Kaoru's put across as weak

[Tasha21]

I believe Kaoru is strong in her own way. Even though she gets help from other people (esp. Kenshin), she can hold her own!!  

[Fireshaper]

I just read Buso Renkin, and I really like how there's a strong female character in there. ^^ For a bit I was worried that Watsuki didn't want any females to be super strong, but I realized he just could fit one in.  

[Selene2]

kaoru only looks weak because kenshin and sanosuke are alot stronger than her. that's all.  

[Lady Boleyn]

I think she is put across as weak, BUT I also agree with her being able to beat up run-of-the-mill people better than beating up those with crazy sword skills.  

[[~Sakura Hime~]]

Genbu no miko Marie

I suppose it's unfair. But, she could chose to try to help them fight, instead of allowing them to simply defend her. We can't put all the blame on her, though, heck, it could be the fault of her various protectors. They assume she's too weak to defend herself, almost immediatly. Or, like Kenshin, they can be possessive, that's how I choose to think of it, since he should be aware she's quite strong herself. Demonstrations being when she whacks him, about once per episode.

i like that opinion though id have to think over it  

[Yukiko- Keeper of Dreams]

I never have really like Kauro... she is annoying, but not as annoying as Kagome from Inuyasha... atleast Kauro can fight, even if she looses all her battles.  

[Sakura Rainfall]

Maybe if Kaoru's role gave her more moves and maybe more battles? X) We would maybe think differently? I think she could've had more roles in that, maybe not as powerful but alot more techniques to fight.  

[Rune WolfHaven]

Well, Watsuki did say he was a "guys - strong, girls - cute" type of guy. I guess being the damsel in distress helps with the whole "cute" thing.  

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

Kaoru doesn't "lose all her battles". She beat down those two Hishi Manji Gurentai guys and beat Kamatari (albeit with Misao's help).

Kaoru is strong on her own level. She cannot be compared to Kenshin, Sano, Aoshi, Enishi, Jinei, etc. because they're simply at levels beyond her.

It's just like it's wrong to compare Kenshin to Hiko. As strong as Kenshin is, he's happy just to nick Hiko's wrist guard. That doesn't mean Kenshin's a weakling by any stretch of the imagination. It just means that nobody else was probably ever able to touch Hiko in that way (except his own master).

So on his own level, Kenshin is strong beyond the rest. And on her own level, Kaoru is strong.  

[Nighty Night Nighty]

...With these eyes shut, looking through the rust and rot and dust, a small spot of light floods the floor...

To me, Karou isn't all that weak. She manages her own dojo, and can fight well. It's just that being compared with Kenshin, Sano, and others is like comparing Ichigo in Hollow-form against Keigo.
(Had to use a Bleach refference. Sorry. )

...it pours over the rusted world of pretend, and these eyes they open and it's dark again...

Lyrics from Forgotten by Linkin Park.

 

[Silverotter107]

She's strong! God damn it, she's strong!

I had a HUGE argument over this with my friend today.

My friend is a feminist. Not that that's a bad thing! She's always looking for strong female characters. And I mentioned Kaoru is strong. My friend completely disagreed. I made the argument most of you are making, that she /is/ strong, but compared the Kenshin and Shishio, she receives the illusion that she's weak. She said, "If you get a C in a class where everyone else gets an F, then you're considered smart." She's saying that just because she /is/ strong does not mean it matters because she's constantly being dwarfed by the other (male) characters. (Now, looking back, that quote doesn't make sense, but it did at the time.)

But, my friend made another argument. She said that Kaoru is weak because after Kenshin left her, she laid in bed for three days crying.

Does that make you weak!? She's only 17, has no family, wouldn't be alive without this guy (and deep down she knows she loves him), looks up to him, he's all she has, and all of the sudden, out of the blue, he says, "Sayonara." (For you all not familiar with Japanese, 'sayonara' in this case means "Good-bye, we will never meet again" basically.)

Wouldn't you be devasted, too?? Does that make her weak? You see Megumi-san and she's moving on, even though she too loved Kenshin and was crushed that he hadn't even bothered to say farewell to her, but she's moving on because she has something to hold on to (her medicine and her reason to live). Kaoru had nothing! Or atleast that's how she saw it because if it weren't for Kenshin, she would really not have anything (she'd have no dojo and be dead from the first chapter). Maybe her reaction was immature at first, but three days later she snaps out of it and is fighting for what she wants.

I know that might seem weak, but it isn't. How can wanting something simple like that (happiness and love) make you weak?

My friend says that the fact that she is so dependant on Kenshin also makes her weak. But, it's human nature to need to be able to rely trust unto others, especially for women (that's a proven fact). Some might think that if you can get by without being dependant on others then you are strong. That isn't true. That's trying to defy who you are (human) and your nature. We are all human, no matter how hard we try to hide the fact. We all feel and want some love. Just because Kaoru didn't bottle it all up inside does not make her weak. It was her way with dealing with the grief. And with that amount of grief, if she did bottle it up, she would literally have cracked.
((Actually, if she were older she would have died from Broken Heart Syndrome (<- a real deasise). I say this to emphasize the fact that it's part of nature to love and to naturally feel bad when you're rejected.))

I think she's strong physically and mentally. Sure, she made a mistake, but she by far isn't going to make it again. That's what it means to have strength, to be able to become strong through effort and learn from and accept mistakes. Kaoru is strong, maybe not Mother Theresa strong, but she's stronger than most girls today are.