=========================================================== _ ___ | \ |___/ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ | \ | | |/ / \ | | / | | _| \_ \__/\_ _| \_ _/ \__/ | |_ |_ __ __ | / _ |__/ __ _ __ ___ |__ __ _ __ | \ /__\ / | \__ | \ | / | _| \_ \___ | |_ __/ | |_ |_ | |_ =========================================================== Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenyaku Romantan "The Ten Warriors Conspiracy" Hikaru's Quest Shueisha (Jump Comics) Inc., SPE Visual Works, & Sony Computer Entertainment. Courtesy of animesou e-mail: animesou@yahoo.com Date Completed: 6/20/03 =========================================================== i. Author Acknowledgment, and Dedication =========================================================== My many thanks to the developers Shueisha Inc., SPE Visual Works, and Sony for producing an unparalleled sword action anime series. The Japanese voice actors: Mayo Suzukaze (Kenshin), Miki Fujitani (Kaoru), Mina Tominaga (Yahiko), and Yuji Ueda (Sano) who truly were the characters themselves. To Jesus Zhu and Tamar Pandi, my two sempai's, for without your help this walkthrough would not have been possible. Special thanks to Game Arashi Gal for guiding me through the toughest moments of the game, and Jjyooi a fellow player. =========================================================== ii. Foreword =========================================================== Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenyaku Romantan is a Role Playing Game (RPG) based on the hit anime series (95 episodes, two OVAs, and a movie) of the same name, Rurouni Kenshin. The game takes place sometime after the Shishio saga. Meiji Kenyaku Romantan is a side story not directly related to the anime series featuring a new hierarchy of villains and a new heroine Hikaru. It is more or less like the how Kenshin the Movie is related to the series. (For an anime review, please check out my website at http://www.animesou.com ) Overall gameplay is a combination of elements from different RPGs. The world map is similar to Super Mario RPG where after you defeat bosses in order to open up new areas. Instead of collecting star pieces you collect map pieces. Town and dungeon layout are seen from a bird's eye view similar to SNES RPGs like Final Fantasy and Zelda. Battle is this game's specialty. Fights are 2D side scroll featuring a rock-paper-scissors attack format where you counter the enemy's attack with an attack that beats theirs. Only one character can fight at a time. Estimated playing time is 20 hours. This walkthrough is designed to help you through the game without knowing a trace of Japanese. I admit some secrets are missing like collecting all 41 Nishiki-he. Hopefully, you will appreciate the game for its worth. Best of luck, animesou Anime for a New Generation =========================================================== iii. Table of Contents =========================================================== 1. Introduction 2. Characters 3. Game Basics 4. Dojos 5. Walkthrough 6. Copyright =========================================================== 1. Introduction =========================================================== The opening prologue displays the main villains of the game gazing malevolently at their work, the destruction of a small village. Afterwards the music of Kawamoto Makoto's One-Half starts, TV size. Kenshin and Karou enter into a discussion. It then splits to Kaoru's fight scene. As Kenshin leaves Kamiya Dojo he bumps into Yahiko. Then it cuts to Yahiko's battle scene. In the streets of Tokyo Kenshin passes by Sano, again followed by Sano's scene. Megumi sees Kenshin in the distance fleeing from a cop who wants to apprehend Kenshin for walking around with a sword in broad daylight. Aoshi's scene, Saitou performing his patented Gatotsu, and Kenshin's Kuzu Ryu Sen close the remainder of the song. At the very end is a nice wallpaper image of the heroes. =========================================================== 2. Characters =========================================================== Playable -Hikaru- Despite being a Rurouni Kenshin game, Himura Kenshin is not your starting character. You choose either to be Hijiri (male) or Hikaru (female). The game is linear so the general storyline preset. There are some differences, which is why there are separate walkthroughs. For one, Hijiri encounters Saito, while Hikaru will meet up with Aoshi. This walkthrough is written for Hikaru, who appears to be suffering from memory loss at the beginning of the game. Game info: Hikaru is a well-balanced character. She is strong both in defense and speed, and starts off with Kitsushiyou no Kata; a multi hit attack that looks similar to Ken's Shoryuu Reppa in Street Fighter. She learns every category of special attacks including Long Range. You have to train at dojos across Japan to obtain her other specials. She's my personal preference as the starting character over Hijiri. I always seem to mistake Hijiri and Sano's character sprite for each other. Also, she keeps the gender balance as a valued member of the Kenshin Gumi. (Can't have too many boys running the show can we) -Himura Kenshin- Age: 28 Style: Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Weapon: Sakabatou (Reverse-Blade Sword) Alias: Hitokiri Battousai, Shinta Anime Bio: 140 years ago, near the end of the Edo Dynasty, the warrior known as the Hitokiri Battousai traversed Kyoto. The Battousai turned the tide for the people of Japan, leading them into a new Meiji Era. He was the strongest and most feared assassin. However, near the end of the conflict he disappeared. No one saw or heard form him again. The Hitokiri Battousai became a legend. Himura Kenshin is indeed that legendary Hitokiri although now he is a Rurouni, masterless wandering samurai. He has vowed never to kill again to atone for his past man slaying. He meets Kaoru accidentally on the streets of Tokyo who mistakes him as a serial killer who murdered three people the night before. Ever since then he has been living in Kamiya Dojo with Kaoru and Yahiko. Game info: He joins your party sometime after collecting the third map piece. But