Shinomori Aoshi

Aoshi has been the Okashira of the Oniiwabanshu since the Tokugawa Era, when he was just fifteen years old. He was their best ninja and also led the special guard in the Edo castle during the Bakumatsu War.

Following the Bakumatsu War, he and his selected party broke off from the original Oniiwabanshu and took up body-guard jobs for some yakuza. What happened to his friends is too sad to mention. Aoshi does become obsessed with becoming the "strongest" but Kenshin gets him to snap out of it and those two become very good friends and allies.

Serious to a fault, Aoshi hardly ever shows emotions. The evil smile he wears in battle are just a a facade, and he has yet to smile for real. He may seem brutal to others, but inside he trully does care for those close to him.