Saitô Hajime is actually a real person in Japanese history and the captain of the third squad of the Shinsengumi.
Sanosuke: All right, I'll take you on! I'll ask who you are with these fists!
Imperialist: No matter what you filthy wolves do, nothing will be able to stop the Tokugawa Era from coming to an end! Saito: Would you like to say more, or is that all?
Kenshin: But with a reverse blade sword and an oath not to kill, will I be able to win?
First appearance (in flashback) of Okita Souji, real life captain of the first squad of the Shinsengumi. Despite his youth and beauty, he was a demon in battle and a sword prodigy. It's been said that Okita was the toughest swordsman in the Shinsengumi, but some history buffs claim Saitou was better. Okita died of tuberculosis at the age of 25 (the episode references his illness).
First appearance of Hajime Saitou, real life captain of the third squad of the Shinsengumi. Contrary to a line in a later episode, Saitou was a heavy drinker and died of complications from alcohol abuse in 1915, the same year another Shinsengumi captain, Shinpachi Nagakura died.
The medicine pack Saitou carries, as well as the sideways sword thrust the Shinsengumi use in the flashback, were created by Shinsengumi commander Toshizo Hijikata. Saitou's gatotsu is a romanticized version of the actual technique the real Saitou used, which was a variation of Hijikata's original attack.
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