the day he joins is definitely worth a celebration, comparable to T.G. Cid in Final Fantasy Tactics. (Yes he is that great!) He comes complete with every technique learned except succession techniques. His attack power and speed are second to none. It is easy to strictly use him to complete the game. -Kamiya Kaoru- Age: 17 Style: Kamiya Kasshin Ryu Weapons: Shinai (Bamboo Sword), Bokutou (Wooden Sword) Alias: Raccoon girl, ugly Anime Bio: Kaoru is the successor to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu style developed by her father. Its ideal is to better themselves without inflicting pain or using weapons to kill. She meets Kenshin while looking for a murderer who is using her father's style. After the incident Kaoru convinces Kenshin to stay with her at the Dojo. Although young, hot tempered, and jealous at times, Kaoru is a caring and energetic person. Then again she is one of the few people in the series who can claim to be stronger than Kenshin, lol. Game info: Kaoru like Hikaru is strong in defense and speed. Her attack is a bit weak. Kaoru and Yahiko join at the start of the game. Kaoru begins with a High, Middle, and Low Special attacks already learned. A great plus. You have to train at dojos across Japan to get her other specials. However, she has no Long range attacks. (Side note: Her outside sprite displays her in a kimono. But whenever she enters battle, the ribbon in her hair disappears and she comes suited for combat. Guess she can change in a heartbeat, no?) -Myojin Yahiko- Age: 10 Style: Kamiya Kasshin Ryu Weapons: Shinai (Bamboo Sword) Alias: Shrimp Anime Bio: Yahiko is the orphan son of a Tokyo samurai family who unfortunately was adopted by the leader of the Shuei Yakuza, who paid for his mother's medical bills. Yahiko in order to pay off the debt steals for a living. Prideful, he attempts to rob Kenshin but is stopped by Kaoru. Kaoru after she finds out about his past intends to rescue Yahiko out of his predicament by taking on firsthand the Yakuza with a little help from Kenshin of course. Soon after Yahiko learns swordsmanship under Kaoru. Yahiko has seen Kenshin fight firsthand more than anyone else and closer than anyone else. Game info: Arguably the worst character. His defense is horrible. I recommend keeping him at least 2-3 levels ahead of everyone else when fighting. Normal enemies, animals especially, can wipe him out in a single hit if he falls behind. He is unable to learn a Long Range special. The good side, he has the most number of special abilities. Also, he learns his succession technique the earliest, level 25. Just like the anime, he learns specials from watching Kenshin. The developers extended it to learning moves from his opponents, similar to a blue mage's ability (Final Fantasy 5). This can get tedious. On top of that you have to train at dojos across Japan to get his other specials. One of which, Atemi, you have to learn twice in a row to learn the more powerful version Chou Atemi. -Sagara Sanosuke- Age: 19 Style: Street Fighter Weapons: Zanbatou (Lance Sword), Fists Alias: Sano, Zanza, Rooster Head Anime Bio: Sanosuke is a former member of the Sekihoutai who became a street brawler at the beginning of the series. He was hired by Gohei, a villain in the series, to defeat Kenshin. Sanosuke has a personal grudge against the Imperialist government for executing his captain. For that reason he wears the character for "bad" on his back. After losing, Sanosuke realized that Kenshin was different, that he is still fighting for the dream of a new era. Since then he and Kenshin are the best of friends and fight side by side. Game info: He joins permanently right before you get the first map piece. Like Kenshin, all of his moves besides Succession techniques are learned. He fights barefisted cutting on weapon expenditures. His attack power is incredible. Downside is that he has no high or long-range specials. Guest -Shinomori Aoshi- Age: 26 Style: Kodachi Nitou-ryu, Kempo Weapons: Single Kodachi (Short Sword) and later Dual Kodachi Anime Bio: Commander of the Oniwa Banshu ninja in Edo, he protects the arms and opium dealer Kanryu. His reason for confronting Kenshin is to bestow the title of the "strongest" to his Oniwa Banshu, which they sought for during the Revolution. Although he does not fall easily, Kenshin defeats him. After their fight, Kanryu kills Aoshi's four comrades with a gattling gun. After that incident, he isolates himself throwing everything away to the point of madness- his pride, pity, good and evil, even his former comrades - to one day have a rematch with Kenshin. In their second duel, Kenshin helps Aoshi find his true self. Game info: Aoshi joins temporarily on your way to collecting the second map piece. Like Sano, he has no Long or High special attacks, but makes up for it being levels higher than the rest of your characters when he joins. He comes with all his moves besides Succession learned. But, unless you are die-hard and want to pump his levels all the way to 30, he won't stick around long enough for you to see his final special. Non-playable -Takani Megumi- Age: 22 Alias: Fox Anime Bio: The daughter of Ryusei Takani, whose family of doctors span many generations. However, they were involved in the Aizu War between the Imperial Army and the Aizu clan. Ryusei Takani ended up missing, and only Megumi was left alive. She came to Tokyo five years ago to become the apprentice under a certain doctor. However, the doctor partnered with Kanryu and made opium. In an argument, the doctor was killed and Megumi was forced to make opium in his place. She manages to run away from Kanryu stumbling upon Kenshin and Sano. Kenshin, Sano, even Yahiko risk their lives to protect her. -Gensai-sensei- Anime Bio: Gensai-sensei has been the doctor in the Kamiya Dojo's neighborhood for 30 years and counting. When Kaoru's parents passed away, he has been taking care of her as if she was his own daughter. Megumi studies under him as his assistant doctor. -Ayame and Suzume-chan- Anime Bio: Kenshin first mistakes the two children as Kaoru's sisters, but they are actually Gensai-sensei's two granddaughters. Ayame is the one in green, while