ALTERNATE NAMES: The Wolf of Mibu, Narrow Eyes, Goro Fujita

ENGLISH VOICE ACTOR: Sparky Thornton
AGE: 35
WEAPON OF CHOICE: Katana

Every great warrior has his nemesis, a foe whom, time and again tests the skills of said hero and pushes his abilities to their limit.  Kenshin Himura is no exception.  His nemesis goes by the name of Hajime Saitou, leader of the 3rd Squad of the Shinsengumi, the Wolf of Mibu.

During the Revolution, the Shinsengumi were the elite swordsmen fighting on the side of the Tokugawa regime.  Known as the Wolves of Mibu, they were often referred to as the arch-rivals of the Imperialists.  The Shinsengumi was divided into three squads.  The leader of the 3rd Squad, Hajime Saitou, was reputed to be the greatest swordsman among them, even greater than Okita Souji (leader of the 1st Squad and the most well known member).  In Kyoto, Kenshin fought with the leader of the three squads more than once.  None of those battles ever had a decisive outcome.  Of those three, Saitou is the only survivor.

After the revolution, Saitou went to work for the new government as an undercover agent for the department of Internal Affairs.  His cover identity is that of Goro Fujita, an assistant inspector in the police force.  Even though he works in the police Saitou has not traded in his katana for a saber, finding such western swords too brittle to serve his purposes.

In the eleventh year of the Meiji era, Saitou once again confronted his old rival, Kenshin Himura.  Inside the Kamiya Dojo, an epic battle ensued.  However, this time Saitou’s agenda was much different than it was during the Revolution.  His coming was just the prelude to a much greater conflict, which, if not stopped, would plunge Japan into another era of chaos even greater than that of the Meiji Revolution.

Even though he fought for the Shogunate and later the Meiji, Saitou owes allegiance to no specific person or authority figure.  Rather, he is driven by the philosophy that has governed the Shinsengumi since its creation.  Aku Soku Zan.  Slay evil immediately.  Without regard for whomever the victim might be, Saitou does not hesitate to kill anyone who becomes the focus of this lethal code.  No one, not even those in the highest levels of the government are immune to Saitou’s blade.  Even the peaceful times of the Meiji Era have not dulled the wolf’s fangs.  And Saitou works to this day, from the inside, ferreting out and destroying corruption, greed and evil wherever it may arise.

Saitou is in a completely different class than any other opponent Kenshin has fought.  Of all his foes, Saitou is of but a miniscule number who are able to match even the famous Battousai blow for blow.  More importantly, thanks to their mutual history, Saitou is also one of the proud few who can bring out the killer within and return Kenshin to his nature as Battousai the Manslayer.  But even the strength of the legendary manslayer cannot overcome Saitou.  Unlike Kenshin, Saitou has never given up killing, meaning that his sword skills are as sharp as they were during the days of the Revolution.  With these skills, Saitou gives Kenshin the fight of his life.

On an interesting side note, Saitou is married.  His wife is named Tokio.  She never actually makes an appearance in the series.  However, this information has a profound effect on Kenshin when he finds out.

Saitou’s style is a match for Kenshin’s own.  As a member of the Shinsengumi, Saitou learned to turn his favored technique into something that was almost a style all its own.

Hirazuki: The trademark technique of the Shinsengumi.  It is a parallel sword technique that the wielder uses to pierce his target with a powerful thrust.  Saitou perfect a special variant of this technique called the Gatotsu.

Gatotsu: Saitou’s special variant of the Hirazuki.  The Gatotsu is a left-handed sword thrust of incredible power and accuracy.  Saitou grips the sword near the pommel and levels it at his target, using the fingers of his right hand to steady the blade.  He then goes into a charge at his target.  When he is within striking distance, Saitou rotates his upper body, thrusting the blade forward and ensuring that it is at its maximum speed when it connects with his opponent.  Attacking in this fashion, Saitou can target virtually any part of the body.  The Gatotsu has four variations.

1st Stance: This is the standard, straightforward version of the Gatotsu and works as described above.

2nd Stance: Saitou uses the Gatotsu to attack from above.  In this case, he uses gravity to lend speed to his charge instead of legwork.

3rd Stance: Saitou uses his Gatotsu to attack airborne opponents.  He directs his charge and thrust directly upwards at his target.  The most frequent use of this technique is against those who evade his initial attack by jumping upwards.

0 Stance: Saitou’s ultimate technique.  Using all the muscles in his upper body, Saitou can launch his Gatotsu at point blank range.  In addition to being the only form of Gatotsu than can be used while adjacent to the target, this is also the most powerful form of the Gatotsu, though we have yet to see how it measures up against Kenshin’s ultimate attack.

Saitou is a resourceful person and is almost as dangerous unarmed as he is with a sword.  He can fight with his fists, feet, and even articles of clothing when necessary.