Rurouni Kenshin: Why Does Himura Talk Strangely? Syntax Explained!

With the new adaptation of the Rurouni Kenshin series finally here, fans of this classic samurai series can enjoy the classic vibe of the original series but animated with the newest technology. With the series promising to be a hit and a refreshing take on the classic manga, we can finally explain some interesting moments from the series and provide you with some new information. The topic of this article is, of course, going to be Kenshin Himura, the protagonist of the series, as we will discuss his specific way of talking, mostly characterized by his use of the “de gozaru” phrase at the end of all of his sentences. How and why does Kenshin Himura talk like that? Keep reading to find out!

Himura Kenshin talks strangely because the author wanted to give him a special way of talking to make him more tasteful and appealing, but also to reflect his personality. This is why Himura uses a lot of slang, as well as his trademark phrases “oro” and “de gozaru.” But this is also a reflection of his calm personality, his soft-spoken manner of talking, and his humbleness, which is also evidenced by the fact that he often refers to himself using the phrase “sessha”.

The rest of this article will focus on Kenshin Himura and his personality, which is ultimately reflected in how he talks to others. This story is connected to the creation of the character and his reception, so you will also find a lot of background details about the work and the character. You will also find out how all of this was reflected in the story and how it influenced Kenshin’s story. The article will have many spoilers, so be careful how you approach it.

Kenshin Himura’s humble personality is why he talks the way he does

Kenshin Himura is the main character of the Rurouni Kenshin manga. His nickname Battōsai comes from the technique of battō-jutsu, which Kenshin masters to perfection and which consists of attacking by drawing the sword in a horizontal position, which considerably increases the speed of the blade. Kenshin is a samurai nicknamed Hitokiri Battōsai because of his atrocities while working as a government assassin.

Having become a Rurouni with the advent of the Meiji era, he wanders aimlessly in the country. He always wears a saber, which often gets him in trouble with the authorities, as wearing a saber was banned in 1870.

Now, aside from his major skills and abilities, Kenshin Himura also has some other quirky personality traits that we think are worth talking about, and his way of communicating is a perfect example of that. And while we do have an answer to that question, we have to dig into his personality and how he was created.

The tale of Kawakami Gensai, who was a hitokiri executed by the Meiji Government, was the basis that Watsuki used for Kenshin Himura’s story in the manga. Watsuki claims that he was inspired to design the character after learning that Kawakami had an obligation to his deceased partners.

Kenshin was initially intended to be “completely opposite” to Watsuki’s original character, a tall, dark-haired guy wearing “flashy” armor. However, over time, Kenshin evolved into becoming “female-like.” The scar in the form of a cross was applied to Watsuki’s face for “no real reason,” according to Watsuki because he “didn’t know what else to do.”

Initially, when the manga and anime were created, the author and the editor quarreled over Kenshin’s voice patterns throughout the creation of the original anime series, ultimately opting for a “slang” style. Watsuki changed the dialogue, in the end, to make it sound more genuine and, in his opinion, make Kenshin sound “more tasteful.”

In addition, Watsuki substituted the Japanese word “oro” for the English word “huh” in Kenshin’s famed interjections. Watsuki has stated that he was astounded at the volume of sound he collected and how much Kenshin utilized it throughout the series. He also finishes most of his sentences with the phrase “de gozaru”, which is often translated as “that it is” or “that I am,” based on the situation. All of this was, of course, kept in the anime remake from 2023.

Watsuki also, initially, wanted his character to be older than 30, but his editor stated that it would be quite odd for the protagonist of a shonen manga series to actually be so old (implying that the principal demographic could not relate to such an old character), so Kenshin Watsuki made him 28 years old in the end (his age has been addressed in the series as well, which was a great homage to this background dilemma); since age often influences how one talks, we also thought that this was an important fact to state here.

Now that you know about the creative process that influenced Himura’s way of speaking, we have to see whether it made sense in-universe. Knowing Himura’s personality, such a manner of speaking made complete sense. The “new” Himura, the one we’ve seen in the story, was a soft-spoken character, very calm and very rational.

He was aware of his skills, but he was also quite humble, and he always respected everyone around him. He also seemed to be confused a lot, which was reflected in his way of speaking, often in a humorous context. His “de gozaru” also makes a lot of sense, as it added to his unusual personality and his humble nature, as he often used it to confirm things or emphasize his humbleness in that aspect. He also often referred to himself using the phrase “sessha” (“this one”), showing how humble he was. So yes, his way of talking makes sense from multiple perspectives.