Suzume, the younger of the two, is dressed in red. Kenshin regularly baby- sits them. Are they not kawaii~? -Sekihara Tae- Anime Bio: Owner of the "Beef Hot Pot" Akabeko Restaurant in Tokyo. The Shirobeko in Kyoto belongs to her twin sister Sae and is where the rest of Tae's family lives. -Sanjou Tsubame-chan- Anime Bio: Yahiko's girlfriend who works as a waitress at Akabeko restaurant. She regrettably is threatened by Mikio, a former vassal of the shogun turned thief, to obtain the key to the owner's house. Yahiko, disgusted, combats the gangsters although he is beaten up the first time around. Tsubame admires Yahiko's courage and decides to keep her heart strong. -Heihachirou Sasaki- Style: Hinoha Ittou Anime Bio: A temporary laborer who lives on the same block as Sano. He opened up a public school where he teaches neighborhood children how to read and write. He fought Kenshin long ago as a sergeant in the Kyoto Patrol, a group of swordsmen who were feared along with the Shinsengumi. His past catches up with him, as an assassin group, Jinpuu, beckons Sasaki to join them. He declines but is later forced to cooperate when the lives of his students are put in jeopardy. Kenshin and Sano help stop the Jinpuu. -Tsunan Tsukioka- Weapon: Bombs Alias: Katsu, idiot Anime Bio: Sano's Friend, also a survivor of the Sekihoutai. For the past 10 years he has been trying to clear the names of their captain and the Sekihoutai. He asks Sano to reform the Sekihoutai and crush the Imperialist government. Sano decides to choose his past over his present life in order to aid Tsukioka. As they commence their attack on the Internal Affairs Department, Kenshin stands in their way and Sano and the Battousai fight once more. Sano thanks Kenshin for stopping them from acting like a fake Imperial army. Afterwards, Katsu prints his own newspaper in order to correct the evils of the Meiji government. -Udou Jine- Style: Shin no Ippou Weapon: Katana Anime Bio: Also a former member of the Shinsen Gumi but due to his lust for blood he was expelled. Regardless of being friend or foe, he slew many during the revolution. He later became an assassin for the Isshin Shishi forces. During the Meiji era for 10 years, he became a serial murderer of big shot politicians. That is until Kenshin came along. Kenshin as a Rurouni stood no chance against Jine, so in order to awaken the Hitokiri within, Jine kidnapped Kaoru. Kenshin, when he intends to kill, is a totally different man... -Hiko Seijiro- Age: 43 Alias: Superman Anime Bio: In Kenshin's own words, "Successor of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Seijiro Hiko the thirteenth. His skill is without a doubt the best. But his personality is twisted, brusque, misanthropic, so bad-mannered that he brings up embarrassing things about people that even the person concerned has forgotten." He both raised and taught Kenshin swordsmanship. Hiko is the strongest warrior in the series, surpassing even Kenshin. The author of the manga admitted that he made him too powerful. One of the few battles that he participates in is against the giant Fuji, who he demolishes with the Kuzu Ryu Sen. -Seta Soujiro- Age: 18 Weapon: Kikuichimonji Norimune Alias: Boy, Tenken Anime Bio: Soujiro is the son or a prostitute and a rice distributor. To avoid public humiliation, the son of the rice distributor, who already had a family, raised Soujiro as a lifelong servant. Often, Soujiro suffered from verbal and physical abuse. Soujiro figured that if he simply smiled, they would become disinterested and stop beating him. One night, he witnessed Shishio strike down a policeman. In exchange for Soujiro's life, Shishio took shelter in the family's rice storage building. The family, realizing that Soujiro was harboring the criminal, decided to kill him. In self-defense, Soujiro ended up slaying them and joined Shishio as his right hand man. Void of all emotions but joy, Soujiro becomes one of Kenshin's toughest opponents. -Anji- Weapon: Fists, knife Alias: Rock Crusher Anime Bio: 10 years ago, Anji was a kind-hearted priest at a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of a small village. He helped care for a few orphaned children whose parents died during the Boshin Wars. After the Bakumatsu, Buddhism had been abolished, thus started the Buddhist hunts. The village elder decided to tear down the temple. However, before Anji and the children could relocate, the orphans died a fiery death. Anji spends the next five years honing his body and finally gets revenge on the elder. In the course of the next five years he became one of the Juppon Gatana under Shishio. His reason for joining is to judge life and death, to punish those who are not worthy of salvation and create a new world. It is he who taught Sano the Futae no Kiwami. -Makimachi Misao- Age: 16 Weapon: Throwing knives Alias: Weasel Anime Bio: Definitely should have been a playable character in the game. Misao is the youngest member of the Oniwa Banshu. When she was little, Aoshi left her behind in Kyoto under the care of Okina. When she grew to the age where she could take care of herself, she went on a journey throughout all Japan in search of her beloved Aoshi-sama. Awkwardly, she met Kenshin, who was her only clue to the whereabouts of Aoshi. =========================================================== 3. Game Basics =========================================================== This section provides tips for boosting levels, exploring, preparing for combat, winning battles, and saving games. Consider these hints a jump-start into the adventure. *You can always heal free of charge at Kamiya Dojo in Tokyo. The bed is on the upper right room from the bottom entrance. Since there are no enemy encounters when traveling on the world map, sleep there to conserve money. You can also see flashbacks of Sano and Kenshin. *Holding R1 or R2 will allow you to dash while moving with the directional pad. If you hold R1 and R2 simultaneously, you will move at hyper speed, faster than in any other RPG. Careful, while running, you will bounce off any obstruction in your way. Release R1/R2 when you wish to converse with people or make precise turns