, known in Western order as Megumi Takani in the English-language anime adaptation, is a fiction

Fiction

Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...

al character created by Nobuhiro Watsuki

Nobuhiro Watsuki

is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata.-Biography:...

 for the popular manga and anime, Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin

, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, 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, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...

. Megumi is the youngest daughter of Takani Ryūsei, a well-known doctor in Aizu

Aizu

is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...

 which was an important province supporting the Tokugawa Shogunate

Tokugawa shogunate

The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...

. During the Boshin War

Boshin War

The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....

s, Megumi's father died and the rest of her family went missing, leaving her as the sole survivor. Megumi means "Blessing" in Japanese.

In the Rurouni, Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, her name is and expresses a submissive personality opposite to her Rurouni Kenshin personality.

Development

Nobuhiro Watsuki

Nobuhiro Watsuki

is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata.-Biography:...

, while creating Megumi as a "mature woman," had no specific character model in mind. Watsuki's describes his standalone Megumi as bearing a "lighter quality" as she had a small role in that story. In the final series Watsuki decided to give her an "earthy quality" so she could make an impression on the reader. By the time of the publication of Rurouni Kenshin Volume 4, Watsuki felt some disappointment in the result of the character since he did not feel that he portrayed her in the intended manner. Watsuki's drawing design used the grandmother from Takeshi Obata

Takeshi Obata

is a Japanese manga artist. He works as the artist in collaboration with a writer. He has also mentored several manga artists, including Kentaro Yabuki of Black Cat fame, Nobuhiro Watsuki of Rurouni Kenshin and Busou Renkin, and Yusuke Murata of Eyeshield 21.He originally became noticed in 1985...

's Cyborg Jii-chan G as the model for Megumi. Initially, Watsuki had intended to introduce her as a minor character as the only other woman who Kaoru interacts with. Watsuki wished to express a "redemption for crimes" theme by using Megumi's determination.

Biography

Takani Megumi is from the Aizu

Aizu

is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...

 region, now Fukushima Prefecture

Fukushima Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....

. Like the rest of her family, Megumi is adept at "rangaku

Rangaku

Rangaku is a body of knowledge developed by Japan through its contacts with the Dutch enclave of Dejima, which allowed Japan to keep abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners, 1641–1853, because of the Tokugawa shogunate’s policy of national...

" (Literally "Dutch learning") medicine, although she mixes this Western learning with Eastern medicine as well. The fact that Megumi bore the last name 'Takani' spoke of her family's higher class level - peasants during that time were forbidden to carry family names.

Megumi was portrayed both in the anime and in the manga as having long, dark hair and dark eyes. In the anime particularly, she usually wore a blue michiyuki (overcoat) worn over a lavender kimono

Kimono

The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...

. She was introduced in Volume 2 of Rurouni Kenshin and was learned to be a maker of 'Spiders Web' opium

Opium

Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...

. She has a special relationship with Sanosuke. The two of them bicker a great deal, but he is very protective of her. In the anime, he goes to see her on the romantic star festival of Tanabata. She also worries about him fighting and getting hurt. When he is wounded by Saito at the beginning of the Kyoto arc, Megumi stays by his side for three days and nights until he recovers.

Sometimes, Megumi appears to have fox ears popping out of her head, an allusion to her nickname kitsune, which means "fox". Sanosuke especially likes to call her kitsune-onna (Vixen

Vixen

A vixen is a female fox.Vixen may also refer to:-In the military:*HMS Vixen, various British Royal Navy ships*USS Vixen, various ships in the US Navy*Vickers Vixen, a biplane produced in small numbers in the 1920s...

in the English manga, which is the name of a female fox) meaning Fox Lady, though Yahiko and Kaoru sometimes call her this as well. Throughout the series Megumi is compared to a fox.

Like Kaoru, Megumi is a strong-willed woman, but she is also depicted as a more mature and cunning compared to the younger Kaoru.

Background

Megumi's family were a well-known family of doctors throughout Aizu, though were considered unusual because every generation of the family went into medicine and allowed both women and children to study medicine as well. They were highly ranked doctors in the social hierarchy, but despite the fierce discrimination present in the Edo period, they believed in equal treatment of all sick patients and were devoted to their treatment regardless of social status. The family's ideals was that the true purpose of medicine was life and found rigid system preference for the samurai class offensive to their profession.

Takani Ryūsei, Megumi's father, was an extreme believer of this ideal and courageously left Aizu with his family to Nagasaki to study western medicine. When the family returned through special permission, the province was at war. Megumi's family left her behind to serve as doctors on the battlefield. Her father died on the front while her mother and two brothers disappeared.

Being educated in herb

Herb

Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...

al and Western medicine (renguku), Megumi eventually became an assistant to a prominent physician with the intention of training to become a full-fledged doctor herself. However, it turned out that the man she worked for was not the best of men. He was in turn working for a crime lord named Takeda Kanryū who ran an opium

Opium

Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...

 syndicate in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

.

