Raijuuta Isurugi

Raijuuta is arrogant, domineering and obsessed with the idea that swordsmanship has been corrupted by the peace of the Meiji period. He dismisses non-lethal schools as imitations of true kenjutsu and believes the sword must retain its capacity to kill.

His imposing demeanor conceals a crucial contradiction. Raijuuta talks constantly about lethal swordsmanship and treats killing as the standard by which martial strength should be measured, yet his actual experience does not match the image he constructs around himself.

He is also manipulative. Rather than simply seeking pupils who agree with him, he engineers circumstances that give him access to money and influence. His relationship with Yutarou consequently rests on deception from its beginning.

Raijuuta is physically strong and sufficiently skilled to overwhelm ordinary dojo instructors. His Shinko-ryu centers on the Izuna, a technique capable of producing extraordinary cutting force.

The basic Matoi Izuna concentrates destructive force through the blade, enabling Raijuuta to cut with tremendous power. His more dangerous Tobi Izuna creates a vacuum-like ranged slash, allowing him to injure an opponent without direct blade contact.

Tobi Izuna gives Raijuuta an unusual advantage because conventional swordsmen are not accustomed to defending against a cutting attack traveling through open space. Kenshin nevertheless recognizes that possessing a dangerous technique does not make Raijuuta an elite warrior.

Raijuuta travels Japan challenging dojo and condemning the peaceful direction of Meiji-era swordsmanship. He gathers fighters around his Shinko-ryu and seeks resources for a movement intended to restore what he considers genuine kenjutsu.

He gains access to the Tsukayama family's wealth after apparently saving Yutarou and his father from an attack. Yuzaemon Tsukayama consequently welcomes him into the household and supports his school.

Raijuuta eventually attempts to recruit Kenshin, believing a famous former hitokiri would validate his cause. Kenshin rejects his philosophy and becomes his opponent instead.

The attack that earned Raijuuta the Tsukayama family's trust was staged by Raijuuta himself. His supposed commitment to deadly swordsmanship is also exposed as hollow: despite his rhetoric, he has never actually killed a person and lacks the psychological resolve of someone who has experienced lethal combat.

During his battle with Kenshin, Raijuuta accidentally strikes Yutarou with Tobi Izuna, severely damaging the boy's right arm. Kenshin then breaks Raijuuta psychologically by confronting him with genuine killing intent, exposing the gap between Raijuuta's fantasies about killing and the reality of facing a true former assassin.

Yutarou Tsukayama becomes Raijuuta's pupil and initially idolizes him as the powerful swordsman he wants to emulate. Raijuuta ultimately betrays that trust, and his Tobi Izuna leaves Yutarou with severe nerve damage in his right arm.

Yuzaemon Tsukayama finances Raijuuta after believing that the swordsman saved his family. Raijuuta had actually arranged the attack himself in order to gain the wealthy former samurai's patronage.

Kenshin Himura is the swordsman Raijuuta hopes to recruit into his campaign. Kenshin rejects both his methods and his understanding of what it means to wield a sword capable of killing.

Kaoru Kamiya represents precisely the kind of non-lethal kenjutsu philosophy Raijuuta despises, while her training gives Yutarou a practical education that Raijuuta had failed to provide.

Yahiko Myojin becomes Yutarou's rival and helps undermine the boy's unquestioning admiration for Raijuuta.