around corners. *Although the game has the highest enemy encounter rate of any RPG, the flee rate is 100%. Run away from battles that might prove too difficult for your characters. This does not apply to bosses. *Save points automatically restore HP and fill your special attack bar. Use these spots to level up your characters. Usually a save point indicates an upcoming boss battle. *Save your game more rather than less. After completing a particularly difficult part of the game, save. You can save at save points or on the world map. *Take the time to really explore areas thoroughly for treasure chests. If possible, make multiple trips exploring, healing and saving. *Don't let any of your characters slip behind in levels. Some boss events require each member of the party to participate in the battle. *Preparation for combat is a must. This includes the best weapons and armor money can buy. Using items does not take up a turn in battle (but you can only use one item at a time per turn). Thus, they can be crucial against strong opponents. *After a crucial story event, retrace your steps and seek new information from those whom you've talked to previously. *The person who last strikes the enemy, finishing them, will get all the exp points. A good way to level characters is to have a strong character like Kenshin or Sano weaken the enemy then switch and let say Yahiko finish the enemy off (The person you switch to is the next in line and you can only switch once per turn. Be sure to switch the character order in the menu screen). =========================================================== 4. Dojos =========================================================== To learn specials for Hikaru, Yahiko, and Kaoru, you must train at 5 different dojos scattered around Japan. Each one specializes in a different technique. First select the character to train. Then you'll enter a battle with the students. The students are colored according to the attack they will perform. Green is high, purple middle, and blue low. You must correctly counter all 20 in order to learn the technique. Experience points are also rewarded. I. Maekawa dojo is located on the W most portion of Tokyo. Their specialty is low attacks. You'll want to perform as many low attacks as possible. If the opponent is blue, use X to counter. If the opponent is green, use X to win. If the opponent is purple, use square to counter. II. Shimotsumachi dojo is located NW (just west of factory) of Shimotsu, town north of Tokyo on middle map piece. Their specialty is high attacks. You'll want to perform as many high attacks as possible. If the opponent is blue, use X to counter. If the opponent is green, use triangle to counter. If the opponent is purple, use triangle to win. III. Shibukawamachi dojo is located NW in Shibukawa. They specialize in middle Attacks. You'll want to perform as many middle attacks as possible. If the opponent is blue, use square to win. If the opponent is green, use triangle to counter. If the opponent is purple, use square to counter. IV. Nitsukou dojo is located NW, in Nitsukou (Top left map piece). They specialize in defense. So you'll want to counter as much as possible. Difficult since each opponent requires you pressing a different button. In this case they are colored to match the opponent. If the opponent is blue, use X to counter. If the opponent is green, use triangle to counter. If the opponent is purple, use square to counter. V. Yokohama dojo is located in mid N in Yokohama. They specialize in multi hit attacks. You'll want to win as much as possible. Difficult since each opponent requires you pressing a different button. In this case they are not colored to match the opponent so it is even harder. If the opponent is blue, use square to win. If the opponent is green, use X to win. If the opponent is purple, use triangle to win. =========================================================== 5. Walkthrough =========================================================== Shorthand Directional Symbols N – North S – South E – East W - West =========================================================== Our Journey Begins, The First Map Piece =========================================================== You walk by Shimotsuma-Cho only to be ambushed by street punks. Kenshin will fiend them off. You now have the chance to name your character. In a state of panic you flee from Kenshin. In Tokyo you'll read an advertising note on the floor from "Beef Hot Pot" Akabeko Restaurant. You now gain control of the character. Enter Akabeko, the first building N of your position to the left. Kaoru will fall on top of you. She'll ask you to come with her back to Kamiya Dojo. You are forced to answer Yes, the first option. You'll then be automatically transported to her home. After treating your wounds, Kaoru and Yahiko will introduce themselves anime style. After you awaken go S twice, and you'll run into the gangsters from earlier. You have some options from this point. 1. Yes – Kaoru will fight alone / No – You won't let her fight alone. Yahiko arrives. 2. Yes – Yahiko and Kaoru will fight / No – Hijiri will join the fight. You'll then battle the first guy. He seems possessed. (Just look at his eyes) Three more punks will confront you. 3. Yes – Yahiko, Kaoru, and Hijiri will flee / No – You fight. Back at the dojo, Megumi will enter. She's come to see the person you fought earlier. It seems that he's back to normal now. Kaoru and Yahiko will join you. Leave Kamiya Dojo S to go back to town. Time to go shopping although with 300 all you can afford is two weapons – one for Hijiri and one for Kaoru/Yahiko. When done, go S to the next portion of town. Talk to the purple woman on the upper left corner walking around. Go to the bottom left building with the blue hanging. Speak to the blue man, bottom left, with the hat. He'll whistle for his bar friends. Enter Battle. Go N and you'll run into three women: Akane, Midori, and Ai. Exit N and talk to the purple woman from earlier. She'll give you a Chidome Chinki. Return to Kamiya Dojo and Megumi will tell you there's trouble in town. Those same gangsters don't know when to quit. Go S to battle. At