Takeda commissioned the doctor to produce a new kind of opium which they then called "Spider's Web." The formula for the Spider's Web was different in that it uses half the normal dose of poppy juice but is twice as effective as the regular drug, allowing it to rake in four times the profit. While working for the doctor, Megumi learned the secrets of the formula and later, when Takeda killed the doctor during an argument, he forced her to use the formula to make more opium.

Tokyo Arc

Megumi deeply regretted her dishonorable life under Takeda's tyranny, which was a far cry from the relative nobility of her previous life when her family was still alive. She was guilt-racked at having been forced to create opium but could do little else. Finally, she decided to leave Takeda's mansion and escaped the Oniwabanshū.

When Megumi first appears (eps 8 of the anime, A New Battle: The Beautiful Girl from Nowhere; volume 2 of the manga), she is a troubled woman running from a group of men (the Oniwabanshū onmitsu, which included Beshimi). To escape her pursuers, she ended up in a gambling house where Himura Kenshin

Himura Kenshin

, known as Kenshin Himura in the English-language anime dubs, is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin universe created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is the main protagonist of the manga and anime series, as well as the related media in the franchise...

 and Sagara Sanosuke

Sagara Sanosuke

is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is known as Sanosuke Sagara in the English adaptation of the anime and is nicknamed Sano...

 were playing dice with a couple of friends.

Megumi asks for their help and later she accompanies them back to the Kamiya dojo

Dojo

A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...

, where Kamiya Kaoru

Kamiya Kaoru

, known as Kaoru Kamiya in the Media Blasters English-language dub and Kori Kamiya in the English Sony Samurai X dub, is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin universe created by Nobuhiro Watsuki as a main protagonist of the media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime,...

 was waiting and fuming over the fact that Kenshin had brought a female stranger into her home. Sensing Kaoru's jealousy, Megumi plays the flirt and makes several advances to Kenshin, which he handles nervously and refrains from submitting to. Megumi's personality as a shrewd, flirtatious woman was established and her act of purposely making Kaoru jealous was a prevailing theme throughout the series whenever her character appeared.

Megumi manages to endear herself to Kenshin's group, which includes Myōjin Yahiko

Myojin Yahiko

, known as Yahiko Myojin in the Media Blasters English-language dub and Yoshi Myojin in the English Sony Samurai X dub, is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series authored by Nobuhiro Watsuki...

, Kamiya Kaoru, and Sagara Sanosuke, when she saves Yahiko from being poisoned after he takes a dart meant for her. However, Sanosuke becomes suspicious of her when he discovers she is carrying around opium

Opium

Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...

, the same drug that killed his friend Yoita. The Oniwabanshū discovers Megumi's whereabouts and send men to kidnap her or attack her newfound friends. In the manga, to prevent further bloodshed, Megumi decides to voluntarily return to Takeda's mansion. In the anime, Sanosuke follows her to the mansion and tries to talk her into returning with him to the dojo. However, Beshimi captures her and takes her into the mansion, where Megumi meets the feared leader (okashira) of the Oniwabanshū, Shinomori Aoshi

Shinomori Aoshi

, known in Western order as Aoshi Shinomori in the English version of the anime, is a fictional of the Oniwabanshū in the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin.-Design:...

, who gives her a tantō

Tanto

A is one of the traditional Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate...

 with which she could commit suicide. Understanding Megumi's predicament, he had given her the choice to end her dishonorable life through death. She attempts to stab herself, but Sanosuke gets there in time and stops her, grabbing the blade with his bare hand. He and Kenshin then convince her to atone for her past by continuing to live and help people. Megumi came to work under the guardianship of Oguni Gensai-sensei after Takeda was defeated.

Kyoto Arc

Shishio Makoto

Shishio Makoto

, known in the anime in Western order as Makoto Shishio, is a fictional character from the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin. He is the primary antagonist of the series' Kyoto arc...

, the primary antagonist, appears in Kyoto with the intention of conquering Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Kenshin is tasked by the Meiji

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

 government of Japan to go to Kyoto and stop Shishio and his Juppongatana. A reluctant Kenshin takes up the dangerous mission because he feels it is his duty, and leaves Tokyo behind, saying goodbye only to Kamiya Kaoru

Kamiya Kaoru

, known as Kaoru Kamiya in the Media Blasters English-language dub and Kori Kamiya in the English Sony Samurai X dub, is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin universe created by Nobuhiro Watsuki as a main protagonist of the media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime,...

.

After Kenshin leaves, Kaoru becomes depressed for days and refuses to get up from her futon

Futon

Futon is an English word derived from Japanese , a term generally referring to the traditional style of Japanese bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bedroom...

