Top 15 ‘Rurouni Kenshin’ Villains Ranked by Power

Rurouni Kenshin is a manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It was published between 1994 and 1999 and was compiled into a total of twenty-eight volumes. It was adapted into a 95-episode animated television series and an animated film. In addition, a series of OVA episodes were also released. A new anime adaptation by studio Liden Films premieres in July 2023 as a re-adaptation of the manga. As fans will know, the characters of the series are one of the things that make the series so great, and in this article, we are going to talk about a group of these characters – the villains.

Namely, this article will present you with a list of the fifteen most powerful Rurouni Kenshin villains as they have appeared in the manga and the anime. They will be ranked by their strength, starting from 15th to 1st place. We will not just list the characters for you but also tell you a bit about each of them so you know who they are and why they are so strong in the story.

15. Saizuchi

An old man who is famous more for his ability as a talkative mediator rather than a warrior. He enlists the help of Fuji. And while we haven’t actually seen him fight, it has been confirmed that he is on par with Okina in terms of skills and abilities, who was a skilled fighter and strategist.

14. Han’nya

The strongest of the Oniwabanshū. He fights using kenpō, and has hidden, claw-like blades in his gloves (Wolverine inspires him). He wears a demon mask from the No theater, which hides his disfigured face; he is the most devoted to Aoshi. Kenshin first defeats him, and then sacrifices his life to allow him to defeat Kanryu.

13. Fuji

A member of the Juppogatana, Fuji is a giant who possesses an incredible amount of strength. He constantly wields a large sword which is powerful enough for him to actually destroy buildings. Still, what he has in strength, he lacks in other fields, which is why he was defeated with relative ease. Due to his stature, it has been questioned whether he is really a human or not.

12. Honjō Kamatari

Honjō Kamatari is a cross-dresser who appears to be a rather glitzy woman but is actually a man in every aspect. He is gay and in love with Makoto Shishio, but he is aware that he will never enjoy the same level of adoration as Yumi Komagata or even Soujiro Seta, the boss’ right-hand man.

Ogama is the name of Kamatari’s weapon, an enormous and extremely heavy scythe with an iron ball and chain at the end of the handle. Three of Kamatari’s unique skills are also demonstrated throughout the series. Kamatari performs the Honjō style, popularly known as the scythe martial art.

11. Isurugi Raijūta

Isurugi Raijūta is one of the earliest opponents in the series, a powerful fighter who will crush anyone who stands in his way. The technique of his school is called Izuna, and consists in creating a vacuum through a very fast movement of the sword, virtually managing to cut anything; the name of the technique comes from a monster from Japanese mythology, which is said to be made of wind. The techniques we’ve seen are the Matoi Izuna and the Tobi Izuna.

The first one is a powerful blow at close range; in the manga, in fact, while using a shinai, Raijuta is able to cut the shinai held by Kenshin and damage the gym floor. Kenshin himself claims that the blow is powerful enough to cut a diamond in two. The second one has the prerogative of being able to strike from a distance, creating a blade of wind with a wide range of action, impossible to counter; it is the technique with which Raijuta injures Yutaro’s arm.

10. Kariwa Henya

He is Yahiko’s first real opponent. He soars in the air using dynamite, which is why it seems like he’s literally flying when he is fighting. He has an exceptionally light body, which makes his flight more authentic, and it is much easier for him to actually fly that way. He can also use his dynamite to attack his opponents, as well as to cloud their vision.

9. Iwanbō

A fat guy who appears to be as strong as he is dumb. He is later revealed to be a follower of Enishi. Iwanbō is mentally retarded, but is a chaotic and unpredictable maniac that can suddenly attack and kill basically anyone, which is what makes him so dangerous in the first place. Initially, his only weapons were thin, sharp blades attached to his fingertips.

Later, though, he uses all weapons and fights mostly with his fists, using his peculiar impact technique for offense and defense. His attacks are exceptionally powerful and destructive, which is why the best way to fight him is to avoid his moves.

8. Sawagejō Chō

Chō Sawagejō is a wandering samurai. He is a sword collector and member of The Ten Swords. Chō, while not having a large repertoire of moves, like many other characters of the caliber of Kenshin or Shishio, carries with him a large number of swords (five), which he can use to create precise and powerful combinations; the weapons that Chō has are: two katanas that he carries in his hand; two wakizashi that he carries hanging from his back; and the Velvet Blade Killer Sword, Chō’s favorite sword.

This is the finest sword created by Shakku Arai. The techniques used by Chō are not known.

7. Yūkyūzan Anji

An ex-monk named Anji Yūkyūzan fights alongside Makoto Shishio to overthrow the Meiji administration since it does little to halt the anti-Buddhist campaign. Five orphaned children that Anji looked after at his temple perished as a result, and his home was destroyed. Even though he is no longer a monk, he still holds many Buddhist views. His current conviction is to purge the world of evil, led by the instinct for justice and beginning on the side of evil.

Anji is The Ten Swords’ third-strongest and most forgiving fighter; in fact, he and Shishio agreed that he would decide whether someone should live or die. Usui Uonuma prefers not to engage him when Anji stands between the blind assassin and Misao Makimachi, even though he is the third strongest. He is the only Juppongatana warrior without a weapon; instead, he is an expert in the Double Strike method (Futae no Kiwami).