this point you might want to sleep in Kamiya Dojo to regain your life, top right room on next screen. Note that you can always return here whenever you are in need of healing. Go back to Akabeko. The story deviates depending if you say Yes or No. Answering Yes Hiyatsuki will throw a smoke bomb and everybody will be under his control. You'll follow him to the forest to the E of Tokyo. -East Tokyo Forest- Treasure Checklist [ ] NE, more N [ ] NE, more E [ ] House, NW room of entrance [ ] House, NE room [ ] House, NW room New Enemies Black ninjas Yellow fencer Blue spearman Red wood swordsman SW of the entrance is a flower. Exit SE to the next screen. Savepoint, the little crystal dot. Go N to the house. SW stairs to the second floor. Answering No You'll enter the restaurant. Akane, Midori, and Ai will visit you. You enter battle (You can't possibly win, gomen. The enemy gives you a 1 hit KO). Afterwards you find yourself in the basement of a house. Check S in between the cracks of the wall. Exit N. Exit the house and use the save point. You could go back to the forest to pick up treasures or re-enter the house. Now the story gets back together. Inside the house go SW to the second floor. You'll meet none other than Akane, Midori, and Ai. Battle. Don't hesitate to use your specials. (I love the way they taunt you =P) You'll then warp to the world map. Save your game. Then enter Tokyo. When you enter Tokyo, you have the chance of protecting a kid from a bully. Answer Yes and Yahiko will battle. No and the sphere will flash and the bully will come back to his senses. Seems he was brainwashed too. When you try to leave town you know who shows up: Akane, Midori, and Ai and they brought along Nezu. Boss battle. Again use your specials. After you win, Sano will appear with his own animation scene. You'll then get your first map piece. Exit Tokyo, and save on the world map. =========================================================== The Second Map Piece =========================================================== At this point you can go to Maekawa Dojo and learn low attack specials for Yahiko, Kaoru, and Hikaru. If you sleep at Kamiya Dojo you may get the chance to see Sano's memory of the Sekihoutai. He'll then talk to you afterwards. On the world map a new area W to Tokyo will open up. -Bamboo Forest- Treasure Checklist [ ] SE of first fork [ ] House, NW save point [ ] House, SE room [ ] House, mid NE room where boss is, must return for this after the boss id defeated [ ] House, mid room just left to boss room New Enemies Brown swordsman NE of first fork. SE second fork for a flower. NE second fork to house. SW save point. Head NE to the center room with purple decorations. Guess who shows up? Nezu returns with two mind controlled citizens. You'll use the crystal to free them. However, as they try to escape Nezu will kill one of them. Then, Akane, Midori, and Ai will show up once again to battle. Afterwards, Sano will get really angry. Yuri will arrive and throw smoke at Sano and Yahiko. Nezu and Yuri will escape. You'll warp out. Save your game. If you want you can return to the house in the Bamboo forest to get the remaining chest. Go to the farming village N of Tokyo. Talk to the woman next to the weapons shop. She'll ask your help in freeing some captives in the mountains nearby. Leave town and enter the new area. -North Tokyo Mountains- Treasure Checklist [ ] Right first fork, N [ ] Right first fork, NE to next screen, NW [ ] Left first fork, SW New Enemies Owl Wolf You'll first hear a voice warning you about continuing… The enemies here are strong. Now is a good time to level. Also be sure to level up Sano for the upcoming fight. There is a flower right of the first fork, NE to the next screen, then N. Go left of the first fork, NW to the next screen. It'll pause again for the voice… Go NW to the next screen. You'll hear the voice again. Sano will smash the stone to pieces and reveal a woman. Follow her E to the house. Some guy will come and Sano will battle. After Sano wins, the enemies will run away and you'll free the prisoners. You'll warp to the world map. Save your game. Heal in Tokyo if necessary. Return to the farm village. You'll automatically meet with those whom you rescued. Meanwhile, Anakama will return to his mountain hideout. Displeased he'll come to the farm village with a vengeance. You'll awaken during the night. One of his henchman will poison Yahiko (Why does it always have to be brave Yahiko!) The enemies will get away. Exit town. Enter the newly opened lake area. -North Tokyo Lake- Treasure Checklist [ ] NE New Enemies Boar Go inside the house and you'll meet Aoshi. You'll ask him to help cure Yahiko. But first you'll have to collect four herbs around the lake in order to make the antidote. Go S, W for the blue herb, SW for the red herb, NE for the yellow herb. W of the entrance is the green herb. NE near the treasure is a flower. Go back to the house. Aoshi will need you to help put the herb into the correct order into the pot. If you get it wrong you'll have to gather up the herbs all over again. You can leave for the world map and save then return until you get the right combination. Here are all 24 possibilities: 1234 1243 1324 1342 1423 1432 2134 2143 2341 2314 2431 2413 3124 3142 3214 3241 3421 3412 4123 4132 4213 4231 4312 4321 The correct combination is (I'm not telling!). Ok, ok I won't let you suffer like I did although it took me 19 tries to get it right. 