R E L A T I O N S H I P S
How does Saitoh interact with other characters in
Rurouni Kenshin? This page contains
short relationship write-ups for how he gets along with everyone else.
The Shinsengumi Years
Okita - The Leader of the First Shinsengumi Squad is, in the anime, much more
light-hearted than Saitoh, and much more cheerful despite his bloody task. But despite his
cheerfulness and Saitoh's seriousness, these two have a strong friendship based on the fact
that their ideals are exactly the same, their fight is for the same outcome, and their jobs are
almost paralleled. In the anime, Saitoh seems extremely aware of Okita's illness, though he
uses this condition to his advantage to fight with the Battousai.
Other Shinsengumi Members - We don't see much of Saitoh's interaction with other
Shinsengumi members in
Rurouni Kenshin. We do know that he was responsible for killing
those members who turned corrupt and away from the true Shinsengumi ideals, and there is another
anime titled "Burai" which goes into more detail about the Shinsengumi.
Kenshin Himura, The Battousai - The duel between Saitoh and Kenshin started during the
Revolution, but during that era, though their swords crossed for different ideals, Saitoh
respected the warrior within the Battousai and considered their fight honorable and worthy.
As the only man who could successfully dodge Saitoh's infamous Gatotsu, Kenshin proved himself a
difficult opponent, but despite the dislike between these two characters at that time, I don't
believe they truly hated each other. The fact that they were both swordsmen gave them a strange
warrior's bond.
The Kyoto Arc
Kenshin Himura, The Wanderer - If Kenshin and Saitoh respected the warrior in each other
during the Revolution, Kenshin loses nearly all his respect for Saitoh at the start of the
Kyoto Arc. There's also a certain amount of fear on Kenshin's part as he questions whether his
new way of life can protect those at the Kamiya Dojo from Saitoh's still-strong skill. Saitoh's
not exactly thrilled to be visiting his old opponent either, except to do as his superiors
requested of him. He's not above using a few underhanded tricks to get Kenshin's attention,
and when he begans to test Kenshin's abilities, the test quickly dissolves into something more
fierce and intense...the driving need to finish what they started ten years prior.
Afterwards, they form some odd sort of friendship based on the fact that they have to work
together to stop a greater threat. But despite their efforts to at least act civil around each
other, it's pretty obvious Kenshin dislikes Saitoh and Saitoh dislikes Kenshin's new
philosophies. Saitoh's habit of dry sarcasm and wandering off tends to irritate Kenshin as
well. However, by the end of the Kyoto Arc, they've bonded enough over the course of events to
work with each other well.
Kamiya Kaoru - Saitoh seems to care less about Kaoru. She's just a tool to test Kenshin,
though I'm fairly certain he probably wouldn't have killed her to get a reaction from his
enemy. Though he's polite to her, it's part of his act, and there is no real relationship or
friendship between them. Kaoru accepts him without question simply because he's a police
officer (which he later uses to point out the fact that she'll trust anyone who seems
trustworthy), and afterwards she doesn't seem to like him much based on his fight with Kenshin.
She might even find him frightening, but despite her fear she still attempts to stop his duel
with Kenshin.
Yahiko Myojin - Like Kaoru, Saitoh seems to have little opinion of Yahiko, except to use
him to get Kenshin to react. Yahiko on the other hand, seems to respect Saitoh simply because
he carries a real katana and not a saber as other police officers carry. Despite the fear
Yahiko might feel when he learns Saitoh could have easily murdered everyone at the dojo, he
still respects Saitoh's skill and recongizes that Saitoh fights on an entirely different level
than most people. He even thinks about that later in the Kyoto Arc, too.
Sanosuke Sagara - This little relationship got off to a bad start in the very beginning,
due in part to Saitoh's normal personality and Sanosuke's normal stubbornness. Sano has good
reason to dislike Saitoh, since Saitoh proved he was far superior to Sano's street-fighting
abilities and put a sword tip through Sano's shoulder. Like Kaoru and Yahiko, Sanosuke is
simply another tool for Saitoh to use in order to get Kenshin's reaction. During the duel,
Sano is brought in to watch, and is the only one who can recognize that Kenshin and Saitoh have
forgotten the Mejii Era and are fighting as though they were in the Revolution again. But
before Saitoh and Kenshin leave for Kyoto, Sanosuke is determine to fight as well as they can,
and Saitoh beats him yet again. At the end of Kyoto, Sanosuke proves he's useful to helping
defeat Shishio, and when Saitoh starts to walk back into the exploding arena quite unconcerned,
Sanosuke tries to stop him and make him come back. The tension between these two characters has
created quite a bit of Yaoi speculation, however, this is merely a fan decision, and the series has no
particular indication that Saitoh and Sanosuke have a romantic relationship.
Misao Makimachi - Saitoh views Masao as a child, Oniwaban or not, much to her sheer
annoyance. She may think he's a cold jerk, but she treats him about the same as she treats
everyone else.
Aoshi Shinomori - Saitoh and Aoshi have no real interaction until Aoshi's change after
his second duel with Kenshin. Saitoh trusts Aoshi with a map of Shishio's fortress, and they
fight side-by-side against Shishio at the end, but otherwise the interaction between these two
during this arc is limited.
Usui - Saitoh considers his dueling partner in the Shishio
battle to be nothing more than a worthless dog who has no superior battle skills, and who
hasn't figured out that Shishio is just using him. Usui gloats for a while until Saitoh starts
the real fight, and then does his best to cover fear with his mediocre talents. His last words
after Saitoh's sword goes through his chest are meant to try and break Saitoh's ideals, which
have absolutely no affect on the former Shinsengumi Captain.
Shishio - Saitoh's determined to stop Shishio because that's his duty as an officer in
the Mejii Police Force, but his single chance doesn't work, and Shishio gets the immense
pleasure of pointing out that Saitoh's research wasn't complete enough. Saitoh isn't too
happy with this turn of events, but he takes it in stride and does his best to keep a cool
composture in the face of slight defeat. Though Shishio is as (or perhaps more) powerful than
Saitoh, Saitoh doesn't seem to respect him simply because his ideals aren't what Saitoh feels
are right.
