"This program is a work of fiction." "Any original characters or characters in the history are fictional." "Due to Graphic Violence, Parental Discretion is advised." "Act 1 :" "The Man of the Slashing Sword" "They are afflicted, the times and the mind of man." "The world edges closer to destruction day by day." "Even if a man of incredible strength were to arise, he would not be able to stop it." "Please, spare the child, I beg you !" "Don't look!" "Sister, at least protect him..." "Shinta!" "Shinta!" "You are just a child." "You have not chosen your life, as we have been able to." "You cannot die now." "You must live." "Live a full life for the sake of those who died here tonight." "Shinta, please live." "Live, Shinta." "Live for me." "Who the hell are you?" "You are about to die, so knowing my name is useless to you." "I suppose it was fate that led me in this direction tonight." "You have been avenged." "Bearing a grudge against these men will not bring your loved ones back." "Revel in the fact that you survived." "It no longer surprises me." "The smell of blood and the smell of white plums ..." "It's a living hell where mankind is slaughtered by bandits." "And it's also a hell where they are sold into slavery." "Yes, it happens every day." "In the past, and in the future." "My sword is guided by the teachings of Hiten-Mitsurugi." "Yet, too often, I cannot use it to save even one person's life." "Not one living soul." "The only thing I can do is to bury the corpses." "I notice you've made graves for the bandits as well as your family." "They were slave traders, not my family." "I was sold to them after my parents died of cholera." "After they died, there were no bandits or slave traders." "Just dead bodies." "What are these stones for?" "Kasumi, Akane, Sakura." "I only met them yesterday, but I wanted to protect them." "I was the only boy in the group, but they tried to protect me." "They said, "Please spare the child. "" "I was too young to help." "I wanted them to have special graves, so I wanted good stones." "Those are the only ones I could find." "I don't even have flowers to put on them." "It is unfortunate to enter Nirvana without having tasted good Sake, so this is my tribute to them." "Thank you, um..." "I am Seijuro Hiko." "A wandering swordsman." "Swordsman?" "My boy, you failed to protect something very delicate." "You were entrusted with those three lives." "Your tiny hands will remember how heavy their bodies were, but you will carry the far heavier weight of their lives with you forever." "You have already carried them." "Now, you must acquire the strength to support yourself, and protect others." "Then, you will be able to live your life, and defend cherished lives." "Defend cherished lives?" "What's your name, boy?" "Shinta." "Much too delicate a name for a swordsman." "From now on your name will be Kenshin." "Kenshin..." "I am going to teach you, boy." "Teach you my forte!" "Rurouni Kenshin :" "Tsuioku-Hen 1864 (Genji 1 )" "I'm sorry, we're running late." "We should hurry up now." " I've heard the good news, Kiyosato." " Oh?" "You're to be married next month." "Yes..." "Your lovely childhood sweetheart will soon be your wife." "You're a very lucky man." "Thank you." "I feel badly about it, though." "If so many people are miserable, why should I be this happy?" "What are you talking about?" "The world is always in a terrible condition." "That shouldn't stop a man from being happy, should it?" "I will return no later than next Spring." "We must try to be patient, both of us." "Let's buy a ground cherry on the way home." "You are Jubei Shigekura of the Kyoto Shoshidai, are you not?" "I have come to mete the divine punishment you deserve, old man." "Assassin !" "You think you can change the world with the cut of your sword?" "Who are you?" "Answer me!" "Get away!" "You must not die now!" "Master Shigekura!" "I must not die." "I do not want to die." "Surrender." "I will not!" "I cannot die." "I cannot die yet!" "I do not want to die." "I will not." "I refuse to die!" "I do not want to die." "Not yet." "Not now." "Do not let me die." "Tomoe..." "Himura, are you hurt?" "Not seriously." "I can't believe someone was actually able to mark you." "He must have had great skill ." "No." "Just stubborn." "Iizuka, clean this up if you please." "Hey!" "Now, attack me!" "Faster!" "He will grow stronger." "No one can improve his skill with a sword without desiring to become stronger as well." "This boy desires nothing more than to increase his capacity." "He is pure." "Yes, he is so pure that I would almost call him a simpleton." "The principle of Hiten-Mitsurugi