This traditional and philosophical anime is all-encompassing of various themes in the field of contemporary Literature. Not only does it explore the conflict created as a result of the birth of the Meiji Era, Rurouni Kenshin displays how a merciless swordsman who slayed thousands with his hands undergoes a spiritual journey in order to protect people not for atonement but to find the true voice of his sword: A sword is not a tool for killing but to express the spontaneous overflow of one's passion in bursts of lightning.