Seta Sōjirō

Fictional character from Rurouni Kenshin

Seta Sōjirō (瀬田 宗次郎), addressed as Sojiro Seta in the English anime, is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is Shishio Makoto's right hand man. Sōjirō has been favorably popular with the Rurouni Kenshin reader base, placing high in several popularity polls.

Nobuhiro Watsuki has stated that the character design of Sōjirō is loosely based on Okita Sōji, the captain of the first Squad of the Shinsengumi. The name Seta Sōjirō originates from "Okita Sōjirō," the name Okita had in his early life. The specific personality model is from the Okita in Ryōtarō Shiba's novel Shinsengumi Keppūroku ("Record of Shinsengumi Bloodshed"); in that version Okita "lost an important part in his human heart," making him without emotions and "pretty scary." Watsuki reported that some fans did not like the fact that a character modeled on Okita is a villain; Watsuki argued that since Sōjirō is based on the Shinsengumi Keppuroku Okita, the design "works well" and that Sōjirō is "a strong antagonist." Watsuki felt that Sōjirō was more difficult to draw than Watsuki initially anticipated, and that he only accomplished around one fourth of what he imagined the character would appear in his mind. Watsuki had no design model for Sōjirō; Watsuki envisioned Okita as having bangs (fringes), so to Watsuki it was no surprise that Sōjirō also had bangs. Watsuki gave Sōjirō a "slightly feminized air" so that Sōjirō's smile would "look good" on the character. In Volume 9 Watsuki stated that he wants to properly portray Sōjirō since he is a popular character. The fact that Sōjirō has no emotions is also based on Shiba's version of Okita Sōji. Watsuki said that this concept became one of the most difficult aspects to reflect in the drawing. Okita died when he was young, but Watsuki decided not to kill Sōjirō in the story in order to atone for the murders he committed, but instead start living on his own instead of having someone make his decisions for him. He hoped to draw him in more of the next chapters but soon thought that would not be possible.

Sōjirō is Shishio's right hand man, a young assassin trained by Shishio himself. Sōjirō is known for his lack of kenki (offensive aura) in a fight, his apparent emotionless state reflected also in his sarcasm and polite manners with his smile hiding his true feelings. However, he does have a special relationship with Komagata Yumi, who functions as an older sister figure towards him. Sōjirō usually dresses up in a blue kimono with white handguards.

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in September of the first year of Bunkyū (1861), Sōjirō is an illegitimate child who was badly mistreated by his father's family to the point of being beaten for faltering in his tasks. To build a tolerance to the beatings, Sōjirō put on a smiling face as his tormenters decide to let him be. One night, at age eight, Sōjirō witnessed the recently scarred Shishio Makoto killing two police officers and was spared due to the criminal seeing the boy's smile. While secretly feeding Shishio and providing him with bandages, Sōjirō takes the man's ideals to heart while receiving a wakizashi. When his family learned that he is harboring Shishio and decide to murder the child and pin the blame on the fugitive, Sōjirō uses the wakizashi Shishio gave him to slaughter his family. While performing true shukuchi, he completely disappears and cannot be seen, even by Kenshin. Sōjirō can dodge the Kuzu ryūsen (九頭龍閃), a move which apparently cannot be evaded even by Kenshin himself. Sōjirō is also the first one ever to slash Kenshin in the back in the series. He would later reprise his role in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final as an ally to Kenshin. In Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc, Sōjirō has become a wanderer to find his own truth and ideals. He makes his way to Hokkaido where he is reunited with fellow Jupongatana member Yūkyūzan Anji.

Daryl Surat of Otaku USA said that while Sōjirō is a "kid," the character scored highly in popularity polls among readers because Sōjirō always smiles despite the abuse inflicted upon him. Surat used Sōjirō as an example for labeling Rurouni Kenshin what he calls "neo shonen"; a work that appeals to both boys and girls. The inclusion of Seta Sojiro in The Final was praised for Ryunosuke Kamiki's performance as the character became an aid to Kenshin and wants to see his resolution to his life as a pacifist while also enjoying the bigger focus on Misao and Saito. The romance between Kenshin and Kaoru was criticized though as being underdeveloped.