1432 Exit and return to Yahiko. He'll yell out of distaste for the medicine but he'll recover just fine. After coming to his senses, Yahiko will tell you that he was able to pickpocket the henchman before falling down. He stole the second map piece, which shows the location of their hideout. The bad part is that now Yahiko will be levels behind the other characters, so bring him back up to speed. (If you visit the house again sometime after the next series of events you'll find a note.) =========================================================== The Third Map Piece =========================================================== You'll see scene of the henchman showing up at the lake hut and enter a fight with Aoshi. Don't worry, there's no way Aoshi would lose. Enter the area opened up by the new map piece. -South East Forest- Treasure Checklist [ ] SE near the exit on first screen [ ] NE to next screen, N [ ] N of SE exit in creek area prior to house [ ] House, S room (two chests) [ ] House, SE room New enemies Dark wolf 2-handed swordsmen Green double bladed spearman NE to the next room, N of treasure is a flower. Go SE of first screen to exit to creek area. E across bridge, immediately S, W across bridge, S, E across bridge, SE exit. Enter House. SE, N is Anakama's room. Bass battle, two spearmen, the woman who was the voice from earlier, and last Anakama. After defeating them, Aoshi will enter with the henchman from earlier, already dead. He'll finish off the boss for you, then go off screen. You'll chase after him. Then an anime scene will introduce Aoshi. He'll join you. You'll return to the world map soon after. —South East Mountains- Treasure Checklist [ ] West cave, N [ ] NW cave, N [ ] NW cave, SE [ ] NW cave, NE [ ] SE [ ] E next screen, E [ ] NE before cave [ ] NE cave, SW [ ] NE cave, mid NW, S [ ] NE cave, NW exit, N [ ] S temple [ ] Temple, W hidden passageway (two chests) [ ] Temple, E shrine (two chests) New enemies Bear Claw Men Karatemen Red Masked monk White staffmen You'll be greeted by two monks. E, E to next screen (return here later on in the game to meet Anji) otherwise go N, NW flower before exit to next screen, N temple. Go W under lantern to uncover a hidden passageway. Get the two chests. NE is exit. Go downstairs. -Temple Cave- Treasure Checklist [ ] W before save point [ ] W save point exit, directly S [ ] W save point exit, mid S [ ] W save point exit, NW [ ] From SW stairs exit, SE stairs [ ] From SW stairs exit, E [ ] From SW stairs exit, NE before crevasse [ ] NE after crevasse, S [ ] S house [ ] SW house [ ] NW house (two chests) New enemies None S to Savepoint. E to fight a group of monks who are guarding one of the special flowers. Return to the save point, and continue W. SW stairs. Go NE across crevasse. N, NW boss on the bridge. He'll try to finish you but with all that bulk you dodge easily. Further ahead is a house and more treasures. Backtrack to the save point. Just before you make your way out of the temple, the little guy from earlier will surround you in flames to prevent you from escaping. Big mistake, battle time. As the boss runs away, a knife is thrown from the distance killing him. You'll retrieve the third map piece. Save. =========================================================== The Fourth Map Piece =========================================================== Travel to the next town called Shimotsu. Go N of the entrance to the factory. There are some random battles here. Head E, then N to a boss. One will get back up. Aoshi will push Kaoru out of the way and get injured instead by a bomb. More baddies arrive. Hikaru will lose consciousness. Sano does his best to dodge the knives. All hope seems lost until…Kenshin comes to the rescue! The enemy will escape but that is the least of your problems. You warp back to Tokyo to have Megumi treat you and Aoshi. Kenshin will introduce himself anime style. He'll then join you. Rest up at Kamiya Dojo. Be sure to go back to Megumi to obtain a healing item. If you talk to Kenshin in Kamiya Dojo, Kaoru will hand him a shopping list. Kenshin will send you on an errand alone. First go to the item shop to get your 50 cash allowance. Then go around town talking to various sellers. When you spend it all, return to the Dojo. Kenshin will have the food ready. Depending on what food you get you'll get different reactions from the characters. When you enter Shimotsu again, Kaoru will fall down. A kind man will let you use his home. If you talk to the man you'll play a chest mini-game. Press circle to push the chests to their correct locations. Each level possesses a different challenge. There are 8 levels. He'll reward you with 600 GP. There is also a panel mini-game where you have to assemble a picture in a set time limit. Now that Kenshin is in your party you can have Yahiko learn more of his specials. It took me about 15 times to learn Yahiko's Ryu Tsui Sen. Return to the factory to find a flower. There is also an underground sumo mini- game. Go to the left side of town. Talk to the monk. The monetary is for men only and you can't enter. Leave town. Go to the farming village N of Tokyo. Talk to the woman inside the NE house, Eastern room one screen. She'll give you a radish. Return to Tokyo and give the radish to either Ayame or Suzume-chan. Enter the large white building in S Tokyo. Talk to everyone in the library, particularly the man sitting NE. Read the books on the first floor. This will open up a new area on the world map in the mountains next to Shimotsu. -Shimotsu Mountains- Treasure Checklist [ ] E next screen with tombs [ ] NW [ ] mid N [ ] mid N of village New enemies Yellow Wolf E flower, further E treasure. You'll see four stones (Aoshi's dead comrades?). NW exit. Your head will ache. You push a stone to reveal a staircase. Go downstairs, down more stairs, W to burnt village. Get the headband mid S. N is a special treasure. This used to be Hikaru's home village (Introduction, village that was burning). Return back the way you entered for a long flashback. You awaken at Kamiya Dojo. Kaoru will check up on you. Kenshin will comfort you. Yahiko also enters. You'll hear clashing. Guess who? Nezu once again. Battle! A green ninja will rescue them. You'll see the next map piece. The boy from the beginning of the game will see you, knocking Kenshin out of the way. Oro~! Save. =========================================================== The Fifth Map Piece =========================================================== Travel to the new town that opened up, Shibukawa. Go W to the house with the door shut, multistory. The screen will space out. SW is the stairs. Enemies here are demons that look like electric cats and phoenixes. Go NE to the next room. You'll battle a lion. Exit. No treasure chests there, sorry. Go SW into the next house. Again more ghosts. Mid S is the stairs. Go W, N to fight another lion. Last