Kenshin is the son of the daimyō Norinaga and the boyfriend of rebel leader Mitsu. Overall, he is a minor character in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Movie, although his role and relationships have major impact on several characters.
History[]
Kenshin's opinion of his father's methodology, coupled with his secret relationship with the rebel leader, caused friction between the two men. One day in 1593, while Kenshin was out riding to return to Kumano Castle from visiting Mitsu, Kenshin was chased down by his father's soldiers and a brief scuffle erupted between the two parties, causing Kenshin to drop his katana. Kenshin returned home and was chastised by his father for leaving the castle, and Kenshin argued back that his war was unjust. Just as Norinaga was about to discipline Kenshin violently with his katana, Norinaga's English weapons dealer, Walker interrupted them with a gunshot. Norinaga ordered his son inside while he dealt with his "business partner".
Later that night, Kenshin stormed into the castle's temple, and a fierce wind suddenly blew through a window, unfurling a scroll detailing an ancestor of Norniaga and Kenshin's battling a quartet of kappa. He then picked up a glowing scepter, and at the same moment in 1993, the same scepter was held by April O'Neil. Kenshin and April swapped places in time, with each appearing in the other's clothes in addition.
Faced with the Turtles and Splinter in an unfamiliar world, he assumes the former to be kappa, and upon Splinter explaining what those were, Kenshin realizes they speak English, and switches appropriately to communicate with them. Donatello breaks down the science for what he believes happened to displace the two people, and when he says that there is a very specific condition that must exist for the transfer to take place, Kenshin correctly surmises that the transporters must be the same weight.
Splinter charges the Turtles with transporting through time to save April. They call on Casey Jones to help Splinter watch over Kenshin and what they assume will be a quartet of priests returning to take the Turtles' place. The Turtles grab the scepter and hold it high, and are replaced by... four of Norinaga's honor guard, much to Kenshin's dismay. Meanwhile, the Turtles end up horseback in heavy armor back in Japan.
As the honor guard gets settled into some clothes, Kenshin continues to fret and worry about Mitsu. He requests the scepter so he can go to her, but Casey distracts the visitors by putting a hockey game on TV. Kenshin is not so easily deterred, however, and he continues to pester Splinter about letting him go, even as Casey takes the other four out to play hockey, themselves, and they get in a bar brawl. Kenshin finally gains access to the scepter and activates it while April also holds it in the past, and the four honor guard finally rush in just in time to return to their own land and era.
Back in Japan, a now-humbled Norinaga warmly welcomes his son home.