Himura Kenshin was orphaned at a very young age when his parents died of cholera, and ended up being taken as a servant by a wandering band of slavers. En route to their destination, however, the slavers are ambushed by bandits and are killed. Only Kenshin is saved by a wandering swordsman named Seijuro Hiko. Hiko turns out to be the great Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style of fighting, and ends up training Kenshin to be his successor.     However, near the end of the Tokogawa era, Kenshin and Hiko part ways because Kenshin wants to help 'save the world' by joining in the battle, while Hiko wants to remain neutral. Kenshin ends up joining the Ishin Shishi and becomes instrumental in the opposing side's (the Shinsen Gumi) downfall. During this time, he earns the name of Hitokiri Battousai, (Hitokiri meaning 'killer' or 'shadow', if you want to romanticize it, and 'Battousai' for his having mastered the special Battou-jutsu sword technique).

After the beginning of the Meiji era, however, he decides to trade in his daisho (katana and wakizashi) in exchange for a sakabatou (reverse blade). He then swears never to kill again and begins wandering through Japan, righting wrongs and trying to save the world in his own, bloodless, way. He wanders a total of ten years before he meets a young woman, Kamiya Kaoru, who challenges him to a duel for soiling the name of her school, the Kamiya Kashiin Dojo. Anyway, in the end, they become friends and Kaoru lets him stay with her at her dojo.     Anyway, Kenshin's relationship with Kaoru is pretty complicated, since they start out as friends and take forever to admit that they have feelings for each other (Revenge Arc). He finally confesses his affection for her during the beginning of the revenge arc, when Kaoru says that she wishes he'd stay with her forever. They find little solace in this exchange, however, because Enishi's untimely arrival forces them apart once again…

And as for Kenshin's relations with the other members of his gumi? Well, with Sanosuke, it differs a lot. Sometimes he treats him like an equal, most of the time he treats him like a trusted and loyal companion, and on rare occasions he treats him like a little brother who's a little slow on the uptake (Saitou must have rubbed off on him during the Kyoto arc ^_^). They almost never argue, however, because they have a healthy respect for one another that seems to amplify their 'brotherhood' bonds. The same also goes for his relationship towards Yahiko, though he treats him more like a son than a brother. (Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko-- one big, happy family. ^_^)     His feelings toward Megumi, however, are a tad more complicated, because Megumi is in love with him. He doesn't reciprocate her emotions, but he doesn't want to hurt or offend her by telling her this, so most of the time, (much to the annoyance of Kaoru), he just plays along.

However, even though he holds his friends in the highest esteem, when he decided to become a vagabond once more (Kyoto arc), he didn't tell any of them he was leaving. In fact, he didn't say goodbye to anyone but Kaoru, and their parting was one of the saddest, more depressing scenes of the entire anime…

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