Toshizou Hijikata

Hijikata Toshizo, the Shinsengumi’s Demon. He is stern, unforgiving and cruel on the surface, but once you scratch his surface, you’ll find that there’s much, much more to this serious-looking man than meets the eye.

He is the founding member of the Shinsengumi that wrote the Internal Regulations and developed the fighting style that Shinsengumi came to be known for, the Tennen-Rishin Ryu. In the series, he seems to be the one in control of the entire Shinsengumi, though the decisions of the Shinsengumi are made by a council of three: Kondou, Hijikata, and Yamanami. The mentor of Okita Souji, the tensai swordsman, he was no pushover in swordfighting. In episode one, you’ll get a taste of just how good Hijikata is.

In the later episodes, Hijikata is seen to worry about Okita’s illness as well as about Tetsunosuke. He refuses to let Tetsu hold a sword, apparently for fear that Tetsu will walk down the same bloody path as Okita. He has a deep sense of commitment to the Shinsengumi, and this is the most probable reason why he puts on a stern, unforgiving face. In Episode 7, he reprimanded Kondou for allowing the Shinsengumi to play like a ‘gang of buddies’ and told him to stop doing things to soften the Shinsengumi’s edge. He tolerates no imperfection but is not unreasonable. As such, he has the respect of all 40 members of the Shinsengumi.