Action, romance, and historical intrigue help make Nobuhiro Watsuki's , the tale of a wandering swordsman set against the backdrop of the Meiji Restoration, one of the most popular Shonen Jump titles among fans to date. Himura Kenshin, once an assassin (or ) of ferocious power, now fights to protect the honor of those in need. Shinomori Aoshi was once the leader of Edo Castle's elite guard, the Oniwabanshû. But with the fighting at an end and the shôgunate overthrown, the brilliant Aoshi and his four most loyal onmitsu, or spies, find themselves without a home or a purpose. When fighting is your life, loyalty to those lost ideals (and to the man who most symbolized them) may be the one thing left. But Megumi's life is at stake, and however sympathetic Kenshin may feel, he will fight on, to the last man if necessary...