Hiko Seijuro

[Ronin Aquila]

It is a pity that the master Swordsman Hiko Seijuro has not received his due recognition amongst the online community. Most have only respected Hiko for his mighty Martial Arts skills, but few have acknowledged him as a kind, decent and extremely likable human being.

True, he IS a narcisstic, arrogant, self absorbed and cynical alcoholic. But he deserves to exercise the first three flaws as he earned it through hard training. The final regrettable flaw is due to a lifetime of witnessing the horror of bloodshed and the ridiculous nature of social politics.

However, what makes Hiko a truyly noble and admirable individual is his staunch adherence to the tenements of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu of Kenjutsu: that of respecting the life and dignity of one's fellow human being. Him adopting Kenshin and raising him to believe in righteous ideals is already proof enough.

If more proof of Hiko's kind and decent nature is needed, one need to look no further than his duel with the giant Fuji. Hiko was the first person to EVER treat Fuji with respect and dignity, not with fear, revulsion and ridicule. Because of Hiko, Fuji gained faith in his own humanity and no longer wallowed in the self pity of being considered a monster. In this way, Hiko triumphed not only as a swordsman, but as a true hero with the compassion of his great heart.

Hiko Seijuro is not just a drunk, arrogant swordsman, but a kind soul of insurpassable nobility.

[ryezen]

nicely said.

one question though, didnt Hiko gain a more humane attitude after Kenshin defeated him?

if i remember, in the ep where he was defeated by kenshin, he does say something like "dont worry about me, this is the fate of a master who taught through fear instead of kindness"

[Draco]

yeah he didn;t kill that big guy in Kyoto

[SamIam]

...that's a good point about the change of heart... it has also occured to me that to a certain extent, Hiko was maintaining the larger than life persona as part of the final test. Along with the succession technique, Hiko may have trying to toughen Kenshin up mentally.

He knew that Kenshin was the style's successor... from the physical techique aspect. He hoped that was the case of the spirit, so I am thinking, that he must maintain his distance and train Kenshin to the utmost, by eliminating emotional nurturance.

All of this would be in preparation for the final conflict/test for succession rites... there can be no distractions or wavering (due to love or respect).

After the duel... though, there would be no need for this pretense and as such Hiko could become more "human". Hiko's overiding obligation to HIS MASTER has been fullfilled by passing the techique to a worthy successor and thus keeping Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu alive (hope thats the right spelling).

SamIam

[ryezen]

point taken!

again nicely said!

[Draco]

I bet Hiko is happy cause he was suppose to die when his student learns the succession technique

[Einherjar]

i have a question though, why does he keeps himself secluded in that forest. Why doesn't he use his mastery of the hiten mitsurugi ryuu to help the people. He has the attitude and the intelligence to overcome a killing spree, unlike his student.

[ryezen]

perhaps he thinks that the police can do thier job, if however there is a very powerful villain, kenshin can handle it.

[Draco]

the police usually get their ass kicked when ever a srong guys appears

[Bleed]

well in the OVA he said something about, no matter how good he was, he cant stop the blood shed. the fate of the nation cannot be determined by just one swing of a sword...

btw ryezen, i like your new avatar :D

[tekblade]

yeah hiko was a smart man who managed to try his best with kenshin. wasnt it funny though when kenshin beat hiko he was suppose to wear the cape but it wa so huge for him :lol:

[Draco]

lol it was too big for him it look really funny!! :D

[tekblade]

it was cool though when he beat fuji thos oniwa banshu ladies had the hots for him hehe

[Draco]

eheh yeah.. that was funny

[tekblade]

in the ova series he seemed to be more serious in it but didnt get to play much of a role init besides beingthe teacher. they all have like this older expression drawn onto them which is intresting while the regular series has a kinda cute side to it. i wonder if hiko is still willing to kill ppl unlike kenshin in the tv series, he didnt kill fuji so maybe he doesnt kill anymore i guess

[Draco]

the scene where hiko kills the bandits is the first i i saw hiko kill someone, ... damn skilled at that

[tekblade]

heh yeah he killed him good in those few slashes

[Avetar]

A question, when he kill the first bandit did he use the Kuzu-Ryu-Sen?

[tekblade]

hmm i dont know in the ova all he did was slice the bandit up, but if i can ill try and watch the ova again and see what he says after he killed the bandit

[Draco]

in the ova he say nothing but maybe in the tv series he say something when he kills the bandits

[Avetar]

Well i checked and Draco is right, he dosent say anything about it after he kills the last bandit.
Still he does three slashes that cuts the last bandit over the nine vital points the Kuzu-Ryu-Sen is supposed to hit and further more he does it at an incredible speed.
The only thing i find odd is that he does it while standing still. But when he does it in the series he needed to buildup some speed, so can it be the same move?

[Draco]

hmm the ova done more real than the series, so could be the kazu ryu sen and that so he doesn't have to build up speed or yell out the name of the move

[Avetar]

Well i guess your right. The only one who can truly answer if it is or isnt is the writer (lot of is here ;).