Who is Kenshin based on?

Question

I've been told that Kenshin, at least partially, is based on a real life assassin. Who was he based on, and what pieces of his story are inspired by this person?

Answer 1

According to the author¹, he is based on Kawakami Gensai, a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period, who was executed by the Meiji Government.

Not having seen the series nor being familiarized with the Gensai's story, I cannot tell you how much of it is based on samurai's story and how much of it is fiction.

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^{1: *Watsuki, Nobuhiro (2003). "The Secret Life of Characters (1) Himura Kenshin". Rurouni Kenshin, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 56. ISBN 1-59116-220-3.}