Kamiya Kaoru

Kamiya Kaoru is the young proprietor and a acting instructor of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū kenjutsu dojo

in Tokyo, and the female lead of the Rurouni Kenshin series. After meeting and being rescued by the Rurouni Kenshin Himura, Kaoru allows him to stay in her dojo to repay Himura for saving her. Though their relationship initially begins as one of mutual gratitude and respect, Kaoru essentially serves as Kenshin's primary motivating factor and the anchor to his shattered self-worth, slowly becoming a love interest. At the end of the series and manga, Kaoru becomes the wife of Kenshin and the mother of Kenji Himura.

Personality

Kaoru is an obstinate and strong-willed carries with her all the pride and strength of her samurai lineage and, as such, she is often quite a force to be reckoned with. Fiercely independent, she will gladly put her blood, sweat, tears and even life on the line in order to protect her father's legacy, her hard-earned belongings, and her precious friends with her own hands. Believing wholeheartedly in the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū's ideal of katsujin-ken (swords that protect life), Kaoru has great faith in the potential, honor and artistry of kenjutsu and rejects with equal fervor the idea that swords exist only to do harm and take a life--satsujin-ken.

Kaoru also has a fiery and violent temper which she displays without restraint when she feels that she has been slighted or insulted, often flying into a wild frenzy if her first blow does not settle the matter. Unfortunately, she is also quite childish and largely incapable of coming up with witty verbal retorts if struck with an insult that hits too close to her true shortcomings, further prompting her to violence, resulting in humiliating herself and making herself look like a fool. Even so, her most unique personal trait is that she is quick to see the good in others, even when it is hidden deep beneath the surface, and is always ready with a kind word of encouragement when she sees an opportunity to help. Her strength, like her father's kenjutsu philosophy, exists for the sake of the people around her and she will not hesitate to lend her samurai spirit to others in need. Though some may call her naïve for sticking to such a credo while surrounded by more selfish people in such trying times, her sense of duty and honor will not let her give up under any circumstances.

Despite her compulsion toward swords and her rough-handed nature, Kaoru also has a strong feminine side. She has a great appreciation for fine clothes and art as well as a strong taste for good food (particularly Western gyūnabe). Kaoru is unapologetic about her masculine athleticism, but worries about her looks, thinking herself too plain to be attractive. She becomes embarrassed and flustered when drawn into adult conversations and, though she waves aside the idea of being in a romantic relationship, she is particularly possessive of Kenshin and becomes markedly jealous when it appears another woman may be getting close to him. However, Kaoru remains shy and uncertain about her true feelings for Kenshin for much of the series, either becoming emotionally overwhelmed or putting on a thin mask of indifference whenever it is suggested that she and he may be an item. More than anything, Kaoru fears that Kenshin's hitokiri nature may resurface, forcing him to return to his wandering and leave her all alone once more. Faced with this possibility, Kaoru often finds herself at a loss when the "Battōsai" peeks through, her willpower giving way to despair and a sense of helplessness. With the help of her friends, however, she regains her strength in short order and discovers that she is the one who can have the biggest impact on Himura Kenshin, and that she must be the one to keep his violent past in check. In the story, Kaoru is often compared to a tanuki (raccoon dog).

Appearance

Kaoru is a beautiful and slender young woman of average height with sleek, black hair (usually accented with a bluish or purple shine) ponytail so as to accommodate her kenjutsu practice and large blue eyes. Additionally, Kaoru sports a thick fringe of slightly curled bangs which hang past her eyebrows and are parted neatly in the middle as well as a few strands of shoulder-length hair in front of her ears. She sports a lean build thanks to engaging in regular physical activity. In training or combat, Kaoru dresses rather simply with a slightly worn, off-white uwagi and a hakama of a darker color (usually navy blue) while a sarashi wrapping covers and supports her upper torso.

However, in normal social settings, Kaoru displays a great fondness for fashionably colorful, patterned kimonos and always ties her ponytail with a large, colorful ribbon--her favorite of which is apparently a vibrant indigo-blue.

At the end of the manga series, Kaoru has cut her ponytail so as a way to carry herself with a more motherly demeanor.

Abilities

Though diligent in maintaining her own sense of duty and discipline, Kaoru is evidently quite unskilled at domestic practices like household chores. In both cooking and cleaning, she is decidedly inferior to Kenshin and, in particular regard to her culinary skills, several characters have remarked that she has absolutely no cooking talent.

Indeed, all of Kamiya Kaoru's abilities and talents lie in the realm of the martial arts. In keeping with her position as interim master of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryūstyle of kenjutsu, Kaoru's swordsmanship is highly regarded by all the other dojos in the Tokyo area and it has been stated by the creator that, while her combat skills are dwarfed by fighters of Kenshin or Sanosuke's caliber, they are at a level equivalent or superior to that of a "national-level champion". Her high comprehension of her father's style and kenjutsu in general lends itself to her proficiency with improvisational tactics, basic hand-to-hand combat and kenjutsu instruction.

As the interim master of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū,  she is naturally proficient in the succession techniques of the style, Hadome (Sword Halt) and Hawatari (Sword Crossing). She showed enough skill in the techniques to catch Yahiko's sword and disarm him simultaneously. However, by her own admission, her skill in the techniques are rudimentary as she has never managed to use them successfully in a dojo match, much less in an actual fight. Despite this, she has shown considerable ability in the use of other Kamiya Kasshin-ryū techniques, to the extent where she could defeat Kamatari Honjo, one of the Juppongatana, by breaking his kneecap with theTsuka no Gedan: Hiza Hishigi.

She has also shown to be very analytical in battle, to a point where she rivals Kenshin's own keen perceptions. She is able to quickly deduce the mechanics of an opponent's technique and use it to her advantage. This was shown on many occasions, such as when she figured out Henya's Hiku Happawas done by conditioning his body down into skin and bones to make himself light enough to fly with his wings, when she attempted to exploit the weight of Kamatari Honjo's scythe and also when she figured out how Otowa's Bishamonken worked using magnetic force.

In battle, she has shown herself to be extremely resourceful and uses her intelligence along with her ability in kenjutsu to gain the upper hand in combat. Apart from her ability in swordsmanship, Kaoru has also shown herself to be extremely agile, being able to leap over two attcking Hishimanji Gang members with ease and even used her sword to help her flip over Kamatari's chain scythe by using it to push her off the ground.

Knownable Relatives

• Unnamed Father

Trivia

• Her name in Japanese means ???.
• Her birthday is ???, and her blood type is ???.
• Her star sign is a ???.

Voice Actresses

• Japanese : Miki Fujitani (1990s anime, films and ovas), Rie Takahashi (2023 anime series)
• English : Dorothy Fahn (anime and ovas), Alexis Tipton (Live Action Films)

Played by in (Live Action) : Emi Takei (films)