Ryu states:" ""The sword of Mitsurugi should be wielded for the people of the world. "" ""For the protection of the weak. "" "It's been a long time." "Someone was actually able to hurt you, were they?" "It was due to my carelessness." "Iizuka, who was this swordsman?" "A bodyguard of Jubei Shigekura of the Kyoto Shoshidai." "I don't know his name, though." "Is something wrong?" "No." "Actually, I will be attending a meeting tonight." "Toshimaro and Miyabe will be there, too." "Important matters of our clans' policies will be discussed." "You want me as your bodyguard?" "No, I want you to attend this meeting as my adjunct." "Oh, good for you." " No, I decline." " Eh?" "I am your assassin." "That is the only way I can serve you." "If there is nothing else, I will excuse myself." "Come back here!" "Excuse us, Sir!" "What an obstinate attitude!" "How dare he repay your kindness with that kind of response?" "Kihei-tai?" "Yes, these will be all the bullets we will need, Katsura." "They are the best." "They often exhibit extreme power." "This is what we will use to smash the Shogunate at last." "Certainly more appealing than tired, old samurai, but can you be sure?" "You're always so reticent." "Next!" "What's that boy doing down there?" "The "ki" in "kihei" is the same as "ki" in "kibatsu" (eccentric)." "How about that?" "Not bad, eh?" "Takasugi..." "I know you saw him with those wide-open eyes of yours." "That boy..." "I want him to come to Kyoto with me." "I cannot allow you to leave this mountain." "Master!" "While we discuss philosophy, scores of people are being crushed by the disturbance each day." "We must use our power now!" "Mitsurugi swordsmanship must be used to protect the innocent, right?" "You contemptuous whelp!" "What will you do after you lend your arm to this disturbance?" "If you want to affect a change in the current crisis, you will have to join one side or the other." "Therefore, you will also be used by those who hold the power down there." "I did not teach Mitsurugi swordsmanship to you so you could tarnish it that way." "You should not pay any attention to these external distractions." "Concentrate on your training!" "People are being oppressed all around us." "They are suffering." "I cannot just turn my back on them!" "I will not!" "Mitsurugi is the most powerful form of sword technique." "It is the black ship of absolute power that sails the land." "That's why we should use it now!" "To protect the people from these painful times!" "That is the purpose of the Mitsurugi technique!" "Swordsmanship is a method of murder, do you hear me?" "You can decorate it with all sorts of pretty words, but that is what it is." "Kill some people in order to protect others." "Murder some to save all." "That is the final principle of all sword technique." "As you know, I have murdered hundreds of evil men, but they were all human beings, too." "They were merely trying to live their lives the only way they knew how." "If you leave this mountain, you will live a life of murder under the direction of men who write their own justice." "If you throw your lot in with them," "Mitsurugi swordsmanship will make you a mass murderer." "You may be right, but I want to rescue with my own hands those who are suffering!" "Countless lives, as many as I can !" "I want to be their savior!" "I must leave in order to do so!" "Master!" "I am wasting my breath on a simpleton like you !" "Go!" "Go wherever you want to go!" "Thank you for everything." "That half-witted pup!" "He has decided to live according to his own principles." "Because he is so pure, he has no other choice but to do this foolish thing." "Hey, you're bleeding." "It's so nice with the sun shining!" "It is!" "The snow is starting to melt!" "Wait!" "I wonder if it will be nice tomorrow?" "Well, I hope so." "Here they come." "Saitou, is something wrong?" "I thought I smelled blood." "No, Saitou, it is only because you have cut down so many men recently!" " Okita." " Yes, Sir?" "Before you speak you should taste your words to make sure they are palatable." "Yes, yes!" "Who do they think they are?" "Walking down the street like they're emperors." "Tonight, okay?" "I smell perfume." "It's white plum." "I'm surprised you are familiar with such a sensual scent." "Look at her!" "Nice, eh?" "Well, I'll see you later." "Oh, my!" "I saw the Mibu Wolves coming down the street today!" "I was so scared I moved to the other side of the road !" "I heard that they've been performing summary executions of patriots lately!" "That scares me!" "Cherry blossoms in the Spring, and starry skies in the Summer." "The Autumn brings the full