Himura Kenshin is a slight, androgynous man with fair skin and vibrant red hair tied in a mid-back ponytail. A cross-shaped scar—two intersecting diagonal marks—etches his left cheek, initially interpreted as a curse for slaying an innocent. The kanzenban edition revised the scar’s design to stretch across his nose. His violet eyes transition to gold when channeling his Hitokiri Battōsai persona, though this trait is omitted in the 2023 adaptation. He dons a faded red or burgundy kimono with white hakama, a reverse-bladed sakabatō fastened at his left hip as a testament to his oath against killing. Raised during the Bakumatsu period, Kenshin mastered Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, a swordsmanship style prioritizing swift, precise strikes. Forced into assassination for the Ishin Shishi as a teenager, he earned notoriety as Hitokiri Battōsai. Guilt over his violent past intensified after accidentally killing his wife Tomoe, cementing his resolve to forsake lethal combat. By the Meiji era, he wandered Japan as a pacifist guardian, aiding others without bloodshed. His speech blends humility—using the archaic "sessha" and honorific "-dono"—with crude "ore" during Battōsai resurgences. Gentle yet layered with restrained intensity, Kenshin deflects attention through deliberate clumsiness and the baffled utterance "oro." Beneath his calm exterior lies a fractured self-image; he views himself unworthy of peace due to past sins, often withdrawing from allies during strife. Bonds with Kaoru Kamiya, Sagara Sanosuke, and Myōjin Yahiko slowly erode his emotional isolation, compelling him to confront his humanity. The Kyoto Disturbance pits Kenshin against Shishio Makoto, a vengeful successor threatening the Meiji government. This clash forces him to navigate his assassin’s instincts while resisting regression into Battōsai. Strategic alliances with former foes like Saitō Hajime and rigorous training under his master, Hiko Seijūrō, to perfect Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū’s ultimate technique reinforce his vow to protect without killing. Adaptations consistently frame Kenshin’s journey through cycles of violence and redemption. Later years see him severing his ponytail—a symbolic rejection of Battōsai—while spin-offs like the Hokkaido Arc challenge his pacifism against new threats, underscoring the enduring struggle to atone in a conflict-driven world.