"Kenshin Himura" a ninja or a samurai?

[HiToKiRi_08]

it bothers me... is kenshin a samurai? or is he just a ninja?

[josh]

edit: Rurouni Kenshin.

[Noctune]

He's not really a samurai, becaus you have to be born in a samurai family to be one. He's not a ninja either.
He's a warrior, but it's better to call him a samurai than ninja at least.

[Kenshin]

He looks like a ninja tho

[Dark Lilly]

He is definately Ronin, as the name implies. A Ronin is essentially a Samurai without a master.

[Kenshin]

That could be true

[The Naturalist]

I dont think he is a samurai, because of how much samurai cared about the code of bushido. Im pretty sure assassinating someone is considered dishonorable and generally left to the ninjas, but Kenshin is not that either. I dont know what Kenshin is considered really, but I dont think he is/was a samurai

[Dark Lilly]

Battosi. No spelling guarantee.

He is neither samuari nor ninja. He was a "Manslsayer." Battosi. He was a "in your face" assassin rather than a sneeky, backdoor ninja assassin. I see him as being closer to the samurai than the ninja, but that's just my take on it.

And I misspoke when I said he didn't have a master. Hiko Seijuro is his sword master, his teacher. What I should have said is a Ronin is essentially a Samurai without a Shogun (War Lord).

Additionally, as the title of the series is Rurouni Kenshin, does that not imply that he is a ronin and would that not make him closer to samurai than ninja?

Good question.

[The Naturalist]

I do think that he is closer to a samurai, and re-reading my post, I could see why you thought I didnt. I think that he actually is a samurai, but only after he takes his oath not to kill, ( Tho real samurai took an oath against the Buddhist way of not killing) as he does nothing that could be considered against his code after that.

[Kenshin]

How about lets al just say he is a samurai cause Kenshin was too

[Dark Lilly]

This question bugged me off and on all day because I posted, signed off and went to work.

I kept thinking, "Arrrgh! He did have a "master" but he wasn't attached to a Shogun, hence a Ronin. And it is part of the title of the show .... and he was called a Battosi ....

....can someone come up with the spelling for that? It's driving me nuts .....

AoD, you know way more than I regarding bushido. I'd come far closer answering questions of European Chivalry, weapons and warfair. Thanks for the thoughtful input. I appreciate it.

[pitt]

No Kenshins a Viking, can't you tell by the pink clothing.

[Noctune]

No Kenshins a Viking, can't you tell by the pink clothing.

OT was that an insult of the Vikings?
//one who's proud of her country's history (Sweden )

[Kenshin]

No Kenshins a Viking, can't you tell by the pink clothing.

idiot

[*Shadow Samurai *]

I do think that he is closer to a samurai, and re-reading my post, I could see why you thought I didnt. I think that he actually is a samurai, but only after he takes his oath not to kill, ( Tho real samurai took an oath against the Buddhist way of not killing) as he does nothing that could be considered against his code after that.

I agree with that

[Kenshin]

i kind of agree