ENGLISH VOICE ACTOR: John Billingslea
Alternate Name (Battousai the Manslayer)
AGE: Unknown
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Katana, Pistol

It goes without saying that Gohei Hiruma at least deserves mention as the very first villain in the Rurouni Kenshin series. Without his influence, it is unlikely that Kenshin and Karou would have ever met.

Eleven years before a strange man with red hair and a cross-shaped scar on his cheek ever set foot in Tokyo, Gohei was a student of the Kamiya Kasshin style of swordsmanship. However, the pacifistic ideals of the style did not appeal to Gohei’s value system, nor did the notion forever relying on a wooden sword. Gohei even went so far as to demonstrate his views in a rather violent manner on the other students at the dojo, severely wounding more than a few. But when word of Gohei’s vicious actions finally reached the ears of Karou’s father, he confronted Gohei with the intent of putting a stop to this madness. Gohei, however, was less than willing to oblige his former master. So instead, he attacked. That turned out to be a mistake as Mr. Kamiya disarmed Gohei with a single blow and crushing the thumb of his right hand in the process to ensure that Gohei could never wield a sword again, or so he thought.

11 years later, after Karou’s father passed away, an imposing man calling himself none other than Battousai the Manslayer roamed the streets of Tokyo, slaying at random and without mercy and, worst of all, claiming to use the Kamiya Kasshin style. The self-proclaimed Battousai was actually Gohei in disguise. In the eleven years since his dismissal from the school, Gohei had been practicing left-handed sword techniques to compensate for the loss of use of his right hand. His plan was to bring dishonor to the name of the Kamiya Kasshin School and then finish it off by killing Karou. However, his plans were thwarted by one Kenshin Himura, the real Battousai, who handily defeated Gohei and his band of thugs. In the process, Kenshin smashed the fingers on Gohei’s left hand, ensuring for once and for all that Gohei would never wield a sword again.

After the incident’s conclusion, Gohei somehow escaped police custody and began making plans for his revenge. But this time, his target was nor Karou, but Kenshin. Gohei wanted payback from Kenshin for taking swordsmanship away from him forever. Knowing himself to be no match for Kenshin, Gohei enlisted the help of the infamous Zanza, Fighter for Hire. When even Zanza failed to defeat Kenshin, Gohei took Karou and her new student, Yahiko, hostage while preparing to kill Kenshin with a pistol. Unfortunately for Gohei, Zanza (a.k.a. Sanosuke Sagara) was not inclined allow anyone to interfere with his fight and struck down Gohei, breaking the man’s leg in the process. Then, after a final blow from Kenshin, Gohei was sent tumbling away.

It was some time before Gohei ever made another attempt to kill Kenshin. In the time since his last attempt, Gohei had become a merchant and made a great deal of money. Using this money, he hired a pair of skilled assassins to kill Kenshin. To make sure that the Battousai would not be able to win this time, Gohei concocted an elaborate plan to make sure that Kenshin’s infamous reverse-blade sword was out of the former manslayer’s reach. However, Gohei failed to factor in Yahiko’s resourcefulness and determination and found his plans diffused once again. Gohei Hiruma has not been heard from since, but it is possible that he is still hiding in the shadows, plotting his revenge on Kenshin and waiting for just the right moment.

Note:The Gohei in the Kenshin manga is very different from the Gohei of the anime. In the manga, Gohei is actually one of a pair of brothers. His elder brother, Kihei desired the land on which the Kamiya dojo resided and concocted the Battousai scheme in order to force Karou to sell. When that failed, Kihei called upon Gohei to force the situation. From there, things proceeded pretty much as they did in the anime, only Gohei never was a student of the school and could still use his right hand. In the manga, Kihei is the mastermind while Gohei is a big lummox who provides the necessary muscle.