I couldn't resist giving my opinion on this topic. I thought it appropriate to include my little 'essay' on the subject in my site so, for those interested, here it is...
Is Battousai Evil??
"There are no perfect men, only perfect intentions"
(Quote I chose to use in my reply)
This is actually a painful topic to think and write about. Exactly who is Battousai? When you go back in Kenshins past, you see a 14 year old child who is willing to do anything to help his country. I can't even use the quote because Kenshin was a kid when he left his master. Take a minute to think about it. Here is a boy who's growing up in a war. He himself said that he couldn't watch people around him get killed and just do nothing. So what does he do? He goes out and joins the war and ironically, kills more then anyone else. Why? Because he was told that he had to in order to achieve better Japan etc. I can honestly say that Kenshin was very naive when he joined the ishin shishi and they took advantage of that. Seeing how skilled he was, they turned him into a killer. I have no doubt in my mind that Kenshin hated his job, BUT only at first. As time passed, Kenshin got more and more used to killing. It became a way of life. I really don't think he cared about the people he killed. No, he wouldn't allow himself to care, because if he did, then he wouldn't be able to kill anymore. That is why he never showed any remorse at the time. He knew at the back of his head that what he was doing was wrong but he ignored those thoughts. This does not make him evil. That was just his way of dealing with the situation. As Kenshin grew up, he became more rational. He discovered that he didn't have to live his life that way. I say discovered because I don't think he knew it before-if he had he would have left earlier. And, by the time he left, he had already realised that what he did was wrong. All his guilt finally caught up with him. When I first witnessed Battousai, during his fight with Saitoh, I felt very scared. I have to admit that Kenshin was very cool, but the scary part is when I realized that just because Kenshin stopped killing, doesn't mean he'll never kill again. I think it is wrong to refer to Kenshin, when he is angry, as the Battousai. Battousai is Kenshin's nickname, a nickname that he spent ten years trying to forget,to get rid of. It is the nickname that was given to him when he killed for a living. Now, he changed jobs and wants to protect for a living. And although he uses a Sakaba, and a more defensive fighting style, he still gets more violent the longer the fight is and uses an offensive technique. But, this is only natural in a fight. If your opponent is tough, you use tough techniques. That is what Kenshin did in his fight against Saitoh. However, it is not that simple. Because, when Kenshin uses his offensive techniques, he tends to also take the personality he had when he first used those techniques. The personality of someone who doesn't care if he kills or not, because that is his goal.
Anyway that is my theory, No I don't think Battousai is evil(in case you can't tell)
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