![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shinsengumi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/rkshinsengumicomparisons.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSagara Sanosuke and Harada Sanosuke \u2013 According to his freetalk on Sano, he liked Harada, and again drew from Moeyo Ken \u2013 Harada was a fighter who wielded a spear instead of a sword, and described as rough-mannered and short-tempered, probably due to his background, but that he was also seen as a \u201cbig brother\u201d character. In Moeyo Ken Harada was a large guy but Watsuki had a design already in mind \u2013 so this Harada, like Sano, is a tall, slender but muscled man.
Watsuki also mentions the rumor that Harada lived after the way and eventually went to China and beyond. This is echoed in Sano\u2019s fate at the end of the RK series \u2013 wanted for various infractions by the police, Sano jumps a ship and leaves for parts unknown. In the Kaiden graphic novel which features a short story about the RK cast five years after the end of Jinchuu, the gang receives a letter from Sano \u2013 and he\u2019s in Mongolia after seeing the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shinomori Aoshi and Hijikata Toshizo \u2013 Watsuki speaks of two versions of Aoshi that are popular in Shinsengumi fiction: the first, see in Moeyo Ken (and the one Watsuki prefers) is a true fighter who will continue until his death. Then there\u2019s another version, who hides his true self for the sake of the Shinsengumi and behind his stern warrior facade \u2013 this is the version of Hijikata that was the inspiration for Aoshi Shinomori. Aoshi\u2019s coldness, especially after the death of the Oniwabanshuu at Kanryu\u2019s mansion, culminating in his attack on his former mentor Okina, is that of a man keeping incredible pain and guilt. He becomes obsessed with the idea of proving himself in the name of the Oniwabanshuu, who were unable to fight \u2013 had Hijikata not died in Hokkaido and survived into the Meiji, would he be carrying a similar obsession into an era where the great battles were past?
In the Jinchuu arc we see a much more calm Aoshi, who, though his defeat at the hands of Kenshin and his time meditating and remembering those who care for him, seems closer to the first Hijikata. He\u2019s the only one who remains composed after Kaoru\u2019s death to look at it look at it in a logical manner yet also ruthless enough to do something that horrifies the others \u2013 exhuming Kaoru\u2019s grave and cutting her open to prove his hunch that it was a hoax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seta Soujirou and Okita Souji \u2013 In this case the names mirror each other \u2013 Soujirou was Okita\u2019s name during childhood, when he changed it to Souji, and Watsuki states in his freetalks that Soujirou\u2019s model was Okita. Like with Hijikata there are \u201cversions\u201d of Okita used in novels, etc, on this he said, \u201d Watsuki has used Okita as portrayed by [well-known historical novelist] Shiba Ryotaro, but (this time) it\u2019s not the Okita of Shiba\u2019s \u2018Moeyo Ken (Burn, O Sword),\u2019 but Okita of \u2018Shinsengumi Keppuroku (Record of Shinsengumi Bloodshed)\u2019 he\u2019s using\u2026 and that Okita has lost an important part of his human heart, making him emotionless and pretty scary. Some Shinsengumi fans are upset that a character modeled upon Okita is appearing as a villain, but since it\u2019s the \u2018Keppuroku\u2019 Okita that\u2019s the model, I believe it works well, and helps to make Seta a strong antagonist.\u201d
Soujirou can be seen as a \u201cdark\u201d version of Okita. Two young boys with instinctive sword skills, taken under the wing of two different guardians with different results in the process. Where Okita came under the care of Kondou Isami at the Sheikan dojo in Edo (Tokyo), Soujirou lived with an abusive family until Shishio Makoto came into his life. It was then Soujirou finally snapped, killed his family and decided to follow Shishio. Okita came to protect Kyoto during the Bakumatsu; Soujirou learned by the twisted logic of Shishio and by blindly follow him, he was able to \u201cshut off\u201d all of the emotions that could case him pain \u2013 until Kenshin was able to crack the facade of the smiling killer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Takeda Kanryu and Takeda Kanryusai \u2013 The inspiration behind the mastermind behind the opium ring was 5th unit captain, Takeda Kanryuusai. \u201d A man who studied Koshu-ryu war theory, Takeda Kanryusai was a rare Shinsengumi intellectual. His personality, though, was bad \u2013 kissing up to superiors, being mean and sneaky to subordinates. Basically, he was jumping on the Shinsengumi bandwagon, and once the outlook started to turn grim, he tried to defect to Satsuma Prefecture but was found out. He was disciplined\u2026 and that was the end of him. \u201d Different from other Shinsengumi \u201cvillains\u201d who had strong beliefs that they took to their death, Watsuki calls Kanryusai a \u201csincere fool\u201d.
The idea of taking this motif and applying it to the Meiji era \u2013 getting a man who valued money and imported things \u2013 drugs and weapons \u2013 to build up his fortune. A coward in the end who tried to use his new wealth to buy his safety but with men like Aoshi and Kenshin who held to the \u201cold\u201d values \u2013 they would not be swayed so easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shishio Makoto and Serizawa Kamo \u2013 One of the many ideas that Watsuki used for Serizawa was that of Serizawa Kamo: \u201cI decided that he would enjoy at the same time and conquering, thereby making him a destructive being \u2013 kind of like Serizawa Kamo of the Shinsengumi.\u201d He added this to a character from the video game \u201cSamurai Spirits\u201d. While not as direct as the other three (and the pre-burnt Shishio\u2019s visualization is based on that same video game character, not a version of Serizawa), it shows how much Watsuki \u2013 even as he dismisses himself as a poor history student \u2013 turned to the pop culture side of the Shinsengumi to not only create a new universe for them but also of rich, complex characters that almost play a \u201cwhat if\u201d to the popular stories and legends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rurouni Kenshin mangaka Watsuki Nobuhiro used a variety of influences in creating his characters, and in his freetalks he credits a number of sources \u2013 video games, American comics, and history. However, he gives the most credit to various historical…<\/p>\n