ENGLISH VOICE ACTOR: Richard George
AGE: 36
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Katana

A man defined as much by his savagery as his strength, Raijuta Isurugi is a man with a vision.  Raijuta’s goal is to create an independent kingdom for warriors, a land where the samurai will never have to lay down his sword and the warrior’s spirit will flourish.  Raijuta was most disappointed with the Meiji when they ordered the samurai to put down their swords and integrate themselves into society.  He gathered together an army of loyal followers, creating the Shinko style with himself as its head.  These warriors, who, like Raijuta, refused to accept the decrees of the government, would become the instigators in his plan to create a new kingdom.  And ten years into the Meiji Era, Raijuta set his plan into motion in the province of Izu.

However, Raijuta’s methods were less than exemplary of the warrior’s spirit.  In order to acquire the resources necessary for the formation of his kingdom, Raijuta needed someone with a great deal of money.  That person would be the young and easily impressionable Yutaro Tsukayama the young master of the Tsukayama estate.  Raijuta saved Yutaro from a band of thieves who were in fact hired by Raijuta himself to set up a scenario where Yutaro would find himself in Raijuta’s debt.  The plan worked without flaw and Yutaro took the bait and asked Raijuta to be his swordsmanship instructor.

Despite being Yutaro’s sensei, Raijuta had no intention of ever giving the boy a lesson and instead deceived Yutaro into giving up much of his estate’s money and rare artworks for the collection of weapons.  And when the time was ripe, Raijuta began to gather his followers in Tsukayama mansion.

Unfortunately for Raijuta, Kenshin Himura, along with all his friends were in the area, visiting with a relative of Dr. Genzai.  When Raijuta met Kenshin and realized who Kenshin was, he initially asked Kenshin to join him in his cause.  Kenshin declined and tried to convince Raijuta and his followers to set down their weapons and attempt to live peacefully with others.  Not willing to hear any of it, Raijuta ordered his followers to attack.  Kenshin quickly gained the upper hand, but the tide turned when Yutaro was caught in the midst of the battle and thrown from the cliffs of Izu into the sea.  Kenshin was forced to abandon his fight in order to save Yutaro.  Raijuta, thinking both of them dead, continued to advance his plan for the revolution in Izu.

The Meiji Government had been keeping a close eye on Raijuta and his followers for many years.  When the madman seized control of Tsukayama mansion, the army tried to move before he did.  A bloody battle ensued, resulting in terrible losses for both sides.  Finally, Kenshin intervened and with the support of the chief of police, brought about a momentary truce.  Kenshin then challenged Raijuta to a one on one battle, a challenge that Raijuta accepted.

However, Yutaro tried to stop the two of them from fighting, believing that there was still some way that they could come to an understanding.  He received a rude awakening when Raijuta turned his attack on Yutaro and injured the boy’s arm.  It was then that Raijuta revealed his true colors.  Kenshin, enraged by Raijuta’s savagery and deceit, promised to make the man pay for his misdeeds.  Raijuta attacked with intense ferocity.  But for all the effort he exerted, he only managed to give Kenshin a tiny scratch.  After that, Kenshin went on the attack and struck the man down with ease, ending the rebellion in Izu and saving a great many lives in the process.

In reality, Raijuta possesses very little strength or skill as a swordsman and is mostly about show.  The only technique in his arsenal, the Izuna, was impressive, but failed to make him anywhere near a match for Kenshin.  The fact that Raijuta was able to give the legendary Battousai even a single scratch was mentioned by Saitou as proof that Himura had become weaker in the years since the Revolution.

Izuna: Raijuta’s only real technique.  The Izuna is a sword struck of such tremendous force that it creates a vacuum that can be projected outward from the sword.  When it connects with the target, the vacuum draws out the air at the point of contact, causing the affected area to implode in a way that greatly resembles a normal sword wound, but does not release any blood as a normal wound would.  The Izuna comes in two forms.

Matoi Izuna: Raijuta slams his sword into the ground and transfers the power of the Izuna through the ground.  This method creates a massive trench and a shockwave that can severely injure an opponent.  This form requires the least strength of the two forms but is also the easiest to dodge since the opponent only has to jump over it to avoid the attack.

Tobi Izuna: Swinging the sword through the air with all his might, Raijuta can use the air as his medium and project the Izuna straight out from the sword.  Unlike Matoi Izuna, the amount of strength Raijuta uses determines both the range and cutting power of Tobi Izuna.  This is the most dangerous of the two forms.

Note: The name in parentheses after Raijuta’s name is an alternate spelling/pronunciation of his surname as there were two given in the dubbed version of the anime.