Character outline
[edit] Background
Sanosuke left home at an early age to join the Sekihō Army (Sekihō-tai), leaving behind his father (Kamishimoemon), his mother (Naname), and his younger sister (Uki) who adored him. He would return home years later to discover that his mother was dead, having died a couple of years after the birth of his younger brother, Ota, who immediately began to admire Sanosuke for his bravery and boldness. Sanosuke would also find out that his family name was now Higashidani, although he would never use it himself. His sister, after Sanosuke's disappearance and then her mother's death, became overprotective of her younger brother and father, who worked as a local merchant and farmer with the infamy of being a local fighter. Ota, after Sanosuke leaves his family again, would eventually follow his brother's advice and train at the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryū style dojo to become strong.
The Sekihoutai fought for the imperial alliance at the end of the Tokugawa regime and Sanosuke admired his captain, Sagara Sōzō and took the family name Sagara from him. The Sekihō Army were on assignment to spread word of the halving of taxes proclaimed by the revolution. However, when the revolutionary government encountered financial problems, they labeled the Sekihoutai as frauds to bury their promises. This setup was engineered by Shindō Tatewaki, a former officer in the imperial alliance. The Sekihoutai were designated scapegoats and to be executed; Sanosuke was the only survivor, other than his friend Tsukioka Katsuhiro. The exact circumstances of Sōzō's death differ between the animated version and the manga; in the manga Sanosuke realized he had been killed after seeing his decapitated head on display as a warning, while in the anime a wounded Sōzō pushed Sanosuke to safety off a cliff in order to save him before dying himself.
[edit] Techniques
During the Shishio crisis, Sanosuke learns 'Futae no Kiwami' (Mastery of the Two Layers) from a fallen monk named Yukyuzan Anji. Futae no Kiwami is a special art, whereby the assailant uses two strikes with different parts of the same hand in quick succession; the first punch with the proximal interphalangeal joint neutralizes the hardness of the target, then the second blow strikes with the proximal phalanx (or knuckle) and breaks the target before it recovers from the force of the first blow. Later, in a fight against Anji, Sanosuke's desperation leads to the innovation of a third level, referred to by Kenshin and Saitou as the 'Sanjuu no Kiwami', in which he strikes a third time after the first two blows by opening his hand, in the process hitting with every part of his finger a second time. Anji had never reached this step; although he had a greater mastery as he could not only perform it with his other hand; but also his elbows, knees, feet, head, and through his sword. It also does not harm Anji, unlike Sanosuke, who cripples his hand in doing it constantly, though that is mostly because he never allows his hand to heal before performing the technique.
Sagara Sanosuke begins in the series as Kenshin's most powerful ally, gaining his super human strength and toughness from the numerous battles he has experienced from the age of ten, though at the start of the series he is not extremely powerful, at least in comparison to some of the boss characters. In the beginning he defeated lower ranked foes such as Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijo of the Oniwabanshu. Even so, these enemies were fairly weak compared to some of the stronger characters, and Sano was defeated by the more powerful ones, such as Aoshi and Saito Hajime. During the Kyoto arc, however, he learns Anji's 'Futae no Kiwami' and is taken more seriously as a threat by Kenshin's enemies.
Sanosuke's right hand was severely damaged after grueling battles with Anji and Shishio. This becomes a major hindrance to Sanosuke's fighting ability during the Jinchuu arc and his battle with Inui Banjin, who is wearing (self titled) "Invulnerable Gauntlets". Takani Megumi, as his physician, is constantly annoyed when he continues to use his damaged hand despite the fact it has not healed enough.
Even with his broken fist, Sanosuke manages to crush Banjin's gauntlets, even when they are restored and improved upon as "Neo Invulnerable Gauntlets" during their final fight. He finally overcomes this disability by his discovery, during a return to his home village, that the Futae no Kiwami can be performed using both hands: his left hand holds his right wrist during the impact, lessening the impact to his damaged hand. He effectively uses this technique against Su-shin Byakko, during which time Kenshin notices the new two-handed Futae no Kiwami attack.
[edit] Mark of Evil
The symbol on the back of Sanosuke's jacket is the Japanese kanji 惡 (Aku), which means "Evil" "Wicked" or "Bad". He bears this symbol as a mark of his loyalty towards his past in the Sekihō Army, but also serves as a reminder to defend innocent people who have been wronged. This kanji can also be interpreted to "Bad Hearted."
Sanosuke's influence on others can be seen as others place the character on their backs as well. His younger brother Higashidani Ota, after seeing his brother fight to save their father, asks their sister to sew a patch with character on the back of his shirt. Myōjin Yahiko, who grows to see things in similar perspectives as Sanosuke, also chooses to wear a smaller version of the kanji by the time he comes of age (15 years old) at the end of the manga.
