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Tokyo Samurai is the third chapter of the Rurouni Kenshin manga.

Synopsis[]

After nearly being pick-pocketed by a young street burglar, Kenshin takes sympathy on the boy who declares himself to be from a samurai family, Yahiko Myōjin who has been forced into working for the yakuza. After being pushed by Kaoru, Kenshin goes to rescue the boy. How will he be saved from the yakuza bandits? Is Yahiko Myōjin a worthy student for the Kamiya Dōjō?

Summary[]

The day after the incident with the sword-bearing police, more than 15 people gather at the Kamiya Dōjō, wanting to learn kenjutsu from Kenshin. However, Himura Kenshin drives them away by saying that he will not take any student. This angers Kamiya Kaoru, who had gotten up her hopes of saving her Dōjō through those potential students.

Without any students, Kaoru has to walk to another Dōjō to spar since Kenshin won't train with her. And so, as Kaoru and Kenshin are crossing a wooden bridge en route to that other Dōjō, a kid bumps into Kenshin and attempts to steal his wallet. Kaoru prevents him from doing so, but Kenshin lets him have it anyway. This insults the kid, who throws the wallet back to its proprietor and runs away.

The kid sits on a waterfront, thinking about his current situation. A few Yakuza thugs come to collect his "earnings" for the month, but the kid, who they call Yahiko, tells them that he doesn't have any and that he won't work for them anymore. This prompts a brutal beating from the thugs.

Later, Kaoru spots Yahiko being dragged back to the Yakuza's hideout. Within, Yahiko is getting beaten up further and reprimanded for not apologizing for his previous words. Once of the Yakuza, manslayer Gasuke, insults Yahiko's dead parents, he becomes enraged and bites between Gasuke's legs, pulling on the latter's underwear. He protests vigorously against the thugs insulting his father and mother, and then Gasuke raises his sword, preparing to kill him.

However, before the manslayer can swing at Yahiko, Kenshin kicks in a door and knocks Gasuke to the floor. The latter stands back up to attack the intruder, but gets knocked up through the roof. Threatening the Yakuza's boss with violence, Kenshin gets him to release Yahiko into his care.

Kenshin and Yahiko then go back to the Kamiya Dōjō, where Yahiko starts learning the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū from Kaoru.

Characters in Order of Appearance[]

Chapter Notes[]

This chapter has several differences with other portrayals of the events of the story in different itterations of the franchise:

Differences with the 1996 anime[]

  • The manga has an initial scene where Kenshin throws away several possible students for Kaoru's Dōjō. This is omitted from the anime.
  • In the manga Yahiko just steals Kenshin's wallet, but Kaoru stops him. This is different from the anime where Kaoru and Kenshin watch Yahiko steal the wallet of some old man, but later gives it back to him.
  • In the manga Kaoru watches as two people grab Yahiko and forcefully take him to the yakuza hideout. This is different from the anime where Tae tells Kenshin and Kaoru about Yahiko's situation while everyone were eating at the Akabeko.
  • In the manga only Kenshin goes to rescue Yahiko from the yakuza. This is different from the anime where Kaoru goes to rescue Yahiko, is forced to play a dice game with the Yakuzas, starts a fight with them, and Kenshin arrives later.
  • In the anime Yahiko is told that he must work for the Yakuzas because of a suppoused debt that he must pay. This is not mentioned in the manga.
  • In the manga Gasuke is the one who insults Yahiko's parents. As result, Yahiko bites him in the groin. This is somewhat censored in the anime, where other thug insults Yahiko's mother, to which Yahiko responds by kicking him in the groin.
  • In the manga the yakuza boss intervenes after the first hits that Gasuke gives to Yahiko. That is different from the anime, where the boss appears after Kaoru destroys a door while fighting against Gasuke.
  • In the manga the yakuza boss is never given a name. In the anime he is named Tanishi.
  • In the manga when Kenshin enters to the yakuza headquarters he knocks the door off, trapping Gasuke behind it. In the anime Kenshin still knocks the door off, but Gasuke is not near it, and Kenshin defeats him later with a hit of his Sakabatō's hilt.

Differences with Rurouni Kenshin: Origins[]

  • In the manga, Yahiko is rescued from a group of Yakuzas. In the live action movie, Yahiko is already a student at the Kamiya Dōjō at the beginning of the events.

Differences with Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration[]

To be added

Differences with the 2023 anime[]

  • The manga has an initial scene where Kenshin throws away several possible students for Kaoru's Dōjō. This is omitted from the anime.
  • In the manga Kenshin and Kaoru encounter Yahiko days after the incident with the Sword Bearing Police. In the anime they encounter Yahiko earlier on the same day.
  • Becuase of that, in the anime Yahiko is present on the crowd that witness Kenshin fighting against the Sword Bearing Police. He is not present in the manga.
  • In the anime there is a scene of Yahiko watching an old lady drop her wallet and then him giving it back to her. This was not present in the manga.

Trivia[]

  • While the Viz publication refers to Yahiko as a "Samurai" in the title and within the chapter itself, Yahiko refers to himself using the term "Shizoku", which carries a slightly different connotation. A Shizoku refers to a class of warrior that belongs to a samurai family or to a person who would have been considered a samurai before the Meiji Restoration abolished the status.

Gallery[]

To be added

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