His real name - Kenshin or Shinta?

[Ankha]

I remember one of the OVAs said that Kenshins real name is Shinta.

Is that true? And does Kenshin ever reveal his "real" name to the others (Kaoru and the gang) in the manga version? In that case, what vol. is that in?

And, by the way, what do you think of the name Shinta?  

[TheBobert]

yeah it's Shinta. I'm not sure if he does it in the manga...  

[Miwaslover]

Kenshin is the name he got when he went as an apprentice to Seijirou Hiko. Shinta is the name that his adopted parents gave him. We never really know Kenshin's true name.  

[Chibibotan]

TheBobert

yeah it's Shinta. I'm not sure if he does it in the manga...

No he doesn't.  

[samuraichikX]

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh well i have to admit i do like kenshin better than his real name shinta, but a lot of people probably like it cuz it's the first thing they heard and anything else sounds weird, i almost think that if we heard shinta in the title and they actually used that name people might like it more, i dunno just a thing about the human mind eek and i havent gotten that far in the manga, only on like vol.17 not really at the romantic part of kenshin and kaoru's relationship but yeah i know he tells her in the OVA but kenji in the manga is soooooooooo cute it's hilarious what he does in the last volume, ok i read ahead i'm a bad girl stare  

[samuraichikX]

Miwaslover

Kenshin is the name he got when he went as an apprentice to Seijirou Hiko. Shinta is the name that his adopted parents gave him. We never really know Kenshin's true name.

adopted? what the isnt that the name his birth parents gave him he was never adopted he was sold into slavery at like 8 years old and then was apprenticed by hiko he was never adopted O.o  

[Zarc07]

Kenshin's real name is Shinta. He got the name Kenshin from his Hiten master Hiko  

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

In old Japan, when a child became a warrior, they received a warrior name. This usually happened on the child's 15th birthday, the ceremony genpuku. When Hiko took Shinta as his apprentice, his childhood ended and his warrior life began at the tender age of ten. Therefore, his name change to Kenshin was like an early genpuku since he'd already seen so much misery in his short life.

In the manga, Kenshin doesn't reveal his childhood name to his friends.  

[AHURA MAZDA Ormazd]

Yami no Hitokiri

In old Japan, when a child became a warrior, they received a warrior name. This usually happened on the child's 15th birthday, the ceremony genpuku. When Hiko took Shinta as his apprentice, his childhood ended and his warrior life began at the tender age of ten. Therefore, his name change to Kenshin was like an early genpuku since he'd already seen so much misery in his short life.

In the manga, Kenshin doesn't reveal his childhood name to his friends.

Yeah i remember when Hiko said that it was "A child's name". Remember everybody that unforgettable scene where little shinta repeats his name for the first time. "Kenshin..."  

[MadamMerteuil]

Shinta is Ken's real name. Kenshin is what Hiko gave to him. But others already said that.
xd

 

[kei-chan93]

yes it is the manga i dont know  

[imadoki_idgit]

Shinta is his real name...when hiko found him and took him in he gave him the warrior name of kenshin.. this happens in vol 11 or 12.  

[Ankha]

OK, great, I get it now ^^

I also think that people like Kenshin more because they don't use the Shinta name (that often).

But did I get this right... If you haven't seen the anime, then there's no way you'd know that his name is Shinta?

And do you know what his name means? Ken-SHIN is almost like SHIN-ta. I think that Kenshin means sword-heart, and if that's true, does Shinta mean Heart...something?  

[Elastic Muffin]

Don't know o.O I never really heard of the Shinta thing really. Probably only once xD;;
Maybe he's just wants it to be a mysterious name? o.O The Author I mean

 

[Lycorius]

I would also give you the 411, but seeing that everyone already has I'm not going to anymore... Shinta, I think is a nice name, and it works well for Kenshin because it does sound childish and very soft-hearted. But I also love the name Kenshin, and I'll probably never think of him as Shinta but as Kenshin... so yeah