go mid W to the house with a top spinner with a red hat in front. Head SW up the stairs. Go E then NW through the door. Final lion boss. The red had man and Houdini will battle you. Houdini will escape, but the top spinner will be locked away in jail. AS you try to exit town, an old man will stumble. Go NE to the river. A group of children, possessed, will approach you. You'll use the crystal to free them. Boss battle. He'll once again take control of the children then kidnap one of them. You'll use the crystal again. The old man will return thanking you for saving the kids. However, you must retrieve the lost child. Exit and save. North Shibukawa Mountains- Treasure Checklist [ ] SE [ ] NW [ ] NE cave, E hidden passageway [ ] Second cave [ ] Exit waterfall (three chests) New enemies Blue owls NE cave. N exit to boss. After you defeat him, the top spinner will hit Kaoru and kidnap her. Follow them through another cave. NW exit to a house. You'll find the missing kid and Kaoru but they are both brainwashed. They fight each other. As Kaoru regains consciousness, the kid throws a knife at her. Kenshin angered attacks the top spinner. The other guy throws a bomb intended to kill Kenshin. Kenshin recovers. A purple ninja appears and kills the top spinner. You'll pick up his map piece. Warp back to town. Exit. =========================================================== The Sixth Map Piece =========================================================== Go to the next city of Nitsukou. A sumo will fall. Go mid W to the modern house. Someone will be kicked out. Enter the house. You'll bump into a little girl. She'll join while Sano stays behind. NW is a new dojo. Go to the right side of town. Boss fight against Hirotori and Matsukaze. Have Yahiko fight then to learn Sen Rin Zan. Afterwards, Houdini and his monkey will fight. They'll kidnap the girl and make their getaway to the forest. Chase after them. Use the save point. Go E, NE, S to next screen. Go S down vine to enter the cave below. Boss and a second chance to learn Yahiko's special. The monkey will get away. The two girls will die. Warp back to the mansion. Kenshin will get slapped. A carrier pigeon will fly in. Exit the town. You'll automatically be warped to a forest maze. -Forest Maze- Treasure Checklist [ ] SE, N [ ] From chest, E to hop onto stone, SE [ ] Temple, W [ ] Temple, mid [ ] Temple, E [ ] Temple, NE [ ] Temple, NW [ ] Temple, from stairs E New enemies Small green chainmen Small green knifemen There are no enemy encounters in the maze itself. Go right five screens, then go in between the four trees to warp to a yin yang sign. (My thanks to Game Arashi Gal) Go to the stone next to the chest to hop the river. SE to next screen is a flower E flower. Go back to the yin yang. W of the yin yang is a save point. SW is a temple. Mid N stairs. SW, N for boss. Monkey will ditch. You'll fight Yoshiki three times in a row (Persistent isn't she?). She'll light a stick of dynamite. Then they escape. You'll return to the house with the girl rescued. Talk to the maid. Leave town and save. Go to Shibukawa. Talk to the man next to the weapons shop. Kaoru will go into a shopping frenzy. A pickpocket will bump into her. If you go NE to the river, you'll fight lions. When you enter again, you'll see the pickpocket at work. Yahiko chases after him. It appears that he steals in order to support his brothers. Exit the town. Enter the village E of Shibukawa. Strange village. Everyone will quiz you. Enter the house near the entrance. You'll spot someone familiar. Enter the house NW. Then the house S of it. Finally the SW house. Then you'll talk. Return to Shibukawa. Two kids should come out and ask for your help. You'll leave the town automatically. Head to the mountains the E of Shibukawa where Kaoru was kidnapped before. At the top house, you'll fight a purple ninja. Enter the house. Yahiko will fight (hope you leveled him). Free the boy then exit. You'll warp to town. Go to Tokyo. Talk to Megumi. She'll tell you something about getting a white flower and a yellow fruit. Go to the back of her place, and pick the red flower by the well. Now go to Shimotsu and find the flower in the factory. Touching it should give you a fruit. Return this to Megumi. She'll make a medicine for you. Go back to the Western mansion in Nitsukou where you rescued the girl. Search the backyard shed. You'll find a map piece in the bookcase. =========================================================== The Seventh Map Piece =========================================================== -Seventh Creek Area- Treasure Checklist [ ] Behind ninja headquarters New Enemies Black ninja Green ninja SE next screen. Two vines. Left goes to a cave. Right to a flower. Save point inside cave. Enter ninja headquarters. -Ninja Headquarters- Treasure Checklist [ ] Basement SE down stairs (three chests) [ ] First floor NW [ ] S switch #4 [ ] SE switch #4 (two chests) New Enemies None. It took me two hours just to complete this. Hopefully it won't take you as long. Go SE for a switch. There's also a switch mid N before stairs to second floor. Follow these instructions exactly. Go left, go to the bottom right torch through the wall revealing a secret passageway. S, W out from the wall. Hit the switch (Switch #1). Go back to stairs, go right. Right through a wall. Hit switch #2. Go S, right two more switches. Flip switch #3 and #4 (furthest E). Go to switch #1. Head right to switch #5. Return to switch #4 and flip it back. At this point you can get the treasures south of switch #4. Go back to switch #1. Flip it. Go through the wall S, N door will close behind you. Yahiko can learn two attacks here, the first one from Shino and the other from Kousachi. Have Yahiko battle both times. Use items to keep him alive. You'll chat for awhile then warp. Heal. -Seventh Mountain Area- Treasure Checklist [ ] E cave, SE, W through spiral [ ] E cave, SE [ ] E cave, NE [ ] E cave, NW [ ] E cave, SW [ ] NW cave, entrance [ ] NW cave, NW [ ] NW cave, mid SE [ ] NW cave, SE [ ] NW cave, SE exit, N outside [ ] NE cave, SE (two chests) [ ] Temple, E [ ] Temple, downstairs, E to next screen [ ] Temple, downstairs, E to