Saito Hajime

Hajime Saitō (斎藤 一 , Saitō Hajime^?,) (Edo, February 18, 1844 - Tokyo, September 28, 1915) was the captain of the 3rd Shinsengumi Troop. One of the few who survived the wars of the Meiji Restoration, he was considered the most powerful captain. Very little is known of his previous life and origins, and much of what was said is contradictory. Some said that he was the son of a rōnin , others said that he left Edo after murdering someone (accidentally, it was also said) and joined the army in Kyoto.

As a member of the Shinsengumi, Saitō was said to be introverted and mysterious; a common description of his character is that he "was not a man given to small talk." He was in charge of enemy counterintelligence (for example, the Itō case), and to monitor other enemy intelligence activities. His controversial reputation as a "hero" he came by assassinating several corrupt members of the Shinsengumi and the police after the war.

He married Takagi Tokio, daughter of a daimyō.

Regarding what he did after rendering his services, it is known that he ended up working as a janitor in a school for women, although there are versions that affirm that after the war, he changed his name to Gorō Fujita and worked as a police officer, obtaining special permission to carry a katana.

Saitō was a heavy drinker, which may have contributed to his death from a stomach ulcer at the age of 71. He did not reveal any of his activity in the Shinsengumi as Nagakura Shinpachi (who wrote a book) until his death.

In fiction

• The character of Hajime Saitō appears in the anime Rurouni Kenshin (also known as Samurai X) as an enemy and sometimes ally of the protagonist Kenshin Himura.
• In the anime Gintama He has a parody called Saitō Shimaru.
• In the movie When the Last Sword Is Drawn is played by actor Kōichi Satō.
• In the anime Hakuouki It appears as Hajime Saito.
• In the mobile game Fate/Grand Order appears as Servant Class Knowledge.
• In the video game saga spin-off Yakuza, Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!,Like a Dragon: Ishin or simply Yakuza Ishin, appears being played by the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu (Since the game is placed in its time).