AnimeNfo

[nauXolo (#69311)]

 Kenshin's Fate (spoilers)

[Samuel (#92371)]

Yeah thats pretty much what it said At least in the fan sub

[cranston (#84421)]

And how'd he get it in the first place? I didn't know he was the promiscuous type.

[nauXolo (#69311)]

The first wife of course.
She probably got it from her late husband , who probably frequented the red light districts. After all, wasn't that where kenshin killed him?

[cranston (#84421)]

[nauXolo (#69311)]

Well... Kenshin had to have gotten it from somewhere. There aren't that many females in this anime. There's the doctor... Kaoru (not her)... some Chinese girl that Kenshin did while he was in China? And the first wife...

maybe you're right ... and maybe he contracted it from some Chinese girl
its so odd... this ending isn't the same as the manga right? they lived happily in the manga... i think.

or is ther some other way to get syphilis

[cranston (#84421)]

[Caddberry (#27690)]

I'd say it's definitely not an STD.. The thought makes me laugh..

It was just a comunicable disease I'd imagine. Probably transferable by bodily fluids.. Not necessarily just through sex..

However, if it was.. Well... I am wondering why the kid came out ok..

I suppose its possible to come out fine without the disease.. Perhaps Kaoru didn't catch it right away..

I didnt read the manga..

[nauXolo (#69311)]

the description you have, cadd, is what an STD is...
there isn't really that much transferable by just saliva. even AIDs is difficult to transfer by saliva

how else can you transfer bodily fluids?

[Caddberry (#27690)]

[Jinchuu Crusader (#100569)]

There are two ways to look at Kenshin's disease in the OVA.

1. It was a manifestation of his internal guilt. Ever since he became a hitokiri, Kenshin suffered from this massive guilt which is the reason his scar would never heal. The reason he never showed those symptoms was carrying the Sakabatou allowed him to stave it off by helping people, allaying the feelings somewhat.

After giving up the Sakabatou, Kenshin can no longer protect people, so the guilt returns tenfold. This time it manifests itself not only through the cruciform scar but also through sores all over his body, slowly killing him. Eventually the guilt is so bad that his mind simply locks that part of his life out, which is why by the time Sano finds him in China in 1894, he can longer remember anything.

2. It is syphilis. Syphilis while considered an STD can be transmitted through the contact of bodily fluids. In the 19th century, sanitation wasn't a top priority as it is now. People often came in casual contact with each other's bodily fluids and thought nothing of it, which is why diseases were so rampant.

As a swordsman, Kenshin both inflicted and received bloody wounds. The swords that cut through his flesh would have dried up blood, germs and bacteria on their blades. When these things were introduced into his bloodstream, he could quite conceivably have picked up syphilis.

One of the symptoms of syphilis is the loss of one's memories, which of course Kenshin suffers from at the end of the OVA. This is why I'd support syphilis if not a manifestation of his guilt.

[Stick (#5576)]

[nauXolo (#69311)]

@stick
I always thought (and if not, it should be) that it is OK to do thread-revivals in anime-discussion topics. After all, animes don't change over time so the discussion is always valid. It isn't spam because it isn't necessarily a post count+1 thing.

Also, if you add something helpful, then people in the future 1 year from now can see it and read it and discuss it.

[Stick (#5576)]

[Legato (#138813)]