Bakumatsu. Saito arrives at the Kamiya dojo disguised as a medicine seller and fights Sanosuke Sagara, injuring him severely in the process.

Sanosuke is beginning to recover from the wounds inflicted by Saito, but Kenshin's mind is greatly disturbed. Arundo Akamatsu, another assassin hired by the same man who is paying Saito, fights Kenshin by drawing him out but loses to Kenshin while Saito arrives at the dojo using his status as a policeman to gain entrance. Kenshin and Saito begin to fight, despite Kaoru's attempt to stop them as she begs Kenshin not to revert to his manslayer persona.

Kenshin continues his battle against Saito after being stabbed. Kaoru Kamiya is frightened to see that Kenshin's alter ego begins to emerge, as she starts to lose hope in ever seeing his gentle side again. However, one of Saito's superiors appears and stops the fight just as it is reaching a climax, in which Kenshin returns to normal after punching himself in the face. Toshimichi Okubo explains to Kenshin that Makoto Shishio, the man who took over Kenshin's position as the Shadow Hitokiri for the Ishinshishi, survived being burned alive and has begun gathering an army to overthrow the government. Kenshin is to comply in defeating Shishio. He is given a deadline to come to a decision and threatened that if he should decline Megumi Takani could be charged for opium manufacture.

As the deadline for Kenshin's decision on whether to go to Kyoto nears, Kaoru becomes anxious at the possibility of his leaving. After Okubo's assassination by Sojiro Seta, Kenshin decides to go to Kyoto and bids an emotional goodbye to Kaoru, implying that it is likely they will never meet again.

Kaoru is deeply depressed and distressed since Kenshin left Tokyo. With the help of Yahiko My?jin, Tae Sekihara, Tsubame Sanj?, and especially Megumi, Kaoru regains her courage and decides to leave Tokyo to go to Kyoto and see Kenshin. Saito also gets into a fight with Sanosuke, telling him not to go to Kyoto. Sanosuke leaves on his own despite Saito's warning that he will be a liability to Kenshin.

Aoshi Shinomori has now chosen the path of chaos. He will do anything to defeat Kenshin, as he feels it will prove to the world that the Oniwabansh? were the strongest fighters of the revolution. Aoshi defeats four monks working for Shishio, who were merely meant to test Aoshi's strength, but refuses to join Shishio after Sojiro tries to convince him.

Misao Makimachi, the female bandit, whom Kenshin meets in the forest, is a member of the Oniwabansh?. She wants very badly to see Aoshi, though unknowing of his whereabouts, and to see the other four members of the Oniwabansh?, yet unaware of their fate. Misao refuses to stop chasing Kenshin, as she believes that he can lead her to them.

Along the way to Kyoto, Kenshin and Misao come across a nearly dead man with his little brother in his arms, Eiji Mishima. The man dies, and Eiji wants to avenge his brother's death by killing Senkaku, the man who slayed his elder brother. Kenshin, Eiji, and Misao travel to Shingetsu Village, Eiji's hometown, and fight some of Shishio's soldiers off. Kenshin and Saito leave Misao and Eiji behind, as they go to Shishio's mansion nearby.

Kenshin and Senkaku fight, and Kenshin wins with ease. Misao and Eiji make their way up to the same mansion in an attempt to defeat Senkaku for themselves.

Shishio is then challenged by Kenshin, but Shishio refuses to accept, saying that Kenshin is weak as a wanderer. Shishio tells Sojiro, his right hand man, to fight Kenshin instead. Shishio and Yumi Komagata leave the mansion. Sojiro and Kenshin both use the batt?jutsu drawing technique, in which both swords are severely damaged. Sojiro leaves the mansion, telling Kenshin to get a new sword before they meet again.

Sanosuke gets lost in a forest. He finds a monk there that goes by the name of Anji Y?ky?zan, who gives him some food. Sanosuke ends up convincing Anji to teach him how to use a destructive punching technique called the Futae no Kiwami attack, capable of completely pulverize huge boulders into dust. Anji gives Sanosuke one week to learn the technique, lest he be killed. After learning it, Sanosuke leaves for Kyoto.

