Rurouni Kenshin Vol. 22
- ISBN
- 9781421501963
- Publisher
- VIZ
- English release
- Pages
- 208
Rurouni Kenshin 22 collects Acts 187–196 and opens with the defense of Kamiya Dojo under pressure. Kenshin and Sanosuke are occupied, other people need protection, and another attacker is entering the fight. This is a sustained assault with several participants, rather than a succession of unrelated challenges. The book needs the preceding account of Enishi’s campaign and the attack already underway. Its opening asks how the defenders can divide the work when keeping everyone behind their strongest fighter no longer answers the situation.
Spoilers — why this volume matters. Tap to reveal.
Kenshin appears to miss Otowa, and the opponent treats that as a failed attempt to take him down. Yahiko sees something else: the sword was aimed at the weapon on Otowa’s arm. He enters the fight, and Kaoru realizes Kenshin is leaving that opponent to him. What looked like a lapse becomes a transfer of responsibility. This is a more demanding form of protection than keeping the student behind the teacher, because it requires trusting him with unfinished work. The opening does not award Yahiko a victory merely for accepting the role. It changes his place in the defense. He is no longer only someone whose safety determines what the older fighters can do.
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