, known as Kaoru Kamiya in the Media Blasters English-language dub and Kori Kamiya in the English Sony Samurai X dub, is a fictional character in the Rurouni Kenshin manga created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. In the story Kaoru is the instructor of a kendo school in Tokyo, . The students leave when many people are killed by someone claiming to be the from the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū", damaging the school's reputation. Kaoru is saved from the murderous impostor by the real Battōsai, Himura Kenshin, now a wanderer who has sworn to stop killing. During the series, Kaoru grows fond of Kenshin due to his good actions to society and becomes his ally. Kaoru also appears in the film version of the series and other media of the franchise, including electronic games and a series of original video animations (OVAs). Although Watsuki wanted to design Kaoru "more cutely" and to be "more fashionable", he toned down those qualities and made her poor and "down-to-earth". There was concern that Watsuki would kill her off, with her critical reception having been mostly positive. Appearances Rurouni Kenshin Kaoru is the instructor of the Kamiya Kasshin martial-arts school. She inherited her fighting style and a small dojo from her father, who was drafted by a police swordsmen unit and died defending a comrade during the Seinan War. At the beginning of the story, Kaoru has no students and runs the dojo alone; she seems likely to lose it when Kenshin helps her. Despite occasional mood swings and a reputation for bad cooking, she is independent, compassionate, courageous and a good fighter. In her first appearance, Kaoru searches for the assassin Hitokiri Battosai, who claims to be from Kamiya Kasshin-ryu. Kaoru is saved by the real Battosai, Himura Kenshin, and invites him to her dojo. One of her greatest fears is that Kenshin might return to wandering, leaving her alone again, and she is jealous if another girl (such as Takani Megumi) is interested in him. In the series' first story arc, Kaoru gains a student (Myojin Yahiko) and loses one (Tsukayama Yutaro). When the Meiji government requests Kenshin's aid to kill the former Hitokiri Shishio Makoto, he bids Kaoru an emotional farewell and leaves for Kyoto. Kaoru falls into a depression before she follows him to Kyoto after a pep talk from Megumi. With the Oniwabanshu's Makimachi Misao, she defeats one of Shishio's Juppongatana: Honjō Kamatari.