OVA
Description
Chou Sawagejo is a character from the Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc, serving as a member of the Juppongatana, the elite ten-man fighting force assembled by the series' primary antagonist, Makoto Shishio. Known by his nickname, the Sword Hunter, Chou is a tall, thin young man with an eccentric and flamboyant appearance, most notably his long blonde hair styled upwards into a shape that resembles a broom, which leads to his other moniker, Broom Head. His origin is in the Osaka prefecture, and his manner of speaking often carries the distinctive Kansai dialect.
His primary motivation is a deep and obsessive passion for collecting swords, specifically those forged by the master swordsmith Shaku Arai, who was also responsible for creating Kenshin Himura's iconic reverse-blade sword. This obsession drives his actions, as he is willing to go to extreme lengths, including taking hostages, to acquire these rare blades. Personality-wise, Chou is portrayed as arrogant, bloodthirsty, and foolhardy. He maintains a deceptively cool and calm exterior, typically keeping one eye closed, only opening both when he becomes excited or fully engaged in battle. Despite his arrogance, he is also pragmatic and not particularly loyal to a cause, a trait that later allows him to shift allegiances when it is advantageous.
In the narrative of the New Kyoto Arc, Chou's role is that of an antagonist who confronts Kenshin. His main objective is to locate and claim one of Shaku Arai's final and most prized swords. This pursuit leads him to take Iori, the young son of the swordsmith's family, hostage to force their cooperation, which brings him directly into conflict with Kenshin, who has his own reasons for seeking out the same family. In this version of the story, the fight choreography is designed to be more realistic. Unlike in some other adaptations, his signature flexible sword, the Hakujin no Tachi, and its associated techniques are omitted. Instead, he engages in combat using a pair of swords. The confrontation with Kenshin results in severe consequences for Chou; he loses one of his eyes during the battle before ultimately being defeated by Kenshin's reverse-blade sword and taken into police custody. After this point, his role in the arc effectively concludes, as the storyline that sees him later becoming a spy and informant in the manga and other anime versions is not present in the New Kyoto Arc.
Regarding combat abilities, Chou is considered to be of middling strength within the ranks of the Juppongatana. His fighting style is not based on a traditional swordsmanship school but is entirely dependent on the unique and unconventional weapons in his collection. He relies on trickery and the element of surprise rather than pure speed or technical precision. Some of the notable swords in his arsenal, which appear in other versions of the story but are largely absent from the New Kyoto Arc, include a flexible sword worn around his waist and the Renbatou, a dual-bladed sword designed to create unclosable wounds. His flagrant personality and distinctive appearance create simple but memorable key relationships, marked by his instant irritation with Sanosuke Sagara, who taunts him with the name Broom Head, and his pragmatic shift from an enemy to a reluctant informant working under Hajime Saito in other continuities.
His primary motivation is a deep and obsessive passion for collecting swords, specifically those forged by the master swordsmith Shaku Arai, who was also responsible for creating Kenshin Himura's iconic reverse-blade sword. This obsession drives his actions, as he is willing to go to extreme lengths, including taking hostages, to acquire these rare blades. Personality-wise, Chou is portrayed as arrogant, bloodthirsty, and foolhardy. He maintains a deceptively cool and calm exterior, typically keeping one eye closed, only opening both when he becomes excited or fully engaged in battle. Despite his arrogance, he is also pragmatic and not particularly loyal to a cause, a trait that later allows him to shift allegiances when it is advantageous.
In the narrative of the New Kyoto Arc, Chou's role is that of an antagonist who confronts Kenshin. His main objective is to locate and claim one of Shaku Arai's final and most prized swords. This pursuit leads him to take Iori, the young son of the swordsmith's family, hostage to force their cooperation, which brings him directly into conflict with Kenshin, who has his own reasons for seeking out the same family. In this version of the story, the fight choreography is designed to be more realistic. Unlike in some other adaptations, his signature flexible sword, the Hakujin no Tachi, and its associated techniques are omitted. Instead, he engages in combat using a pair of swords. The confrontation with Kenshin results in severe consequences for Chou; he loses one of his eyes during the battle before ultimately being defeated by Kenshin's reverse-blade sword and taken into police custody. After this point, his role in the arc effectively concludes, as the storyline that sees him later becoming a spy and informant in the manga and other anime versions is not present in the New Kyoto Arc.
Regarding combat abilities, Chou is considered to be of middling strength within the ranks of the Juppongatana. His fighting style is not based on a traditional swordsmanship school but is entirely dependent on the unique and unconventional weapons in his collection. He relies on trickery and the element of surprise rather than pure speed or technical precision. Some of the notable swords in his arsenal, which appear in other versions of the story but are largely absent from the New Kyoto Arc, include a flexible sword worn around his waist and the Renbatou, a dual-bladed sword designed to create unclosable wounds. His flagrant personality and distinctive appearance create simple but memorable key relationships, marked by his instant irritation with Sanosuke Sagara, who taunts him with the name Broom Head, and his pragmatic shift from an enemy to a reluctant informant working under Hajime Saito in other continuities.