Samurai X a.k.a Rurouni Kenshin

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, formerly known as the "Hitokiri Batt?sai" (or "Battosai the Manslayer" in the English dub) who becomes a wanderer to protect the people of Japan. Being a fan of the Shinsengumi, Watsuki designed the characters by basing their characteristics to that of the real Shinsengumi members and also used fictional representation of them and other historical characters from the Bakumatsu period of Japan.