next screen, further E New Enemies Bears with incredible defense (200 exp) Flower outside from NW cave. SE exit. NW. NE cave, exit SW. N temple. W save point. E stairs. W takes you to next mountain area. -North Seventh Mountain Area- Treasure Checklist [ ] Right route [ ] Left route New enemies None. Left route leads to a flower and a chest. N is a nice picturesque view of the mountains. Center route leads to boss cave, Yoshiki who splits forms. Battle 5 illusions of her. A dragon will appear and burn her to death. You'll find the next map piece then warp. =========================================================== The Eighth Map Piece =========================================================== Travel to Yokohama, SE town. A dragon will stop you upon entering. It will battle whoever is in first position. Save. Enter town. Purchase new equipment. Enter the dojo to learn new techniques. W is the chapel. Talk to the girl at the entrance. Only women can enter, so Hikaru and Kaoru go inside while Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko wait. Talk to the nuns inside. You'll see a light then end up in the basement. Examine the hole to the right. NE is the exit. Something is definitely wrong. The head nun is a guy! Battle, 2v2. You'll be timed while you escape. Shortest route is S, W, S, W, N, W, S to exit. As you exit town, you face a boss once more, some weird spiritual entity. It fights the first person in the party. Then Mata and Saikura disappear. Save. Explore the whole town once more. Talk to the man before the chapel. Go S to port. Examine the SW ship. Talk to the man next to the weapons shop for an item. Move to another location on the world map and you'll fight Saikura. 5v5 each member fights. Set Kenshin last. Your reward is the next map piece. If you stay at the inn you'll see cameos of Misao, who gives you an item, Hiko, and Soujiro, who also gives you an item. You must stay at the inn multiple times to see all three. =========================================================== The Ninth Map Piece =========================================================== Travel N to Nitsukou. Go to the N part of town. A fire will break out. You must rescue those trapped inside: three children, one cat, and an adult. You have five minutes. Two children are on the top floor. One is NE while the other is SE hiding. The last kid is on the first floor back N. Mid W is a cat. Further SW is a man in a shed. Search the area around the man to find a secret stash. Once you have everyone, exit the house. You can visit them again left of the burning house, with the closed door. -Swamp- Treasure Checklist [ ] S, E [ ] NE [ ] NE to the next screen [ ] SE exit, E between trees [ ] SE exit, E next screen, SE New Enemies Red clawmen Purple 2-handed swordsmen Mint swordsman Violet spearmen Green spearmen Stronger red masked monks Gray swordsman Go E, SE exit. E, SW exit. N mansion. -Mansion of Terror- Treasure Checklist [ ] E room [ ] mid W room [ ] NE stairs, W [ ] Second floor SW room New Enemies Crows Skull Crow As you enter, there is a save point. N crow. Go E, S to basement, fight another crow. Go to the top floor. Press X to before each room to open the door. Some multi battles against crows occur. Go W, mid W, mid E treasure. Go back to the first floor. Open the SW room. Center fight a crow. Go back to second floor. Go to SE room, SW (treasure), NE. Try to go downstairs. Save. So back to the final center door on second floor. Boss skull crow, 3v3 battle. Chase after it. Another boss, Mata, who fights the person in first position. Nice music. His attacks are all ????. You can't win. 1 hit KO. You'll use the crystal. Then fight another dragon. Heal yourself! Mata will reward you with the last map piece. Warp out. Save. =========================================================== The Final Confrontation =========================================================== So to the final location opened up by the last map piece. -Final Dungeon I: Mountains- Treasure checklist [ ] NW [ ] NW cave, SE (two chests) [ ] NW cave, NE [ ] NW cave, N mid W [ ] NW cave, exit NE, outside N [ ] NE cave, NE (two chests) [ ] Save point cave, before swimming New enemies Red eyes gray owl (not related to Yugioh, lol) Very small knifemen Blue wolf Purple fencer NE cave, exit SW, N cave with save point. Enter the pond. You'll need to swim through an underground cavern. Use X to propel you forward. Circle to strike the fish. The bar at the top is your air supply. Keeping going up to replenish your air supply. If you run out of air or get hit by a fish once, you'll return to the save point (that sucks!). Head right, take the S route when you reach a fork. Stay mid right. Congratulations you made it. If you exit now, the area will be opened on the world map and you won't have to go through that again. -Final Dungeon II: Ritual Place- Treasure Checklist [ ] SE before Nezu [ ] N cave (two chests) [ ] After second boss, exit SE, SE to next screen [ ] After second boss, exit SE, mid W down stairs (three chests) New enemies Mythical horses Green electric cat creatures Yellow phoenix Blue lion Go N to met Nezu. Continue N. Take the left stairs to the next boss, Anakama. SE is the exit. Go SE, bottom route, NW stairs. Next boss. NW to a shining orb, which is the final save point of the game. This is your final time to level up. I recommend Hikaru being at a minimum of level 34. Go NE to the final boss. When you battle, Mata will be invincible (Don't waste your specials). 1 hit KO, no fair! Kenshin will realize that the ninja is behind the trickery. Kenshin will 
face the ninja Nozotsuki. Afterwards is a one on one battle between Hikaru and 
Mata. Congratulations, enjoy the full movie ending sequence and credits. 

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6. Copyright
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(c)2003 animesou. RPGClassics.com. All materials are
copyrighted by their respective authors. Game mentioned in
this walkthrough is copyrighted by Sony Computer 
Entertainment. No infringement on any existing copyright 
is intended. All rights reserved.

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