Kenshin and Misao make it to Kyoto. There, they meet Nenji Kashiwazaki, code-named Okina, of the Oniwabansh?. Okina knows Kenshin is the legendary Battousai the Manslayer the moment he lays eyes on him. Kenshin goes to see Sekku Arai, who is the son of Shakku Arai, the one who forged the reverse blade sword, in order to replace the broken sword. Sekku refuses, saying that this is a time of peace, and that the samurai have all thrown their swords away. Later, a man by the name of Ch? Sawagej?, known as the Sword Hunter of the Ten Swords, abducts Iori, the baby son of Sekku. Kenshin demands that Ch? release Iori.

Kenshin finds that Ch? has kidnapped Iori in order to obtain the final masterpiece of Shakku for himself. Kenshin is forced to choose between keeping his vow not to kill and saving the baby, ultimately deciding to do both by drawing the sword he has now been given. However, it is revealed that the sword he is holding happens to be the final masterpiece of Shakku, the perfected reverse blade sword, merely stunning Ch?. Kenshin then leaves to find his master, Seijuro Hiko, in order to learn the final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ry? batt?jutsu.

Kenshin finds his master Seij?r? Hiko living as a potter near Kyoto, but Hiko is initially unwilling to take Kenshin back due to his walking out to join the revolution. Yahiko and Kaoru meet Misao in Kyoto after learning that she saw Kenshin leaving, and later leads the grateful pair to him after they meet Okina at an inn disguised as the headquarters of the Oniwabansh?. Kenshin seems initially upset at the sight of Kaoru, but later replies he is only half of him is angry. They leave Kenshin to train, and on the way Misao's affiliation with the Oniwabansh? is revealed as well as the fact that she does not know of the fate of Aoshi's group in Edo.

Misao is in denial after hearing of the deaths of four other members of the Oniwabansh?, and feels despair as she recalls her country-wide search for Aoshi, which ended without success. Meanwhile, Aoshi sends a letter to Okina and they meet in a market, where the latter will not allow the former to continue as the leader of the Oniwabansh?, due to his demonic desire to kill Kenshin. Sojiro and several other members of the Ten Swords meet Aoshi and convince him to join them, as they share the goal of destroying Kenshin. After Okina mysteriously leaves with his shinobi uniform, Misao realizes that the two will have a confrontation at the temple and runs to stop it, but proves to be too late as Okina falls to Aoshi's Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren attack, and is told by Aoshi that the next time they meet he will kill her.

Seij?r? reminisces about when he first met Kenshin. While they continue training, Kenshin finally proves himself worthy of learning the final technique, in which Seij?r? begins by teaching and instructing him of the Kuzu-ry?sen attack, a technique which simultaneously deals nine strikes to the fundamental targets of swordsmanship. It is then that Hiko proclaims to Kenshin that he must defeat this technique with the ultimate attack. After much worry about his friends, Kenshin finally looks within himself for what he was missing in life and learns the ultimate technique, the Amakakeru Ry? no Hirameki attack, though it pays a high price on the concept of survival.

The Ten Swords have gathered in the temple of Shishio in Kyoto, and are ready to commence the Kyoto Grand Fire and be on their path to victory.

Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Saito go to Osaka to find Shishio and his men on board a ship. They find Shishio, and Shishio launches the Purgatory, a steel-plated battleship he paid a fortune to get. Shishio plans to use the Purgatory to launch an assault on Tokyo.

Sanosuke uses the Futae no Kiwami attack Anji taught him to stop gattling gun bullets from hitting him. He then throws the bombs Tsunan Tsukioka gave him before he left Tokyo right onto the Purgatory, damaging the engine and leaving a hole in the ship. The Purgatory eventually sinks, but not until Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Saito get off safely. Shishio issues a challenge; Kenshin can only meet him at his base and get to him by completing one-on-one fights. Kyoto is spared from the Kyoto Grand Fire as well, thanks to intervention by the Oniwabansh?, now headed by Misao.

Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Saito journey to Mount Hiei at the Shrine of the Six Arches to settle the score with Shishio. The first challenger of the Ten Swords in the shrine is Anji the Destroyer, the man who taught Sanosuke the basics of the Futae no Kiwami attack. Sanosuke and Anji duel, and Sanosuke uses a Futae no Kiwami attack at full power, called the Kiwami Hazuchi attack, and knocks Anji down. Sanosuke thinks he is dead, until he gets back up more angry than ever.

Sanosuke and Anji continue their duel. Anji is reborn to salvation after talking about his past and being convinced by Sanosuke and the memories from the people of his past that he was doing the wrong thing all these years by being a destroyer. Kenshin and Saito continue on ahead to fight Usui Uonuma, the second challenger of the Jupongottana.

Usui confronts Saito while the others continue on through Shishio's manshion. Usui's claim to his heart's eye is put to the test by Saito, who observes that it is simply super enhanced hearing adopted by Usui to make up for his lack of sight. Saito realizes that Usui is in fact weak since his desire for revenge against Shishio has driven him to become a mere pawn in Shishio's game. An enraged Usui wounds Saito using the timbe, a tortoise-shell shield, and blocks his vision. However, Usui is no match for Saito's Zeroshiki attack, a move Saito had been saving for a fight against Kenshin.

Kenshin senses something coming from the room of H?ji Sadojima, that being the presence of Aoshi. He enters the room, and is determined to keep his promise to Aoshi, and to Misao, by fighting and bringing back Aoshi to the inn. Upon entering the room, Aoshi greets him, and he says that he has thrown everything away, including his four comrades, just for the moment of the duel with him and Kenshin. Aoshi is determined to win the fight and kill the manslayer, to claim the title of the strongest.

As the duel between Kenshin and Aoshi continues, Kenshin is being attacked by Aoshi, trying to scold him for who he ought to be. Kenshin is determined to return Aoshi to an affectionate man, allowing him to bring Aoshi back Misao, thus attempting keep both promises he made to each of them. Aoshi finally realizes his wrongdoings, as Kenshin and Aoishi ends the match using their final attacks on each other. After emerging victorious, Kenshin and Sanosuke advance to the next battle.

Kaoru, Yahiko, and Misao are to battle against Kamatari Honj?, Henya Kariwa, and Iwanb?. Yahiko manages to defeat Henya, after being almost killed by his Hikku Happa attack. After that, Kamatari, Kaoru, and Misao fight. Misao gets crushed ribs in the fight against Kamatari, and is unable to continue until she wakes up from a dream of Han'nya, and she and Kaoru defeat Kamatari through a combined effort. It seems like they have won, until two other members of the Ten Swords, Elder Saizuchi and Fuji, appear, which, in turn, puts Kaoru, Yahiko, and Misao at a major disadvantage.

Just when all hope seems lost, Seijuro shows up and fights Fuji. He talks to Fuji and make him realize that he was being used and asks for a fair fight. He defeats Fuji with the Kuzu-ry?sen attack. The inn is safe from harm, but Kenshin still has to fight Sojiro in order to fight Shishio himself.

Kenshin and Sojiro have their second duel, since the one in Shingetsu Village was never finished. Sojiro shows Kenshin his shukuchi technique, one that uses powerful legwork to bring him close to his opponent in an instant. Kenshin manages to get himself pretty wounded in the fight, and Sojiro hasn't even gotten hit once. He even dodges the Kuzu-ry?sen attack, ironically supposed to be an inescapable attack. Sojiro recalls about Kenshin showing mercy to Senkaku during their battle at Shingetsu Village, which poses as a distraction to Sojiro. This then urges Sojiro to take an intermission from the battle after breaking the strap of one of his shoes.

It is shown that Sojiro was treated as a servant to his family, one that never showed him respect or affection. He later meets Shishio, who kindly spared his life. After learning how cruel Sojiro's family is to him, Shishio offers him the Wakizashi sword. When Sojiro is soon cornered by his family, he uses the sword to murder them all. Sojiro follows Shishio, as Shishio tells Sojiro that he will become strong.