moon." "The Winter brings the snow." "These things make sake taste good." "If you don't like sake, then there is something wrong with you." "Someday you will come to appreciate it." "Then, we will enjoy it together." "That woman is bad news." "I know, but I can't forget about her." "You're good, but lately you've been absolutely incredible." "What do you mean?" "You don't even give them a chance to scream anymore." "Hey, what's wrong?" "There's a superstition that goes like this:" "If a wound is made by the sword of someone with a strong hatred, that wound will not heal until revenge has been exacted." "A wound?" "Strong hatred?" "Exactly, it may never go away." "Sister..." "Still cleaning up?" "I heard that the meeting the other night went very badly." "What happened?" "Well, Miyabe and Katsura got into a very intense argument." "Seems Miyabe and his group are planning a major disturbance here in Kyoto." "What does Katsura think?" "He says we should wait and see what happens." "One of the envoys told me that the argument got so heated" "Katsura almost drew his sword." "That doesn't sound good." "That's an understatement." "I am going to be straight with you." "Are you willing to kill people?" "There is no point in mincing words." "This is murder." "However, in order to create a new world, we must first destroy the old one." "It is not pleasant, but it needs to be done." "You told me you wanted to use your skills to protect people." "I am asking you if I can borrow those skills." "Will you kill in order to create a new world?" "Will you do it?" "Hey, boy!" " You are..." " I'm Iizuka, examiner of assassinations." "This is your first assignment, right?" "Hold yourself together." "There are some that become insane, or make themselves sick after their first job." "It's better than I thought it would be." "Good." "You need to be quick, accurate and certain for this work." "No point in staying around after the work is done, so let's get the hell out." "If there is a new world that can be created by my sword, a world where anyone can live peacefully and without fear..." "If my arm can create that world," "I will ..." "I will serve as Heaven's justice." "I will kill." "What do you think of the boy?" "He's perfect." "To be honest with you, he is the most prized member of my Kihei-tai." "But I will let you have him on one condition." "What is it?" "The boy's soul will be ruined by this work, you know?" "Therefore, you must keep your life clean and virtuous." "Promise me you will never again draw your sword." "As the leader of the Choshu clan, I have no intention of drawing my sword again." "Can I have your word on that?" "You have my word." "My life as a swordsman ends tonight." "Good." "Now, you can concentrate on leading the Choshu clan in the dying days of the Tokugawa Shoguns." "I will handle everything else." "Thank you." ""Though I die and my body decays in the fields of Musashi, my Japanese spirit will live on. "" "Master, the Shogunate had you put to death in the worst of fashions, but your honorable ideas live in me." "Insanity!" "Absolute justice may appear to be insanity at times!" "That is what motivates the Choshu clan and myself, Master!" "Go with him." "He will take care of you." "If I sleep late, I may miss the rest of my life." "You are truly a born killer, my boy." "You killed all of those men, and didn't get one drop of blood on your clothes." "Let's go drink sake together." "No, thank you." "Suit yourself." "I can easily drink alone." "I'll see you later." "He's been with us for a year." "He has grown, but he looks different in more ways than that." "His mind remains the same, without stain or regret." "So, we don't have to worry about him." "No, he has started to feel divided inside." "Part of him is his true self." "The other part is a ruthless murderer." "Shinsengumi?" "No, he is like me, a hired assassin." "I'll leave now." "Yes, thanks for your work." "We will hold Miyabe's group back for the time being." "Thanks." "And warn the men to be cautious about the Shinsengumi." "I will ." "Are you finished for the night?" "I am finished talking about the world for the night, yes." "Would you like another sake?" "No, thank you." "It does not taste good to me tonight." "Are you all right?" "What a ridiculous idea!" "To burn Kyoto to the ground !" "You..." "You really do make it fall ." "You made the bloody rain fall ." "The blossom of the blue soul is falling." "The fruit of the red blood is ripe." "Behind a sliding door, a faint sigh." "The memory of hands holding your hand." "It is all an illusion." "Rurouni Kenshin :" "Remembrance Chapter" "Act 2:" "The Lost Cat"