There aren't many people who are brave enough to place their life on the line to defend their honor and dignity as a human being. Just surviving, like an animal, you don't need honor and dignity.

In the darkness of the Bakumatsu, the war that would bring about the fall of the Tokogowa Shogunate and give rise to the more modern Meiji Era, the city of Kyoto existed as a scene from hell. Chaos and conflict erupted nightly in the streets, with blood being shed freely on both sides. The Isishin, along with their most powerful swordsman - the Hitokiri Battousai, Himura Kenshin - were opposed by a group that acted as the polite force, striving to bring order to the shattered city - the Shinsengumi. And among the most powerful of the Shinsengumi was the captain of their third unit, a swordsman named Saitou Hajime.

The Wolf of Mibu clashed with the Hitokiri Battousai, their every conflict ending in a stalemate where neither fighter was able to claim victory. But for all of their bitter fighting, the two warriors shared a common philosophy, a motto that defined their actions - mind, body, and soul...

Aku. Soku. Zan. ~ Kill Evil Instantly

A simple phrase, but one that continued to shape Saitou's life long after the revolution had ended, and the Shinsengumi ad been disbanded to the four winds with the defeat of the Shogunate. This is probably one of the main reasons that I like Saitou as much as I do - he shows a level of dedication that I can only envy. To Saitou, principals and duty are everything. After the Meiji Era began, he was recruited by the government to serve both as a police officer as well as a government spy. While some might see his acceptance as a betrayal of his former allies, Saitou continues to follow the principals of the Shinsengumi in an era where wealth and power are becoming more valuable than honor and dignity. As a Shinsengumi living in the 'modern' era, Saitou works to pick the Meiji Government free of fleas who would glut themselves on the lifeblood of the people with their greed.

As one of the Shinsengumi and of the police, I have a duty to protect the peace of Japan and livelihood of her people. Once I accepted this role, losing my life became a given. It would be strange to obsess over every detail, like Battousai does. The dead are at peace. When I enter their world, I may think that my duty is unfulfilled, but I'll have no thoughts of revenge. If you can't see it with your mind's eye, I'll tell you. Only one thing stirs my emotions. Kill. Evil. Instantly. For the sake of my own justice alone!

In many ways Saitou is the perfect foil to the peace loving Himura Kenshin who wanders as a Rurouni Samurai. While Kenshin has sworn that he will never kill again, and thus risks injury to follow his philosophy, Saitou is more than willing to be ruthless, deceptive, and merciless in pursuit of his goals. When we first meet him during the Meiji Era, he has changed his name to Fujita Goro appears to be working as an assassin for Shibumi, a corrupt government offical who had previously employed the insane killer Udoh Jinei. At the same time Saitou is serving the Secretary of the Interior, Okobo, to test how much skill Himura Kenshin retains after ten years as a wanderer. Upon the completion of that assignment, Saitou returns and executes Shibumi for his evil deeds - the murder of several other government officials.

During this time it appears that Saitou is nothing more than a whipped dog, working for little more than money and the thrill of killing. But when he confronts Kenshin within the Kamiya Dojo, we see a different side to the swordsman. A side that questions how Kenshin can truly carry out his mission to protect those he cares about without killing his enemies. Saitou's dedication to his law of Aku Soku Zan forces him to deny Kenshin's existence as a wanderer - how can the Hitokiri Battousai protect anyone without destroying the evil that seems to hurt them all? This question drives the two men into battle again, continuing almost exactly from the moment their swords last parted in Kyoto as Kenshin once again slips into his persona as the cold blooded Battousai.

Then, as now... Shinsengumi is a Shinsengumi. A wolf is a wolf. And a hitokiri is a hitokiri... isn't that right, Battousai?

Where Saitou may have been only a cold blooded killer, he exists instead as a man of honor and integrity, striving to preserve the country that he lives in from being embroiled in chaos and war. While it may seem that his entire duel with Kenshin takes place simply to settle an old score, it is soon revealed that there is a dire reason behind the Secretary of the Interior's motives for ordering Saitou on the mission. Kenshin's successor, Shishio Makoto, is attempting to start a new revolution that will one day reshape the country into a hell that would make the era of the Shogunate seem peaceful. A country where the strong would be free to prey upon the weak, where a skilled swordsman could kill at will until another man with a strong arm struck him down and started the cycle over again.

Saitou's dedication to protect the people of Japan is sufficient to force him into a duel with Kenshin - that same dedication calls upon him to ally with his long time rival in order to stop the nightmare that will soon descend upon Japan. Saitou's attitude during all of this is one of the more interesting aspects of his character. He makes no pretense of trying to understand why Battousai does not wish to kill - instead, he simply insists that Kenshin prove to him with his actions that he is traveling along the correct path. A similar situation arises with Sakosuke, whom Saitou clashes with on a less life threatening level. The former gangster and fighter wishes to help Kenshin when he goes to Kyoto to battle Shishio - Saitou insists that Sanosuke would simply be a weakness to Kenshin should he travel there, as he is not strong enough to battle Shishio or his henchmen. Sano, being the stubborn blockhead that he is, disagrees with this - a disagreement that Saitou takes up the task of being a teacher in order to prove his own point. Eventually the two develop a grudging respect for each other - turning the pair into one of the most amusing love/hate relationships in the show, as while both Sanosuke and Saitou come to respect each other as warriors, both of them would die before they admit it. ^_^

Dedication, compassion, respect, honor - everything that Saitou stands for can be summed up in these four words. His dedication to his duty and the people that he has pledged to protect set him apart from Shishio and his Ten Swords. Without his dedication and compassion for those who try their best to defend themselves, but have been forced into the role of warriors by tyrants and warlords, Saitou would be no different than Shishio - a warrior without a conscience, killing for his own amusement. And while one might think that the Wolf of Mibu would not respect any man or woman who was not a warrior, it soon becomes apparent that as long as a person strives to the edge of their abilities, they are worthy of Saitou's respect. And above all, Saitou remains dedicated to the code of the samurai, fighting with honor and respect. I often with that I could even begin to match the level of these traits that Saitou demonstrates - even if he is not a peace loving warrior like Kenshin, the Wolf of Mibu remains one of the good guys... if not quite the type that you would expect.