After pondering between the philosophies of Shishio's survival of the strong and Kenshin's protection of the weak, Sojiro becomes heavily confused, suddenly breaking down during the fight. Sojiro and Kenshin fight each other and full strength, the Shuntensatsu attack versus the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki attack. After Kenshin is claimed the winner, he and Sanosuke make their way to the final battle with Shishio. Sojiro tells Yumi of a secret passageway to get to Shishio's room first, He also reveals the secret of Kenshin's ultimate attack, in that Kenshin takes an extra step in his stance. Sojiro then requests Yumi to return the Wakizashi sword back to Shishio, as a parting gift to leave his side forever.

Yumi guides Kenshin and Sanosuke to the top of the Inferno Arena. Kenshin thinks about his past, and what awaits him next, the entire way up to where Shishio himself is waiting, with H?ji at his side. Shishio promises that the battle will end in fifteen minutes, giving Yumi a kiss as he walks off. Thus, the fight between the two manslayers begins. Shishio shows off the Homura Dama attack, the first of his Secret Sword technique. He then bites a chunk off of Kenshin's shoulder.

Shishio doesn't believe that Kenshin understands the laws of nature, philosophizes about the survival of the fittest through chaos and not just a worthless mirage of peace. Shishio then uses the Guren Kaina attack, the second of his Secret Sword technique, giving Kenshin a concussion. Saito suddenly busts through the door, using his Gatotsu First Stance, executing the Ishiki attack. However, Shishio is protected by a metal plate in his forehead. After trying the rest of his Gatotsu stances, Saito soon gets knocked out by Shishio. Even Sanosuke attempts to attack Shishio, but to no avail. It is then that Aoshi appears to engage in combat with Shishio.

Aoshi struggles to defeat Shishio, even after landing the Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren attack. After much time passes by, Kenshin regains consciousness due to his swordsman spirit, surviving the painful injuries inflicted by Shishio. Just when Shishio is about to finish Kenshin off with another Guren Kaina attack, Kenshin remembers the promise he made to Kaoru to go back to Tokyo together. Kenshin is able to initiate the Kuzu-ry?sen attack of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ry? batt?jutsu. Nonetheless, Shishio gets back up because of his swordsman spirit.

Shishio gets ready to use the Kaguzuchi attack, the final of his Secret Sword technique. This result in a void between the two attacks, temporariliy immobilized Shishio, enabling Kenshin to strike Shishio with an immensely strong consecutive hit. Even after miraculously standing back up, Shishio's blood starts evaporating and he begins screaming in pain, since he has fought far longer than fifteen minutes. However, Shishio sets his sights on Kenshin and Yumi, impaling them both, even after Yumi tries to stop Kenshin from killing Shishio. Yumi dies happily, knowing she did something useful for once. As the battle continues, the battle is once again at a standstill. However, Shishio is killed by being burned alive. H?ji, refusing to accept Shishio's defeat, maniacally attempts to destroy the Inferno Arena to kill Kenshin, Sanosuke, Saito, and Aoshi.

Sanosuke and Aoshi drag Kenshin out of the building, eventually escaping the eruption. Saito is left behind due to his overly injured legs not being able to jump the collapsed bridge. The Inferno Arena finally demolishes, seemingly killing Saito. Kenshin Sanosuke, and Aoshi regroup with Kaoru, Yahiko, and Misao. Ch? also appears to tell the group the aftermath of the Ten Swords. Meanwhile, Shishio, Yumi, and H?ji gather in the underworld and plot an ambush.

Yahiko visits Mount Hiei, and Sanosuke shows him where that battle with Shishio took place. Meanwhile, Kenshin visits an unknown woman's grave, and places flowers by it. Also at this time, Megumi explains to Kaoru the severity of Kenshin's wounds, and that it is important to keep him from doing anything that dangerous again. Finally, the group gets on the train to Tokyo, with Misao waving to them and telling them to visit again. After the train departs Saito is seen saying that he and Kenshin will meet again one day and settle the score that they have. When the gang reaches the road to the dojo, Kaoru extends her hand and welcomes Kenshin home.