Yukishiro Enishi - Conception and Design

Conception and Design

Watsuki used "revenge" as Enishi's "model or concept." Since Watsuki created Shishio Makoto as a "manic-type" "going higher and higher and higher," the Rurouni Kenshin author wished to paint Yukishiro Enishi as a "depressive type" "falling deeper and deeper and deeper." Watsuki added that Enishi became "sort of wishy-washy" as Shishio's influence remained. Watsuki said that he could see the "obsession" within Enishi; therefore it fits the "Terminator-like" character that Watsuki intended to depict.

The author wrote that Enishi's admiration for his sister, obsession, and hatred for Kenshin reflects "Watsuki's dark side"; the author added that he has no older sister and no people that he feels a need to take revenge on. Since Shishio has aspects within Watsuki that the author considers to be positive, Enishi has Watsuki aspects that the author feels are negative.

Watsuki said that he "fell into bouts of self-disgust" while drawing Enishi. The author added that he felt attachment towards Enishi and that he would someday like to use Enishi in a future work.

According to the author, Enishi's design model is "a slightly deviant, white-haired, pointy-haired, handsome young man, appearing in a fancy Kamijō Atsushi-sensei-like manga." In other words, Enishi had no specific design model. Watsuki said that, since he had "inadequate art skill," he could not portray what he intended to. The author added that some people mistakenly believed that Vash the Stampede of Trigun and Basara from Macross 7 were design models for Enishi. Stating that "models are strictly models," Watsuki "converted" Enishi to his style. The creator gave Enishi glasses since Enishi appeared in the mafia, "shady Chinese clothing" since Enishi lived in China, and a "half-cape" originating from Gambit of X-Men Age of Apocalypse. Watsuki believed that this is one of his "better" designs. The author felt that Enishi was "too handsome" for a final villain and that Watsuki tired of drawing "handsome types."

In the 21st volume of the Rurouni Kenshin kanzenban edition, Watsuki again redesigned Enishi's appearance in a draft version to show how he would appear at that time. In Enishi's redesigned version, his hair was longer and spikier than it was originally. His clothes were ragged and dirty and he also wore bandages and a torn worn-out cape. Enishi's shoes were replaced with boots. His weapon of choice was a shirasaya nihontō (a katana with a wooden sheath and hilt), which he carried by placing it next to his left hip.