Ends — Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend

This is the story of the final trial of Himura Kenshin—the man who was once the feared "Battousai the Manslayer"—as he faces his successor and the darkest reflection of his own past, Shishio Makoto. The Trial of the Master

The Purgatory sinks, and the warriors return to the shore. The government, realizing the debt they owe the wanderer, clears Kenshin's name. Kenshin returns to the Kamiya Dojo, finally at peace. He puts down his sword and looks at Kaoru, realizing that while the era of the samurai is over, the era of living for those you love has finally begun. The legend of the Manslayer ends, and the life of the man begins.

Meanwhile, the madman Shishio Makoto is anchored off the coast of Tokyo in his ironclad battleship, the Purgatory . He has held the government hostage, forcing the Prime Minister to declare Kenshin a wanted criminal. Shishio’s plan is simple: to watch the man who represents the "new era" be executed by the very country he helped build. Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends

Defeated but laughing, Shishio refuses to surrender. As his body reaches its limit, he spontaneously combusts, consumed by the very fire that defined his life. He dies standing, a demon returning to the hell he claimed to rule.

Sanosuke is beaten, Saitō’s "Gatotsu" is blocked, and Aoshi is thrown back. Kenshin alone stands, but he is exhausted and bleeding. Shishio mocks him, claiming that "the strong shall live and the weak shall die." This is the story of the final trial

Kenshin surrenders himself to the police to save his friends, but it is a ruse. On the shores of the beach, under the eyes of the public, the execution is revealed as a coordinated strike. Kenshin is freed, and along with Sanosuke, Saitō Hajime, and the ninja Aonuma Aoshi, he boards the Purgatory for the final confrontation. The Final Duel

But the battle has taken too long. Shishio’s internal temperature rises to lethal levels; his blood begins to evaporate, and steam rises from his bandages. In the final exchange, Kenshin draws his blade for the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki. The sheer vacuum created by the first strike pulls Shishio in, and the second strike—the true hidden blow—shatters Shishio’s defense. The End of a Legend Kenshin returns to the Kamiya Dojo, finally at peace

Deep within the bowels of the ironclad, the four warriors find Shishio waiting. Shishio is a monster of willpower, his body constantly overheating from the burns he suffered years prior. He fights all four men at once, swatting them aside with his flaming sword, the Homura-dama .