, causing her friends to worry. It is Megumi who finally convinces her to get off her bed and go after Kenshin, under the pretext of giving him some of her special medicine. She asserts to Kaoru that when Kenshin left, he said goodbye only to her, which meant that Kenshin felt Kaoru was more important to him than anyone else he left behind, including Megumi herself. While Kaoru and Yahiko head for Kyoto, Megumi remains behind to watch over the Kamiya dojo. Shortly afterwards, she receives a visit from Shinomori Aoshi.

The depth of her feelings for Kenshin were never explicitly revealed, as it seems that she only flirted with him to make Kaoru jealous. As time passed she appears to have developed deeper feelings for Sagara Sanosuke

Sagara Sanosuke

is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is known as Sanosuke Sagara in the English adaptation of the anime and is nicknamed Sano...

. This was confirmed in the end of the Kyoto arc: Megumi finally goes to Kyoto to check on Sanosuke and his friends after the battle, and during a small tour through the city she tells Kaoru that Kenshin's body is seriously worn out, and finally asks her to take the best care of him. Megumi expresses that although she wishes that she could be the one to make Kenshin return safely, only Kaoru is able to do so. In the third season of the anime, she is shown making a wish at a temple about Sanosuke. They are also together on Tanabata, considered the most romantic night of the year, and the anime ends with Sanosuke at the clinic, doing chores for Megumi while she cooks for him and washes his clothes.

Jinchū Arc

In the manga-only Jinchū arc, Megumi finds her hands full at the Oguni Clinic caring for the people hurt during Yukishiro Enishi

Yukishiro Enishi

Yukishiro Enishi is a character from the manga Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is the primary antagonist of the final arc of the series, the Jinchū arc, and the younger brother of Yukishiro Tomoe.-Conception and design:...

's Jinchū (Man's Punishment) on Kenshin.

When Kenshin's past is revealed to his friends, Megumi reassures Kaoru in her typical manner that Kaoru should not believe that she is merely replacing Kenshin's first wife, Yukishiro Tomoe

Yukishiro Tomoe

, known in Western order as Tomoe Yukishiro in the English anime OVAs, is a fictional character in Nobuhiro Watsuki's popular manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin and is the first wife of the series' main protagonist Himura Kenshin.She plays a major role in the manga's final arc, the Jinchū arc...

, in his heart. After treating Kenshin and Sanosuke's injuries, she acts as the doctor at the Kamiya dojo when Enishi finally attacks. When the battle ends with the death of Kaoru, a grief-stricken Megumi examines Kaoru's body before allowing it to be prepared for burial.

Following this event, Shinomori Aoshi

Shinomori Aoshi

, known in Western order as Aoshi Shinomori in the English version of the anime, is a fictional of the Oniwabanshū in the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin.-Design:...

 and Makimachi Misao

Makimachi Misao

, known as Misao Makimachi in the Media Blasters dub, is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin created by Nobuhiro Watsuki....

 arrive from Kyoto, apparently too late to aid their friends. Aoshi, hearing the events that unfolded, soon deduces that Kaoru is likely not dead and orders Kaoru's body to be exhumed, because it is likely a very intricately made doll. Megumi is outraged that he would be heartless enough to suggest the act, asserting she examined the body herself, but Aoshi counters her argument by remarking that the doll would likely fool even an expert medical practitioner, and her judgment was likely clouded with emotion. After some persuasion from Yahiko, the body is exhumed; Megumi confirms the body is real until it is broken open and wires are pulled.

Following this revelation, Megumi remains at the Genzai clinic as the search for Kaoru begins. When Yahiko, Sanosuke, and a renewed Kenshin are injured again, she treats them (while angrily chastising Sanosuke for using his badly injured right fist again, which she had previously warned him never to use after the events of the Kyoto arc). She travels with the group to Enishi's island in case they need medical attention as they prepare to rescue Kaoru. In a moment of comic relief, she throws her medicine cabinet at Sanosuke when he uses his right fist again, prompting him to remark that even she is joining the battle and using her cabinet as a weapon, though he wonders what side she is on.

Voice actresses

When the Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin

, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, 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, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...

series was first aired in Japan, Megumi's character was played by Japanese seiyū, Mika Doi

Mika Doi

, née is a veteran voice actress who was born in Sendai.-Anime:* Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple * Air Master * Aura Battler Dunbine * Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~...

. The English version of the series had Mari Devon

Mari Devon

Mari Devon is an American voice actress who is also known as Jane Alan.-Anime roles:* 8 Man After - Sachiko* Babel II - Juju* Battle B-Daman - B-DaMage* The Big O - Vice-President Mari Devon (born 1960) is an American voice actress who is also known as Jane Alan.-Anime roles:* 8 Man After -...

 voicing the character. Rebeca Robinson also voiced Megumi for the DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 release of Samurai X: Reflection

Samurai X: Reflection

Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection, known as in Japan, is the second OVA series of the Rurouni Kenshin anime television series, acting as its sequel...

(Rurouni Kenshin: Seisōhen).