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Why didn't Kenshin's master, Hiko Seijuro, come and fight Master Shishio
Makoto in the showdown of the Kyoto Arc?

This is one of the many times that the Meiji government called on Kenshin to
solve their problems, even though his master is as skilled as he. (This is
especially true before Kenshin learned the final technique.)


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rurouni-kenshin
Why didn't Kenshin's master Hiko Seijuro fight Master Shishio?


Because Master Seijuro wasn't interested! He was, to put it bluntly, an
introverted, misanthropic and somewhat lazy martial artist, who thought the
world an unredeemable place, felt Kenshin a fool for wanting to improve
society, and didn't care in the least to take down Shishio. (See particularly
his interactions with Kenshin during episode 41, "The Ultimate Technique of
the Hiten-Mitsurugi Style: Reunion with a Mentor, Seijuro Hiko".) To quote
from [the Kenshin wiki page on
him](http://kenshin.wikia.com/wiki/Hiko_Seij%C5%ABr%C5%8D_XIII):

> Kenshin describes his personality as "twisted, brusque and misanthropic" ...
> He dislikes the complications of socialization, and hearing of the ills of
> society, both of which he finds annoying, and to the latter's weight,
> ultimately incessant and depressing. In order to avoid having to work with
> people, he makes his living as a pottery artist alone on a mountain (a
> profession that he is reported to excel at). He also comes off as somewhat
> lazy, professing to have retrained Kenshin to save himself the bother of
> having to deal with Shishio, and later on, he complains about having to
> protect Kenshin's friends, after the latter insists him to do so (though he
> does).

It's only after much cajoling that he agrees to teach Kenshin what he needs to
know to defeat Shishio (episode 43, "Between Life and Death: Master the
Ultimate Technique, Amakakeru Ryu no Hikameki!"), but beyond that, the most he
will agree to do is to (grudgingly) keep an eye on and protect his friends,
while Kenshin does the actual hard work of fighting Shishio (episode 53, "The
Giant Versus Superman: Like an Arrow Shot at a Time of Despair")!


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Essentially it is because it is not his fight, this is the symbolic end of
Kenshin's arc as an assassin. Kenshin knew this and that is why he only asked
Hiko to make sure his loved ones were safe. For the story it would be boring
because he would just waltz in and kill everyone in a couple minutes, maybe
seconds. Hiko Seijuro is the best swordsman in this universe by far, he is
superman. He is stronger, faster, more skilled and more experienced than
Kenshin. Kenshin hit him with Amakakeru because Seijuro forced him to in order
to teach him how to do it. The only area where Kenshin measures up is heart,
he may even surpass Hiko in this.


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This is gonna set some people off, but the simple truth is that Hiko would
have lost to Shishio.

First, Hiko's defense is not impenetrable. Even before learning the succession
technique, Kenshin was able to land a hit on Hiko when his focus and
motivation were at 100%. That means Shishio would have likewise been able to
hand hits on Hiko.

Meanwhile, Hiko's capacity to take damage is no better than anyone else's. Yes
his muscle mass gives him some protection, but it didn't protect him from the
Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. And consider getting hit by that technique knocked
him out for a full day, whereas Shishio could withstand the full force of the
stronger version of the technique and keep fighting, and even Aoshi could
maintain consciousness. That suggests one Guren Kaina would have knocked him
out, and even Homura Dama would have whittled away his fighting strength.

All of which is to say, his build, technique, and blade give him incremental
advantages over Kenshin but not so much that motivation and fighting spirit
wouldn't factor in. And on those counts, Kenshin is leaps and bounds ahead,
being more invested at an ideological level (caring more about what happens to
the government) and a personal level (redeeming his own legacy as hitokiri),
contrasted to Hiko's personality ("twisted, brusque and misanthropic") and
politics (the Hiten sword must maintain its independency from factions)

All of this is set up within the narrative itself, which is why Kenshin didn't
bother asking his master to help him out. Of course, protecting the weak from
roving bandits is right within his wheelhouse, which is why he is willing to
protect the Aoya.


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He very well could have. However that's not the final lesson he wished to
bestow. He let Kenshin do so, namely because in actuality it's partially his
mechanations that caused this circumstance with Shishio in the first place.
Mush like the Sith in Star Wars, Ascension to Master requires typically the
student kill the master by perfecting the final technique. The master-
apprentice dynamic continues to point of succession in which the apprentice
graduates by successfully besting the master in a life or death struggle.
Practitioners of Hiten Mitsurugi style of swordsmanship; capitulated to
Maintain independence of any and all political entities, stressing highly the
importance of wielding its expertise in the name of humanity; and NOT serving
any political, government or institutional body. Since Shishio was attempting
to overthrow the Meiji government, killing/disposing of him would be a
political move (And the Hiten style Stresses it's practitioners take NO
ambition to accumulate political power or change political dynamics)

imagine you inherit a power so great, then realize you have to kill a million
to save a million. Hiko was right. “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all
murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of
trumpets.” ― Voltaire


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The author of the Manga stated that Hiko is too powerful and would make all
encounters trival and boring.

This is Kenshin's story not Hiko's.


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He obviously wasn't interested in fighting for the government. He scolded
Kenshin many times and even mocked him for taking sides with the government
and what it made him to be. He could definitely defeat Shishio if he wanted
to.


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