6. Udō Jin-e

Udō Jin-e is a powerful warrior who was a major enemy during the Tokyo Arc. Jin-e uses the Nikaido Ryu technique called the “Cut of the Heart”, which consists of hypnosis through the gaze and is based on human influenceability: for example, it manages to hypnotize its targets, making them believe they cannot move, and consequently, the victims remain paralyzed, or it can suffocate the victims making them believe they cannot breathe.

Jin-e can also use this technique on herself, convincing herself that she is unbeatable and unleashing the full force of her body. Despite the apparent “magic,” the Cut of the Heart is based solely on the fighting spirit of the user, so to break free from the illusion, it is necessary to have a fighting spirit equal to or greater than the user.

5. Yukishiro Enishi

Einishi is the younger brother of the deceased Yukishiro Tomoe and a secondary villain from the Jinchū Arc. Enishi’s fighting technique is Watojutsu, a style composed of kenjutsu and the Chinese sword technique, however, used with the Wato. Watojutsu is the combination of the speed of kenjutsu swings with the flexibility of typical Chinese swordsmanship. Enishi creates his Watōjutsu from a manual he finds in his guardians’ house.

Watōjutsu includes techniques that are extremely effective in countering the Mitsurugi Hiten technique, although, in the context of the story, this is pure coincidence; Enishi’s technique is entirely based on attack and power, regardless of defense. In fact, he never tries to block blows but always counterattacks with more powerful moves.

His speed and his length actually challenge Kenshin’s technique many times. Enishi is the only enemy who can block Kuzu Ryu Sen. In fact, when Kenshin tries to attack him with that move, Enishi prevents it before Kenshin manages to launch the first attack.

4. Seta Sōjirō

The gentle-looking Seta Sōjirō is a powerful shinobi and a skilled assassin; he is the fastest member of the Juppongatana. Sōjirō is nicknamed by Shishio the Sword of Heaven as he claims that his innate talent in kenjustu comes from heaven.

Sōjirō’s fencing style does not derive from any particular school, but he proves to be very skilled in the Batto technique (a technique that involves drawing the sword very quickly from its sheath, being able to virtually kill the opponent with a single blow), almost at the level by Kenshin. Sōjirō’s second strong point is the lack of feelings: due to the mistreatment he suffered as a child, Sōjirō unknowingly suppresses all of his violent feelings, such as anger or sadness, with the exception of joy.

3. Uonuma Usui

Uonuma Usui is the second-strongest member of the Juppongatana. Usui’s main ability is in the so-called “Mind’s Eye”: after losing his sight fighting against Shishio, Usui developed his hearing in an almost superhuman way, managing to move and fight exactly like when he could see normally; thanks to his hearing he can also intuit a person’s moods by listening closely to his heart rate and can perceive his fighting position through the sounds produced by muscles and bones.

Usui’s weapons are the Timbei and the Rocin: the first is a shield made from a turtle carapace, which has a very accentuated curvature so as to let the enemy’s weapon slide and minimize damage; the second is a short spear that has a broad, sharp blade at one end and a metal ball at the other.

It is possible to disassemble the Rocin and separate the two parts in order to make its use together with the Timbei more effective. Ususi’s only known technique is called Pokenpogyoku Hyakka Ryuran (burst of spheres of the hundred flowers) and consists of a flurry of blows delivered alternately between the two ends of the Eocin.

2. Shinomori Aoshi

Shinomori Aoshi is a former villain in the series and one of the series’ most skilled shinobi. Aoshi is a skilled ninja, and his weapon of choice is the kodachi. At first, he only used a short sword, but later he opened up to the two-sword style.

In the scabbard, they appear to form a single long sword, but the second kodachi has the handle of the same material as the scabbard and therefore camouflages itself by confusing the enemy. His main technique is the Kodachi Nito Ryu.

Shinomori Aoshi is a very calm and intelligent guy. He never speaks except when necessary, and in any case, always thinks before acting. At first glance, he appears to be emotionless, earning him the nickname “that sad idiot,” given to him by Yahiko Miyojin.

1. Shishio Makoto

Makoto Shishio is one of the series’ principal villains and the strongest villain overall. One of the swords used by Shishio is the Mugenjin, which is steeped in the fat of Shishio’s victims over the years. As a result, he gains the ability to use a firing technique that pleases him.

Like Kenshin, Shishio is adept at memorizing his opponent’s techniques and analyzing his strengths and weaknesses, gaining a large advantage over his opponent. His will to live is extremely strong, almost as strong as Kenshin’s.

Shishio’s monstrous strength, stamina, and ability to read his opponent make him equal to Kenshin. During the final battle in his lair, Shishio demonstrated his abilities by stopping Kenshin’s Ryushosen using only his fingers.

He dodged and countered Saito’s Gatotsu Zeroshiki, and he was able to see through Aoshi’s Waterfall Technique (Ryuusui no Ugoki) and was hit by Sanosuke’s “double blow” without taking any damage. Shishio uses Mugenjin to execute the strikes of the Ware Ryuu school, called by Hoji “The Three Secret Swords.”