Featured Red: Rurouni Kenshin (OVA version)

The Battousai, Rurouni Kenshin, was an assassin on the side of the Emperor against the Shogunate during the Bakematsu and Boshin War.

The OAV Trust & Betrayal -- which can be counted as one, two, or four OAV, depending on which version you're talking about -- are my favorite anime of all time, and Kenshin is my hero.

Orphaned quite young, during a time of chaos, Kenshin is raised in isolation by his swordsman teacher. He's an innocent, idealistic boy when he comes down from the mountain at 14, wanting to help create peace in a world at war. He has only one skill, the sword, and becomes an assassin. (The better-known TV series, based on the manga, begins ten years after the war ends.)

For me this anime resonates with the vicious side of today's world, of kids growing up alone, never having a true childhood, and finding violence as their only option in life. I must have watched this a hundred times or more, and it still makes me cry.

Here's a screenshot of this beautiful boy, old beyond his years.