Okita Sōji

Okita Sōji (沖田 (おきた) 総 (そう) 司 (じ) ^?) was the captain of the first squad of the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu. He suffered from tuberculosis, as seen when he fought Himura Kenshin in a flashback as well as in Trust & Betrayal, though he was still able to hold his own with the Battōsai.

Appearance[]

Side Profile

Okitas First Appearance — Okitas first appearance and mention of his illness

Okita has a very youthful appearance, looking several years younger than his actual age. He has straight black hair (hazel in the anime series and reboot) done in a ponytail that reaches his shoulders and large brown eyes. He wears a traditional Shinsengumi uniform.

Personality[]

Okita is kind and respectful to his fellow Shinsengumi members and his enemies alike. He is usually shown with a confident smile and takes his fights seriously, despite his childlike appearance. Although he respects all Shinsengumi leaders, he shows a particular respect to Saitō Hajime who was also considered on an equal level with him in terms of swordsmanship (both being leaders of the first and third squads of the Shinsengumi, respectively).

Abilities[]

Although he only appears in the flashbacks, he is one of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi. He created his own move called Mumyō-ken (aka Sandanzuki (three-way thrust)) derived from Hijikata Toshizō's hirazuki which is a move involving hitting three parts of the torso simultaneously in a single strike. In the OVA he was able to hold on his own against Kenshin temporarily until Saitō told him to step back and resumed the battle in his place.

Relationships[]

Shinsengumi - Bakumatsu faction. He is one of the best swordsmen of the group. He served as the 1st unit captain and one of the founding members of the organisation.
Saitō Hajime - He shown a great deal of respect for him and his swordsmanship as well as being fellow squad captains in their own respective groups. Saitō eventually took over Okita in fighting Kenshin after coughing blood during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi.
Himura Kenshin - He admired his swordskills and fought him briefly at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi (Ikedaya Incident in live action film The Beginning) before Saitō resumed the battle for him.

History[]

He often fought together with Saitō and was involved in the Ikeda-ya Incident‏‎ in 1864. During the Bakumatsu, Okita faced Himura Kenshin shortly at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. Despite wanting to continue even though he was coughing up blood, he was forced to stand down by his comrade, who wanted to face Kenshin himself. Sometime that year, Okita succumbed to tuberculosis and died shortly after the fall of the Tokugawa regime in 1868.

Live action[]

Okita appeared in the prequel to the Rurouni Kenshin films The Beginning. He faced off Kenshin at a stairway few yards from Ikedaya to prevent Kenshin from aiding the Chōshū clansmen. Just like the historical Okita, he developed tuberculosis ending their fight before Saitō and other Shinsengumi comrades and Chōshū clansmen arrived. Saitō then wanted to face Kenshin himself after Okita coughed blood, but Kenshin was forced to retreat. Unlike the anime/manga portrayals, he is seen to have a bald pate with a ponytail and a hair bun as opposed to Watsuki's version whom envisioned him with full hair.

Development and Reception[]

He is another character in the live action film series whose appearance is not based on their anime/manga counterparts. The first two are Inui Banjin and Makimachi Misao.

Other Live Action portrayals in media[]

He was played by Tatsuya Fujiwara (who portrayed Shishio Makoto in the live-action Rurouni Kenshin movies) in 2004 NHK television series Shinsengumi! which also featured Yōsuke Eguchi (whom portrayed Saitō Hajime in the live-action Rurouni Kenshin movies) where he played political figure Sakamoto Ryōma.

Trivia[]

Okita bears a striking resemblance to the Juppongatana's Seta Sojiro due to the fact that Sojiro was based on Okita from the Shinsengumi Keppuroku novel and therefore, darker and more villain-like than the real Okita.
Although his given name is sometimes pronounced as "Soushi" in the fictional world, it was actually pronounced "Sōji."
In reality, Okita suffered tuberculosis during the Ikedaya incident but in both the anime and OVA, he suffered the disease during the Battle of Toba Fushimi when he confronted Kenshin. Historically, he was never present in the battle due to being forced to recuperate from the illness (but dies later that year). However, in the live-action adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, it was historically correct as he contracted the disease during the Ikedaya incident.
It is rumoured that Okita feared the swordskill of Saitō Hajime.
It is unknown of his real year of birth. It is often disputed between 1842 and 1844.