HAJIME SAITO
HS
Captain of the Shinsengumi's Third Unit during the Bakumatsu. Now a government operative who has changed employers without changing principles. Old enemy of Kenshin, occasional and entirely unsentimental ally, completely indifferent to whatever philosophical position Kenshin has arrived at regarding killing. His code, aku soku zan, slay evil immediately, is the direct opposite of Kenshin's vow and the show gives it genuine weight rather than using it as a cheap counterpoint. Gatotsu stance. One of the best characters in the series and the most honest about what the Meiji era actually cost and required.
HAJIME THROUGH THE ARCHIVE //
KENSHIN COMBAT LEDGER //
Open page →Kyoto Mount Hiei Compound · Decisive Saitō Victory
Saitō engaged Usui in a dark subterranean hallway inside Shishio's lair. Usui used his acoustic Shingan to anticipate Saitō's movements and block his initial Gatotsu thrusts.
The Breakdown
Saitō exposed Usui's lie, revealing that Usui knew he could never beat Shishio and was merely acting as Shishio's pawn. Saitō dropped into a zero-range Gatotsu stance (Gatotsu Zero-Shiki), driving his blade directly through Usui's torso and killing him instantly.
Kenshin Himura vs. Hajime Saitō
Open →Kamiya Dojo Ambush · Unfinished / Government Intervention
Saitō invaded the Kamiya Dojo disguised as a medicine seller, testing Kenshin to see if the peaceful wanderer could survive the impending Kyoto crisis. The duel escalated into a brutal Bakumatsu rematch as Kenshin's golden eyes resurfaced.
